Three Years of DRM Wellness: Growing, Evolving, and Finding Our Voice

Three Years of DRM Wellness: Growing, Evolving, and Finding Our Voice

Three years of learning, adapting, advocating, and discovering where passion and purpose meet.

On October 13, 2023, DRM Wellness officially began its journey.

I had a vision, a passion for helping people, and what I now realize was a slightly optimistic understanding of just how much work goes into starting a business!

I knew I wanted to create something different. A healthcare practice that focused on the person, not just their diagnosis. A place where independence, function, and quality of life mattered more than checking boxes or following a cookie-cutter treatment plan.

What I didn't know was just how much DRM Wellness would grow, change, and evolve over the next three years.

And what a three years it has been!

Where It All Began: Bringing Occupational Therapy to the Client

DRM Wellness started as a mobile Medicare Part B occupational therapy practice, primarily serving older adults who wanted to remain safely and independently in their homes.

I worked with seniors who wanted to improve their balance, mobility, strength, and confidence so they could continue doing the things that mattered most to them.

For some, that meant being able to safely get in and out of the shower. For others, it meant preparing meals, navigating their homes without fear of falling, or having the endurance to enjoy time with family and friends.

The goals were different, but the purpose was always the same.

Help people maintain their independence and participate in their lives as fully as possible.

One of the things I loved most about providing mobile therapy was being able to work with people in their actual environments.

Instead of practicing a task in a clinic and hoping those skills would carry over at home, I could see firsthand what challenges someone faced in their everyday routines.

We could work on real-life activities, identify barriers, and develop solutions that made sense for that individual.

And that approach reinforced something I've always believed as an occupational therapist:

Healthcare should fit the person, not the other way around.

That philosophy became the foundation of DRM Wellness.

Develop Skills. Restore Function. Maintain Health & Independence.

Those weren't just words for a website or business card. They represented exactly what I wanted this business to accomplish.

Expanding Our Reach: FCEs and Legal Support Services

As DRM Wellness grew, I began looking at other ways to use my occupational therapy experience to address needs within our community....and I got an office!!!

That led to expanding our services into Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs), comprehensive needs assessments, home safety evaluations, and legal support services.

These services allowed me to use my clinical knowledge in a different way, providing objective information about an individual's functional abilities, physical limitations, and care needs.

Functional Capacity Evaluations became an especially exciting area of growth.

FCEs can provide valuable information for return-to-work planning, understanding physical abilities, and helping professionals make informed decisions based on objective functional data. It can also be used to help identify if someone can safely age in their home.

Our legal support services also opened opportunities to work with attorneys, families, and other professionals who needed a clearer understanding of how an injury, illness, or disability affected someone's everyday life.

And through all of this, I discovered something interesting.

A lot of people, including other healthcare professionals, don't fully understand the range of services occupational therapists can provide.

So part of growing DRM Wellness became educating people about what OT actually is and how our expertise can be applied in ways they may never have considered.

Which, as it turns out, is both exciting and occasionally a marketing challenge!

But it also helped me begin finding my voice as an educator and advocate for the profession.

The Passion That Was Always There

While DRM Wellness was growing and expanding its services, there was another area of healthcare that had always been important to me.

Working with people in larger bodies.

This wasn't a new interest or something I discovered because it seemed like a good business opportunity.

It was personal.

I've lived in a larger body….and still do. I have struggled with my weight for years. I have been a size 6 and a size 26. I understand what it's like to navigate a world that isn't always designed to accommodate people of different sizes.

Throughout my years working in healthcare, I'd witnessed situations that bothered me deeply.

I'd seen patients in larger bodies whose concerns weren't taken seriously.

I'd seen functional limitations attributed to weight without adequate investigation into what else might be happening.

I'd seen patients discharged from therapy before reaching their potential because clinicians didn't know how to adapt treatment approaches to meet their needs.

I'd seen individuals essentially overlooked because the equipment, resources, or knowledge needed to provide appropriate care simply weren't available.

People weren't always failing therapy. Sometimes the healthcare system was failing them.

That distinction matters.

As occupational therapists, we're trained to adapt, problem-solve, and find ways to help people participate in meaningful activities.

So why were we allowing body size to become a reason to stop trying?

These experiences stayed with me throughout my career.

And even as DRM Wellness was focused on mobile therapy, aging in place, FCEs, and legal support services, my passion for improving bariatric healthcare was always there in the background.

I knew it mattered.

I just hadn't fully realized how central it would eventually become to the future of DRM Wellness.

When Passion and Practice Started Coming Together

Over time, something began to shift.

More and more clients in larger bodies were appearing on my caseload.

I was hearing stories from people who had struggled to find healthcare professionals who understood their needs.

People who had been misdiagnosed or whose symptoms had been dismissed.

People who had experienced judgment, embarrassment, or frustration when seeking medical care.

People who had been discharged from therapy because the clinician or facility wasn't equipped to help them progress.

People who had found themselves on social media in a video being poked fun of about their size while they were working out at the gym

People who wanted to improve their mobility, strength, endurance, and overall function but didn't feel comfortable or welcome in traditional fitness environments.

The more I listened, the more I recognized a pattern.

These weren't isolated experiences. They reflected gaps in how our healthcare system approaches people living in larger bodies.

And I realized something.

I had the clinical background, the personal understanding, and the passion to help address those gaps.

I couldn't fix the entire healthcare system.

But I could start by changing the way I approached care within my own practice.

I began focusing more intentionally on working with clients in larger bodies, developing individualized movement programs, adapting interventions, and creating an environment where people felt comfortable, respected, and supported.

I wanted clients to know they didn't have to lose weight before they deserved to receive quality care.

They didn't have to fit a particular image of what fitness should look like….

And they didn't have to apologize for the size of their bodies.

They deserved care that met them where they were, focused on their goals, and recognized their potential.

What had always been a personal passion was becoming a professional specialty.

And that shift began to shape the next chapter of DRM Wellness.

Finding a Bigger Purpose in Bariatric Healthcare

As I worked with more clients in larger bodies, my perspective continued to evolve.

I realized that providing individualized care was only part of the solution.

We also needed to address the knowledge gaps, assumptions, and biases that contribute to inadequate care in the first place.

Bariatric healthcare isn't simply about having larger equipment or telling someone to lose weight.

It's about understanding how body size, mobility, endurance, environmental barriers, previous healthcare experiences, and individual health conditions can influence function and participation.

It's about recognizing that someone can live in a larger body and still have goals that have absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

It's about understanding that movement should be accessible, adaptable, and meaningful.

And it's about recognizing that people who have experienced weight stigma may approach healthcare with understandable hesitation or distrust.

Movement is not a punishment for body size. Fitness is not reserved for thin people. A person's worth is never determined by a number on a scale.

Those beliefs have become increasingly central to DRM Wellness.

I began looking beyond what I could accomplish with individual clients and thinking about how I could help other healthcare professionals provide better care.

How could I help clinicians feel more confident working with bariatric patients?

How could I challenge assumptions about what people in larger bodies can or cannot do?

How could I help healthcare professionals recognize weight bias and understand the importance of trauma-informed care?

And how could I encourage more providers to approach treatment with curiosity, creativity, and respect instead of making assumptions based on appearance?

These questions have helped shape my growing focus on professional education, collaboration, and advocacy.

I don't just want DRM Wellness to provide better care. I want to help change the conversation about what better care looks like.

Finding My Voice Beyond the Treatment Room

When I started DRM Wellness, I imagined spending most of my time working directly with clients.

And while direct client care remains an important part of the business, I've discovered another side of my professional identity.

I genuinely enjoy educating, presenting, collaborating, and advocating.

Over the past three years, I've had opportunities to connect with professionals who share my interests, develop educational presentations, explore collaborations, and speak about topics that I believe deserve more attention. I have even made it to Hill Day in Washington DC and in Lincoln!

From the value of Functional Capacity Evaluations and using them to help determine the ability to age in place… to the importance of inclusive bariatric healthcare, I've found that I enjoy helping others see familiar issues from a different perspective.

I've become more comfortable challenging assumptions.

Now, anyone who knows me knows I've never been particularly shy about sharing my opinions!

But there's a difference between having an opinion and using your professional experience and knowledge to advocate for meaningful change.

I've realized that I want to be part of helping healthcare professionals feel more prepared, more confident, and more willing to work with people whose needs don't fit neatly into a standard treatment protocol.

Because when a patient presents with challenges we haven't encountered before, our response shouldn't be to give up.

It should be to learn, adapt, and find a better way.

That's what good healthcare is supposed to do.

The Business Lessons Nobody Warned Me About

Of course, it wouldn't be an honest reflection on three years of DRM Wellness without talking about entrepreneurship.

And wow, has that been an education!

Starting a business is hard.

Growing a business is hard.

Sustaining a business is hard

Figuring out how to be a clinician, business owner, marketer, accountant, content creator, technology troubleshooter, and professional networker all at the same time?

Let's just say I've developed a whole new appreciation for people who make it look easy!

I've learned that being good at your profession doesn't automatically make you good at running a business.

I've learned that passion doesn't pay the bills, even when you have an abundance of it.

I've also realized that I have the brain of an entrepreneur, which means I have approximately a million business ideas bouncing around in my head at any given moment! So for those of you that do not have an entrepreneurial brain...it basically means I have 38 browser tabs open at all times, three of them are playing music, one is frozen, two are flashing error messages, and I have absolutely no idea where the music is coming from. Meanwhile, I'm opening six more tabs because I just had another brilliant business idea that clearly needs to happen RIGHT NOW. Thankfully, I've surrounded myself with an amazing group of business coaches and fellow entrepreneurs who know when to encourage my big ideas and when to gently rein me in and remind me that I can't chase all of them at once. 😂

I've learned that some of the best ideas take much longer to develop than expected.

I've learned that networking and building meaningful referral relationships are two very different things.

I've learned that sometimes the opportunities that seem the most exciting don't immediately translate into revenue….or even pan out they way you think that they will.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over these three years is that my business doesn't have to look like someone else's to be successful.

I'm fortunate to have some incredible friends and colleagues who are also occupational therapy entrepreneurs. I've watched them build amazing practices, develop successful programs, and create businesses that look very different from mine.

I'll admit, there have been times when I've looked at what they're doing and wondered if I should be doing things differently.

Should I be offering the same services? Following a similar business model? Growing in the same direction?

But I've come to realize something important.

Their version of success doesn't have to be my version of success.

Some of us are building large practices. Some are developing specialized services. Some are creating educational programs, consulting businesses, or entirely new ways to use our occupational therapy expertise.

And none of those paths is inherently better than another.

We have different strengths, different passions, different goals, and different people we're trying to serve.

We can all be successful in our own niches without our businesses looking anything alike.

I'm learning to stop measuring DRM Wellness against someone else's business and start recognizing the value of what I'm building.

That doesn't mean I don't admire what my friends are accomplishing. I absolutely do! I celebrate their successes, learn from their experiences, and appreciate having people around me who understand the challenges of entrepreneurship. We also have a few AMAZING group chat chains across multiple platforms.

But I've realized that I don't need to recreate their businesses to validate my own.

Success isn't about building the same thing as everyone else. It's about building something that aligns with your purpose, your strengths, and the impact you want to make.

And for me, that's becoming increasingly clear.

I'm not trying to build someone else's version of DRM Wellness.

I'm building mine.

There have been frustrating days, difficult decisions, and plenty of moments when I've questioned whether I was doing any of this correctly.

There have also been moments when I've been incredibly proud of what I've accomplished.

And sometimes those two feelings happen on the same day!

The truth is, DRM Wellness isn't exactly where I imagined it would be three years in….but I am still here.

Some goals have taken longer than expected. Some ideas have changed. Others have been put on hold while I figured out what made the most sense for the business.

But I've also discovered opportunities and directions that weren't even on my radar when I started.

I've learned that growth doesn't always look the way you expect it to.

Sometimes growth means adding a new service.

Sometimes it means you put things on your dream board till it makes more sense.

Sometimes it means recognizing that something isn't working and having the courage to change direction.

Sometimes it means finding your voice, building relationships, or gaining the confidence to pursue opportunities that once seemed out of reach.

Sometimes growth means simply continuing to show up, even when things aren't going according to plan.

Three years later, I'm still learning how to balance the clinician I am with the business owner I'm becoming. Oh, and apparently, I'm also supposed to find time to be a wife, mom, sports mom, show choir mom, dog mama, friend, volunteer, and functioning adult. Somewhere in there I'm also supposed to eat healthy, work out, drink enough water, get eight hours of sleep, maintain a social life, and occasionally go on a date with my husband. You know, all those little things. 😂

At this point, I'm pretty sure my calendar needs therapy, my to-do list has its own to-do list, and my water bottle is judging me from the passenger seat of my car because the iced coffee and the Diet Dr. Pepper get the 2 cup holders.

But hey, I'm working on that whole "work-life balance" thing. I'll let you know when I figure it out!

What Hasn't Changed

Despite all the ways DRM Wellness has grown and evolved, the heart of the business remains the same.

Develop Skills. Restore Function. Maintain Health & Independence.

Whether we're helping an older adult remain safely at home, supporting someone rebuilding functional abilities, providing inclusive fitness opportunities, or completing a comprehensive functional assessment, our focus is on the individual.

Their goals.

Their abilities.

Their independence.

Their quality of life.

We believe healthcare should be personalized, respectful, and grounded in what matters to the person receiving it.

We believe that people deserve to be seen as individuals, not diagnoses or numbers on a scale.

We believe movement should be accessible to every BODY.

We believe that when traditional approaches don't work, it's our responsibility as healthcare professionals to think differently, adapt, and find better solutions.

Those beliefs guided DRM Wellness when it opened in 2023.

They still guide us today.

Looking Ahead: The Next Chapter

So what does the future hold for DRM Wellness?

If the past three years have taught me anything, it's that the answer to that question will probably change at least a dozen times…before 2027 arrives!

But one thing is certain.

Bariatric healthcare, inclusive movement, and professional education will continue to be major priorities for DRM Wellness.

I want to continue helping healthcare professionals feel more knowledgeable, confident, and prepared to work with people in larger bodies.

I want to create educational opportunities that challenge weight bias, promote trauma-informed care, and provide practical strategies clinicians can actually use.

I want to help make movement and fitness more accessible to people who have felt excluded from traditional wellness spaces.

I want to keep advocating for a healthcare system that recognizes body size should never determine the quality of care someone receives.

At the same time, I want DRM Wellness to continue growing its occupational therapy, aging-in-place, functional assessment, and legal support services.

I want to hire an assistant AND A FEW THERAPISTS!!!!!

These areas may look different on paper, but they're connected by the same underlying philosophy.

Every person deserves the opportunity to function as independently as possible and participate in a life that is meaningful to them.

I also hope to continue expanding our professional collaborations, educational resources, and opportunities to share what I've learned with others.

There are some big ideas in the works.

Some are still in the planning stages. Some are taking shape, and some are probably going to require a few more cups of coffee and a whole lot of patience!

But I'm excited about where we're headed.

Three Years Down. We're Just Getting Started.

When I look back at October 13, 2023, I see someone who had a vision, a passion for helping people, and a determination to build something different.

Three years later, that vision has grown.

What began as a mobile occupational therapy practice serving older adults has evolved into a business encompassing functional assessments, legal support services, inclusive fitness, bariatric healthcare, and professional education.

And along the way, I've grown too.

I've learned to be more flexible, more patient (although that's still a work in progress…and don’t ask my husband about this!), and more willing to take chances.

I've learned that success doesn't always happen on the timeline we create for ourselves.

I've learned that even when things don't go according to plan, that doesn't mean the dream isn't worth pursuing….sometimes you have to channel your favorite comfort show and yell PIVOT…PIVOT…PIIIIIVVVVVOOOOOOTTTTTTT…as you change the focus of your company.

To the clients and families who have trusted DRM Wellness, thank you.

To the healthcare professionals, attorneys, community partners, and colleagues who have supported, referred, collaborated, and encouraged us, thank you.

To my friends and family who have listened to my endless ideas, celebrated the wins, and supported me through the challenges, thank you.

To my husband Andrew who deserves an award for surviving three years of life with an entrepreneur. Thank you for being my in-house IT department, sounding board, voice of reason, and occasional therapist (although I'm pretty sure you didn't sign up for all of those jobs!). Thank you for listening to my endless ideas, letting me vent when things go wrong, holding me when I cry, and celebrating every win with me, no matter how big or small. Thank you for not judging me when I cuss like a sailor when I am really fired up. You've seen the excitement, the frustration, the tears, the late nights, and the moments when I've questioned absolutely everything. You've supported this crazy dream even when it hasn't been easy on us or the bank account, and you've made sacrifices right alongside me. I know being married to a small business owner isn't always a walk in the park, especially one whose brain never seems to shut off! Thank you for believing in me, putting up with me, and reminding me that there's more to life than my never-ending to-do list. I couldn't do this without you, and I love you more than you know. Also…thanks for being my unofficial photographer, videographer, and lighting director, always making sure my lighting is fire, being a good sport when I rope you into shooting content, and agreeing to take impromptu headshots at 3 p.m. on a Saturday because I suddenly decided my rack cards needed updating. I'm pretty sure none of that was in our wedding vows, but here we are!

To my amazing boys, Connor and Brody: Having a mom who's building a business isn't always easy, and I know you've made sacrifices right along with me. I'm sorry for the Saturdays I've spent working, the nights I've stayed late, the times I've been distracted by one more email or phone call, and the drive-through dinners when a home-cooked meal just wasn't happening. Thank you for being patient with me, for helping me figure out social media (and occasionally reminding me that I'm not nearly as cool as I think I am), and for not being too embarrassed by your mom putting herself out there on the internet! 😂 But more than anything, thank you for the hugs when I've had a rough day, the encouragement when I've doubted myself, and the incredibly sweet things you've said to hype me up when I've needed it most. You two probably don't realize how much those moments mean to me. You've been some of my biggest cheerleaders, and I hope that through all the chaos, you've also seen what it looks like to work hard, chase a dream, take risks, and keep going when things get tough. And I hope that somewhere along the way, I'm showing you both something important about love and partnership. Someday, when you choose the person you want to share your life with, I hope you look for someone who is strong, independent, passionate, and unafraid to chase their own dreams. Someone who challenges you, supports you, and inspires you to be better. I hope you never see a strong, independent partner as intimidating, but instead as someone to stand beside, cheer for, and grow with. I'm so incredibly proud of the young men you're becoming, and no matter how busy DRM gets or how big my dreams become, being your mom will always be my greatest accomplishment. I love you both more than words can say.

And to everyone who has shared a post, watched a video, recommended DRM Wellness, or simply offered a word of encouragement, please know that it matters.

Three years ago, I started DRM Wellness because I believed healthcare could be more personalized, more inclusive, and more focused on what people can do.

Three years later, I believe that more strongly than ever.

We're still learning.

We're still growing.

We're still evolving.

And we're nowhere near finished.

Here's to three years of challenging expectations, expanding possibilities, and proving that every BODY deserves the opportunity to thrive.

Happy 3rd Anniversary, DRM Wellness! 💙

Develop Skills. Restore Function. Maintain Health & Independence.