In this candid, first‑person video, Kelly Alhooie recounts the rapid, intuition‑driven decision to sell her orthopedic‑pelvic practice (Ortho Pelvic) and relocate full‑time to California for health and lifestyle reasons. She describes how a February event sparked the impulse, leading her to put the building up for sale within days and involve her husband in the process. The narrative delves into the strain such a major business transition places on a marriage: her husband loved his stable outpatient orthopedic job in Virginia, while Kelly sought a broader quality‑of‑life change. She reflects on the give‑and‑take required when partners have opposing preferences, emphasizing the need for open communication, shared goals, and mutual support. Kelly also touches on broader themes—how health crises can force pivots, the emotional weight of selling a business, the challenges of balancing personal ambition with a partner’s career, and the potential for business‑related resentment to erode relationships. The overall takeaway is that while selling a business may appear liberating from the outside, the hidden costs lie in relational compromises, rapid decision‑making, and the ongoing work of aligning two very different lives.
Chapters
I'm thankful that he allows me to stay in my zone that I truly like. I get to— I honestly get to say, like, I get to do the things that I love every single day, and that is amazing, you know. That, that's truly amazing. And as we go through this journey, you know, uh, we get to the process of me being, you know, thinking about selling Ortho Pelvic. And this is a very quick decision, one that I wasn't really expecting. Um, and moving full-time to California, it's a big decision. I, again, I wasn't really expecting that, but these are things that came up as the process started to go. When I came out here in January of 2025, and I was like, I have to do this, my health is going down again, like I have to make a pivot, like I just felt it internally again using my intuition. I was like, something has to change. And I went back after January and said, hey, I think a change is coming. And then I went to an event in March, or no, in February, and some guy spoke on stage and I was like, it's my time. I called my husband that night and I said, I'm making a change. I want to put the building up for sale. And we did. And then I called my realtor and I said, let's do this. And I think even though we've been through some crazy times, my husband and I, with just my business, I think he was really surprised and shocked, just shocked how quickly things moved and went. And he absolutely loved his job back in Virginia. He loved it. And that was a hard situation of like, well, do we leave that job? Do you not leave that job? Um, but ultimately we knew that we were going to have a better lifestyle out here in California and a better quality of life, and, um, that he could find another job. And I just want to be kind of real about this, meaning, you know, it's hard. Like, one person has to give up what they like and another person has to get what they want type thing. And there's this, like, sometimes this balance back and forth, you know. Like, I didn't want to go to Virginia, but I did that to help support my husband.. And so there's this like constantly this like, um, what is it like, just this give and take when it comes to a relationship. And you have to be willing to either compromise and/or work together on whatever mission you're trying to do. And I think that's very important, even though you could be completely opposites. Like, my husband and I are complete opposites. I mean, on every level. The only thing that we have in common is that we're both PTs. That's the only thing we have in common. And then we like to walk and then we love our dog Lulu. But other than that, like he still works at an outpatient. I think people are so shocked by this. He still works at an outpatient orthopedic clinic that is an insurance-based model. And, you know, I'm okay with that because I realize some people, some people just wanna stay that way. That's not me though. And that's not most of you guys. And I truly believe that when you actually believe in yourself and you dig deep and like really want something more than just, you know, going to work and coming back home— some people, that's all they want, and I get that. I, I 100% get that. I personally just don't want that. I want all aspects of my life, including my relationship, to be impactful and successful and, um, feeling supported and feeling, um, not, you know, not like that we're on two separate sides of the planet. And there are times where you can get that way when you have these big life changes like selling a business and moving across the country and starting a business. Like, all this, that could be very disjointing for a relationship. And some people that are listening to this, you probably can feel this, or the business can cause massive issues in their relationship Maybe even the spouse becomes resentful of the business. That could happen as well. Maybe the spouse is in the business and you guys are trying to decide, well, how do I have a business relationship but also a, you know, marital relationship? Because both of those things can put stress on your relationship. And it ultimately comes back to sitting down. What are the goals you guys both want?
