The first “stepping stone” that led Kat Hurst, a physical therapist, Wauwatosan, and the founder of Tosa Physical Therapy and Wellness, to open her business dates back to 2016, when she and her wife first settled in Wauwatosa. “We’ve been so happy here (in Tosa), and thankful for the community, friendships, and chosen family that we’ve built here,” Kat says. “In the past six years, we’ve grown our family to include two little boys and a baby girl on the way. The role that Tosa has played in creating a foundation for our family has been monumental.
“When it came to planting roots,” she continues, “we learned early on that this community was special, and that it was where I wanted to invest in and support the people around me. Helping someone in your neighborhood helps every person in their day. That has a pretty substantial impact—when we all do a little of that.”
Kat was born and raised in Georgia, and played Division 1 soccer at Mercer University, where she majored in psychology and business administration. “It was through a multitude of knee injuries that I came to understand how mending the body also requires an understanding of how to connect to a person on a deeper level to make positive change,” she explains. “That’s what brought me to creating Tosa Physical Therapy and Wellness.” She enrolled in UW-Milwaukee’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, graduated in 2016, and went on to work for both a larger hospital system and a private practice, which required the ability to multitask in a very high-energy, high-demand environment. “Although we’re all capable of working under high-pressure and high-stress situations, that’s not always where balance and healing come from—for a patient or practitioner,” Kat notes of what she took away from the experience.
“Connecting with an individual by truly listening and providing real, tangible, attainable opportunities for change is key for success,” she continues. “Taking the time to do so with a well-rounded and diverse health and wellness platform is an area in the industry that has sorely needed re-evaluating. Tosa Physical Therapy and Wellness was developed from an idea in graduate school. That idea seeded roots to understanding how my patients benefitted and got better, faster, with one-on-one attention to detail and support from collaborative wellness platforms in one location, without the constraints of time, pressures for seeing more people in a day, or insurance to dictate how individuals should heal.”
Today, and just two years after opening her doors, Tosa Physical Therapy and Wellness features a myriad of specialties, from orthopedics and dry needling to pre/post-natal care, Reiki, and perimenopausal health. Wellness and mental health practitioners, yoga instructors, sound healers, and nutritional and gut/hormone health providers regularly host classes and workshops, too, and the local artists showcase their works on gallery nights. “Collectively,” says Kat, “we have created a community-driven, safe space, where passionate people, great at what they do, can provide excellence in care and opportunities for our neighbors to explore a multitude of rehab, fitness, support, wellness, children’s programs, art, and educational components for Every Walk, Run, and Ride of Life.”
“In closing,” she muses, “I feel such a privilege to open my doors at 9126 W. North Ave. every (early) morning for patients and friends. This is my happy place. It’s a place I have come to heal and grow as a person and a practitioner. It’s a place where I find freedom in caring for others and providing space for those who need it. It’s a place that I’m thankful has come to exist in this community, from a long path of stepping stones that has brought me here. I hope others will find it helpful, too.”
Kat’s Ideal Summer ‘Day Off’ in Tosa includes:
“Tosa sometimes feels like something from a feel-good movie for me,” says Kat. “It’s a loving and supportive place for my wife and me, and our growing family, with friendships that have grounded us, neighbors that look out for one another, and an interconnected network that seems to grow and change for the better. It’s fun to be a small part of it. With that said, I love an Anodyne latte, a morning at Hoyt pool or the farmer’s market, a bike ride to pick up lunch, having friends over to grill in my backyard, and perhaps a mini fireworks show to cap off the evening in our front yard. That’s the kind of day that would fill my cup.”
Kat is also a member of the newly reinvigorated Midtown Tosa Business Owners’ Association. The nonprofit organization hosted its first event of the year, the Midtown Cocoa Crawl, in March, and has other events—including, according to Kat, a June Midtown Music Crawl, a Summer Art Crawl, and a Fall Crawl—in the works. Follow @tosapt and @MidtownTosa on Instagram for all the fun.
Kat is also a member of the newly reinvigorated Midtown Tosa Business Owners’ Association. The nonprofit organization hosted its first event of the year, the Midtown Cocoa Crawl, in March, and has other events—including, according to Kat, a June Midtown Music Crawl, a Summer Art Crawl, and a Fall Crawl—in the works. Follow @tosapt and @MidtownTosa on Instagram for all the fun.
