One on One With Cortney Gillam – Owner, NW Physical Medicine & Rehab

By CAMI JONER

Besides owning NW Physical Medicine & Rehab, what’s your professional occupation?

I’m a massage therapist who specializes in manual therapy, which encompasses the more specific deep-tissue massage techniques.

Who might seek this kind of care?

We treat a lot of athletes, people with chronic pain issues, like car accident victims. There are a lot of things we can do to alleviate pain.

What was your first job and what did you learn from it?

I worked for TCBY, an ice cream and yogurt place, in Steamboat Springs, Colo., where I lived through my junior high and most of my high school years. What did I learn? Take all things in moderation.

What made you decide to go into massage therapy?

I had a bad skiing accident when I was 15 and suffered from a dislocated tailbone. Massage and chiropractic helped me avoid surgery, and then later on, I worked for a local chiropractor who was very instrumental in my decision. He had a positive influence on me, pointing out that I had a gift for this. When I started exploring that, I realized it was something I enjoyed doing.

What business decision makes you especially proud?

Being present in each moment and enjoying the journey along the way, because it isn’t always easy to do.

How do you do it?

Through lots of yoga, breathing and focusing, by staying in the moment with each client and trying to help them achieve what they’re trying to achieve with their therapy.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

Keeping up with the laundry. Every time somebody comes in, there are sheets and towels to be laundered.

What book are you currently reading?

“Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living,” by Donna Farhi.

Best business advice you’ve ever received?

Take care of yourself, because if you don’t, you’re

not going to be able to take care of everybody else. It’s hard to tell people to get massage when you are not doing the same thing. I get one every week, sometimes twice.

Is the American dream alive? Why or why not?

Absolutely, and there’s so many reasons why. I think that as a nation the fact that we can be proactive in our communities means the dream is alive, and the fact that a dad can stay home with his children while a mom goes to work, and that anyone has the opportunity to open a small business and succeed; there’s not many other nations that offer that.

What’s playing in your car CD player or iPod lately?

The Buena Vista Social Club. It’s a Cuban-Latino band.

Favorite restaurant?

Tommy O’s.

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a pair of shoes?

It’s embarrassing to say, but $332. They were a pair of boots and I just had to have them. I figured, you know, you only live once.

What has been your biggest career break, so far?

If I had to be honest, Oprah Winfrey never walked up to me and said, ‘Would you be the massage therapist to the stars.’ I don’t think I’ve necessarily had the typical huge break, but I’ve made good decisions that have accelerated my success.

What has been your biggest career mistake, so far?

I think that goes with the last question. I don’t feel like I’ve made any huge mistakes, either. I just try to make good decisions to recover from any small mistakes I’ve made along the way.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in your business?

You have to love it. You have to have passion for it, and if you do, everything will fall into place.

As a kid, what did you dream about doing as an adult?

I wanted to be a cardiac surgeon. My dad is a surgeon, and that’s what I wanted to do. And then I decided I didn’t want to have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the OR. But I love everything about medicine. It is constantly changing and improving. It’s interactive, and that’s what I love about it.

Vital Satistics

Age: 30.

Education: East West College of the Healing Arts, Portland.

Personal: Happily married to a stay-at-home dad. The couple have two sons: a 9-year-old and a 10-month-old.

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