The Uncommon Leader Podcast
Are you ready to break free from mediocrity and lead an extraordinary life? Join us on The Uncommon Leadership Podcast as we explore the power of intentionality in personal and professional growth. Our podcast features insightful interviews with inspiring leaders from all walks of life, sharing their stories of overcoming challenges and achieving greatness.
Discover practical strategies to:
- Think positively and cultivate a growth mindset
- Live a healthy and balanced lifestyle
- Build your faith and find inner strength
- Read more and expand your knowledge
- Stay strong in the face of adversity
- Work hard with purpose and passion
- Network effectively to build meaningful relationships
- Worry less and focus on what matters
- Love always and make a positive impact
In each episode, we'll dive into relevant leadership topics, share inspiring stories, and provide actionable steps you can take to elevate your life. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting your journey, The Uncommon Leadership Podcast offers valuable insights and practical guidance to help you achieve your goals and live your best life.
The Uncommon Leader Podcast
Crafting Success Through Family Values and Integrity
Chris Garavito, an inspiring physical therapist and entrepreneur, shares his incredible journey of turning personal healthcare challenges into a thriving practice. Discover how his father's steadfast work ethic and family-centric values have profoundly influenced his approach to both life and business. Chris's unwavering commitment to integrity shines through as he discusses creating an inviting and supportive atmosphere for his patients while maintaining a strong bond with his family.
Explore the establishment of Chris's unique practice in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where holistic patient care takes center stage. By prioritizing personalized treatment and understanding the common hurdles in patient care, Chris sets his practice apart from conventional healthcare models. Learn about the power of mentorship, the innovative marketing strategies he used, and how these elements have contributed to his professional success.
Chris also candidly discusses the challenges of managing a business along with family responsibilities, underscoring the critical need for self-care and health awareness. The significance of human connection in a clinical setting is brought to light, with Chris sharing insights on how simple gestures, like motivational quotes, can foster patient rapport. His journey is a testament to the impact of staying true to one's values, the importance of disciplined health routines, and the lifelong pursuit of growth and connection.
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Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team)
Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!
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We've done plenty of exercises where you pick one word to describe yourself, one word that resonates with you. The word's always integrity. For me, it's integrity be true to yourself. I think it's so important to always be true to yourself, no matter what the situation is. Do the right thing, because you have value and respect for yourself, and if you get outside of those values, you're going to lose yourself in your path, You're going to lose yourself in your travels. To me, integrity is the most important thing, whether it's on a personal level or on a business level.
Speaker 2:Hey Uncommon Leaders, welcome back. This is the Uncommon Leader Podcast and I'm your host, john Gallagher. Today, I get to sit down with the inspiring physical therapist, business owner, husband and dad, chris Garavito. He opens up about his journey from experiencing healthcare challenges firsthand to founding his own successful physical therapy practice. Discover how Chris balances work with family life, prioritizing personal health and meaningful connections. This episode is packed with valuable insights on leadership and the power of staying true to one's values. Plus, hear about Chris's unique approach to patient care that sets his practice apart. Don't miss this great conversation with a truly uncommon leader. Let's get started. Chris Garavito, welcome to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. I'm excited about having you on today. How have you been?
Speaker 1:John, thank you so much for having me. I'm doing really well. I'm excited to have a nice conversation with you. I've always enjoyed talking with you in the past. So excited to be on here and thank you for the opportunity.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, I'm looking forward to it as well. I know when I came in as a patient and still a patient there and some of the torture that you and your folks took me through were very helpful to me. We'll talk about that a little bit, but also talk about really the environment you've created over in your business over there. That's really what it is is the uncommon style you've taken, because I've been other physical therapy offices before and things were just different over there. I think it'll be a great conversation today, but I'm not letting you off the hook. I start you off with the same question that I always start my first time guests, and that's to tell me a story from your childhood that still impacts who you are today as a person or as a leader.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so growing up my father had a bunch of injuries, a lot of knee surgeries. So you know, being younger, I would always be around him and whether it was therapy coming to the house or him going out to the hospital, we were always in an environment of him getting treatment. And it was very intriguing to me seeing how somebody could progress from post-surgical all the way through getting back to full activity, playing with their children. So you know that early on story of seeing somebody get taken from not being able to do the things they enjoy. You know my father being able to throw a ball with me play catch. I was a baseball player growing up Watching that progression of him having surgery, getting back to working.
Speaker 1:He was working for the city of New York, he worked on heavy duty boilers so and he enjoyed work. He loved work. Growing up he would always do overtime if he could, he would work, work, work. But at the same time he would always make sure family came first. So once it was baseball season, you know the overtime stopped.
Speaker 1:He was always there for every event for us. I can't remember any special incident that he wasn't there to support my sister and myself and then my brother who's nine years younger. So you know just the importance of family to him was, you know, always there. And you know I'll never forget, I was downstairs at my grandmother's basement and we were going around the table and asking what we wanted to be when we grew up and I actually said I wanted to be a stay-at-home dad because he had the surgeries and although he was getting the PT, he was home with us, he would cook, you know, dinners for us and he was always there while he was rehabbing.
Speaker 1:So you know, obviously I'm not a stay at home dad, I don't think I could do it, but that whole him being in therapy really just it brought me to where I am today. So, yeah, that always stands out for me. You know, family is so important to me. I have three children of my own. Um, as much as I work, I always make it a priority to be at everything I can for them. Um, they my two older boys play travel soccer, so I'm at every practice. Uh, this past weekend we had a tournament. This upcoming weekend we're going to Chapel Hill for a tournament. So, um, separating the family and the work is important to me.
Speaker 2:That's interesting because you both separate it so that you can be there for their activities, but you also. What I like is bring that environment to work. Each time I've been in there, you'll often be talking to many folks about the stories about their kids and how you're there to support them, and hearing some of the stories about your sons playing soccer and some of the successes that they're having. So, knowing you're there, I think that's a huge attaboy to you as well, as you've noticed that, and to learn that from your father making sure that he was there for your activities. I think that's something that is phenomenal to carry on, and we'll talk about that a little bit more.
Speaker 2:How you manage that because you and your wife are both running a successful business here in Myrtle Beach, south Carolina, as physical therapy. But let's kind of even go there. Right off the bat, you had been in what I read about your traditional physical therapy environments. You worked for healthcare systems and did physical therapy to help others, but you've now started your own physical therapy operation. What was, what was it that got you to make that change, to make that leap from working in the confines or security, maybe even of a regular job with a healthcare system to being out on your own as an entrepreneur.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you know I I look back on my first job. I did my last internship there. I worked there for 10 years. I have no issues with where I worked. I had a great job, I enjoyed the people I worked with, I had a very comfortable salary.
Speaker 1:But for me I felt like our focus on the patient wasn't where it needed to be the patient coming first. That's where we found the lack of care, in our opinion, of what was the most important thing as to why we all got into this field to help get these people better. We were letting insurance and bigger businesses and hospital organizations kind of dictate how we treated the patient. Businesses and hospital organizations kind of dictate how we treated the patient. So my wife and I we decided that we needed to take that step to put the patient back in the fourfold and the centerfold of the care. You know, one thing that resonates with me is when I was working. You know we had two offices on the same campus and the plan was to combine us into one bigger office and I was talking to my former boss about hey, you know we live in Myrtle Beach, so many people enjoy playing golf, everyone I talk to when they come in. What do you want to get back to? They want to play golf, so we should put a room together where we can take patients so they can hit golf balls, so that we can see them progress to where they need to be, cause we saw that there was a drop off of okay, this is, you know, what a doctor thinks I should be at, but they weren't getting to where they wanted to live. And you know, living and doing the things you want to do, whether it's playing golf or playing with your grandchildren, getting back to work. If there's a gap there, you're not going to feel whole, and you know, treating the whole person. If you're lacking in doing the things you enjoy and love, you're not going to feel fulfilled. You're going to have that stress that's still there, the anxiety, all those issues. It doesn't allow you to be back to who you were prior to whatever injury or surgery you had. So when, when we kind of got told no, because he's like, yeah, we should do it, we should do it, and I'm like you know what? We're not putting the patients first. We need to go ahead and take this leap, and it was a leap.
Speaker 1:Like I said, we had two very good jobs. You know an abbreviated story. You know, as we were preparing to go on this venture, my wife was pregnant with our second child and she worked in the same facility. She actually opened up another satellite clinic for them. They were very successful, profitable in the first year, which is very unheard of for a PT clinic and she gave birth to our second child and about three weeks later she went to the clinic that she was working at, which was in the same organization but not where I worked every day, and she went in and she was like honey. I have a weird feeling. I don't think I have a job to go back to. I said you know, honey, you overthink things. You know it's no big deal. So you know that next day I spoke to my boss and she used up all of her short-term disability before the baby was born. She had two very complicated pregnancies and so with the first child she ended up using up her fmla. She went out a little bit early, came right back to a job. Then she opened up this satellite clinic. Well, two years later we're having the birth of our second child and she was successful in that clinic.
Speaker 1:So why were we to think anything different would happen. There was a whole situation of events that occurred and three weeks after having our second born child, we realized she did not have a job to go back to. So a complete monkey wrench. And I and I worked with this gentleman every day, um, he had been over our house, he was at our wedding, um, and no conversations had um transpired in that time. So, um, and during that time, we had actually invited him over to dinner and we were going to kind of tell him our plan I'm a very upfront person, um and our plan all along was to go ahead and tell him hey, you know, this is what we want to do, um, at that time, the goal was to have her continue to work, carry the health insurance. I would go to part-time and start our practice, and that really got thrown for a loop.
Speaker 1:And then here she was, four or five weeks pregnant, taking a two-year-old and a four or five-week-old on job interviews, and everything happens for a reason. She ended up getting a great job at another local hospital organization, but that also led us to see kind of the faults in the care of the patient being first, and then, you know, like I said, it all works out. She ended up getting into teaching at a local college in the PTA program, which we're very involved with. We enjoy giving back to the community, whether it's taking in students and kind of showing them how therapy can be different. But also the most important thing for us is treating the person. If you treat the person, their injuries typically get better. So that's what we decided to do. We took our leap and it ended up all working out, with some bumps along the road. We never seem to do anything the easy way, but it ends up always working out for us, thankfully.
Speaker 2:Well, that can be some of the most stressful things. Certainly, having children is stressful in and of itself, and I say one is one and two is 20. I can't imagine two and another on the way. And so you've had three boys, which is I've had two, and that was busy enough for my wife and me, no doubt about it. But then changing your job and ultimately moving as well in terms of whether it's into a new house, whatever that is, those are some of the most stressful things that you do in your life. Bring that into account. You have a space where you work in a system that is not treating patients the way your values would line up, and they're not. Sounds like they didn't treat employees the way you would have valued as well. So there's a lot of leadership lesson to be learned in that space as well that you had to bring into your new business. So you bring it in, start your own organization, myrtle Beach, south Carolina.
Speaker 2:You're a golfer.
Speaker 2:You like to treat golfers in terms of physical therapy, but that side you talked about with regards to health and how a friend and I, when we worked in healthcare consulting, we would say health is really being able to do what you want to do in life can determine your health.
Speaker 2:You talked about it as simple as throwing a baseball with a grandchild can be an indication of health to somebody else, and I, too often, would allow myself to have the limiting belief that some pain is just going to exist for a certain period of time, and I think that's ultimately, when I came in to see you. That's what is just going to exist for a certain period of time, and I think that's ultimately, when I came in to see you. That's what you were able to do is just to understand and listen to me. So you work with a very diverse population. Let's talk about that care, though, and treating the person first. What are the barriers that you see when individuals come in in their minds? Maybe it is their mindset that keep you from treating them effectively, or maybe you having to overcome for them to make the treatment successful.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I would say the biggest thing you know kind of across the board that we fight is physical therapy doesn't work. I could tell you that at more than half of our patients when they come in they say physical therapy doesn't work. So right from the beginning we're kind of fighting an uphill battle. We have to get them to trust us and get them to understand that physical therapy is very effective. You just didn't maybe have the most effective form of physical therapy. It wasn't a form that was suitable for you.
Speaker 1:A lot of people get sent to physical therapy. They get sent by their doctor, whether the insurance tells them they need to go first to get more pain medicine, to get an MRI, to get more tests, more studies done, more surgery. So people have been told to go to therapy. So right away they're in pain, they want to feel better, right away and if they've had a negative experience with physical therapy in the past, they're not likely to be open-minded to hey, this treatment can work, prevent surgery, unnecessary pain medicine, injections. So that first shift, that first time I meet somebody, I'm always asking well, have you done physical therapy before in the past? And they'll say yes, okay, tell me what worked for you what worked, what didn't work. If you come in and you tell me doing exercises doesn't work for me, I'm not going to start you out with a bunch of exercises and that's not our style of treatment, as you know, as far as you're going to do some activity while you're here, some exercises. But we're going to get our hands on you. So letting people understand that hands-on mobilizations techniques and I mean this in the most professional way possible.
Speaker 1:When people come to physical therapy, they want to be touched. You know you go to a doctor and they got their eyes behind a computer screen. You know you feel like you never have human interaction. So that first get-go we want to show you hey, we're listening to you, we're going to sit there, we're going to talk to you what's going on? Because a lot of times you guys are going to tell us much more than any doctor can tell us and any image can tell us, any study of whatever the patients tell us what's wrong with them, and from there we know how to treat them. So, yeah, the biggest barriers people have had negative experiences and the way we've kind of shifted our practice also is we haven't partnered per se with any doctor. No one's just sending us people because they need more studies done. I've never brought a doctor a lunch, which I know a lot of PT practices do, and that's great for them. I don't want to be relying on our business solely on one doctor, one practice. So we do a lot of marketing on the internet, on Facebook, and that draws patients into us because it's people that want to get better, it's people that want to seek alternate care.
Speaker 1:I had a lady just this morning. She came in and she had told me that she'd been at, she'd seen an orthopedic, has several tears of her rotator cuff, has some biceps tendonitis, and she said but I can't have surgery right now. I'm about to open up a new boutique. I have three young grandchildren. My lifestyle is not conducive for having surgery. So I kind of went through a screen with her and talked with her and showed her a couple of different things of why I believe there's more to the body going on than just her rotator cuff tear and she's coming back later this week for a full evaluation. But just by listening to her and explaining, I feel like the explanation portion of the healthcare field isn't good as well. People go to the doctor just for an answer. That's not what people want to have an understanding of what's going on with them.
Speaker 2:I want the silver bullet, there's no doubt. Well, chris, I think I would have been the poster child for what you just explained with regards to bad experiences with physical therapy, but the pain of having to say I got to go through 10 of these or they're not going to. Let me have my MRI, because that's where I was. I was convinced that I was going to need my second neck surgery in 10 years when I had the pain that I was having. And again, while I would be the perfect one to be on your Facebook page to say, within three sessions, we had almost eliminated the pain that I was having just by you kind of listening through and understanding what was going on there and you talked about that you touch people as well.
Speaker 2:Some physical therapy offices, you know really get light and just try to throw you a couple exercises. Look, this interview isn't about physical therapy in and of itself. It's more about the idea behind listening to others before you try to solve the problem, and I think you all did a great job in that. Chris, you've self-proclaimed to be a lifelong learner as well. So when you think about that, what are some of the disciplines you have to stay out in front, whether it's both disciplines, to keep learning in the physical therapy space, but also in the business and leadership space as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I've always found it important, since we've opened up this venture, to find mentors. Whether it be for the mobilizations and the hands-on techniques that we perform, or the marketing aspect or the business aspect, those mentors, to me, have been extremely important. I have a gentleman who has taken to me. He's in Pennsylvania, not too far from where I went to college, and we speak very regularly as to where our business is now compared to it was a year ago, and we don't want to recreate the wheel.
Speaker 1:There are so many people that are out there that have experienced the things that you've been doing, and I would say this is in any business. You're not on an island. More than likely, someone has done something in whatever field that you're trying to progress in. Find those mentors, find those people that are willing to help. A mentor doesn't just give you the answers, though they have. You do some work towards what you're trying to accomplish. You have to be willing to put in the work if you want to become successful, and success isn't just how much money you make. It's not how much you know your bank account has.
Speaker 1:To me, success is leaving an impact on your community in a way that is leaving it in a better position than when you started. And those mentors they make your life a whole lot easier. And mentorship can come in a lot of different forms. It can become in friendship. We've done some paid classes where I still talk to some of those gentlemen, and it's made my life easier, but to me that's been the easiest way to progress in leadership. We just finished up a five-week class of team building and in that I've wanted myself to become a better leader. But I also want to employ or empower my employees to become better leaders and I think that's very important. I know, at the end of the day, the five to six employees that we have they're not going to be here forever, but if we can teach them leadership roles and we can teach them how to become good people and good leaders, moving forward, it's not just going to help out one person, it's going to continue to help out the community. So continuing to invest in our people has been very beneficial as well, and you learn you learn so much in those situations and it's interesting.
Speaker 1:John, I'm sure you've been to plenty of leadership conferences. The messages are very similar, but it has to be the right timing. Timing is everything, and when it resonates with yourself or the employees, that's when it's going to take you to the next level. So you know, looking for ways to continue that mentorship, whether it's friendship, paid learning to me, that's the most important way to become a lifelong learner. Yes, I listen to books. Who doesn't? Who is successful? I think that's important as well. But to me, I think that mentorship important as well. But to me, I think that mentorship is the best way to continue that lifelong learning.
Speaker 2:Hey, listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share something special with you. Many of the topics and discussions we have on this podcast are areas where I provide coaching and consulting services for individuals and organizations. If you've been inspired by our conversation and are seeking a catalyst for change in your own life or within your team, I invite you to visit coachjohngallaghercom forward slash free call to sign up for a free coaching call with me. It's an opportunity for us to connect, discuss your unique challenges and explore how coaching or consulting can benefit you and your team. Okay, let's get back to the show, chris. There's so much I could go with right there and I so appreciate that. Again. So developing yourself through having mentors, listening to books, podcasts, whatever that is and also developing your team. The next step, so having the understanding that it's important to develop your team as well. And again, you mentioned step. So having the understanding that it's important, important to develop your team as well. And again, you mentioned timing. So there's a book sitting behind my shoulder right there.
Speaker 2:One of the most influential books I ever read was the monk who sold his Ferrari. It sat on my shelf for seven years before I read it. It was a gift from someone and one of the first lines in the book it says when the student is ready, the teacher will arrive when it comes to being able to learn and understand. And you mentioned the word timing. Was there a catalyst moment for you? That again, I get the family part with regards to being with your family. I get the business part of physical therapy and caring for the patient. Where was that leadership catalyst for you?
Speaker 1:So before we opened up the practice once again, my wife was pregnant and with our second child and I went to a conference in Florida, in Orlando, and I always hated treating the lower back. It was something to me that I struggled with and that was a product of oh, people come because they have low back pain, they want an MRI medicine, they don't want to get better.
Speaker 2:And I'm watching.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and I'm watching this presentation and I go. That's the guy I want to learn from Everything that he spoke about, everything he did. It resonated with me. It lit a fire inside of me. The next breakout session. I went and spoke to him. I said, dan, I need to know when is your next class. I need this. I don't want it, I need this.
Speaker 1:And it was a few weeks later in Ocean City, maryland, and I worked till Friday, probably five o'clock, because at that time I just worked every hour I could. I drove up to Ocean City, maryland eight hours through the night, took the class the next two days it was all day, eight to five, went out in the evening Saturday night with the team, got to know his people, got to understand who they are and who they were, what they were about, and drove back. And that has completely changed my, my pathway of not only treatment but being a leader, because he's the gentleman that I continue to have that mentorship with. Seven years later and and, like I said, I've you know in physical therapy they have continued education classes all the time none of them I really felt like was important or really sat with me. There's a couple of few famous ones and it just wasn't for me. And when I saw that presentation I said that's the guy I need to learn from.
Speaker 2:Of that. Those types of moments can happen. I think they're not accidental, as you even said about kind of what was happening with your wife's job. Not accidental that I believe this story has been written for us and we just have to listen for the knocks and open the door when we're ready to go. Chris, I mean, I just love this conversation. There's too many things I can be teaching folks as a business owner, as a father of three sons, as a husband, as someone who's very active in the community. How do you give me two or three disciplines in which you're able to balance that and take care of yourself as well?
Speaker 1:So you know the take care of yourself. I've had a year of understanding my body. My wife was 30 minutes away from having a C-section with our third child. He'll be two in December. That ended up not happening. Thankfully she was able to give a natural birth.
Speaker 1:So hopefully not too much information, but I decided to have a vasectomy. Much information, but I decided to have a vasectomy. And in having that vasectomy I learned a lot about my body. I ended up, I didn't know I was born with one kidney. I didn't realize I had hypothyroidism. I had ran a half marathon about three years ago and then after that activity I kind of slowed everything down. We were working on having a second child.
Speaker 1:You know business was busy and I kind of kind of let my body go a little bit Um and I wasn't as healthy as I needed to be Um. But understanding that from that situation, I knew that, um, there was a couple of things that didn't prohibit me to be healthy, even if I wanted to be Um. So you know my, my family time is so important. I know everyone has a time of day that they prefer to exercise. I do know that the importance of sleep is very important and you cannot burn it on both ends. So for me, for my mental health, for my physical health and well-being, I try to wake up in the morning before anyone's awake and just do about half hour, 45 minutes on a Peloton. It's the best form of exercise for me. Um, it's very, very good cardio work, um, and it allows me to kind of decompress and de-stress. So that is very important to me is is exercising but not taking away from my family. So that discipline and at the same time, understanding that I can't be up to midnight and wake up at 5 am and give the best that I have.
Speaker 1:It was amazing to realize how tired I was without realizing how tired I was. In finding that out, I found out that there were some other blood values that were not quite where they needed to be. And the practitioners like are you tired? I'm like, well, I have three children, I have a business. I mean aren't I, are you tired? I'm like, well, I have three children, I have a business. I mean aren't I supposed to be tired? So taking care of that has really helped me get back to the active person that I was, but didn't realize that I was as sluggish maybe as I thought I was, and you know.
Speaker 1:Another thing is you know I'm always a family first person, but I've realized, if I don't take care of myself outside of, you know I'm always a family first person, but I've realized, if I don't take care of myself, um, outside of you know the exercise for the overall health, um, I'm not going to be any good to my family. So, um, just this past year I decided that one Wednesday a month I'm going to take a half a day and I'm going to go play golf. Um, that, to me, is that's my Zen. Uh, what are? Whether I shoot, you know, a hundred or 80, whatever it is in between.
Speaker 1:Um, I know for me that helps me recharge my batteries, and then being present in the moment would be the third. You know, uh, my wife had spoke to me a couple of times and it's it's stuck now. You know I'll come home and whether it be a family member or a business call, I'd come in on in the house on the phone. Um, and whether it be a family member or a business call, I'd come in the house on the phone, and it's not the example I want to set for my boys. So when I'm in the house. If I have a phone call, all right, I got to go.
Speaker 1:When I step through the door, I'm dad and husband first. If I have paperwork to do, it's going to be after the children go to bed. I want to be really present in that moment, you know, whether it's being at soccer practice, helping out with homework or just doing dinner To me. You know we do a family dinner. Everyone's sitting down together. My kids are nine, seven and almost two, but every night dinner we are together. There's no kid in the other room. We really have that family time and that you know. The kids shut it down at about 830. If I have any paperwork I'll take care of that and then my wife and I will have some time to ourselves. So really try to prioritize and getting the most out of that time to me is important.
Speaker 2:Planning that time. If you don't plan your time, somebody else will. Folks, that was magic right there, and I love the quote. It's amazing to realize how tired you were without realizing how tired you were. It's something I'm going through as well right now with regards to trying to understand quality sleep and how I can get better. So I feel where you are.
Speaker 2:I had written a note a couple of weeks ago that said I'm just tired of being tired and I wanted to figure out what was going on there. And it's very important. Chris, I know that family side is very important to you and I appreciate you sharing as well that golf is kind of your thing too. As a Zen, I could never say that. I wish I could have figured out how to say it was a Zen.
Speaker 2:It was more of a stressor for me than it was a de-stressor, but I know that a lot of folks love and, yes, I live in the land of a hundred golf courses and don't own a set of golf clubs but that's a whole different podcast in and of itself. You know, as someone who's been a patient of yours, I've appreciated the way folks care, but it's it's something for me as I walk into the environment that you have created as well. You've got the whiteboard that's in there. You've got a quote of the week. That's part of what you do. What is the process behind you? Creating that environment for your team? How did you start to do that as well?
Speaker 1:We had spoke about doctors. Don't listen, you've been in the facility but obviously the listeners haven't. We have a big, open space. We have eight treatment tables and we have two therapists, two therapist assistants and it's a very open space. We have eight treatment tables and we have two therapists, two therapist assistants and it's a very open environment and there'll be multiple conversations going on, but during those conversations the patients are still getting the care and the treatment that they need and we encourage our staff to interact with the patients.
Speaker 1:You know, I always found early on in my career, if I found out one thing about a patient whether it be a prior career or something with a family member and the next time you see them or a week later, two weeks later you see them and you bring that topic up. They understand that you listen to them and you care for them and once somebody understands that they feel cared for, they're much more likely to open up and to have that trust in you. So that's something that all of our staff members do, you know they'll ask how your weekend was, what did you do? And then the next time, you know, they'll follow back up with the things that they had said. You know, oh, I had my. My granddaughter was coming into town. You know we'll ask how their visit was with their granddaughter.
Speaker 1:Having that human connection is so important and that's something that we really stress in the clinic. Have that connection with your patients, get to know them on a personal level. You know our patients. You know, thankfully, in our field we spend time with our patients. We're with them for an hour. Now there might be multiple people in the clinic but in that hour you can really get to know those people and over a few week time period, you know you feel like you've gained a friend and that, to me, is so important and that it is something when we hire people. Our staff has to understand the importance of getting to know those people on a personal level.
Speaker 1:And, like you said, the whiteboard. You know we started that probably three, four years ago, monday morning. You know we have the whiteboard erased and the patients that come in first thing they're looking forward to it. They say, well, what's the quote of the week? Why is it not up there? So that environment of that human connection is so important to us and you know there are patients that they'll come in and they'll take a picture of that quote because, like we said earlier, timing is everything. A quote will resonate with them and they take a picture of it and it really hits home to them. So that human connection is so important with us. Um, and just something as simple as a whiteboard with a quote, um, it's just another way that they see that we care about them.
Speaker 2:That's great, chris, and again, I notice it when I'm in there and I'm sure your other patients do, and I appreciate how you talk about it, because I do think one of the best ways for you is that referral side Patients are bringing other patients in there to the business, and that's so important for folks to tell a good story for you. Chris, you mentioned many of the practices. Do you really get a chance and this is a rhetorical question for you, maybe not a specific, but sit down and just reflect on, kind of where you've come in your journey, all the stories that you have? Have you had a chance to do that?
Speaker 1:I don't do it often, but you know there'll be a time when somebody will walk out and I'll just kind of it, just kind of hits at that moment. It's like you know, when I started the practice John I don't know if I ever told you this I was, I was in a CrossFit gym and I had a little, a little room. It was a childcare room and it's probably 10 by 12. And I had one little folding table and you know little, it wasn't even a desk for my computer, a little car or a little Bhutan that was just there for if they brought a family member. So to look back on where that was and where we are now, we've built a team that I think is better than any in the area and I know I'm biased, but we've won a couple of local best of the beaches and best of the grand strands four years in a row. Our patients really value who we are, but I think that family members bring that out of me.
Speaker 1:I have an aunt. She's a New York City judge. She's at the highest position that she's been able to run for she's Supreme Court, um, she's at the highest position that she's been able to run for she's supreme court, um, and you know, every once in a while when we speak, she goes. You know what we're doing and she brings it up to about herself. But as me as well, like sitting back and reflecting on what we've come from and where we are, um, that was, it's just so special, um, to see. You know you can take, take a situation and just improve it so much. But you know you could just get caught up in every day. It is nice to sit back and reflect and it's something I don't do enough. But just hearing the success stories from our patients, you know that's a great daily reminder of where we are. But yes, there are times that I find myself kind of lost in a moment and reflect all right, we're not in a little 10 by 12 room anymore.
Speaker 2:That's pretty cool, because I know that sometimes that success can be something that is a hindrance to going forward, but I don't see that in you. I see continued growth and I look forward to what's next. Chris, I've enjoyed our time, our conversation today. I want you to let the listeners know how do they get in touch with you, either on a personal level, with Chris Garavito and who he is from a leadership standpoint, and or your office as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the best way to get ahold of me would be to email me. My email'sris at our physical therapycom, that's par, physical therapycom. Um, you know any information from the office. They can email the office at office at our physical therapycom. Um, I, I, you know, I it's hard, it's crazy, john, since we've opened up the business, I've probably spoke to six or seven other clinicians that are interested or have opened up their own practice, and I could, if you would ask me that six years ago I would never think I'd be trying to give other people advice on how to become a clinic owner and run what we consider a successful business. So I am always happy to talk to somebody. We take observation students all the time, so to be able to help guide somebody's future, we are always happy to do that. So, yeah, email is the best way to contact us, for sure.
Speaker 2:Excellent, chris, I've enjoyed our time. I got one more question for you, but I just and I'll give you the last word but I want to let you know I appreciate you and appreciate the time you gave the listeners today and the work that you do. So I'm going to give you a billboard. You can put it anywhere you want to, uh, and you can put a message on that billboard that are fit in their hashtag message, whatever you want to put. What's the message you're going to put on that billboard?
Speaker 1:And? And why do you put that message there? You know any word. You know. If we have to think of one word and we've done plenty of exercises where you pick one word to describe yourself or one word that resonates with you the word's always integrity.
Speaker 1:For me, it's integrity, and the billboard would say integrity be true to yourself. I think it's so important to always be true to yourself, no matter what the situation is. Do the right thing, because you have value and respect for yourself, and if you get outside of those values, you're going to lose yourself in your path. You're going to lose yourself in your travels. To me, integrity is the most important thing, whether it's on a personal level or on a business level. We've always said that we're going to continue to do business and we partner up with people, with people that have integrity as well. We want honest, truthful people and to me, that's so important and that's always been a mantra of mine is it's integrity. It's the most important thing that we have, my opinion, and if you stray away from that, you're going to lose your path. So, yeah, that's that's. That's my billboard simple and clear.
Speaker 2:Chris, I wish you the best in both your business journey and your lifelong learning journey, going forward, and thanks again for the investment of your time john, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 1:I've really enjoyed this conversation and we could have done this thing for like three hours. It's awesome talking to you.
Speaker 2:I think we could keep going, that's for sure. No doubt, all right, be well, buddy.
Speaker 1:You take care.
Speaker 2:And that wraps up another episode of the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Thanks for tuning in today. If you found value in this episode, I encourage you to share it with your friends, colleagues or anyone else who could benefit from the insights and inspiration we've shared. Also, if you have a moment, I'd greatly appreciate if you could leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback not only helps us to improve, but it also helps others discover the podcast and join our growing community of uncommon leaders. Until next time, go and grow champions.
