Resilience in the Face of Challenges: A Health Entrepreneur's Journey

Imagine turning a high school business plan into a booming reality, even amidst a global pandemic. That's exactly the journey Dr. Emilio Galis shares on Shine On Success, where we uncover how he nurtured Elite Physical Therapy and Wellness from just a dream to a flourishing business that's quadrupled its numbers. We learn how Emilio's dedication to a unique one-on-one patient care model and his diverse wellness services have carved a niche in the healthcare industry.

Hear a tale of unwavering perseverance as Emilio opens up about a pivotal moment in 2018 that transformed his purpose and propelled him into a future filled with love and resilience. This episode is a deep dive into the life lessons that come from facing adversity head-on and how a strong bond with family and community can mold a business that feels like home to its clients. Through his personal struggles and triumphs, Emilio illustrates how every individual's journey can lead to unexpected and meaningful destinations.

Step into the world of cutting-edge health therapies, from oxygen and light therapy to dry needling and pulsed electromagnetic fields, and learn how these treatments are revolutionizing patient care. Beyond his clinic walls, Emilio's commitment to mentorship and community involvement shines through, providing insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and those looking to make an impact. This conversation is more than just a behind-the-scenes look at a thriving practice—it's a beacon of inspiration for anyone with a vision and the courage to chase it.

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Transcript

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Success in Physical Therapy Entrepreneurship

Dionne Malush 0:02

Welcome back to Shine On Success , where we delve into the minds of the most successful entrepreneurs to uncover the principles of their success . I'm your host , Dionne Malush , coming to you from the heart of Pittsburgh . Today , we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr Emilio Galis , a visionary in the realm of physical therapy and the proud owner of Elite Physical Therapy and Wellness in Belle Vernon . Join us as we explore how Emilio's unique approach to healthcare and wellness is setting new standards in the industry . So welcome , Emilio . How are you doing today ?

Emilio Galis 0:33

I'm good . Thank you for having me .

Dionne Malush 0:35

Oh , it's so nice to have you on here . I've heard so many good things about you and I'm honored that you took a few minutes to sit with me and talk a little bit and share with others how we can all push through adversity to get to the other side , no matter what happens . So let's start with you and tell us a little bit about you and your story .

Emilio Galis 0:53

All right , my name is Emilio Galis , so I grew up in the Mon Valley . I grew up in Kohl's Center , pa . When I was 15 years old , I moved to Rockville , Maryland , right outside of DC Big change in my life . I went from . You know I would have graduated with 52 kids in California and ended up graduating with 750 kids in the DC area A lot of different . My high school there was the most culturally and financially diverse high school in the United States at the time . So I got to learn a lot just from that experience , from moving .

Emilio Galis 1:34

I went to PT school at Duquesne University . I was there for six years . Six and a half years moved back to Maryland , worked in Maryland for four years , managed two clinics there and then decided to move back to Pennsylvania . I worked for about a year and a half and then decided it was time to open up my own practice , which was something that I've had a vision of doing since I was 16 years old . I wrote a business plan and one of my entrepreneurship classes in high school and decided you know that the timing was right and I started the business in April of 2020 , right in the midst of the COVID pandemic , so couldn't have been any better timing , and that's in my mind you know , things work out for the best .

Emilio Galis 2:20

Sure , that's in my mind . You know things work out for the best and you know I learned a lot through the journey and God's timing is always the best timing . And you know , just just listening to my heart and my gut and to God and knowing when to start that journey was was part of it , and we started the practice 2020 . It took us a little while to grow . Right now , we have five physical therapists , two physical therapy assistants , three front desk staff and we're expanding and growing in our space . We doubled our space in the current building that we're at in Bell Vernon on Ross Traver Road .

Emilio Galis 3:04

We offer a wide range of services , from wellness services like red light therapy , hyperbaric oxygen therapy , dry needling therapy and just basic physical therapy as well . We have a different approach to things , where we do one-to-one care . We really spend time with the patients , getting to the root cause of things and , you know , promoting that not just the wellness and health part of it , but motivating our patients as well , and we found a lot of success with that . Things are going great . We've quadrupled our numbers since opening , yeah , and it's been a great journey so far .

Dionne Malush 3:47

So you're basically a newer business and you're you're doubling your numbers . That's quadrupling your numbers . That's impressive . So let's start at the moment . You decided to pursue physical therapy . When did that happen ? Since , at 16 , you wrote a business plan .

Emilio Galis 4:01

Tell me about the beginning of when you decided physical therapy was what you wanted to do so originally when I was in 11th grade I wanted to pursue accounting and I took an accounting class and an entrepreneurship class and I you know , I this previous summer I did an internship at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades to do some accounting work in their office and I hated it . I was bored , I wanted to get up out of my seat all the time and I've always been a high energy person . So in my entrepreneurship class we took a test that basically described . We answered a series of questions and I wanted a job where I wasn't doing the same thing every day .

Emilio Galis 4:48

I was helping people , I was moving up and about not sitting at a desk , and I have an interest in the human body and in sports . So it all added up to physical therapists you should be a physical therapist . So I went and shadowed several physical therapists in the area and up here in the Mon Valley and I said you know what I can see myself doing this and I want to open up my own practice , to maybe have a different approach on things . And I just started writing a business plan from there and that's when I knew that's what I wanted to do .

Dionne Malush 5:22

So I love that . That happened in high school , so I don't often hear people talk about that in high school that their school offered that program . I love knowing that . It excites me so much because I always feel like we don't get enough knowledge right . We're not taught enough Even simple tasks like how to write out a checkbook and balance your checkbook like those skills weren't taught when I was in school , so I'm so happy to know that that was something that came from your high school

Journey Through Adversity and Perseverance

Dionne Malush 5:50

journey . So let's talk about your journey . You've cited learning valuable life lessons through adversity , triumph , devastation and perseverance . Could you share a pivotal experience that encapsulated these lessons and how it propelled you forward ? So let's talk about how you did push through some adversity .

Emilio Galis 6:07

Yeah , well , you know , my family background is a lot of how I push through things . My parents have given me the world and have taught me valuable lessons , way , and I , you know , really , I didn't find myself until 2018 . I moved back to Pennsylvania from Maryland . I had a really good job down there and I moved back in hopes that I would , you know , get married . I was in a long term nine and a half year relationship and that went south as soon as I moved back and I felt like my entire world was completely changed . Like I , there was days where I just didn't even care if I was living anymore . And , you know , at that moment in time , I had to make a decision , you know , am I going to grow and learn or am I going to die ? And that's when I found God .

Emilio Galis 7:04

2018 was a tough year , but it was the most important year in my life . I found God in a way where I could use my faith to understand who I was as a person , grow as a person . I've learned that God puts us in positions and situations in our life where we can either sink or swim and grow and learn . You know , there's winning and then there's growing and learning . I don't believe in losing , it's growing and learning . And you know the perseverance part of it came down to . You know God tells us not to fear . God tells us to , you know , live productive lives and to find our purpose .

Emilio Galis 7:46

And when I found my purpose in helping other human beings in their life , and you know , yeah , can money come with that ? Yes , but that's not the important part , it's finding my purpose . And I'm passionate about helping others throughout their health journey , throughout their physical injuries , and that's where I found myself . And you know , all the trials and tribulations that you go through are just going to make you stronger . And those times in your life are put there for a reason . And that's where you have to step back and say , all right , I'm going to grow here , I'm going to get through this , I'm going to grow . And that's what I tried to do . And it wasn't easy . There was times where I felt like giving up and just you know , just that was the end of it . But we were able . I was able to push through and understand that you know , there was more life to live and productive , purposeful life to live there was more life to live and productive , purposeful life to live .

Dionne Malush 8:46

I love that so much and I agree with you there's always some positive in every negative right . You just have to be able to look for it and open your eyes and see it . So many people , especially in this area , just don't do that . You know that the negative encapsulates them and I'd love that you shared all of that with us , because you know it's . I've been telling this to people for so long and here you live it . It just I'm so excited just to be sitting here across from you , like knowing that you're living the life that I know that can happen to everyone yeah , they have to have faith and they have to have faith in themselves too .

Dionne Malush 9:24

And it's hard , because there's days I feel like you and there's days that I didn't feel like getting up . There's . I've been through a lot of thought , a lot in my life as well , and sometimes I think , boy , that's a lot of stuff you know , and why do I keep having to go through it ? Why keep having to go through it ? So I can learn the lesson , so I can teach and help other people , right ?

Emilio Galis 9:42

Absolutely , and I look forward to like it's . You know , at the time I think , oh man , my relationship's over . You know , my life's over , I'm never going to find anybody . And then I find somebody like my wife and my wife Lacey . We got married in October . She , you know , is just the perfect wife and takes care of so many things and is supportive of me , and we meshed together well . And I didn't know if I was going to find that person . And you know , everything works out in God's plan . And you know , the other part of that is I look back at who I come from and my grandfather immigrated here in 1945 from Greece and he didn't have , he didn't speak English , he had a fourth grade education and he created his own bridge painting company . And I'm thinking to myself you know he was burying people in Greece that were dying in starvation during World War II when the Nazis occupied their island . And I'm thinking to myself you know what he pushed through all those adversities . I can push through any adversity that comes my way as well .

Dionne Malush 10:52

That's a great way to look at it , and I have a question about that . Growing up in the Mon Valley with your rich Greek and Italian heritage , how have those cultural influences shaped your approach to what you do today ?

Emilio Galis 10:59

Well , definitely both sides of my family the Italian and Greek side of my family , the Italian and Greek side they're tight knit , strong family values . Everyone is close , close knit . So it really helps me to treat my patients like family as well . You know I have patients all the time . They say you know you got a huge family , you know everybody because you're related to half of the Mon Valley and them related to half of the Mon Valley .

Emilio Galis 11:36

But you know all of that , that sense of family and community . It really helps us to establish , you know , not not just referrals and word of mouth referrals in the Mon Valley , but it helps us to establish rapport with patients and to help people get through the tough times that they're going through . And my family unit has always been supportive in that way and we reflect that off to our patients . And similarly , a lot of my staff has very tight knit families as well and you know work extremely hard to take care of our patients . More than just taking you through an exercise Like we want to ask you how your day's going and really you know resonate well with with the patients .

Dionne Malush 12:13

So we might even be related , because my granddad came over from Italy in the early 1900s himself and you know , so I love that . You know that Italian heritage that I have , but I have Irish , italian little mix and German , so there's a quite a mix of who I am . But so let me tell you my experience with PT in my life was incredible . I ruptured my Achilles in 2015 . I was taking a Spanish dancing class like the first time I ever took a dancing class and I was having so much fun . And at the end of the class we were warming , warming down , and all of a sudden I hear pop and I'm like oh and then I tried to walk and my foot was completely limp .

Dionne Malush 12:56

I couldn't move . I couldn't walk and whenever I had PT , it was incredible . He helped me so much . I remember the first day that I walked after 12 weeks of not walking . The tears are just rolling down my face and it was a struggle . You know Kelly's rupture all the way up my leg right and they had to pull it back and cut it . So there was , there was a space , is so hard back there and I was worried that I was not going to walk properly . But I have no , and you can't tell in my gait that there's anything wrong . And he helped me tremendously emotionally , physically . It was quite an experience .

Dionne Malush 13:32

I was really sad during that time because it was my best real estate year ever . I had the biggest client I ever had with Phil Kessel from the Penguins . Like I was doing everything that I wanted to do , completely focused , and bam , can't walk or drive for 12 weeks . So PT had helped me a ton . So I love you know , I love what you do and it is hard . There's a lot of things you have to deal with in the human body that are unique . Sometimes they're probably . I'm sure that's why you have hyperbaric oxygen and red light therapy . So let's talk about that . What do they do ?

Emilio Galis 14:05

Yeah , so hyperbaric oxygen therapy . In a nutshell , you basically are inside a chamber , a pressurized chamber . It gets up to 30 kPa , or three times the atmospheric pressure , and oxygen under pressure can perfuse through your bloodstream at a much faster rate . Pressure can perfuse through your bloodstream at a much faster rate . So if you're just breathing normal air through your lungs , you're probably getting 22% absorption of oxygen to your body .

Emilio Galis 14:36

If you're inside this chamber you're getting 100% and pretty much 10 times the amount of oxygen that you normally would breathing normal air and oxygen is basically the presence of oxygen , is the absence of disease . So if you have there's no etiology or start of a disease of any type that lives in a well oxygenated environment , so a lot of inflammatory diseases . So a lot of inflammatory diseases , unhealed wounds , fractures , concussions . The tissue needs oxygen to survive . So if we're increasing the absorption of that oxygen to the cellular level , we're going to heal a lot of those things Concussions , healed wounds , fractures , all those things .

Benefits of Oxygen and Light Therapy

Emilio Galis 15:30

It's good for aging processes , to telomere lengthening of your DNA . When your DNA starts to unravel , chromosomes start to fray and the telomeres are what protects the fraying of those chromosomes . So the telomeres of the DNA actually lengthen with the use of oxygen therapy by 20% . So it significantly can slow down that aging process as well . Red light therapy is a technique used where long wavelength light can penetrate your tissue . So if I'm not getting too scientific here , the mitochondria of your cell is the powerhouse of the cell . It provides the energy source which is called ATP , adenosine triphosphate . So ATP is what provides your cells with their ability to produce energy . So if you have high ATP production , your cells can detoxify , regenerate , repair themselves With injuries .

Emilio Galis 16:29

All diseases and injuries start from the cellular level . So if we're improving oxygen absorption and we're improving ATP production , that energy from the mitochondria , that wavelength of light can penetrate the cell , then our cells are going to repair faster , regenerate faster . So tissue injuries , diseases it can make a big impact on that and inflammation as well . We also have a machine it's called a Beamer machine . It's a pulsed electromagnetic field that improves microcirculation to your tiniest blood vessels , to the microcapillaries that feed muscle tissue , organ tissue , et cetera . And that's another added bonus . If you're using , like the hyperbaric oxygen chamber , the red light , you're first supplying the blood flow to all these areas and your microcapillaries at a faster rate , then you're feeding the oxygen through the oxygen chamber and then the red light drives that oxygen into the cell , increasing your ATP production . So from a wellness standpoint , you know , whether it's longevity or eliminating disease or preventing disease , those three used together in combo , I think , make a huge difference for our patients .

Dionne Malush 17:50

In recovery right In recovery time , I would assume . So let's talk about neuropathy , because that's something that I know a lot of people have , and my husband has it , my mom has it , so does it help with neuropathy , since that's stimulating ?

Emilio Galis 18:03

Yep , yeah , neuropathy is essentially the tissue itself is dying because it's not getting proper oxygen and blood flow . So those things can improve that oxygen and blood flow . Now the other part of that could be nerve innervation , which we do a lot of dry needling for neuropathy itself . So dry needling will stimulate . Basically we take a monofilament acupuncture needle , we go into the muscle tissue itself , which you know if you think about what a trigger point is the muscle stuck in this shortened , spastic state . When the needle strikes , those motor fibers , receptors in the tendons open up . It allows the muscle to reset in its contraction and now the muscle can properly contract and relax . The other part of that is if the muscle's too tight or contracted it can compress nerve tissue .

Emilio Galis 18:58

A lot of times neuropathy stems from your lumbar spine , your low back . As we age we get more arthritic change and degeneration in our spine and if we can reduce compression to the spine by relaxing the muscle tissue around the spine , the nerves then communicate better with the extremities . Specifically L5 , lumbar segment number five and S1 innervate the feet . So a lot of times if we needle L5 and S1 , those regions stimulate the nerve . The neuropathy significantly dies down or goes away , depending on the origin of the source . It's either a blood flow issue , a nerve issue or an oxygen issue .

Dionne Malush 19:45

So it's so interesting to me and I you know we went off a little bit on the medical side , but it's important because everyone listening has stuff right . Like the need of what you do is so great and inflammation has caused so many issues in the on a human body that it's amazing to hear that there is some reprieve for it . So you're successful . You're happy . Like what , what is something else that you want to do in your life ? Like , what is something you look forward to in the future ? Because you're , you're getting there , right . You had a bad relationship . Now you have an amazing one . So God opened the door . He'd let the other one go for a reason , right , so you could open up , so that Lacey would come in your life . And now you're happy , right . So you're happy , successful in business .

Emilio Galis 20:37

What more is there for you ? Well , I definitely have a passion , you know , for continuing to impact people's lives in any positive way that I can , and I want to help people that maybe have been in my situation or are struggling or going through tough times or maybe don't have the advantages that I've been blessed with in my life . My dad actually owns a boxing gym . It's a nonprofit boxing gym in Charleroi and it's for at-risk youth of the Mon Valley . It's a free boxing gym . It's called G-Force Athletic Club and boxing .

Emilio Galis 21:13

I've boxed throughout my whole life . Since I was three , four years old . I've been in the gym and you know I have a . My dad does a Bible study at the end of every gym session and these kids it's so awesome to see these kids ask questions and they're intrigued by some of the lessons that they're taught . And if I can impact the youth of the Mon Valley , who you know , a lot of the youth that I talk to they don't feel like they have any hope , they don't feel like there's enough going on in the Mon Valley to be successful in their life or they don't have support systems to be successful in their life and they need to know that you know that's that's not a reason not to chase after your dreams . So being in the gym and mentoring some of these kids is a passion of mine , you know . Obviously , outside of that , I'd love to bring kids of my own into this world . That would be a gold mine .

Emilio Galis 22:10

And just to be able to really impact the community that I'm in and the Mon Valley is the community that I was raised in and I could have opened up this clinic anywhere and I really felt like it needed to be in the Mon Valley anywhere .

Emilio Galis 22:28

And I really felt like it needed to be in the Mon Valley and part of that was I want to educate the community on health and the realities of health and that you don't need to be on 12 prescription drugs to be healthy . And preventative care is , you know , we live in a world where our healthcare system is all about , you know , reactive live in a world where our health care system is all about , you know , reactive medicine . Once I have the disease or once I have this , then I treat it and we need to be proactive . So that's another passion of mine is education on being proactive with preventative care to save . You know , because your health without your health there's , you can't put a price tag on it . So you really need to take your health seriously and and try your best to prevent things down the line , because you'll get to a point where you know it's too late and you feel like you've got to play catch up and it's harder to play catch up than it is to get ahead of the game .

Entrepreneurship Advice and Community Impact

Dionne Malush 23:25

Sure . So you come from an entrepreneurial family , right ? So what is the best piece of advice that you received from either your father , your grandfather or someone in your life maybe your mentor .

Emilio Galis 23:38

I got to think about that one . There's been so many . I think one of the big ones is , you know , I think , one of the big ones is .

Dionne Malush 23:53

You know , if you say you're going to do something , do it . Yeah , like you said , you're going to be on the show today and you're here .

Emilio Galis 23:59

It's important , yeah , yeah , you know , I've been told by multiple family members . You know what your word is is your reputation , so you know if you give somebody your word , you better follow through . And you know I live by that motto . And , and the big one is , you know , and entrepreneurs need to take risks and be willing to take risks , and you know I go by the Bible quote to not have any fear , but trust in the Lord with all your heart . And that's the motto that I've lived by since 2020 . In every decision I make , I try to pray about it and ask God , and I move forward with no fear .

Dionne Malush 24:39

I think I heard it says do not fear in the Bible , 365 times . There's three in that right , correct , 365 times , correct . Important as an entrepreneur that you know you're going to have a little bit of anticipation , but don't let it consume you . You have to move forward , pick up the pieces , push through it . You only live one life . You have so much opportunity , especially here in America , and you know I love what you stand for . You are what the Mon Valley needs , you and I'm so proud to have you here today because I can't wait for five years from now when I see what's happening in your life and I think you're just tremendous and I I had a feeling I was going to feel like this today .

Dionne Malush 25:20

Some of your friends that have told me about you . So let's talk about that . So how do people get , get in touch with you ? How do they find out about you ? It's my goal to affect someone's day in a positive way every single day . Right , that would affect their life . That's my goal every single day , and you just basically said the same thing . So , outside of just coming to your business , is there a way if someone really was troubled and needed some help or just needed someone to talk to you about being an entrepreneur and how do you go into it . Is there a way they can get ahold of you ?

Emilio Galis 25:51

Absolutely , you can email me , egalis . That's E-G-A-L-I-S at eliteptwcom . I usually respond to those emails and I look forward to resonating with some of the people in my community . I would respond to those emails and , um , yeah , I look forward to , you know , resonating with some of the people in my community . I would like to , you know , really start up something for the youth that you know where we can meet for , you know , whether it's once a quarter , once every couple months , whatever it may be , um , to really move some . You know people in this valley and I know that there's a lot of entrepreneurs in the area . I know Travis , kenny , lorenzo , all to belly those guys . They really want to impact the youth as well . So if we all get our heads together , I think we can really impact a lot of these kids in the valley that are looking for some hope , you know , in the future .

Empowering Female Perspectives in Business

Dionne Malush 26:49

I definitely think we could provide that , and I'm in if you need , if you need a female perspective , because , you know , I grew up here too , in my whole life and many times that I said I was going to leave and I never did so I always saw something special , especially in some of the people that you know that you and I get to meet . There's so many incredible human beings that would do anything for each other , so I'm happy to have you on . Thank you for doing that , and you know , if anyone wants to reach out to you , email you anytime . And also , don't forget , you can keep up with all of our episodes and much more by following us on social media . You can reach out to any of us and you're on Facebook as well , correct ?

Emilio Galis 27:30

Yep , yeah , I'm on Facebook as well , and Instagram .

Dionne Malush 27:33

Oh great , so you can reach out with your stories of personal triumph or success and we'll you know , we would love to hear from you and then we would be able to give you some advice . And you know , I've been in business , I've been self-employed pretty much my entire adult life . I didn't take a job for three years and realized that I knew that I was not made for anybody to tell me what to do . So , that being said , I've been an entrepreneur for a long time and I you know I hope that this is helpful for everyone to know that , no matter what situation you're in , there's always light at the end of the tunnel .