November 4, 2025 • 45 mins
Host Will Humphreys welcomes back guests Jared and Afton Egan, co-owners of ERA Physical Therapy, to dive deep into a profound topic: Culture. This isn't just a business conversation, it’s about how the intentional culture you build at work can transform your family life.
Jared and Afton, married for four years and running their successful clinic for over a year and a half, share the foundational elements of their thriving business: their Purpose, Vision, and Values.
Key Takeaways from ERA Physical Therapy's Culture:
- Company Purpose: To make an impact through every ERA of life, treating all ages from infants to the elderly.
- Company Values: Built around the acronym IMPACT (Integrity, Mastery, Professionalism, Accountability, Candid Care, Team), emphasizing a "we are family" approach.
- Vision: Growth-minded, aiming for three clinics in three years, and intentionally hiring "the right people" who align with their values.
- Branding & The Human Element: Afton, with a background in interior design and fashion marketing, details how every element of the clinic's design, messaging, and stellar social media is intentionally built to communicate their core culture, prioritizing the patient's nervous system and overall experience.
- Living the Culture: The Egans share tangible examples, from monthly team gatherings (pickleball!) to connecting with employees weekly, where metrics serve as a measurement of how well they are living their values, not the primary focus. Their true mission is building humans.
- The Slogan: Decisions Determine Destiny, a core belief that actions have a massive impact.
- Family Values: Built on the acronym DESTINY (Discipline, Empathy, Service, Tenacity, Integrity, Nurture, Yield).
- Family Purpose: To "become limitless, not by chance, but by choice."
- Co-Creation & Buy-In: They discuss the pivotal importance of involving their children in co-creating the family's purpose and values, fostering buy-in and allowing the values to become the frame for coaching and holding each other accountable.
- The Core Insight: Will shares a profound realization: a work team is also a blended family of individuals from different backgrounds. The Egans, being "built for building blended families," offer a unique, powerful model for leadership at work and at home. They discuss how setting clear agreements (culture) and not just boundaries is the key to creating lasting bonds and a place everyone can call home.
This is a must-listen for leaders, parents, and anyone striving for alignment between their professional and personal lives. Your work team is a blended family—learn how to lead it like one.
Follow our Instagram for more content like this that resonates your life, business, leadership and health @willpowerproject
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
We care about the rules and doing things the right
way and doing the right thing.
It's part of the connection.
SPEAKER_02 (00:04):
So it creates the boundaries for you.
SPEAKER_04 (00:06):
Yes.
Well, and that we we thosethings are top of mind when we
are building up our our team.
Is yeah.
Um we ask them questions abouttheir personal life and
relationships in the interviewjust to kind of see where
they're at, not justprofessionally, but you know,
just as a well-rounded human.
(00:27):
That is something we're very umaware of and in tune.
They say, what do they say?
They say that 80% of your umwork life success is from your
level of emotional intelligence,and then 20% is based off of
your skill set.
And you can't teach empathy.
You can teach skill, we can wecan get better with that, but
(00:50):
you can't teach empathy.
And so that's something thatwe're very um aware of when we
bring someone into the clinic.
SPEAKER_01 (01:01):
Jared and Afton, thank you so much for being on
the Wheelpower podcast.
It is such a treat to have youcome back.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
It's an honor.
SPEAKER_01 (01:07):
Thank you for having us.
Yeah, so listen, this is apowerful episode because we're
talking about culture.
We're talking about businessculture, family culture.
And for everyone who'slistening, this is a really big
conversation because a lot oftimes we don't even understand
culture from a business angle,much less the family angle.
And that was the greatest lessonI learned was the thing that I
built at my office at work in mymedical office was all about how
(01:29):
it helped my family develop andbecome this special group of
people.
So let's talk about era physicaltherapy.
You've been in business for ayear and a half.
Yep.
You guys have been married forfour years.
You're co-owners, you havemultiple hats in the business.
Tell me about the culture.
Tell me what the foundationalelements are: your purpose, your
vision, your values.
SPEAKER_00 (01:49):
Yeah.
Purpose is to make an impactthrough every era.
Impact is Era of, let's dig onthat real quick.
Through every era of life.
Okay.
You know, we we we try to, youknow, we treat all ages.
We have a pelvic floorspecialist, we have a
neurospecialist, who'sParkinson's, orthopedic, right?
So we we really try to likeanyone, no matter what you're
(02:10):
going through, whatever era oflife you're in, we we want to be
there for you.
I love that.
SPEAKER_01 (02:15):
So you're helping all the different groups.
It kind of reminds me when weworked together in the rural
setting and we just saw lots ofeverything.
SPEAKER_00 (02:21):
That's kind of why I yeah, I liked it.
I I saw everything.
And so I I six-month-oldtorticolist to 98-year-old, you
know, gate and balance.
That we we do it all.
Okay, so that's the purpose.
Values.
Values is impact.
I M P A C T.
So integrity, mastery, uh,professionalism, accountability,
(02:43):
candid care, and team.
And just like you did, we have alittle phrase for each one, you
know.
SPEAKER_01 (02:47):
Dude, that's so cool.
Can you just share briefly oneof those phrases?
SPEAKER_00 (02:51):
Well, you know, team, we are family.
SPEAKER_01 (02:54):
So what it's funny is that I have team in my
current company and we we arefamily.
So like we all created that atRise Rehab together, and it's
fun to see how that value haskind of spread as as we all had
a hand in it.
Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00 (03:06):
That's so cool.
I think you said in the lastpodcast or one of them, RD is uh
rip off and duplicate orsomething like that.
So most of my stuff I've gottenfrom you or Brian Wright or
whatever.
Like that's fine, you know, wejust try to do it and I have to
stop saying that, by the way.
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
RD, I used to say, yeah, I do research and
development, but really itstands for for rip off and
duplicate, and people wouldlaugh.
I've learned that there arepeople who legitimately rip off.
SPEAKER_03 (03:28):
Oh.
SPEAKER_01 (03:29):
And so I have people who've ripped me off, and I'm
like, that's not cool.
I've had someone literally tellme, like, oh, I'm stealing that
from you.
SPEAKER_03 (03:34):
Oh gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (03:35):
And you're like, there is a so like there is I
heard it best where it's like,you know, with permission, we
learn from others, and but it'slike not as funny as rip-off and
you know, but so like in thatcase, yeah, it's not ripping off
by any means.
But I love that you have thosevalues.
Uh, vision.
SPEAKER_00 (03:50):
Vision, three clinics in three years.
SPEAKER_01 (03:52):
So and you've been in business for a year and a
half and you have one verysuccessful clinic.
SPEAKER_00 (03:56):
Yeah.
So we're hoping to open a secondone next year.
We're trying to find the who,right?
We want, we, we who who is gonnabe that person who wants to grow
with us, who has that samevision, who wants to kind of
help us build.
We have an amazing team and youknow, aspiring like leaders and
clinic directors who might maybetake on those clinics, but
either way, like we're agrowth-minded company and we're
(04:19):
looking for people who are.
SPEAKER_01 (04:20):
Well, you guys don't struggle with hiring.
I mean, you're turning downpeople because they're not the
right people.
Right.
So you're really beingintentional about making sure
you find the right people, andthat's go that goes into brand.
You know, the foundationalcultural element is your
purpose, vision, and values.
Brand, as we all know, is theability to communicate that
through our messaging, throughour design, our coloring,
(04:42):
everything to really help peopleunderstand who we are.
Afton, this is where you come inon steroids.
Your gift is is how to take thatcultural element and communicate
that into a brand.
Can you tell a little bit aboutwhat you helped build at ERA so
that people who are listeningare like can be checking their
own brand against their purpose,vision, and values?
SPEAKER_04 (05:00):
Yeah.
Um, so my background um is ininterior design and fashion
marketing.
So I am already a very creativethinker and taking on um, you
know, creating this business.
That was something that was veryexciting to me was to um stretch
my abilities in, you know, thehealthcare um sector.
(05:23):
So I was very excited.
Um, I very much am able to gointo a space and um put myself
in the situation of a provideror a patient.
Um I can imagine the story and Ican pull exactly what you're
gonna need.
Um, and that's kind of what whatI did.
SPEAKER_01 (05:45):
Um give me an example because I went into your
clinic.
I said this on the last episode,but going into your first
location was like no experienceI've ever had.
I felt like I couldn't put wordsto it, but I felt yeah very
intentionally what you wereputting out there.
So give me just one example ofsomething you put into your
brand, meaning let's look atdesign of your clinic from a
perspective first, of what youdid from a design perspective
(06:08):
that helped communicate thepurpose, vision, or values.
SPEAKER_04 (06:11):
Gosh, I mean, even just visually, um, there is a
there's a science to when youwalk into a space, um, your
nervous system is going to bemuch more calm if you are not
stressed out and overstimulatedby all different things, messes,
um, smells that maybe don'tsmell good if it's too warm.
(06:33):
Um, so there's very much ascience to making a space be
fully functional to wheresomeone's gonna have a good
experience.
Um I think just visuallystructure structurally, um the
majority of our um branding isall um the same color concept.
(06:56):
Um we use the same verbiage, weuse the same fonts.
Interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (07:01):
What's a what's some verbiage you guys use?
SPEAKER_04 (07:03):
Um like even just in um like our social media stuff,
there's a lot of things that allum I cater a lot to like the
millennial um humor.
And people really um resonatewith that.
They really like it.
SPEAKER_01 (07:20):
Well, you're younger, both of you guys are
younger.
You're your who your who's areare gonna be younger.
These are these individuals whoare highly committed and driven,
and and they're looking for thatheart of a company.
So you're designing you'reyou're designing that literally
with the purpose, vision, andvalues in mind.
And in your messaging, I'm gladyou brought up your social media
because you run the social mediapart of your page.
(07:40):
You have some of the best socialmedia of any PT company I've
ever seen.
And you're small, like you'rebetter than most larger, all
larger companies.
I've never seen a largerphysical therapy practice run
any social media as good as youguys.
So anyone who's listening, gofollow era physical therapy on
Instagram, I know for sure.
Is there TikTok?
(08:01):
Are there any channels that youdon't like put content on?
Are you on YouTube and thosethings?
On YouTube, Facebook, yeah.
Oh, okay.
You chimed in as partners.
That was really cute.
Okay, so very good.
Um, so we talked a little bitabout that culture.
How do you guys live yourculture at Era?
And then I'd like to transitionthis a little bit into the
family side of things, but howdo you guys live that at Era?
SPEAKER_00 (08:22):
Yeah.
Well, you talk about the cultureis what it feels like on Sunday
night, you know, that thatfeeling you get.
And so we we do monthlygatherings.
We played pickleball last monthand we were playing pickleball
the Saturday morning againbecause we had so much fun.
SPEAKER_01 (08:37):
Um We are family, that's your car, that's your
value.
SPEAKER_00 (08:40):
Yeah, exactly.
Um historically we rotate whosehouse it's at, yeah.
And then we do like a potluck orsomething, we all bring
something, so it's not you knowtoo much stress on one person to
like host, you know, and it'snormally just chill.
We just want to be together.
We just like being together.
SPEAKER_02 (08:56):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (08:56):
And we work well together, we help each other.
It's it's it's really amazing.
It's and we talk about what doesit feel like to be a patient.
Um, I I think I was reading abook and it was talking about
the airlines.
It might have been Simon Sinek,actually.
He was talking about you go andyou say, Hey, I need to change
my flight, and they say, Oh,nope, sorry, too bad.
Your your type your type ofticket doesn't allow for that.
(09:18):
Have a nice day.
SPEAKER_02 (09:19):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (09:20):
And and or you go to another place and you say, I'd
like to change my flight, andthey say, Absolutely, let me see
what I can do.
No, I've not seen.
I can't, I'm not let me call mymanager one second.
I'm so sorry.
I did everything I could.
I really wanted to get you onthat flight to me to you know to
do X, Y, or Z.
We couldn't do it.
Now you feel like I want to flywith this airline again, even
(09:42):
though the outcome is the same.
You know, so how can we make ourpatients feel like they matter,
like their experience matters,and from when they walk in, what
they smell, what they hear, whatthey see, how they feel.
What does it feel like to be apatient?
You know, we might not always beable to get the exact time you
want, but we're sure gonna try.
We'll we'll move things around,we'll do whatever we can.
Like, you know, everything,every single aspect of their
(10:05):
care from from the first call totheir discharge, what does it
feel like to leave?
You know, you get a shirt, youget a picture, you you know, we
do all these things and we wantto see you again, come back to
see us, we call you again inthree months.
How are you doing?
You know, yeah.
What does it feel like to be apatient with us?
What does it feel like to be anemployee?
You're gonna get a welcomebasket from Afton, you know,
(10:25):
typically we we try to do like alittle welcome gift for them.
SPEAKER_01 (10:28):
Well, you guys brought me a welcome.
SPEAKER_00 (10:29):
Right in a kitchen, you know, you your your
anniversary is gonna becelebrated.
We want we care about uh you andyour life.
I have weekly connectionmeetings.
We talk about numbers becausethat's how they measure how well
we're living our values.
But ultimately it's like what'swhat's the affinity we have for
each other?
What's uh is there a connectionthere?
How are you doing?
You know, if something's notgoing well, it's I don't have to
(10:52):
like come down on someone andhold them accountable.
It's what's going on and how canI support you?
unknown (10:57):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (10:57):
Because at the end of the day, it comes down to
building humans.
I think that's what makes yourculture so strong is that you're
committed to the human elementof the business.
And you're not, you know, Ithink people really mess this up
in healthcare in particular,that by focusing on the human
element, they tend to overlookthe metrics.
You know, no money, no mission,no purpose, no profits.
(11:21):
Yeah.
Like you have to have both inplace, and so you do.
You you're very big onunderstanding what profitability
looks like.
I I love how you guys train yourpeople about that.
It's just I think the differenceis it's not the it's not the
primary focus, it's ameasurement to the focus, which
is building human beings, right?
Yeah.
And how have you seen that in inthe company, Afton, from your
perspective?
Like as someone who's an owner,you're really supporting
(11:44):
administratively a lot of thesethings.
How do you know your employeesare connecting to the culture?
Like what signs do you see fromthem that tell you, you know
what, this is working?
SPEAKER_04 (11:52):
Yeah.
Um I mean, just their overalldemeanor.
I think um, yeah, their how theyinteract with each other, how
they interact with the patients,um, how they interact with me.
I think um there's somethingspecial about yes, we are
(12:13):
husband and wife, we worktogether, we're on the same
team, but at work, I mean, I'mI'm an employee and I'm I'm one
of you guys.
And so, and that's how I want itto feel and make sure that
that's how it feels.
So there's a lot of times that Ijust get to kind of hang out
with the employees because I amone.
Um, and they go to Jared forboss things, they don't come to
(12:36):
me for that.
Um, and it's yeah, I think theyare very comfortable in that,
um, very comfortable andgrateful for um the environment
and that translates to theirtheir patient care.
SPEAKER_01 (12:53):
That's so cool.
I love how you say that too.
I think that's a powerfulreflection of your brand and
your culture that you as anowner are an employee in that
role.
If people understood thatconcept better, they would be a
lot less offended at work asowners and leaders.
It's like, hey, we're allequals.
Yeah, we're all equals.
I think in healthcare theproblem is usually they put
their employees above themalmost because they're so scared
(13:14):
of them leaving that they'lllike cater to them in a way
that's not good for thebusiness.
But in your case, there'sequality.
And you sense that uh you knowyou answer the question
powerfully because it's like,yeah, one of the reasons you
know it's great is becauseyou're an employee, you're
receiving, you're an experienceof the culture, not just a
creator of it.
SPEAKER_03 (13:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:31):
There's two things I look at when I kind of think
about measuring this.
It's one, how willing they areto do things outside of work.
SPEAKER_01 (13:38):
Okay, so this is how you measure cultures.
SPEAKER_00 (13:40):
That's how I like to measure.
Are they, uh I can't, I can'treally make it, you know, or are
they like, no, I'm there.
Are they planning it?
Are they volunteering to be thehost that month?
Yeah.
Are they excited for it?
Are they talking about it withpatients?
You know, that's that's kind oflike one of the one of the
signs.
The the other one that I liketoo is you're very humorous and
(14:01):
use humor a lot with withdifferent things.
How willing are they to likejoke around and just be like
themselves?
Silly.
Silly.
SPEAKER_01 (14:08):
Or whatever.
SPEAKER_00 (14:09):
Yeah.
Like can do I I mean, candidcare is one of our values and
being yourself, right?
You yours was freedom to beyourself.
Yeah, are they just able toprovide care in a way that feels
like they're able to bethemselves and give the value
that they want to, you know, topatients and show up
authentically?
And if they feel like I'm like,okay, Bruce, you know, he's one
(14:29):
of our employees, one of ourtechs, he's he's really coming
out of his shell.
You know, he's very quiet atfirst, and you can just tell,
like, now you know, we'retalking smack about pickleball
this Saturday.
SPEAKER_04 (14:39):
Well, and he's younger, he's 21.
Yeah.
21.
Yeah, and um just on on a break,I was talking to him about like
his his dating life, and thatwas so fun for me.
You know, just just to I mean,and we're going back and forth,
and we're talking about Riz andyou know, all the things, but
yeah, um, makes me feel veryold.
(14:59):
But um I I love that I I reallydo love um who we work with, and
we really have built a family,but so very fun.
SPEAKER_01 (15:09):
This is so cool.
Let me ask you this as kind of aprobing question, because I've
seen this before, where peoplebecome so familiar with their
team that the culture goes frombeing family-oriented to almost
like to casual.
Does that make sense?
So, how do you navigate thatrelationship of hey, we are
close and you matter to me andand the human element, and we're
(15:32):
here to get a job and hit ourmetrics and you know what I
mean, and do correction andtraining?
How do you navigate that?
SPEAKER_00 (15:39):
Well, I think I have time set aside.
I have space for each having asuccess plan.
We call them battle plans,right?
Like this is where our metricsare at, this is where we're
doing, and if and if we're allhitting those and we're all
happy, like we, you know, itlike I said, it doesn't they're
coming to me to kind of say,this is what didn't go well, and
this is what I'm doing to fixit, right?
This is what the plan is forthis week.
(16:00):
So that is on top of mind, andthat's how we measure how well
we're living our values.
So that's that's all part of it,and it's not and this or that,
it's both, right?
SPEAKER_01 (16:10):
Interesting.
So you just make sure that thosetwo things are in check.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (16:13):
Well, and we we talk about it constantly.
If if there we we have pinkelephants in our monthly
meetings, um, but if there'sthings that are maybe um off on
the floor or or things that wewant to change in in that area,
I mean we talk about them.
We are very transparent.
We talk about it so we canchange it.
(16:35):
Um and yeah, maybe if um weweren't doing something like as
um strict as we were, you know,the month before we we talk
about it and we have a plan.
And it just feels like there's abasis level of respect and
professionalism that everyone onthe team already comes with.
(16:57):
It just feels like you can't I Idon't know, you can't teach
that.
SPEAKER_00 (17:02):
You can you can you know say, okay, here are the
expectations and and everything,but it's like part of our values
is integrity, like trust to dothe right thing.
Like the the right thing is byfollowing the handbook as it's
written, or by you know, beingaccountable and you can count on
me, all these things we talkabout.
That's that's all part of ourvalues.
(17:23):
And so, you know, Conchetta isone of our PTs who's also kind
of becoming like our kind of ourcompliance officer.
Yeah, she's very she's veryloves the rules, she's doing our
like annual compliance checksright now and just has taken
that on, you know, just becauseshe she enjoys it and it's
trying to help free me up alittle bit.
So like we we care about therules and doing things the right
way and doing the right thing.
(17:44):
That's part of the complexity.
So it creates the boundaries foryou.
SPEAKER_04 (17:47):
Yes.
Well, and that we we thosethings are top of mind when we
are building up our our team isyeah, um, we ask them questions
about their personal life andrelationships in the interview
just to kind of see wherethey're at, not just
professionally, but you know,just as a well-rounded human.
(18:08):
That is something we're very umaware of and in tune.
They say, what do they say?
They say that 80% of your umwork life success is from your
level of emotional intelligence,and then 20% is based off of
your skill set, and you can'tteach empathy.
You can teach skill, we can wecan get better with that, but
(18:31):
you can't teach empathy.
And so that's something thatwe're very um aware of when we
bring someone into the clinic,um, and we it's it's a
collaborative thing.
How did everybody feel?
Did they did they fit in on thefloor?
Did they, you know, are they agood fit?
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:49):
That's that's cool that you're leveraging your
values.
The way you answered thequestion, the way I heard that
question of how do you filterbetween that personal without
being casual kind of level, isthat it goes back to your values
again.
So you have it built into yourvalues and you hire to that.
So that sets the stage for you.
Yeah.
And it's less about like, youknow, controlling the
environment for them versushiring the right people to help
(19:11):
you build the right environmentso that it's both personal and
professional.
And that's cool.
I I think for me, as a parent,especially of an adult sons now,
I've got two sons now andthey're and they're grown, is
that they're young adults.
It's like the idea of being forthem to work in an environment
like that is like the coolestthought because this generation
(19:32):
is under attack in a way that noother generation has.
Social media and cell phoneshave created it so that
companies like yours thatactually hire and focus on
millennials or Gen Zers, or whoare they?
Are they Gen Zers?
I don't know.
Like, what am I?
I'm a Gen X.
Gen X, okay.
Or am I a boomer?
I don't know.
But like that, like those twoyounger generations, they they
(19:52):
need that connection.
So the having a culture thathelps them come out of their
skin or whatever it's what's thephrase?
Come out of their shell, thankyou.
When they're to have a culturethat helps them come out of
shell, like you were saying withsome of your employees, it might
be the first time they've everdone it.
It might be the first timethey've even like seen
themselves without a shell.
SPEAKER_03 (20:13):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:13):
And so as since I brought up parenting, let's now
shift over to the Egan home andthe culture that you guys have
built at home.
So you're you were saying beforewe hit record that you guys have
developed a family purpose.
Yeah.
So first of all, tell me why didyou do that?
And then let's talk about whatthe purpose is.
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
Well, at the three-day MBA that Brian Wright
hosted, you spoke there and youtalked about culture.
SPEAKER_02 (20:38):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (20:38):
And that was all familiar to me and something I
de care deeply about.
But you said the purpose of thisis so that you can then
replicate it in your own home.
And you kind of gave, maybe notdirectly, but I took it as a
challenge to implement that intomy own home, right?
Of course you did.
And and wanted to come up withour own family, you know,
especially since we are ablended family, right?
SPEAKER_01 (21:00):
We have tell tell everyone your history, like in
terms of your blend.
SPEAKER_00 (21:03):
Yeah.
So I have I have three children.
She has one children.
Ranger has uh spina bifidaspecial needs.
Um so we've both been previouslymarried, and we have four kids
in four different schools.
And their ages?
Seven, nine, ten, twelve.
Yes.
Yeah, so four kids in fourdifferent schools.
SPEAKER_01 (21:21):
It's good it gets four different schools, there's
other, you know, there's otherparents in the world.
SPEAKER_04 (21:24):
Yeah, co-parents and yeah, different, yeah, different
moms, different, there'sdifferent dynamics, and um I
don't remember what I was gonnasay.
SPEAKER_00 (21:34):
Well, being a step parent can be difficult.
There's things that you don'tsee on social media or you don't
know about, or each dynamic isdifferent.
And so having uh something thatunifies you as a family with
different values, different, youknow, especially when they go to
the other house sometimes,right?
Or they go to school, they go toyou know, they need something
that kind of unifies them andhas like lays the framework.
SPEAKER_01 (21:56):
So just like a company, something that would
connect people coming fromvarious backgrounds, more
various than typical, right?
Like they're coming in, uh, likebecause when people be higher,
there's different cultures fromthe homes they come from.
Yeah, you know, the people mightbe aligned, but there's other
people in their world who aren'tgonna necessarily be aligned.
So you've got that whole dynamicof trying to create a culture so
that they feel connected andunified.
SPEAKER_04 (22:17):
Yeah, yeah.
There's a sign in our we have aloft and it's like the kid area.
Um there's a sign that I gotwhen we were very first married,
and very intentionally I put itin that area, um, and it just
says, Come as you are.
Um, and that really stuck out tome, and I really wanted it for
this concept.
(22:38):
I wanted it to really um hithome knowing that these kids are
going to different places, theyare from different DNA, we don't
have any um like ours kids.
There's nothing to unify usother than we are all in the
same space sometimes.
Um and really just being verymindful of they are all so
(22:59):
different.
Um, and we will not parent themall the same.
We don't you can't parent themall the same, but how can we be
aligned in all having the samegoal?
Um you're all welcome here,you're all different, um, but we
all have the same goal, andthat's what is what is well,
what is our job as parents,right, or as leaders is to make
(23:21):
more leaders.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
Right.
So we wanted to make sure thatthey have some sort of system or
or value base that they can goout and become independent,
yeah.
They're set up for success.
Whatever they want to do intheir lives.
We love them, we're gonnasupport them, whatever that
might look like, that's fine.
But like you're gonna be you'regonna excel and do great and and
and do that thing really well.
And so um, when we got married,actually, we came up with the
(23:45):
slogan decisions determinedestiny.
Because one swipe, one phonecall, one whatever it is, right?
Can you know one job fairmeeting you changed my entire
destiny, right?
And so um really can make amassive impact.
So we started our little familymeeting out with that of talking
about that.
Was our slogan, and we've talkedabout that, and why that
(24:07):
matters, and how we're gonnacreate a family purpose that
reflects our values.
And so I kind of came up with wekind of came up with the values
together.
And the values, as you know, Ilike acronyms, is destiny.
SPEAKER_02 (24:20):
Oh, cool.
SPEAKER_00 (24:21):
Right?
So discipline, empathy, service,uh, tenacity, uh, integrity,
nurture, and yield.
And so we talk about you know,faith and spiritual, it kind of
covers everything that we reallywanted to instill them with, and
they helped us come up with thepurpose, which is kind of fun.
(24:44):
The purpose is to becomelimitless, not by chance, but by
choice.
Whoa.
Right?
SPEAKER_04 (24:51):
Yeah, we love that because there's also we preach,
you know, accountability andchoices and all these things
because we're a blended family,because there are, you know, it
would be very, very easy tolimit ourselves or have our
children grow up and be like,oh, well, I I had a really hard
time doing this, so I'm not goodat that.
I had a really hard time in mychildhood, so I'm not good at
(25:14):
that.
We we we don't we don'tsubscribe to that.
So we are, yeah, definitelywanted to preach the aspect of,
you know, yeah, you're in chargeof, you know, your decisions to
determine your destiny if youwant to be successful.
You're gonna be successful, butyou have to put in the work you
need to do it.
SPEAKER_03 (25:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (25:32):
Um, and it was so cute.
They're all different ages, andyou know, we're all having the
same meeting, same conversation,but their little personalities
and ages come out in differentways, and they're all
internalizing this entireconcept differently.
But um, we were talking about,yeah, we came up with the
limitless, and then Skyler, um,our 12-year-old, he's like,
(25:55):
Limitless, let's go.
Like, and he was like reallylike jazzed about it.
SPEAKER_00 (25:59):
Like it resonated, yeah, like aligned with like
what they what all the thingsthat we were talking about and
what we were really wanting forthem in their life, right?
I can't do that.
No, I'm having trouble with it,right?
How can we do it?
How you're putting a limit onyourself, right?
So, how do we how do we do that?
Well, I could do this, this, andthis.
And that's been already thislast you know few weeks.
We've okay, Joelle, you know, isthat how we live our values,
(26:24):
right?
SPEAKER_01 (26:25):
So that's how you're living them at home.
That's how we coach them atwork.
But that you're using that,you're using that reference as
the frame for coaching yourkids, which is the ultimate goal
as a parent, is to be theircoach, right?
So you're coaching them throughthe values, is that are we
living our values?
SPEAKER_04 (26:40):
Well, and and we're all bought into it.
We all came up with itcollectively, and I think in the
workplace that's also somethingthat's been so special and
powerful because we are, yes, wehad a company to start with, but
we're also growing a company andwe're bringing people along in
that process.
And so they're they're boughtinto it as well.
So it like at home with our kidswhen they are involved in okay,
(27:02):
what are our values?
What are we all um, you know,um, we're all accountable to
each other?
The same thing at work becausethey're you know on the front
lines doing that with us too,since we're a younger clinic and
all those things.
So there's that naturalbought-in, you know, buy-in, I
guess.
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
How important was the you mentioned, Afton, that
the they were co-creating itwith you, and that had something
to do with their buy-in.
How significant was that in bothat work and at home?
How significant was theco-creation phase part of their
buy-in?
SPEAKER_04 (27:35):
Um I think depending on the I guess the providers
that are you talking about forwork or for at home?
Yes, okay.
For our just thinking of ourspecific providers, um, we asked
them point blank when they camein to interview, um, how did you
find us?
What what are you looking for?
(27:57):
Um, where are they at in theirum in their career?
What are they needing a changeor are they wanting to just
start?
And we it it's definitelycurated to, you know, we have
different growth models andthey're individual, you know,
okay, what you could you couldgo down this path as you know, a
partner, you could go down thispath, where where do you see
(28:18):
yourself fitting in?
Um and so we ask those questionsand and give them a visual in
those first initial meetings togo, okay, um, if you're an era,
there's a there's a let's see ifthere's a place for you, um, you
know, and let's go over thesethings and we help them
visualize that.
We help them go forward.
SPEAKER_01 (28:37):
Okay, it's already built.
See, in that case, I'm sure likethere was a co-creation process
at the beginning, but it wasmostly you two, and then they're
coming in and you're helpingthem see what's been built, but
how they could build themselvesin it.
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (28:47):
So they're yeah, they're they're going through
the process that we built.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
And with the kids, you actually had them contribute
to the creation of the purpose,vision, and values to some
degree.
I'm sure you guided most of it.
Right.
But um, I'm uh do you think thatwas big for them to buy into
your family culture to helpcreate?
SPEAKER_00 (29:04):
Oh, it's it's been like because the the first few
times we've started to have tocorrect based off of the values,
and so right now it's still kindof new and fresh and fun, but
it's esoteric where they don'treally understand how their
day-to-day actions are reallytying to the values.
So when I say, Okay, Joelle, wasthat, you know, was that, you
know, a value-based was thataligned with our values?
SPEAKER_01 (29:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:26):
You know, we have a saying for each of our values.
Okay, does that fall under that?
Is what you did, is that no?
Okay.
So what could you have donebetter, right?
Or, you know, Skyler, we talkedabout nurture, taking care of
yourself, nurturing yourself andmaking sure you are taking care
of yourself.
That was one of the things.
He goes to the gym with me everyday at 5 a.m.
Yeah.
And so part of that is okay,this is how it's ties into the
value, or even to how you dress,how you show up for school.
(29:49):
You know, now we're starting toshow them how these things
really tie in and why theymatter, and connecting it to the
real world and how these livingthese values will help them
become limitless.
This, not by chance, but bychoice.
And it's their choice.
And they were part of that.
And it's their decisions.
SPEAKER_04 (30:06):
Yeah.
And I think specifically becausewe're a blended family, this is
like my favorite part of thiswhole concept.
I have a really hard time as astepmom.
Um, it is not at all what Ithought it would be.
I was already a mom, and in my,you know, rose-colored glasses,
I'm like, okay, well, I'm justgonna go from one kid to four
and it's like more kids.
(30:26):
Yeah, I'm gonna think, I'm gonnafeel the same way about
everyone, and it's gonna befine.
That's not how it is.
And if someone tells you thatthey're they're lying or they're
lying to themselves, that's Ican't, I'm not physically
capable of feeling the same wayabout my stepchildren as I do
about my son, and vice versa.
They can't, they don't have thatloyalty and you know, bond with
(30:48):
me.
So um, what's been really,really helpful in our situation
um with this concept and havingthem involved in that, I mean,
it kind of gives it it kind oftakes the pressure off of me as
like not as a as a step parentand not like you're not my
parent.
(31:08):
Okay, well, you're not, you'renot, it's not that you're not
following my rules.
You're we made these rules.
Yeah, we made these together.
Right.
And so, and so it and then itempowers me because I don't I
don't like to be involved in thelike disciplining.
I don't I sure I don't like thatat all.
And so it's very, it's it's anatural, you know, thing to have
(31:30):
and to be able to say that towhere we can have problem
solving and like grow and getbetter, and there's not this
building of resentment goinglike, gosh, like she's so
annoying, like you know, or I'mlike, why won't he listen to me?
It and it's not personal, it'swe we built this together, you
know.
SPEAKER_01 (31:48):
And so it's okay that we don't come from the same
people, and it's okay, you know,because it's not about this
organizational dynamic that islike one size fits all.
It's about teamwork.
Right.
It's like we as a team are allequals.
There's obviously authoritativedifferences in companies or at
home, but when we all co-createand agree that this is what we
stand for and this is what'sbest for the group, then it's
(32:11):
less about um individual, liketop-down control or discipline,
and more about groupaccountability.
Right.
Because then you're an equalmember of the team and you're
able that's it's so funny.
All the business books that areout there that talk about
businesses, using that as aparallel of how when companies
get really successful, it'sbecause the group holds each
other accountable.
SPEAKER_03 (32:31):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (32:32):
And the leaders are the coaches.
Like they're they're they're theones who ultimately make some
bigger decisions that impacteveryone, but they're gonna do
it in a way that aligns withwhat everyone's agreed to for
the purpose, vision, and values.
So I can really see that being asupport for you in a very
inspiring way.
And isn't it an interestingperspective that a work family
(32:53):
is also a blended family?
SPEAKER_06 (32:55):
Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_01 (32:56):
At its core, everyone was everyone has a
different mom and dad.
Right.
They're all coming in withdifferent expectations, but when
they show up to ERA, they canchoose family through your
values.
That's one of your values, andchoose to make that a place
where they will call it a home.
And then they can hold eachother accountable as long as
there's that culture uh that'sdeveloped.
(33:17):
What an interesting thought.
Yeah.
As you guys have done that.
And I'm I'm honestly like, I'mI'm kind of having like this
stroke right now as I'm thinkingabout all these things.
I can't even think of any of thequestions for you guys right
now.
But like, I'm just like sittingin that space of the parallels
between the two and howbeautiful it is.
SPEAKER_04 (33:34):
Yeah, that, yeah, that's really interesting too.
Cause it we talked to beforeabout when before we were
filming about just you weresaying how Jared and I, our life
is on paper, it's it's hard.
It's a it's a challenge, butwe're built for it.
Yeah.
And so just going back to thatthought of, you know, I'm having
that realization right now too,like, oh my gosh, you're you're
right.
(33:54):
We blended a family at homefirst, and that that was hard,
that was a challenge, it stillis, but we were very, we're very
seasoned in that andwell-versed, and then we blended
a family and started a business.
And it there's they're separatebut so connected.
SPEAKER_01 (34:11):
Yeah, it's interesting because I remember
this happened recently, even,but I've had employees over the
years tell me, well, whatmatters to me is is my family.
And so I'm sorry that you know,this is getting too hard for me
because what matters is myfamily, not work.
And there's definitely truth tothat statement, but what I'd
never appreciated about that wastheir choosing to delineate as
(34:32):
very un very different and veryunvaluable or valuable.
Whereas for me, it's like I havefor me at Rise with Jared, I had
my my family at home that Iturned into a team, and I had my
team at work that I chose toalso be a family.
SPEAKER_03 (34:48):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (34:48):
And so that was always really challenging for
me.
I think what's cool about whatyou guys are bringing to the
table is that you you live theblended family, you blend you
live that blended family life24-7.
SPEAKER_06 (35:00):
Right.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (35:01):
You know what I mean?
It's it's it's all your family.
And so your employees get accessto something with leaders that
they wouldn't get anywhere elsebecause of the fact that you
have such strong uh standardsand values, and that you are
experts, you were built forbuilding blended families.
And that's the thing I said atthe end of selling rise rehab
for me was that the best benefitof that experience was that I
(35:25):
learned how to take a team atwork and turn them into a family
so that I could take my familyat home and turn them into a
team.
And you guys are just bouncingbetween those dynamics 24-7.
So even though there'sdefinitely some complexities, to
put that mildly, in the worldthat you live, what a beautiful
thing that it is that you'reexperts at it.
And that no one does it the waythat you two do.
(35:48):
You didn't have to.
SPEAKER_00 (35:50):
Well, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01 (35:52):
It's if you had to, that's what life is.
But you know what I mean?
You had a choice.
SPEAKER_00 (35:57):
Well, we're all blended family, right?
I mean, when you two peoplemeet, they're not, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (36:01):
That's true, right?
SPEAKER_00 (36:02):
It's it's all blended in that way, right?
And when you have an outwardmindset and you're viewing
people as people and and how wehow we can get through life as a
as a you know, global team, youknow, how do we help people and
give and make an impact and giveback and accomplish whatever our
purpose is?
SPEAKER_01 (36:23):
Yeah.
Are you gonna say something elseon that?
I want to chime in to say, youknow, taking this concept of
we're all a blended family isprobably one of the most pivotal
thoughts that humanity couldmake.
But what if we all saw it likethat?
I think one of the benefits ofof religion, you know,
(36:43):
especially ones that tie to likea paternal and maternal
experience, like you know, thatwe're all children of God, is
that that makes us all siblingsand then we're all part of the
same eternal family, right?
And I think that's wherereligion gets it right really
well, is this idea of like we'reall related to each other.
I think we tend to forget thatwhen it comes to the dynamics of
(37:05):
our life, because you know, andand I think this is a common one
too.
I have friends at my age who arewho have kids getting married.
And I love that you said thatwe're all blended families.
Like when you marry someoneelse, it's a blended family.
And I'm like, oh yeah, I am I'ma part of a blended family.
I I remember and so my friendswho have kids that are getting
married, they're going throughthe challenges of other parents
(37:26):
who are influencing not just themarriage, but the grandkids now.
And like there's all these likedramatic things, but the problem
lies in the fact that they seeit as separate.
And you know, I have in-laws whoin the past at least have felt
very separated, like this is myfamily, you guys are my in-laws.
But what if we were all onefamily?
(37:47):
That's a choice.
Going back to your value ofchoosing a family.
SPEAKER_04 (37:50):
Yeah, it's all a yeah, it's all a mindset.
I think um, I think boundariesare so powerful and so crucial.
Um, and I think there's a lot ofstigma on boundaries being um
maybe overused or a negativething.
And I think yeah, and that's Ithink that even sometimes I can
(38:12):
kind of rest on that.
And and if I'm feelingoverwhelmed by the dynamic, I'm
not feeling a connection withour group um at home.
Um, I can just naturally kind ofcrawl back into my shell and you
know, put up a boundary, but usethat term and go, okay, well,
um, I don't have to do that.
(38:33):
It's a boundary.
I'm I'm a little triggered.
Um, and that's something I thinkthat is important to note that,
you know, is yes, we are all,you know, a blended family, um,
and not to rest on those terms,um, but to push through them and
use it to better, you know,better your situation.
SPEAKER_01 (38:54):
So that over time the blended just drops off.
Right.
And it just becomes family.
And and it's not the samedynamic, you know, maternal,
paternal roles exist in everyorganization.
I've had more than one employeethat I felt like was a son or
daughter, right?
In a sense, so to speak.
But at the end of the day, it'snot the same.
SPEAKER_06 (39:11):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (39:12):
And it's true.
When we become grandparents,that shifts as well.
And there's just that dynamic.
But I've noticed, I've seen, Ithink we all have examples of
people who have, um, forexample, a divorced friend of
mine is super like remarried,and they're and the his ex-wife
is remarried, and they're notbest friends, they don't
vacation together, but theyco-parent like a boss, and
(39:35):
there's love.
There's like common connectionof love.
Like they show up at the kidevents and they socialize.
And how are you?
And very in, you know, that'srare.
It's very rare.
It is, it is.
Um, but it and but kind of goingback to what you guys build at
Era and in the Egan home, isthat's what you're building,
though, is this thing calledchoice.
It's it everyone has to agree toit.
(39:56):
So boundaries are important.
I think the other thing I wantto throw in there is agreements.
I feel like in home or at work,having personal boundaries is
like my personal limits of whatI'm a floor, which I won't pass
through.
Like these are things I won'ttolerate, or I just I need
space.
Agreements are what you guysbuilt with your culture.
(40:17):
We agree that these valuesmatter.
We agree that we can hold eachother accountable.
So it's not just mom, dad,stepmom, stepdad, it's brother,
sister, step-sibling.
They can all hold each otheraccountable.
And I think that creates thebinds that last, right?
Um, can we talk about vision?
Like, I know what your visionhas a era.
You mentioned beforehand that,like, hey, we all have the same
(40:39):
goal.
What's the egan, what's the egangoal?
What's the vision for thefamily?
It doesn't have to be welldefined.
I'm just curious, what do youguys want to do?
SPEAKER_00 (40:49):
I mean, our purpose is to become limitless.
I think that's part of ourvision, is we we we we we
foresee these kids not needingus.
SPEAKER_04 (40:58):
Yeah, that I'm not gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_00 (40:59):
We want them to be independent leaders, is is kind
of the the the vision, right?
And the purpose, right?
So um and and I don't we I don'tthink we've really fleshed that
out and what that looks like orwhat that feels like, and uh,
you know, because it's soindependent to them and what
they want to do.
SPEAKER_01 (41:15):
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (41:16):
But I think if we accomplish our purpose and they
become limitless, you know, intheir own ways, I think that's
you know, powerful.
SPEAKER_04 (41:25):
Yeah, and I think it's for us, we yeah, we haven't
um pounded out like the detailsum of it, but it's more so um
just understanding that we're ablended family, understanding
where each individual, child andadult has come from with seeing
different walks of life and whatare possible um limitations or
(41:47):
issues that could come up andkind of just attacking those
like preemptively and going,okay, um, we can see that
there's a tendency to maybe be alittle dishonest in this area.
Sure.
How can we, you know, how can weattack that right now so that
doesn't bleed into in 10 yearsin their relationship or they
maybe don't listen to um, youknow, there's there's a hard
(42:11):
time with respect with with theboss employee dynamic.
You know, I'm very mindful ofbuilding little um adults that
are happy and successful inlife.
Like when they leave the nest,have we done everything that we
could?
Do they have are they perfect?
No.
Are they gonna do thingsperfectly?
No.
But have we taught them?
(42:32):
Um, do they have the lessons andall the tools in their tool belt
to go out and cope with life andto still grow and be successful
and not have major setbacks?
SPEAKER_00 (42:43):
So I think that's so that no matter what comes their
way, yeah, no matter what.
SPEAKER_04 (42:48):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (42:49):
And it's again, as you guys talk, I just see that
beautiful balance between thehome and and work where when
we're invested in in people andtheir long-term success, we want
them to be happy.
It's like if we no matter whatthe vision is articulated to be,
we want our people to be happy.
And that's what I heard you guyssay.
You want them to be independent,which I think is a key factor in
that phrase.
Independently happy.
(43:10):
Like they aren't codependent,they're not needing something or
someone.
They are enough, they knowthey're enough internally, and
they're growing and developingimperfectly, because that's all
of us.
And so at work you do that withyour employees, you're at home.
I just could where do I apply tobecome uh uh an employee of ERA?
You're hired.
Am I hired?
(43:31):
You're family, yeah.
You're already you're alreadypart of your family.
You're a family to me as well.
And and like I'm gettingemotional.
Sorry.
Seth, hang on.
I just am so inspired.
I'm just so inspired by the lifethat you choose to live every
day.
I think as one equal to another,one parent to another parent,
(43:51):
one leader to another leader,you know, this work that we do
is so challenging sometimes.
It brings us to our knees,doesn't it?
And I have been brought to myknees equally at work and at
home.
I think that's the thing aboutbeing an entrepreneur.
It just brings you to yourknees.
But when you can make thoseconnections and you can make it
(44:12):
with people, it becomes so worthit.
You know, it's not it's nevereasy, but boy, can it be worth
it, you know?
So guys, thank you so much forbeing on the show.
I think this has been abeautiful review of your
company.
Uh, how do the people get a holdof you if they want to come, if
they're gonna be one of thelucky ones and they think they
might apply to this and mightqualify for this wonderful
(44:34):
company, what do they need todo?
SPEAKER_00 (44:36):
Well, I mean, obviously, we're on Instagram,
you know, our website,Aerophysical Therapy.com, our
message.
SPEAKER_04 (44:43):
And you can get a really good idea of how we are
from our social media.
Yeah, yeah.
It's quite fun.
SPEAKER_00 (44:50):
So or just admin at physicaltherapy.com.
Yeah.
Email that too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (44:55):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (44:55):
And um, I just want to do a shout out to your kids
who are gonna listen to thisyears later.
They're gonna be teenagerspulling up this file.
I want you to know whilewhatever, whatever experience
you've had of your mom and dad,their core, they are two of the
most amazing human beings I'veever known.
So please know that you wereblessed to have Afton and Jared
be the leaders that you got tomodel behind.
(45:18):
And uh, yeah, guys, thanks forbeing on the show.
I appreciate you guys.
SPEAKER_05 (45:22):
Thank you.
Thank you.
We care about the rules and doing things the right
way and doing the right thing.
It's part of the connection.
SPEAKER_02 (00:04):
So it creates the boundaries for you.
SPEAKER_04 (00:06):
Yes.
Well, and that we we thosethings are top of mind when we
are building up our our team.
Is yeah.
Um we ask them questions abouttheir personal life and
relationships in the interviewjust to kind of see where
they're at, not justprofessionally, but you know,
just as a well-rounded human.
(00:27):
That is something we're very umaware of and in tune.
They say, what do they say?
They say that 80% of your umwork life success is from your
level of emotional intelligence,and then 20% is based off of
your skill set.
And you can't teach empathy.
You can teach skill, we can wecan get better with that, but
(00:50):
you can't teach empathy.
And so that's something thatwe're very um aware of when we
bring someone into the clinic.
SPEAKER_01 (01:01):
Jared and Afton, thank you so much for being on
the Wheelpower podcast.
It is such a treat to have youcome back.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
It's an honor.
SPEAKER_01 (01:07):
Thank you for having us.
Yeah, so listen, this is apowerful episode because we're
talking about culture.
We're talking about businessculture, family culture.
And for everyone who'slistening, this is a really big
conversation because a lot oftimes we don't even understand
culture from a business angle,much less the family angle.
And that was the greatest lessonI learned was the thing that I
built at my office at work in mymedical office was all about how
(01:29):
it helped my family develop andbecome this special group of
people.
So let's talk about era physicaltherapy.
You've been in business for ayear and a half.
Yep.
You guys have been married forfour years.
You're co-owners, you havemultiple hats in the business.
Tell me about the culture.
Tell me what the foundationalelements are: your purpose, your
vision, your values.
SPEAKER_00 (01:49):
Yeah.
Purpose is to make an impactthrough every era.
Impact is Era of, let's dig onthat real quick.
Through every era of life.
Okay.
You know, we we we try to, youknow, we treat all ages.
We have a pelvic floorspecialist, we have a
neurospecialist, who'sParkinson's, orthopedic, right?
So we we really try to likeanyone, no matter what you're
(02:10):
going through, whatever era oflife you're in, we we want to be
there for you.
I love that.
SPEAKER_01 (02:15):
So you're helping all the different groups.
It kind of reminds me when weworked together in the rural
setting and we just saw lots ofeverything.
SPEAKER_00 (02:21):
That's kind of why I yeah, I liked it.
I I saw everything.
And so I I six-month-oldtorticolist to 98-year-old, you
know, gate and balance.
That we we do it all.
Okay, so that's the purpose.
Values.
Values is impact.
I M P A C T.
So integrity, mastery, uh,professionalism, accountability,
(02:43):
candid care, and team.
And just like you did, we have alittle phrase for each one, you
know.
SPEAKER_01 (02:47):
Dude, that's so cool.
Can you just share briefly oneof those phrases?
SPEAKER_00 (02:51):
Well, you know, team, we are family.
SPEAKER_01 (02:54):
So what it's funny is that I have team in my
current company and we we arefamily.
So like we all created that atRise Rehab together, and it's
fun to see how that value haskind of spread as as we all had
a hand in it.
Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00 (03:06):
That's so cool.
I think you said in the lastpodcast or one of them, RD is uh
rip off and duplicate orsomething like that.
So most of my stuff I've gottenfrom you or Brian Wright or
whatever.
Like that's fine, you know, wejust try to do it and I have to
stop saying that, by the way.
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
RD, I used to say, yeah, I do research and
development, but really itstands for for rip off and
duplicate, and people wouldlaugh.
I've learned that there arepeople who legitimately rip off.
SPEAKER_03 (03:28):
Oh.
SPEAKER_01 (03:29):
And so I have people who've ripped me off, and I'm
like, that's not cool.
I've had someone literally tellme, like, oh, I'm stealing that
from you.
SPEAKER_03 (03:34):
Oh gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (03:35):
And you're like, there is a so like there is I
heard it best where it's like,you know, with permission, we
learn from others, and but it'slike not as funny as rip-off and
you know, but so like in thatcase, yeah, it's not ripping off
by any means.
But I love that you have thosevalues.
Uh, vision.
SPEAKER_00 (03:50):
Vision, three clinics in three years.
SPEAKER_01 (03:52):
So and you've been in business for a year and a
half and you have one verysuccessful clinic.
SPEAKER_00 (03:56):
Yeah.
So we're hoping to open a secondone next year.
We're trying to find the who,right?
We want, we, we who who is gonnabe that person who wants to grow
with us, who has that samevision, who wants to kind of
help us build.
We have an amazing team and youknow, aspiring like leaders and
clinic directors who might maybetake on those clinics, but
either way, like we're agrowth-minded company and we're
(04:19):
looking for people who are.
SPEAKER_01 (04:20):
Well, you guys don't struggle with hiring.
I mean, you're turning downpeople because they're not the
right people.
Right.
So you're really beingintentional about making sure
you find the right people, andthat's go that goes into brand.
You know, the foundationalcultural element is your
purpose, vision, and values.
Brand, as we all know, is theability to communicate that
through our messaging, throughour design, our coloring,
(04:42):
everything to really help peopleunderstand who we are.
Afton, this is where you come inon steroids.
Your gift is is how to take thatcultural element and communicate
that into a brand.
Can you tell a little bit aboutwhat you helped build at ERA so
that people who are listeningare like can be checking their
own brand against their purpose,vision, and values?
SPEAKER_04 (05:00):
Yeah.
Um, so my background um is ininterior design and fashion
marketing.
So I am already a very creativethinker and taking on um, you
know, creating this business.
That was something that was veryexciting to me was to um stretch
my abilities in, you know, thehealthcare um sector.
(05:23):
So I was very excited.
Um, I very much am able to gointo a space and um put myself
in the situation of a provideror a patient.
Um I can imagine the story and Ican pull exactly what you're
gonna need.
Um, and that's kind of what whatI did.
SPEAKER_01 (05:45):
Um give me an example because I went into your
clinic.
I said this on the last episode,but going into your first
location was like no experienceI've ever had.
I felt like I couldn't put wordsto it, but I felt yeah very
intentionally what you wereputting out there.
So give me just one example ofsomething you put into your
brand, meaning let's look atdesign of your clinic from a
perspective first, of what youdid from a design perspective
(06:08):
that helped communicate thepurpose, vision, or values.
SPEAKER_04 (06:11):
Gosh, I mean, even just visually, um, there is a
there's a science to when youwalk into a space, um, your
nervous system is going to bemuch more calm if you are not
stressed out and overstimulatedby all different things, messes,
um, smells that maybe don'tsmell good if it's too warm.
(06:33):
Um, so there's very much ascience to making a space be
fully functional to wheresomeone's gonna have a good
experience.
Um I think just visuallystructure structurally, um the
majority of our um branding isall um the same color concept.
(06:56):
Um we use the same verbiage, weuse the same fonts.
Interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (07:01):
What's a what's some verbiage you guys use?
SPEAKER_04 (07:03):
Um like even just in um like our social media stuff,
there's a lot of things that allum I cater a lot to like the
millennial um humor.
And people really um resonatewith that.
They really like it.
SPEAKER_01 (07:20):
Well, you're younger, both of you guys are
younger.
You're your who your who's areare gonna be younger.
These are these individuals whoare highly committed and driven,
and and they're looking for thatheart of a company.
So you're designing you'reyou're designing that literally
with the purpose, vision, andvalues in mind.
And in your messaging, I'm gladyou brought up your social media
because you run the social mediapart of your page.
(07:40):
You have some of the best socialmedia of any PT company I've
ever seen.
And you're small, like you'rebetter than most larger, all
larger companies.
I've never seen a largerphysical therapy practice run
any social media as good as youguys.
So anyone who's listening, gofollow era physical therapy on
Instagram, I know for sure.
Is there TikTok?
(08:01):
Are there any channels that youdon't like put content on?
Are you on YouTube and thosethings?
On YouTube, Facebook, yeah.
Oh, okay.
You chimed in as partners.
That was really cute.
Okay, so very good.
Um, so we talked a little bitabout that culture.
How do you guys live yourculture at Era?
And then I'd like to transitionthis a little bit into the
family side of things, but howdo you guys live that at Era?
SPEAKER_00 (08:22):
Yeah.
Well, you talk about the cultureis what it feels like on Sunday
night, you know, that thatfeeling you get.
And so we we do monthlygatherings.
We played pickleball last monthand we were playing pickleball
the Saturday morning againbecause we had so much fun.
SPEAKER_01 (08:37):
Um We are family, that's your car, that's your
value.
SPEAKER_00 (08:40):
Yeah, exactly.
Um historically we rotate whosehouse it's at, yeah.
And then we do like a potluck orsomething, we all bring
something, so it's not you knowtoo much stress on one person to
like host, you know, and it'snormally just chill.
We just want to be together.
We just like being together.
SPEAKER_02 (08:56):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (08:56):
And we work well together, we help each other.
It's it's it's really amazing.
It's and we talk about what doesit feel like to be a patient.
Um, I I think I was reading abook and it was talking about
the airlines.
It might have been Simon Sinek,actually.
He was talking about you go andyou say, Hey, I need to change
my flight, and they say, Oh,nope, sorry, too bad.
Your your type your type ofticket doesn't allow for that.
(09:18):
Have a nice day.
SPEAKER_02 (09:19):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (09:20):
And and or you go to another place and you say, I'd
like to change my flight, andthey say, Absolutely, let me see
what I can do.
No, I've not seen.
I can't, I'm not let me call mymanager one second.
I'm so sorry.
I did everything I could.
I really wanted to get you onthat flight to me to you know to
do X, Y, or Z.
We couldn't do it.
Now you feel like I want to flywith this airline again, even
(09:42):
though the outcome is the same.
You know, so how can we make ourpatients feel like they matter,
like their experience matters,and from when they walk in, what
they smell, what they hear, whatthey see, how they feel.
What does it feel like to be apatient?
You know, we might not always beable to get the exact time you
want, but we're sure gonna try.
We'll we'll move things around,we'll do whatever we can.
Like, you know, everything,every single aspect of their
(10:05):
care from from the first call totheir discharge, what does it
feel like to leave?
You know, you get a shirt, youget a picture, you you know, we
do all these things and we wantto see you again, come back to
see us, we call you again inthree months.
How are you doing?
You know, yeah.
What does it feel like to be apatient with us?
What does it feel like to be anemployee?
You're gonna get a welcomebasket from Afton, you know,
(10:25):
typically we we try to do like alittle welcome gift for them.
SPEAKER_01 (10:28):
Well, you guys brought me a welcome.
SPEAKER_00 (10:29):
Right in a kitchen, you know, you your your
anniversary is gonna becelebrated.
We want we care about uh you andyour life.
I have weekly connectionmeetings.
We talk about numbers becausethat's how they measure how well
we're living our values.
But ultimately it's like what'swhat's the affinity we have for
each other?
What's uh is there a connectionthere?
How are you doing?
You know, if something's notgoing well, it's I don't have to
(10:52):
like come down on someone andhold them accountable.
It's what's going on and how canI support you?
unknown (10:57):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (10:57):
Because at the end of the day, it comes down to
building humans.
I think that's what makes yourculture so strong is that you're
committed to the human elementof the business.
And you're not, you know, Ithink people really mess this up
in healthcare in particular,that by focusing on the human
element, they tend to overlookthe metrics.
You know, no money, no mission,no purpose, no profits.
(11:21):
Yeah.
Like you have to have both inplace, and so you do.
You you're very big onunderstanding what profitability
looks like.
I I love how you guys train yourpeople about that.
It's just I think the differenceis it's not the it's not the
primary focus, it's ameasurement to the focus, which
is building human beings, right?
Yeah.
And how have you seen that in inthe company, Afton, from your
perspective?
Like as someone who's an owner,you're really supporting
(11:44):
administratively a lot of thesethings.
How do you know your employeesare connecting to the culture?
Like what signs do you see fromthem that tell you, you know
what, this is working?
SPEAKER_04 (11:52):
Yeah.
Um I mean, just their overalldemeanor.
I think um, yeah, their how theyinteract with each other, how
they interact with the patients,um, how they interact with me.
I think um there's somethingspecial about yes, we are
(12:13):
husband and wife, we worktogether, we're on the same
team, but at work, I mean, I'mI'm an employee and I'm I'm one
of you guys.
And so, and that's how I want itto feel and make sure that
that's how it feels.
So there's a lot of times that Ijust get to kind of hang out
with the employees because I amone.
Um, and they go to Jared forboss things, they don't come to
(12:36):
me for that.
Um, and it's yeah, I think theyare very comfortable in that,
um, very comfortable andgrateful for um the environment
and that translates to theirtheir patient care.
SPEAKER_01 (12:53):
That's so cool.
I love how you say that too.
I think that's a powerfulreflection of your brand and
your culture that you as anowner are an employee in that
role.
If people understood thatconcept better, they would be a
lot less offended at work asowners and leaders.
It's like, hey, we're allequals.
Yeah, we're all equals.
I think in healthcare theproblem is usually they put
their employees above themalmost because they're so scared
(13:14):
of them leaving that they'lllike cater to them in a way
that's not good for thebusiness.
But in your case, there'sequality.
And you sense that uh you knowyou answer the question
powerfully because it's like,yeah, one of the reasons you
know it's great is becauseyou're an employee, you're
receiving, you're an experienceof the culture, not just a
creator of it.
SPEAKER_03 (13:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:31):
There's two things I look at when I kind of think
about measuring this.
It's one, how willing they areto do things outside of work.
SPEAKER_01 (13:38):
Okay, so this is how you measure cultures.
SPEAKER_00 (13:40):
That's how I like to measure.
Are they, uh I can't, I can'treally make it, you know, or are
they like, no, I'm there.
Are they planning it?
Are they volunteering to be thehost that month?
Yeah.
Are they excited for it?
Are they talking about it withpatients?
You know, that's that's kind oflike one of the one of the
signs.
The the other one that I liketoo is you're very humorous and
(14:01):
use humor a lot with withdifferent things.
How willing are they to likejoke around and just be like
themselves?
Silly.
Silly.
SPEAKER_01 (14:08):
Or whatever.
SPEAKER_00 (14:09):
Yeah.
Like can do I I mean, candidcare is one of our values and
being yourself, right?
You yours was freedom to beyourself.
Yeah, are they just able toprovide care in a way that feels
like they're able to bethemselves and give the value
that they want to, you know, topatients and show up
authentically?
And if they feel like I'm like,okay, Bruce, you know, he's one
(14:29):
of our employees, one of ourtechs, he's he's really coming
out of his shell.
You know, he's very quiet atfirst, and you can just tell,
like, now you know, we'retalking smack about pickleball
this Saturday.
SPEAKER_04 (14:39):
Well, and he's younger, he's 21.
Yeah.
21.
Yeah, and um just on on a break,I was talking to him about like
his his dating life, and thatwas so fun for me.
You know, just just to I mean,and we're going back and forth,
and we're talking about Riz andyou know, all the things, but
yeah, um, makes me feel veryold.
(14:59):
But um I I love that I I reallydo love um who we work with, and
we really have built a family,but so very fun.
SPEAKER_01 (15:09):
This is so cool.
Let me ask you this as kind of aprobing question, because I've
seen this before, where peoplebecome so familiar with their
team that the culture goes frombeing family-oriented to almost
like to casual.
Does that make sense?
So, how do you navigate thatrelationship of hey, we are
close and you matter to me andand the human element, and we're
(15:32):
here to get a job and hit ourmetrics and you know what I
mean, and do correction andtraining?
How do you navigate that?
SPEAKER_00 (15:39):
Well, I think I have time set aside.
I have space for each having asuccess plan.
We call them battle plans,right?
Like this is where our metricsare at, this is where we're
doing, and if and if we're allhitting those and we're all
happy, like we, you know, itlike I said, it doesn't they're
coming to me to kind of say,this is what didn't go well, and
this is what I'm doing to fixit, right?
This is what the plan is forthis week.
(16:00):
So that is on top of mind, andthat's how we measure how well
we're living our values.
So that's that's all part of it,and it's not and this or that,
it's both, right?
SPEAKER_01 (16:10):
Interesting.
So you just make sure that thosetwo things are in check.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (16:13):
Well, and we we talk about it constantly.
If if there we we have pinkelephants in our monthly
meetings, um, but if there'sthings that are maybe um off on
the floor or or things that wewant to change in in that area,
I mean we talk about them.
We are very transparent.
We talk about it so we canchange it.
(16:35):
Um and yeah, maybe if um weweren't doing something like as
um strict as we were, you know,the month before we we talk
about it and we have a plan.
And it just feels like there's abasis level of respect and
professionalism that everyone onthe team already comes with.
(16:57):
It just feels like you can't I Idon't know, you can't teach
that.
SPEAKER_00 (17:02):
You can you can you know say, okay, here are the
expectations and and everything,but it's like part of our values
is integrity, like trust to dothe right thing.
Like the the right thing is byfollowing the handbook as it's
written, or by you know, beingaccountable and you can count on
me, all these things we talkabout.
That's that's all part of ourvalues.
(17:23):
And so, you know, Conchetta isone of our PTs who's also kind
of becoming like our kind of ourcompliance officer.
Yeah, she's very she's veryloves the rules, she's doing our
like annual compliance checksright now and just has taken
that on, you know, just becauseshe she enjoys it and it's
trying to help free me up alittle bit.
So like we we care about therules and doing things the right
way and doing the right thing.
(17:44):
That's part of the complexity.
So it creates the boundaries foryou.
SPEAKER_04 (17:47):
Yes.
Well, and that we we thosethings are top of mind when we
are building up our our team isyeah, um, we ask them questions
about their personal life andrelationships in the interview
just to kind of see wherethey're at, not just
professionally, but you know,just as a well-rounded human.
(18:08):
That is something we're very umaware of and in tune.
They say, what do they say?
They say that 80% of your umwork life success is from your
level of emotional intelligence,and then 20% is based off of
your skill set, and you can'tteach empathy.
You can teach skill, we can wecan get better with that, but
(18:31):
you can't teach empathy.
And so that's something thatwe're very um aware of when we
bring someone into the clinic,um, and we it's it's a
collaborative thing.
How did everybody feel?
Did they did they fit in on thefloor?
Did they, you know, are they agood fit?
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:49):
That's that's cool that you're leveraging your
values.
The way you answered thequestion, the way I heard that
question of how do you filterbetween that personal without
being casual kind of level, isthat it goes back to your values
again.
So you have it built into yourvalues and you hire to that.
So that sets the stage for you.
Yeah.
And it's less about like, youknow, controlling the
environment for them versushiring the right people to help
(19:11):
you build the right environmentso that it's both personal and
professional.
And that's cool.
I I think for me, as a parent,especially of an adult sons now,
I've got two sons now andthey're and they're grown, is
that they're young adults.
It's like the idea of being forthem to work in an environment
like that is like the coolestthought because this generation
(19:32):
is under attack in a way that noother generation has.
Social media and cell phoneshave created it so that
companies like yours thatactually hire and focus on
millennials or Gen Zers, or whoare they?
Are they Gen Zers?
I don't know.
Like, what am I?
I'm a Gen X.
Gen X, okay.
Or am I a boomer?
I don't know.
But like that, like those twoyounger generations, they they
(19:52):
need that connection.
So the having a culture thathelps them come out of their
skin or whatever it's what's thephrase?
Come out of their shell, thankyou.
When they're to have a culturethat helps them come out of
shell, like you were saying withsome of your employees, it might
be the first time they've everdone it.
It might be the first timethey've even like seen
themselves without a shell.
SPEAKER_03 (20:13):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:13):
And so as since I brought up parenting, let's now
shift over to the Egan home andthe culture that you guys have
built at home.
So you're you were saying beforewe hit record that you guys have
developed a family purpose.
Yeah.
So first of all, tell me why didyou do that?
And then let's talk about whatthe purpose is.
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
Well, at the three-day MBA that Brian Wright
hosted, you spoke there and youtalked about culture.
SPEAKER_02 (20:38):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (20:38):
And that was all familiar to me and something I
de care deeply about.
But you said the purpose of thisis so that you can then
replicate it in your own home.
And you kind of gave, maybe notdirectly, but I took it as a
challenge to implement that intomy own home, right?
Of course you did.
And and wanted to come up withour own family, you know,
especially since we are ablended family, right?
SPEAKER_01 (21:00):
We have tell tell everyone your history, like in
terms of your blend.
SPEAKER_00 (21:03):
Yeah.
So I have I have three children.
She has one children.
Ranger has uh spina bifidaspecial needs.
Um so we've both been previouslymarried, and we have four kids
in four different schools.
And their ages?
Seven, nine, ten, twelve.
Yes.
Yeah, so four kids in fourdifferent schools.
SPEAKER_01 (21:21):
It's good it gets four different schools, there's
other, you know, there's otherparents in the world.
SPEAKER_04 (21:24):
Yeah, co-parents and yeah, different, yeah, different
moms, different, there'sdifferent dynamics, and um I
don't remember what I was gonnasay.
SPEAKER_00 (21:34):
Well, being a step parent can be difficult.
There's things that you don'tsee on social media or you don't
know about, or each dynamic isdifferent.
And so having uh something thatunifies you as a family with
different values, different, youknow, especially when they go to
the other house sometimes,right?
Or they go to school, they go toyou know, they need something
that kind of unifies them andhas like lays the framework.
SPEAKER_01 (21:56):
So just like a company, something that would
connect people coming fromvarious backgrounds, more
various than typical, right?
Like they're coming in, uh, likebecause when people be higher,
there's different cultures fromthe homes they come from.
Yeah, you know, the people mightbe aligned, but there's other
people in their world who aren'tgonna necessarily be aligned.
So you've got that whole dynamicof trying to create a culture so
that they feel connected andunified.
SPEAKER_04 (22:17):
Yeah, yeah.
There's a sign in our we have aloft and it's like the kid area.
Um there's a sign that I gotwhen we were very first married,
and very intentionally I put itin that area, um, and it just
says, Come as you are.
Um, and that really stuck out tome, and I really wanted it for
this concept.
(22:38):
I wanted it to really um hithome knowing that these kids are
going to different places, theyare from different DNA, we don't
have any um like ours kids.
There's nothing to unify usother than we are all in the
same space sometimes.
Um and really just being verymindful of they are all so
(22:59):
different.
Um, and we will not parent themall the same.
We don't you can't parent themall the same, but how can we be
aligned in all having the samegoal?
Um you're all welcome here,you're all different, um, but we
all have the same goal, andthat's what is what is well,
what is our job as parents,right, or as leaders is to make
(23:21):
more leaders.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
Right.
So we wanted to make sure thatthey have some sort of system or
or value base that they can goout and become independent,
yeah.
They're set up for success.
Whatever they want to do intheir lives.
We love them, we're gonnasupport them, whatever that
might look like, that's fine.
But like you're gonna be you'regonna excel and do great and and
and do that thing really well.
And so um, when we got married,actually, we came up with the
(23:45):
slogan decisions determinedestiny.
Because one swipe, one phonecall, one whatever it is, right?
Can you know one job fairmeeting you changed my entire
destiny, right?
And so um really can make amassive impact.
So we started our little familymeeting out with that of talking
about that.
Was our slogan, and we've talkedabout that, and why that
(24:07):
matters, and how we're gonnacreate a family purpose that
reflects our values.
And so I kind of came up with wekind of came up with the values
together.
And the values, as you know, Ilike acronyms, is destiny.
SPEAKER_02 (24:20):
Oh, cool.
SPEAKER_00 (24:21):
Right?
So discipline, empathy, service,uh, tenacity, uh, integrity,
nurture, and yield.
And so we talk about you know,faith and spiritual, it kind of
covers everything that we reallywanted to instill them with, and
they helped us come up with thepurpose, which is kind of fun.
(24:44):
The purpose is to becomelimitless, not by chance, but by
choice.
Whoa.
Right?
SPEAKER_04 (24:51):
Yeah, we love that because there's also we preach,
you know, accountability andchoices and all these things
because we're a blended family,because there are, you know, it
would be very, very easy tolimit ourselves or have our
children grow up and be like,oh, well, I I had a really hard
time doing this, so I'm not goodat that.
I had a really hard time in mychildhood, so I'm not good at
(25:14):
that.
We we we don't we don'tsubscribe to that.
So we are, yeah, definitelywanted to preach the aspect of,
you know, yeah, you're in chargeof, you know, your decisions to
determine your destiny if youwant to be successful.
You're gonna be successful, butyou have to put in the work you
need to do it.
SPEAKER_03 (25:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (25:32):
Um, and it was so cute.
They're all different ages, andyou know, we're all having the
same meeting, same conversation,but their little personalities
and ages come out in differentways, and they're all
internalizing this entireconcept differently.
But um, we were talking about,yeah, we came up with the
limitless, and then Skyler, um,our 12-year-old, he's like,
(25:55):
Limitless, let's go.
Like, and he was like reallylike jazzed about it.
SPEAKER_00 (25:59):
Like it resonated, yeah, like aligned with like
what they what all the thingsthat we were talking about and
what we were really wanting forthem in their life, right?
I can't do that.
No, I'm having trouble with it,right?
How can we do it?
How you're putting a limit onyourself, right?
So, how do we how do we do that?
Well, I could do this, this, andthis.
And that's been already thislast you know few weeks.
We've okay, Joelle, you know, isthat how we live our values,
(26:24):
right?
SPEAKER_01 (26:25):
So that's how you're living them at home.
That's how we coach them atwork.
But that you're using that,you're using that reference as
the frame for coaching yourkids, which is the ultimate goal
as a parent, is to be theircoach, right?
So you're coaching them throughthe values, is that are we
living our values?
SPEAKER_04 (26:40):
Well, and and we're all bought into it.
We all came up with itcollectively, and I think in the
workplace that's also somethingthat's been so special and
powerful because we are, yes, wehad a company to start with, but
we're also growing a company andwe're bringing people along in
that process.
And so they're they're boughtinto it as well.
So it like at home with our kidswhen they are involved in okay,
(27:02):
what are our values?
What are we all um, you know,um, we're all accountable to
each other?
The same thing at work becausethey're you know on the front
lines doing that with us too,since we're a younger clinic and
all those things.
So there's that naturalbought-in, you know, buy-in, I
guess.
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
How important was the you mentioned, Afton, that
the they were co-creating itwith you, and that had something
to do with their buy-in.
How significant was that in bothat work and at home?
How significant was theco-creation phase part of their
buy-in?
SPEAKER_04 (27:35):
Um I think depending on the I guess the providers
that are you talking about forwork or for at home?
Yes, okay.
For our just thinking of ourspecific providers, um, we asked
them point blank when they camein to interview, um, how did you
find us?
What what are you looking for?
(27:57):
Um, where are they at in theirum in their career?
What are they needing a changeor are they wanting to just
start?
And we it it's definitelycurated to, you know, we have
different growth models andthey're individual, you know,
okay, what you could you couldgo down this path as you know, a
partner, you could go down thispath, where where do you see
(28:18):
yourself fitting in?
Um and so we ask those questionsand and give them a visual in
those first initial meetings togo, okay, um, if you're an era,
there's a there's a let's see ifthere's a place for you, um, you
know, and let's go over thesethings and we help them
visualize that.
We help them go forward.
SPEAKER_01 (28:37):
Okay, it's already built.
See, in that case, I'm sure likethere was a co-creation process
at the beginning, but it wasmostly you two, and then they're
coming in and you're helpingthem see what's been built, but
how they could build themselvesin it.
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (28:47):
So they're yeah, they're they're going through
the process that we built.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
And with the kids, you actually had them contribute
to the creation of the purpose,vision, and values to some
degree.
I'm sure you guided most of it.
Right.
But um, I'm uh do you think thatwas big for them to buy into
your family culture to helpcreate?
SPEAKER_00 (29:04):
Oh, it's it's been like because the the first few
times we've started to have tocorrect based off of the values,
and so right now it's still kindof new and fresh and fun, but
it's esoteric where they don'treally understand how their
day-to-day actions are reallytying to the values.
So when I say, Okay, Joelle, wasthat, you know, was that, you
know, a value-based was thataligned with our values?
SPEAKER_01 (29:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:26):
You know, we have a saying for each of our values.
Okay, does that fall under that?
Is what you did, is that no?
Okay.
So what could you have donebetter, right?
Or, you know, Skyler, we talkedabout nurture, taking care of
yourself, nurturing yourself andmaking sure you are taking care
of yourself.
That was one of the things.
He goes to the gym with me everyday at 5 a.m.
Yeah.
And so part of that is okay,this is how it's ties into the
value, or even to how you dress,how you show up for school.
(29:49):
You know, now we're starting toshow them how these things
really tie in and why theymatter, and connecting it to the
real world and how these livingthese values will help them
become limitless.
This, not by chance, but bychoice.
And it's their choice.
And they were part of that.
And it's their decisions.
SPEAKER_04 (30:06):
Yeah.
And I think specifically becausewe're a blended family, this is
like my favorite part of thiswhole concept.
I have a really hard time as astepmom.
Um, it is not at all what Ithought it would be.
I was already a mom, and in my,you know, rose-colored glasses,
I'm like, okay, well, I'm justgonna go from one kid to four
and it's like more kids.
(30:26):
Yeah, I'm gonna think, I'm gonnafeel the same way about
everyone, and it's gonna befine.
That's not how it is.
And if someone tells you thatthey're they're lying or they're
lying to themselves, that's Ican't, I'm not physically
capable of feeling the same wayabout my stepchildren as I do
about my son, and vice versa.
They can't, they don't have thatloyalty and you know, bond with
(30:48):
me.
So um, what's been really,really helpful in our situation
um with this concept and havingthem involved in that, I mean,
it kind of gives it it kind oftakes the pressure off of me as
like not as a as a step parentand not like you're not my
parent.
(31:08):
Okay, well, you're not, you'renot, it's not that you're not
following my rules.
You're we made these rules.
Yeah, we made these together.
Right.
And so, and so it and then itempowers me because I don't I
don't like to be involved in thelike disciplining.
I don't I sure I don't like thatat all.
And so it's very, it's it's anatural, you know, thing to have
(31:30):
and to be able to say that towhere we can have problem
solving and like grow and getbetter, and there's not this
building of resentment goinglike, gosh, like she's so
annoying, like you know, or I'mlike, why won't he listen to me?
It and it's not personal, it'swe we built this together, you
know.
SPEAKER_01 (31:48):
And so it's okay that we don't come from the same
people, and it's okay, you know,because it's not about this
organizational dynamic that islike one size fits all.
It's about teamwork.
Right.
It's like we as a team are allequals.
There's obviously authoritativedifferences in companies or at
home, but when we all co-createand agree that this is what we
stand for and this is what'sbest for the group, then it's
(32:11):
less about um individual, liketop-down control or discipline,
and more about groupaccountability.
Right.
Because then you're an equalmember of the team and you're
able that's it's so funny.
All the business books that areout there that talk about
businesses, using that as aparallel of how when companies
get really successful, it'sbecause the group holds each
other accountable.
SPEAKER_03 (32:31):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (32:32):
And the leaders are the coaches.
Like they're they're they're theones who ultimately make some
bigger decisions that impacteveryone, but they're gonna do
it in a way that aligns withwhat everyone's agreed to for
the purpose, vision, and values.
So I can really see that being asupport for you in a very
inspiring way.
And isn't it an interestingperspective that a work family
(32:53):
is also a blended family?
SPEAKER_06 (32:55):
Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_01 (32:56):
At its core, everyone was everyone has a
different mom and dad.
Right.
They're all coming in withdifferent expectations, but when
they show up to ERA, they canchoose family through your
values.
That's one of your values, andchoose to make that a place
where they will call it a home.
And then they can hold eachother accountable as long as
there's that culture uh that'sdeveloped.
(33:17):
What an interesting thought.
Yeah.
As you guys have done that.
And I'm I'm honestly like, I'mI'm kind of having like this
stroke right now as I'm thinkingabout all these things.
I can't even think of any of thequestions for you guys right
now.
But like, I'm just like sittingin that space of the parallels
between the two and howbeautiful it is.
SPEAKER_04 (33:34):
Yeah, that, yeah, that's really interesting too.
Cause it we talked to beforeabout when before we were
filming about just you weresaying how Jared and I, our life
is on paper, it's it's hard.
It's a it's a challenge, butwe're built for it.
Yeah.
And so just going back to thatthought of, you know, I'm having
that realization right now too,like, oh my gosh, you're you're
right.
(33:54):
We blended a family at homefirst, and that that was hard,
that was a challenge, it stillis, but we were very, we're very
seasoned in that andwell-versed, and then we blended
a family and started a business.
And it there's they're separatebut so connected.
SPEAKER_01 (34:11):
Yeah, it's interesting because I remember
this happened recently, even,but I've had employees over the
years tell me, well, whatmatters to me is is my family.
And so I'm sorry that you know,this is getting too hard for me
because what matters is myfamily, not work.
And there's definitely truth tothat statement, but what I'd
never appreciated about that wastheir choosing to delineate as
(34:32):
very un very different and veryunvaluable or valuable.
Whereas for me, it's like I havefor me at Rise with Jared, I had
my my family at home that Iturned into a team, and I had my
team at work that I chose toalso be a family.
SPEAKER_03 (34:48):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (34:48):
And so that was always really challenging for
me.
I think what's cool about whatyou guys are bringing to the
table is that you you live theblended family, you blend you
live that blended family life24-7.
SPEAKER_06 (35:00):
Right.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (35:01):
You know what I mean?
It's it's it's all your family.
And so your employees get accessto something with leaders that
they wouldn't get anywhere elsebecause of the fact that you
have such strong uh standardsand values, and that you are
experts, you were built forbuilding blended families.
And that's the thing I said atthe end of selling rise rehab
for me was that the best benefitof that experience was that I
(35:25):
learned how to take a team atwork and turn them into a family
so that I could take my familyat home and turn them into a
team.
And you guys are just bouncingbetween those dynamics 24-7.
So even though there'sdefinitely some complexities, to
put that mildly, in the worldthat you live, what a beautiful
thing that it is that you'reexperts at it.
And that no one does it the waythat you two do.
(35:48):
You didn't have to.
SPEAKER_00 (35:50):
Well, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01 (35:52):
It's if you had to, that's what life is.
But you know what I mean?
You had a choice.
SPEAKER_00 (35:57):
Well, we're all blended family, right?
I mean, when you two peoplemeet, they're not, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (36:01):
That's true, right?
SPEAKER_00 (36:02):
It's it's all blended in that way, right?
And when you have an outwardmindset and you're viewing
people as people and and how wehow we can get through life as a
as a you know, global team, youknow, how do we help people and
give and make an impact and giveback and accomplish whatever our
purpose is?
SPEAKER_01 (36:23):
Yeah.
Are you gonna say something elseon that?
I want to chime in to say, youknow, taking this concept of
we're all a blended family isprobably one of the most pivotal
thoughts that humanity couldmake.
But what if we all saw it likethat?
I think one of the benefits ofof religion, you know,
(36:43):
especially ones that tie to likea paternal and maternal
experience, like you know, thatwe're all children of God, is
that that makes us all siblingsand then we're all part of the
same eternal family, right?
And I think that's wherereligion gets it right really
well, is this idea of like we'reall related to each other.
I think we tend to forget thatwhen it comes to the dynamics of
(37:05):
our life, because you know, andand I think this is a common one
too.
I have friends at my age who arewho have kids getting married.
And I love that you said thatwe're all blended families.
Like when you marry someoneelse, it's a blended family.
And I'm like, oh yeah, I am I'ma part of a blended family.
I I remember and so my friendswho have kids that are getting
married, they're going throughthe challenges of other parents
(37:26):
who are influencing not just themarriage, but the grandkids now.
And like there's all these likedramatic things, but the problem
lies in the fact that they seeit as separate.
And you know, I have in-laws whoin the past at least have felt
very separated, like this is myfamily, you guys are my in-laws.
But what if we were all onefamily?
(37:47):
That's a choice.
Going back to your value ofchoosing a family.
SPEAKER_04 (37:50):
Yeah, it's all a yeah, it's all a mindset.
I think um, I think boundariesare so powerful and so crucial.
Um, and I think there's a lot ofstigma on boundaries being um
maybe overused or a negativething.
And I think yeah, and that's Ithink that even sometimes I can
(38:12):
kind of rest on that.
And and if I'm feelingoverwhelmed by the dynamic, I'm
not feeling a connection withour group um at home.
Um, I can just naturally kind ofcrawl back into my shell and you
know, put up a boundary, but usethat term and go, okay, well,
um, I don't have to do that.
(38:33):
It's a boundary.
I'm I'm a little triggered.
Um, and that's something I thinkthat is important to note that,
you know, is yes, we are all,you know, a blended family, um,
and not to rest on those terms,um, but to push through them and
use it to better, you know,better your situation.
SPEAKER_01 (38:54):
So that over time the blended just drops off.
Right.
And it just becomes family.
And and it's not the samedynamic, you know, maternal,
paternal roles exist in everyorganization.
I've had more than one employeethat I felt like was a son or
daughter, right?
In a sense, so to speak.
But at the end of the day, it'snot the same.
SPEAKER_06 (39:11):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (39:12):
And it's true.
When we become grandparents,that shifts as well.
And there's just that dynamic.
But I've noticed, I've seen, Ithink we all have examples of
people who have, um, forexample, a divorced friend of
mine is super like remarried,and they're and the his ex-wife
is remarried, and they're notbest friends, they don't
vacation together, but theyco-parent like a boss, and
(39:35):
there's love.
There's like common connectionof love.
Like they show up at the kidevents and they socialize.
And how are you?
And very in, you know, that'srare.
It's very rare.
It is, it is.
Um, but it and but kind of goingback to what you guys build at
Era and in the Egan home, isthat's what you're building,
though, is this thing calledchoice.
It's it everyone has to agree toit.
(39:56):
So boundaries are important.
I think the other thing I wantto throw in there is agreements.
I feel like in home or at work,having personal boundaries is
like my personal limits of whatI'm a floor, which I won't pass
through.
Like these are things I won'ttolerate, or I just I need
space.
Agreements are what you guysbuilt with your culture.
(40:17):
We agree that these valuesmatter.
We agree that we can hold eachother accountable.
So it's not just mom, dad,stepmom, stepdad, it's brother,
sister, step-sibling.
They can all hold each otheraccountable.
And I think that creates thebinds that last, right?
Um, can we talk about vision?
Like, I know what your visionhas a era.
You mentioned beforehand that,like, hey, we all have the same
(40:39):
goal.
What's the egan, what's the egangoal?
What's the vision for thefamily?
It doesn't have to be welldefined.
I'm just curious, what do youguys want to do?
SPEAKER_00 (40:49):
I mean, our purpose is to become limitless.
I think that's part of ourvision, is we we we we we
foresee these kids not needingus.
SPEAKER_04 (40:58):
Yeah, that I'm not gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_00 (40:59):
We want them to be independent leaders, is is kind
of the the the vision, right?
And the purpose, right?
So um and and I don't we I don'tthink we've really fleshed that
out and what that looks like orwhat that feels like, and uh,
you know, because it's soindependent to them and what
they want to do.
SPEAKER_01 (41:15):
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (41:16):
But I think if we accomplish our purpose and they
become limitless, you know, intheir own ways, I think that's
you know, powerful.
SPEAKER_04 (41:25):
Yeah, and I think it's for us, we yeah, we haven't
um pounded out like the detailsum of it, but it's more so um
just understanding that we're ablended family, understanding
where each individual, child andadult has come from with seeing
different walks of life and whatare possible um limitations or
(41:47):
issues that could come up andkind of just attacking those
like preemptively and going,okay, um, we can see that
there's a tendency to maybe be alittle dishonest in this area.
Sure.
How can we, you know, how can weattack that right now so that
doesn't bleed into in 10 yearsin their relationship or they
maybe don't listen to um, youknow, there's there's a hard
(42:11):
time with respect with with theboss employee dynamic.
You know, I'm very mindful ofbuilding little um adults that
are happy and successful inlife.
Like when they leave the nest,have we done everything that we
could?
Do they have are they perfect?
No.
Are they gonna do thingsperfectly?
No.
But have we taught them?
(42:32):
Um, do they have the lessons andall the tools in their tool belt
to go out and cope with life andto still grow and be successful
and not have major setbacks?
SPEAKER_00 (42:43):
So I think that's so that no matter what comes their
way, yeah, no matter what.
SPEAKER_04 (42:48):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (42:49):
And it's again, as you guys talk, I just see that
beautiful balance between thehome and and work where when
we're invested in in people andtheir long-term success, we want
them to be happy.
It's like if we no matter whatthe vision is articulated to be,
we want our people to be happy.
And that's what I heard you guyssay.
You want them to be independent,which I think is a key factor in
that phrase.
Independently happy.
(43:10):
Like they aren't codependent,they're not needing something or
someone.
They are enough, they knowthey're enough internally, and
they're growing and developingimperfectly, because that's all
of us.
And so at work you do that withyour employees, you're at home.
I just could where do I apply tobecome uh uh an employee of ERA?
You're hired.
Am I hired?
(43:31):
You're family, yeah.
You're already you're alreadypart of your family.
You're a family to me as well.
And and like I'm gettingemotional.
Sorry.
Seth, hang on.
I just am so inspired.
I'm just so inspired by the lifethat you choose to live every
day.
I think as one equal to another,one parent to another parent,
(43:51):
one leader to another leader,you know, this work that we do
is so challenging sometimes.
It brings us to our knees,doesn't it?
And I have been brought to myknees equally at work and at
home.
I think that's the thing aboutbeing an entrepreneur.
It just brings you to yourknees.
But when you can make thoseconnections and you can make it
(44:12):
with people, it becomes so worthit.
You know, it's not it's nevereasy, but boy, can it be worth
it, you know?
So guys, thank you so much forbeing on the show.
I think this has been abeautiful review of your
company.
Uh, how do the people get a holdof you if they want to come, if
they're gonna be one of thelucky ones and they think they
might apply to this and mightqualify for this wonderful
(44:34):
company, what do they need todo?
SPEAKER_00 (44:36):
Well, I mean, obviously, we're on Instagram,
you know, our website,Aerophysical Therapy.com, our
message.
SPEAKER_04 (44:43):
And you can get a really good idea of how we are
from our social media.
Yeah, yeah.
It's quite fun.
SPEAKER_00 (44:50):
So or just admin at physicaltherapy.com.
Yeah.
Email that too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (44:55):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (44:55):
And um, I just want to do a shout out to your kids
who are gonna listen to thisyears later.
They're gonna be teenagerspulling up this file.
I want you to know whilewhatever, whatever experience
you've had of your mom and dad,their core, they are two of the
most amazing human beings I'veever known.
So please know that you wereblessed to have Afton and Jared
be the leaders that you got tomodel behind.
(45:18):
And uh, yeah, guys, thanks forbeing on the show.
I appreciate you guys.
SPEAKER_05 (45:22):
Thank you.
Thank you.
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The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.