Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Laird.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started on the journey towards physical therapy while an undergraduate at St. Edward’s University. I wanted to go into the medical field, however, I knew that spending less than 10 minutes with my patients (which was my experience with my doctors) was not what I wanted to do. I wanted to spend quality time helping people. After graduating from physical therapy school, I worked in a nursing home, hospital setting, and pediatric physical therapy setting. I knew that I wanted to be able to do more.
In 2016, I had my son and my whole world changed. I was very active prior to and during pregnancy. Knowing that I wanted to get back to activity as quickly as possible, I was eager for my six weeks follow up and the green light to start working out again. I was told to “ease back into things” and that’s what I did, or so I thought. Following my start back to working out, I had minor injury after minor injury, aches and pains which I tie back to my accelerated return to weightlifting and running without guidance. Knowing that my journey was less than smooth and I had the knowledge and training in human movement and injury prevention, I wanted to ensure that no other woman had to deal with any of the same aches and pains that I was dealing with after pregnancy. So, I decided to seek out more specific women’s health physical therapy course work and pelvic floor physical therapy training so that I could better serve the prenatal and postpartum population.
I had decided that I wanted to be able to spend the time each and every client needed during their treatment sessions and plan of care so I started my own mobile physical therapy practice to help active individuals return to activity without unnecessary pills or surgery. I quickly realized that I would be able to help more people with a team and a brick and mortar space.
In 2019 I started part-time renting a small room out of a yoga studio in Kyle, Texas. In January of 2020, I left my part-time job and jumped full time into my private physical therapy practice helping primarily women end pelvic pain, bladder issues and with returning to activities pain-free. I help women navigate sensitive topics in a safe environment.
As I navigated 2020 with all the changes, I was grateful that I had the flexibility of being a one woman operation. As I moved into 2021, I began to understand that in order to continue to grow, I needed to add to my team and get support for myself and my clients. I hired two amazing team members in early 2021 and in late 2021, we added a part-time physical therapist who will soon transition to full-time. As we move into 2022, we plan to move our clinic to a larger space that gives us the opportunity to build our gym space out, add fitness and wellness classes, and expand our physical therapy practice to serve our athletes and people dealing with pelvic health concerns.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road to growth and building a business has been one with a lot of opportunities for growth. I jumped full-time into the practice in January of 2020, and well….we all know what 2020 was like. I was grateful that I have amazing support from my family and friends and enough grit to keep going. Investing in business coaching and support has been the biggest thing that has helped because I get to see a different perspective or get confirmation that my decisions are viable or have been for others.
Another growth opportunity has been simply bringing awareness to clients and providers about what I do. Pelvic floor/women’s health physical therapy and performance-based physical therapy is not as widely known as other specialties in my profession. Many clients have told our team, “I didn’t know that I could get help with this issue. I thought this was just something women have to deal with.” Whether it be ending pelvic pain or ending bladder leaking or navigating pregnancy and postpartum pain-free, there is help and bringing awareness to this side of the profession has been rewarding for me and my entire team.
As you know, we’re big fans of Hays County Physical Therapy and Wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a physical therapy and wellness company that specializes in helping women and athletes do what they love without pain, bladder issues, or injury. We help women navigate pregnancy and postpartum in order to return to activity so they feel confident with all their activities.
We are most proud of the fact that we get to serve the community and help every person that walks through our door feel heard, comfortable, and cared for in a safe environment.
We offer in-person and virtual physical therapy, massage, fitness classes (in our new space in 2022), workshops on movement, prenatal and postpartum support in physical activities, and online fitness and wellness options.
Our goal is to be a full-service clinic that partners with our clients to live their life pain-free and confidently.
Any big plans?
We are in the process of transitioning our location to a larger space so we can have a fully equipped gym, yoga and Pilates studio, workshop space, full-time massage therapy, and expand our physical therapy services to include a specialist in male pelvic floor. We are looking forward to our new space and being able to serve more clients with a more robust service offering.
Pricing:
- $27 Discovery Visit to determine if Physical Therapy is right for you
Contact Info:
- Email: info@hayscountypt.com
- Website: www.hayscountypt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayscountypt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hayscountypt/
Image Credits:
Chris Hays (Additional photos only)
