Jenna Gourlay Bio

As I’m writing my bio for this site I cannot help but smile.  Writing this is the culmination of frustration turned into passion, misdirection transformed into focus and feelings of burnout converted to inspiration.  I smile because the career I love now did not start out that way.

I graduated physical therapy school expecting my job in physical therapy to be amazing.  I thought I’d jump out of bed every single morning ready to go to work. And, for a little while I did.  Until I found myself going through the motions. After seven years of school, I never thought I’d be one of the people stuck living for the weekend—and I was.

It was then that I (very slowly) began to recognize that while PT school taught me to get a job in physical therapy, it did not prepare me to create a fulfilling career.  The ideal career I envisioned could not be satisfied by following the well-traveled path that laid in front of me.  And that’s why I believe that our career journey must be carved, not followed.

That journey for me started in physical education and continued with the change to physical therapy shortly after.  I graduated from Rutgers Physical Therapy Program and pursued a sports residency with ProRehab and The University of Evansville.  I’ve since become involved with Functional Movement Systems, started a blog, served as an adjunct professor, remained loyal the the New York Giants, and continued an addiction to peanut M&Ms.

I believe that by determining our purpose, defining our own path, and using the help of those around us, we can all have our ideal career.