Finding Your Passion in Healthcare
Today, we interviewed Brett Miller, a Northeastern alumni and the founder of 110 Fitness — the largest wellness center in the world for people with Parkinson’s disease. Brett is a researcher, a licensed physical therapist, and the Head Coach of Rock Steady Boxing South Shore. He shares insight into the physical therapy industry and the journey to founding a business.
Can you tell us about yourself?
I am a licensed physical therapist in the State of Massachusetts, thanks to Northeastern University many years ago. I am also a proud United States Army veteran; I have worked in special operations for eight years, and I’m also very honored to be the founder and owner of 110 Fitness, which is the largest wellness center in the world for people with Parkinson’s disease. It is an all-inclusive wellness center for people with all types of neurological disorders and diseases, but our primary focus is Parkinson’s disease.
Additionally, I am the co-chair for the Parkinson’s Registry in the State of Massachusetts, and a commissioner for the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission. I am also a researcher. I do research for foundations like the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, as well as research for companies across the globe for different technologies that help people with neurological diseases.
What is the story behind 110 Fitness and how did the idea come about?
110 Fitness started about six years ago. We are an all-inclusive wellness center — so not only do we provide services for those with neurological disorders, but we also do programming for other niche groups. For instance, we do a lot of adaptive sports for youth and adults. We do programming for disabled veterans, women who have been affected by domestic violence, and we also are just a regular fitness center. So for someone that does not have any adaptive needs that would like to become a better version of themself, they could come and take a boxing class, a spinning class, or yoga. We target all different populations.
The way that 110 Fitness was designed was, six years ago, I was working in professional boxing as a physical therapist, using boxing as a technique to help people with neurological diseases without contact. I found that these people, many of whom were professional fighters, were getting amazing results with their symptom management. Then, actually, there was a sixty-minute special done by Leslie Stall. Her husband had Parkinson’s disease, and there was research that came out about the relationship between boxing and Parkinson’s disease. And so I dug into that, and I started a very small Parkinson’s boxing program. I rented space in a gym, and then about a month later, there were over 40 people standing in front of me with their spouses who needed help. Eventually, I left my business that I had and moved to the space that 110 Fitness is in now. It kind of exploded from there.
People always ask me what does the name 110 Fitness mean? Well, 110 is better than 100. It is a term that I used to use with my team in the military, where we used to talk about doing something at 110%. Sometimes we would call each other the noun, 110, meaning somebody who excels better than perfection. That was our job and our mission as a team in the military.
How do you think that 110 Fitness has changed since it was first founded? Were there services added as more people came about?
Yeah, we have really exploded. When I first started the program, it was a new venture for me. So I was a little bit nervous, and I held the reins tightly. We started out with just offering boxing programs, cycling programs, and support group meetings. That was our beginning stage. Since then, there really is not anything that we do not do. All of our programming is research-based. So from the initial boxing and cycling programs, we now include Yoga, Tai Chi, mindful meditation, ballroom dancing, drumming classes, choir, etc. We also do something called power moves, which is a type of physical-therapy-based neurological exercise program. We have a handwriting program, massage, art workshop, Spartans, etc. I have also developed something called Box H2O, which is a boxing program for people with Parkinson’s disease, done in a pool. We have a fully-accessible pool next door, and we have classes two days a week, where people can actually get in the water and do specific functional movements so that when they get out of the water, they are able to function better, safer, and a lot easier. So we have really blown out our programming.
Furthermore, we have specific Parkinson’s support groups for different groups of people: youth, folks who have young kids and work full time, caregivers, and a general one for anyone of any age. We are a 360 degree platform, and we try to address all of those needs. We do many community events and partner with a lot of the small businesses near our facility in Rockland, Massachusetts. So every few months, we go golfing, bowling, do an art workshop, deep sea fishing, ax throwing, etc. We are actually rock-climbing this Friday. So we do a lot of fun community events that not only include our members, but also their families, to really let people know that despite having Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders, they can function just like everybody else and live a very nice life.
You have written an autobiography called ‘It’s a Beautiful Day to Save Lives’. What is the book about and why is it called that?
I launched my first book over two years ago, and it is called It’s a Beautiful Day to Save Lives: a Combat, Medics Destiny. It is a memo of my life, starting from when I was six years old — growing up in a small South Shore town called Norwell — up until now, and the creation and development of 110 Fitness. One of the things that has happened to me throughout my life is that I have always been presented in situations where I have had to save people’s lives, and it is a recurring theme that has frequently happened to me. Some people think that is good, and some people not so good. So my book is a culmination of all those stories, and the irony or the plot twist in my book is that at some point in my life, I had to save my own life.
I had found myself in a very dark place after getting out of the service, having PTSD issues, suicidal tendencies, and addiction issues. My book tells the story of how I came out of that, the lesson that I have learned, and the blessings and grace that I have been given. I have read my book a million times, and it was very therapeutic to write. So for me, one of the silver linings behind Covid-19 was that I had time to write a book.
Like most small businesses, 110 Fitness was closed for a long time, and that gave me the opportunity to sit down and actually put everything that was in my brain on paper. It took me about thirteen months from start to finish to write my book, and I have sold thousands of copies; but my whole intention of writing my book was just to change one person’s life. I have just been so blessed that so many people have bought my book and shared it with others. If anyone is interested, you can hop on Amazon or go to itsabeautifuldaytosavelives.com and purchase my book physically or on Kindle.
Is there a specific audience that you would recommend your book to?
It is for anybody. I dedicated my book to anybody that is in the struggle, and the struggle to me is such a broad term. Most people, when they think of a struggle, they think about someone who is trying to get in recovery or somebody that has mental health issues, but really, there are so many commonalities in the struggle that I talk about in my book — whether you have cancer, Parkinson’s, you are just having a difficult time in life, or you are going through grieving because you have lost someone you love. The message in my book is that no matter what your struggle is, there is greatness in you and upon you, and it is your obligation to share that with the world. One of the ways to find out what your greatness is is by being of service to others. And so if you are somebody who wants to feel good or is in a struggle of any kind, the book is for you.
As someone who is involved in so many things — from doing podcasts and giving speeches to founding your own business and writing a book — how do you manage your time and keep yourself from burning out?
This is a really great question. The reason I say that is because everybody asks me that. They always say: “Brett, I have a question for you.” And I say, “What?” And they go, “How do you do what you do?” I tell them to read my book! But what has happened to me is I have been given another chance, and by being saved by grace, I have decided to dedicate the rest of my life to helping people. As a combat medic in the army, I spent most of my time helping people. That is my gift, and I know it is my gift. The greatness that I have with helping others, and being of service to others, is what I need to do in order to keep myself motivated, straight and narrow, and reloaded and refocused all the time.
One of the other things that I stress to people is that a lot of your time has to be self-care. If you are a leader in a corporation or an organization, one of the things that you have to do is take care of yourself. I research philosophers, and a lot of them talk about dedicating close to 40% of your time to self care. So that means self-awareness and self-reflection, maybe journaling or taking time to meditate to really understand how your body is doing. When you take care of your body, you are able to be available for others. And so I think self-care, passion, compassion, and empathy is really what drives me. I love what I do. I have three kids, and so I have to make sure I am balancing health, finances, my business, my family time, and I think that I do a really great job at that. But I have to pay very close attention to it, because when I start to tip the scale and put a little bit more into this, then maybe something on the other side of the scale suffers. I really try to stay self-educated and to listen. I listen to people that I respect in the leadership world and see what they do, and I try to practice that as well so that I can continue my mission.
What was your time at Northeastern like? What did you major in and how do you feel that Northeastern helped you further in life?
I graduated in 1995 from the Bouve College of Health. That was the first year that they decided to do the crash test for the Master’s Degree for Physical Therapists. When I got into Northeastern, I had some ideas of what I wanted to do, but I was not really sure. I knew I wanted to be in some sort of healthcare light; I did not know what. I just wanted to help people and be of service to others. After I was accepted into the Bouve school, one of my class advisors took me under her wing. I went to all of the different directors of every major; back then they had respiratory therapists, toxicology, pharmacy, nursing physical therapy, etc. I went and met with all of the heads of those departments and I interviewed them. And I realized, after talking to all of them, that I wanted to be a physical therapist, and so I applied to the School of Physical Therapy after my first year at Northeastern. That was the start of my journey as a physical therapist, and I had a wonderful time in Northeastern. I thought it was a great school.
One of the things that I still rest my laurels on and talk about when I talk to kids about applying to colleges is that when I got out of school, I already knew how to interact with patients. I already knew how to carry myself in a hospital setting and in outpatient settings. I went to New Mexico and did a co-op there for three months. I worked on an Indian reservation. It was an experience of a lifetime, and it just gave me all of the fundamentals that those who just went to college for 4 years for physical therapy likely did not have. When it came to on-the-job training, that was all new and needed to be learned for them. And so that experience in Northeastern is untouchable, and it is with all the other majors too. When I got out of school, I had three job offers. People already knew what my work ethic and education level was. So Northeastern was really a perfect fit for me.
Do you have anything else you want to say to students or young adults who are just beginning to think about life beyond school?
You have to find something that you are passionate about. You can not go into a field because it is the right thing to do, or solely because you can make a lot of money. You really have to dial into what makes you tick and motivates you? What inspires you? You do not want to be sitting behind a cubicle making a lot of money but being miserable all your life. And so you really have to get out there, take a pencil and sit down and write. Who are the people that I respect? Who are the greatest leaders that I know? What are some of my favorite things to do? Look at all those positives and negatives and figure out where you need to be. It is worth taking personality tests like the Myers-Briggs test to get an idea of where you excel in and what jobs would be suitable for the way that you think.
Most people tell me that they do not know what they want to do, and I get that, because it is amazing that we are asking sixteen-year-olds to apply to a specific major to do something for the rest of their life. That is a lot to ask of someone that age. So one of the things that I say to people is I tell them to go volunteer; it does not matter where. But you donate your time and yourself, and you help somebody. Consequently, that will help you figure out what you want to do, and the nicest thing about that is that it helps the group that you are volunteering for and the greater community. So offering service to others and volunteering your time is a great way to figure out what you are good at and what direction you want to go in regards to career opportunities.
If you are someone like me — I need a lot of change. My attention-deficit is right up there with the rest of the leaders and business owners. Our minds are going 100 miles an hour; we are chasing squirrels all day. But I needed to be in a major where I could make a change, but still practice. In physical therapy we have got wounds and burns, hospital settings, sports, medicine, and medical supply equipment. You could build wheelchairs and sell wheelchairs. You could make braces. There are so many options within the physical therapy realm that you can go into: pediatrics, geriatrics. And so it gave me the ability to know that, for example, if I was working in the typical sports medicine outpatient setting and got tired of that, I could always do something else, like work in a nursing home or go back to school and be a professor. I have the opportunity to do that. So keep it wide open and go into it with an open mind. But if you are really struggling, and you are not really sure what you want to do, go help somebody.
Thank you for tuning in. We hope this will inspire you to explore your passions and pursue matters that interest you. ViTAL also introduces students to the various opportunities within the healthcare realm, so keep updated through our weekly newsletters, slack channels, and website. See you next time!
