Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Whan.
Jill, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been an athlete and injured myself many times. While playing varsity soccer in high school, I tore my ACL and thought I was done with sports. I went to physical therapy and ended up not needing surgery and returning to all of the things I love to do.
From that point on in my life, I knew I wanted to be a physical therapist as it had a huge impact on my life. I ended up getting accepted to USC, which is the #1 school for physical therapy in the U.S. My dream was slowly becoming a reality. After graduating from USC PT School, I worked as a staff physical therapist at a few different clinics in LA. I learned a lot as a new graduate, but had a hard time settling into the mold of a “staff physical therapist.”
I actually did not fit the “mold” of a traditional physical therapist, so I began my quest to start my own practice. I got certified in two different types of Pilates (traditional and rehab) and began working for myself and building a clientele. My clients loved my fusion of PT and Pilates, and we’re seeing amazing results/resolution of pain.
I began by subleasing space out of different Pilates studios until I outgrew each location. I finally found a space of my own that fit “me”–contemporary, clean, and progressive. At that point, ExhalePT was born. The name stemmed from my vision of clients/patients coming in and being able to take a deep breath and let go/exhale the pain and trouble of their day.
At my new office location, I started out with just PT and Pilates, but have added massage and acupuncture since opening about a year ago. My business continues to evolve and change, and I hope to add more specialties in the years to come.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is any business endeavor a smooth road? Haha… Starting my own practice has certainly had its challenges. When I first started subleasing space at Pilates studios, I was a “one-woman show.” I not only treated 40 patients/week, but I did the scheduling, intake of new patients/clients, billing and all paperwork. Sometimes I would be up until the wee hours of the morning working on documentation, paperwork, and billing.
It was a lot of work, and extremely difficult when a billing dispute would arise. People can be brutal when it comes to money, and I had to take the high road many times as I was their doctor at the same time. As more and more patients would call, I finally had to hire people to help me as I could no longer do it all. I hired a few physical therapists and an office manager. Although this was super helpful for me, it made subleasing space complicated.
The owners of the Pilates studios I was working in sometimes did not get along with the employees I had hired, so I had to appease and deal with their drama. We also kept outgrowing the space that was available to us, so we had to move offices a few times, which is difficult on the clientele as well. When I finally found my own space to rent, it came with its own set of drama. I had to negotiate equipment prices and deal with construction on the new space. Trying to manage a contractor while continuing to run the business was extremely difficult.
I am so thankful to my husband for helping me through many of the rental and equipment negotiations and for staying on top of the contractor to finish our build out in time for our grand opening. There are SO many things that go into opening a new office! Signage, construction, paint, equipment, computers, etc., lighting, interior design, layout… I could go on forever.
Keep in mind, I went to Physical Therapy School, not business school, not interior design school, not construction school, etc. — so I was basically learning everything on the fly and dealing with it as it came. But, we somehow made it through and had a beautiful office to show for it!
Please tell us about Exhale Physical Therapy & Pilates.
ExhalePT is a wellness center offering physical therapy, Pilates, massage and acupuncture. We specialize in Pilates-based physical therapy and are known for our one-on-one care.
Many physical therapy offices these days utilize aids and assistants, so when you go to their office, you will see the physical therapist for maybe 15 minutes and then be pushed off to an aide for the remainder of your treatment (aides are many times high school students or early college students looking to become physical therapists).
At my office, you see a doctor of physical therapy for your full treatment session, which boasts a faster and more efficient recovery. We can bill insurance for physical therapy, Pilates and massage. We pride ourselves on our individualized treatment programs.
Each person that comes in our door does something different and is specific to their problem. We do not use “cookie cutter” programs or protocols. We get to know each of our clients personally and work together to design specific programs to help each individual.
When you come to ExhalePT, we treat you like family — you are not just a number coming through the door. Many of our clients also boast about our clean, “spa-like” office. We work to create a calming environment that is warm and welcoming as well.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
It’s hard to pick just one! But, I will have to settle on annual family trips to Mammoth Mountain during the winter. We would wake up at like 4 am and pile in the car to drive to Mammoth, which was about a 6-7 hour drive from San Diego. Mammoth is where I learned to ski and snowboard, which I continue to love to this day.
It was just so fun spending the day on the “slopes” with my family–skiing, drinking hot cocoa and playing in the snow. Coming back to the cabin at the end of a long ski day was always so nice. Everyone would shower up and then we would play games, listen to music and just enjoy our family.
Those were such special times, and I will never forget them. I have some very fun and special memories from Mammoth with family members that have now passed. I hope I can do the same for my kids someday…
Contact Info:
- Address: 326 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite #100
Redondo Beach, CA 90277 - Website: www.exhalept.com
- Phone: 310-896-8763
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @exhale_pt
- Facebook: Exhale Physical Therapy & Pilates
- Twitter: @ExhalePT
- Yelp: ExhalePT Physical Therapy & Pilates
Image Credit:
Jodi Lister Photography
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