I’ve always been deeply drawn to people’s stories; the how and why that got them from there to here.

This is mine.

I have been a physical therapist for over 30 years with 25 of those spent in leadership roles as a director of rehab departments. The last 26 years I have specialized in caring for older adults in long term care and senior living communities.

13 years ago, I started taking improv classes and fell in love with the artform. I perform improv comedy shows regularly in Kansas City with my troupe, Explosive Group Chat.

I quickly resonated with the improv principals and realized that they aligned with many of my spiritual practices and beliefs; mindfulness, non-judgement, the gifts of imperfection, surrender, embracing the unknown, radical acceptance and co-creation only to name a few.

In my professional life, I had always been a strong communicator, easily building therapeutic rapport with my patients and their families and leading successful therapy teams.

And yet.

Once I began taking improv classes, I noticed a subtle, and impactful, shift with my interactions with patients, families and co-workers. As well as my family and friends.

I listened more deeply.
My questions were transforming from judgmental inquiry to compassionate curiosity.
I leaned even more into my intuition.
I became more keenly aware that the energy and presence that I brought into a treatment session mattered significantly to its success.
I witnessed people heal more easily physically when they felt fully seen and heard, and emotionally safe.

I wasn't avoiding the difficult conversations anymore because I couldn't predict the outcome. Without realizing it, I was embracing the uncertainty of authentic communication and being willing to be mindfully present for those conversations.

I recognized the principles and skills I was learning on the stage in improv class were helping me become a more effective, compassionate healer as my focus shifted to more collaborative relationships with my patients.

That discovery led me to applied improv and medical improv, and to a desire to share these accessible tools with others. Today, my work brings together decades in healthcare, leadership, and improv to support communication that is more present, collaborative, and human, especially in environments where the stakes are high and the work is deeply relational.

I’d love to hear your story, Carrie