Conversations with Dr. Jennifer Hutton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Jennifer Hutton. 

Hi Dr. Hutton, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was 16 years old when my youngest cousin was born 3 months premature. At the time I had no idea what I wanted to do professionally, but getting a front-row seat to my cousin’s journey through life and healthcare shaped my decision. A physical told his mother that he would never walk and that she should just resign to him being in a wheelchair. She did everything in her power to prove them wrong, enter physical therapy. I remember attending some of his therapy sessions and being amazed at the work he was doing and how the therapist created space for him to reach his own potential. Sophomore year in college I determined that I was going to go to grad school, become a pediatric physical therapist and work at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. There were a lot of lessons, twists, and turns, as with most journeys. But I achieved my goal and graduated with my doctorate in physical therapy in 2008 and after a few years working in the field, finally got my dream job in 2011. In 2016 I got the itch to do more. I realized that all my dreams had been reached and it was time to start dreaming again. I started sharing more about what I did and the children I worked with on social media which led to an opportunity to travel the country and teach continuing education for a company called RockTape. I also wanted to do more outside of the clinic for the marginalized population I serve and it was clear that I needed to venture out on my own. In 2019, I made the decision that I wanted to transition out of the hospital system and in 2020 I made the leap to work for myself. The pandemic altered how I entered entrepreneurship, but the pivots and the time allowed me to simultaneously work on the healthcare justice portion of my business. In my practice, I’d observed the health disparities that existed as well as how race/ethnicity, language, and SES played a role in access and provider’s approach to treatment as well and I wanted to be a part of the solution. In August of 2020, I started a virtual membership community called Building Allyship for healthcare and wellness providers who were looking for more direction in learning about what true allyship and advocacy look like. There are monthly speakers, focus groups, resources for learning, quarterly donations, and space for others to connect with others on the allyship journey. While leaving a secure job was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, I’m now able to change what healthcare looks like in my own way and I look forward to the work I will be able to do as a therapist and an educator. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey has been everything but smooth. The first major bump was failing my boards the first time I took them. Everyone plans to take boards and get to work immediately, but that wasn’t my story. I ended up having to be tested and I was diagnosed with ADD and a reading comprehension disorder. I went through months of work with a specialist to figure out the best way for me to learn, which helped me pass my boards the second time around. Second bump: I worked for 2.5 years in a healthcare setting that I had no interest in because I was turned down by my dream job twice because I had no pediatric experience. Every quarter for 2 years I emailed the director to let them know I was interested until they finally had a position open that required the experience, I had been getting in the setting I had no interest in working in. Crazy how life works! When I left my job in February 2020, I had no idea a pandemic would come and wipe out savings and require me to scrap plans I’d worked hard on for years. But God had a plan that was bigger than mine and now that I look, back I’m grateful for the struggles that brought me where I am today. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I believe that when we seek to understand the lives of others, we have greater compassion for their journey. My cousin having cerebral palsy didn’t just introduce me to physical therapy, it opened my eyes to how children with disabilities journey through this country. When I started @Dr.Jpop, it was to share the physical therapy portion of these kids’ journey with others. Building Allyship is my way of creating a platform for speakers with marginalized identities and connecting them to those who may not have a chance to hear their stories or expertise in their daily life. My hope is that my work shows others how to create an authentic and impactful community where no one has to hide the parts of themselves that dictate how they traverse through life. 

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I have learned more about myself in my time as an entrepreneur than ever before and having a therapist has truly helped me more than I can express. So, my advice to those seeking to work for themselves is to get a good therapist that can help you navigate the new territory, work through the habits and traits that don’t serve you in entrepreneurship, and learn how to trust your own voice and decisions. My second piece of advice would be to surround yourself with people that are on the same journey and can be support for you along the way. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@drjpop.com
• Website: www.drjpop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.jpop/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrJpop