Pelvic Health For Everyone - Errin Delperdang

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Errin Delperdang, Founder of All Pelvic Health, located in Austin, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

All Pelvic Health is a pelvic health and wellness practice with three branches. I founded the practice with the mission of providing pelvic health treatment, information, and education for people of all ages and genders. People often associate pelvic health with pregnancy. While I do serve this population, I am adamant that pelvic health services need to be accessible to all people. Everyone has a pelvis! Education is so important. Many people don’t even know they have a pelvic floor, so I talk about it every chance I get.

The first branch of All Pelvic Health is pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT), a physical therapy specialty focusing on the bowel, bladder, sexual conditions, surgical rehab, and pelvic pain. People seeing me for PFPT often have symptoms of frequent, urgent, or painful urination, incontinence, incomplete bowel/bladder emptying, constipation, sexual dysfunction, or pelvic/genital pain. PFPT is a crucial aspect of post-op recovery after surgeries like prostatectomies, hysterectomies, c-sections, and gender affirmation procedures. In my practice, I see women, men, and those across the gender spectrum from the ages of 17 - 90+. Pelvic floor dysfunction can really affect anyone at any time.

The second branch of All Pelvic Health is birth services. I provide education on the phases of labor and childbirth, information about birthing positions, comfort measures, breathing techniques, and general guidelines for postpartum recovery. I address pelvic pain and urinary/bowel/sexual symptoms throughout the process of pregnancy and recovery. My goal is to empower pregnant and postpartum people by giving them a strong understanding of how their body works, realistic expectations, and practical tools for an easier birthing and recovery process.

The third branch of All Pelvic Health is Pilates and fitness. As a physical therapist, I kept running into the same issue - patients would “graduate” from PT symptom-free only to have symptoms return when they started doing the activities that they used to do. There is a gap between getting “better” and being able to do all the things that make life worth living! Offering Pilates/fitness in-house bridges the gap by progressing peoples’ strength, mobility, and endurance in a systematic way, allowing them to return to their activities symptom-free and maintain good overall health and function.

Tell us about yourself

I have always been driven by the desire to educate people about their anatomy and empower them to get the most pleasure possible from their bodies. Pelvic floor dysfunction profoundly affects our most basic human functions and, therefore, can significantly impact one’s quality of life and enjoyment of one’s body. If you aren’t able to pee, poop, or have sex without pain or problems, you are not having a good day! And to further complicate things, we as a society do not like to talk about these functions and how they work or don’t. It is an honor for me to talk with people about sensitive subjects that affect their most private moments.

I am profoundly grateful for the trust that my clients put in me. My ultimate motivation is to make people feel less scared and uncomfortable with their bodily experiences and teach them something in the process. Dancing was my first introduction to movement and the human body and, ultimately, my portal into studying pelvic health. I studied Pilates as a dance major in college and saw how beneficial it was for my own physical practice. Shortly after graduating, I became a Pilates instructor, which eventually led me down the path to becoming a physical therapist.

When I was introduced to the specialty of pelvic floor physical therapy in PT school, I was immediately curious. The pelvic floor's role as a key core muscle group is an important concept in dance and Pilates, so I was interested in understanding how it also plays an important role in bowel, bladder, and sexual function and how I could impact these functions. I completed a clinical rotation in pelvic floor therapy and started working in the field. Pelvic floor therapy is a relatively young practice, so new things are coming to the forefront, and there is so much to learn. Never a dull moment in pelvic health!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Getting All Pelvic Health up and running is my biggest accomplishment as a business owner thus far. When I was studying to become a PT, I thought there was no way I would open my own practice. The business side of things felt daunting to me, and I am not a natural salesperson. But I had a vision for how I wanted to integrate PFPT, Pilates, wellness, and education, and I knew the only way that could exist was if I made it. It is still a work in progress.

I will start my sex counselor and educator certification program in the spring and am looking forward to incorporating these services into my practice as well. Having the freedom to follow my interests is a big motivating factor for me and being in the position to do that as a business owner provides a strong sense of accomplishment.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing for me is that it is just me. All Pelvic Health is a solo practice, and I do not have a team or support, so I am fully responsible for its success or failure. In that respect, it can be a lonely endeavor.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Be clear on your “why.” Why do you want to start this particular business? What need do you think it can fill? Knowing the problem that you are solving is as important as knowing the solution that you are providing.
2. Start slow and be patient. I have always been the kind of person that makes up their mind to do something and then wants that thing done yesterday. I really checked that tendency when creating All Pelvic Health. I wanted it to grow organically and knew I must give it the space and time to do just that. This allowed me to see where I needed to adjust my approach or change my model… which brings me to the 3rd thing.
3. Be flexible and willing to let things go if they are not working. It’s hard not to fall in love with an idea, but this can make it difficult to see when that idea isn’t working and needs to change. This process is very similar to making dances. As the “choreographer,” you come up with steps and sequences that you are sure will look amazing but sometimes the piece you are making has other ideas. Allowing the dance to develop and grow into the work of art it was supposed to be is as much a part of the job as creating the movement in the first place.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.allpelvichealth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/all_pelvic_health/

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