I was driving home from work that evening in the still-total-dark of early Michigan spring, crying, emotionally overwhelmed, and all my brain could throw at me was, "this has all the hallmarks of an early 2000's emo music video".

I'd just lost my first physical therapy job. 7:10pm, March 13, 2020.

A flat, rather uncompassionate phone call from the regional manager.

The threat of a global pandemic with unknown repercussions.

A Doctorate degree, 2 years of work completed, tens of thousands of dollars in student debt, with now no way to pay it.

And officially on unemployment.

This was NOT part of the 5 year plan.

And here I am to tell you...I quit my job.

My current job. At a different physical therapy clinic in Alabama.

And the emotional turmoil, roller coaster, and butterfly flips in my stomach: still there.

But minorly less scary this time.

Dr.whitt.fit started in 2020 because the traditional path I was "supposed to take" got bulldozed, drenched in lighter fluid, and set on fire.

And once the world decided it was ok to live to again, the expectation was I would build a bridge to other side of the massive, yawning canyon, and start the path all over again.

So I did. For a time. But I always had a foot on the other side. Especially once we moved to Alabama.

But I never thought I'd actually be the one to set my own bridge on fire one day.

I was so scared, still had so much PTSD, about not having a traditional PT job, that I never considered I could actually do this dr.whitt.fit shin-dig full time.

So here we are: with a winged, monarch butterfly onesie costume on, about to jump off the cliff and hope we can fly.

And while I'm scared enough to need a second pair of running shorts, I've never been so sure, so at peace, and so excited...

to potentially jump to my metaphorical butterfly death into deep, fathomless ravine.

ok, it's not that dramatic. But it is mildly terrifying.

But to have this future opportunity to go all in on serving you, the running fit fam, is literally a dream come true.

Because in the clinic, you, the clinician, can't often decide "I only see this type of patient". It's very much a "treat whatever walks through the door" situation. Which isn't bad...

But I was finding more and more that I was missing the joy in my practice. But you all gave that back to me.

Treating runners, having the opportunity to give you the tools to decrease pain, the exercises to increase strength, keep running, and help you keep your race on your calendar...

Hot damn, it felt good to be excited about being a physical therapist again.

Incredibly nerdy? Yup. Not denying it.

But face it: running is pretty nerdy.

So this is my big thank you to you. For helping make this possible.

Am I making millions online?? Pffft. Absolutely not.

Am I serving you all and loving every minute? Absolutely yes.

Thanks for being here and Dare to Train Differently.

Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit

P.S. correct, no blog this week. Just my sappy-thank you newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.

P.P.S. thank you again.

Looking for MORE ways to work together?

• ​RUNNING RESCUE CALL: Save your run and your race. Work directly with me 1-on-1 at the first sign of an ache, niggle, or repeat running injury. We'll deep dive into the why behind your injury and create a personalized exercise program that gets you out of pain, keeps you running, and helps prepare you for race day!
• Grab my NEWEST FREE Strength resources for runners: The Calf & Achilles Cure Toolkit, made for marathoners sidelined by stiff, painful achilles and tight, injury-prone calves who want to protect their training cycle and show up to the starting line strong, pain-free, and ready to race.
• ​STRONGER FEET WORKSHOP: Losing the battle to plantar fasciitis, posterior tib pain, or reoccurring Achilles tendonitis? Not with this workshop ;)

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© 2020- 2025 All Rights Reserved. You are receiving this message because you purchased a product from @dr.whitt.fit and/or signed up to receive content. This message is for informational purposes only and does not create a health care provider-patient relationship between you and Marie Whitt, and nothing you receive or view from Marie Whitt or @dr.whitt.fit, should be construed as medical advice.