Daily Inspiration: Meet Kimia Kardan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimia Kardan.

Hi Kimia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I danced for most of my childhood, and that gave me an early appreciation for how the body moves. My mom is a physical therapist assistant, and I always dreamed of following in her footsteps. I knew I wanted a career centered on the human body, so I studied Kinesiology with a minor in Dance at Miami University in Ohio, then earned my Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Northwestern University in Chicago.

In PT school, I learned how physical therapy can help those struggling with bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction. I saw how many people deal with these issues in silence, either because they don’t know help exists or because they’re too embarrassed to bring it up. That experience shaped my mission: to open up the conversation around pelvic floor dysfunction and help people feel more comfortable talking about it.

Today I’m Origin’s Market Director for Southern California, where my goal is to help more people access pelvic floor care across the region. I also teach Pilates, which allows me to connect movement to breath and help people build awareness of, and trust in, their bodies so they can function at their best. What I love most is building one-on-one relationships with my patients. I work with each person to understand their diagnosis and to create a plan that fits their life. Outside of work, I love hiking, exploring the food scene in LA, and traveling.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I started out as a new grad in a specialty that isn’t taught in depth in most PT programs, so I had to be proactive about building my expertise. I sought out continuing education, including Herman & Wallace and my Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification, and I had to learn to trust my clinical judgment while I was still building my confidence. I’m so grateful for the mentorship and growth I’ve received at Origin Physical Therapy, in both clinical care and leadership.

As my career has grown, so has the number of hats I wear. Today I treat patients, lead our Southern California market, and teach pilates which has taught me a lot about time management and protecting my energy. To keep my energy up, I focus on self care, which for me means long walks/spending time outside and surrounding myself with people who recharge my battery. Balancing it all isn’t always easy, but each role informs the others, and it keeps me focused on why I started: helping people feel better in their bodies and making that care easier to find.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a pelvic floor physical therapist, and I focus on anything related to bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction. That includes diagnoses like prolapse, urinary incontinence, constipation, and pain with sex. I work with people of all ages and genders. That includes young patients just getting to know their bodies, pregnant and postpartum patients, athletes, and those going through perimenopause and menopause. Many of the people I see have been struggling for a long time, often without knowing physical therapy could help.

What I’m most proud of is the connection I build with my patients and the trust they place in me as part of their care team. I love teaching people about their bodies and watching them make progress. It’s incredibly rewarding to hear someone say they were intimate with their partner for the first time without pain, that they can run postpartum without leaking, or that they’re no longer debilitated by pain related to endometriosis. Those moments are why I do this work.

What sets me apart is that I take the time to really get to know each patient. Pelvic floor symptoms rarely have just one cause, so I look at the whole picture and everything that could be contributing. That means no two patients have the same plan. My primary goal is to help my patients feel more in control of their bodies, understand the mind-body connection, and work towards their functional goals. I encourage patients to seek out care from other providers as well, because physical therapy is just one piece of the puzzle.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My biggest advice is to find good mentors and be proactive about your education. Pelvic health isn’t taught in depth in most PT programs, so a lot of my growth came from learning alongside people who had more experience than me and continuing education courses. One of my favorite quotes is “the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know,” so never stop learning! I would also advise to protect your energy. This work means holding space for a lot of people’s stories. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and taking care of yourself is what lets you keep showing up for your patients.

Trust your clinical judgment, keep learning, and give yourself grace while you build it. Lastly, listen to your patients. They are the experts on their own bodies, and the best care comes from really getting to know them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theoriginway.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimia-kardan-pt-dpt-prpc-85b8b949