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Dr. Ashley Smith, PT, DPT

@dpt_ashley

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Sports Physical Therapist @healthy_baller
📍 Rockville, MD | Alexandria, VA
🏀 @catholicu_wbb alum
💥 Schedule with me below ⤵️

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I’m so excited to share that I’ve joined the Healthy Baller team as a Sports Performance Physical Therapist!

This opportunity means more to me than I can put into words and is exactly why I became a PT. Quite literally a dream job!!

Thank you to @strengthcoachtherapy @wesleywang.dpt @drewdudek.dpt for your continued mentorship, believing in my growth as a clinician, and trusting me to provide high-level care to your athletes. I’m learning from the best of the best — the LeBron, Kobe, and MJ of Sports PT 🫡💪

@healthy_baller is one of a kind, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

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#physicaltherapy #healthyballer #sportspt #sports #ortho by @dpt_ashley

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9 months ago

A few years ago, I was a PT student who knew I wanted to work with athletes—but wasn’t sure how to actually get there.

PT school teaches you how to be a PT. It doesn’t always teach you how to build a career in sports PT.

Through mentorship, networking, and a lot of trial and error, I found my way into a career where I get to work with athletes every day.

Now, I’m exploring a mentorship cohort for PT students and early-career PTs who want guidance, community, and a clearer roadmap toward a career in sports physical therapy!

Interested? Comment “MENTOR” and I will send you the form! 💪

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#SportsPT #MentorshipCohort #SportsPhysicalTherapy by @dpt_ashley

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3 months ago

Day in the life of a Sports Physical Therapist
• transitioning from insurance-based to out-of-network •
Part 5, Week 7 🗓️

Come spend the day with me in 📍Alexandria, VA 👋🏼

This week has been focused on continuing to build my own caseload, managing my schedule across two locations, discharging patients who’ve put in the work, deep dives into Achilles rehab, and continued mentorship meetings to ensure I’m growing every single day!

Lots of growth, responsibility, and learning to trust myself more each week 💪🏼 This season is challenging in the best way.

Follow along weekly as I share an honest look at the transition into out-of-network sports PT — and what it actually takes to create your own path 🤌🏻

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#dayinthelife #sportspt #physicaltherapy by @dpt_ashley

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8 months ago

Crazy what a little graded exposure, load management, and progressive loading can do 😉

Marathon #2 in a little over TWO WEEKS!!!

My first marathon I trained through and ignored my chronic patellar tendon pain. This time around I rehabbed it from the beginning and monitored throughout, and so far so good :) by @dpt_ashley

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7 days ago

Last night’s homily was about loving recklessly and shared mother teresa’s “Do It Anyway.”

And it stuck with me.

There are so many things in life that don’t guarantee us the outcome we want.

Rehab doesn’t guarantee you’ll never hurt again.
Training doesn’t guarantee you’ll win.
Running doesn’t guarantee a PR.
Loving people doesn’t guarantee they’ll stay.
Caring deeply doesn’t guarantee you won’t get hurt.

But maybe that’s not the point.

Maybe we show up, work hard, care deeply, love fully, and keep going — not because we know how it ends, but because of who we choose to be along the way.

Do it anyway. 🤍 by @dpt_ashley

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10 days ago

Ran circles around DC and Arlington before work on Friday, I think I crossed state lines 4 times 😂

Redeemed myself for 16 miles, 4 more weeks to go! by @dpt_ashley

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18 days ago

“What’s your running in the snow?”

Something my Dad used to ask us all the time growing up. 🤍

It was never actually about running in the snow. It was about what you’re willing to do when it’s uncomfortable, inconvenient, or when everyone else has a pretty good excuse not to.

My Dad was a stud of an athlete, but more than anything, he taught the four of us how to work hard. We might not always be the most naturally gifted, but we could always control how hard we worked and how we showed up.

This morning was the first cold, cozy morning where staying in bed sounded MUCH better than getting up for 6 miles. Then it started raining, and somewhere along the way I thought about my Dad asking that question.

And I smiled.

6 miles later, I was so glad I got out of bed. The trail was basically empty, the rain was peaceful, and turns out I actually love running in the rain 😂

It was a good reminder of something he taught us a long time ago — and something that applies to being an athlete, training for a marathon, rehab, and honestly most things in life.

There will always be days when it would be easier not to.

What’s your running in the snow? 💪🤍 by @dpt_ashley

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22 days ago

As athletes, we are really, really good at moving the goalpost on ourselves.

What used to feel like an accomplishment becomes the expectation. And when we don’t meet that expectation, it can be SO easy to forget how far we’ve come.

I had 16 miles on the schedule today and stopped at 7.73. My stomach was a mess, my feet were blistering, and continuing just didn’t feel like the right decision.

Did I know that stopping was probably the smart choice? Yep.

Did that stop me from immediately beating myself up over it? Absolutely not 😂

I spent most of the walk home thinking about the miles I didn’t run instead of the 7.73 that I did.

And that’s when it hit me — there was a version of me who would’ve been SO proud of 7.73 miles.

I talk to athletes all the time about listening to their bodies, adjusting when needed, and understanding that one bad day doesn’t erase months of work. Turns out it’s a lot harder to give yourself the same grace 🤷‍♀️

The athlete mindset is a powerful thing. It’s what makes us want to push, improve, and see what we’re capable of.

But sometimes we have to make sure that same mindset doesn’t prevent us from recognizing how far we’ve already come.

Still disappointed I didn’t get 16 today.

Still proud of 7.73.

Both can be true. 🤝 by @dpt_ashley

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a month ago

A little look inside Session 1 of The Roadmap to Sports PT 👀

Before we talk about how to build toward your dream career in sports PT, you have to figure out what you actually want that career to look like.

And that goes way beyond the population you want to work with.

The culture of the company you work for, the people you’re surrounded by, the environment you walk into every day, and whether your values align with the people around you matter so much.

I feel incredibly lucky to have found that in my own career. I genuinely feel fulfilled by what I do, but a huge part of that is because of the people I get to do it with 🫶🏻 I’ve found friendships, mentors, people I learn from every day, and a community that makes me excited to show up to work 🥹

That’s something I want the people in this cohort to think about as they build their own careers.

Your dream job isn’t just about what you do — it’s about where you do it and who you get to do it with.

So excited to spend the next 3 months helping this founding cohort start putting those pieces together ! by @dpt_ashley

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a month ago

Tomorrow we officially kick off the first ever Roadmap to Sports PT Mentorship Cohort 🥹

I have to pinch myself a little bit that I get to meet 19 incredible, passionate people tomorrow and spend the next few months helping them take steps toward their goal of working with athletes.

The craziest part is thinking about where I was a year ago. I took a chance and made a career move that completely changed the direction of my life. Now, one year later, I get to turn around and hopefully help others take a step that does the same for them.

And I can’t talk about building this without talking about my dad.

I’ve felt him working through me so much throughout this process. He spent his life mentoring others, sharing what he knew, and genuinely wanting to help people become better. He was driven, passionate about what he did, and wanted nothing more than for his kids to find something they cared about and use it to make a difference in the world.

I’m certainly not changing the world over here 😂 but tomorrow I get to show up for 19 people who have a dream of helping athletes — and maybe help make their path a little clearer.

I think he’d think that was pretty cool.

Love ya, Dad 🤍

Founding Cohort — LET’S GET STARTED!!! 🫡🏃🏼‍♀️🏀⚽️

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#SportsPT #MentorshipCohort #RoadmapToSportsPT by @dpt_ashley

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a month ago

6 weeks out from 26.2 and we’re taking it week by week! I seriously get so much enjoyment out of a long run through the city before the city is “awake.” It’s beautiful, peaceful, and not super crowded. Today was an interesting one - but I always finish feeling accomplished! 💪 by @dpt_ashley

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a month ago

Nothing like a casual half marathon before a full day of work! 😂

This run was HUMBLING. Heavy legs, mentally checked out, and sooo swampy outside 🥵

Definitely one of those runs where you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and get it done. Not to mention I forgot to apply my body glide 😭 by @dpt_ashley

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a month ago