Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Woolever.
Zach, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I don’t have the classic physical therapist origin story of a major surgery or injury exposing me to the field at an early age. Instead, I found my path to this profession because it aligned perfectly with the values that I wanted out of a career. I knew what I wanted and more importantly, what I didn’t want. I didn’t want to be checking into an office, stuck at a desk, or constantly be worrying about project deadlines. I wanted to be working alongside people in a manner that the relationship building was a huge component of the work. And most importantly, I wanted to be a part of something that truly mattered and made a tangible difference in people’s lives.
I got my start at a surgeon-owned sports medicine clinic in Nashville and I had to learn fast. They were the best in the city and expected the best. Here I learned firsthand what truly comprehensive high-level care looked like. Most of the clients we worked with were highly driven individuals and our team had the people (physical therapists, massage therapists, strength coaches, and nutritionists) to help them not only recover from injury, but come out stronger and better than they were before.
After moving out of Tennessee, I found myself managing more traditional insurance-based orthopedic clinics for larger corporations. I became increasingly frustrated with this high-volume model of care over the years as I realized that our healthcare system wasn’t set up to allow people to properly rehab or build the long-term resilience that would truly make a difference in their physical healthy and activity level.
The birth of my first son in 2022 was the tipping point that pushed me to finally step away from the traditional insurance model of big box physical therapy clinics and create something that actually aligned with the type of care and rehab journey that I had first learned and believed in.
I launched Embark Physio and Performance officially in January 2024 delivering a blended model of in-person 1 on 1 care and remote support programming. This model let me deliver highly personalized care through a rehab management approach that actually fits into my clients’ real lives. It gives them the flexibility and structure they need, while allowing me to be “in their back pocket” to navigate the ups and downs of rehab and build the tools and mindset needed to succeed.
Today, my focus is on either helping people overcome acute injury as well as helping people finally get out of the chronic pain cycle for good. My mission is to work as a partner in their journey back to doing what they love through a model that actually supports returning to long-term performance at 100%, not just symptom relief.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with all entrepreneurial journeys, the ride is anything but smooth. Upon starting Embark Physio and Performance, I knew I had the clinical skillset to succeed. The business side of things? A completely different story. While physical therapy school does a lot of great things, one aspect that it historically does a poor job at is teaching how to start or run a business. It’s just not something that a lot of class time is devoted to. I tried to bridge this gap by working with an excellent business coach, Ray Gorman. Learning the not-so-exciting but very necessary aspects of running a business such as bookkeeping, marketing, sales, and backend processes that keep things running smoothly has all been a steep learning curve.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the founder and sole provider at Embark Physio and Performance. I offer a blended in-person and remote rehab and performance model specifically tailored to active people who want to get back to 100% of what they love doing as well as learn the tools and mindset needed to be resilient long-term. Each client gets a fully individualized plan of care including daily communication and guidance between sessions, so the rehab becomes a part of their training lifestyle rather than adding more stress to it.
I am a physical therapist, certified strength coach, and most importantly a fellow human that is passionate about not letting pain and physical limitations dictate what you can do.
Communities I specialize in are CrossFit athletes, recreational lifters and fitness athletes, and runners.
What sets me apart is that I provide a system that allows me to guide the client through the rehab journey on a daily basis without solely relying on coming to see me in the clinic. As much as I wish coming to see a therapist for a total of 60 minutes 1-2x/week would be what resolves the problem, the real work and rehab happens with what you do all the other hours of the week. The between session time is where progress occurs, yet this area is often where traditional physical therapy models provide the least amount of support. To close this gap, we approach your rehab the same way a competitive athlete would approach their training. This means that we are troubleshooting flare-ups, adjusting training loads, and clarifying when to push and when to hold back in real time instead of waiting for the next appointment. We don’t rely on cookie-cutter sessions or 2-3x/week insurance scripts, but make sure each session and each decision is built around the athlete’s goals, schedule, training history, and current capacity.
I am most proud when clients say that they feel heard, supported, and in control of their pain and rehab for the first time. My hope is to create a brand that provides clarity, empowerment, and trust in the rehab process. There is too much fear-based messaging and quick-fix promises out there, and I just want to provide real guidance that gets people back to crushing it on their own terms instead of opting out due to pain or chronic limitation.
If you are tired of feeling stuck in the doom loop of pain-rest-pain or constantly modifying your fitness journey, my services give you the structure, flexibility, and step by step path to rebuild both capacity and confidence. Whether in-person, remote, or a blended approach, you will be receiving an individualized plan of care, consistent guidance, and a clear progression that bridges the gap between rehab and performance.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Everyone I work with starts out the same way, and that is with a free 30 minute consultation call. These can be easily booked directly from my website. During these calls, I like to hear the person’s story, how the pain or injury is affecting them, and ask a few clinical questions to make sure that my services are truly the best route to solve their problem. We then have a discussion about the next best step to take.
I am always looking for other healthcare providers or healthcare-adjacent providers to team up with in order to provide a more complete and well-rounded wellness experience for my clients. If you feel that our missions and services are aligned, I’d love to hear from you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.embarkphysioperformance.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embarkphysio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embarkphysio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@embarkphysioperformance
