I Had No Idea What I Wanted to Be—And That’s Worked Out Just Fine

👉 How are we supposed to decide the rest of our lives at 17?

My job literally never existed before now.

This week, my neighbor told me her youngest is choosing between colleges and majors, stressing about how they’re supposed to know what they want to be for the rest of their life. I reassured her—it’s totally normal not to know. Heck, their future career might not even exist yet.

I know this because mine didn’t.

When I was 17, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. I pictured myself striding into a courtroom in a power suit, making airtight arguments, and crushing depositions. Fast forward to today—I work with pelvic floors (which was definitely not on my radar), and my daily wardrobe consists of FIGS or Vuori because I need to move, demo exercises, and get into awkward positions for manual techniques.

The job I have today? Not a thing when I was accepted into PT school 31 years ago. Heck, it didn’t even exist seven years ago when I opened my clinic. Helping postpartum runners get back to impact without leakage or pressure? Talking about pelvic floors on the internet? Coaching people across the globe through a screen? Absolutely not a thing.

And let’s be real—early in my career, I was sure I was doing it wrong. If a patient didn’t get better, I assumed the doctor would think I was a fraud. Surely they had the magic answer, and I was just failing at my job, right?

Yeah…not even close.

Now, I know that most of my patients aren’t even referred by doctors—they’re coming to me because the medical system didn’t have answers for them. Standard PT didn’t work, and they need someone who will actually problem-solve with them.

And here’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned:
It’s not my hands-on techniques that make the biggest difference. It’s my ability to listen, think critically, and collaborate. That’s what actually changes lives. And that skill? It translates whether I’m in a clinic, on a virtual call, or explaining pelvic floors on Instagram.

But it’s not just what I do—it’s also what I live. My own history of pelvic floor, hip, and back issues has shaped how I practice. It’s why my 5:30 a.m. barbell sessions, weekend courses, long runs, and Friday night lectures all matter. (Because, you know, this is my idea of fun now.)

And let’s be honest—it’s not always a magical success story. Sometimes I’m the third or fourth opinion that changes everything in two visits. Other times, I’m the one saying, “We’ve done what we can conservatively—it’s time for a surgeon’s input.” I never want my patients to leave feeling like they “just didn’t try hard enough.” I want them walking away with clarity and confidence about their next step.

So no, 26 years ago, walking out of PT school I did not picture myself slinging a barbell, teaching people what a pelvic floor actually does, or treating patients across continents through a laptop. But when you stay open to learning, to growth, and to meeting people where they are—dang, it’s cool to see where you end up.

🔹 What’s something you once thought you’d be doing—but life took you in a completely different direction?

#PelvicFloorPT #PostpartumRunning #PhysicalTherapy #CareerGrowth #PelvicHealth #WomenInMedicine #ActiveMom #PTLife #EntrepreneurJourney #CareerEvolution #paglianopostpartum #paglianorunning

Looking for answers & sound like we might be a good fit together?  DM or email me & I’m happy to chat! carrie@carriepagliano.com