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

Hi Matt, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work life balance is one of the factors that weighed heavily on my decision to move to Atlanta to work for Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute. I absolutely love the service that I am able to provide to my active individuals in helping them return to the sports and activities they love. I also love exploring new hikes, restaurants, and parts of the country. Knowing that I was going to be part of starting the physical therapy division of sports medicine I was investing myself to long days in the office. Being able to see the growth of the division over the past 2 years has made each of those long days well worth the investment. I trust those around me to help me re-establish my work:life balance if I am working too long of days too frequently, but they also are flexible knowing how much serving others means to me. So, my best advice is to always keep re-evaluating the balance and ensuring you and those around you are comfortable with it!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What I am most proud about our work is the growth that we have seen over the past 2 years in our sports medicine division. We have grown to over 10 locations, 20+ physicians, and nearly 6 board certified sports physical therapists in sports. Personally, I have seen my clinic in Buckhead grow over 100% in the last year alone, thanks to the tireless work of our team. We have been fortunate to be entrusted with the care of professional, Olympic, collegiate, recreational, and youth athletes! Watching our athletes compete after becoming part of our family is extremely rewarding! We have certainly been met with challenges along the way, but I’ve learned the power of adapting and shifting focus/resources to ensure eventual success.

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?
Atlanta and the surrounded area has such a plethora of options for entertainment. Depending on the person’s interests there are more restaurants than you could ever visit, but El Rey del Taco, Brack’s Kitchen, and Buttermilk Kitchen are a few of my favorites. Going for a hike up to Tallulah Falls, or Indian Seats for a shorter hike is a fantastic way to enjoy the North Georgia beauty. The passion at an Atlanta United game or Braves game is hard to match. I’m a Notre Dame grad, but the experience at the UGA-ND game was first-class last year, and I would love to return to UGA for another game. Certainly not a bad spot out there to explore! I’m always collecting more local favorites to try.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Shoutout goes to Dr. Vonda Wright, our Chief of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine for Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute. Dr. Wright recruited me down to Atlanta to lead the sports physical therapy division. Over the past two years I have grown significantly in business acumen, leadership qualities, intentional language choices, and mentoring skills. I have been blessed to have many fantastic mentors over the years, but Dr. Wright tops the list for inspirational, understanding, and motivational!

Instagram: mattlopezpt
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-lopez-pt-dpt-scs-usaw-34652666/