EP# 286: Yoga, PT, and Coffee: Dr. Leah Johnson's Unique Wellness Approach with Second Arrow

What makes Dr. Leah Johnson with The Second Arrow Yoga & Physical Therapy a good neighbor?

Wellness just got a groundbreaking makeover in Richmond, and Dr. Leah Johnson is leading the charge. Her upcoming venture, The Second Arrow, isn't just another business—it's a thoughtfully designed approach to healing that breaks down barriers between rehabilitation and ongoing wellness.

After fifteen years as a yoga teacher, Dr. Johnson's curiosity about the physiological benefits of the practice led her to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. Now, as a board-certified orthopedic specialist for over six years, she's creating something truly unique: a physical therapy clinic, yoga studio, and coffee bar all under one roof in Church Hill. Opening this October, The Second Arrow addresses a critical gap in traditional healthcare. Too often, physical therapy ends with patients being sent home to continue exercises independently, without support or structure. Dr. Johnson's solution integrates affordable yoga classes ($12 drop-in, the lowest in Richmond) as a natural continuation of the healing journey.

Her vision of accessibility extends beyond physical therapy. "Yoga isn't meant to be done once a month on a random day because you can afford it for $25," she explains, challenging what she sees as an elitist trend in yoga pricing. Instead, she's creating a space where regular practice is financially feasible, believing wellness should be sustainable and community-focused.

Dr. Johnson's personal journey is equally compelling. As the first in her family to attend college, she's traveled from rural Iowa to Spain, Costa Rica, and Portland before finding her home in Richmond. Now balancing the demands of three children (including a 14-month-old) with her entrepreneurial vision, she embodies the integration of personal and professional wellness she hopes to inspire in others.

"Let's prevent injury together and create community," she says, summing up a philosophy that places preventative care and human connection at the heart of healing. Ready to experience this innovative approach to wellness? Connect with Dr. Johnson through secondarrowrva.com or follow her active Instagram presence for tips and wellness advice.

To learn more about he Second Arrow Yoga & Physical Therapy go to:

https://www.secondarrowrva.com/

he Second Arrow Yoga & Physical Therapy

804-217-1929

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast live.
So I am very excited today tohave a very special guest in our
studio for the first time, andI'm sure you'll be just as
excited as I am because today Ihave the pleasure of introducing
your good neighbor, dr LeahJohnson, who is the
owner-operator of the SecondArrow.

(00:32):
Dr Leah, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Like I said, we're very excited to learn all about
you and what you do, so if youdon't mind, why don't you kick
us off by telling us about yourbusiness?

Speaker 3 (00:45):
All right.
So I am going to open aphysical therapy clinic, yoga
studio and coffee bar inChurchill in October.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
All right, Very cool.
So a coffee bar, physicaltherapy and yoga, not
necessarily in that order, huh.
That's right, that's very cool.
So what made you think?
What drove you to take thisjourney?

Speaker 3 (01:15):
So I've been a yoga teacher for about 15 years and I
wanted to take it farther.
I wanted to understand the whyof yoga making you feel so much
better physically, mentally,emotionally and so I pursued a

(01:36):
doctor of physical therapybecause I could be independent
with my practice.
So with that I got out of gradschool and then I realized that
I needed to basically get intothe trenches and experience
these injuries and what it meansto be a clinical practitioner.
And now that I have that I'm aboard certified orthopedic

(02:01):
specialist I'm adding the yogaback in and it really fits,
because you do physical therapyand the whole idea is that you
get to know your body, you rehabfrom this injury and then we
boot you out independent andcontinuing to do this on your
own, and that's really hard todo, and so having the yoga

(02:23):
component is a way of offeringpeople an option for continuing
being active in a regular way,safely.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Safely.
That's important.
So, and this is unique, youknow yoga, physical therapy and
coffee, love coffee.
So what are some myths ormisconceptions in the physical
therapy, slash yoga, slashcoffee business?

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Misconceptions.
What do you mean by that?

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Well, some things that people maybe about physical
therapy.
What are some assumptions thatpeople make about physical
therapy?
That or yoga, either one thatyou know maybe isn't necessarily
true.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Well, I was actually just talking to a friend about
that.
So a lot of people, some peopleassociate yoga as being like
this, elitist practice, and youcan kind of see where it comes
from, because the drop in rate,especially in Richmond right now

(03:27):
, for some reason, is twentyfive dollars and I don't know
who can afford that.
It's not me.
So the model is to balance thephysical therapy with the yoga,
and I'm offering the lowest dropin rate in Richmond at $12.
Uh, yoga is meant to be done,not not once a month on a random

(03:50):
day because you can afford itfor $25, right, it's meant to be
done two to three times a weekto keep you active regularly.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Very good.
Well, um, very interesting.
So just got to ask I'veinterviewed other yoga
instructors and do you get?
Do you have goats or kittensinvolved at all?
No, what's funny.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
There's no goats, there are no kittens, but there
is coffee.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
There is coffee, which is awesome.
Yeah, I was interviewing a yogainstructor somewhere and I
asked that question trying to befunny.
I said you know, do you haveany goats in the place?
And she's like no, but we dohave kittens.
Where there's a kitten rescuethat brings like 30 kittens into
the room.
I'm like that would be sodistracting.
I don't think I could do theyoga if there were kittens

(04:45):
everywhere, you know.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
That's amazing.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Anyway, sorry I'm getting off subject here.
So outside of work, dr Leah,what do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (04:59):
For fun.
I am very active, as you canimagine, so I do yoga, I run.
Today I really changed it upand I went swimming and I went
to the gym.
I have three children, so thatdoesn't keep me busy enough.
I have a 14-month-old, a6-year-old and an 11-year-old.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, and a wonderful old Wow yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
And a wonderful Wow.
Well, congratulations, that'sincredible.
So that does keep you busy, I'msure, yeah, and the right
answer for what do you do forfun is always time with family,
right, that's?
That's always the best answer.
So very cool, and running isgood too, and exercise.
So let's switch gears for justa second.

(05:46):
Can you describe a hardship ora life challenge that you've
overcome and how it made youstronger on the other side?

Speaker 3 (05:54):
Let's see, I would say there was quite a few, you
know, going through the Rolodexin my mind.
Let's see, I was the firstperson to go to college, so my
family is very rural, from asmall town in Iowa, iowa, so

(06:26):
yeah, so pursuing myundergraduate degree was a big
deal and then going beyond thatwas a very big deal.
And you know, I haven't had anyexamples in my personal family,
but I've had wonderful friendsfor guidance, but I'm definitely
a learn as you go kind ofperson.
Sure.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
Well, what brought you?
You're in Richmond, right, sowhat brought you to Richmond
from Iowa?

Speaker 3 (06:49):
So I never felt like I quite fit in Iowa and I knew I
was always going to head out,and so I studied abroad.
I lived in Spain for a year orso, I mean, I studied abroad and
then I found a job, and then Istayed, and then, after I
graduated from undergrad, Imoved to Costa Rica because of
an opportunity there, and then Istayed after the opportunity.

(07:11):
I actually lived there for fouryears because I didn't know
where to go, and then, since Iwas around all these West
coasters, I decided to move toPortland, oregon, because I knew
the culture and it was reallygloomy, so don't recommend it.
And so I wanted to go somewherethat was similar to Portland

(07:35):
but had seasons, and so I endedup in Richmond.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Gotcha.
So if, Dr Leah, if you couldthink of one thing that you
would like our listeners toremember about you and the
second era, what would that be?

Speaker 3 (07:53):
One thing that I want them to remember is you know,
let's prevent injury togetherand create community.
Create community, I mean, thewhole idea behind physical
therapy is to basically putyourself out of business to keep

(08:13):
people safe.
You know, enable people to havethe tools for their specific
body and needs to prevent injury, and I'm hoping to do that with
yoga.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
Very cool Presentative medicine Right, yep
, awesome, awesome.
Well, for those of us who areinterested and intrigued and
love coffee and yoga and needphysical therapy, how can we
learn more about what you do andhow to make an appointment or
come see you?

Speaker 3 (08:44):
So you can make an appointment through the website
or you can call me.
The website is second arrowrvacom and instagram as well.
I'm pretty active on there.
I'm always giving tips andadvice and things like that.

Speaker 2 (08:59):
So very cool instagram and second arrow,
rvacom Correct.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
That's right, come on out.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
All right, you guys heard it here straight from the
doc's mouth.
Well, dr Leah, I can't tell youhow much I appreciate you
taking time out of your busyschedule to three kids and and
and what, what, what sounds likethree jobs, but really
appreciate you taking the timeto tell us about what you do.

(09:29):
And what sounds like three jobs, but really appreciate you
taking the time to tell us aboutwhat you do and more about
yourself.
And we wish you and your familyand your practice all the best
moving forward.

Speaker 3 (09:40):
All right, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
Thank you, and maybe we can get you back on the show
sometime in the near future.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, once it's all kicked off.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
There we go.
All right, keep us in the loop.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
All right Thanks.

Speaker 1 (09:57):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.
Music.