Quit Your J.O.B with Stefanie McMillin | CashPT Lunch Hour

I have all these little voices in my head being like, this is scary, and are you sure? But then I was just like, nope, you're paying for this. You're doing this. You're just gonna follow it and go all in and just see what happens. And so I definitely had moments where I had to, like, you know, push into an uncomfortable space. But the most amazing, amazing things, like, always came out of it.

Hey, welcome back to the Catch PT Lunch Hour podcast. This is Aaron Labourer, your host, and today my special guest is Stephanie McMillan. Stephanie is a pelvic floor therapist and birth doula and a birth specialist at Full Circle pt. Stephanie has only just started her cash practice, but she's got some amazing results in just her first year because she was one of those people that knew what she wanted and she went out and got it. So I wanted to bring her on the show and share a little bit about what she's done so you can get some of the same results as she did. So, Stephanie, thanks for joining us on the show today. Appreciate you being here.

Yes, thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Yeah. So I think one of the first things I always like to ask people is why physical therapy? Like, how did you get from being in high school to being a doctor of physical therapy? Like, can you give us a little bit, like, was there something that happened or a reason you decided to join our profession?

Yeah, I. For a really long time, I thought that I wanted to be an OB GYN. I've always loved, like, since probably the age of 13, 14, have always been fascinated with pregnancy and childbirth. So for a really long time, I thought I was going to go that route and become an OB gyn. And then I kind of learned pretty quickly that they. Their background in birth education is really more framed in a medicalized model, and it's not really from the scope of physiologic birth. And so I just kind of came to the conclusion early on that, like, okay, that's not the right career path for me because that's not really how I want to support moms. And so I was thinking of, like, what else I could possibly do. And at the time, my high school counselor was like, have you ever thought about women's health physical therapy?

And.

And now, like, thinking back on it, right. Like, she probably was a patient because some people still don't even know pelvic floor physical therapy is a thing and that it exists. So she suggested it and I had never heard of it. And she was like, you Know, maybe you should reach out to like a clinic that does that and try to do some shadowing or like observation because maybe that'll be the thing, you know, that you want to do. And so I did, and of course, like loved it instantly. And I was like, definitely, this is the career path for me. So going into physical therapy school, I did that with the sole purpose of becoming like a pelvic floor therapist.

Yeah. So was there something like what experience did you have when you were like, you know, you said 13, 14, where you realized like you wanted to be involved in like birth, labor, delivery, stuff like that?

Yeah, I think I just like, it was always like when I would see pregnant bellies, it just was so fascinating like that women can literally grow human beings. It's mind blowing. I think for anyone. When you really sit down and think about it, it's truly miraculous. And so there's also a lot of things when you start learning about birth that women go through and we just don't get the care that we need to get all we really have. After we grow that baby for almost a full year, then birth that baby from our body, it's like we only have one follow up appointment with our doctor. And so it just seemed like there was a better way to kind of go about these things. And the more I learned, the more I like got propelled on that path.

Yeah, that's. Yeah, that's great. So going into PT school, were you like, I'm gonna graduate and open my own business or you were just like, I'm graduating? Yeah.

I feel like we don't learn. It's so sad. And I'm sure you have a lot to say about this too, but in physical therapy school, there's like zero preparation for like what it means to be a business owner. Especially like going into a cash based route, like little to no guidance or knowledge about that. So it's really presented only one way, which is that you're going to work for another institution and you'll make a certain salary and that's really what life is going to be like. Which never sounded appealing right from the beginning because my background always was kind of before I went into grad school, the clinical experiences that I had and the observation stuff that I did was always for small private practices which spent, you know, quality time with their patients one on one for, you know, an hour each session. So I already knew that being in like, you know, the PT mill kind of situation where you have multiple patients and how are. I knew that wasn't for me. But I never knew that cash PT was a possibility. And I never really at that point saw myself as being like a business owner.

Yeah.

Kind of setting.

Yeah. So that's interesting. I mean, do you feel like PT school helps you become a good employee or even give you. How do I, you know, like, have a career that's fulfilling? I mean, was there any of that for you?

No. I mean, I think one huge thing that's missing that like, really needs to. To start being discussed more is burnout. Like in the, in our career field. I mean, it is. I was so burned out, and I didn't even know I was burnt out. You know what I mean? And so it's just like anything done in excess, really, you're going to burn out. And what's. What used to be maybe your passion and something that you really, really loved doing kind of becomes a burden when you have to do it to a certain extent, you know, where it's like you have to work 40 hours a week just to make ends meet, because you're not.

Yeah.

The ratio of like, your student loan debt to like, what you're making as a doctor of physical therapy just like, isn't cutting it.

So what was it? Specific burning? Did you have like a boss breathing on your shoulder? Was it just like you didn't have enough money to pay loans or not enough time to go out with friends? What was the.

Yeah, I had a fantastic boss who was a wonderful mentor to me for years. But I was working at a small private practice that accepted insurance. And so I was making, you know, the hourly rate I was paid per patient that I saw. And at the rate I was making, it just wasn't a livable salary to pay for your mortgage and your utilities and then also your student loans. And so in order to make ends meet, I had to work 40 hours a week. I had to take on a bunch of side jobs like teaching and doing birth doula work. And I still wasn't. It just still wasn't enough. And so having to work that many hours a week just is not sustainable over time. Time.

What would have been enough? I'm just, I'm just curious, like, what would have been enough? Like, what would have. The salary been that you'd been like, yeah, this is great. This is enough.

Probably at. At the time in the mindset, because I've. My mindset about money and finances has changed drastically since the career changes that I've made and since going through the mastermind. But at the time, I probably would have been okay with like 80,000. I would have been like, great. This is a good salary for a graduated doctor of physical therapy in the field. Of course, that hopefully would grow also yearly with getting raises and things like that. I think that I would have been, at the time okay with that. Now, I mean, now I wouldn't be. The view on finances is just wildly different.

Do you think you could ever go back?

No. Oh, my God, no. And I knew that. I felt that in the first day that I saw patients in my catch practice. I was like, oh, my God, no. Like, why didn't I do this sooner? I'll never go back to doing it any other way. I mean, like, overwhelming. Yeah.

That's awesome. What is that? Like, what does that feeling mean to you? Like what? Like, what was it that you felt that you were like, oh, my gosh, like, I can't go back. This is exactly what I want to be doing.

Just to have the flexibility, one of working less hours in the clinic and making, you know, drastically more money, which, yeah, just having the freedom of your time to do that. That alone just felt like a huge weight off. Like, oh, I can still pay my bills and then some working half of the hours that I worked in clinic. Um, so I just felt like being able to also have flexibility of my schedule, because as a birth doula, it's a very unpredictable career path. And so I'm on call all the time. And when I get called into a birth, if I have a days full of patients, I have to go to the birth, so I have to cancel my day. And I had zero flexibility in my old job. Like, none at all. And so I would have to open up hours outside of my, like, work hours in order to make up patients. And so now having the ability, like, oh, I got called to a birth on Thursday. I'm going to see them on Saturday instead.

Yeah, that's awesome. I mean, we had to. We had to play calendars to get this event to happen because you had a couple births come up and babies

come when they want to come, you know.

So how'd you get into being a birth? Like, are you, like, a certified doula or did you just learn? I mean, how did that come about? And what's the. What's your certification in? Like, you're not a midwife, you're a birth doula and a pt, right? Okay.

Yep, I'm a certified birth and postpartum doula. Basically, what happened is I always knew I wanted to work in birth in some aspect. I just kind of got introduced to Women's health physical therapy. And I was like, oh, great. I'll be working with pregnant women prenatally and then treating them postpartum. It'll be wonderful. But what was happening, and what I noticed really early on is that the clients that I was working with prenatally, all of a sudden, they would discharge and go have their babies. And then I'd see them six weeks, eight weeks, something like that, after their births, and they'd come back in for postpartum care. And what was happening is they would come in and, I mean, this was, like, over and over and over again. And they would sit down in the chair, and I'd be like, how are you? Like, how was your birth? Instant in tears, you know. And they would be sharing with me these just horror stories, unfortunately, of, you know, I was induced, you know, early, and I was in labor for three days, and then it ended in a C section or I pushed for four and a half hours. And then the doctor said they had to cut an episiotomy and use forceps. And then I tore even more than that. And now I can't sit or, you know, I can't breastfeed comfortably. I can't do this. I can't do that. I'm incontinent. I mean, lots of awful things. And so I just kept wondering, like, what is the disconnect between caring for these women? And I know that they're well, and that they're prepared physically and mentally to go into the birth space, and then all of a sudden, they're coming out and something right in the mix that's. That's going wrong. And so I wanted to learn more about that and more about physiologic birth and kind of what happens in that process and in learning about it. Women, it's really anatomical and scientific, which is so amazing. But our brains, when we're in lab, we traverse different brainwave states in order to get through the intensity of what it means to have a baby. And so our brainwaves, as we progress, start getting slower and slower and slower. And so once you're really in active labor, you are no longer. Women are not capable of speaking and advocating for themselves. It's too intense of an experience. And so, I mean, your husband, of course, loves you and is there with you, but they don't know how to advocate for your needs. It's kind of similar. I always think about it to, like, mentorship. It's like, you know, if you've never climbed Mount Everest before, like, you're not going to do that without hiring, like, a Sherpa or someone to, like, take you through. You're going to have someone with you. And childbirth is no different. And so, you know, it's been proven in the research and in the literature that hiring a doula to support you during these times lowers C section rates, lowers use of, you know, analgesics. I mean, all increases birth satisfaction, decreases trauma, um, lots of good stuff.

So, yeah, I mean, we had a good birth plan, we worked with a midwife, but yet, you know, I. There. There. There's also that dynamic of, like, I'm really well prepared, but I'm also like my wife's husband. And, you know, like, probably didn't have to say anything to me. She was like, you know, can I get out of my way. Stop doing this, do that. Like, I can't read her mind. But having someone there, like our midwife was kind of like, really that bridge that we needed versus, versus a doula. And that was super helpful. And I can see where a lot of missing that, because there's just this dynamic is even if you're. If the partner is there and they're well prepared, they just aren't either experienced or can't read your mind, you know?

Yeah. And a lot of people kind of fail to realize that, you know, your OB gyn, they're not actually coming in the room to really do anything with you until it's time to, like, push out the baby. Like, they're coming in at the end to catch the baby. And so in the meantime, which can be well over 24 hours, even your nurses are only coming in and out here and there. You're pretty much in there alone with your partner. And so if you don't know what to do or you don't know, this is normal, it can be kind of a scary and a little bit of a traumatizing experience. So thus I went back and got some certifications so that I could add that to what I do in my business.

That's awesome. So how long were you doing that kind of as like a side hustle, you know, before, like, before, like, you. You were already doing like a couple bursts a month, right?

Yep, I was doing so. My old employer only supported me in doing one because, I mean, obviously the unpredictability and having to, like, leave work and stuff like that, I kind of understand. But so I was only doing one a month before I started the Mastermind. And I had been doing it. I had that kind of as a side business for two years. Prior to starting.

Okay, awesome. And so let's say what was happening, like right before you wanted to start your practice and we talked, you know, what was going on in whether it was your life or business or just job where you're like, I need to make a change and do this on my own. Like, what was happening then?

Yeah. So like I kind of mentioned and alluded to before, it's when you're working and you're working, you're like in the middle of the grind and you're working that many hours a week, like you almost don't even have time to like realize that you're burning out because it's just like, okay, go home after a 10 hour, 12 hour workday, eat, shower, sleep, get up and do it again over and over and over. And so I don't think I actually had an understanding of the level of burnout that I was experiencing until Covid came on the scene. When Covid happened, the clinic that I was working for, we closed for two and a half months. And so right now I'm no longer treating patients. So I'm no longer responsible for working like 40 hours a week. I'm no longer teaching because that all went away in that early time. Now all I'm doing is supporting one birth a month. So I went from being extremely overwhelmed and having no life outside of working, working, working, to now I'm home with nothing going on. And I immediately in my system just felt this, like, you cannot go back to that. So figure it out now while you're off, when you actually have time to read and to research and to reach out and figure out what you're going to do. Like do it now. Because there's just no way I could go back to that kind of environment. And I knew that immediately.

Yeah, right on. So you've got right now at your practice, full circle birth and pelvic health. Right. Um, it's you. And you've got a another person working for you as a doula, right?

Yeah.

And you just celebrated your one year anniversary in business.

Yes.

That's awesome. So I think like in your first. Can I just share a couple things? Like I went your first month. You did something around $10,000 your first month and 170ish thousand in your first year in business, right?

Yeah. So I just totaled the numbers actually before popping on this call so I could have some specifics. But in my first week of business, I made 10k. A little bit over 10k. And then I rounded out my at 180. Like a 900 something. So that's awesome. 81. Yeah.

Congratulations.

That's super awesome. It's like, mind blowing, honestly, but so amazing because, you know, when I started, even when I started the mastermind, I knew I was going to do this. I. My mind and my mentality at the time still didn't realize, like, it could be what it could be. So, you know, I think a lot

of people are like, I just want to make $4,000 a month or 5,000.

Right? Like, yes. It's like you have really no concept of how much it can grow and what your income can actually look like until you get going with it. And so that's my first few months in business. It was like this constant, like, push or like this in my face. Like, your goals are too small. Like you. You think you set appropriate goals. You did not. And each week, each month, like, it was just. Just became more and more clear, you know, that I needed to level up how I was viewing everything.

That's awesome. And you're treating patients. You're not treating patients like, 40 hours a week. You're doing what, two or three days of treating and you have like three or so births a month? Something like that, yeah.

So I treat now two days a week, and then every other Saturday I'll do like a little shift, But I do two days. So really 16 hours a week, sometimes 20.

Dude, that's awesome. So you're not like, making more money and working 10 times as hard?

No, no, it's. It's interesting. And I'm sure you. You feel this way too. And if you feel like speaking about it, go right ahead. But when you have your own business, like, I am still working all the time. You know what I mean? Like, I'm working 247 now. However, it's so different. I don't even know how to really describe it. Like, I'm. I am working significantly less with what feels like work and patient care, but I'm. I'm still working 24 7, but it's so much more enjoyable. It's so much more, like, purposeful and impactful and meaningful to me. Like, it doesn't feel like a burden, which is what it felt like before.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's like, it becomes like, if it's your passion, it's not work. It's fun.

Exactly.

Like, this is my work, but I love doing, you know, I love doing

this, which is like the biggest blessing in the world to get into a gig that's like that.

So, yeah, that's awesome. So I think the question is, is had. I guess the big question, everyone's like, well, how'd you make that much money? And how'd you do, like, how'd you do it? I know there's, like, we don't have, like, five days to go through all the details, but if there was two or three things that you did that you think made, like, the biggest difference, like, what would you say those were for you?

I think the first, the main thing was getting a mentor. Like, having you as my mentor. Like someone who's done it before, someone who's done Cash pt, who knows what that process looks like? Because what I found myself doing during those two and a half months that I was off and had all this time to my disposal, I was like, let me get my hands on some books, right? Let me start reading and researching. And so I had ordered a couple different Cash PT books. One of them was yours. And shortly after, I had gotten yours, I think. I don't remember exactly how it went, but basically I saw you posted something on Instagram, and I was just like, let me answer this and slide into his DMs and see what's going on. And so something like that where, like, I got your book, had it, was reading it somehow connected with you on Instagram. And then I was just like, this is the right thing to do. This is. I just, like, knew, like, I need to get on a call with this person. I need to talk with them. I just think mentorship allows you, because I kind of think if I had. I've thought about this many times. Like, if I had tried to just do everything and learn everything on my own, sure, I could have done it. However, I would not have. I wouldn't. I don't even know if I would be in business for myself fully or if I would be trying to, like, do it as a side hustle as I, like, move out of my other position and try to make it all work. So I think hiring a mentor and getting yourself in something like that for accountability and to really just maximize your time, because I think that is what propelled me forward so quickly that I was able to implement, implement, implement, and then end up just making moves at a faster rate that were correct and that I didn't have to go back and fix and change so many things. So, yeah, I feel like mentorship was, like, my number one.

That's awesome. Was there like a. Was there something like, where were you? Like, oh, I shouldn't do this. I should do it on my own. Or were you ever hesitant to, like, say, oh, you know, spending that kind of money on myself for my business is a bad decision?

No, I felt very strongly from the start, like, from a. Women's intuition is strong. And I feel like I had moments of that multiple times where I was like, I just know this is the right thing to do and I just need to do it. But then once, you know, once you and I had our, like, breakout call or whatever, that first, like, roadmap call is that you do, where you kind of go over, like, the next 90 days, kind of give me things to be working on. After that call, I for sure was like, okay, I have all these little voices in my head being like, this is scary, and are you sure? But then I was just like, nope, you're paying for this. You're doing this. You're just going to follow it and go all in and just see what happens. And so I definitely had moments where I had to, like, you know, push into an uncomfortable space. But the most amazing things, like, always came out of it. So that, like, made me trust more and more and more and more as I went.

Very cool. What were some of the first things that you did that started getting you, like, to make $10,000 your first week open? Like, what. What were some of the things that led up to that?

I. Luckily I felt like I had been kind of. Just because my career is, like, a niche field, I had spent years making connections in the community and, like, fostering these relationships. And so part of, you know, my plan, my first thing you gave me was to quit my job. And even that, I was like, wait, wait, I don't know. Are you sure? And then I just did it. And it was amaz, I think, those connections. And when we started talking about, like, the Dream 100 and building out your list of connections, I had already done so much work with that that I started. I opened up my doors to a full schedule immediately. So I think that that was just amazing in terms of, you know, I didn't have to, like, go out and market to individuals and, like, find all these clients. Like, I just had, you know, made such good relationships that I had a study stream. And I still do have people coming my way. So, yeah, like, to any physical therapists out there, do not the dream 100, like, do not sleep on it. It is making connections in your community, getting in with, like, for me, local mom groups, like, all of the different little breastfeeding support groups, like, all of the things that you wouldn't necessarily think of really just helped so much because I, again, now I have the opposite problem where I have so many clients coming in and I don't want to increase and work any more clinic hours. So now I'm looking to hire a physical therapist, which is a great problem to have.

Yeah.

So it's already time to grow, which is lovely.

That's awesome. You know, one of the questions people always ask me when I say, hey, you know, go out and make sure you go through your Dream 100, connect with other people. They're like, well, what do I say to someone to book in a, like a workshop or something like that? Do you have any like tips or like, like how do you start creating a brand new connection with someone? Like, what are some of the things that you do to build like trust in your community?

Yeah, usually I will reach out to someone and I'll be like, hey, like I see what you're doing or like whatever it is like in the community and I think it's absolutely wonderful. Like I also work with this type of clientele and I would love to meet with you or to grab a coff and just chat a little bit more how we might be able to, you know, help these women even more, you know, by becoming resources for one another. And then usually, I mean, people that work in this niche, like, they're all thankfully like really open to like, oh yeah, for sure. Like, I love to collaborate. So yeah, it just depends on what, what it is I'm trying to do. I've done so many things, I've offered in found that again with your dream 100, you could be using it to get patients on your schedule, you could be using it to build your social media, you could be using it to push out your lead magnet. I mean, there's so many ways to leverage it. So depending on what that is. I mean, I've taken over and done like some Q and A stuff on big Instagram accounts that are in kind of my niche. And I've taken over as the pelvic floor therapist and done Q&As with their audience and then ended up getting hundreds of followers from that or, and then of course within that you plug your lead magnet or whatever and so you can generate and get some people on your email list. And so there's just a lot of ways, I think, you know, like physical therapists in general, I think we're very creative. We're really good at talking with people, so use your creativity. I also have offered to treat other like, providers and other people to show Them that, like, what I do is different. And so sometimes I'll, like, trade. This is like, you know, with an acupuncturist or something like that, so that they can see that what I do is not at all what they think of when they think of physical therapy.

That's interesting. I think the first thing I heard you say, Stephanie, was kind of like, how do we help these women? And really what you're doing is you're making that connection about not me and the patients I need, but it's about who are we serving? Right. It's about someone else. I think that's.

Yeah, it's always, always about the clients and how we can help, you know, capture women in the postpartum period that's really fragile, or how we can help prepare them better for a better birth experience. Yeah, I always frame it in terms of helping the client.

Yeah, that's awesome. And when you're doing, like, a trade, are you just, like, straight up treating them like, for what you see, or are you just showing, hey, here's what a sample session looks like. How does that go for you? Like, what do you do?

It always depends on, like, what I'm trying to work with them for. So if I, for example, I have connected with a. In the past, I've connected with someone in the community that does a lot of, like, postnatal Pilates, which is all about. Right. Strengthening the core, strengthening the pelvic floor, building strength after childbirth. And so when I connected with them, one of the things I treat and see all the time is diastasis recti, which is a separation of the core. And I have a really unique way of treating that. And so when I was working with her, she had a residual diastasis. And so I'm like, perfect, let me show her how I treat this. How it's completely, completely different than she's probably ever heard of it being treated before and how effective it is. So it just depends. But, yeah, if they have a main complaint or something like that, we can work on that. But I try to, like, target it pretty specifically.

That's awesome. But just playing devil's advocate, weren't you worried that she was going to steal your techniques and start using it on her clients?

No, because it's not something that you can. It's hands on, like, manual work. So it's not really something that you can like, just be like, oh, I'm gonna go replicate that. Like, yeah, it takes years to learn how to, like, palpate this anatomy and how to feel these different finite things that we feel as physical therapists who have developed these sensory receptors in our hands over time. No, that, like, has never really worried me.

Yeah. That's awesome.

Yeah.

What are some of the other. So you. So probably the number one way you got patients was just by, you know, commute, basically, this community marketing strategy, working, like, the Dream 100, which is like, your top hundred lists of people who might be referral partners in your community kind of thing. Was there something else that you did, whether it was getting started or over the course of the last year, to really help, like, grow your business or change your mindset or do something that really kind of propelled you along the path of success?

Yeah, I think. I mean, word of mouth is also. Especially in. I mean, for everything, but especially with what I do. Women love to talk. Like, we love to connect with each other. We love to talk about what's going on in our life. And so if you help one pregnant mama or one postpartum mama, you better believe they're telling their sisters, their cousins, their friends. They spread the word, and they do it very willingly. And so one thing that I implemented from the beginning with your recommendation was that. But to kind of have the conversation with all of your clients that listen. Like, I have. I have goals, and my goals are to really make an impact. Right. On as many women as I possibly can. And in order for me to reach those goals, I'm going to need your help. Meaning, like, if you have a good experience and if you feel like this was a positive addition to your life and helped you to reach your goals and become more functional, please, like, spread the word. That's the best thing you could do for a small business. And so I've been very fortunate in the sense that my clients do that very willingly. Like, they will not hesitate to leave me a review to, you know, reach out to other people to post on the mom groups about their experience. With me, that helps a lot. That word of mouth is, like, the best thing that there is. Nothing beats that.

Yeah. That's awesome. That's super great. Yeah. I think I say all the time, like, we have. We. People want to do it. We just don't ask them, and we don't cultivate it. Word of mouth is super powerful. It's not, like, the only thing that'll grow, that can grow a business, but it's like, if we're not. We're not tending that, you know, like, and we're not growing it, then, you know, it certainly suffers. And it's a. It's something that can be super powerful. So that's really awesome to hear. Stephanie, let's say, let me just ask you this. Is there anything over the last year that you tried and you thought, man, I'm going to hit, hit a home run with this and it just didn't work out the way that you expected? I.

Let me think. Well, going back to just like being kind of using your creativity to like generate cash flow. I've tried a lot of things with that. So I've done paid webinars that have, you know, either been very successful or I think probably that is like kind of the trial and error with that. Like one will be super successful and I'll have a bunch of people and a bunch of people pay for that or pay and just want the replay for that. And then I did do one webinar on a different topic that you know, I had like much less engagement or people who wanted to join. And so I think it's just trial and error. I've created some online offerings, you know, some paid online courses and things like that. And kind of just like working with sometimes truly it comes down to like wording of the title or wording on the sales page that will make or break how many sales you're going to get. And so just kind of learning because I've never done anything like that. So it was definitely a process. On mostly wording I feel like is because I'm a physical therapist and I'm on the other side of things. It's like I have to remember who I'm talking to and I have to remember how to put that in. You know, you're talking about their pain points and you're talking about. We're not really selling physical therapy, right. We're selling the fact that we can help you to have pain free intercourse right. With your partner and that you can go back to running because that's what you absolutely love and you won't be leaking anymore. You know, that you're confident to go back into the gym without wearing a pad because, you know, you're afraid of all these different things that you're dealing with. So it's having. It's always like remembering that piece of it that I think just takes extra time and effort on my part because I'm used to speaking a certain way and like you know, being extra anatomical and physical therapy brain.

Right. And there's probably a part of you that even I would say probably dealing like for me doing more orthopedics, like I try to really Like, I want to say we're dumbed down, but simplify what's happening in pictures, images, and words so people understand what's going on in their body. And I think, would you agree that in dealing with more pelvic health stuff, we still have to. We have to simplify things. But we still. It's still important to use the right terminology that maybe people aren't very clear on. It's not day to day terminology. So that we, you know, one, professional, two, show people we know what's happening, and three, they really understand what's going on with their bodies. Right. Would you agree?

Yeah.

So. Right. But that's the wrong part of the brain, or those are the wrong words to put on, like a promotional material or sales page.

100%. So it's like constantly having to, like, okay, wait a minute, you know, which is also why it's helpful to be part of, like, a mastermind group or to have other practitioners who are trying to do the same thing where you can be like, hey, guys, take a look at this, you know, lead magnet that I made. Like, please give me some feedback. And yeah, it just is really helpful to have a sounding board. Sometimes you can't even see that you're still doing it.

Right.

You need someone else to point it out.

Yeah.

Or it's not really.

Like, I'm in the opposite direction. Like, I go in the clinic and I can't remember words. I'm like, I haven't used this word or terminology in, like, a long time. It's kind of funny. But, yeah, it's true. It's like we have. It's like having other people take a look at something like is. You're so close to it. Like, having someone, you know, look at something from. With outside eyes. A lot of times they can pull out things that are just sitting right in front of your face.

Totally.

Right. Stephanie, what's. What's your plan for the next few years? Like, where are you going with your business? What, like, what do you, like, like, what do you see, you know, happen in the next, you know, three to five years for you?

So exciting to think about that. I definitely want to hire more staff, so I was able to hire another birth doula, a postpartum doula, and then I also hired a virtual assistant kind of all in my first year. And every time I hired someone, it just took more and more off my plate and then gave me more time to be able to work on my business instead of in my business. And so I really kind of the Only area that I haven't really had someone else be able to step into is the physical therapy realm. And so I would love to hire two physical therapists this year is my goal, and have them each working at least 20 hours a week. Just so that. Because truly, right, You. When you start your own business, like, are you an entrepreneur or did you just give yourself a job? You know what I mean? It's like that kind of mindset where if I'm not in the clinic and I'm not putting my hands on people, I still would like my business to be generating money. So how do we do that? You have to get other people that are going to do it or that can do it the same things as you can treat patients. And for me, in my case, like, step into births and kind of to do that. And so I really want to grow. Add some physical therapists into the mix so that I can, you know, be able to work on my business a little bit more and cut down my hours. That would be ideal.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

Yeah. So we need more people like you creating amazing jobs for pts.

Exactly. That too. Like, seriously, is that not the goal? Like, I. Yeah, I feel like we need to be telling other physical therapists, especially, like, new graduates. For me, I'm super passionate about women, right. Who are having babies and becoming mothers. And, like, how do we have. I just think about if I was working in the. In the job that I was working before starting my own business, and I tried to, like, have a baby, and that is not possible to work a job where you have zero flexibility, where you have to put in 40 hours a week. Like, it is not possible. And it doesn't have to look like that. I mean, you can literally. This is like, my whole spiel is I cannot wait to hire someone who's like a new mom, who's wanting to come back to work, who needs flexibility in her schedule and, you know, needs whatever, a shorter amount of hours or whatever it is. It's like, it is possible and you can make much more money. Like, you don't have to work like that. You don't have to burn yourself out. You can do both. You can be a mom and you can work, and it can be a beautiful thing, you know? So, yeah, I'm very excited about that and passionate to, like, help other physical therapists not to go through. Because I did what I was doing for, like, seven years before making this change. So it's a really long time. That's awesome to be working that hard, truly.

Yeah. So you spent seven years working as an employee. You've opened your business in the last year. Besides, like, money, you know, and not feeling as burnt out, what I think, what else has changed for you in your business, your life?

Yeah, I mean, I have so much more time to. I love to travel, and it's really hard to take time off and to go and travel when you work for someone else. Like, you know how that goes when you go into your boss's office and you're, like, putting in for your paid time, it's just. Just. Yeah. So I can travel all the time now, whenever I want, because I can adjust my hours or I can take a whole week or two weeks off. And so I. Over the last year, I was able to take a multitude of trips in the US and out of the US And I, you know, I took off two weeks around Christmas time. I mean, I just had the freedom to travel more, which is what I love, to spend more time with my family. It was so hard because I wasn't in order to do that where I was before. Again, it was just really difficult. It's like, okay, I have a couple hours to myself. I have to now get groceries. I have to prep food. I have to try to see my family who I love and want to see. I just don't have the extra time to do that. And so even on my times when I was outside of work, I was constantly scrambling to get it all done, and I don't have to do that anymore. So I just can enjoy, you know, spending the day with my nephew if I want to do that, or, you know, going and hanging with my mom and dad or traveling, and that freedom, it's literally priceless.

That's awesome. Congratulations. That's so dope. Yeah. If there were, like, one or two things, like, you know, like, from your experience, any advice for someone else who either wants to. Is trying, is waiting to get started, or wants to scale up their practice, you know, and hire other people. What would your. What would your best advice be? Or, you know, strategies you could, you know, share something like that.

Yeah, I think one of the biggest things is, like, letting go of the need to be perfect. It's such a physical therapist thing. Like, we're very type A. We're very, like, OCD organized. Like, that's just the personality type that we see predominant, like, predominantly in our career field. So being able to let that go, that's been a constant thing for me. Like, it's okay if I'm not the only one doing births like, it's okay to have someone else who I trust be taking on births. Like, it's okay. It doesn't always have to be me putting out offerings and putting out lead magnets. Like, they don't have to be, like, don't hold onto it. Trying to really perfect it and make it absolutely, you know, immaculate before you send it out. Like, just do it. You have to just learn to take action. If something needs to be tweaked, you can go back. But I've constantly had to remind myself of that. It's like I waited to put out my online course for such a long time because I was waiting for it to be exactly how I wanted it to be. And then I, you know, I mean, was reminded by you. Just get it out there and just start selling it. Like, start selling it first and then, you know, do what you have to do. And if you need to make additions to it or if you need to change things, you can do that. But you can be making money from it now. So what are you sitting on it for? So I think just being quick to implement, taking action, not wanting to make everything perfect. Like, just do it. Yeah, that's probably the best advice. And I'm still working on that. But it gets easier and easier. It really does.

Yeah, it does. I mean, I got to work on it sometimes, too. It's like, I want this thing to be right before I do it. And I was like, no, I just got to do it first. It's like speed. So that's great.

Constantly remind yourself about that. But yeah, that is the quote. Speed wins. Like, just do it. Just implement it. Get it out there. Take the step. Like, just do it.

That's so great. Stephanie, if someone wants to connect with you or find you online, what would be the best place to do that?

You can follow me on Instagram. My handle is at Dr. The full word underscore Stephanie. And then my name is spelled with an F, so it's S, T, E, F, A, N. So rstephanie. You can follow me on Instagram and then my. If you want to check out my website, it's fullcirclept.net.

that's awesome. That's awesome. So that's really great. Thanks so much for being here.

Yes. Thank you for having me. Thank you for working with me. It's been a hell of a year.

Yeah, it hasn't. It's been great. Yeah, no, it's been great working with you. I've seen you put in the work. Work and almost blindly taking action. And getting some result, getting some really awesome results. So that's. I love that, you know, I can't get enough. Like, I gotta help more people. Like, it's. I don't know, that's my thing.

I love it.

It's really great when someone takes action and does the work and, you know, like, it's like, all right, I'm ready for more, you know, let's go. So it's been great, Stephanie. I think, I think. Oh. The only last thing I'm trying to remember is you're speaking at PT Bizcon coming up. So whenever. I'm super stoked to have you there. So whenever this episode comes out, you guys should come hear Stephanie speak. She's going to be talking about how she quit her job and built a multi six figure practice and should be doing at PT bizcon. So.

Yes, yes. I'll have all the good gems for you guys. I'd love to. Yeah. Have you there.

Yeah. Awesome. So when you're ready, check it out. It's ptbizcon.com and this is Aaron LeBauer and Stephanie McMillan for the Cash PD lunch hour. We see you guys on the next episode. Go out and, you know, keep taking action, meet some new people, build your connections and let's. Yeah, let's crush it. All right, thanks.