Joe: 00:14

Alright. Welcome back to another episode of the Freedom Talks podcast, everybody. This is your host, Joe Ogden. We're back again after a little hiatus here towards the end of 2024. I found out the hard way this year that you got to make sure that things are really pre planned, because anybody that works in health care knows that towards the end of the year, the last quarter of the year, people have met their deductibles, and things can get very hectic very quickly.

Joe: 00:42

So little hiatus here from the podcast itself, but we're back. We've got things preplanned here for 2025. And today, I wanna focus on just ending 2024 and kind of recapping here our freedom fitness challenge that we kind of put out there a little bit through the podcast and through some of our social posts as well. I think it went really well for most of us, and as we're approaching the holidays here as I'm recording this, we're about a week out from Christmas. So I thought it'd be a good time to kind of recap the year in 2024 with the fitness challenge and kind of recap some of the things here at Freedom as we wrap up 2024 and head into 2025 here.

Joe: 01:24

So I think as we'll start here, as we recap 2024 here at Freedom Physical Therapy, I know for a fact, without seeing the numbers in front of me, but just for sake of conversation, I know for a fact that 2024 was, as a company, one of our best years ever in the history of Freedom. So first and foremost, I think that goes to a big thank you to all of our patients who trust every provider that we have here, whether it's our Fox Point location, our Brookfield location, Grafton or Mukwonago. I think there's a big thank you to all of our staff at the front desk at all of our locations, all the aids that we have, as well as all the therapists because there's a lot of times that we've been short staffed from a therapist perspective, from a front desk perspective, from an aid perspective. That puts a lot more stress on us as therapists as well as our managers to make sure that we're getting patients in. We're getting good outcomes, and we're making sure that people have a good experience.

Joe: 02:25

So as a company, I think everyone in 2024 from the perspective of growth and maintaining the standard that we have at Freedom, just an incredible job by everybody, and, you know, what a great year it's been. I've been here now for over 3 years, and, you know, I've seen people come and go for various reasons from aid perspective to front desk to therapist. And I think those that stay and those that keep up our core values are really just keeping our company growing and keeping things moving in the right direction. And another thing too that I think speaks to the year that we've had as Freedom Physical Therapy is we see it a lot of patients that come back. And a lot of that is because they have a great experience.

Joe: 03:20

I think anybody at any point, you can see any provider for anything. It's a whole another ballgame to really connect with our patients from a therapist perspective and for our patients to connect with us as well to make sure that the environment that we're treating and then the environment that we're creating to improve someone's life is as positive and nurturing as possible. And I think everyone that is a part of the patient care process does a great job with that. So, again, a thank you to all of our patients who trust us. A big thank you and congratulations to all the staff at Freedom for keeping things moving in the right direction the way we want it to.

Joe: 04:02

So as we move into 2025, you know, we're super excited to keep things going and keep growing as a company and keep making a positive difference and positive impact in people's lives. So, again, a big thank you to everyone involved. So let's kinda move into kind of a summary of 2024. I'll start with myself just because I do the podcast, which I've now been doing it, a little over a year and a half, and it's been something for me that's been really fun. So I hope, you know, everyone that listens to this and, has listened to some of the topics that we've talked about and listened to some of the interviews that we've talked about and people we've talked with have enjoyed some of the content that we're putting out.

Joe: 04:51

In 2025, as we kinda move forward and try and evolve this podcast a little bit, our goal is to get out at least 2 podcasts a month. 1, hopefully, is going to be an interview with either a therapist on a a certain topic. We've got things planned out for 2025 to just give a more overarching theme at the different niches that we have here at Freedom, which I think serves a huge patient population and everyone is very similar on on how they like to treat. But we also have all of our nuances that really sets us apart from, other places. So it's super cool and I'm excited to learn more from people that we work with and just hear more about the body and the health realm of health care.

Joe: 05:35

So a lot of good things coming in 2025. So definitely be on the lookout for those. We're gonna be more consistent posting, so you can look forward to at least every other week. My hope is to fill in things weekly as as we get going to just to just keep putting good positive information out there and make health care accessible to everybody as well as health information. So the whole point of this podcast was to recap, 2024, and, as I said at the beginning, it was to recap a lot of the 2024 fitness challenge, that I set out in late 2023, and as we go into 2024, as we kinda close this year out here.

Joe: 06:17

So I'll start with myself. It was my goal to run 2 marathons in 2024. I objectively failed that. I ran the Green Bay marathon in May, and that marathon compared to my my first one in October of 23, I was able to set a 30 minute personal record, which was super happy about that, especially going from, you know, aerobic capacity to from being nothing when I first started running a couple years ago now. To set a 30 minute PR, I thought that was really good.

Joe: 06:57

Over a minute, a mile was taken off the average time, which, you know, I think is is was pretty good. I was super happy with that. The second one, October, unfortunately, I had to cancel because I unfortunately got COVID for the first time in 2024. So that derailed my all the progress that I made over the summer, and it was really gearing up to set another PR. My goal my goal, running the lakefront marathon a year later here in Milwaukee was to set an hour PR, which I was on pace to do and then some.

Joe: 07:33

Training was going really well and then got COVID, and that derailed some things. And I think where that kinda leads to a little bit is things are gonna pop up. Things might derail goals, whether it's personal, physical. I mean, there's so many variables and obstacles that can kinda get in the way of things, and that's okay. So I would say, objectively, I failed my goal in 2024 of running 2 marathons.

Joe: 08:03

But what I didn't fail at, and this is something, as a new parent and about to be a parent to 2, small children, I think as a spouse, as a friend, just as a human being, If you can control and set a good example of just showing up every single day and doing as much as you can and doing the best you can, that will set you apart and take you farther than just occasionally occasionally showing up and doing something. My goal is to be consistently doing something and putting my best foot forward, and hopefully that takes me over the edge. I do think hard work wins always. So for me, I think the message that if if anyone can get from this or anyone listening is like you know, can relate to it where, you know, things just popped up and things got derailed a little bit. Keep working.

Joe: 09:00

Keep setting new goals. Do everything you can to meet the standard that you're trying to achieve. So we're gonna do the same thing in 2025. We're gonna put for the fitness challenge again, which is more than a New Year's resolution. I think New Year's resolutions, they fizzle out quickly because we realize that it's a lot harder to do what we set out to do than it than it seems at the beginning.

Joe: 09:30

2025, we're doing the same thing. Year long goal changes that you want to achieve. Whatever that is, we're gonna put some posts on social media here. If you follow us on social media, comment on it, let your therapist know. We're gonna keep track of everything just to have some fun with people and keep motivating one another and and just have a lot of fun with it and improve our lives.

Joe: 09:51

I think in any way, if we can motivate one another, it just makes a better environment as a whole. So 2025 for me personally, my tentative plan, as we as I'm kinda putting this together is, for sure, in March, there's gonna be a marathon distance, may maybe a little more that, my goal is to just kind of start overnight and finish as my 2 young children wake up in the morning so I don't lose a day with them. So it'll probably be anywhere from the 26 to 28 mile mark. I turned 28 in March, so my goal is to hit 28 miles. And then later in the year, my goal is to keep training for another ultra event, and my hope is to do the fall 50 in Door County.

Joe: 10:38

And now that I'm saying this on a podcast, probably can't turn back. So a 28 mile race in March and then run a 50 mile race in October Should be fun. Extreme goals, but I think sometimes if we don't set the standard high enough, sometimes we don't know what our body and minds can actually do. So for me, personally, the 2 goals, 2850. Now I do know I'll recap a little bit too on some other therapists that we've talked to that I know off the top of my head.

Joe: 11:18

Couple weeks ago, last week, I think, to be specific, I talked to one of our therapists here, doctor Bree, here who's at Fox Point in Grafton, and her goal is to do a unassisted pull up. She crushed that. Last week, she she posted that she she was able to do it, and she just absolutely crushed it. I think for me doing this podcast and and talking with people, for me, it it it's even cooler to see other people accomplish their goals. So for her, super happy for her.

Joe: 11:51

She absolutely crushed it. It looked great. She was able to hit her goal. I know for sure, Molly was able to do her 6 k goal, earlier this summer, which I'm super happy for her, with what she does at Freedom. She's super busy, and outside of work, she's super busy.

Joe: 12:09

So for her to be able to accomplish that, I think think was just awesome. So those 2, if if I'm missing anybody, I'm not not trying to exclude everybody, but those 2 for sure as I'm doing this podcast off the top of my head. I know that they crush their goals. I know a lot of our other therapists. I know Anna works every week at improving herself.

Joe: 12:29

She's probably one of the strongest people that I I see at the gym at the WAC. She works out before work all the time. She does a fantastic job, and and she shows a great example to her patients that she's gotta take care of herself first so that she can better help patients, which is just, I think, a fantastic example. So everyone here at Freedom, I can speak for Fox Point because this is where I work primarily is we do everything we can for ourselves as well as do does everything we can for our patients to help them improve. So, again, I think it's a great environment here in 2024, and we're gonna push forward to have a great environment here in 2025.

Joe: 13:08

So what I would encourage everyone to do if you're listening to this and and didn't have a goal in 2024 or you did is objectively go back and see if you met that goal, and then set a goal for 2025 that kinda ups the ante for the next year so you can keep improving. And then let us know either on on Facebook or on our Instagram. Talk to your therapist. What what I wanna do is kinda compile everyone's list. And as we go through the year, if you accomplish it, let us know so that we can celebrate the wins that you had.

Joe: 13:40

I think it 2025 could could be a really good year just to keep improving things. And, again, I thank you to all of our listeners. Thank you to all of our patients, front desk, our aids, therapists. Everyone did a great job in 2024, and we're really looking forward to having an exceptional year in 2025. And we're gonna look forward to having a really good podcast, some good stuff coming up, and then we're really looking forward to seeing a lot of our patients in in 2025.

Joe: 14:08

And anyone that's listening that has not been a part of Freedom or they think they may have, an injury presentation that would benefit from coming in and seeing a therapist here at Freedom Physical Therapy. We've got locations in Fox Point, Grafton, Mukwonago, and Brookfield. Thanks for listening everybody, and we'll see everybody in 2025.