The Untold Story Behind Engage Movement: Why I Left Everything Behind

As we get close to wrapping up the year, I like to reflect a little bit and think about what the journey has looked like to get here.

You might be wondering (you might not be) where the name “Engage Movement” came from.

Like any business, there’s typically a story of meaning behind the name, so I want to share that with you.

Back in 2015, when I was starting my cash-based PT clinic, I needed a name for the business. I knew I wanted something that was movement-oriented and something that reflected my beliefs on “keeping people moving and training” throughout their injury. That part was easy. 

I wasn’t sure how to pair it, but I wanted an action-oriented word that pushed the needle forward and was empowering. Hence the word “Engage”. So, at the time, it was simple, the meaning behind the name and mission was always to keep active people active and reflect values around the importance of movement in the rehab and training process. 

Fast forward to 2021, so much had changed for me. I had phased myself out of the clinical realm and moved more into business operations, education, and product development for a company that I really thought was going to be in my life for the foreseeable future. 

Visions and values started to misalign, and a decision was made for me that it was time to part ways. It was tough at the time, but in hindsight, it was one of the most freeing things to ever happen to me.

At that point, I didn’t know what to do. I knew I needed some time to decompress as I had just come from a situation that felt like constant chaos, and my nervous system needed a reset. 

Like a breakup with a significant other, professional relationships can have a similar effect.

It was about three months later that I really started to feel a pull back into the coaching space, something I missed and honestly love doing, and felt the need to reconnect to my roots, the performance arena. I consider myself a problem solver, so hearing the puzzle pieces of someone else’s business and helping them create some structure for a path forward was enticing.

What would I call my new venture?

I spoke with a friend who does some personal branding (shoutout to Ellyn), and she had an idea… “What if you just called it Engage Movement again but changed what the word “Movement” meant in this case?”

Everything became clear, and it all started to pull together. One of the most difficult things for budding entrepreneurs to do is exactly that, Engage Movement. They often feel stuck, and they often lack action, so engagement is exactly what they need. 

But we are also building a Movement in another sense. A Movement that looks to inspire coaches and rehab professionals who feel a disconnection from the profession. One that looks to help them revitalize their career and keep excellent providers in the profession by helping them create their own future, structure a performance-oriented environment, and remove the financial ceiling that exists with traditional clinical roles.

It can be tough to look at the current state of the profession, maybe even how you view the current state of your professional career, and be energized by the positions currently available... But we exist to let you know that there are options. 

To let you know that when you step into the authority you know you can be, you can create exactly what it is you want out of this journey.

So, as the year wraps and you reflect, ask yourself: What is it you want the next year of your life to be?

Will you look back at the end of next year and be in the same place? Or will you engage in the steps needed to make your life look completely different?

As always, the choice is yours.