Meet Brian Micheletti | Physical Therapist, MPT

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

Hi Brian, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had been becoming more and more disheartened with the direction of the healthcare field, as focus had been shifting to numbers versus actual patient care. During a sabbatical from work to take 6 months off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, it gave me plenty of time to evaluate where I was in life and what I wanted to do moving forward. During that time is when I came to the conclusion that the only way I was going to be able to return to loving work and providing care for others in the manner I wanted to, I was going to have to take the leap of opening up my own clinic.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When I opened up my business I wanted to provide better physical therapy treatment to the surrounding community. I wanted to focus on manual treatments, which seem to be fading in the industry due to lower insurance reimbursement rates as well as utilizing advanced technology to help patients recover faster. I decided to include the Neubie, which is an electrical stimulation device to our services, as I found that it offered superior results to any other modality I had used in 25 years of practice. I was now able to help patients recover faster, improve neurological injuries that most will say you can’t do and provide a very positive inviting atmosphere to try and make it as fun as possible. I knew I had to be different from the other physical therapy clinics around in order to make my brand different and one that people wanted to come to.

Growing the business was not easy. The South Bay has many options for those injured to seek out physical therapy. Prior to opening my doors I had been working for a group so my interactions with local doctors was limited and I had to grow my reputation from the ground out without a specific referral source. By providing the quality care I knew was missing in a lot of the local clinics I found the clinic growing each month. Patients have been thrilled with the care they receive here and it has shown by the number that are willing to recommend us to friends and family. This could be the highest compliment out team could get, and we take great pride in making sure those referred to us receive the best care we possible can give.

The road hasn’t been always smooth, especially early on. Opening up right after COVID provided a lot of challenges from social distancing to trying to talk to local doctors to educate them on the services we could provide their patients. It took a lot of persistence but still had a lot of sleepless nights. Having a plan laid out for myself helped make it easier as I would just focus on the tasks that I could control and move toward the ultimate goal of making my business one the top physical therapy clinics in the area. Over the past 4 years I have surrounded myself with top notch therapists and staff all with the same goal which is to provide anyone we see the best care we can helping them to enjoy life to the fullest.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many amazing places in the South Bay which makes it hard to leave. With so many different variety restaurants and the amazing beaches of Hermosa and Manhattan Beach we would definitely take some time just walking the strand to take in the views while we caught up. Since I love the outdoors we would try to get to the Angeles Forest for some hikes. This mountain range is so close to Los Angeles but I don’t think people know about it as much. It doesn’t take long before you leave the city and find yourself in the mountains surrounded by pine trees. Hiking the top of Mount Baldy or Mount San Antonio provides you with great views of the LA basin. We definitely would also have to make a trip to Terranea and Nelson’s for dinner watching the sunset.

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?
My wife Amy is who I owe a lot of my success to today. She was my biggest supporter as decided to open up my own business. During those first 2 years which were stressful to me as I was determined to make the business work, she provided me not only the support but an ability to keep me grounded and focused on the success I was having. Without her support I would not be where I am today.

Website: https://crestptandwellness.com

Instagram: @crestptandwellness