Finding beauty amidst the struggle

As I reflect on what I want to share with you this month, there is one theme that popped into my brain. For those of you who know me or have followed me for a while now, I’ll bet you can guess what it is. (Hint: It has to do with November and how I sign off on all my emails.

It’s gratitude! Cliche? Maybe, but gratitude is a huge value of mine and honestly, I have so much to be grateful for this year. As I write this, I’m curled up on my couch with my baby sleeping on my chest. This is a beautiful thing to be grateful for.

2023 has been my year of growth and expansion, which included bringing Dr. Lydia on to join the team, moving to our new office, and having a baby. This has brought so much good, but it required going through hard moments like:

Figuring out if hiring someone was the right move (It was!).
Processing the unexpected news that we would be moving offices when the only thing running through my exhausted, first-trimester brain was, “I don’t have the bandwidth for this.” (I found the bandwidth for it).
Crying on the couch to my husband when I was so tired, nauseous, and upset that I didn’t feel like myself. (It made me appreciate feeling like myself again).
Being overwhelmed after going 100 mph during May and June to get our new offices set up and ready for client care on time. (I had to take my own advice and be diligent with yin yoga, journaling, and breath work to process my own stress and overwhelm).
Transitioning my focus from business growth to having a baby and turning the reins over to Dr. Lydia. (My business is like another child to me so this was a big practice in letting go).

We would all love to live forever in the good moments, avoiding the tough times, hurt, discomfort, and pain. But we live in a world of opposites, and those opposites are a necessary part of the human experience. If we don’t go through the hard moments, we can’t appreciate the amazing ones.

Having Dr. Lydia onboard is BETTER because I reflected and prayed so diligently on making that decision.
Our new office is BETTER because we put blood, sweat, and tears (literally) into making this space as amazing as possible.
The birth of our new baby is BETTER because of the struggles I went through during both of my pregnancies.

So even though I want to bid the strugglesome moments adieu, my higher self knows that they are necessary and simply part of the experience of life. The tough moments make you stronger and more resilient. Life doesn’t get easier…you get stronger.

I challenge you to reflect on the tough moments of your life:

What can you learn from them?
How can you embrace gratitude?
How are you becoming a stronger, more resilient person?
What beauty is emerging from the rubble?

As always, I’m grateful for you and our Empower Physio and Wellness community. Thank you for being a part of it!

Rachel Hollenbach

November 2, 2023.

I can’t recommend Dr. Stephanie or Dr. Lydia enough. They have provided me outstanding care while helping me overcome some upper back issues to allow me to get back into working out at a higher level. I myself am a PT and I knew I was in great hands after just our evaluation. It’s so refreshing to have a professional as skilled as them to give you feed back and help guide on your healing journey. Thank you so much Stephanie and Lydia and are a great team and provide top quality care!

vicki stainer

July 12, 2023.

When I first started seeing Dr. Steph, I was having daily stress/tension headaches up the back of my head and in my shoulders. Through dry needling and exercises that she gave me, I no longer experience those headaches! Dr. Steph has been a Godsend. She is such a good listener and immediately puts you at ease. Not only is Dr. Steph an awesome doctor, she is also an awesome human being!

E Gagen

July 11, 2023.

I can’t say enough about Empower Physio and Wellness. I saw Dr.Steph to help with pain and immobility and walked away with more than just a physical fix. Dr.Stephanie works to get at the root cause of the problem, to truly fix the issue. To me, she’s more than just a physical therapist. I learned more about how the body is connected through proper breathing, mental connections and awareness and of course the physical connections.

Kristin Michel

June 8, 2023.

Dr. Steph has been great to work with! She helped me put together many of the tools I already had to support my knees. Now I know when to do what (ice, elevate, foam roll, compression, etc). Also, we are working on some corrective exercises to further support my knees. I really appreciate the followup emails with videos and pictures of how to do the at home exercises. Takes all the memory and guess work out of it!

Ellen Fiorino

May 22, 2023.

I can’t thank Dr’s Steph and Lydia enough for all they have done to help me! I was in so much pain and so frustrated when I started with them and between the dry needling and PT I can now walk and move again without pain. Thank you!

Courtney Kincer

May 11, 2023.

I had the pleasure of working with both Dr. Steph and Dr. Lydia. First off, the environment of their office is very welcoming and gives a nice “homey” feeling. Both doctors are easy to connect with as they are friendly, cheerful, and honest. You can tell how passionate they are about PT based on their very thorough history and examination. They are fantastic listeners who allow you to describe your story/symptoms without feeling rushed. They are also devoted on educating and empowering you as the patient to work on improving your symptoms. The improvement I saw after one visit was tremendous! I highly recommend!:)

Maria Mattei

April 19, 2023.

Dr. Steph is absolutely wonderful! She is so kind, patient, easy to talk to, and comforting. She really focuses on the body as a whole instead of individual parts. I was nervous for the dry needling portion of my care and she eased my nerves and got me through it! Her space is warm and inviting too. She has nice background music playing along with an essential oil diffuser which makes the space so lovely. I can’t recommend Dr. Steph enough!! I’ll be back for all of my physical therapy needs!

Kati Allen

April 18, 2023.

The time spent talking through my unique situation, and really understanding and listening to me is invaluable. Steph provides detailed information and exercises to perform at home to continue building my mobility, strength, confidence in my abilities and decreases my stress and pain levels. She is generous with her time and knowledge and is a partner in my recovery. I am grateful for her patience with faith in me and I have, without a doubt, a vastly improved quality of life because of her work with me.

Pedro Donofrio

Dr. Steph is phenomenal! I came in with a lot of groin and hip pain. She diagnosed the problem, set up easy to follow exercises and did some dry needling. Within a couple weeks I was feeling much better and am back to running with no pain. Highly recommend!

Catrina Watson

April 4, 2023.

I spent months trying to self correct severe foot pain that limited my ability to live a normal and active life. Stephanie not only corrected the issue, but she provided guidance in so many areas to help me live a healthier and happier life. If you hurt, schedule an appointment NOW! You won’t regret it.

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