Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/ItPx3NwN7bs

Conner Murphy made a bold move - launching a business while still pursuing her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Louisiana State University. As owner of Forward Fitness (https://www.forwardnola.com), a modern Pilates studio redefining movement through science-backed methods, she’s blending passion with purpose. Tune in as we dive into Conner’s entrepreneurial journey, how she’s built a thriving community, and what’s next on the horizon. 

Instagram @forwardnola

Transcript

Voiceover: So you're a PT or PTA grad who's feeling the spark of something more. Maybe you dream of building your own business, one that's constructed around your vision, one that empowers you to make a real difference on your terms. This feeling, it's the entrepreneurial itch. And you're not alone. Countless PTs and PTAs are taking the leap to entrepreneurship, crafting careers that are as unique as they are.

Welcome to the Innovate and Rehabilitate the Entrepreneurial PT podcast. In each episode, we'll dive deep into the world of PT-preneurship with Inspiring physical therapists and physical therapist assistants just like you, who are crushing it on their terms. We'll uncover their secrets, their struggles, and the incredible impact they're making. From building your PT boss dreams to navigating the business side of things, will equip you with the knowledge and inspiration to turn your vision into reality.

So, whether you're just curious about starting your own business, or you're already out there making your dreams a reality, this podcast is for you. Get ready to unleash your inner entrepreneur. Let's do this!

Scott Giles (SG): Hello and Welcome. I'm Scott Giles, founder of Scorebuilders, and I'll be your host for this podcast. I'm excited to introduce today's guest, Conner Murphy.

Conner is currently a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, but that's just part of her story. She's also the owner and fitness program director at Forward Fitness, a modern Pilates studio that's changing the game with evidence-based movement. While balancing her studies in PT school, Conner and her mother took a bold step and purchased Forward Fitness. Since then, they've transformed into a thriving studio with an impressive 60% year over year growth.

Conner's expertise in psychology, biomechanics and pelvic health influences every workout. But Forward Fitness is more than just a studio. It's a vibrant community where women come to build strength, confidence and make meaningful connections. With their entrepreneurial drive and a deep belief in movement is medicine, Conner's showing us how passion, science and the right mindset can create an extraordinary fitness experience. Conner, thanks so much for joining us today.

Conner Murphy (CM): Scott, thanks for having me here. I really appreciate it.

SG: Yeah, great. Well, I, I want to jump right in with, I think one of the most fascinating pieces of this because I'm so used to hearing, you know, people get into physical therapy because, you know, oh, I, I hurt my knee and I went to physical therapy and that, that was kind of my deal actually. But that's very common, right? And I, and I learned a lot about it. I loved it and I pursued it. But your, your path was as different as I've ever heard. So talk to me, talk, talk to the Group a little bit about that.

CM: It was definitely, certainly not traditional. I actually finished high school early. I spent my late teens and early 20s working kind of all over the world as a model. So something very different than what I'm doing now. I always knew that I, I wanted to go back to school and pursue higher education. I thought I wanted to land somewhere in healthcare was kind of always my idea. It was after my last contract in China, I was probably 20, 21 and decided, you know what? I'm done with the industry. I'm ready to come home. I'm ready to go back to school. 
From there, I enrolled in an undergraduate program. I also started teaching group fitness around that time, and I just fell in love with it. You know, working in the modeling industry, it can kind of create a weird relationship with your body, an interesting dynamic. And it was just a really good way I was able to reconnect, connect with those around me in just a really, really powerful way.

So I got really into the nitty gritty of it. I've always been a why person. I'm sure you know, my, my teachers in grammar school loved that. But my parents always taught us, they were like, question why? Why are you doing what you're doing? Is there a more effective way that you can do this? Can we be doing it better? And so I just got really into the biomechanics of it all.

From there, PT kind of kind of seemed like an easy choice. You know, I knew that I wanted to be in healthcare. It's great now you know, we're all doctorate programs. So it definitely gives us a lot of autonomy in practice. I sat for my GRE and then and then I started PT school right after I finished undergrad. Definitely not your traditional route, but you know, it landed me here and I'm really glad that it did.

SG: Yeah, it, it, it's crazy. I, I would imagine. So a couple things. Number one, you're coming into PT school with kind of a nontraditional background and not just because you're a model, but because, you know, you've had life experiences, you've had business opportunities, you were, you know, to some extent either working for an agency or a free agent. But how do you think that experience in modeling perhaps paved the way for you to be maybe more willing to go down an entrepreneurial path?

CM: Yeah, absolutely. I think it, it was almost like a crash course, honestly. And learning how to be an entrepreneur, You know, it forced me to kind of grow up at a younger age. I was 15, 16, you know, into my early 20s working in this industry in a very grown up industry. And so you, you have to kind of it's sink or swim. It's definitely in this an industry where there is a lot of rejection. That was something that I, I wasn't used to coming from a smaller town. I grew up about 45 minutes north of New Orleans. It was a small town. You know, I gave up being valedictorian to graduate high school early student council, cheerleaders. There was pretty much a direct correlation. However much work you put in, that was kind of kind of the reward. Rejection wasn't a huge, a huge thing. And in the modeling industry, you can work as hard as you want, but you get there and the casting director just isn't looking for a brunette or want someone with a darker complexion or doesn't like blue eyes. You know, whatever it is, it's not about you. It's about whatever they're looking for. And so you're going to dozens of castings and maybe booking one job from it.

That one job can be great. It can pay the rent for a couple months, but still you're, you're putting yourself out there again and again and again to more than likely be told no. And that is something that I think really helped me be willing to take the risk and make that jump. It taught me how to kind of separate my work from other people's opinions and know that, OK, maybe it doesn't work out, but maybe it does. And the only way that we're going to know is if we put ourselves out there.

I always think of resilience, kind of like of course, PT world, think of resilience like a muscle and where you work it, the stronger it gets. And I think that's something that's really important and entrepreneurship and in business ownership. So that definitely, you know, crash course as a teenager, that's something that really I think led me to where I am now. 

SG: When you transition back, I'm just, I'm just thinking about this where you know, you're, you're leading this, you know, presumably somewhat at least, I don't know, on the outside glamorous kind of life, you're seeing all kinds of countries every, you know, every opportunity you have, you've got to go in and try to win the job. And then you go into what can be a very passive kind of academic education experience, sitting in class, listening to lectures, being in the same building, like, like, what was that? I'm just curious, what was that transition like as you slid back into more of a normal role?

CM: I definitely had some moments that it was, it was almost comical. Even more so in PT school, you know, where you're learning wheelchair transfers or, you know, you're working with certain populations and, and we're in a lab all day, a SIM lab with these dummies and I'm lifting, lifting them up by their hospital gowns, you know, you know, and, and I was like, this is so different, you know, than my life looking back, you know, 8-10 years ago where you're at parties in LA and you're just in all of these scenarios that you're like, how, how did I get here? But I always, always say, and whether you know, I'm like, I don't, I don't know if you believe me or not, but I am so much happier being here. I there's something that comes along with knowing that you're doing what you're supposed to do, if that makes sense. The modeling industry, it was a great way for me to be able to see the world at a young age and it was an opportunity I felt like I just couldn't pass up. But it wasn't something I was super passionate about. It wasn't something that I saw myself in long term. So I definitely, you know, enjoyed it while I did. But I I loved coming back and being in school and being in the books and having, you know, more of a, a quote, normal life.

SG: Yeah, No, that's good. And you seem like a very grounded person. So I could see that being a, you know, a, a, a tough transition, but I could see you. It makes sense that you settled in where you did. And I think the experience has helped you.

So do you think, do you think you were actually looking to be an entrepreneur, start a business or did it, did it really just kick in when you found out the studio was for sale and that there was an opportunity?

CM: Kind of kind of both. The vision was always there. I always knew that I wanted to own a business. I thought that this might actually be a really great path, but I definitely wasn't expecting to do it my second year of PT school.

I don't know how other programs are, how they kind of order clinicals didactic work. But at LSU at least, I know second year is like the big didactic year. That's the one that everybody's like, oh, get through second year PT school and you're good. So definitely was not expecting to take over a business during that time, but the opportunity was there and and we just kind of went for it.

SG: That's great. So all right, so tell me about the process. So so how did you find out about the opportunity and then like what kind of time frame did you have? Tell me about like the resources you brought in, Like you know, for instance, did you get an accountant, did you get a business manager? Did you get someone to help you analyze the books and determine profitability and value and all those kind of things?

CM: So it was a quick process. January 3rd of 2024, we had a staff meeting where the former owner was just ready to take a step back. She said she was planning on closing the doors February 1. Not for any particular reason other than I think she just kind of lost the passion for it and had some other priorities, you know, which I have a lot of respect for. But she's closing the door February 1. And so I, you know, asked her would you be willing to sell it? She was like, yeah, I didn't think that you'd be interested. You're still in school. But, but OK, so I went home, I talked to my mom, I said, hey, look, I'm good for X amount, but I definitely, I can't do this on my own. I'm not going to be able to run it on my own. Is this something that you're interested in? And she's always been, you know, health and wellness nut. She's actually in school right now for integrative nutrition. So that's something that, you know, we're looking to kind of kind of meshing together. But I talked to her about it. She said, yeah, this sounds great. Let's look at the numbers. And very fortunately, both my dad and brother are accountants. So we really, we really lucked out on that front and we got the numbers. You know, I reached back out to the owner. I said, hey, we're, we're definitely interested. We're serious about this, you know, can we go to look at the numbers? Went over that with my dad and my brother looked to see is this a viable option? Is this something that we can do? And you know it, it was a go come February 1st, the studio was ours. So it was less than a month from finding out that this was an opportunity to hold in the keys.

SG: That's incredible. And I know some people listening feel like this kind of stuff never happens, but it just it just does. I'll give you a quick example from my life. I had a good friend who worked in a physical therapy clinic. This is a very successful clinic, a private practice and the owner comes in one day, very similar to what you're saying. And at the staff meeting basically says that I'm, I'm going to run the clinic through the end of this year. I'm going to a Caribbean island and I'm opening a, a boutique hotel for a specific clientele. You all, and there are three primary employees, and they said you all have one week. If you'd like to buy the, the business, I will sell a share to all of you. I will sell a share to, I will sell it to 1 of you. I and literally the, the, the games began. You know what it was like, can we do? And, and a lot of these people were, well, at least my friend was very inexperienced at the time. He was a new grad. And so it was, it was a very much a stretch for him. And so he had to look at getting financing, do all these things.

Anyways, two of the three people did open, the did, did stay on and bought the clinic and they've been tremendously successful. They have 4 clinics, etcetera. So I just say that because people need to keep their mind open for these things. And like you, you had the forethought to be like, well, would you consider selling and then all of a sudden the wheels, you know, start going and, and things just take off.

But so with your mom, what kind of what kind of discussion was that in terms of defining roles, determining, you know, commitment, work responsibilities? I mean, 'cause you want to set up a structure, you don't want a family, you don't want any relationship to go bad. But a family relationship and maybe a relationship with your mom, the most important, you know, relationship in many people's lives, that could be a bad thing. So tell me, tell me about that. Did you have some reservations or no? 

CM: You know, it sounds like we should have, but we really did it. My I lucked out. My mom is one of those people that we always joke. We basically finish each other sentences. I don't think there's anybody else I could run a business with. It's like, you know, one of my thoughts in and hers begins and picks it right back up. It's great because there's not a whole lot of, you know, explaining what I'm doing and then what that means she has to do and vice versa. It's like we just kind of kind of know where to pick things up where the other one left off.

With that said, we definitely had to set out some pretty defining roles, especially this last year while I've been in school, she's had to handle a lot more of the managerial aspects. So answering the phones during the days, the texts, you know, handling things as they come up in the studio. And then I've taken on more of the fitness programming role. So the things that I can do outside of school, training our instructors, more of that aspect. 

As my school schedule becomes less demanding, I've kind of swooped in and done a little more of emails, phones, you know, kind of whoever can handle it. At that time, we also had a business agreement drafted up. Even though we are family and we're like, we trust each other completely, I still think it's smart to have those kinds of documents made. And so we set ourselves up well that way. But when it comes to our roles at the studio right now, you know, we're pretty much doing it all. We have an awesome team of instructors that works with us. But when it comes to managing, you know, taking out the trash, running this, running the Instagram, the website development, all of that, we're just kind of all hands-on deck right now.

SG: That's great. It's it's a trial by fire. It's amazing how much you learn when you have to Right exactly. So how was it for the staff? Because all the guests we've been on so far are people who started businesses. You kind of inherited a business and took over an active business, which honestly is much more common than someone starting a business. So how has that been and how do you feel the staff? I mean, that's a that's a sudden, a sudden change of ownership for any employees is a big deal. Was that a problem? Were you able to retain most of your staff and how were you received?

CM: We were able to retain a good bit of the staff, definitely had some weeded out. You know, we were far more hands on owners. We are just a little more present in the studio, a little more interactive with the clients and with the community. And we came in prior to us owning it, there weren't a whole lot of defined policies in place. And, you know, we came in, we're like, look, this is we have to make this work. We're really sinking a lot, a lot into this. We don't have an option. We don't have an option but to, to make this work. And so we put it some policies into place, which I think helped weed out, you know, who really wanted to be here and who wanted to see it grow and who just wasn't into that. 
So we were able to retain some of the staff and they've been great. Everybody that works with us, they're independent contractors too. We, you know, 1099 employees. So we're, we don't technically employ anyone. You know, it's do you want to stay here? Do we want to work with you? And we keep, keep that relationship going. But it really it, it was a smooth takeover. I have to say Catherine, the former owner was great and, and giving us all of the tools that we needed. The staff was really receptive to what it was that we were trying to do. And I think they really bought into the vision and they're excited to be part of it.

SG: Yeah, that's great. And obviously you've done some good things. I mean, 60% year over year growth, especially when in, I mean, that's amazing and in any business. But the fact that you're in PT school while this is happening and what do you attribute that to? 

CM: So it's funny, we definitely did not expect that when we bought the business. We said, hey, let's keep our heads above water until May of 25. That's when I graduate and then we'll really jump in into the growth part. And I it was really organic. Honestly, I think being more present in the studio and having more of a footprint in the community people they just, they just really bought in and it's a place that they love to be. They started being their friends and we changed to this kind of evidence-based fitness model. So we changed our programming a little bit and people really started seeing results with that. And, you know, I think they just get hooked and they bring their friends from work and from school and from wherever. And we just kind of kind of took off. 
You know, we've added about 10 classes to our schedule in the last year and we're looking to add more in the next couple weeks. 

SG: So tell me about OK, so tell me about your model. Is it, is it, you know, membership, is it drop ins, is it individual, is it group? I mean, take me through the operations.

CM: Yes, yes to all of those things. Memberships is probably our biggest category. We offer some unlimited memberships at a contracted rate, you know, so the longer the duration of the contract, you get kind of a discount on your monthly rate for unlimited classes. And that's probably our most popular, but we also have some drop in options, so single classes, class packs, 5 or 10. And then we offer privates as well. And we do quite a bit of those, especially for people who aren't quite ready to hop in a group class or maybe they've had an injury, or they just don't feel comfortable being in that quicker pace setting. They need some more individualized attention, so we do quite a bit of privates as well. 
We've recently started doing parties even, so private events. We'll have groups from women's clubs a lot of times will come in, bachelorette parties it's become pretty popular, so we'll do private groups as well.

SG: And how large is the operation? I mean, how many, how many clients can you have at any given time within, for instance, a group class? 
CM: In one class, we can have 10 clients. So we have 10 machines and we'll have usually the classes are full, so we'll have have 10 clients in there.

SG: OK, that's great. So, so looking back and I mean, I know it's still a relatively short window, but what do you think has been your primary pain point? What's been the most difficult part of this? Maybe imagined or not imagined, meaning you, you either knew, knew that this would be a problem or this would be a challenge. But what have the biggest challenges been?

CM: I think, you know, getting used to always being on. That's something that in both my mom and I not necessarily struggled with, but we, we were exhausted the first couple months. I mean, now we've outsourced every other week. Now we have somebody come in and clean. So we're not cleaning every week anymore. But I mean, we were doing everything. We were scrubbing the toilets every week. We were developing the website, you know, answering calls at all hours of the day.

I think getting used to just being on and being on call all of the time is something that I'm sure any business owner can relate to. Wearing all of the hats essentially.

SG: Yes, yeah, it's it's non-stop. Well, it's good though, right. As you start to have, you know, 60% growth provides a little more revenue and it provides the opportunity to perhaps, you know, delegate some of those tasks that maybe it's not the best utilization of your time. But you know, but look, when you sank all the money you, you have into this business, like is what, what we, we used to have a neighbor at this camp we had, and he and we'd always be like, is this 80 year old World War 2 pilot and he could do anything like we and we'd have a leak and he'd be like, oh, let me bring over my blowtorch. Let me resolder this. Let me, and I'm like, Billy, how do you know all these things? And he and, and his answer was he goes, look, I grew up in the depression. If you wanted it done, you had to figure out how to do it, you know what I mean? And so it's, it's kind of the same thing with you, right? It's amazing how entrepreneurial people can be or resilient people can be when that is the only option because I can't go to the Yellow Pages and, you know, pay a cleaner or pay a plumber or I'll figure out how to do it myself. So that that's admirable.

CM: Absolutely. I always joke that, you know, buying a boutique fitness studio. I certainly didn't expect to become a janitor and a mechanic. You know, our machines, like learning how to essentially take apart the machine and put it back together yourself is part of the job description.

SG: No doubt. Some of those things are good life skills, though. So they're, they're absolutely transferable. So, so how has this impacted your, your physical therapy program? Because, you know, look, there's not a lot of slack in terms of extra time for hobbies, etcetera. So now taking on the business, do you think it's, do you think it's been a net positive because it's getting you maybe more fired up and more engaged and you're excited about it? Or do you think it's really made it much more of a grind trying to, you know, learn what you need to learn and being a physical therapist while running a business?

CM: I think, I think it's fired me up more. I was fortunate that it came second-half of second year. So it felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I was able to kind of push through and it really just forced those time management skills to come full effect. 

I, I always laugh because I've been a time blocker since I can remember, even when I had, you know, I was in undergrad and, and had not a lot going on, I'd block my time just because my, my brain works well that way. And so that really transferred well when then, you know, running the studio and managing workload for school. So, I think it just kind of forced time management. It, it wasn't, it didn't feel impossible. And I don't know if that's because I've worked in other industries before and I came into PT school with a little bit of life experience under my belt. 
PT school, it's not, it's certainly not easy and it's required a lot of work and a lot of effort, but it's not incredibly overwhelming I guess. So it was, it wasn't so bad to kind of slide another thing in there, another thing, another thing, a business ownership.

SG: Yeah, No. Well, that's, you know, what I do feel, I mean, look, I don't know, but I feel that, you know, you the maturity you have your past experience, experience working, you know, all over the all over the country in the world, you just bring more to the table. So maybe something like that, that might have been overwhelming to me as a very traditional enrollee in a physical therapy program. Just, you know, it's, you know, you juggle it. It's like when you're a mom or a dad, right? And you've got three kids and you, you learn, you've got a, you've got a time block. You've got to be flexible, you've got to be creative because there's, there's no alternative. So clearly you, you've done that. But I'm glad it hasn't been overwhelming. And I'm, and I'm really glad it hasn't detracted from your experience.

One of the things I really liked about talking to you earlier is that you talked about how I think you had a sense of Women's Health was really important to you. And it sounds like you took a lot of opportunities within the program in order to kind of direct your, I mean, obviously look in a PT program you have to graduate as a generalist PT. But it sounds like you early had a sense of what you wanted to do and were able to really develop some skills in the program and focus some of your studies in that area. Could you talk a little bit about that?

CM: Yeah, absolutely. So I came into PT school thinking that Women's Health, public health is what I wanted to do, which I think is not, is not your norm. I think people are starting to head that way, but I came in, I said, hey, I'm going to have an open mind, but I think this is what I want to do. And every kind of new niche area of PT I was introduced to or every lesson that we had, I just knew more and more it pushed me that way. And so I was really able to tailor my experience while in school to kind of foster some of those interests and keep me really engaged. So every opportunity that I had, you know, for a project to be on a topic that I might be able to relate or translate well to the pelvic health world, then I did it. You know, whether it was incontinence or even nervous system regulation, you know, EDS is a diagnosis we see a lot of time times in the world of pelvic health. So I really kind of poured everything I could into topics, you know, selecting topics for projects that I knew I would be interested in and would help me down the line.

I also took all of these. So I did all of my pelvic health coursework through the APTA, which was had a really great experience with that, the level 1 and level 2 coursework. So I went ahead and did that as a student. It's nice too ‘cause you get a discount on all of these. You know, I did their OB fundamentals class. So I figured, well, I'm a student, I might as well do as much as I can. And then when it comes to clinical rotations too, I've been really able to tailor my experiences to my interests, which definitely isn't, it's not that it's not easy to say the least, but these DCEs, they're placing, we have, you know, 30 to 35 people per cohort. So almost 100 rotations that are DCE is having to place. So sometimes it's just what's convenient. Where can I put this person? And so you really have to advocate for yourself that like, look, this is what I want to do. It's what I know I want to do. So how can we make this happen? What do I need to do to make this happen? And that that was something that was really beneficial for me. And I've, you know, had wonderful clinical experiences that kind of tap into a little bit of what I want to do.

SG: How many of your clinical experiences were able to at least touch on Women's Health, do you think? 

CM: So my last one is the one that I specialized in. At LSU, I'm not sure how it is in other programs, but we have one ortho, 1 neuro, and then one acute care inpatient setting and then one specialty. So I was able to do pelvic health for that specialty. But even my ortho rotation, since I knew so early on, that was my very first rotation first year of school, I was able to shadow an ortho therapist who did like 50-60% pelvic health. So it was really awesome to have that introduction right then and there. And then even neuro, I was able to do a split rotation. So I did my, my typical inpatient neuro, strokes, Parkinson's, that whole deal. But then I split it and was able to do 5 weeks in a purely vestibular clinic, which is something that, you know, a lot of, of postpartum, a lot of women have BPPV, they get some vestibular dysfunction, high drops with pregnancy. So it was really neat to be able to kind of, you know, add that to my tool belt as well.

SG: Yeah, that's incredible. And, and again, I think it shows the value of a couple things, #1 you know, if you're fortunate enough to identify something you're passionate about early in your education. And then #2 the fact that you do have to advocate for yourself. Because, I mean, I, one of my former roles was I was a DCE at the University of New England and their physical therapy program. And women's, we always had more folks interested in Women's Health, and this is a long time ago, than there were sites available. And so to some extent, the people who, you know, if you wanted to be successful in finding a woman's health rotation, sometimes a lot of that groundwork had to had to be on your own or you had to be, you know, kind of in my office every other day. 

CM: You know, you kind of just have to be loud about it. You know, you have to, you have to be loud about it. You have to make yourself known as like, oh, Conner, she's the pelvic health girl. You know, if there's a list of topics that we have to choose from from a project, I think people know, like, oh, Conner's gonna pick the pelvic health one.

SG: Stay away from pelvic health.

CM: Yeah, stay away from that one.

SG: Conner's dibs. That's funny.

CM: But. But yeah, I think doing those courses too, if there's anyone out there listening who's interested in pelvic health would. Absolutely recommend, get as many courses under your belt as you can. That was huge going into my last rotation and I was able to treat the whole caseload, whether it was hypo or hypo, hypertonic pelvic floor, you know, bowel dysfunction. I had completed all of those courses. So it made me eligible to to really treat those patients well.

SG: Yeah, that's incredible as well. And again, you, you clearly a high horsepower individual because, I mean, taking on, you know, yet another item that's kind of extracurricular, so to speak, above and beyond. But it, it does differentiate you and you come out, you know, you're, you're, I would argue you're coming out of school with levels of expertise in Women's Health that the traditional new graduate just simply doesn't possess. So good for you for making that happen.

So the obvious question is what? OK, so what happens now? Because I mean, look, there are a lot of options, right? I mean, I'm just thinking of a few off top of my head. You go into clinical practice, you tell mom, hey mom, I know you're in school too, but kind of keep pulling a little more of the weight and work full time in clinic. Do the do the clinic as a side hustle. Go immerse yourself into the clinic and do Women's Health as a side hustle. 

Or maybe I'd like to talk about long term as well. Is there an opportunity for you? Does your present space or maybe future space? Do you think it sounds like a possibility where you may be able to combine these things, have a Pilates studios, but yet maybe have a cash based concierge business where you're actually treating Women's Health patients. So that was a lot. But what what are you thinking as you approach graduation?

CM: So kind of thinking, you know, what's the short term plan, what's the long term plan? Long term, definitely we're looking to have a space where we can incorporate more of a cash based clinical element with the group fitness. And we hope to expand beyond just the world of modern Pilates and have some other offerings as well. Then have almost kind of a Wellness-ey, you know, Co-op where I'll, I'll work as Women's Health, you know, my mom will bring in that integrative nutrition aspect, something of population that she really wants to work with is, is perimenopause and gut health. So I think that we'll, we'll be able to really mesh a lot of this and we hope to have other people come aboard too who work in this Wellness space. So that's kind of the long term, long term goal.

Short term wise, still have some things up in the air. I'll definitely have more of a presence at the studio. So I'll be there more for privates and just being able to handle a little more of the on the ground work. But I have which maybe, maybe I'll be here next year talking about what I'm doing in the future.

SG: But that'd be great.

CM: Still kind of working on some contracts and getting things ironed out. But I will be staying in the world of Women's Health for sure.

SG: That's that's wonderful. You really scripted it well. How's, how's your dad doing with this? And here's why I ask. I can picture you a mom at the dinner table being like business, business, business, you know, and I mean, what a, what a, I mean, it sounds like you had an awesome relationship with your mom anyways. But I mean, what a, what a great opportunity to just even grow that at different levels. But how's Dad doing with this whole thing?

CM: He's doing pretty well. He kind of, you know, sticks to himself and when we need them, when we're like, hey, we need some accounting things, you know, it's March 18th, so tax season is here. So he's definitely had more of a presence when it comes to studio work the last couple months, but he kind of sits back and when we need him, he's you know, what do you need help with? I'll, I'll come and handle that. Otherwise, let me just kind of mind my business. But studio stuff, it's definitely taken over our house. It's taken over our dinner conversations. I'm sure my dad and brother and boyfriend, they're like, oh, I can't hear another thing about the studio, but they don't voice any of their frustrations at least I think they know better.

SG: Smart man, smart man.

So I mean, I think, I think it just thinking about the future is tremendously exciting for you because you, you have these kind of parallel lives kind of at this point in time or, or, or parallel, you know, options. And I do think there's a logical blend. And I think it's also pretty consistent with what we're seeing in terms of some private pay clinics and, and the opportunities that are emerging within physical therapy. And I think Women's Health is exploding. So the combination of what you kind of got into and where you're going, I could see this. And, and now with your mom's, you know, added proficiency in her new domain, this is pretty exciting about what could happen down the road.

CM: I'm excited about it. There is, I mean, endless potential.

SG: Yeah, there really is that. That's great, Conner.

So, Conner, what do you think, do you think at, And I don't want to necessarily just make this about LSU, but, but what do you think the school's PT school's role is in encouraging students in order to engage in entrepreneurial activities or what or what do you think the responsibility should be, if any, in terms of preparing you, perhaps, you know, to be a future business owner. 

CM: So it's tough because you know, like, like you had mentioned earlier, the role of PT programs is to create essentially a generalist PT. And, and what I'm choosing to do is certainly not the norm and came into school knowing what I wanted to specialize in thinking I wanted to own a business. And then second year PT school, I bought a business that's certainly not your average student. And I think it's, it's kind of a challenging line to walk because what do most people do they, they graduate, they go into a clinic, you know, maybe become clinic director or maybe open up their own thing. But it's a little more of a, it's a little bit of a longer process.

I think it would be great for PT programs to offer more classes on business management or leadership. Leadership, you know, anytime you're owning a business, that's, that's a pretty huge thing, especially if you have people that you're working with. So I think offering those kinds of things that still keep it very general, even if you're choosing to go work at a clinic, being a good leader is a really valuable asset. Things that aren't necessarily just, hey, these are for our future business owners in the class, but something that can apply to everybody would be beneficial to include.

SG: No, that's a great thought. I mean, generic abilities are, you know, do provide you the opportunity to be successful no matter what you're doing, right? So I think that makes sense. Maybe that's a that's a nice happy medium as far as that goes.

So Conner, I guess finally, what words of wisdom do you have for someone who's, you know, I mean, like, for instance, me, when I got out of school, I was kind of exhausted And, and I, well I ended up coming around to this actually. So maybe I'm not a good example, but I think a lot of people who get out of school just are, you know, starting a business is the furthest thing from their mind or, but, but what advice do you have to people who are, are, are thinking about it or at least remotely interested? Like what can they do to eventually become a business owner?

CM: I think find what you like and just keep doing it. You know, if pelvic health is your interest, keep attending courses. The APTA has free webinars all the time. Just really dive deep into those subjects, whether it's neuro or sports or you know, whatever else it might be, just find what you like and, and keep doing it. And I think that you'll find yourself in a lot of scenarios where all of the sudden you have all this opportunity, and you're prepared for it. That I think would be my, my biggest advice. You know, sometimes it feels like we're just spinning the wheels. And for what? Graduation seems so far away. Business ownership seems like something that's impossible. But keep be prepared because I mean, like me, it could come at come at any time, you know, certainly wasn't expecting that. But if you're prepared for the opportunity, it allows you to capitalize on. And that's, that's kind of when magical things happen.

SG: Yeah, that's, that's really well put. I think you just have to, you know, I mean, it's, it's so many people I've talked to, they've really focused on becoming an expert clinician. They've they've been open to opportunities that presented itself. They've created a network of like minded, positive, energetic doer kind of people. And then this opportunity does knock. It really does. But yeah, got to be open to it. I mean, no one's going to come and knock on your door with it, with, you know, with you being inside and never leaving the house. So you've certainly been the opposite of that.

And I'm, I'm so thankful that you joined us today and, and shared your experience. And I'm, I will be very excited to, you know, to see how your business evolves because the playbook's not clear to me, but the opportunities seem endless. 
CM: I'm excited about it. I'll, I'll keep you posted for sure. 

SG: That'd be great. Well, thanks again, Conner, and thanks to all of our listeners for tuning in to today's episode.

CM: Thanks so much, Scott. Appreciate it.

SG: You're very welcome.

Voiceover: And there you have it. Another dose of PT-preneurial inspiration to fuel your journey. Check out more inspiring stories from PTs and PTAs out there making waves by listening and subscribing to our podcasts on your favorite streaming platforms. And don't forget to rate and review this podcast. Thanks for listening.