You've Done Nothing Wrong: A DPT's Practical Guide to Fitness and Nutrition for Busy Healthcare Providers Featuring Dr. Hannah Brandt, EP 245
What if the biggest obstacle to your health isn't time, willpower, or motivation—but the fact that nobody ever taught you how to take care of yourself? In this episode of The Thriving Practice Podcast, Tracy Cherpeski sits down with Dr. Hannah Brandt, a doctor of physical therapy turned health coach who has spent years helping women in healthcare build sustainable fitness and nutrition habits that actually stick. For independent practice owners who give everything to their patients and have nothing left for themselves, this conversation is both a reality check and a permission slip.
Dr. Hannah is the founder of Physique Triage, a virtual coaching practice specializing in fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, and weight loss coaching for women in healthcare. Her approach is rooted in something refreshingly practical: before you change anything, find your gaps. No extreme overhauls, no dramatic restrictions—just honest assessment followed by small, sustainable shifts that build real momentum over time. She knows this works because she has lived it. After earning her doctorate, she found herself at her heaviest and realized that even with all her clinical training, she had no idea how to take care of her own health. She went on to lose over 60 pounds by doing exactly what she now teaches her clients.
Whether you're a practice owner struggling to prioritize your own health, a clinician feeling the limits of a system that trains you to care for everyone but yourself, or someone who just needs permission to start—this episode offers exactly that.
Key Takeaways
Self-care is not selfish—it's essential. Healthcare providers are trained to put patients first, but running on empty doesn't serve anyone. Taking care of yourself makes you a more present, effective, and fulfilled provider.
Find your gaps before making changes. Rather than jumping to restrict and overhaul, Dr. Hannah recommends spending a few days honestly assessing your hydration, movement, sleep, and eating patterns—then addressing what's actually missing.
Small, sustainable changes beat dramatic ones every time. Adding protein to a lunch you already eat, bumping your daily steps by 1,500, or trading one Diet Coke for a glass of water—these are the kinds of shifts that stick.
Healthcare providers often don't know how to take care of themselves—and that's okay. Clinical training focuses on patient care, not personal health. Asking for help isn't a failure; it's the smart move.
You don't have to feel terrible to start. If you feel 'okay' or 'fine,' you're actually much closer to feeling genuinely well than you might think. Starting before things get worse makes the journey shorter.
Q&A
Why do women in healthcare struggle so much with their own health?
Dr. Hannah points to conditioning that starts in training: clinical education centers entirely on patient care, not provider wellness. Add in the culture of self-sacrifice and the pressure to project confidence at all times, and you get a population of highly educated, deeply caring providers who have essentially been taught that their own needs come last. As she observed at one of the largest physical therapy conferences in the country, not a single exhibitor was there to support the clinician—only patient care outcomes and productivity standards.
What's a realistic first step for a healthcare provider who wants to get healthier?
Dr. Hannah recommends starting with honest curiosity: track your water intake, daily movement, and eating patterns for two to three days. Then identify one gap—maybe you're barely hitting 2,000 steps, skipping lunch entirely, or going all day without water—and set one small, attainable goal in that area. Don't try to fix everything at once. Find the gap. Start there.
How does Physique Triage work differently from traditional diet and fitness programs?
Physique Triage approaches health coaching the way healthcare providers approach patient care: with an intake assessment, individualized planning, and realistic goals built around the client's actual life. The goal isn't to hand someone a meal plan or a rigid workout schedule—it's to figure out what will realistically work given their schedule, their family, their practice, and what they already enjoy.
Is weight loss the only focus at Physique Triage?
Not at all. While weight loss often brings clients through the door, the work is really about sustainable health—strength, energy, mental clarity, better sleep. Dr. Hannah notes that many clients don't realize how poorly they feel until they start feeling better. When a client says, 'I didn't know I was waking up achy every morning until I wasn't anymore'—that's the real win.
Episode Highlights
Dr. Hannah's origin story: from doctoral graduate at her heaviest to losing 60+ pounds and discovering her calling
Why she built Physique Triage specifically for women in healthcare—the population she knew best
The evaluation-first approach: why she starts every client with questions, not a plan
Adding vs. subtracting: why Dr. Hannah focuses on what clients can bring in rather than what to cut out
The 'find your gaps' framework: assessing hydration, movement, sleep, and nutrition before changing anything
Why healthcare providers are conditioned to put themselves last—and what it costs them
The pediatric hepatologist who didn't know salmon had fat—and what it reveals about clinical training and self-knowledge
Why sustainable beats dramatic: how Dr. Hannah has maintained her 60+ pound loss for over a decade
The piano lesson revelation: choosing hobbies you'll never be great at—and why high achievers need them
Dr. Hannah's parting message: you've done nothing wrong, you're not broken, and it's not too late
Memorable Quotes
"We are only taught how to take care of others. And we somehow feel like we should know what to do, when in reality, it's not our area of expertise." — Dr. Hannah Brandt
"We wait until the alarms are ringing. None of our pants fit. We're desperate. And when we're desperate, we make questionable choices." — Dr. Hannah Brandt
"Sometimes we don't even know that we don't feel good until we start feeling good." — Dr. Hannah Brandt
"Self-care is not selfish. It's essential to be the most effective version of yourself in all the areas that you want to be." — Dr. Hannah Brandt
"I chose some strategic hobbies that no matter how hard I try, I'll never be great at—so I didn't have this incessant need to be the best and overachieve in that area as well." — Dr. Hannah Brandt
Dr. Hannah Brandt has a gift for meeting people exactly where they are—no guilt, no dramatic overhauls, just an honest look at where you are and one small step in the right direction. For practice owners who have poured everything into their patients, their staff, and their businesses, her message is a reminder that you cannot sustain that generosity if you're running on empty. If today's episode gave you the permission slip you needed to start prioritizing yourself, we'd love to hear about it. Find Dr. Hannah and Physique Triage at [physiquetriage.com — please verify URL], and explore thrivingpracticecommunity.com for resources to help you build a practice—and a life—that truly thrives.
Guest Bio:
Dr. Hannah Brandt, PT, DPT, CPT, IFNCP is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Personal Trainer, and Integrative and Functional Nutrition Therapy Practitioner. After losing over 60 pounds herself, she left clinical practice to become a health, fitness, and weight loss coach dedicated to helping other women break free from the same struggles she once faced. She knows firsthand the unique challenges women, especially healthcare providers balancing family, work, and health, navigate every day. As the founder of Physique Triage, Hannah blends medical expertise with real-world practicality to cut through the noise of fad diets and quick fixes. With humor, empathy, and evidence-based strategies, she empowers women to feel confident in their bodies and strong in their daily lives through practical fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, and weight loss coaching.
Find Hannah:
Instagram @drhannah.healthcoach
See Where Your Practice Stands: Take our Practice Growth Readiness Assessment
Connect With Us: