We recently connected with Justin Vann and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Justin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

I worked in an outpatient clinic in my hometown in high school, college, and PT school. My first mentor taught me a valuable lesson as an intern at this clinic. We had a patient she was working with that had multiple failed surgeries causing a couple very rough years of recovery. She spent an entire session just talking with the patient and listening to her current struggles in life.

Afterwards, she explained that you aren’t just helping people physically as a Physical Therapist. You are also playing a vital role in their mental health as you are a crucial part of this difficult part of their life. Often, injuries and pain are stopping people from doing the things they love to do. It also often causes a domino effect in all aspects of their health that can lead to depression, anxiety, weight gain, and other diseases. She explained we have to factor all of this into our interactions with our patients. I think this experience as an intern helped shaped my approach as a coach and my passion to provide holistic care to clients. I’m extremely grateful for this lesson and many other lessons from this mentor over the years.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m originally from a small town in Missouri and have been in Kansas City since starting Physical Therapy school at Rockhurst in 2018. I have always been active myself and love being outdoors, whether it’s golfing, hiking, or running. I spend a lot of time with my wife, Sarah, and our baby boy, Theo, who we welcomed this spring.

My path into physical therapy started early. I had three knee surgeries as a teenager and have spent a lot of time in rehab over the years due to various injuries. This has given me a firsthand understanding of what it’s like to be a patient. These experiences have really shaped how I approach my clients and understanding their daily struggles with pain. I also am a big believer in not waiting for the injury to happen to work on your movement health.

Earlier this year, I started my Virtual Physical Therapy business because I wanted to offer holistic and convenient care that clients deserve. Our current healthcare system often falls short, especially when it comes to long-term outcomes. My goal is to help people not just get out of pain, but to stay out of pain and improve their overall health. I perform full-body movement screenings and nutrition coaching to identify the root causes of pain with all clients. This helps me build personalized health and wellness programs to help them reach their goals. This includes various exercises focusing on mobility, stability, strength, performance, and injury prevention.

Everything is delivered through a convenient app with 24/7 access to me, so my clients feel supported without the hassle of clinic visits or rushed appointments. It’s truly concierge care designed to fit into real life and help people perform better whether that’s in their sport, at work, or just day to day.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I recently pivoted to virtual PT from being in the clinic full time. I did this to meet people where they are in life and provide a convenient option to help people reach their goals pain free. The cost of in person physical therapy continues to rise with insurance and time restrictions often limiting care. Virtual care is an effective and efficient alternative without these limitations.

Virtual PT is changing the healthcare experience as it’s 24/7 concierge access to health and wellness coaching from a licensed PT. All of my clients have personalized monthly programs focused on their movement and nutrition to fix their pain for good. I also have many clients that don’t have pain anymore and work on their performance in the gym or their sport. Whether you’re a golfer, runner, or just trying to perform better at your day job, I can build a program for YOU. My goal is to empower my clients to become healthier overall and improve their lives long term.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Yes, I really do love what I do. I see it as an opportunity to help people live fuller lives by doing what they enjoy, without being limited by pain. What’s even more meaningful to me is helping clients feel empowered to take charge of their own health and make sustainable, long-term changes.

Unfortunately, around 60% of Americans are living with at least one chronic condition, and our healthcare system often jumps straight to medications, injections, or surgery. Often, before exploring realistic and effective lifestyle changes. I’m trying to be part of the solution by offering a more convenient and personalized approach that focuses on movement, nutrition, and personalized support.

I believe movement is medicine, and with the right guidance, people can take back their health to fight chronic disease.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://calendly.com/justinvanndpt/consult
• Instagram: @justinvann_dpt
• Other: TikTok: @justinvann_dpt
  Email: [email protected]
  Phone: 573-220-9684