Meet Katie Moise | Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Moise and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I practiced as a physical therapist for six years and specialized in pelvic health for 2.5 years before I decided to take the leap of faith and start my own business. When I became interested in pelvic floor physical therapy, I quickly realized my passion was supporting birthing people during pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum. For many, this is a season of so many unknowns and while so much focus is on making sure the baby is healthy, the birthing person is often times forgotten. During such a pivotal transition into parenthood, our healthcare system fails to provide adequate information to new parents, especially during the postpartum period. You are told to rest for 6 weeks after giving birth, and then what? That is where pelvic floor physical therapy comes in!

I wanted to create a safe space where people could feel comfortable talking about more taboo topics, like peeing, pooping and sex. I knew I could provide so much education, empowerment and guidance to allow this population to return to the activities they loved without fearing peeing their pants when they sneeze or experiencing pain with intercourse.

As with many, the start of the pandemic allowed me to rethink the direction I wanted to take my career, and it gave me the extra push to start ATL Pelvic Health. In many ways, I am grateful and so happy to be on this mission spreading awareness about pelvic floor physical therapy to such an awesome community.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business and clinic are unique for a few reasons. We specialize in pelvic health, an area of the body that not all physical therapists are trained to assess and treat. This means we are helping people with symptoms like running to the bathroom too often, leaking urine when they sneeze or jump, struggling with bowel movements or maybe having pain in their pelvis.

We have the opportunity to work individually, one on one with our patients for an hour. This allows us to really listen to our patient’s concerns, hear their stories, and work with them to create individualized treatment programs that are geared towards reaching their goals. I am also certified in Pilates; therefore, we have a Pilates Reformer in our clinic which allows us to integrate a lot of functional movement and specific core training within our treatments.

To be honest, one of the hardest parts of owning a business in this current climate is juggling the constant ups and downs of the pandemic. Some months you think we are making headway and then the next month everyone is out sick or no longer has childcare coverage due to schools going virtual. This has made certain months more challenging than others, but no one said being a business owner was easy! I am most proud of continuing to serve our patients and helping people feel more in control of their pelvic health, despite these challenging times. Within the last year, we have seen a lot of growth and we are in the process of bringing on another therapist. This is exciting as we will be able to expand our reach and spread more awareness of pelvic health to people in Atlanta. I am excited to grow our community even more this next year!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many great spots worth exploring around the city! Of course, I love the Beltline. My ideal day is starting with brunch at Folk Art or Sun in My Belly. Then, we would walk around Piedmont Park and stroll the Beltline. We may stop by Ponce City Market for some shopping, grab a drink at Victory or Ladybird off of the Beltline and end the day with some delicious guacamole and margaritas at Pure.

On a week long trip, I think we would have to explore downtown Decatur and Oakhurst, walk around Grant Park and check out the Farmer’s Market. I also love going on a walk and grabbing breakfast tacos from Muchacho and a coffee from the Daily Dose. If the weather was nice, I’d spend some time at Sweet Water Creek or explore some trails along the Chattahoochee. After a full day of hiking, we would refuel at Storico Fresco with some fresh pasta and a bottle of wine. Atlanta has so many great restaurants and places to grab a drink! You can’t go wrong.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The biggest support systems I have had in my life are my friends and family. My fiance was the one who originally pushed me to open my own practice. He works in financial services and has an MBA so he has been super helpful with a lot of the business back end logistics that I have been learning on the job (everything they didn’t teach us in physical therapy school).

My friends and family have also been so encouraging, sending me thoughtful gifts to celebrate the small milestones, and they continue to spread the word about my business by telling everyone they know and sharing on social media. I would not be where I am today without their support!

Website: www.atlpelvichealth.com

Instagram: @atlpelvichealth; @thepeachypelvispt

Facebook: www.facebook.com/atlpelvichealth

Image Credits
XXIII Photo Studio Colleen Walter