Jeremy Sutton, B.S. Kinesiology and Health Promotion (Clinical Track), 2004
Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) – University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
(St. Augustine Campus 2009)
My name is Jeremy Sutton and I am from Arcadia, LA. My love for physical therapy began when I injured my leg playing football at the age of 15. I was fortunate enough to meet one of my PT heroes then, Danni Jones. She made such an impression on me that I knew from then on that I wanted to be a physical therapist. I enrolled at Louisiana Tech in 2000 and by 2001 I was working as a physical therapy technician at Green Clinic in Ruston. I was very fortunate to learn how to actually be a physical therapist before I learned the why behind the treatments we use every day to help people reach their potential.
During my sophomore year at Louisiana Tech, I worked a ton of hours and my grades started to suffer. By the end of that year, I realized I was not going to make it in my education experience if I kept working the hours I was during the week. Thankfully, I had some not-so-gentle mentoring from a veteran PT who told me to make better grades or else. I decreased my hours working and started focusing more on my education.
I graduated with a 3.1 GPA, so I struggled to get into physical therapy school in-state. By the end of my senior year at Tech I decided to move to Texas to get a Master’s degree for strength and conditioning. I moved to Wichita Falls, Texas for that degree. After about 1 month there I knew I wanted to go back to my original plan of becoming a physical therapist. I moved back to Ruston and began applying to physical therapy schools again and was accepted into St. Augustine.
I moved to St. Augustine, Florida in April of 2006. This was the 2nd time in a year I had moved out of state for my education. To be honest, I really struggled being away from home and went through monthly phases of doubting whether or not I should be a PT or not. I also struggled in PT school with my grades. I actually had to retake 2 classes and graduated about 6 months later than I should have. This caused me great stress and I struggled with depression and had a really difficult time during my last year of PT school.
I’m including my struggles in this as well as my successes, because I want people to know that you can go through difficult times and still be successful. In fact, I don’t know too many people who have not failed in life that are successful now. If you’re not failing, you may not be trying.
Initially, I wanted to be a pediatric physical therapist, but after treating my first 10 year old with an orthopedic injury I knew I wasn’t cut out for that work. Instead, most of my career has been focused on adults and even more so on the geriatric population. My career started out back in Ruston at what was then, HealthSouth. After being back in Ruston for a few months I started dating my wife, Monica, and moved to Bossier City, where we lived for 14 years before moving to Benton, La.
I worked full time at a few outpatient orthopedic clinics, while also working PRN at home health agencies, nursing homes, and hospitals. In 2016, my wife and I purchased a physical therapy clinic in Vivian, La. After a couple of years, we closed that business.
While working as a physical therapist over the years, I have become interested in many different areas. My biggest regret about my time at Louisiana Tech is that I didn’t love learning or have the work ethic that I do now. Being a physical therapist has opened many doors for me over the years. I have been able to become a podcaster, an author, and a speaker thanks to my educational background.
Not only have I become an author, but I have been able to help over 100 other healthcare professionals write and self-publish books that have helped them reach thousands and grow their businesses. Through my interests in self-publishing, business, and marketing I have been able to speak at multiple PT events, and even one hosted in Ireland. The only problem is that the event in Ireland was during COVID, so I missed an opportunity to travel.
I hope that I have shown that an education from Louisiana Tech University can open many doors as long as you keep moving forward and stay resilient. Something I once heard from someone during my time in Ruston was that I would never be taken seriously or make a difference in this world due to my southern accent and because I am from a small town. My encouragement to you is that I have been able to self-publish and help others self-publish multiple books. I have podcasts that have been downloaded on every continent. My degree has enabled me to be with people during their most difficult moments and see them reach their highest goals. I have been able to laugh, cry, and pray with people in crucial moments of their lives.
I am currently in the process of building a new business, Healthy SBC in Bossier City and getting a charity up and running, Senior Day. Healthy SBC is a concierge physical therapy and wellness business serving Shreveport and Bossier City. Senior Day is a charity geared towards taking senior citizens on adventures to enjoy the things in life they feel they cannot do anymore. I have been able to combine my skills as a PT and my desire for ministry to serve people thanks to my personal experiences and educational background.
No matter who you are or where you’re from, you can make a difference in this world if you stay committed to what you have been put on this earth to accomplish.
Keep Moving Forward!
The Exponential Factor 