Meet Rita White

We were lucky to catch up with Rita White recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rita, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Throughout my life, I have had to learn how to live the life I want to live despite many health setbacks that have limited what I have been able to do. At first, I thought that I would simply have to push through, be strong and “gut it out”- I thought that was resilience. Now I’ve learned that being resilient comes from accepting where I’m at with my current abilities and creating a life that provides flexibility so that I can go after my dreams and take care of myself. I have had to start over so many times due to health set backs, whether it be a day or a couple years, and now I understand that it is never truly starting over. Instead, it is an accumulation of experience that allows me to have more clarity on what is important in life and how to live with purpose.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a doctor of physical therapy with over a decade of experience working as an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist. I opened my own physical therapy practice, Intrinsic Physical Therapy & Wellness, in 2021 and have grown it into a thriving practice with a brand new space and an ever-growing team. Our mission is to provide expert, compassionate physical therapy care to people living with hard-to-treat symptoms in a safe, healing environment where they can feel understood, hopeful and inspired. We specialize in working with people living with pelvic health conditions, such a pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, pregnancy and postpartum care and bladder and bowel dysfunction, as well as persistent pain and fatigue conditions such as hypermobility syndromes (HSD/EDS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, long covid and concussion. Our goal is to help people live a purposeful life, doing the things they love. At Intrinsic Physical Therapy & Wellness, we offer hour long sessions with a doctor of physical therapy both in-person and virtually in the state of Minnesota, as well as consults and coaching for people anywhere in the world.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think that learning to think outside the box, being ok with things looking different than what you initially expected and compassion are key to building the business (and life) that works for me and serves others well. I used to be a more “in-the-box” thinker, but after so many setbacks, I finally was forced to figure out a way to do things differently if I wanted to keep working as a physical therapist. Luckily, I was able to think creatively and use both my personal and professional experience to launch a physical therapy practice that I am so proud of now. Ultimately, it comes down to having compassion for the people I am serving, which keeps me feeling motivated and striving to provide the best possible experience for each person that walks in the door.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed, which is a common occurrence for me, I remember that there is only so much you can get done in one day, but taking small steps every day adds up to big things over time. I keep a lot of lists, which sometimes can feel paralyzing when the list is too long, but I focus on starting something and usually that gets the ball rolling. Most importantly, I make sure to take time to reflect back and celebrate my accomplishments so I can see that all the little things really did add up to something pretty amazing in the end, it just took time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.intrinsic-pt.com
• Instagram: @intrinsicpt
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Rita-white-intrinsic-pt

Image Credits

Libby Hensley