From Barn to Business

Introducing my background, my path and my passion for what I do.

Well hello! I am happy you’re here. I wanted to use this first blog post as a chance to introduce myself a little better and give you a sense of what working with me is all about. Let’s start by going way back… 

I grew up on a dairy farm in Southwest Wisconsin. My graduating class was a whopping 34 people and my dad knew what I was doing before I even pulled back in the driveway. My family will tell you I’m the biggest “city slicker, country girl” they know, but I grew up riding four-wheelers and watching my dad race midgets (not what you are thinking) from the time I was 2 until I was 15…so how bad can I be? 

Let’s fast forward to grad school because I think my undergraduate years require a different type of blog. 

I went to Physical Therapy school at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where I had season football tickets (Go Badgers) and obtained my Doctorate (listed in order of importance). From there I went on to my clinical rotations where I developed a love for treating dizziness, motion sensitivity and balance issues working at Monroe Clinic in their Outpatient Neuro department. Vertigo has always been my favorite thing to treat. Honestly, it’s one of the only times we get immediate gratification as physical therapists given that it can be a one and done solution in many scenarios. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing people who cannot drive, and can barely walk into my clinic, call me the next day and say that they are 100% back to normal. It’s not always that easy, but with BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) it can be — a blog for another day. 

As a new grad, it’s difficult to land in a niche like vertigo right off the bat, but I’ve been lucky enough to treat it here and there. I spent my first 4 years as a PT in private practice where I’ve treated as young as 1 month old and as old as 99. I landed my first job right after my orthopedic clinical rotations working under the person who became one of my most influential mentors. Kevin helped me down the path of completing an Orthopedic Residency and going on to pass my Orthopedic Clinical Specialist board exam while always pumping my tires about my knack with vertigo, keeping my passion alive.

I worked under Kevin for just over two years before COVID totally changed the trajectory of my career and my life. With an inability to sit still and a mind that continuously plans for the next milestone, I found myself applying for various positions across the country. Tennessee had always been on the top of my list. My grandma has been a “SnowBird” in Florida for 35+ years and my mom lived a brief stint down there, as well. Rather than staying in a hotel off the interstate, I’d convince my mom to stop in Nashville on the road trip down. After several nights in Honky Tonks and realizing that winters don’t have to be 6 months long, I settled on this area as my #1. Long story short, the recruiter I spoke with in Nashville steered me to Chattanooga and after one solo trip down, I was signing my offer letter as a Clinic Director. 

Moving to a city where I knew no one, having numerous car issues in the process and taking on my first role as a manager was almost enough to eject my butt back to Wisconsin – I really need a side blog. But…I stuck it out and boy has it been worth it. 

Now that I’ve gone totally off the rails, let me circle back to how I started Key to Change Wellness. I worked two different manager jobs when I moved to Chattanooga and I realized very quickly that they didn’t hold the level of autonomy I craved. My clinic was still strictly controlled, production expectations drove volume over quality and I slowly felt my compassion leaving my body. Ok, maybe that’s extreme…but I honestly did start to feel like it was an inconvenience when someone was feeling worse. I thought to myself…”This is crazy. I cannot be stressed out by the fact that someone is hurting when that, in a nutshell, is what I treat for a living.” Multi-tasking was getting the best of me. Could I do it? Sure. I could do it well, but what I couldn’t stand was the gradual decline in the quality of care, lack of time available for hands-on treatments and the insurance limitations that came with the territory. I wanted something different. I wanted more control. I wanted better for my patients.

So here we are, present day after launching Key to Change Wellness about three weeks ago. It’s been interesting to say the least. I have no regrets other than not taking that business plan I made in PT school seriously. “K’s Anatomy” really didn’t provide much of a foundation for my current practice, but it is what it is. I’ll figure it out and I’ll make it the best it can be because I believe in the mission of this company. I believe that my patients deserve better and that quality many times lives outside of the traditional healthcare model. Investing in your health is as priceless as investing in travel and experiences. I want to help you do all of the things, enjoy all of the moments, and, as my tagline says, unlock your optimal quality of life. It’s just more fun if we can do it together…