Dr. Brooke Kalisiak PT, DPT shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Brooke, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
If you listen to the customer they will almost always lead you to the answer they are seeking.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Dr. Brooke Kalisiak and I am the owner of Legacy Physical Therapy. We are a pelvic health physical therapy company located in St. Louis, Missouri. I feel truly blessed to have been able to create the clinic of my dreams and work with my amazing team and patients over the last 17 years. I truly felt like I have found my calling in educating the pelvic about pelvic health issues and what they can do to prevent and treat them. I feel like we have created something special in Legacy Physical Therapy where our team and the community can feel at home being themselves and getting the care that they need.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I have always been one of the tallest people in the room most of the time. This dates all the way back to preschool. I was usually even taller than most of the boys in the classroom. I always was self conscious of this, that is until I met my Junior High basketball coach, Mr. Werner. He taught me how to take ownership of my height and be proud of who I am. It was almost like he gave me permission to be who I am and I am eternally grateful to him for this.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“You don’t have to be perfect.” I spent way to much time chasing perfection and this ultimately held me back in business because I would be slow to launch things because I was worried things were not perfect. It took me over a decade in business and working with a knowledgeable business coach to learn that “80% is good enough.” With that mantra in mind now, I am able to power through projects and launch them with confidence, knowing that it is okay to refine things along the way. This helps me keep from feeling stuck.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I have been working as a physical therapist for 23 years, with the last 17 years specifically in the field of pelvic physical therapy. To become a physical therapist, one has to go through 4 years of undergraduate study followed by 3 years of graduate school. To be fair, we come out with alot of knowledge. However, just because we have this knowledge, doesn’t mean that patients will be knocking down your door. It is not “If you build it, they will come.”
Potential patients need to know, like, and trust you as the clinician to feel comfortable working with you as their therapist. The patient also need really need to know that you can fix their problem. That is way more important than any list of accomplishments that the PT has on their resume.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I do feel really lucky that I decided at a young age (13 years old) to become a physical therapist and that it has blossomed into the wonderful career! I never would have guessed as a kid that I would be a pelvic physical therapist with my own company and 7 employees, but man it feels good. I love coming to work each day and seeing my team of therapist helping peope overcome their pelvic health issues. It is truly a very rewarding career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.legacytherapystl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacyphysicaltherapystl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LegacyPhysicalTherapySTL/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/legacyphysicaltherapystl
Image Credits
Natasha McGuire Photography
www.natashamcguire.com
