20 Questions with Dr. Kelly Alhooie

I decided to become a pelv floor physical therapist because I was working as a Pilates instructor for many, many years, and I was just working with so many women, and I saw there was such a need because they kept peeing their pants. And I'm like, why is no one working on this? And at the time, everyone and all my friends were making fun of me because they were like, you do internal exams all day long. Like, that's crazy. I would never do that. And now it's a very popular thing, pelvic health. So it's just funny how things turn out many, many years later. But that is why I got into it, because many people were having leakage in my Pilates class. And I thought, you know what? Why are we not talking about this? Let me explore it more. Started to explore it more. Thought it was fascinating because it's such a very intricate part of the body that connects everything and we don't talk about it. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to do this. It's just challenging. I like challenge. So let's dive into it. And then I never look back. If I could describe physical therapy school in one word, it'd be stressful. What made me decide to start my own business was my health was failing me. And I knew that if I didn't take steps to get out of the current situation, that I would more than likely either have cancer and be dead or something dramatic would happen to me because of the way my health was, that I knew I had to make a change because I couldn't continue and I was willing to live in a tent and willing to be homeless and. But I knew even if I was homeless and had no money, that my health overall was going to improve because I wasn't stuck at a job that I absolutely hated that was just wearing away at my soul. Starting a business at the height of COVID was the most scariest thing ever. My co workers ended up getting laid off. No one wanted to even, like, touch each other then. So how the heck are we supposed to do physical therapy on these people? I had to be super, super unique in my marketing to get people to come in and be able to see me or I go to their house. That's how I started, because no one wanted to be touched and everyone was afraid of germs. And it was probably, if I look back, people would honestly say, who would start a physical therapy practice during COVID Me. So the pros and cons of starting a physical therapy practice when someone is mobile the pro is a. You get more profit, and also you get to go into people's homes to where you get to use their environment, their setting. They're more comfortable there. You can actually. It's not like, an unrealistic environment. You can truly make it about them and about that environment. So that's the. That's the pro. I love that about that. The con is I was waiting in parking decks for two to three hours in the freezing cold, in the heat, just sitting there before I had to go to my next client. And I didn't want to call them and be like, hey, I'm gonna come over. Like, no. So I just sat in a parking deck trying to get WI fi off my phone. I mean, it was some crazy times. So that's the con. I first decided I needed a mentor before I actually started Orthopelvic. I just saw this challenge was going online. It was like, Challenge 2020, and it was like, $99 something online, and I just bought into it. And then I just didn't even know where that would take me, because I wasn't even planning on starting my own business. And once I started to, like, see that so many things were possible that we weren't even exposed to in school, I was hooked. And I said, I got to do this, and I started. Stayed with that mentor. Ever since I started Orthopelvic, my mentor has helped me see things that I didn't even know was possible. I didn't even know that that even existed. And it just helped guided me to get to the place that I truly wanted faster. And I think that's the biggest thing about a mentor, is they have a vision that maybe you don't have because you're in the trench trenches of it all. And the mentor has been there, done it, has done the thing, and has a little more insight of how things are going to go and how things are progressing. But you don't know because you haven't crossed that bridge yet. And that's the best thing about a mentor, is them. You're able to ask questions. They're able to guide you. You're not making as many mistakes, and, you know, you just get the outcomes that you want faster. How do I prioritize my health? This is the hardest thing for me. It's always been the hardest thing. This past year, I started prioritizing my health by hiring a fitness coach. Then I hired a kind of like a life coach. I would say hired a therapist. I hired a health coach. I have realized that hiring is actually what helps me progress in whatever situation. Health, business relationship. I've just realized that I need support from other people, and I. And I rely on that. And to me, it just gives me even more confidence when I have people like this on my team. So what do I say to someone that says they're not ready to start their business? I say this. I say, there's never going to be the right time, a good time. You have to ask yourself this, Are you scared? And if your answer is yes, then that means you're ready. Also, I would ask yourself, what's my deeper why? For me, it was my health. I truly knew if I didn't take the steps to pull away from the situation I was in, I would literally be dead. I know that for 100% effect. So I had to. I was forced to by my own will, not anyone else, but by my own will. I was forced to because my health was a driving force, because that was such a deep why for me. So if you're a person that truly has a deep why and a deep drive to change your life and do something different, then hire a coach, hire a mentor, start your own business and get on it. And it's never going to be the right time. Just do it. I started during the pandemic. It was definitely not the right time. Okay. You're a person that doesn't really have a deeper why. And you're like, everyone's doing it just because they're doing it. Well, then that's probably not gonna be something you need to be doing. And becoming an entrepreneur, you just need to work for someone else. The best piece of advice I've gotten from my mentor is build a community. And I personally love building communities because bringing people together is my jam. And anything I can do to connect people is truly what I enjoy. Well, number one, I always like to say I'm not a business coach, I'm a lifestyle coach. And the fact that I. I like to help people progress in their business, but that only happens when the person is willing to make a change themselves and progress themselves, because you have to change as the person to then understand the next steps that you have to do to actually make your business grow. And if you're unwilling to be able to change as a person, then your business is not going to grow. I want people to understand that the business is an offset of the actual person. So I have to keep changing, and I need you guys to keep changing and keep growing every year to be able to keep up with what's the next thing, what's something that I need to do unique, to stand out, like, what is it? And so that's why I believe I'm not a business coach, I'm a lifestyle coach, because I truly believe in health, wealth, fitness, vacations, family dynamics, the spouse. Like, all that has to be aligned for the actual business to go. Audit, attract, accelerate. Number one, you have to understand what that you are working with and, like, what's working and what's not. Number two, you have to know how to market to the right people. Number three, you have to know how to optimize the systems that you have to make everything grow faster. The biggest challenge, I would say right now is trying to get pelvic health therapists to understand that there is a completely different life out there. That we. That. That we were taught that we were not taught in school. We were taught to pay $200,000 in student loan debt, to then go and work for someone, to then only be able to get a raise to a certain extent, because reimbursement goes down every single year. And we're taught to do that over and over and over again, wearing down our bodies and documenting the heck out of whatever we need to document. Every year gets more crazy because these insurance companies start demanding even more. And I didn't realize, so I went on my own, that there is so much more to this, to this life for all of us. And I just wish pelvic health therapist had the education on that and had the knowledge, and that's why I'm here. I truly didn't know. For eight years, I didn't know that this life existed. If I only knew sooner. There's so much more enjoyment that I could have had out of life. And I think that's literally where my passion comes from. Not that I'm bitter or angry about it, it's just, why weren't we taught that? And so that's what I truly want to help you guys with, especially females. I just love connecting with females because we got hormones, and there's just something about it that really makes us connect and empathize with each other and support each other. And I think that's like, the coolest thing is being able to connect everyone and get everyone, you know, to understand that there is something so different than we were taught in school. And that if you want to be an entrepreneur and live the life that you actually want, you can 100% make any goals possible. I started Pelvibiz August 2021. So why did I start Pelviz I started Pelvibiz because I didn't want other therapists going through what I had to go through when I came out of school. And for eight years, I had two to four jobs that I was working just to pay my student loans, just to live. And it just was such the grind. Every single day was the grind. I just thought it was normal. Like, that's just what I'm gonna have to do. My thumb still has arthritic changes from. From working on all those. The people. And, you know, I just thought, this is my life. I have to hustle and work like this. But the reality is, it wasn't until I got into the entrepreneurship world that I realized that I actually could get back my time, not have to work so hard, not have to wear down my body so hard, and be able to accelerate my whole life, not just in business, but just my whole life. And I think that's the driving force of why I started Pelviz because so, so many people don't know about what they can do and what their true potential is, especially for female entrepreneurs. And I really have a passion for it. Even before Pelvi Biz, even before I started Pelvi Biz, I would coach my clients, and I would coach them to be like, hey, let's start this company, and we would come up with a company for them. Because it's just always been something that has driven me to be like, I just want to help so bad, especially women, be able to do what they want, have the confidence they want, and just, like, be awesome and be a freaking rock star. So that's why I started Pelvis. So you don't. You guys don't have to go through the pain that I went through to get to this point that I'm at. And I want you guys to do it faster. I want you guys to do it better, more organized, and it just not had to feel all the heartache that I went through. So what is the Pelvibiz community? The Pelvibiz community is made up of OTs, PTs, PTAs, and it's a very encompassing. All the therapists coming together to support each other, not only in business, but lifestyle, spouse support, anything that you kind of need that only female entrepreneurs understand. We. We support each other. And so that is what it is. It's a big, supportive network that, let's face it, entrepreneurship is lonely, and it can be lonely. And when you have that support and that community that truly understands, your spouse does not know what's happening, but these group of ladies do. And that's what's so cool, that we can all lean on each other and be really open and honest and vulnerable about certain situations. And it's, it's interesting. Once one person says something, we all relate to that. So I don't know, I just love it. It's seriously, it's become my family. It's become the people that I talk to every single day. And I just couldn't be more happy with the Pelly Biz community. So the community that Pelly Biz has built, it's a very supportive group of female entrepreneurs that come together to talk about life issues, kid issues, spouse issues, just a working mom issue, working female issue. It just is everything encompassing to make everyone be able to hit their goals, progress themselves in all aspects, and literally have support to lean on each other no matter what their person is going through, the people are going through in their life. And it is such a small knit community that we can all lean on each other no matter what. And it's just freaking awesome to have, especially when you're an entrepreneur and you go through this journey kind of, it can be lonely sometimes. And to have that community is so massive and it just, it means so much. What's my favorite inspirational quote? My favorite inspirational quote is Game on by me. When I say game on, it is game on. I love to just be like, watch out, here I come. Because when I say game on, it's full force and I'm ready. My favorite success story from Mastermind is one of my students. When I first talked to her, I remember her sitting in her bedroom. We were on a zoom call and she was working three years by herself, making about 1k and she was just stuck. I mean, she literally was stuck. It's not like she didn't have the will, it's not like she didn't have the why. She just didn't know what to do. And she was doing the same thing over for three years straight, but she didn't give up. That's the cool thing. And then she came on to Pelly Biz and I've been her coach for now a year. And you know, she's 25, extra income, she's understanding how to hire, she's able to, you know, for the first time ever, she was able to take a vacation and still have her company work. I mean, that's just like, this is life changing stuff, guys. This is life changing stuff. And that's why I do what I do, because I was in that situation. And I don't want you guys to go through what I had to go through before I even knew that this stuff existed, because they don't teach us this stuff in school. So that's where my drive comes from. So people that are starting their own practice should definitely get a business coach because it saves them so much time, so much frustration. Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely sometimes. And when you have a tribe of women that are going through the exact same thing that you are, whether or not you're trying to start your business, whether or not it's a side hustle, whether or not you're a solopreneur, whether or not you have staff, no matter what stage that you are actually in, it's the same stuff. It's just every time you solve a problem, you have a new problem. And because of the group and because of pelvibiz, you're able to go to the group and be like, hey, I have this problem, how do I solve it? And so every single day we chat back and forth of how are we going to solve this problem? What are we going to do with this? And it's not just business, it's lifestyle, it's time management, it's overwhelm, it's self care, it's all of that. We even have something called pelvic size. Pelvic size is when you have to exercise for 20 to 30 minutes a day. And that can look very different for everyone, but that is something that's very important so that everything else can go and that you're getting yourself what you need and the support that you need first before you start giving to everyone else.