When you think of medical treatment for someone who just broke a body part, just had surgery or needs help recovering from an injury, you’ll probably think of physical therapy. But what about for mothers who just gave birth? For women who are going through menopause and women who are experiencing pelvic pain? If physical therapy comes to mind for that as well, then congratulations! You are one of the few people who know that physical therapy is actually the first line treatment for painful sex, postpartum recovery and pelvic floor dysfunction.
Unfortunately, a lot of us are not aware of this (yet) and in most parts of the United States, this kind of expert care isn’t the norm. For these women, a lot of the treatment they are presented with is, “it is what it is”, and that is how it was for Carine. Throughout her 20’s, Carine endured painful sex and sought care from nearly a dozen doctors but was told again and again that her pain would hopefully go away over time and to “just deal with it.” It wasn’t until years later, after taking some time off work, she reconnected with an old friend and now co-founder, Nona, and she too had been dealing with pelvic discomfort. Nona had given birth to her first son, Elio, and after five months, she had yet to recover. The truth was that no one and nothing had prepared her for what postpartum would be like. After desperately seeking help and asking friends for advice, Nona discovered physical therapy and it worked. Together, Carine and Nona decided to start Origin, physical therapy designed for women and mothers. They wanted every woman to be able to have access to the care they needed to feel good in their bodies, through every stage of life.
When you think of medical treatment for someone who just broke a body part, just had surgery or needs help recovering from an injury, you’ll probably think of physical therapy. But what about for mothers who just gave birth? For women who are going through menopause and women who are experiencing pelvic pain? If physical therapy comes to mind for that as well, then congratulations! You are one of the few people who know that physical therapy is actually the first line treatment for painful sex, postpartum recovery and pelvic floor dysfunction.
Unfortunately, a lot of us are not aware of this (yet) and in most parts of the United States, this kind of expert care isn’t the norm. For these women, a lot of the treatment they are presented with is, “it is what it is”, and that is how it was for Carine. Throughout her 20’s, Carine endured painful sex and sought care from nearly a dozen doctors but was told again and again that her pain would hopefully go away over time and to “just deal with it.” It wasn’t until years later, after taking some time off work, she reconnected with an old friend and now co-founder, Nona, and she too had been dealing with pelvic discomfort. Nona had given birth to her first son, Elio, and after five months, she had yet to recover. The truth was that no one and nothing had prepared her for what postpartum would be like. After desperately seeking help and asking friends for advice, Nona discovered physical therapy and it worked. Together, Carine and Nona decided to start Origin, physical therapy designed for women and mothers. They wanted every woman to be able to have access to the care they needed to feel good in their bodies, through every stage of life.
From day one of starting Origin, Carine had deep conviction in what she had just begun. Perhaps borderline obsessive conviction. For her, it felt magical to be doing something so aligned and fulfilling. But that doesn’t mean it was easy. During the early days, Carine experienced very steep learning curves and it ultimately required her to be far kinder to herself. If you want to learn about some recommendations from a pro, keep reading.
In the beginning stages, the usual big question is, where and how do I get the money to start this new venture? On that, Carine has some valuable pointers:
Don’t assume the first thing to do is jump to raise venture capital funds. That is what the media portrays as the path to success. But not all businesses require or should bring on VC capital.
Think about it like a road trip. VC capital is like hiring SpaceX to take you around the world in 30 seconds. Maybe you just need a solid car with great fuel efficiency.
Start with first principle questions: What type of business are you trying to build? How big is the market? How quickly do you want to grow? How much of your business are you willing to give to others? How do you feel about relinquishing (some) control to others in exchange for capital?
Based on these questions, you'll start to figure out what I call "product-market-capital" fit and can determine the right path to funding: bootstrapping, angel investors, VC, debt, grants, crowdfunding, etc.
Another vital learning experience for Carine was the importance of teamwork and company culture. Starting a business is a scary process but working with a dedicated group of people makes all the difference. For Carine, her co-founders are like family, she thinks of them as her second marriage. They love to challenge each other and when there is conflict, they talk about things very directly. Like marriage, one of the tips to not make the relationship go downhill is to try to never go to sleep angry or with unresolved disagreements. Write that one down.
As for company culture, Carine says it is everything. Especially for a service business like Origin. They spend as much time thinking about client experience as they do team experience. Carine has learned that building a good company culture requires getting clear about who you are, what you stand for, and then developing practices to bring this to life on a daily basis while maintaining and celebrating the diversity of each individual on the team. It’s how they say, coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, and working together is success.
And talking about success, Carine says the key to building a successful customer base is to spend marketing efforts on community, content and partnerships. The goal is to amplify the conversations that are already being held about Origin and pelvic health. Did you know one in three adult women experience urinary incontinence? One in nine women experience painful sex or insertion? One in three women experience diastasis recti one year postpartum? These are all topics that are demystified, explained and cared for at Origin. Check out their website here and be part of the community that cares for a healthy female future.
All photos courtesy of Origin Physical Therapy.
To learn more about Origin, visit theoriginway.com
CHECK OUT OUR WORK FOR ORIGIN HERE
