Ep. 13 - Kim Bryan.mp3
Monica Patton: [00:00:01] What does it mean to be completely healthy? Welcome to the podcast, where you'll find encouraging stories to help us focus on all layers of our health the mental, the physical, the emotional, the spiritual. I'm Monica Patton and these are the parts of us. What is a physical therapist? What role do they play in treating the body? I sit down with Kim Bryan, physical therapist of Rehab Partners in Rainsville, to discuss the many issues therapists treat and why being skilled at movement analysis is imperative to her work. Kim explains why nutrition and exercise play a vital role in our physical well-being. She shares healthy practices that benefit most anyone and some of her professional success stories that still inspire her today. I learned a lot from this episode, and I believe you will too. This information is helpful for all ages. This is a note taker. Kim, I'm so glad you're here.

Kim Bryan: [00:01:09] I'm excited. I'm happy to be here.

Monica Patton: [00:01:12] I am, too. And I love that we kind of go back. I've known you somewhat from way back as kids a little bit, but I have gotten to know you and been around you recently because you're on the board of the CAC. And I've spent a lot of time recently with you, and I just thought you were the perfect person to come and talk about our physical, as such, the physical aspect of our bodies. We have so many parts to us, which is hence the name of course. Physically, our physical like this is the one body we got, right? We got to take care of it.

Kim Bryan: [00:01:50] Right.

Monica Patton: [00:01:51] So I'd love you to kind of just start maybe how you got into it, maybe. What drew you into physical therapy and what are you doing? Like, just give us the lowdown.

Kim Bryan: [00:02:05] When I was 15, my very first job was at a chiropractor's office, and I saw a few success stories knowing full well I did not want to go into chiropractic, but I loved the healing aspect of that. I loved what I saw. And so that kind of started me thinking. And then as we got older and into high school, my sister had multiple surgeries and rounds of therapy, which is interesting. Now, it was at Rehab Partners and in Fort Payne and with Drake and people that I get to work with and among every day. But I saw her overcome these injuries and get back. And then in going to therapy with her, I saw other people overcoming, which inspired in me those things that I saw as a 15 year old. So I knew really then that that was the avenue I wanted to take, but I quickly shut it down. It's hard. It's competitive, it's long, it's a doctorate. I can't do that. I'm just gonna do something else. So I spent a couple of years at Northeast doing things that didn't have to have and prayed about it a lot, and finally just gave in to the fact that, okay, Kim, this is what you need to do. So at the time I started applying every school except the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had you had to have a four-year degree first and then apply UTC still did a transitional program where you got your four-year degree the first year of school. So it was like a transition, three year prerequisite, three year program. So I was kind of at a point where I didn't have a lot of options. Most people that apply to PT school apply to many places. I applied to one. And so, you know, that was just very strongly what I felt like I was supposed to do. And in my interview, I remember saying that day, they said, "What's your plan B?" I said, "I don't have one. This is it. This is where I'm supposed to be. And if it's not, then I'll cross that bridge." But things fell into place and I graduated from UTC in 2012 and been working and practicing ever since.

Monica Patton: [00:03:52] Wow. Yeah, I love to hear how people, you know, just, I guess, discover their passion, find their passion. And I love that you brought up that you kind of avoid it for a little bit. Like, Oh yeah, I don't know. I don't know if I can do that. I don't know if there's room for me.

Kim Bryan: [00:04:06] Right.

Monica Patton: [00:04:07] In that area. And I think that can apply to multiple jobs professions where you say, you know, there's people already doing that, there's too many.

Kim Bryan: [00:04:16] Right.

Monica Patton: [00:04:17] But luckily for you, I don't know if I was just just sitting here thinking like, is there as far as is it more a male dominated?

Kim Bryan: [00:04:30] It used to be entirely male dominated when it when it started. And actually as the years progressed, it's almost female dominated. I mean, there's still males coming out every class has graduating male therapists but ratio now.

Monica Patton: [00:04:45] What do you think?

Kim Bryan: [00:04:46] Equal or over? I don't know. I just feel like as we are evolving and taking care of ourselves and putting forth those initiatives for physical aspects like you're talking about and and fitness and those kinds of things, I think people are just seeing it more. People are having more injuries, they're having more recoveries. And I think that's probably a big portion of it.

Monica Patton: [00:05:06] Yeah. I just was thinking and you're talking about maybe if that was maybe another reason why you hesitated or was it just just.

Kim Bryan: [00:05:13] I mean, I don't think I ever thought about that. I think it was more just a can I do this? Can I go through graduate school? Can I get in? It's competitive. Can I afford it? Can my family help me? You know, it was all things that just I had to think about, but I don't ever think it was that's all men. Although looking back, everybody almost everybody that I observe under was a man.

Monica Patton: [00:05:35] Yeah. So it might have been maybe in the.

Kim Bryan: [00:05:37] In the back of my head. Yes, absolutely.

Monica Patton: [00:05:39] So that's inspiring. I think that's inspiring for people to hear of just pushing through it, not having a plan B, like you said. You know what, If you had to have a plan B, I'll cross that bridge then. That's right. Well, good for you. Okay. So. You graduate. And then? And then what?

Kim Bryan: [00:05:54] So I actually accepted a job before I graduated school and took the boards, went to work, and I went to work in outpatient slash acute care. So the hospital setting, as well as outpatient in my hometown, which was what I wanted, that was another holdup, I think was can I get a job here knowing I wanted to come back here? And then I really some people said, you don't want to do that because you want to get a job where you just really can situate on one set of skills. And here I was working in the hospital and outpatient as a new grad, but I actually think that grounded me. I think it let me use all those skills more than just putting all those things that I learned away and just focusing on one set of those skills. So now looking back, I think that actually grew me as a therapist because I've seen more. I've seen every aspect of recovery from pre-op, post-op, you know, admissions in the hospital and then coming out to making it to the outpatient world.

Monica Patton: [00:06:46] So that's another good point is advice is great. Yeah, but you still need to follow your follow your heart.

Kim Bryan: [00:06:55] Follow your gut. Yeah. And that's what it came down to, was just finally praying and listening to what I knew I was supposed to do and then trusting myself and giving myself the credit that you're supposed to do this, you can do it. Put your mind to it and do it. Yeah. So I love that part. Yeah.

Monica Patton: [00:07:10] We really have to talk to ourselves like that.

Kim Bryan: [00:07:12] We do, because I think especially the world we live in today, there's negative everywhere around us. And so if we don't just finally do it for ourselves, who's going to do it for us?

Monica Patton: [00:07:20] Surround ourselves with people that are cheering us on? Yes. And we have to share ourselves. Yeah, we forget about that. Yes,

Kim Bryan: [00:07:26] I think most definitely we forget about that. It's important.

Monica Patton: [00:07:29] Yeah. Okay. So. You're in the hospital setting. Yes, in the outpatient. So you kind of rehab partners when?

Kim Bryan: [00:07:38] I started in 2019, as Drake took over ownership for rehab partners. So he bought the Fort Payne location, hired me on as a staff therapist, and I worked there for a year.

Kim Bryan: [00:07:48] And then he opened the Rainsville Clinic in 2020 and gave me the opportunity to go and see that clinic grow. And it's been incredible to see it grow from nothing to what it is from the ground up. It gave me a whole different aspect of my job to really put to work hard, work and developing new relationships and relationships with doctors that realize, Hey, now there's a new clinic here. We got to, you know, give her a shot. I had to really prove that. And I also had to honor the name that I was working for. So it was just a different aspect. But now we're growing in record numbers, and I'm still happy that I made that transition. I think ultimately, looking back now, all the things I had to do got me to where I'm supposed to be.

Monica Patton: [00:08:32] Okay. I'm glad you said that too, because we can sometimes think certain things are wasted. Or maybe that's not where I want to stay forever. But things we learn along the way prepares for the future, don't you?

Kim Bryan: [00:08:43] For sure. Yeah. I don't think I would have been ready to take on the role that I have today if I had not gone through all the things I had gone through to get there.

Monica Patton: [00:08:50] So just being patient.

Kim Bryan: [00:08:51] Yeah, absolutely. Which is difficult for me.

Monica Patton: [00:08:54] Well, I'm not really sure who's good at patience. I know some people have that virtue, but. Okay, so. That's interesting. When you said you'll open the clinic, I didn't realize that. And I and I do feel like that's something that maybe and I hope people here in this listening know that you even have a clinic in Rainsville. I guess if you're located more in Fort Payne and maybe a lot of people know about it, I don't know. But that's good to know that y'all do have two different places for convenience.

Kim Bryan: [00:09:25] Yeah,

Monica Patton: [00:09:26] For clients. So that happened in 2020?

Kim Bryan: [00:09:29] Yes, Right in the middle of COVID, we opened a new health care facility.

Monica Patton: [00:09:34] Talk about that for a minute.

Kim Bryan: [00:09:35] It was scary. I think probably more scary for Drake, you know, being in control of that. But also, this is my livelihood. If it doesn't if it doesn't go, what's going to happen? Am I going to go back to Fort Payne? Are we going to even be able to sustain ourselves there because surgeries quit happening. You know, and not all of my job, but a lot of my job is post-op. And so surgeries could happen and clientele dropped and patient numbers dropped and people were scared to go to therapy for anything else because they didn't want to be around anybody. But it again, I feel like it happened because it was supposed to happen slowly. It was just every day there was a new referral and then a couple more referrals and then more referrals. And we've just built and it's been beautiful to see how even in the middle of something terrible that everybody's dealing with, if you're an advocate for somebody and you say, I'm going to do what I have to do to protect me and I'm going to do what I have to do to protect you, but we're going to get you better. People lean into that. They want that. And I think that that helped us grow is a big part of our job, is just advocate for somebody, make them feel heard, know what their limitations are physically and otherwise, and know that there's an outlet. You know, a lot of people are scared to death by surgery, especially in the middle of COVID. What can I do to avoid that? Well, let me try this. So I think that in a way that really kind of helped.

Monica Patton: [00:10:54] Yeah, in a weird way, it kind of just benefited. Yeah. What y'all do, right? So it probably opened some eyes that. Yes, like, okay, I can't do surgery right now. What do I do? But what about this?

Kim Bryan: [00:11:04] Yeah, of course.

Monica Patton: [00:11:05] There's always a silver lining. Always. You just have to find it. Okay, well. Before that makes me think about. How that your preventative work, you just sort of touched on that. I love for you to talk about prevention, what role y'all play in prevention, and not just once the injury, once the thing, you know, whatever, whatever's happened. Okay. What can you all do? Preventative and in lieu of. Yeah, we all know that surgery and medication plays a role. I mean, we need that, but if you kind of just could go over what your job entails.

Kim Bryan: [00:11:53] Okay.

Monica Patton: [00:11:53] I know there's probably a slew of things that you all treat, but I think that's something important for people to know.

Kim Bryan: [00:11:59] It is important. And I will say the longer I do it, the more I find people have no idea what we do. You know, every day somebody says, I always just thought therapy was where I came after I had surgery or after I had a car wreck, you know, and it is. But it's also so much more than that. By nature, physical therapists are movement analysists. We look at you and we watch your movement patterns and what your muscles and structures are supposed to do. And if that's not happening correctly, then it's our job to correct that. As far as coverage and insurance goes, you kind of have to make it to a therapist because of something. So we call it prehab. You know, if somebody ultimately is going to face surgery, there's still some doctors that will get on board with Prehab. You come to me first. We strengthen your muscles. We teach you good movement patterns. We make sure that you know what to expect afterward, and you're better prepared to recover after that. But also, even if you've come to me for an injury for prevention, after that, I can talk to you about movement patterns, about things you need to remember to incorporate into your day. Just kind of as a whole, what we treat it is any kind of physical disability, any kind of functional limitation. You know, if you can't reach into the cabinet, that's a problem. If you're a housewife or live alone, it doesn't matter. You know, it doesn't matter if you're taking care of family or taking care of yourself. If you can't reach up to take care of yourself, that's a problem. So any kind of limitation like that, it's not just pain, it's any kind of limitation. I treat a lot of people that say I don't really have pain, but I can't do X, Y and Z, and I need to be able to do that. And so that's a big part of my job is to analyze the person as a whole. What? What's limiting you and why?

Monica Patton: [00:13:47] You have to look at the whole person.

Kim Bryan: [00:13:48] You have to.

Monica Patton: [00:13:49] And like you said, if something is just, you know, dysfunctional, don't assume it can't be helped. Because I think sometimes our we're quick to be like, well, I doubt anything can be done about this. Or maybe I'm just not going to go figure out what it is.

Kim Bryan: [00:14:07] That's a problem. I see so many people that if they had come to me a few months before, they could have maybe prevented surgery. Don't get me wrong, surgery has its place. But or they could have gotten that surgery done and been recovered at this point where they've put it off. And I think sometimes we live in a world of "suck it up," you're going to be fine. You know that walk it off. And that's true very much to a point. Don't don't fade into every little ache and pain, but our bodies are telling us something. And if it's continually telling you something, it's time to do something about it.

Monica Patton: [00:14:40] Stop right there. Okay. Listen to your body. I tell my kids that all the time. It's like, listen to your body. It will tell you.

Kim Bryan: [00:14:49] Absolutely.

Monica Patton: [00:14:50] Our mind will lie to us sometimes.

Kim Bryan: [00:14:51] Yes.

Monica Patton: [00:14:52] Your body does not.

Kim Bryan: [00:14:53] Your body can't.

Monica Patton: [00:14:54] No, it can't.

Kim Bryan: [00:14:55] It can't. Physically can't.

Monica Patton: [00:14:57] It can't. So I think you're right. I think the message in our culture is keep going. Yeah, suck it up.

Kim Bryan: [00:15:05] Busy world. Suck it up and keep going.

Monica Patton: [00:15:08] And just prioritizing yourself yourself.

Kim Bryan: [00:15:12] Yeah. And I think too, depending on population, if it's an athlete or a kid, they don't want to say because they don't want to quit playing. If it's an older person, they don't want to say because they don't want their independence taken. If it's a mom or a dad, they don't have time to stop work or stop getting their kid wherever. Or so we just took that away, when in all reality, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have to come to therapy three times a week for six weeks or have a surgery. It might just be me saying, Why don't you tweak this? Let's work on this, and then that's going to take care of that. And then you've avoided a further injury. So that would be my my mode of prevention when you asked me to speak.

Monica Patton: [00:15:50] Yeah. Because usually if you've got an issue it I mean, there's some things that do go away.

Kim Bryan: [00:15:55] Yeah they're going to fade.

Monica Patton: [00:15:56] But something that is just kind of staying with you. Yeah, it's it's really important to check that out.

Kim Bryan: [00:16:01] Correct.

Monica Patton: [00:16:02] That's it goes back to listen to your body. Yes. It's not going away. It will probably worsen.

Kim Bryan: [00:16:07] Yes. And if it does, then you really have got something to overcome.

Monica Patton: [00:16:11] The earlier, the better, like you said. I mean, in all of our defense, like it's just sometimes it's scary.

Kim Bryan: [00:16:17] It is scary.

Monica Patton: [00:16:18] It's like you said, it's taken time that we don't have.

Kim Bryan: [00:16:20] Exactly.

Monica Patton: [00:16:21] But prioritizing our health, like like you said, whether we're no matter where we are in life, like like our quality of life is very important.

Kim Bryan: [00:16:31] Of course.

Monica Patton: [00:16:33] Okay. So we you spoke to spoke a little bit about the COVID. The COVID. I didn't mean to say it like that. My kids joke when I say it like that. So back to COVID times, which is it is still here, but thank God not not know like it was. What are y'all seeing? Are you have people that are coming for some issues that have post COVID that have stayed with them? Because I'm hearing a lot about it. I've had it personally. What are y'all seeing? What are you seeing and what how do you deal with that?

Kim Bryan: [00:17:08] Okay. Yeah, I've seen all ends of that spectrum. You know, people that come, that have had it and are just generally weak, but they really have any leftover symptoms other than they can't get their strength back. So we work on strength. We work on how they present, you know, can you get up and down safely? Can you dress safely? Can you shower, Can you go back to work? Those kinds of things. We have treated some patients that have some significant like respiratory issues. So we're not respiratory therapists and we don't quote unquote, monitor that. But it's something that we absolutely have to take into account. We have to see how your body responds to increased physical activity, to the demands of what a normal day would look like as you're trying to get back to. And then what we do is we do try to build your endurance to that. And endurance is not just lung capacity, but it's your muscular endurance too. You know, if you've been in a bed and you've been down, your muscles have lost that capacity to just function for long periods of time, let alone just hold you up out of bed. So we have to take all that into consideration, but treat what we see. And then I've also treated people that have been on the vent and not sure that they would make it and suffered a stroke while they had COVID. And so they come to me and I'm not treating that COVID, but I'm treating that stroke. But if I don't take into account that he had COVID, his lung capacity is not what it used to be. His endurance is certainly not what it used to be. His overall immune system is affected. Then I can't focus on the stroke, so I still treat what I see as far as those stroke symptoms go. But as we progress that treatment, we we have to take into consideration how he's recovering otherwise.

Monica Patton: [00:18:48] That has that. I can imagine how hard that that would be coming from a situation like that. I know you see really heartbreaking. And it's got to be so stressful.

Kim Bryan: [00:18:58] Very stressful.

Monica Patton: [00:18:59] For you, for the patient, because you're having to push.

Kim Bryan: [00:19:04] Somebody that doesn't want to be pushed.

Monica Patton: [00:19:05] That does not want to be pushed. No.

Monica Patton: [00:19:06] And.

Kim Bryan: [00:19:08] And that's scared to death to be pushed and is.

Monica Patton: [00:19:10] Scared to be pushed because that's work. That's hard. It's hard. Physically. It's mental and physical.

Kim Bryan: [00:19:16] And I don't want to be that. I don't want to be in that shape again. And that's what they're thinking. You know, you get them a little winded and they're like, Oh, I can't breathe good, you know? And so it is it that that is where the mentality of it also comes into play. And that's an important part of my job is to encourage somebody and not just in that situation, but in a lot of situations.

Monica Patton: [00:19:33] Absolutely. Well, you mentioned building endurance. Yeah. And. How do we build endurance? You have to. You have to push and get uncomfortable. Right?

Kim Bryan: [00:19:45] We have to get out of that comfort zone. And that's true for aerobic capacity and your breathing and to be able to run a long race. But it's also true for your muscle. You know, if you demand something out of your muscle in that endurance, isn't there, what's going to stop? It's going to allow for injury. It's going to allow for improvement of your recovery. So we push through, but we have to know where do we push, where do we stop? So I think that's an important part of a physical therapist's job is people laugh. A lot of times I say it's tough love, but it really is.

Monica Patton: [00:20:12] Well, we all need tough love. We don't we we might can give it. But receiving it's tough.

Kim Bryan: [00:20:17] A different story. Yeah, of course.

Monica Patton: [00:20:19] So that goes back to that movement analysis. I've never heard of that. So like you are literally you are analyzing each individual and kind of physically seeing what they can do and even taking note mentally when it's like you can just say like, okay, we've gone too far. Yeah. So it's just really you have to you must be an expert. You have to do this job. The more I'm thinking about it, you've got to really be very good at body language. Like you have to be expert at that.

Kim Bryan: [00:20:50] Yeah. I mean, you do. Some people hide things well, but there comes a point when you're pushing their limits that you're going to know you're going to be able to read that they. Fear avoidance is a big thing in my world, especially with the geriatric population or a kid that has just had a major surgery and is learning to walk again. A kid that's that. I'm trying to help meet a developmental milestone. They're not going to do that if it's hard. It's scary. You know, an adult doesn't want to fall. So if I'm challenging their balance, you got to be able to read their body language. They've got to feel comfortable. And I think that's an important part of a physical therapist's job is to develop a relationship. I want you to leave me feeling like you are heard. I know what your limitations are, what your concerns are, and the things that you want to get out of therapy. I can tell you all day long what I want to see you do or what your measurements look like or what your goals look like. But none of that's going to matter if I'm not driving it towards what you want out of it.

Monica Patton: [00:21:49] Wow, That's, that's big. And that would be hard for me to do I feel like .

Kim Bryan: [00:21:54] It is hard.

Monica Patton: [00:21:54] What do you want?

Kim Bryan: [00:21:55] Yeah, because I know what you need. I know why you're there. I know what I have to do. But I think if I understand what you want, I can do what I have to do a lot better. Not always, but.

Monica Patton: [00:22:07] That makes sense because that just goes back to we're all different.

Kim Bryan: [00:22:11] Yeah, of course.

Monica Patton: [00:22:12] And it's all individual. And you know what you can do with one patient and what they want. Maybe it look totally different even with the same issue.

Kim Bryan: [00:22:20] Exactly. Yeah. I have people all the time, like, let's just say it's a total knee replacement. You know, one patient comes in and the next patient comes in. Well, how far out is that patient? You know, they're comparing themselves right away. Or even if there's not one in there, they say, what's the normal what's the normal? They do what's normal timeline? And I say that all the time. Well, define to me what normal is and I'll explain it to you, because you can't do that. Sure, there are protocols, but protocols are just that. They're just guidelines. Every person that walks through my door is going to be different. No two people have been alike, yet no two patients have presented just identical. And they're not going to.

Monica Patton: [00:22:54] Know and about anything. No, I don't care. Like it's our nature just to compare. Yeah. And it's just a waste of time. It really is.

Kim Bryan: [00:23:05] Yeah.It's not. It's not doing any good for anybody either party, really.

Monica Patton: [00:23:09] No. And another aspect of comparing is, you know, you mentioned the knee replacement, like there might be somebody that is taken. I don't know how long it takes, but normally but years maybe for somebody to really recover and some people like you might be right the opposite. You might just bounce back. So just maybe assuming the best. Yeah. And just having your own goals, right?

Kim Bryan: [00:23:30] That's what I try to tell people. Like, here's the protocol, here's the timeline, you know? But really, let's make sure our focus every day in therapy is getting you closer to the goal that you want to achieve. What's functional for you might not be functional for somebody that appears in your eyes that they're doing really well, but really they might not could do what you need to do. So I try really hard to keep it individualized. I mean, sure, there are things that every patient's going to do after a knee replacement because that's what gets you where you need to do. But the time in which you do it, the amount of them that you do before you progress that kind of stuff is going to be different for every patient.

Monica Patton: [00:24:07] So how often do you see people giving up just a little too quick?

Kim Bryan: [00:24:12] Too often. It's an unfortunate part of my job. It's a frustrating part of my job. People people want a quick fix. And I think it goes back to what we were saying about being busy and our time. We don't have a lot of time and therapy is demanding of your time. It can be demanding of your time, but you've got to you've got to walk into therapy knowing that it's hard and it's time consuming, but it gets me where I want to be. And I think that goes back to also tying into a relationship with your therapist. If you trust them, you know that they're working for you and that they're constantly trying to figure it out. I'm not speaking negatively about anybody, but our profession as a whole, I think ties into just our community as a whole. We want things and we want them fast. And the script says two times a week for six weeks. And you did that and you're done. If you're not done at six weeks, then we need to investigate why? I need to figure out what do I need to do different to get you to where you need to be. But you've got to do your work. And if you don't trust me, if after that six weeks you're not buying into anything I'm selling, then you're not going to give me six more weeks. But if along the way you see little victories and you see that I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not where it was, you're going to buy into that.

Monica Patton: [00:25:28] And that's key, isn't it? Is like sometimes forgetting where where you've been.

Kim Bryan: [00:25:33] Yes, of course. We have to remind ourselves.

Monica Patton: [00:25:35] And how far you've come. Yeah, and maybe I'm not there yet. Maybe. Maybe my goal is I'm never not reach that particular goal, but I am reaching some goals. Yeah. And I'm getting better.

Kim Bryan: [00:25:48] Right.

Monica Patton: [00:25:48] And that's I would say, I guess, a big part of your role as well, just saying, Hey, do you remember where you came from? Do you remember what you've done? Look back that yeah, yeah, look where you've come from. Because I think we, we have to be reminded. And I think that's why some people do, like you said, just get discouraged in life, period, is like, gosh, I don't remember getting through that. But I did.

Kim Bryan: [00:26:08] I did. Sometimes look different with therapy, you know, And it should you shouldn't it shouldn't be mundane. But sometimes people come in to me and I can tell they're off from the word go. They're having a bad day. They're just not feeling it. And I have to start out with, okay, here's where we were, here's where we are and here's where we want to be. So what's holding you up today? Are you scared? Are you hurting? Are you just frustrated with the whole thing? And sometimes it's a little bit of exercise and a whole lot of listening. For me, sometimes it's more hands on and I find that when I'm doing any kind of manual therapy and being hands on, people open up, they trust you. It's time. They're quiet and they're there and they're listening to you and they feel like if you put your hands on them, you're you care about them. And so you learn a lot of things. So if somebody's struggling to get through some exercises, I'll just pull something back. We'll just change it up a little bit. You know, it does not have to look like 45 minutes of exercise every time you walk into my clinic. That's not what's going to get you your goal.

Monica Patton: [00:27:03] Well, I kind of think you're doing some emotional therapy, too. Sounds like you're doing it all. And like you said, that's amazing. What? Just. Just somebody coming in and feeling heard or saying, I'm struggling today.

Kim Bryan: [00:27:13] Yeah, of course.

Monica Patton: [00:27:15] So you can move on to the next thing. Just being heard. Yeah. Is really what I think everybody wants, you know, at the end of the day, especially when I know you're seeing, you know, they're having so many physical issues or severe issues, it has to be so frustrating.

Kim Bryan: [00:27:32] And sometimes they don't know where to start. Yeah, you know, physically speaking. But that's the importance of our job too. And it goes back to that movement analysis. Just if I break it way down, if somebody comes to me that's, say, a kid and they're running, they're having knee pain and they they've been to the doctor, they've been to the therapist, and they're like over being there because they've already tried therapy and it didn't work and their knee hurts and they're just depressed about it. Well, then I start looking at that whole body and I find out their hips are weak, bad weak. And if I don't correct that, that knee pain is never going away because it's leading to abnormal gait patterns and abnormal running patterns. So you have to sell it to them, especially in that population. But we start strengthening that. The knee pain starts going away, the running starts being better, the attitude starts being better. That's the best part of my job is seeing people get back to their life.

Monica Patton: [00:28:19] I know that's what keeps you going. It has to.

Kim Bryan: [00:28:21] Yeah.

Monica Patton: [00:28:22] And another aspect of I'm just thinking if I'm coming in as a patient and if I'm not willing to really talk about it. You're talking about the relational aspect of it. I would say that probably holds people up to it. Is this a very vulnerable like physically you're struggling and probably mentally and both combined. And if you're not willing to to share that share, that that inhibits the process. Right.

Kim Bryan: [00:28:49] And I tell people all the time. You don't have to be the tough guy around here. It's not about showing me that you can tolerate pain. It's about showing me what hurts so that we can correct that, you know? It's not about I don't care that you hurt in a in a matter of, I think less of you. I care that you hurt because then I can figure out why that hurts and what I need to do to make it stop hurting. But if you are Mr. Tough Guy the whole time and I never know that something I'm asking you to do hurts. I'm never going to know to look into that.

Monica Patton: [00:29:20] Since you said tough guy, do you say that more in men than women?

Kim Bryan: [00:29:25] Yes and no. I mean, men always don't want to tell you something hurts, but at the same time, women are tough.

Monica Patton: [00:29:33] Yeah, they are.

Kim Bryan: [00:29:35] Women are tough and they have to be tough. And so when they get into that vulnerable state where you've found something that they can't hide, that they're weak and they're hurting and that's limiting them, you can you can break through that. So as a front men. Yes. Secondarily women, because they try so hard to not have to be weak.

Monica Patton: [00:29:56] Right. Right. Okay. So what about nutrition? Does nutrition play a role in rehabilitation?

Kim Bryan: [00:30:04] Yes. As far as like legality, I can't tell somebody. You know, I think you need to be eating this and this and this. And I can't give them pointers, but it's a part of my role because if you're not feeding your body well, your muscles are not recovering well. You're not going to get over a surgery. Well, you know, you're not going to build strength if you're not feeding your body the right thing. So what we put in our mouth is so very important. And so for me, especially post-op people that are sick and not feeling well, they're not eating and they're struggling and they just don't feel good, it warrants a conversation. What's your food look like? You know, what is breakfast, lunch, supper? What does it look like every day for you? And then you find out they're not eating, you know, they're barely getting one meal a day and then they're wondering why they can't progress in therapy. So then it's my responsibility to point them into the direction of somebody that can help. You know, kids are the same way. I mean, you know, it's junk food here and junk food there and a snack before practice. And we didn't have time to eat supper last night and all. That's fine.

Monica Patton: [00:31:03] Guilty.

Kim Bryan: [00:31:04] And yeah, of course we all are, unless it happens on a very regular basis. Yeah. And at that point, again, it warrants just sitting down with mom and dad and the patient and saying, Look, we got to get some nutrition. You know, what do we need to do to point you in the right direction?

Monica Patton: [00:31:17] What do you do then? Where do you typically point them? Is there like website? Are there other nutritionists that y'all direct them towards? How does that work?

Kim Bryan: [00:31:25] There's not any one person that I direct toward. There have been nutritionists in the past that I've worked with, but a lot of times it happens more post-op and a lot of times it just is a call back to the doctor and say, you know, they're sick or they're nauseated and they're not having any appetite and they can't eat, so they can't recover. I've had many times that the doctor will actually prescribe like a supplement or a vitamin, and slowly but surely, that helps them to be able to eat again. So I just try to point them in the right place based on their case.

Monica Patton: [00:31:54] It's like a it's tapping into the network and yeah, like you said, advocating.

Kim Bryan: [00:31:59] It has to be. You have to be an advocate for patient.

Monica Patton: [00:32:00] Your advocating For them in that area because it all works in conjunction.

Kim Bryan: [00:32:04] It just blows my mind. The people that don't think to ask their doctor those questions or they don't think they can ask their doctor that question or they don't think anything about it. They're just sick and they're not going to eat. They don't realize that that's affecting every part of their recovery. So you just have to educate people, advocate for people, for sure.

Monica Patton: [00:32:24] So what would be like a couple of tips or recommendations that. If you could just throw it to all of us. Anybody listening that I don't care what state your body is in that you just would say these two things are just good for your body. Like just I mean, obviously nutrition.

Kim Bryan: [00:32:45] Nutrition. And is your water intake are big. You know, our body is made up of a lot of water. You know, that affects all of our joints. Every joint in our body is affected by your water intake and your nutrition. So I would say, yes, of course, manage what goes in your mouth and be aware of it. But also I would just say stay moving. I hear a lot of my patients when I ask about exercise or what their life looks like, say, Well, I work every day. I cleaned the house today. I got my exercise in. You didn't. Yes, you're requiring movement of your muscles and your joints and your body. But that's not real exercise. That's not taking time apart and getting in some kind of movement that is overall good for your health.

Monica Patton: [00:33:25] Okay.Define what you consider real exercise, because I think you're right. I think some people say, oh, well, you know, I might work out or work physically outside or like you said, I'm cleaning the house, whatever. But what does your body need to do when you're talking about like just being very intentional? Yeah. For an exercise.

Kim Bryan: [00:33:45] Yeah. Separate yourself out from what your normal duties look like. Go outside, go for a walk. You know, if you are comfortable and at a state where you can go to the gym, you know, lift some weights, get in some cardio, do something to change how you move every day so that you are incorporating more aspects of the physical being. Get your heart rate up, you know, use the muscles that you have. If you have a physically demanding job, then you need to support those muscles with more than just what that job demands. Also, I think stretching and recovery is important and we don't do it. I find it in athletes, I find it in adults, find it in the elderly. No one stretches, not on a regular basis. You should kind of get out of the out of the bed in the morning stretching. You should prepare your body for movement before you demand of your body. And then at in the evening when you come home again, you should thing should stretch. You know, you've demanded all this time out of your body. So shower and stretch, you know, let your muscles have that recovery. Does it have to be every single day a 30 minute time period? No. But does it need to be an intentional time period every day? Yes.

Monica Patton: [00:34:50] Do you have a certain certain stretches or like where could when we say stretch, like just what feels good to you? I mean, would you direct anybody to to maybe a certain app or, I don't know, like what's?

Kim Bryan: [00:35:05] I don't know that there's one certain app and it's kind of hard because everybody you don't know who's got what going on. And so you sure don't want to give somebody a stretch that's going to hurt something that I don't know they have going on. So that's where it kind of gets a little tricky in my world. It's not generalized. It's very individualized. But just as a whole, I would say try what works for you. There's way too many tools available to us through social media and other, you know, the Internet and that kind of thing. Doctor's offices typically have really good tips. A lot of physical therapy places, a lot of massage therapy places. They have tips and tricks. And I think you have to just utilize those resources to find what works for you. And that might be a good time for me to tell you. I don't think any most people don't know this and you may not. Physical therapy in Alabama is limited direct access. So what that means is you have the ability to come to a physical therapist off of the street with said problem or issue or concern and sit down and talk to me and let me kind of analyze a few things, check a few things and say, Yes, you need therapy or no, you really need to be seen here first, where if we had full direct access, you could come to me if I thought you needed therapy, I don't need that doctor referral first. I just need to treat you. But it's my job then to see those red flags, to know when. But at the state we are in Alabama. You have that one visit. And where I work, I'm very thankful we offer a one-time free consultation. That's where you call and you say, you know, I would like to talk to the therapist about X, Y, Z. Whatever it is, it doesn't even have to be hurting. It can just be a concern. You know, maybe you want to start exercising and you don't know where to start and you're afraid to hurt something and you want to just kind of get checked out. Maybe let me be your first turn and say, well, I see this, that we kind of need to watch out for, or I think you need to have this checked out first, you know.

Monica Patton: [00:37:02] That call can be made without any kind of doctor referral or without you having to see.

Kim Bryan: [00:37:07] A doctor, Correct? You can come see me one time.

Monica Patton: [00:37:10] But if you continue, then we have treatment starts, right?

Kim Bryan: [00:37:13] Okay. And luckily, I mean, a lot of the doctors have great working relationships with and they know that if they've seen me, you know, I can tell them what I saw already and they'll send that script or that referral. But a lot of people to just then know I don't know which doctor to go to. Okay, I need therapy. Where do I turn? Well, then again, I can advocate and say, Well, here's what I see. I think we need to get this checked out first. Let's let them clear this and then send you back to me. So it gives me an opportunity to just open a doorway for a patient.

Monica Patton: [00:37:41] Yeah, because like you said, sometimes it's just like I'm having this issue. I just don't know what to do. Doctor To go to. Yeah, of.

Kim Bryan: [00:37:46] Course. Yeah.

Monica Patton: [00:37:48] So that's good. I didn't. I didn't know y'all.

Kim Bryan: [00:37:50] Yeah, most people don't know that. Yeah.

Monica Patton: [00:37:52] Okay, for. For just a minute. Speak to athletes. Okay. And I guess because I have kids. Yeah, I have kids in athletic programs. Okay, they've always done several things. What do you what do you just as a mom as I care about it, but for for kids and young bodies, what do you like to see? Why is it important for rehab versus, you know, waiting till, you know, something to be really be like really hurting, like you said, and just enduring it or maybe like a weak point in that that we know they have. How can therapy play a role? Physical therapy. And why should they do it? Why should they do it? Why should they do it?

Kim Bryan: [00:38:42] Yeah, well, number one is prevention of a further injury if something's not right. Goes back to that very first statement, your body's not going to lie to you if you're practicing a sport every day and something's not right, well, let's figure out why. And so maybe that down the road prevents a doctor's visit or a surgery or an injury. If you're working out hard every day, let's make sure your body mechanics look good. Let's make sure your movement patterns are what they should be. I've spent a lot of time with athletes working on squat form. You know, it sometimes is the little things, but then that leads me to other issues I talked to with a mom the other day. I just kind of give you a for example, she said he hurts all the time in his feet. And she said, we've gone to every foot doctor I can think of and nobody finds anything with his feet. He wants to quit soccer because his feet hurt so bad, and he loves it. And I said, you know, I ask a few questions. Have you looked at this? Have you looked at that? And she said, no, we didn't know where to go. We just went to the foot doctor like you know, But his feet are healthy. So we get him in and I just watch him move through a few things and we realize he's way weak in a lot of weird places. He has some misalignments here and there and from hips down. And if nobody ever corrects that, those feet are not going to get better. So that's going to lead to an injury because it's going to lead to an overuse. You know, something is not going to be strong enough to support what you're demanding out of it. So I'm thankful. I'm thankful that that mom said something's not right. Let's figure out what it is. And after all that time, it wasn't his feet. And so now he's fine. And he didn't have to quit, you know, and every success story is different. That's not that's not you know, that's just one, for example. But just in general with athletes, we're demanding a lot out of our body and they think they have to keep going. They don't want to tell coach they hurt. They don't tell mom they hurt. They won't tell dad. Because then in time, yes, because then they're going to get cut. But what does that mean? Does that mean one week of, hey, let's work real hard on this and then you're good to go? Or does that mean a long 3 or 6 month recovery because something hurting you didn't take care of it. So I would say again, stretch, exercise, build, build the strength that supports what you want to do. If something's not right, there's a reason that it's not right. And unfortunately, a lot of programs around don't have a conditioning program. They don't condition these kids. They don't watch their form. They don't I mean, they're squatting hundreds of pounds, which is great, unless that squat form is terrible, you know, and then you do that so many reps that's going to cause another problem down the road.

Monica Patton: [00:41:13] Forms, like you said, just stretching. Yeah.

Kim Bryan: [00:41:17] Preparing your body for what you demand. Yeah.

Monica Patton: [00:41:20] I've never thought about it like that. And that's really athletes, not athletes, just your average person. We all should be doing that.

Kim Bryan: [00:41:27] Yeah, for sure.

Monica Patton: [00:41:30] Sometimes I'm good at it. Sometimes I just don't want to take five minutes.

Kim Bryan: [00:41:33] If I practice what I preach, it would be great. You know, I say that a lot to my patients are two different things. Absolutely.

Monica Patton: [00:41:39] Yeah, absolutely. Well, you're spending all your time and energy probably on your patients. Yeah. Thankfully, that's good for your patients. But once again, I think it just goes back to if if we're going to be at our best and if we can give other people our best. We got to, we got to take care of what's ourselves.

Kim Bryan: [00:41:55] Yeah, right. There's a lot of days that. Especially when the weather is pretty at lunch. I need a break. I need a physical break. I need a mental break. And so, thankfully, where I'm at, I can go to the park and I can walk. I get movement in, I clear my head. I'm better equipped to help my patients. But then I've also taken a little time out of my day to take care of me. I have practiced what I've preached. I've gotten some movement in. I've gotten my heart rate up. I've exercised those muscles, you know, so that I can be better equipped then to help my patients.

Monica Patton: [00:42:25] Well, you're just being real. Yeah, We know what we need to do sometimes, and it's just we don't always do it. We don't always do it. But I think your patients need to hear that. It's like, you know, I understand. It's just human, you know? It's it's it's hard to do all the things that we need to do and really to take care of our bodies. Like you said, it means work whether we're doing rehab or just like you said, stretching every morning. Yeah. Having, you know, a moment for a walk or exercise. It's really intentional.

Kim Bryan: [00:42:53] It takes intention and a lot of people don't don't give it that, especially our physical aspect, you know, And I think kids, they're active in sports, so they're getting exercise. Right. Or, you know, But are they really? And then as adults, we're working and we have a household to take care of. And we the last thing we want to do is go exercise or take time out to stretch. And then as we get older, we're scared we're going to fall on the floor if we stretch or exercise, you know, and it's a real thing. But you have to find what works for you.

Monica Patton: [00:43:23] Yeah. And also just getting that out of your mind of like, it doesn't have to be going to a gym and spending an hour every day.

Kim Bryan: [00:43:29] No, it does not.

Monica Patton: [00:43:30] That might work for some people.

Kim Bryan: [00:43:31] But it's not. But that's not across the board. What we have to do to take care of our bodies physically. Right.

Monica Patton: [00:43:37] Okay. Give me you kind of gave a little success story here with the little boy. And gosh, I mean, how inspirational is that? That just you correct in his feet? Yeah. That issue going on there. How that if not when would that have appeared? Like you said, probably with an injury.

Kim Bryan: [00:43:56] Probably.

Monica Patton: [00:43:57] I mean, that right there is an amazing story. What about another one? Just something that I don't know, maybe just inspires you still just thinking about it.

Kim Bryan: [00:44:07] Okay.Let me give you two. So one is a quick success story, and that sometimes is exactly what a patient needs, and that's sometimes how therapy works. So a lady came in to me, she was about 85 years old and she had to have a driver. She was so dizzy. She said, I've been dizzy for 40 years of my life since my kids were at home. She said, I have been dizzy on and off, more so than not, she said, I've been to some doctors, She said. I just decided it was something I was going to have to live with. And she said she had fallen because of the dizziness which led her to a new doctor. And he said, Well, have you ever had any treatment for that? And he said, I want to send you to therapy. And she said, for dizziness? Like, she just was like, totally, you know, she didn't know what to think. So she came to me and the more she talked to me, the more I realized she had positional vertigo, which is one of the things that we can treat pretty easily. And so we took her through a series of tests and confirmed that diagnosis and then went right into a treatment for that. And I explained to her, If this works, it could likely make you very sick at your stomach. You may throw up, you know, you may have some issues that you're not really ready for with this. She was like, honey, if this takes care of my dizziness, just do it. So we did the procedure and she was not dizzy when she left. She did not have to come back. And she called about a month later and said, I just want you to know I'm still not dizzy. She said, I owe so much to you. And those are the success stories that just keep you going. Those quick fixes, you know, because everything's not a quick fix. But wow, I mean, 40 years of her life was spent where she could have had no dizziness, had someone just known that therapy could treat that.

Monica Patton: [00:45:48] Wow.

Kim Bryan: [00:45:49] Yeah. So that's that's one of the success stories that makes me just be like, you know what? That quickly changed somebody's life.

Monica Patton: [00:45:56] She had she didn't think like she that was just part of her life. That's what she knew. She didn't know.

Kim Bryan: [00:46:00] She thought that's what she had just kind of chalked it up to. I'll just live with this.

Monica Patton: [00:46:04] And how many people say, I've just got to live with it.

Kim Bryan: [00:46:07] It's just the way it is now. But it doesn't have to be, you know? And I tell people all the time, can I totally eradicate your pain? Maybe, maybe not. Can I totally correct your weakness? Probably not. But can I give you a better quality of life than when you walk through my doors? Likely.

Monica Patton: [00:46:26] You know, and that that's hopeful? Oh, yeah. That's a hopeful message.

Kim Bryan: [00:46:28] That is hopeful. And that would kind of lead me into that next success story. And I spoke a little bit earlier on, people giving up, you know, this particular person had tried therapy. They had had injections, would get a little bit better, kind of fall right back into this pain pattern. What I didn't know then was losing a lot of sleep at night, not really sleeping, had given up a lot of activities that she loved because it just hurt. She was functional, so she just kind of hurt. It would get to a point where it would be really bad again. She would see a doctor get a referral, come back. They would work on the things that would hurt and it would get a little bit better. Around that time is the time that I met her and started working with her and I had that experience. We got a little better. We thought it was a victory kind of discharged to you managing it at home and it quickly fell back into that pretty debilitating. It's very painful again, and insurance limits a lot in the therapy world. So you have to figure out how to work around it. We would exhaust our insurance coverage trying to figure out the root of what was causing the pain. And in doing so, we would correct a lot of things. We would strengthen a lot of things. We would help her quality of life and her pain. She would discharge and she would fall back to me. So we would, you know, plead our case with insurance, give us some more coverage, and let us really try to figure out what's going on. And as I evolved as a therapist and did some continuing education classes and furthered my knowledge, I remember I was sitting at a class and I thought, this is her, this is going to help her. And so when I called her and told her, I said, if this works, your back's going to get worse. You know, the leg pain is going to dissipate, the back's going to get worse. And I said, but just trust me, let's try it. And immediately her back got worse. And so I got really encouraged because what I had learned, I saw right in front of my eyes and but that also helped her to buy into I got to keep doing this because it's going to work and so she did that for months. She she became very, very compliant. I mean, she already was, but she agreed to just really be compliant with what it took at home because that's a huge part of therapy. I can I get an hour and a half out of your day a couple or three times a week. But she bought into it, believed in it and saw change and months and months or really years later, she now has eradicated that problem from her life and knows how to manage it and does not live with those same limitations every day. She still to this day incorporates those things into her life and wakes up and goes to bed doing these particular exercises. And she has pain, but she knows how to manage it. And I very much feel like if after those first few times she had given up, when nobody really corrected the pain, then what would her life look like today if she had said, you know what, therapy just didn't help. It still hurts. I don't really think that they can ever get to the bottom of it. She wouldn't be functional like she is today. I really believe that. And so I use that story. I use that story with my patients. And I have to remind myself of that when I'm hitting a brick wall, because that's really important to me. No matter the case, you're important. And if it's limiting you, it's limiting me and I want to figure it out. And I would say that's true of most every single therapist I know. You know, we have to go back to the drawing board. I keep my books out a lot. I keep my notes out a lot.

Monica Patton: [00:50:05] Constantly learning.

Kim Bryan: [00:50:06] I'm constantly learning because then I can turn that around and I have more success stories like that where she hung on over a year with therapy off and on. I mean, I would have to go back and count how many visits, but man, not many people are going to do that.

Monica Patton: [00:50:20] No. And it's like I think it just goes back to that old saying as sometimes it gets worse before it gets better.

Kim Bryan: [00:50:29] I tell people that every day.

Monica Patton: [00:50:31] And it really is true.

Kim Bryan: [00:50:32] It is absolutely true.

Monica Patton: [00:50:33] Um, it's, it's true for a lot of things. And it doesn't take away the fact that it's really hard. We don't want to hear it's going to get worse. No, that is not. We might know it's true, but we just don't want to. It's not encouraging when you're encouraging.

Kim Bryan: [00:50:50] Right?

Monica Patton: [00:50:51] No. So it's just finding that in what you do, finding the person, finding the therapist that, like you said, you trust and believe in and know has your best interest and is hearing you and listening to what you're dealing with and saying, let's do this together.

Kim Bryan: [00:51:06] Absolutely. Find the therapist that is the fit for you, because that is so key to to them knowing what you need. You know, am I fit for everybody? No. Is Drake or John a fit for everybody or any other therapist in this in this county? No. But I think that's the beauty also of the community of our profession, is that if I can't help you, I can get you to somebody that specializes in that or has a different set of eyes or different equipment. I can help you get to what you need.

Monica Patton: [00:51:37] You all are kind. I know every one of y'all like talking about John, talking about Drake and you. You have that spirit of like, just of service, of helping people, of advocacy. And I think. Anyone honestly could go to one of y'all would be a fit. I mean, y'all just y'all just have that vibe that makes people feel comfortable and. I think your authenticity really shows. And so I think that's that's important in looking for a trusted therapist. So let's end talking about healthy practices. You mentioned one of yours. Thank you for sharing those success stories because I think that's really, really important.

Kim Bryan: [00:52:21] It is important and that's what drives me. But I also know that's what drives further patients.

Monica Patton: [00:52:25] And I didn't say this, but something that before I go into that. The maintenance that remembering is like I got there. But how did I get there? I think is key for us to remember too, is just maintaining practices that keep us there.

Kim Bryan: [00:52:41] Yeah, When you leave me, I'm going to equip you with the tools you need to keep what we've gained. You know, of course, injury could happen, anything could happen. But as far as just what we've gained, I'm going to equip you with the tools you need without me standing over you every day saying do this to maintain it. You know, if your back starts hurting, do those exercises incorporate them where like when you're coming to therapy, you need to be doing them regularly. When we're done, hopefully you're better enough that you only need to do them 1 or 2 times a week. But also you have those tools that, okay, I feel like I'm going backward. Let me try what she showed me first and then that in the long run saves you coming back to me a lot of times because you are maintaining.

Monica Patton: [00:53:21] Learning to I feel like just. How I would just kind of summarize. It's just learning to I feel like what you're saying is listen to your body. You. You are a therapist. A physical therapist is your advocate. And then there's a day when you just got to be your own advocate. And when when you walk out of their office and hopefully they're better and where you just trust yourself and a commitment to yourself and. Now that you're worth it.

Kim Bryan: [00:53:48] True. Yeah. You have to do that. And kind of joking, I guess. People tell me all the time means pain and torture.

Monica Patton: [00:53:56] I've never heard that.

Kim Bryan: [00:53:57] Well, maybe. I mean, in some instances, yes. Kind of true.

Monica Patton: [00:54:00] Kind of true.

Kim Bryan: [00:54:00] Physical therapy is not, quote unquote, fun, but you have to make it fun. You're here and you're facing whatever has sent you here. So let's just make the best of a bad situation. And so when people come in and tell me that I know all about this, it's going to be pain and torture. It's not going to be probably painless. I'll tell you that. We're working on what's dysfunctioning in your body. If there are movement patterns or limitations that allow for a dysfunction, and I try to correct that, that's going to hurt more than likely within reason. I also really hate the phrase no pain, no gain, because that's not always true. If your body is telling you something, we need to listen to that. There's there's a reason for pain. Is it okay pain or is it pain that we need to listen to? But getting back to the pain and torture thing, I like to tell people P means progressive transformation.

Monica Patton: [00:54:48] Oh, that sounds more positive, doesn't it?

Kim Bryan: [00:54:50] Yeah. I mean, yeah, it is painful sometimes and. And it is long sometimes. And there's going to be days where you feel like, I am not going back. I'm making no headway, but just hang with it because you're progressively transforming your life.

Monica Patton: [00:55:02] Because transformation, whether that is emotionally, whether that's a spiritually, physically, any way you look at it, it can be very hard and painful. But you hope you hope you're better when you get to the other side of whatever that is.

Kim Bryan: [00:55:18] Right.

Monica Patton: [00:55:19] Okay. Now, I feel like we I feel like okay, yes, I was I was stepping ahead of myself. But on the healthy practices. But that was a good that was a good ending to that. What are a couple things that you find very helpful to just stay healthy yourself. You mentioned the walking. Is there anything else that you find helpful personally?

Kim Bryan: [00:55:40] Yeah, of course. I like to walk. I like to be active and move. I am adventurous and I like to kind of get into those things and spend time just decompress a little bit, I guess. Just kind of live and laugh and I live life out loud. I like to have fun and I like to laugh. And so I love to be around people that bring out that in me, people that support me. And like I said, I like to get outside. I like to move. I like to be busy, but I also like to be quiet. And for me, that's important to start my day like that. I start my day with quiet time. I fully believe that I am where I am because God put me here, and He has a job for me to do more than one way. But before I go to work every morning, before I start my job to try to help someone else, I start spending time with Him and I every day pray for Him to guide my hands and my knowledge and my skill to help me better equip, be better equipped to help somebody else. So for me, I think that is key. I spend time in prayer and with Him trying to try my best to do what He would have me to do. But then also just taking care of the body that he's given me. If I'm going to tell you to take care of your body and I'm not taking care of mine, I'm not going to sell that, and I'm not also going to be able to help you do that. So for me, that is important. Just movement, enjoyment and quiet time.

Monica Patton: [00:57:01] That's some good wow, that works. That's that's helpful to anybody. Spiritual practice. Yeah. What you got to do physically because we just. They all matter. Yeah, of course they all matter. Yes. Kim, this has been so helpful and fun.

Kim Bryan: [00:57:16] Yes, it has been so much fun. I've loved this.

Monica Patton: [00:57:18] It's been fun. I know. I've learned a lot by just sitting here talking to you. And I hope others do, too. I know they will. And I just want to thank you for your service and what you do in our community. I'm thankful for the Fort Payne location and for you and for Drake and John. They've helped my my kids and my family. And I just don't see there ever not being a need for y'all. So I hope you stay here and keep serving.

Kim Bryan: [00:57:47] I'm excited. I'm excited to watch what's going to happen in the years to come. And I love serving the community. It is my heart and thank you for having me. This has been great.

Monica Patton: [00:57:56] Thank you. Yeah, Thank you for listening to parts of this podcast. You can visit our website at parts of us podcast Net or check us out on Instagram. We would love to hear from you whether it be suggestions for the podcast, testimonials, sponsorship opportunities or general feedback. Email us at Monica at parts of us podcast.com or reach out to us on our social media.

Narrator: [00:58:29] This podcast represents the views and opinions of Monica Patton and her guests. Its content is presented for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical, psychological or legal advice. Please contact a professional for specific questions. This content does not represent any place of work. While we make every effort to ensure that the information shared is accurate, comments, suggestions or correction of errors are welcome.