Exploring Life & Business with Edwin Porras of PRO Athlete Physical Therapy

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Edwin Porras.

Hi Edwin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
As the son of two Mexican immigrants, my life started with house money! My parents did all the heavy lifting and granted me an opportunity to make the most of it. I set my sights on physical therapy school in 2011 and never looked back. I became obsessed with the profession and honed my craft early. Enough to complete an additional – voluntary – year of residency training (in the middle of a pandemic).

Then the once-in-a-career opportunity to work in professional baseball presented itself. After a whirlwind 8 days of multiple interviews and several phone calls, I headed to the Twin Cities (spring training complex in Florida). After living that dream for two years, I made the impossible decision to let it go. My best friend (my wife) and I wanted to put down roots in a city that fit our geographical needs and our tastes and values. Enter Denver.

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?
Smooth is boring! So where to begin? Navigating the world as a first-generation college student.

Waitlisted and ultimately rejected from PT school as a first-time applicant. An adult diagnosis of ADHD. Getting married on two graduate student incomes (AKA is no income). Being across the country from my wife when a pandemic hits. Board exams canceled. Moving across the country during said pandemic.

Here’s the best part: I couldn’t be more happy with where my life is now. But if at any point it looks glamorous, it wasn’t without hard times.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At PRO Athlete PT, we guide competitors in the pursuit of getting healthy, staying healthy, and competing at the next level.

Given my background in pro baseball, the clinic’s specialty is obviously baseball. But in reality, my background and experience have afforded me the ability to knowledgeably treat most athletes who walk through the door. Do I know everything? Absolutely not. So what sets our brand of physical therapy apart? In addition to practical experience with high-level athletes (and literally thousands of hours of self-led learning) is a genuine, sincere and compulsive “give a sh*t” factor.

Almost everybody has had a bad experience with physical therapy. This is a topic on its own. We can’t speak to the experience you’ll get elsewhere, but we can say that in regards to experience, we promise to make yours a good one. Whether that means you end up working with us or we send you to somebody better suited to your needs.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Of course! Nobody is on an island. This is an impossible list that will almost certainly leave people out. Hollie: the love of my life. My biggest cheerleader/support system/advocate/mentor/best friend. None of what I have accomplished is even fathomable without her. Cliche as it is, she believes in me more than I believe in myself at times!

My parents: without them, I wouldn’t have any of these opportunities. Dr. Kelly Starrett: we merely follow each other on X (Twitter) but the massive influence of his grainy 2011 YouTube videos is unmatched. He showed me there is so much more to our profession than ice packs and ugly khakis. Dr. Todd Davenport: a mentor during residency whose voice continues inside my head any time complex cases or real-life situations (mostly those) arise. He inspired me to care even more deeply. To constantly check in on my “give a sh*t” factor.

Other incredible influences: Institute of Clinical Excellence. And first names only because you know who you are: Seivert, Nathan, Danielle, and I’m surely forgetting more.

Contact Info:

• Website: proathletept.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proathletept?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556336228547&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Phone: (720) 248-7515