Story & Lesson Highlights with Dr. Mandy Blackmon

We recently had the chance to connect with Dr. Mandy Blackmon and have shared our conversation below.

Mandy, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
We don’t ONLY treat dancers. Although dancers are we founded ourselves on 5 years ago, we treat ALL performing arts, movers, supporters of the arts and humans!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Emma Faulkner and I co-founded Atlanta Dance Medicine in 2018 and an avenue to educate other healthcare professionals to better treat dancers and performing artists. At the time, we had both left a job and were venturing our on our own, but wanted to stay connected. We presented at local state, national and international conferences and continued covering the Atlanta Ballet together. Then, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, we were invited in 2020 by a dance studio owner to open our first brick & mortar clinic inside her studio in Roswell. September 1st, 2020, ADM opened. We now have 3 clinics around the city, as well as a satellite clinic inside GA Ballet in Marietta. We provide care for performing artists and movers of all ages and skill levels. There are 13 highly-skilled PT s working for us and we continue to educate other professionals through courses and presentations.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
We were recently let go from a contract with a professional company that felt like retaliation for standing up for our dancers and fighting for their health and well-being. While it truly shook our world as first, we have re-shaped this obstacle into an opportunity that has allowed us to build a new space to offer better and borader services for more patients and clients.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
see the response above. It was definitely the largest professional blow both of us have ever received. We had to re-group, pivot, and move forward to build something bigger and better.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The dance world is still behind the sports world in so many ways. While there is amzing knowledge and research being conducted in dance medicine and science, the information often stays siloed among the healthcare workers and scientists, not reaching the dance teachers, artistic directors, and dancers who need it. Through our work on multiple national and international dance medicine organizations, Emma and I are constantly flighting. to change this, both at the local level and also within the industry at large.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That we were able to help an exponential number of patients and clients through our teaching, research, mentoring, and professional collaborations.

Contact Info:

• Website: www..atlantadancemedicine.com
• Instagram: @atlantadancemedicine
• Linkedin: mandydancePT
• Twitter: mandydancePT
• Facebook: @atlantadancemedicine