What’s it like being a Therapist? With Manx TheraPlate

What’s it like being a Therapist? With Manx TheraPlate

Joanna with TheraPlate founder, Chip Kreiling

Taking the plunge to be a TheraPlate Therapist can be daunting! How better to find out all about this unique business opportunity than from one of our Therapists?

Joanna Priest owns Manx Theraplate and operates on the Isle of Man. At just 32 miles long and 16 miles wide, you would think that this would limit Joanna’s client basis and make growing her business difficult… However, because of the unique technology of the Theraplate, Joanna and her Theraplates are in high demand on the Isle of Man!

We found out from Joanna exactly what it’s like running your own Theraplate Therapist business and how you too could make it work.

What is a “normal” day for you?

I work part time Monday to Wednesday until 2pm, so I build my diary around what bookings I have and what I have planned for my own horses and/or things I have got on that week. I get up at 5.45am Mon-Wed to get the horses done (I have 4 in total, 3 in work 1 retired) and then head to work for 8.30am. When I leave there, I either go home to my human Theraplate treatments, or to my parent’s house where I keep the horses, to work and finish them off for the evening, then after that I will treat my human clients from home. Wednesday evenings I head to a local livery yard where I have 6-10 horses that I treat either weekly or fortnightly. The Isle of Man is only 32 miles long and 16 miles wide so not far to travel. My day is so varied between people and horses it’s never the same. I’ve treated over 10 people in one day before!

What car do you use to transport your Theraplate in?

I have a Ford Focus, it can carry a K21, K6 and a K4 all at once!

Do you mainly treat horses, humans or animals or all of the above?

I only treat people and horses. There is also now a dedicated dog Theraplate on the Isle of Man.

How did you first hear about Theraplate? When did you begin operating as a Therapist?

Originally, I saw it on Facebook. We were actually looking at water treadmills, but did some research into the Theraplate and decided that it would be the better option for us. We have been using it on our four horses now for 14 months!

TheraPlate packaged

Did you begin working as a therapist on a part time or full-time basis?

My sister and I decided to go mobile in order to help cover our monthly finance costs for the K21 unit. I was later made redundant and worked with TheraPlate UK at Bolesworth Horse Show for the week. After thinking things through, we decided that the Isle of Man would benefit from the human theraplate as well, we have so many cyclists, horse riders, runners, bikers, it’s a huge sporting island! However, I am amazed how many people have contacted me, it really is amazing to see the Theraplate being used by all of these different people.

Showjumping

What’s your top tips to anyone thinking about becoming a therapist?

Think about your customer base before you start, how far you would be prepared to travel, you will end up working some unsociable hours to build up your business but once you have a good client base you can start making it work for you. I would advise investing in advertising to reach new potential clients too. With Theraplate, the client basis is wide so you have lots of people you could target! A good reputation and recommendations are also extremely helpful!

Do you have any top tips on how to be a successful Theraplate Therapist?

Be flexible, friendly, helpful and listen to your clients.

What is the best thing about being a Theraplate Therapist?

I like visiting lots of people and horses and the flexibility is also fabulous!

If you could have any job, what would you do?

I’ve worked very hard for the last 30 years in finance and the food industry, so I’m loving doing this job, especially the flexibility and the freedom!

TheraPlate treatment
What’s It Like Being a TheraPlate UK Therapist?

What’s It Like Being a TheraPlate UK Therapist?

We are currently looking to expand our Theraplate Therapist team! Being an independent Theraplate Therapist is a dream job for many.

Whilst we can offer help and guidance with setting up your Theraplate Therapist business, it’s usually better coming straight from the horse’s mouth… We asked our Operations Manger, Independent Theraplate Therapist and Owner of Yorkshire Equine Rehab Ltd, Floss Smith what it’s like to be a self employed therapist.

What is a “normal” day in the life of a Theraplate therapist?

Weekdays are usually pretty routine now as I limit it to my regular clients as we are so busy at TheraPlate UK HQ (TPUK).

How many treatments a day do you do?

Anywhere between 5 and 10 as individual client visits so I try and group the areas together. Weekends however are usually yard visits and I can get 20-30 done at one site or sometimes two if in the same area. It really does depend on how busy I want to be, I’d be doing 30 horses a day if it was up to my clients!

How far do you travel?

I travel throughout Yorkshire but have gone to Dumfries, Pembrokeshire… Having my own business gives me the flexibility to judge where I want to go and if it will be worthwhile.

What car do you use to transport your Theraplate in?

I initially started with a VW Polo with the seats down and then moved onto a Skoda, also with seats down. These were easy to load the plates into as it had a low boot, but not practical for anything else. I now have a Mitsubishi L200 pickup which is great, but a bit more difficult to load into alone. I’ve worked out how to make it a bit easier for myself, previously I’ve used a wheely bin for a bit of extra height! I got 2x K21s and a K6 in my Skoda though!

Do you mainly treat horses, humans or animals or all of the above?

Mainly horses but the owners always want to jump on too! I do a lot of dogs, the odd sheep and a pig. I also rent out a K4 unit for humans.

How did you first hear about Theraplate? When did you first begin treating?

I first heard about Theraplate in October/November 2017… I was actually looking for a water treadmill for my rehab yard but the more I looked the more I went off the idea. I saw TheraPlate UK and trialled it at home and since then I’ve not looked back!

Did you begin working as a therapist on a part time or full-time basis?

I started on part time basis for mobile treatments as I had a static yard. Slowly the mobile side took over more and more, I was also selling Theraplates too. I now work closely with TheraPlate UK as their Operations Manager.

What’s your top tips to anyone thinking about becoming a therapist?

Don’t over complicate it!! You have to work hard at your own business and client base but there are so many horses, humans, dogs etc. around who can use the Theraplate, the work is plentiful. Being a business owner takes a lot of drive, never take your foot off the gas and expect to keep moving forward.

Do you have any top tips on how to be a successful Theraplate Therapist?

Understand your equipment, do the research!! Don’t worry what everyone else is doing, it should not be competitive. TheraPlate UK are about the horse first and foremost.

What is the best thing about being a Theraplate Therapist?

Being part of a community with the other TheraPlate UK Therapists but maintaining individuality with my own business.

And just for fun…

If you could have any job, what would you do?

A crane driver. I LOVE cranes.

If you would like a treatment with Floss, please contact Yorkshire Equine Rehab today.

To find out more about how you can become a TheraPlate UK Therapist, please contact us for further information.

Phone: 0800 955 2016
Website: www.theraplateuk.com
Email: hello@theraplateuk.com

TheraPlate portable car
Meet The Team
TheraPlate supine human
Showjumper Lilly Aspell joins the Theraplate Revolution

Showjumper Lilly Aspell joins the Theraplate Revolution

Future show jumping talent, Lilly Aspell joins the Theraplate revolution as one of our recent Brand Ambassadors after trying the theraplate at the TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show.

Lilly can regularly be seen on the pony show jumping circuit with her ponies Pepper and Lord. Already with a qualifying ticket for the Royal International at Hickstead, 2019 promises to be an even bigger year for Team Aspell.

At just 11 years old, Lilly keeps busy by combining her interests in acting and showjumping. Lilly was always destined to be a fantastic rider with both of her parents being professional jockeys, Lilly followed in their footsteps and completed her first hunter trial before she could walk!

After being scouted, Lilly’s acting career took off as she played Young Diana in the legendary film, Wonder Woman. 2019 looks set to be a fantastic year for Lilly and her ponies as she continues to go from strength to strength. The addition of a Theraplate to her yard has also proved highly valuable. We can’t wait to follow the success of Team Aspell!

Getting To Know “Bonecrusher”

Getting To Know “Bonecrusher”

It’s tough being at the top, but that’s right where Marc Diakiese AKA “Bonecrusher” intends to stay with his epic fight night on Saturday 16th March looming.

Find out a bit more about “Bonecrusher” as we catch up with him:

How did you first get into UFC fighting?

I walked into a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) gym one day and there was no turning back. I was curious to see what else I could do and began training and learning the basics. A few years later, once I discovered Mixed Martial Arts(MMA), I couldn’t believe how much I was missing out on and was hooked, I wanted to learn it all and be the best. I made my UFC debut 3 years ago in 2016.

How many hours a week do you train?

I usually train 25-30 hours per week

How do you use the Theraplate in your training sessions?

After a long days training, often consisting of 2/3 hard sessions, I use the Theraplate. I just follow the protocol on the app on my phone for Post Exercise, it’s so easy!

What’s your favourite quote/words to live by?

“Grind” “The best has yet to come” “Keep the faith and never lose your perseverance”

What’s your 2019 goals?

In terms of competition, I want to win fights obviously but to do this I also want to also keep a good headspace and make every day count.

The Theraplate can be used by athletes of all shapes and sizes. Get in touch with us today to find out more about the Theraplate.

Getting To Know "Bonecrusher"
Introducing Champion UFC Fighter Marc “Bonecrusher” Diakiese

Introducing Champion UFC Fighter Marc “Bonecrusher” Diakiese

Marc “Bonecrusher” Diakiese is a highly successful UFC fighter and our newest ambassador.

Marc trains and competes to an extremely high level, meaning that his body needs to be warmed up, cooled down and recovered perfectly to ensure he gets the most out of every training session to prepare him for his next big fight. Find out a bit more about this ultimate athlete below.

Marc “Bonecrusher” Diakiese was born on the 16th of March 1993 in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. He moved to the UK at the tender age of 12 years old. Starting in 2010, Diakiese gained momentum on the amateur fighting scene.

Soon he fought his way to 3 British amateur titles. In 2014, he began his professional career joining the BAMMA organization after winning his first four professional fights . Bonecrusher moved to having an undefeated professional record of 9-0, successfully defending his BAMMA Lonsdale British Lightweight Championship title twice before being scouted by the UFC. Diakiese made his UFC debut on 8 October 2016 at UFC 204 winning by TKO. He now holds a professional record of 12-3.

Marc uses his Theraplate every day for warm ups, cool downs, taking his Theraplate with him to every fight. The Theraplate can be used by everyone, professionals and amateurs alike.

We look forward to working more closely with Marc leading up to each fight and are proud to have him join the Theraplate revolution.

Introducing Champion UFC Fighter Marc "Bonecrusher"
Chinese Equestrian Star Alex Hua Tian Joins the Revolution!

Chinese Equestrian Star Alex Hua Tian Joins the Revolution!

Alex Hua Tian is a talented event rider representing China. With some already impressive stats, he continues to make his mark on the equestrian sport.

Alex is the youngest ever eventer to compete at an Olympic games and is also China’s first equestrian Olympian ever. Regularly seen at the most prestigious events across Europe, Alex is also an Ambassador for the Asian Games and won the Rising Star Award from Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) in 2009.

Alex shares his equestrian base in Cheshire with partner Sarah Higgins (who you might recognise from one of our previous posts!)

With an exciting string of horses for 2019, Alex has his sights set high and we can’t wait to support Alex and his horses and wish them good luck for the upcoming season!

Chinese Equestrian Star Alex Hua Tian
Chinese Equestrian Star Alex Hua Tian Joins the Revolution!
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