Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Daniela Espino.
Dr. Espino, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Lima, Peru and at four years old, my family and I moved to Miami, FL. I started running in 7th grade and in 9th grade, I had a female coach, and she quickly became a mentor throughout my running career. I decided to fully commit myself to run and that earned me a spot on a collegiate cross-country and track and field team. I majored in Biology with plans to pursue something in the medical field but as soon as I graduated, I had the opportunity to teach. I started teaching PE and coaching cross-country at my former high school. Ever since then, I knew that coaching filled me up in a different way than my own running. After a year of being a PE teacher, I decided to make a change to teach middle school math.
After being a teacher for about three years, I took a mission trip to Thailand, and by the time I got back, I knew I wanted to go back to school and pursue Physical Therapy. I had personally been treated by an amazing PT and shadowed different PT’s, and I knew this was something that I wanted to do. Around this time, I met my future wife and in a matter of 6 months, I had decided to quit my teaching job, apply to PT school, and leave my family behind to move to Atlanta, GA to start a life with my fiancee at the time.
Throughout PT school, I quickly realized that I didn’t fit the mold of a traditional PT clinic and that I wanted to branch out and eventually start my own practice. Upon graduating from PT school, I took a job with my last clinical rotation (internship), and one day as I’m leaving work, my wife calls me and says that our friend is leasing her studio and if we wanted to go see it. We went to see it that same afternoon and spent the whole weekend deciding if this was something that I was ready to do. It was an incredible opportunity, one that I felt was put in front of me for a reason. My wife is an incredible business owner and is fearless when it comes to pursuing your goals. So I decided to take the risk and started the process of opening my own practice. I stayed at my current job for about another six months while trying to build my practice on the side.
At the end of January 2020, I officially quit my full-time job to focus all my attention on growing my practice! On February 23, 2020, we had our grand opening and right after, that’s when COVID really started to make its impact on all of us. I was stressed, depressed, and doubting my decision to open a practice. I took some time to refocus my energy on my “why,” and with the help of my family, friends, and mentors, I’ve been able to stay true to my mission and continue to help people during this crazy time.
Has it been a smooth road?
Considering that I launched my practice in 2020, the biggest struggle has been learning how to run a business while in the middle of a pandemic. In PT school, they teach you how to be a therapist but they don’t teach you how to run a business. I still have a lot to learn about all the ins and outs of running a business, but I’ve found that if I stay true to myself and put my clients first, everything will be okay. I’ve been fortunate to have the support of my family and mentors throughout this time.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Aire PT to PR story. Tell us more about your practice.
I’m a Doctor of Physical Therapy and I started Aire PT to PR out of my passion for running, coaching, and physical therapy. We offer physical therapy and performance training (run coaching, strength training) to runners.
What sets me apart from others is that I’m a runner first. I understand how runners think and how devastating it can be when you can’t do what you love. I believe that at the core of my practice is helping runners redefine their potential through running. This has become the mantra of my practice. I want my clients to know that they can pursue any “PR” (goal) that they set their minds on and that I will be there to support them in any way that I can.
I truly believe that people need to be advocates for their own health and so my goal when working with someone from a PT or coaching standpoint is to help them understand their situation and teach them the tools they will need to navigate through any future injuries/setbacks in the future.
What I’m most proud of as a company is that my clients know that I have their back. I laugh because my clients will ask me if it’s a good idea to run a race (I’ve gotten anywhere from a half marathon to an ultra) that they had already registered for prior to getting injured. The fact that they tell me and don’t keep it a secret means everything to me. Typically, it’s not the best idea but chances are they would run it anyways (it’s a runner thing), and I rather them know that I will support them and help them get through the race.
My favorite thing about having my own practice is able to give back to a running community that has given me so much. I’ve also been able to partner up with other running leaders in our community to support them and sponsor events, such as “The Race” (hosted by Temilola Sobomehin Marshall), Latinas Running Cafecito y Cultura Run (Founded by Dr. Kim Rodriguez), and “ATL Grand Prix” (hosted by RNNR). Being part of Running City USA, collaboration is what it’s all about!
I recently started the Eastside Run Club, we meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month and it’s open to walkers and runners of all levels/paces. After we run, we head on over to My Abuela’s Food for some delicious Puerto Rican food and drinks.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next 5-10 years, I see our industry continuing to grow as aging people continue to stay active longer and because of the continual rise in chronic conditions (obesity, diabetes, etc.) Unfortunately, it seems that our profession is the underdog of the medical field. With healthcare benefits continuing to be cut, it forces our reimbursement rates to diminish further. This has and will continue to create an environment where PT’s will be forced to treat two or more patients at a time, just to be somewhat profitable. It creates a system where quantity trumps quality.
I’ve been in this type of setting, and that’s a huge reason why I decided to open my own practice. I’m not in network with any insurance, but that allows me to treat all my clients one-on-one and provide them with the level of care that I would want myself and my family to be treated with.
Contact Info:
- Address: 659 Auburn Ave NE G6
Atlanta, GA 30312 Located inside Studioplex Lofts - Website: www.airepttopr.com
- Phone: (404) 480-2308
- Email: info@airepttopr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aire.pttopr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airepttopr
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/eastsiderunclub
Image Credit:
Paul McPherson Jr.
Jessica Whitaker
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