Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Strauss.
Hi Kara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My childhood dream was to become a psychologist. Then, when I was in high school in Columbia, Maryland, my mom astutely suggested that Physical Therapy might be a career fit for me. I started volunteering and observing local practices and wound up spending some time in a clinic that focused on the mind/body connection. It was at this point I recognized that I had found my passion. Through the fusion of the physical with the emotional, and my recognition that the mind and body are inseparable, physical therapy encompassed a holistic approach to health that just made sense to me.
A couple of career detours later, I found myself in Atlanta pursuing my Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) at Georgia State University. One professor in particular, influenced my choice to study at GSU because he was also a Tai Chi master, and I had the opportunity to perform research under his guidance. My desire to fuse “alternative” with more traditional techniques continued as I went on to earn teaching certifications in Yoga, Pilates, and Aerial Dance. My advanced study has also grown to include Dry Needling, Pelvic Floor Rehab, and Visceral Mobilization.
I graduated with my degree in 2012, and just before the ten years mark, it was time for a major change. I have been studying aerial dance since 2005, at studios in Athens, and Atlanta, GA, and it has also become a significant passion. When a space just the right size for a small PT clinic became available in the same building as the aerial studio (Challenge Aerial) where I practice, I had to seize the opportunity. At the end of 2021, after a busy two months of preparation, I opened my clinic, SuperHuman Therapy, in Grant Park.
In addition to all of the modalities I have available in my clinic, I now have the unique opportunity to treat aerialists, as well as utilize the aerial apparatus to help rehab patients of all abilities – even those with absolutely no aerial experience. It is a wonderful, novel approach to therapy, and has brought a new level of joy to my practice. Running my clinic has been an absolute dream come true, and I am thrilled that I have the chance to serve a community that I love so deeply.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Ha! Absolutely not.
The struggles started after I finished my first year of undergraduate study at the University of Delaware. I was studying Biology when some changes in government healthcare funding made my career choice to become a PT look quite bleak. After some soul searching, I made a U-turn and changed my major to Marketing. Never one to do things halfway, I went all the way through earning my MBA (at UGA) and spent a couple of years working in the field before corporate American and I had a “Mutual breakup.”
It was only after that point that I realized my original path was indeed still an option, so I cut my losses and went back to school as an older student taking undergrad prerequisite classes. I did that for an entire year while working some VERY odd jobs including; gym reception, apartment rental administration, and singing with a wedding band.
Honestly, I think struggling is somewhat a part of my nature because the search for what really fit has gone on in my career up until starting my own business. Now, I do feel very aligned, but I continue to work hard every day. I suspect it only feels easier because I’m doing what I love. Challenges have made me stronger and more resilient, and I ultimately know they were all worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Super Human Therapy is a physical therapy clinic owned and operated by Dr. Kara Strauss. Right now, this is a one-woman show, but in the future, hopefully, more therapists will become partners. This is an orthopedic outpatient clinic offering care for musculoskeletal pain/injury, pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic pain, as well as prevention services. Specialized treatments include: dry needling, aerialist/circus rehab, Pilates, yoga, visceral mobilization, and pelvic floor rehab for all genders.
The overall ethos is Super Human Therapy is that every person is capable of amazing things. Sometimes those things are big, obvious “super powers,” but sometimes those things are small seeds that the person isn’t even aware of. By working on a deep awareness of the body through breath, movement, and novel activity, the patient can learn to sense their body in completely different ways. Once this sense of self is developed, new potential can be reached. Our goal is to help every patient to find their hidden superpowers…and yes, EVERYONE has superpowers.
I’m incredibly proud of and passionate about the Super Human brand. To me, it represents the idea that within one human both the deepest of lows and the highest of highs coexist. I’m here to honor that whole human. Yes, when we feel strong and powerful, that is one way to be superhuman, but when a person is feeling vulnerable, scared, and helpless, that person is being superhuman too. It’s in those moments of desperation and pain that we become more resilient, and learn that we have more strength than we realized.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
On a personal level, my number one value is honesty. I don’t believe it is possible to make progress, without acceptance of the truth. I also believe that our ability to connect and communicate with others is contingent on our ability to self-reflect in a truthful way.
Honesty is paired with compassion in my professional life. A person in pain (aka – most of my patients) is a person who requires compassion to first feel safe. Once a sense of safety is established, only then can we hope to start progressing the physical body.
Contact Info:
- Email: superhumandpt@gmail.com
- Website: www.superhumantherapy.com
- Instagram: @karastrauss_dpt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperHumanTherapy
Image Credits:
Lizzy Johnston
