Exploring Life & Business with Shelby Blankenship

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Blankenship.

Hi Shelby, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My husband was a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach when we first met. We both always had a passion for fitness and in a very scenic route way it ended up where I became a physical therapist and he became a firefighter. I worked for a local hospital for about 5 years and was primarily involved in the neuro ICU and doing OP pelvic floor physical therapy.

Right before the pandemic hit, I was promoted to the acute care coordinator and became in charge of all the PTs, OTs, and STs for the acute side of the hospital. I did that for about 3.5 years. It had its challenges like any job does and I didn’t realize how burned out I was until about the spring of 2021. I had stretched myself too thin by taking on the covid unit, neuro ICU, pelvic floor patients, leadership roles/projects, and very limited days off.

I reached out to a few of my friends at Onward Tennessee Physical Therapy in Hendersonville as we had become very close friends and I loved their model and how much fun and freedom they had seeing their patients. They got me in touch with Christina Prevett, who created the original Stave Off in Canada and was needing to close so she could transition her family to the U.S. with hopes of creating a Stave Off franchise in the U.S.

The model of Stave Off was to serve Medicare-eligible clients with fitness-forward PT that was more than simple ankle pumps and knee kicks which have plagued our profession. We were going to get dumbbells and barbells in their hands and have them squatting, deadlifting, getting on and off the floor, jumping, and more. Not only were we going to serve them from a physical therapy standpoint but also have a gym side where we do 50+ fitness classes, personal training, and adaptive training with the same approach. I was all in immediately.

This was exactly what I was looking for and my husband was right behind me to support and assist on his days off. It took about a year from signing the initial paperwork to the opening but I can honestly say this is exactly what God has put me on this earth to do. I am so proud of what we are building and cannot wait to see how it will grow.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Funny you should ask. We had many hiccups in regards to waiting on approvals from the city or engineer plans but the two biggest hiccups were my mom getting diagnosed with breast cancer one month before we were supposed to open and the second is me getting incredibly sick where I had to get hospitalized twice. The week after Thanksgiving I took my mom to get her chemo port placed and the next day we started chemo.

That week I hadn’t felt great but assumed it was due to stress as we had our ribbon cutting ceremony the next week on Dec 8. I continued to feel poorly and so Saturday I went to the care now clinic and ultimately got diagnosed with BOTH flu A and B. I was so irritated I had gotten sick but took the Tamiflu and relied heavily on my husband and in-laws to help prep everything. Thursday, opening day, rolled around and I was determined to rally as this was something we had been working on for a year.

I went to the ceremony and that night I spiked a fever of 102 and went back to care now but this time I was vomiting and was so limited on food intake. Again they thought it was just the flu. A few more days go by and I reach out to an NP friend as I was still spiking fevers and barely mobile where ultimately she recommended I go to the hospital as shortness of breath had set in. I was treated for bacterial pneumonia for 3 days and sent home with oral antibiotics.

I followed up about 5 days post-discharge with the same NP friend and my labs and chest x-ray were extremely poor leading me back to the hospital once again. After being put on oxygen, bronchoscopy, lumbar puncture, and multiple bouts of lab work/scans I was diagnosed with histoplasmosis and had to be in the hospital for about a week on infusions as this was a fungal infection and it had reached other parts of my body besides my lungs.

All this to say our business was at a complete standstill for almost a month and I was completely heartbroken, frustrated, and humbled by how weak I had become physically. Once I was discharged home I had to continue the antifungal infusions through my PICC line for a few weeks and then transitioned to only the oral meds.

Finally, about mid-January, I started getting out of the house and trying just to go to Stave Off as my husband would teach classes. It’s been a slow recovery with obstacles we’ve had to manage but we are finally getting more people in the door and we’ve had amazing support from our community throughout this very challenging time.

As you know, we’re big fans of Stave Off Hendersonville. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Stave Off is a fitness-forward physical therapy clinic/gym that serves 50+ and Medicare-eligible adults to promote increased quality of life and personalized navigation through any injury or illness. During my time as a physical therapist, I have specialized in working with older adults, post-stroke patients, and pelvic health issues. I hold a Level 1 certification in Dry Needling and am also certified in pelvic floor needling. I am currently completing my CAPP-Pelvic certification.

Cory is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a certified kettlebell instructor, and a certified adaptive and inclusive trainer. We are most proud of Stave Off for not allowing people who tend to get “lost” in the medical system to have a community and a team that listens and promotes taking their MEDS (mindfulness, exercise, diet, sleep) daily.

We want readers to know that we have full continuity of care between physical therapy, personalized training, and fitness classes so you can stay moving regardless of injury/illness. We also have a great partnership with our friends “Onward Tennessee” for physical therapy/wellness for the rest of your family to go to if they don’t qualify for Medicare.

Pricing:

• $110 for Monthly gym membership, month-to-month membership, unlimited classes
• $70 per session for personal training, packages available at discounted price
• $80 per session for adaptive training, packages available at discounted price
• Physical Therapy is Medicare only

Contact Info:

• Website: Staveoff.com
• Instagram: @staveoff_hendersonville
• Facebook: @Stave Off Hendersonville
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkDVznVl2rHPKjYLhPil9Q  

Image Credits
Sara Kauss