We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Sylvestri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?

Cancer is such a devastating disease and period of time in a person’s life. Patients often hear so much bad news, make difficult choices, experience so much stress, that many times seeing a physical therapist is put off to deal with more life threatening issues first. By the time I DO finally get to see a patient, they are in so much discomfort that she wonders if she will ever feel normal. The first time I was able to put my hands on a patient and help them, I realized that I was in the right profession.
For a woman to tell me that I am the first person to make her feel good during such an awful time in her life is just as gratifying for me, as it is for her.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a physical therapist since 2000. I knew nothing about oncology rehabilitation until a family friend told me she was having LYMPHEDEMA THERAPY and how helpful it was. That conversation is what led me to where I am today. I started my journey in lymphedema specialization in 2008 and started my private practice in 2019 during covid. What started as seeing a few patients in the home, has now grown into being the owner of a successful oncology rehabilitation practice. I love being able to offer the best services to patients who are truly grateful for what we offer. I get to make the decisions, investments and strategic plans to offer the best services available for THE PATIENTS IN MY COMMUNITY. I get to decide the hows and whys of treatment and also the business. I have found that I love the challenge of business ownership almost as much as improving someone’s quality of life.

One of the biggest things that sets Oasis Physical Therapy and Wellness apart from the local competition is the ability to truly treat and improve a person’s ability to do more and feel better through the entirety of survivorship. This is for the rest of someone’s life! There is rarely a steady line of recovery and we ensure that a woman or man can get the best quality of care from prior to surgery, immediately afterwards, and many years later. We have in person, as well as virtual offerings. THERE ARE SO FEW PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THAT A CANCER PATIENT’S NEEDS ARE VERY SPECIAL AND UNIQUE, AND THERE ARE SPECIFIC THERAPIES AND THERAPISTS WHO FOCUS JUST ON THIS.

For other practitioners who are trying to start a business, I have used my experience to offer an online course that helps break the process down into easy to understand steps. They still have to do all of the work, but they can also learn from my experience and mistakes.

OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE I LOVE BEING MOM, SPENDING TIME WITH MY FAMILY OUTDOORS, EXPLORING WINE COUNTRY AND NEW RESTAURANTS, AND TRAVELING

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The hardest thing to ‘unlearn’ is that you have to do everything yourself. I wanted to know that I could do everything successfully, and that I didn’t need help. I was drowning!
WORKING WITH EXPERIENCED CONSULTANTS AND COACHES HAS helped me tremendously. Learning where I excelled and where I didn’t. It’s important to understand all of the aspects of your business, but learning where it is more beneficial to get help, freed up my time to do more of the things I needed to do, instead of attempting to have all of the control.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Healthcare has changed so much over the years, and unfortunately not for the better for the business owner. There were many times when I thought about changing careers. There was something about owning a day spa that I considered for a short while. BUT, as I began my journey into cancer rehabilitation I found my love for what I was doing, was only matched the appreciation of those I was helping. I chose the name Oasis for my business because I want my facility to feel like a beautiful oasis of healing. It appears more spa-like with the services I offer, the people I employ, and with things like soft, comfortable sheets instead of sterile, crinkly table paper!
I feel like I have taken healthcare and elevated it.
I would NEVER leave now!
It has impacted my life just as much as everyone else’s. There is always room to do things better and I feel like I am accomplishing that on a daily basis.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oasisptwellness.com
• Instagram: oasis_pt_and_wellness
• Linkedin: Lisa Berman Sylvestri
• Youtube: @oasisptandwellness

Image Credits
Photos by Jill Schneider