Meet Missy Albrecht | Physical therapist, movement educator & owner of Invincible

We had the good fortune of connecting with Missy Albrecht and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Missy, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
At the end of my career I hope to have made a lasting impact on the medical industry by being a part of this shift towards treating the body as a whole, as well as collaborating with various types of health-minded providers to be able to work together as we make this world a healthier place. Invincible will be a main driver for this impact, as a vehicle of working one-on-one with patients and providing a clinical workspace where other providers can share their manual therapy skills to help patients feel better in their bodies. This will continue to be a collaborative clinic, with mentorship and continuous learning as medicine evolves. I will continue mentoring other providers (in-person and virtually) who are studying the Barral work, with this type of manual therapy being so unique and powerful, I want more people to have access to amazing providers who can give this type of care. I will also continue helping those I can’t work with in person, through online education, online movement classes & larger-scale teaching opportunities (we’ll see what comes along!). I love running a business and the creative outlet it provides me outside of patient care, but I never want to stop working with patients and never want to stop learning:)

What should our readers know about your business?
Invincible was named when I was trying to think of that feeling an athlete gets at the start of their race/event/workout – with the mission of helping athletes’ bodies catch up with their mindset of feeling ‘Invincible’ in order to optimize performance, prevent injury & recover well from injury. Our mission has evolved over the past 11 years to believe that we are all athletes, at various levels, who require movement of our entire body for it to function optimally. Owning a business has not been easy, but it has been so fruitful in the sense of personal development, and I feel so lucky to have pushed through the challenges with my own stubborn mind and the support of those around me! When I started Invincible, I always thought it would be just me, as a solo provider, trying to spread this mission of movement. And then I realized that the belief of staying small was really just the fear of taking the business to the next level by hiring and growing. When I took that leap back in 2020, my business overall grew 3-fold in just 3 months, and I realized “this is how I’m going to spread the Invincible mission more!” Bringing help into the business (admins, providers, coaches, etc.) has helped me grow even more as a human, learning about leadership and allowing release of control over every aspect of the business. These skills have carried over into my personal life, allowing for healthier relationships and improved mental health.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love showing people around Colorado! Locally, I take people to Just Be Kitchen, Vin Rouge Wine Bar, Holidaily Brewery & Switchback Smokehouse – some of my favorite spots to eat. I also have some favorite hikes up in Evergreen to show off the beauty this state has to offer. Then we’ll head out to Buena Vista for a day or two, visiting the hot springs and camping/hiking around Twin Lakes. I love eating at the Cool River Cafe & House Rock Kitchen in downtown Buena Vista. If any of my friends/family read this, they’ll say “oh yea, we’ve been to all of those!”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes out to Jean-Pierre (JP) Barral & the teaching staff at the Barral Institute. If JP didn’t lean into curiosity with the things he was feeling with his hands, with continuous hours of medical study as to what he was feeling and then many more hours trying to teach all of us how to do it … I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this unique style of manual therapy and have the opportunity to help many people heal in new ways. This type of work (visceral/vascular/neural manipulation) has been so healing for me, helping my back pain through manipulation of my intestines and so many other amazing healing layers in my body (headaches, anxiety, liver issues, post head trauma, etc), as one of the instructors (Gail Wetzler) continues to work on my body. The knowledge and specificity of this type of manual therapy require continuous study and patience from the provider to allow the body to guide our hands. I am also grateful for this work, as I have always been a very sensitive person and struggled to figure out how to fit into a world where sensitivity isn’t always seen as a positive trait. This work has helped me direct my sensitivity into feeling & listening to bodies, helping to improve movement of structures that don’t respond to force, and providing healing opportunities for others that they may not have experienced before. I’m so thankful for JP and feel very blessed to be able to continue to share his work for years to come!

Website: https://www.stayinvincible.com

Instagram: @stay_invincible

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-missy-albrecht-6687059/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCax1y_TCU-k2l3jnIgUTasg

Image Credits
Alexis Peterson & Valerie Hawks