We were lucky to catch up with Katie Usher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I would say I’ve had a few defining moments in my professional career. In physical therapy school, I was drawn most into neurology and pediatrics. The developmental series of babies was very intriguing to me and I loved the idea of being able to impact function in kids that could change the trajectory of their lives. I also did internships in college with a neuro-focused physical therapist, and found there was nothing like helping someone learn to walk again after a stroke or serious injury. My focus shifted, however, after watching a family member go through a traumatic birth without any referral for physical therapy afterward. I knew she needed pelvic floor therapy but wasn’t trained at the time in how to treat pelvic health conditions. I can honestly say that was the moment my perspective shifted and opened my eyes to the glaringly underserved field of women and mens pelvic health. That experience shifted my focus into pelvic health, but there have been many other smaller defining and solidifying moments since then to confirm I am where I am supposed to be. Once I made the decision to switch my area of focus into pelvic floor therapy, many people started opening up to me about their private pelvic floor conditions that they would have otherwise never shared. It opened my eyes to how common pelvic floor conditions are for both women and men, young and old. It’s been 7 years now and I’ve never looked back.

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.

Hi! My name is Katie Usher, and I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in pelvic health conditions. I am the owner and founder of Kaizen Pelvic Wellness which provides one on one care for pelvic health issues including, but not limited to, birth prep, postpartum care, urinary and/or fecal incontinence, pelvic pain, pain with sex, abdominal rehab, low back pain, SI pain, constipation, bladder pain, pelvic organ prolapse and pelvic floor dysfunction. My mind opened up to the world of pelvic health after watching some family members deal with leaking after birth and having traumatic birth experiences with no care afterward. I saw this was an underserved niche and knew immediately after taking my first course that I would be doing this work for the rest of my life.

The beautiful thing about pelvic health is our ability to understand the relation of everything happening in the pelvis. We understand how constipation or a full rectum can impact the bladder, how a UTI can cause lingering pelvic floor dysfunction and pain, how a tight pelvic floor impacts birth and periods, etc. Oftentimes, our patients are shuffled between so many specialists before they make their way into our office. It’s fulfilling and rewarding to be able to offer hope, help them heal and teach them how to manage their symptoms independently. Our work focuses on balancing the pelvis, normalizing neuromuscular tone, and strengthening areas that need to be stabilized to minimize pain. KPW is a team of 5 physical and occupational therapists who are trained in many modalities, including dry needling, craniosacral, cupping, scraping, external and internal manual therapy assessment and treatment and rehab. Each patient gets an hour of one-on-one, individualized care.

We are women, mostly mothers ourselves, who are passionate about helping men and women heal their pelvic health concerns. We are also love helping women prep for birth and recover on the postpartum side, because we know the lasting impact it can have on a woman’s body and mind for her lifetime, as well as the baby’s first experiences of life outside the womb. We see pelvic health as healing symptoms, preventing symptoms and maintaining wellness across the lifespan.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

This seems too simple, but my advice is to treat your team how you would want to be treated. I think our company has great culture and morale and all of our team is independently passionate about the work they are doing. I know that a lot of that comes from the way I manage our team. Before I started my business, I worked for several other hospitals and companies. The reality in corporate America (yes, that includes our hospital systems) is you are often treated like a number with the main goal being your productivity. I knew I would never operate that way. Our team is paid well, they manage their schedules and I am here if they need me. I have been told several times that the industry standard of payment for this type of work is a certain price and we are well above that. I want our team to feel valued and appreciated because that is the starting point for culture.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Pelvic health is a field that can feel very heavy at times with the amount of physical and emotional trauma that can happen in the area. Our clients are often suffering for years before they are referred appropriately to our care. I think something that has helped me the most for succeeding is to do my own self care including exercise and meditation. It is important that patients come in and feel safe, heard and validated. It is hard to be able to create that safe space, while also not taking on the energy of the other person, if I am not grounded in a good head space.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kaizenpelvicwellness.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kaizenpelvicwellness
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kaizenpelvicwellness
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/kaizenpelvicwellness

Image Credits
Fay Baldwin