On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Melissa Morrison about her journey following a concussion. Melissa Morrison is the International Bestselling author of the book, Unstick Your Stuck. She is a Certified Co-Active Professional Coach, a Certified Neurosculpting Facilitator and a speaker. As a TBI Thriver Life Coach she works with TBI survivors to find their new normal so they can heal and gain their life back personally and professionally.
In this episode, we discuss:
-How Melissa’s concussion symptoms impacted her daily life
-Melissa’s experience with medical providers following her concussion
-Why Melissa became a life coach and began her work with TBI survivors
-The various components of neurosculpting
-And so much more!
Symptoms of a concussion can often go unnoticed at the time of injury. From Melissa’s experience, she states, “I didn’t think it was that bad. It was something that I thought would just go away.” Melissa was unable to receive appropriate medical management of her concussion leading to greater harm to her psychology. She states, “That was hard for me to look in the mirror and not see anything… There was a disconnect.”
One of the turning points of Melissa’s journey was when she was able to express herself freely and feel as though she was in a safe environment. With the help of her physical therapist, Melissa found that, “There was actually a chance after this that maybe I could heal… She understood what I was going through… She really listened to what was going on.” For concussion management, Melissa advises all medical providers to, “Really slow down and listen because a lot of times the processing of the person with a concussion is slower than it was prior to… Really taking the time and believe them. Believe what they’re saying.”
Melissa’s life path was altered following her injury in a direction that has led her to pursue her passions. Despite the hardships, she remarks, “Having this concussion was a wakeup call from the universe.”
For more information on Melissa:
I am Melissa S. Morrison, CPCC, CNSF, CFE.
I am a recovering accountant and a brain injury thriver who found my passion as a life coach and an author. I specialize in working with people who want to stretch the edges of their comfort zone by transforming and taking the lead in their lives. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, I understand what it means to personally transform. I am living proof that you can step into your truth no matter what circumstance you face in life.
I obtained my coaching certification from the Coaches Training Institute as a Co-Active Professional Coach. I am a Certified Neurosculpting® Facilitator from the Neurosculpting® Institute, aimed at improving lives using neuroscience through education of overall brain health and re-wiring old stories through meditation.
My career background in leadership and business in auditing, consulting, and fraud creates a unique viewpoint as a life coach. As a Certified Fraud Examiner, I am equipped with the tools to recognize and eliminate the personal fraud we all hide behind.
I excel at being creatively curious with clients, bringing my strong intuition and awareness into the space and bringing the energy and fun we need back in our lives.
Here is me. I am loving, caring and powerful. On the other hand: I’m blunt; I’m bold; I’m a risk-taker. I am also driven, curious, inspirational, and intelligent. Honesty is number one and I plan to give that to you in all the work we do together. I want this to be interactive; to start conversations.
Resources discussed on this show:
Free copy of Unstick Your Stuck
Email: Melissa@melissasmorrison.com
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Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!
Xo Karen
On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, I welcome Dr. Christian Barton on the show to talk about exercise for patellofemoral pain. Dr Christian Barton is a physiotherapist who graduated with first class Honours from Charles Sturt University in 2005, and completed his PhD focusing on Patellofemoral Pain, Biomechanics and Foot Orthoses in 2010. Dr Barton’s broad research disciplines are biomechanics, running-related injury, knee pathology, tendinopathy, and rehabilitation, with a particular focus on research translation. Dr Barton has published over 40 papers in Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Biomechanics journals, and he is an Associate Editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Why exercise is so important in treating patellofemoral pain
-Exercise prescription principles for optimizing therapeutic programs
-Muscle power and its role in absorbing load during activity
-Utilizing graded exposure to address fear around movement
-And so much more!
The current literature shows, “Exercise is the key intervention, along with education” for patellofemoral pain. Although uncertainty exists around specific exercise prescription parameters, Dr. Barton has found that, “The exercise that probably should be provided is primarily hip and knee based on current evidence.”
Dr. Barton is a proponent for conservative management over injections and surgical interventions for patellofemoral pain and encourages all clinicians to, “[make] sure that patients take this on board and you stop them from looking for quick fixes.”
While strength and power deficits will exist for individuals with patellofemoral pain, other factors such as recovery expectations and fear of movement can further impact clinical presentation and intervention. Dr. Barton stresses, “Ultimately, you need to treat the patient in front of you.”
For more information on Dr. Barton:
Dr Christian Barton, APAM, is both a researcher and clinician treating sports and musculoskeletal patients in Melbourne. He is a postdoctoral research fellow and the Communications Manager at the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre. Christian’s research is focussed on the knee, running injuries and knowledge translation including the use of digital technologies. He has written and contributed to a multitude of peer-reviewed publications and is a regular invited speaker both in Australia and internationally. He also runs courses on patellofermoral pain and running injury management in Australia, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. He is on the board of the Victorian branch of the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Association, and a guest lecturer at La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne.
Christian is currently studying a Master of Communication, focussing on journalism innovation. He is an Associate Editor and Deputy Social Media Editor at the British Journal of Sports Medicine, as well as Associate Editor at Physical Therapy in Sport.
Resources discussed on this show:
La Trobe University Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Blog
The International Patellofemoral Research Network
Proximal muscle rehabilitation is effective for patellofemoral pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis
How can we implement exercise therapy for patellofemoral pain if we don’t know what was prescribed? A systematic review
IPFRN Exercise Guide
2016 Patellofemoral pain consensus statement from the 4th International Patellofemoral Pain Research Retreat, Manchester. Part 2: recommended physical interventions (exercise, taping, bracing, foot orthoses and combined interventions)
Hip rate of force development and strength are impaired in females with patellofemoral pain without signs of altered gluteus medius and maximus morphology
La Trobe University Blog: Hip muscle rate of force development is impaired in females with knee cap pain
Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter, instagram and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes!
Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!
Xo Karen
On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking to many attendees at the Private Practice Section Annual Meeting in Chicago as few weeks ago. I asked people to answer 2 questions:
1) What was your biggest take away from the day?
2) How do you think it will change the way you practice?
This short and sweet episode is a great recap of the PPS meeting and I hope it will inspire you to attend next year!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter, instagram and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes!
Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!
Xo Karen
LIVE from the Net Health Event at the Private Practice Section Meeting in Chicago, Sturdy McKee joins me on this episode to discuss finding your core vales and your vision as components of business management. Sturdy is a business coach, entrepreneur and business owner who also happens to be a physical therapist and private practice owner. As a business coach and instructor, Sturdy brings the practical knowledge of owning, operating and growing businesses, combined with extensive training and learning, to clients who want to improve their business operations and achieve their personal and business goals.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Current challenges facing the physical therapy profession
-What is a vision of meaning?
-The top three qualities Sturdy looks for in job candidates
-How to motivate employees with Key Performance Indicators
-And so much more!
Sturdy stresses that a vision for your business should be put into practice daily in order to get your team members fully aligned behind it. He stresses, “You don’t want core values to be aspirational. You don’t want them to be things you hope for and want to do some day—They need to be actual rules you live by now.”
New physical therapy graduates are skilled in treatment and clinical judgment, however, they have had limited opportunities to develop softer skills such as communication and developing patient rapport. Sturdy advises new graduates, “You don’t go work on the strongest muscle group, you work on the stuff that isn’t.”
Coaches of athletic teams share many similarities with business leaders and many coaching tactics can be applied to business management. Most importantly, Sturdy has noted that, “[Coaches] don’t focus on the outcome, the metric, what they focus on is the process.”
For more information on Sturdy:
Sturdy is a business coach, entrepreneur and business owner who also happens to be a physical therapist and private practice owner. His “Why” is to help people succeed. He has a special place in his heart for physical therapist entrepreneurs and private practice owners. As a business coach and instructor, Sturdy brings the practical knowledge of owning, operating and growing businesses, combined with extensive training and learning, to clients who want to improve their business operations and achieve their personal and business goals.
Sturdy created and taught “Clinicient University”, a 2 day business crash course for Clinicient client owners and operations executives. Attendees of this 2-day course realized an average increase in revenue of 8.9% in the first 3 months following attending with the top of the range at 22%.
Sturdy has served as an EO Accelerator Mentor, helping business owners define their vision, mission and values, as well as achieve their business goals. He spent the last year building a team of business coaches at Clinicient, an EMR & Revenue Cycle Management company for physical, occupational and speech therapists.
Sturdy finds immense satisfaction in coaching and working with business owners and executives to help them achieve their business and personal goals.
Resources discussed on this show:
Jim Collins: Big Hairy Audacious Goal
Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter, instagram and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes!
Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!
Xo Karen
On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Ebonie Rio onto the show to discuss tendinopathy. Ebonie is a physiotherapist and researcher with extensive experience in tendon pain. She is a post doctoral researcher at La Trobe University, and completed her PhD in tendon pain, researching “Corticospinal responses associated with patellar tendinopathy and the effect of externally paced strength training.” Her research has changed rehabilitation practise around the world.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Tendon Neuroplastic Training
-Motor cortex changes with tendon pain and the powerful role a metronome can play for your brain excitability
-How to utilize time under tension and load to reduce tendon pain
-The importance of patient input for goal setting
-And so much more!
Ebonie suggests, “We are not winning the battle with musculoskeletal pain. It is so common.” Physiotherapists need to be aware of and utilize the best evidence available to treat the growing problem of musculoskeletal pain. Ebonie believes a skillful examination and evaluation can guide differential diagnosis and she stresses, “It’s critical that our rehab, as we go forward, becomes much more tailored to what we are seeing in front of us.”
Ebonie is a proponent of utilizing isometric exercise in addition to other adjunctive therapies to reduce pain and develop adherence into a loading program. She suggests, “When you see someone with pain, we need a way in. And as physios, we’ve got some really great tools.” Ultimately, to treat tendon pain, the research evidence supports that, “Load is our primary modality.”
Manual skills have a role in the examination but from Ebonie’s perspective the information specifically from palpation is more limited. She outlines, “The problem with palpation is that it is nonspecific. Lots of things are going to hurt to poke.” Due to the nonspecific nature, Ebonie has found that, “Our hands are incredibly important; poking is just not that useful when it comes to diagnosis.”
For more information on Dr. Ebonie Rio:
Ebonie is a physiotherapist and researcher with extensive experience in tendon pain. She is a post doctoral researcher at La Trobe University, and completed her PhD in tendon pain, researching “Corticospinal responses associated with patellar tendinopathy and the effect of externally paced strength training.” Her research has changed rehabilitation practise around the world. She currently is involved in a variety of projects investigating tendon pain, especially in the lower limb, however also other areas such as investigating innovative new rehabilitation techniques. Ebonie also still consults clinically, having been previously involved at the Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Ballet, and Winter Olympics.
Resources discussed on this show:
Email: e.rio@latrobe.edu.au
La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre
Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter, instagram and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes!
Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!
Xo Karen
On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, Alan Stein joins me to discuss the qualities of great leadership. Alan Stein, Jr. is a veteran basketball performance coach, corporate speaker, podcast host and social media influencer. Alan delivers high-energy keynote performances to develop genuine leadership, authentic team cohesion and true mental toughness. He inspires his audiences to take immediate action and improve their mindset, habits and productivity.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Alan’s transition from basketball performance coach to corporate speaker
-The 3 steps needed to create change: awareness, understanding, reconditioning
-The role of a “change agent” in overcoming barriers to change
-Important qualities in a great leader: self-awareness, vulnerability, competency, vision
-And so much more!
From Alan’s experience, transitioning into a new career does not have to be done overnight and can be developed over the long term. Alan encourages, “Anything good takes time to build.”
Alan promotes utilizing your current network to its utmost potential to support new ventures. He believes, “Relationships are one of our most important currencies.”
Change can often result in setbacks which is why many people fear it; however, Alan finds that change is necessary for improvement and growth. He believes that sustainable change is, “daily recalibration… It’s definitely not this linear ramp that is always going up to improvement.”
Being a leader means positively impacting the lives of those around you. Most of the qualities of leadership can be learned, cultivated, practiced and improved. Alan stresses, “Leadership is a choice.”
For more information on Alan:
Alan Stein, Jr. is a veteran basketball performance coach, corporate speaker, podcast host and social media influencer. He has spent the past 15 years working with the highest performing athletes on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant). Alan delivers high-energy keynote performances to develop genuine leadership, authentic team cohesion and true mental toughness. He inspires his audiences to take immediate action and improve their mindset, habits and productivity. In other words, Alan teaches organizations how to utilize the same strategies in business that elite athletes and coaches use to perform at a world-class level. He is an amicably divorced father of 7-year-old twin sons (Luke and Jack) and a 5-year-old daughter (Lyla) and lives just outside of Washington, D.C.
Resources discussed on this show:
Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter, instagram and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes!
Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!
Xo Karen