We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelsey Bellanca. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelsey below.
Hi Kelsey, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Growing up and, I guess even still, I am the only daughter of a single mother who never received child support or government assistance. We moved in with my grandmother when my grandfather died in order to help her learn how to live without him and for my mom to have childcare help with me. During this time, my mom also went back to school to become a teacher in order to have a schedule more aligned with mine as well as an income that could support both of us. I remember going to see my mom both at the job she worked to put herself through school again and at school during this time and her studying in the evenings. In addition to this, we cleaned my dance studios on Sundays to afford my competition and tuition so I could follow my dream of becoming a professional dancer.
My grandma served as my other parent and we forged a bond that I will never forget.
I was fortunate to learn about my grandma during this time – how she ran the women’s auxiliary of the medical society that my grandfather was a part of, and how she led a chapter of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. I learned of the events that she coordinated and the relationships she formed along the way. I learned how she made people feel.
Simultaneously, I watched my mother learn a new skill and hone that skill through my years in school. She worked in the evenings to check papers and plan lessons, and over the summers to plan themes for the year and major learning units so her students could learn in interactive ways. It also wasn’t until later that I heard stories of how my mom was someone’s favorite teacher, or how they have the life they do today because she inspired them to pursue their dream.
I didn’t realize until much later that these women in my life were teaching me the work ethic I have today. And that work ethic hinges on kindness, relationships, hard work, and innovation. It also came with a willingness to ask for opportunities and an attitude that the worst someone could do was say “no.” It was this modeling and this attitude towards work that allowed me to dance professionally, got me into and through PT school, and that allows me to own my own business today.
Reflecting on the example I had growing up from these women really causes me to pause and appreciate the lessons of hard work, tenacity, persistence, and, most of all, kindness and service, that have allowed me to achieve my goals today – which include not only owning my own business, but learning and becoming a bike fitter in a male dominated industry, as well as helping athletes achieve goals such as participation in ultra-triathlons, ultramarathons at an elite level, and climbing Kilimanjaro. I firmly believe that the ability to listen with kindness and show up fully for these people every day has afforded me and continues to provide me opportunities like these.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
After “retiring” from dancing professionally, I realized I wanted to help others. I knew I loved movement and I had an interest in medicine, so I decided PT school would be a good fit. After working in hospital-based and insurance-based systems for the first several years of my career, I began to question if there was a way that I could work and incorporate activities that I love – namely cycling, running, hiking, and skiing. I quickly realized that traditional models would not support this way of practice and that I was unable to support my clients in the way I wanted to or knew how, so Human Power PLLC was born. I am the founder and owner Human Power PLLC. I work primarily as a concierge Physical Therapist where I help endurance athletes and active adults return from injury, avoid injury, or optimize performance. In addition to this work, I also coach endurance athletes for events such as half marathons, Ironmans, ultra-triathlons, ultra-marathons, and mountaineering adventures such as climbing Kilimanjaro as well as work as a bike fitter at a local bike shop.
Owning my own business has allowed me to work in all facets of the human performance space with a focus on endurance sports. It allows me to help clients throughout their journey not only from a physical standpoint, but from a training, equipment, and logistical standpoint as well. Working in this way has allowed me to travel to amazing places to support athletes, go on my own amazing adventures, as well as forge strong working and personal relationships with those who I have worked with.
I am really excited to continue on this journey and to continue to gain knowledge and experience to better help athletes perform their best – whether that be keeping up with their kids or climbing the highest mountains.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that I think were the most impactful in my journey have been discipline, kindness, and curiosity. Sure, I can talk about how dance taught me movement on a very specific level that I still use today or how it taught me how to market myself, but I strongly feel that those skills are nothing without the three aforementioned qualities. Discipline has been at the cornerstone of everything I do. I once had a college dance professor give the mantra “Discipline is remembering what you want,” and that really stuck with me. Doing the big things, but also the small things consistently so they are habit has been monumental in setting me apart and creating trust with my clients. They know I will keep my word. Additionally, discipline has allowed me to serve as not only an expert, but also a role model of what it looks like to live or train in a disciplined manner. Does this mean I’m serious and focused all the time? Absolutely not! I love to have fun! But discipline is the tool that allows me to have that fun.
Kindness has gotten me in the door – it has allowed me to meet new people, forge professional and personal relationships, and develop a reputation that allows me to continue to do what I do.
Curiosity is what keeps me going and what often affords me new opportunities. For example, I know the “rules” of physical therapy and how to heal tissue, but the real healing and innovation often come with taking those rules and asking “what if I ___?” Or reaching out to someone in the community who I feel that I could learn from and asking to sit down for coffee. The worst anyone can say is no, right?
At the end of the day, my specific skills often become secondary to these softer skills, the ones that allow you to connect with others, to establish trust and rapport, and to keep striving to be a little better than yesterday.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
I have talked to a lot of people who think primarily about who their clients are and what marketing strategies they can employ to attract those clients, but fail to think about themselves. As a business owner who is also the sole employee, I have come to realize that my business is only as healthy as I am – both mentally and physically. The last 12 months (really last 18 months) have taught me that being physically fit is one thing, but being mentally fit is completely another.
“Fit to serve” is a term my yoga instructor uses, and when he does so, he means both mentally and physically.
Focusing on my mental health – both with a therapist as well as with habit change has been monumental not only for my business, but for my life. Small habits such as taking a morning walk with my dog, not looking at screens while I have my coffee, journaling, and working on presence with people I am with has been an absolute game changer.
Some of these changes haven’t been easy, and have required a significant level of persistence and discipline, but have paid dividends in happiness, organization, and community that are absolutely worth the effort.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.humanpower.live
- Instagram: @humanpowerpllc, @kelsey.outside
