25 Years Later...Why I Still Show Up

Why I Still Do This After 25 Years

Every once in a while, someone asks me how I’ve managed to stay in this profession for more than two decades — and not just stay, but still show up every day with genuine excitement, curiosity, and purpose. Today, while talking with Peter about the way we deliver care at Whole Health Solutions and Sports Performance, that question bubbled up again. And the answer came out more clearly than ever.

If this job were simply about giving someone a list of exercises and watching them perform them, I would have walked away a long time ago. That would have been painfully boring. I didn’t get into physical therapy or strength training to hand out generic instructions like a vending machine. And I certainly didn’t stay for 25 years to become the human equivalent of a YouTube exercise video.

The truth is, I’m still here because every single person who walks through our doors is a puzzle — a completely unique combination of goals, challenges, history, and hopes. And solving those puzzles has never lost its spark.

Every Person Is Their Own Puzzle

People don’t come to us because they want a sheet of exercises. They come because they have a problem they haven’t been able to solve on their own.

Maybe it’s pain that’s been limiting them for years.
Maybe it’s strength they want to build but haven’t been able to figure out how.
Maybe it’s the fear of falling behind, the desire to move with confidence again, the goal of finally returning to a sport, or the wish to simply feel like themselves.

And on the coaching side, even if someone isn’t in pain, they still have goals. They still have things they want to change, improve, or become. That’s its own kind of puzzle too.

My job isn’t to hand them a list of standard answers. It’s to understand them deeply enough to unlock solutions that actually work.

Finding the Real Problem to Solve

If all I did was say, “You have back pain? Great, here are the six exercises I give every person with back pain,” there would be no meaning — for either of us. That approach ignores everything that makes each person’s story their own. It also misses the entire point of physical therapy and training.

People aren’t problems to be categorized.
They’re individuals with lives, responsibilities, fears, strengths, and habits.
They’re human beings with real goals.

So I look deeper.

What’s the real reason their back hurts?
What movement pattern is contributing?
What belief is holding them back?
What small change could unlock big progress?
What meaningful win will help them trust the process again?

That’s the work that matters. That’s the puzzle worth solving.

The Relationship Is What Gives This Work Its Purpose

One of the things I shared with Peter today is that after 25 years, the meaning isn’t found in sets and reps. It’s found in relationships.

When someone trusts me enough to help guide their health, I take that seriously.
When someone shares their goals, their struggles, or the reasons they’re frustrated, I listen.
When someone keeps showing up, even on the tough days, I want to be the person who helps them find the next step forward.

This work is not transactional. At least, not the way we do it.

It’s human.
It’s personal.
It’s purposeful.

I’d like to think most of our clients feel that — that I care about the outcome as much as they do. That I’m not just here to fix a shoulder or improve a squat, but to help them live the life they want to live.

Why I Still Love Coming to Work

There’s clarity for me now that I couldn’t have articulated 25 years ago.

I still show up because:

• I love solving problems that matter to people.

• I love helping someone reach a goal they weren’t sure was possible.

• I love being a steady part of someone’s journey, even if I only see them once a week.

• I love offering an experience they can’t get from a video, an app, or a list of exercises.

• I love being part of their story — the part that reminds them they’re capable of more than they think.

And the truth is, I get just as much from each visit as my clients do.

Their progress fuels me.
Their wins motivate me.
Their trust humbles me.
Their stories stay with me.

That’s why I’m still here.

That’s why, 25 years later, I still get excited walking through the door.

And that’s why I’ll keep doing this for as long as people let me be part of their lives, part of their progress, and part of their puzzle.