Women's Health and Wellness with Dr. Beth Harris

Hi, welcome to the Pelby Biz Podcast. Are you a pelvic health PT or ot? Struggling to start your own practice? This podcast helps pelvic health PTs and OTs get out of debt, gain the income they desire, be able to treat patients without insurance restraints, and learn how to create time freedom for yourself and your family. I'm your host, Dr. Kelly Alhui, founder of Ortho Pelvic Physical Therapy, Pelvic health Business grower and Pelvi Biz. Over the last two years, I went from a solo entrepreneur to a seven person team in counting. I'm here to help provide a clear path to grow your pelvic health business as fast as possible so that you can gain the time freedom, decrease debt, increase income and live the life that you desire. Before we get started today, make sure you click the link in our bio to grab your ticket for Pelvi Biz. Now let's get into today's episode. Welcome guys to Pelleviz Podcast. I'm your host Kelly El Huey. I am here with Beth Harris today from Aspire Physical Therapy. Super, super pumped to have you. Beth on we actually just saw each other. Was it last weekend or two weekends ago? I can't even remember.

I know it feels like last weekend it was two weekends ago.

Two weekends ago she was at Pelvi Biz and we had an amazing time there. So Beth, go ahead, tell us where you're located as well and give us kind of an intro.

Yeah, sure. Thanks so much for having me Kelly. Like first of all, here, Pelvibiz. Woo hoo. Yeah, it's totally life changing. Seriously, it was awesome. So congratulations on that. Thanks. I'm Dr. Beth Harris. I'm a pelvic PT but I love ortho too. I'm located in West Michigan and I have a private practice there where I specialize in holistic care options as well as traditional like evidence based pt. So I say that I like bridge the two things, which is super fun. So yeah, I'm just super pumped to be hanging out with you today.

And so tell us Beth, how did you get started? Like number one, why'd you pick pelvic health and why did you decide to start your company?

So I say that Pelvic health kind of chose me because I was one of the exciting people in PT school who randomly got pregnant. So. So I joke and say that my son has part of my doctorate cause he was in utero the whole time. So when I was pregnant with him, we were actually in an elevator Accident. We fell five floors. For real? Legit. My husband and I, we lived in a high rise condo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That's where I'm from originally. And we fell five floors in the elevator. He has. My husband has a single level disc extrusion, but is doing awesome now, you know? And I developed severe pelvic girdle dysfunction. Like, I would be just stopped in my tracks. And I went to the doctor and I was like, you're not going to believe this. Like, it seems like everything's okay. I'm not bleeding, but I fell in an elevator five floors and I can hardly move. And they're like, back pain's normal in pregnancy. And I'm like, no, no, no, I don't think you heard that. I felt was an elevator accident. And it was. I was just really minimized, like, my needs at that point because I was pregnant were like, no, no, this is normal. And so I was pissed because, you know what happened. I found out, like, several months later that there's an entire specialty that just treats pregnant women. And that just helps through this healing process. And so I made that, at that point, my life's mission. I'm like, no one is going to be minimized. Like, I was minimized and just fooled. They have to suck it up, buttercup. And so that's why I say this. This field really chose me in that way.

I mean, wow, guys, that is an amazing story. I mean, are you afraid of elevators now? I have to ask this.

Well, we live in a high rise and I was pregnant, right. So in late pregnancy, I literally would go on the elevator and I'm like, listen, we're going up to the 10th floor. You're going to keep it together. I'm going to keep it together. Like, I turned into a crazy. But, you know, I. There are some elevators I won't get on. You know, like, parking garage elevators. Nope. Wow.

I couldn't imagine. It was probably like a roller coaster. You riding it down, I'm assuming.

Yeah. And my husband, like, tried to lunge to reach for me. Right? Yeah. And I think that's because of the rotation that he did when. When we hit. I think that's when he had his issue. Right.

Wow, that is. So this is like. I mean, I've interviewed a lot of people, but this is an amazing story to be like, he. Hey, this is how. No one else has a story, Beth. No one else.

I see. I seem to collect the rando stories. Okay. So passion and purpose are, like, big, big for me.

Yeah. And so many people, I think, though, can relate to that. Not the elevator thing, but we all sympathize with that. But in the fact that when you are pregnant, there's so many dismissals that you actually get and. Or like, oh, we can't touch you, or we can't do this because you're pregnant. And it's just like, okay, I'm not, like, you know, so fragile that, you know, you can still help me out here. So I think that that's huge. Wow, what a story. I did not know that.

So I was super lucky during PT school to find that. And then right away I took pregnancy one, I took pelvic one as a student. And so I came out like, guns blazing, and I started a hospital based program where I did, like, it was a small hospital, so I did acute and ortho, and then really pumped up and really started their pelvic floor program. And then, honestly, I was a job hopper because that was the only way to get salary increases at that time. So I stayed for almost a year, and then I hopped to a wonderful outpatient, and then I was given this great opportunity to. To start a pelvic health program for a $10 million brand new women's institute in Boca Raton. So I was like, I'm sorry, this lovely outpatient, but I have to go here. Like, this is where I'm being led. And so I was there five years and built an awesome team. And then I looked at my husband and I'm like, I think we should move.

Mm.

And he's like, really? All of our family's here. We lived in South Florida. Right. And I'm like, no. I just feel really called to move. We moved to west Michigan. Okay. Neither of us had ever seen snow.

Okay.

Ridiculous.

That's even more crazy that you moved to West Michigan after Florida.

It's totally insane. So my family is summered here in West Michigan in this little small town that's like the apple of my eye. It's like my heart lives here. Well, okay, so now do I. Okay. And so I. We moved here and I was like, yeah, I'll find a job just like the one at Boca regional. Like that $10 million women's institute. That's going to be the same. Oh. Oh. No level of care here. Very different. Very, very different. So I went to several outpatients. I did several interviews, and it was like, mills. Everyone ran like a mill. I had one that said, oh, Beth, we'll have you work for 10 hour days. You can just do, like, 8 to 10 evals a day, and then the PTAs will do your care.

I know.

I went home and I said, mark, Mark's my husband. I guess I'm not going to be an outpatient therapist in West Michigan because I refuse to jeopardize the standard of care. So I went and I worked in two different nursing homes for two years. So like one year at each. Well, that'll put your ego on the side, I'll tell you that. That was like, I went from starting this huge program to being a sniffy that. I mean, I learned to be humble.

Yeah. And I'm going to stop you right there, Beth, because guys, in Best Story, she actually built this other program's dreams. Like, you literally headed that other program, that ten million dollar program. Like, you built that person's dreams, by the way, they funded it, but you built their dreams. And going off of that, Beth, and then going to Michigan and being like, hey, there's nothing like this. You know, did that kind of give you that. Building someone else's dreams, did that kind of give you confidence to be like, well, if I did it for them, can I also do it for myself a million percent?

Like, I, I did it at this small hospital and then I did it at the. Or like the outpatient setting, and I can for sure do it for this $10 million women's institute. Like, obviously, I have the skill set. I've built the programs.

Right.

You know, and so it's. It is, it was confidence building. Yeah. And then the nursing home, though, man, that'll tear you down. It took me time to rebuild my confidence after that.

It does, Beth, because I was actually in the same position. I, you know, came off all student loan debt and I worked at outpatient Orthopedic, and I also did pelvic health, but then to pay my student loans, because this is the only thing Instagram didn't exist. We worked at skilled nursing. And skilled nursing, when you walk in there and every patient's like, I hate you. I'm not getting enough for you. And you're like, great. I love my job. Not, you know, it just.

I do stuff. You're right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, it's.

I get it.

So either way, I, I was like, I. Number one, I had a baby during that time. So I had. So I have a four year old and she's the only true Michigander of our family. And so I was like, okay, I procreated, we got a mortgage, I'm in this really crappy job and And I'm like, what am I learning? Right? I did. I learned a totally different skill set. And that was awesome. But I'm like, I feel like I've got this amazing skill set that I'm not using. And so I started very, very part time and started my own practice, really, Just because I couldn't stand not living my dreams. Right. And so I was there for, like, not even, gosh, it seemed like four months. And I did it very part time that I got an opportunity to work for a large hospital system here. And I was like, okay, here we go. This. I recognize I can do this. Like, this is my zone. And I worked there for about three years. And I was like, I gotta go out on my own. Like, I just couldn't. I couldn't do it. I was.

What was the biggest thing that drove you? Like, I mean, if you could say, like, was it the, you know, overworked or the caseload? Like, what was the biggest thing? Or autonomy? Like, what was it?

You know, I. Not to begrudge this hospital system. They did me, right? And they were awesome. Right. But the thing I said word for word to my manager is I can't be in this room treating patients for 40 plus hours a week, then going home and documenting for eight to 10 hours and have enough energy to advocate. Like, I want to advocate. I want women to know that they do not need to live with these symptoms. And just like I felt when we were in the elevator accident, you are not alone in this. There are people who actually specialize in this and just want to help you live out your dreams. And I'm like, I can't sit in this room and live with that thought because I just wanted to do community. Let me do community events, let me do speaking engagements. And, you know, like, they throw me a bone here and there. But it was. I knew there was so much more that I was being called to do.

Wow.

So I had to go.

Basically, your passion, your passion and advocacy to promote the field forward is what drove you. Because it wasn't that work, was not providing it for you.

Right. And then.

Then you started your practice.

Yeah. And you know what gave me the confidence to start my practice?

What?

Abdominal therapy. And you would go, what? It's a traditional healing practice from the Maya people. Okay, okay. Which when I learned about it, I was like, you guys are crazy. Like, you're telling me you're repositioning the uterus. And, like, most people are massage therapists who do this work. And I was like, pretty sure you're not doing what you think you're doing. But I was like super skeptical in the beginning. And then I found out about it and I went to a community event that taught you how to treat yourself and do like this abdominal massage. And I'm like, okay, I'm pretty again, pretty sure this is a bunch of bs, but I'm going to do changed my life immediately. Like, I felt so Good. I'm a 3C section mom. Okay. And I have always had like a. I run high tone pelvic floor, maybe because of the elevator accident, who knows, right. There's some, like, maybe some trauma there. And so I was blown away with how much it helped me. And it was so simple. And I'm like, okay, if this helps me this much, how is it going to affect my endo patient, my C section recovery patient, my incontinence patient? Like, really? Anybody? I see constipation, I'm like, wow, I wish I had this simple thing that I could have taught my patients that they could have been doing all along and then have in their back pocket for the rest of their life. And so I'm like, I'm going to be trained to do this. And I was nervous because I knew I was going to come out and do cash based pt.

Yep.

And if you're west Michigan is not. It is affluent. Right. But it's not super affluent. This isn't South Florida. Right. And so I'm like, are people going to pay me cash? Well, guess what? I know they'll pay me cash for this cash based service that therapy or that insurance won't cover anyway because people like different things. They like holistic here. It speaks to them.

Right.

And so I'm like, I can feel confident going out knowing that I have that service as a cash pay bonus to my pelvic PT service while I'm gaining credibility.

Wow, that is a really interesting way of looking at it saying. Because some people that, as you probably know, they might say, no one's going to pay me cash. There's no way I'm in Michigan. No one would ever know what pelvic health PT is and no one would ever pay. But in reality, you took it and you're like, hey, I have this extra little icing on the cake. And that actually gave you the confidence to then be like, hey, I can also do pelvic health cash and this thing to get compensated. Yeah, that's amazing.

And when I first started in August, I would say my first five months, primarily my business was abdominal therapy. Very little Pelvic health and it took me do, I just kept doing community events, like little moms groups and things like that. And then the pelvic health business started gaining some traction. But yeah, the holistic work is what floated me for a little bit.

And now everyone wants holistic work. Everyone, like so many people are like, what's the holistic approach? And I think that's really catching on, which is good news for us and our field because we are holistic, you know.

Yeah, it's super cool. And then the bonus, like you said, the icing on the cake to me now is for the first time in my career, I again was extremely mainstream. Okay. Like I did not believe in anything holistic. I'm more evidence based person. And I never expected to support fertility. So abdominal therapy has a huge benefit to people having more regulated cycles. Right. And there's proven like through people getting pregnant that there are fertility benefits. And I'm like, no, I didn't feel comfortable saying that at first. Right. I'm like, I'm not going to say that I can help with that because that's not what PTs do. And then eventually I embraced it and I was like, you know what? If one person could possibly be supported in their pregnancy and have their dream of having a baby made true just by me helping and supporting the way their system works and just help it work a little bit better than it was before, then wouldn't that be a miracle? I would like to be associated with that. So that is probably the coolest thing that I've adopted with abdominal therapy.

I mean, guys, isn't that awesome? That's amazing. And you, Beth, we can tell how passionate you are about this. And this truly is your passion. And I'm sure anyone that speaks to you is like, you know what? This girl, she's got my back. Because the passion that comes out when you speak about this is, it's really amazing. I. I love hearing about it, seeing it. It's so awesome. And it's. And I'm so glad that it gave you the confidence to be like, hey, I got this, you know?

Yeah.

And there's so many different conditions that people don't realize this, guys. So all pelvic health, PTs and OTS out there. So much abdominal work actually needs to be done to lengthen the pelvic floor, to manipulate all the visceral stuff, to manipulate the organs. I mean, everything that Beth's saying, there's so much impact. The abs can have, constipation, all that kind of stuff. And it's such a needed thing in our field to really not just focus on the pelvic floor, because everything's connected. So I love it. It's amazing. That's amazing. So I'm assuming you do a lot of this manual visceral abdominal work pretty much in all your patients, is that correct?

Yeah, that's a part of my method is that I start with the foundation of abdominal therapy. And so what I found is if I address that right away and get people started on doing their own abdominal massage every day, then that clears up a lot of issues. I mean, if you can get everything talking to each other, improve coordination, improve blood flow, improve mobility, then when I start to do actual pelvic PT work, I. I feel like half the battle's already fought. Like, it's been an amazing addition to my practice.

That is so, so cool. So if someone is out there listening to this, and they're like, beth, how the heck did you get certified? Where do they get certified?

Yeah, so I'm actually on the clinical advisory board for the Abdominal Therapy Collective. And so the Abdominal Therapy Collective is a worldwide organization. This is just not in the U.S. like, we have trainings and Slovenia and Greece and the uk and it's pretty cool to feel like you're in a community that's not just us, but it's, like, international. I don't know. That makes me feel really special. But either way, the abdominal therapycollective.com, you can go on there and find out about the teachings of Dr. Rosita Arvigo is what all this work is based on. And her work with traditional Maya healers, notably Donna Lihioponte. And so there's a thing to click when you go to the website that has all the practitioner training offerings that are coming up, and they're all over the world, and there are quite a.

Few in the U.S. okay, awesome, guys. So go check them out. Beth, one last question here. We want to know, what are your goals for this upcoming year? We would love to hear them, because I would love to look back on this podcast in a year and be like, hey, what's up? Do we hit these things? So what are your. Do you mind telling us your goals for this upcoming year?

So I have several goals. Okay. So I would say, like, my number one goal that is probably going to happen way sooner than later is my goal is to have a multidisciplinary location where we integrate this beautiful holistic work with, like, doula services, massage, yoga, Pilates, pelvic pt. So Women have a central location that they can heal, they can be supported. And also men, of course, because I treat men too. But I think that that is one of my biggest visions is like, this United Wellness location. So we'll see. Sooner than later, we will see. My other big vision is to create an online program for holistic fertility options. Because you know what, women have a ton of options about how to learn, how to track, how to learn, you know, how do you take the temperature, do all the period tracking nutrition. There's a ton of nutrition information. I do not know. One resource that really gives you mindfulness training, lumbopelvic mobility training. Like, how do we get the nerves talking to the pelvic organs and then just optimize the heck out of the system and make it easy. Right. The overwhelming thing that people come in and they tell me when they're on a fertility journey is that they're overwhelmed. Yeah. There's so much information. So let's so much streamline it, make it simple and just let the body do, like, the amazing thing that it's built to do.

Yeah. And speaking off that, because we've had tons of patients with on these fertility journeys right now, and it's just emotionally and mentally exhausting, and there's just so much to it. And I think going off of your first dream to creating that support, even adding like a licensed psychologist on that team or maybe a energy healer that could provide positive energy towards these people that are going through kind of traumatic events during their journey. I think that would be amazing.

Yeah, it's so cool. And there's a ton of supportive modalities, too. Like, one of my good friends is a yoni steamer, so I just hosted a Yoni Steam event this weekend, and it was awesome.

Was it awesome?

So if. Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's all these things that we just need to tap into and say, like, you know what? It's worth slowing down. It's worth going inward and taking this time to just honor our journey. And it helps to get us out of, like, the doer mindset and more until let's just be and actually resonate with who we're supposed to be in this world.

And as we all know, because we're all busy, that's very hard to do.

Yeah. Yeah.

This is awesome, Beth. This is so awesome. Can you go ahead and plug? Can you plug, like, your Instagram where people can find you, your clinic, all that kind of stuff? Can you give us the deets on that?

Yeah. So the name of my clinic is aspire physical therapy. I'm in West Michigan and The Instagram is aspirept1, so, yeah, check me out. And making more reels. I don't. I gotta get out of my own.

Way with that, but okay, we're all trying over here.

We're all trying.

All right, Beth, well, thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate having you and you sharing your knowledge about all the abdominal stuff and it's fascinating how you got into this field. So thank you so much.

Yeah, thanks for having me, Kelly. And we're all worthy of healing, so let's get going and bring in what we need in order to achieve our goals. So thank you so much.

Thank you. If you are ready to change your life, click the link in the show notes to get your ticket to Pelby Biz. Let's go.