Finding My Passion & Learning to Trust Myself with Marcela Donat
Starting a cash-based practice takes courage, trust, and a deep sense of purpose. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Marcela Donat, PT, owner of Empowered Movement Therapy, to talk about her journey to launching her own practice. She shares what it was like to take the leap into entrepreneurship, how she navigated challenges along the way, and the mindset shifts that helped her build a business she loves. We also discuss the importance of embracing change, trusting yourself even when doubts creep in, and finding the right support system as a solopreneur.
If you’ve ever felt torn between staying in a job that feels safe and stepping into the unknown of business ownership, Marcela’s story will inspire you to push past fear and take action.
What we're covering:
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Marcela: I'm Dr. Marcela, and I'm a physical therapist. I was working mostly in pediatrics, and then I made the switch to women’s health when I decided to open my own business. I really wanted to focus on the journey women go through, from preconception all the way to postpartum. I also still work with babies and do pelvic floor therapy for kids, women, and adults in general.
I’ve been practicing for 10 years, and at a certain point, I just knew I needed to make a change. I was ready to stop working for other people and start working for myself. I wanted the freedom to travel and see my family across the country without stressing about vacation time or trying to schedule time off. So earlier this year, I finally said, “Alright, it’s time to dive deep into how to actually do this.” I definitely knew I needed guidance and support—which is when I found Morgan. So yay!
What made you decide to start your own practice?
Marcela: Family is really important to me—my sister lives on the West Coast, my brother is on the East Coast, and my parents snowbird down to Phoenix, Arizona. I have family everywhere, and being able to spend time with them is such a big priority. I knew I needed more control over my time and my schedule.
So in August of last year, I decided to go all-in and start my own company. I told myself, “If I’m going to do this, I have to go headfirst.” It was definitely scary at first. I had all those questions—what about finances? What about money? How am I going to support myself without a steady paycheck? How do I figure out referrals and all the backend stuff?
It would’ve been easy to just find another company, take another job, or go work in a school district. That would’ve been the simple route. But I was ready to be done with “easy” and finally do it my own way.
Morgan: Oh my gosh, I feel like that’s such a good place to start and share our wisdom.
And I just want to say, I hope no staff clinicians take offense to this, because we’re not trying to knock it at all. Staying in a staff clinician role and doing what we were trained to do—leave school, go into the field, and follow the traditional path—is totally valid. For some people, that’s the right choice. Everyone has different priorities and different ways they want to live their life.
But deciding for yourself that the “easy” way just isn’t serving you anymore? That’s so powerful.
What advice do you have for someone whose loved ones aren’t fully supportive?
Marcela: I think a big part of stepping into ownership—whether it’s your own business or just taking charge of your life—is realizing, Hey, I’m owning this. I’m owning my choices. And something I always tell my mom is, “You raised me to be this person, right? You helped build me up to think for myself. So now, I need you to trust me as I make these decisions.”
Because honestly, sometimes when you hear comments behind your back—or even right to your face—from loved ones, it can plant seeds of doubt. And it’s hard. But being able to say, “No, I trust myself to do this. I know this is the right move,” is everything. Even if the people around you don’t fully understand it at first, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. I know that what I’m building will benefit them in the long run—even if they can’t see it yet.
My parents are in their 70s, and they just didn’t grow up seeing people start their own businesses like this. It wasn’t the norm. So I get that it’s new and maybe a little scary for them. But for me, it comes down to this: if they trust me, and I trust me, then we’re good. Some days you question everything, and other days you feel totally solid. But I really believe it’s like a muscle—you’ve got to keep working it, day by day.
Morgan: Yeah, I think that’s a really great point to bring up. Honestly, the process of building your business teaches you to trust yourself in a way that nothing else really does.
How did you embrace change during this journey?
Marcela: I’ve definitely had a journey of a career. I had a job that I really thought was my dream job at the time. It was in Boston, and I was loving life there. I had amazing mentors and was working with kids in a setting I loved. It was a mix of inpatient, outpatient, and school-based work, so I learned so much. But eventually, it was time to move on. I realized I wasn’t happy living in Boston anymore, and I couldn’t stay in a city just for a job. I needed to do something more for me. That was probably the first time I started to really think about the idea of fitting my job into my life, instead of forcing my life to revolve around my job.
After that, I worked at an outpatient clinic and stayed through the pandemic. I was miserable. By the end of it, I was seeing 30 to 35 people a day—20 to 25 patients in the pool, and then 10 more on in the clinic—and I was only working four days a week.
Then I worked in a school district, then for a travel company—just bouncing around, collecting little lessons along the way. I kept discovering what really mattered to me in a work setting.
I didn’t stay in one place for very long, and I still don’t. But I’ve come to see that as okay. There’s so much stigma around job-hopping, like if someone’s only somewhere for 6 months or a year, people think something’s wrong. But in reality, sometimes it’s just not the right fit—or maybe it was the right fit, and you outgrew it. It’s okay to grow and move on.
That’s also what led me to start my own business. It gave me that sense of challenge and growth, but also the freedom—freedom of time, freedom to travel, and the ability to be there for my family when they need me. I think that’s what I was chasing all along through all those different roles: how can I keep doing work I love and show up for the people I love, even when we’re all scattered across the country?
Morgan: Yeah, it sounds like you’ve really spent a lot of time getting to know yourself—figuring out what your priorities are, what you value, and letting go of that mindset we’re all kind of taught, where work is supposed to be the ultimate priority. But it’s really not. You are a priority. Your family is a priority. Living your life is a priority. Of course, work matters—but it can’t be the thing that everything else in your life has to fit around. At the end of the day, it’s just a job.
What I’m also hearing from you is how important it is to give yourself permission to explore—to try new things, and to know that it’s okay to change. Whether it’s a new job, a new location, or any big life shift, if you try something and immediately know it’s not the right fit, you don’t have to stay there for six months or five years just because you “should.” If it doesn’t feel right, you’re allowed to change it. That’s okay.
What’s your philosophy on building a support system as a solopreneur?
Marcela: One thing I definitely learned from a previous clinic I worked at was when I was the only physical therapist in a pediatric setting. There were other OTs and speech pathologists, but there was never another pediatric PT. So I had to really step up and ask questions—I had to lean on the OTs and speech therapists and learn how to use them as resources. That was huge for me.
Then, when I transitioned into home health, I realized, Oh—I’m completely solo now. Like, I’m really out here flying solo. There’s no one beside me. I couldn’t just say, “Oh, I’ll catch you in the clinic later.” It was just me. So during that time, especially in home health, I made it a point to get to know who else was on the team and to set up check-ins. That helped a lot.
And now, as a solopreneur, it’s something I’ve carried with me. When I first started my business, my mindset was all, “I need referrals, I need referrals.” But then I realized—yes, I do need a referral network, but even more than that, I need people. I need to connect with other business owners or PTs who are in a similar space, people I can talk to about business stuff, life stuff, how the two mesh, and what’s working for them when it comes to growth and referrals.
So honestly, since about December, I’ve been spending way more time doing networking events and building relationships rather than just chasing referrals—and I think, in the long run, that’s going to pay off.
What was it like starting a business in a new place?
Marcela: I moved here [Austin, TX] a year and a half ago, and I worked for about a year before I was like, “Nope, it’s time to do my own thing.” But I still only knew about 10 people in the area. When I started my business, I had this moment of realization like, “Oh... wait. I actually need to build a community first before I can get referrals.”
I had assumed it would be easier—like, “Oh, I’ll just talk to doctors and they’ll send me people,” but it doesn’t work like that. I had this big epiphany in January where I was like, “Wow, that was kind of wild of me—to start a business in a brand-new place while also going in a totally new direction in PT.” I remember thinking, “What did I do to myself?”
But I just kept showing up. I went to networking events, reached out to people, offered to co-work or collaborate on events—anything to connect. I started really focusing on cultivating and honoring genuine relationships, and like you said, figuring out who I aligned with as a person. That way, I could see who I might work well with, whether that turned into a referral partnership or just a future collaboration.
It all circles back to trust—because if people trust you as a human, not just as a provider, they’ll refer you. Not just for their own needs, but for their friends and family too. That’s how it works. So I’ve just been focusing on people first. And honestly, that’s who we are as PTs anyway—we got into this career to help people. So now, I just lead with that. I show up as a human first, and let everything else flow from there.
Morgan: Yeah, I think that’s such a great point to highlight. And something else I want to add—which really ties into marketing strategy—is that building a community and nurturing relationships isn’t just a one-time thing. It’s something that needs to be ongoing, consistent, and intentional.
Just like any solid marketing strategy, finding clients requires follow-through. You have to keep showing up, just like you would in any meaningful relationship. The same way you stay in touch with friends or check in on people you care about—that’s the same energy you want to bring to your business relationships.
When you’re building your community, doing projects or events together, and continuing to stay in touch over time, it makes a huge impact. That’s how you really build that “know, like, and trust” factor we always talk about in marketing.
And honestly—who doesn’t love making a bunch of new friends along the way?
*Learn more about building "know, like, and trust" at the blog post here.
How do you approach networking with new people?
Marcela: So, first of all—just say hi.
Morgan: Great advice. Everybody write that down: say hi.
Marcela: For example, there was a new aerial silks and reformer Pilates studio that opened here in Austin, and I saw her advertising on Instagram. So I just slid into the DMs and was like, “Hey! Hi! How are you? I’d love to partner with you.” I honestly forgot exactly what I said, but yeah—now I’m taking some of her classes and we’re hoping to collaborate on some events or workshops in the future.
In the beginning, especially those first few months of business, I was super hesitant about reaching out. And if you don’t know, Morgan does this thing called the 100 Challenge, where you reach out to 100 people. At first I was like, hard no. That is not for me. I didn’t want to be ghosted or told no—it felt super vulnerable.
But after a while, I realized... it really doesn’t hurt to just say hi. If it doesn’t turn into anything, it’s okay—there’ll be another opportunity, another “new friend” five minutes later.
And the people who do say hi back? That’s where the magic happens. Maybe it turns into something, maybe it doesn’t—but it’s all about practicing. It’s like a muscle. Just like the trust muscle we talked about earlier, this is another one you’ve got to work.
Learn more about building awareness for your practice at the blog post here.
Have you dealt with imposter syndrome? How did you handle it?
Marcela: I went into PT school knowing I loved working with kids. I was like, “This is it—I’m going to work with kids for my entire career.” But over time, I started to feel this shift. I still loved pediatrics, but I also began feeling drawn to women’s health and pelvic health. And honestly, it was scary. I was eight or nine years into my career, and here I was, making this huge transition—from working with kids to working with adults. And let’s be real—kids are not just little adults. Adults are completely different. They think differently, they move differently, and they need different things.
I remember thinking, What am I doing? There are so many people out there who’ve been doing pelvic health for years, who’ve taken all the courses. I felt like I was walking into a space where I didn’t belong. But the more I got into it—especially once I started doing events and connecting with other PTs—I realized that everyone practices a little differently. And the people who are meant to work with me are going to choose me for how I treat, not for how many certifications I have or how long I’ve been doing it.
That shift didn’t erase the doubt completely—it still comes up. Even with kids, which is my comfort zone, I sometimes wonder, Do I know enough? Am I doing this right? But then I remind myself—yes, I do know what I’m doing. I’m here for a reason. I have something valuable to offer. It’s this daily practice of waking up and saying, “I know what I’m doing. I trust myself.” Some days it’s easy, and some days I have to work a little harder to believe it, but I come back to that truth again and again.
Morgan: Yeah, I mean, when it really comes down to it, sometimes just showing up for someone—especially when you're like, “Okay, I honestly have no idea what’s going on here, this is a pretty weird presentation, and I need to do some research”—that honesty, paired with genuine support, goes such a long way.
Looking your patient in the eye and saying, “Whatever happens, I’m here to support you in whatever way I can,” that kind of relationship? It’s powerful. It makes a huge impact in healthcare. At the end of the day, it's about helping the person right in front of you, and being fully present for them. That’s what really matters.
Learn more about dealing with imposter syndrome at the blog post here.
What would you say to someone scared to take the leap?
Marcela: Everything feels so uncertain right now—even just with personal life stuff this week, I’ve been like, “Yeah… nothing is guaranteed. You really never know what’s coming.” And one thing I told my mom recently was, “Hey, this is why I’m doing what I’m doing. This is why I’m building my business the way I am—so I have the flexibility to be wherever I need to be.”
And that doesn’t always mean flying across the country for someone. Sometimes it means just being two blocks away. Honestly, that’s why I decided to take the leap into owning my own business. Life is uncertain, so why not go for it? Worst-case scenario? It doesn’t work out the way you hoped—and you can always go back to a staff job. That option will always be there. And that’s okay! It’s not a failure if running a business isn’t your thing. It’s hard, and it’s not for everyone. If you try and decide you’d rather be a staff clinician, that’s totally valid. There’s no shame in that at all.
But for me, I’m all in on taking the leap and taking ownership of my life. I want to live the life I’ve imagined for myself—and a big part of that means being there for my family, however and whenever they need me. That’s the freedom I’m working toward.
Morgan: Yeah, and I think that’s such a wonderful thing—to be able to have that autonomy and make that choice for yourself about what’s going to matter most in your life. Having the freedom to decide what’s important and build your life around that? That’s powerful.
How to contact Marcela:
*Instagram: @empoweredmovementtherapy
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