Celebrating recently the 25th anniversary of her business in Sudbury - Active Therapy Plus - following a few different incarnations of the name - Kim (Lafrenière) Brouzes can now reflect upon many, many years of self-discovery.
Truth be told, some of that self-discovery has occurred far more recently than most of the thousands of patients she has helped would likely have guessed.
"At the age of 51 (last year), I kind of realized what my super-power was," said Brouzes with a laugh. "The value I have is somewhere between kindness and my ability to educate and teach. I literally talk all day long."
There are staples to her practice that have remained relatively consistent since the day that she graduated from Athletic Therapy at Sheridan College - including the notion of having a very clear vision of the work for which she was passionate.
Sure, the name has changed, from Active Therapy Rehabilitation Centre to ATRC Chronic Pain & Sports Clinic and now to Active Therapy Plus, but the basics of musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapy have not deviated all that widely over the past quarter century or so.
The biggest exception, without a doubt, is the whole world of concussion treatment.
"Five Purple Grapefruit," blurted Brouzes. "As long as you could say that, you could re-enter the game. I look back now on so much of what we didn't know - and we are still learning daily about concussions."
Her reputation unmatched in the area, Brouzes is thankful for how everything has played out. "The environment I created here (797 Lorne Street - since 2014) is vibrant and positive," she said. "I like to think I am a problem solver."
"I have just gotten much better at suspecting the injuries because you see patterns and trends."
And for as much as she is more than a little comfortable with handling daily patient visits (the recent count estimate puts her at somewhere near 200,000 of these), it is certainly some more recent doors that have opened that have her still looking forward to the next 25 years.
Starting with the introduction of Move Medicine in 2022, Brouzes has partnered with a variety of folks as she now serves as CEO of Kinmetrics, a revolutionary neck strengthening and concussion prevention technology.
"I am doing podcasts with people I never thought I would share the stage with," she said, referencing collaborations with NFL, UFC and Formula One personnel, among others.
"It's really interesting to see where I have been able to take 25 years of experience, 25 years of making mistakes and making corrections, to now see that I have something to offer on a bigger stage."
