Meet Dr. Nati Schnitman | Doctor of Physical Therapy & Strength and Conditioning Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Nati Schnitman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Nati, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Deep down, I think I always knew I wanted to start my own practice at some point in my career. I’ve worked in clinics where 3-4 patients per hour is the norm, and I’ve helped countless patients who have received horrible care within our medical system for solvable musculoskeletal issues. I’ve also helped numerous athletes get back to their sport who failed other physical therapy clinics because their care simply wasn’t at a high enough standard.

For the past few years of practice I’ve grown more adamant and excited about extending my reach to help more people in a cash-based, one-on-one model. Our healthcare system is very good at helping individuals who are already sick to prevent or slow death, but unfortunately our healthcare system is very bad at promoting positive lifestyle behaviors that can reduce the risk of other issues that significantly shorten our lifespan, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and stroke. It’s really frustrating.

I was inspired to start my business because I felt that I was confident that I could not only offer a high standard of care through orthopedics and physical therapy, but also continue to promote exercise, movement, and healthy lifestyle behaviors even after my patients beat their injury. Exercise is one of the most powerful, life-changing vehicles to promote improved health outcomes, yet the majority of our general population fails to meet (or doesn’t even know) the recommended physical activity guidelines. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy and as a certified strength and conditioning specialist, I wanted to show people that their rehab was really just training in the presence of injury, and that I’ll do whatever it takes to continue elongating their healthspan after injury.

With Tribe Physical Therapy and Performance, I want to provide people with invaluable care so that they can champion their life and return to the activities that they enjoy doing most. I’m never going to have it all figured out as a clinician or coach, but I can confidently say I’m hungry to continue growing, learning, and serving my community as a professional and as a leader.
As an ex-Division 1 athlete, I’ve learned that nothing extraordinary in life is achieved by an individual alone – as humans we need a support staff to help us achieve things greater than ourselves. I built Tribe so that I could in turn supply that support for my patients and clients both in-person and virtually.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Growing up, I was a competitive soccer player who had dreams of playing professional soccer. I played for the LA Galaxy Academy in high school, and went on to play Division 1 soccer at both UCLA and Northwestern University. After I graduated college, I felt less inclined to pursue my dreams of playing professional soccer and I actually fell into a brief state of extreme depression and anxiety. Stepping away from the game felt like a deafening silence in my life at the time.

Luckily, my sister, who’s a Physical Therapy Assistant in San Diego, encouraged me to shadow at a local outpatient physical therapy clinic, and I actually fell in love with physical therapy over time. I experienced a “light bulb” moment where I soon realized that I could impact others and the community around me to a much higher degree as a Doctor of Physical Therapy than I ever could have imagined as a professional athlete. I hadn’t accomplished much at the time, but I knew this is what I wanted to do and where I could walk in my true purpose.

It took me a few years to take the appropriate prerequisites and accumulate working hours to apply to physical therapy school, and during this transitional time I also started coaching more in Soccer and Strength and Conditioning. I really enjoyed coaching and mentoring other athletes, and I became really excited to think that at some point I could blend all of these areas into one vision. After I graduated from physical therapy school in 2021, I immediately moved home to California and began working for Monarch Athletic Club, a phenomenal business that aligned with my passion of serving active individuals in a cash-based setting.

After working there for a few years and becoming Clinic Director at the West Hollywood location, my fiance and I decided to move to Scottsdale, AZ. My fiance changed her own career trajectory, and after working years in the entertainment business decided to apply to law school. She got offered an immense scholarship to attend ASU Law, and to support her career we moved out here to Scottsdale.

Luckily, I still have a lot of clients I work with virtually back home in California, and have had the opportunity to begin working with more clients here locally. The transition to Arizona hasn’t been easy by any means, but the beauty of the health and fitness space is that virtual care is becoming more and more feasible. I personally envision Tribe Physical Therapy and Performance growing into a brick-and-mortar space down the road back home in California, but I enjoy the opportunity to still connect and help clients virtually, regardless of where they are living. I’m excited to see where and how the business grows over the next few years as my fiance finishes her law degree.

I ultimately want people to know that my own journey was full of immense struggle, setbacks, and pain points. There’s a saying that you’re either walking towards adversity, walking in adversity, or walking out of adversity in life. During my personal journey, I’ve been fortunate to have a support system of friends, family, and professionals to help me walk through multiple storms, but if anything it’s made me more grateful and more hungry to serve the community around me. Without a doubt, I wouldn’t have been able to get to this point in my career without my support system, and that’s the exact type of impact I intend to create with Tribe. I want people to know that Tribe Physical Therapy and Performance is in it’s infancy, but our mission is to still empower people through excellence and service for years to come.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spots in the city are actually closer to North Scottsdale, I love going to the Scottsdale Quarter and Kierland Commons and checking out all of the shopping and restaurants there. One of my favorite restaurants in the city is Vic and Ola’s in DC Ranch, I could probably eat there every week. Also a big fan of getting outside, hiking, and hanging out by the pool, which there are tons of places to do that here in Phoenix.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I have to shoutout my family: my parents, my sisters, and my beautiful fiance, Emily, for their unwavering support and unconditional love. They find ways to believe in me even when there are times that I struggle to believe in myself. My only wish is to make them proud with the work and service I provide, and to show them how grateful I am for their constant support.

I’ve been fortunate to grow and learn from some heavy hitters in the physical therapy space, such as Dr. Russ Linville, Dr. Mariel Schofield, Dr. Will Humphreys, Dr. Andy Chen, Dr. Mike Piekarski, Dr. Meghan Rohde, and Dr. Tami Hefferon who have all helped shape my clinical and professional growth in different ways. I’m also grateful for my time as a graduate student at Franklin Pierce University in Goodyear, AZ, where my physical therapy journey first began and where I began to see my potential as a working professional in this space.

From a strength and conditioning perspective, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside and learning from amazing coaches who have played a huge role in my development as a coach, such as Joe Geletko of TKO Athletic Performance, Kenny Kallen from Monarch Athletic Club, Parker Jobin from Monarch Athletic Club, and Nate Shemtov of NxtGen Performance to name a few. I’ve also had the pleasure of learning from well-renowned therapists and coaches by meeting and learning from them at different seminars that greatly sharpened my coaching craft, such as Fred Duncan, Lee Taft, Pat Davidson, Dr. Erik Meira, Dr. Anthony Iannarino, and Dr. Zach Baker. I consider myself a lifelong learner so I’m excited to continue learning from more solid professionals as I grow clinically and grow my business.

Lastly, I want to shoutout my awesome patients and clients. Thank you for trusting me with your care and for allowing me the opportunity to create positive change in your life and in the community at large!

Website: https://tribe-ptp.com/

Instagram: @dr.nati.dpt