Welcome to The Village Visionary, a brand new blog dedicated to highlighting our local nonprofit scene! I am a professional photographer with a deep desire to tell meaningful stories, which nonprofit organizations tend to produce in abundance! This blog is my attempt at an outlet for not only my personal pursuit of visual storytelling, but also for the inspiring, amazing, often overlooked, local stories of people changing lives that really ought to be told. This project is a venture to celebrate, and to spread awareness of, the stunning work being done to better our community and further the health of humanity. Each post will feature an interview with one of our very own “village visionaries,” a representative of the nonprofit sector in the San Diego and Orange County areas, who will give us the inside scoop regarding the work of his or her organization, why it matters, and how we can get involved!

Our first organization to be in the hot seat is the Adapt Functional Movement Center in Carlsbad. Adapt provides a unique approach to wellness and recovery for people suffering from chronic neurological conditions. I spoke with its co-founder, John Monteith, who explained everything about the organization so well that I don’t want to waste anymore time trying to explain it myself. Read on, and be inspired!

Tell me the origin story of Adapt.

We started Adapt in 2017. Really, it was born out of this need in the neurodegenerative disease and neurological injury space where people didn’t have all of the resources that they need to deal with a chronic, ongoing condition. They weren’t really able to find all of those resources under one roof, so my wife and I decided we wanted to create an organization that did just that, that was not just a pure physical therapy or physical exercise kind of place or just a pure physician’s office or mental health clinic, but something that kind of encapsulated and integrated all of those different recovery modalities under one roof. So somebody could come and get an all-inclusive experience at our facility that really spans the realm of mental health, first and foremost…making sure that your mind is in the right place to deal with the ramifications of a life- changing diagnosis or a life changing injury, because in a lot of cases you can slide into depression. In most cases, you do. At a bare minimum, you’re dealing with a really stark shift in your life experience, and making sure that mentally you’re able to overcome that is a key component.

Physical health is the next piece. When you’re typically diagnosed with something or if you’ve had an injury, the propensity is to really cut down on a lot of your physical movement and physical activity. But in contrast to that instinctive response, the thing that you should be doing more than anything is trying to move, trying to do as much as you can physically to ensure that you’re preserving movement as much as you can, or you’re rebuilding, regaining movement as much as you can.

And then community, and just kind of bringing people together and having a social network and a friend network is critical as well. Humans instinctively are social beings, and unfortunately, when people go through these types of life-changing events that are long-lasting, permanent, chronic diseases or injuries, their existing social circles, in a lot of cases, tend to break down or at least fragment to a certain degree. And if you, again, combine that with lack of movement, depression, those three things in tandem are really challenging for a human being to deal with. So bringing people into a social realm, a social world again and allowing them to interact with other individuals is the third component to this little recipe that we wanted to try and bring under our roof.

And then, if you think about how those things come together, there’s all sorts of practices and modalities that you can integrate under each one of those categories. You have mental health…you can have something as simple as meditation and guided imagery, or something as robust as psychotherapy and EMDR and those types of things that are a little bit more traditional psychology practices. Under the realm of physical exercise or physical health, you’ve got exercise-based recovery or personal training, you’ve got massage therapy, you’ve got neuromuscular stimulation, you’ve got physical therapy, you’ve got a whole bunch of practices and modalities that can be associated with just someone’s general physical health. And then obviously on the community side, what’s going to make somebody feel like they’re a part of a community is very different from person to person. Some people really [are] like just, “Hey, get me in a social gathering, let me go play some bingo with some friends and we’ll have fun and that’s going to be really fulfilling for me.” Other people are more sort of adventure seekers, and they want to go surf, or ride a horse, or go on a trail ride, or whatever that may be. So our goal is to have a wide breadth of options in each one of those categories so that individuals can come to our organization. They are being impacted at those three primary levels: the mental health, physical health and community health side of things. They’ve got a variety of modalities or practices that they can pick and choose from that resonate with them. So that ultimate goal…we can actually change their life experience for the better, despite the fact that they may have been impacted by this life-changing disease or this life-changing injury. That’s really the vision on which we created Adapt.

And how did this need come to your attention?

My wife was diagnosed with MS about fifteen years ago, so for the last decade and a half we’ve been really pretty actively exploring all of the different modalities…traditional allopathic medicine, western medicine, eastern medicine, as well as alternative or complementary things like diet, exercise, mindfulness, meditation, supplementation…and really just tried to figure out what was working. And the more we got involved with the other folks that had been diagnosed in the community…we realized there’s a huge gap in resources for people with chronic conditions, particularly something like MS that’s neurodegenerative. And we’re fortunate enough to be able to experience and be exposed to all these things, and so based on fifteen years of our searching and experimentation, we wanted to bring the best of what we’ve found under a single roof. And then, as we started interacting with people who had sort of parallel conditions, both in the disease in neurodegenerative space as well as injuries, like spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury…what you come to realize is that a lot of people, even though the root cause of why they may be differently abled is varied, a lot of people deal with the same challenges, the same issues. The mental health challenges, they require similar physical exercise, they all want to be part of a community…and so then you kind of realize that there’s a gap across a whole spectrum of different disabilities here that we think that we can help fill.

And when we set out to form the organization there was this choice: are we going to be a nonprofit organization? Are we going to try to do something for profit? And ultimately, we decided this has to be a nonprofit organization. A lot of the individuals that we’re servicing, they’re living on long-term disability, Medicare or Medicaid is their insurance provider…we have to be able to provide this service at as low a cost as possible. We have to have a mechanism by which we can provide some financial assistance to support their ability to be a part of our community and be a part of our organization…and whatever money we’re able to raise, whatever profits we’re able to generate as an organization go right back into the organization, into the facility, to either make our programs better or to financially support our members and their ability to come participate in our programs.

So it was really a personal journey…you guys didn’t have any sort of medical background?

Educationally, my background’s in biomedical engineering. I’ve worked in the motion and performance analysis space all through college and after university for a little while, at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. So I’ve been always exposed to the benefits of movement for individuals that have been impacted by different issues. I’ve always been exposed to that world. I have a pretty deep background in life sciences. My wife’s a holistic health practitioner as well, and she’s always been super inundated with health and wellness…since her diagnosis I think that’s ramped up. So we both have an educational background in sort of the biomechanical side of health and wellness, as well as in sort of the alternative and complementary health side of things, and have seen a lot in both sides. Having worked in a hospital environment, you really get exposure to western medicine, and the in the allopathic world. And then, obviously, going through the holistic health practitioner program for Melanie, and kind of working with people in that realm, you start to really understand some of the benefits of complementary and alternative approaches. And, quite honestly, I think that where you can really find the greatest efficacy is when you can blend the best of both sides. I don’t think it’s a black versus white…it’s not that binary. Where you can really find the best standard of care is when you can kind of blend everything together, and that’s what we’re trying to do.

It sounds like both of you have the perfect background for this partnership that you have to do this work.

Yeah, it kind of feels that way. I think that when we originally started Adapt we kind of had this spark where we were like yeah, we have a lot of experience, both educationally and practically, as well as professionally…And without having that exposure, I don’t think we ever would’ve really come up with the concept of creating an organization and creating a facility, a physical location, where people can come and actually get a service…I don’t think we would’ve been able to do that. But yeah, it feels like the right thing. It definitely feels like the right thing.

Plus, you guys know about the emotional journey because you’ve lived it. You can help the families of people in this situation know how to help, and she can help them walk through the grieving process of what was and getting excited for what is and what can still happen.

Yeah, you know, it’s funny…it’s an interesting and I’ll say, a different experience, to actually live it first hand…A lot of practitioners, and I’ll say, a lot of physicians, they see a lot of cases, right? So if they’re a neurologist they see maybe a thousand patients a year or something like that, so they have a lot of volume, they see a lot of cases. But there is a slightly different perspective that I think you gain when you’re living it first hand, day in and day out…you do understand what it’s like to work through the challenges of a disease or an injury first hand. Like the loss of function and some of the dependency issues, and just this concept of the unknown…what’s next, what’s coming, what could happen. And then, over time, you kind of look back and you realize what helped you move past certain obstacles that maybe you were facing, both physically or emotionally. And I think being able to take that knowledge and experience and bestow it upon other people…to me, that’s what it’s all about.

What’s a significant lesson that you’ve learned from starting a nonprofit?

It’s a lesson and a realization that there are a lot of organizations out there that do a lot of advocacy, but maybe not as much hands on work with the individuals that they’re looking to serve. I think one of the things that I was surprised at was the fact that there’s a ton of organizations that just raise a bunch of money and then pump all that money into other organizations that are maybe doing research or something else. So I’m pretty proud of the fact that we have an organization that is actually doing things hands on with patients and clients on a day to day basis. So, anybody that chooses to support us, financially or otherwise, actually is putting their resources into something that is making an impact directly into people’s lives. And I think that’s probably one of the biggest…I guess it’s a lesson, but it’s also something that was just a big realization for me when starting a nonprofit…that not everybody’s doing that and I think it’s pretty unique.

So is that what you would say is your special sauce?

I think that’s something that is extremely important for a nonprofit organization…I don’t know that it’s our major differentiator. I think one of the biggest things that differentiates us from other organizations is, specifically organizations that are helping people, is that one, we’re really trying to blend a bunch of different practices together and create sort of this all-encompassing recovery experience for our members. I’d say that’s number one that’s differentiating for us. You find a lot of facilities and organizations that are focused on one area, or maybe one or two areas, but for us it’s always about expanding the scope of services that are available and innovating the programs that we have so that we don’t ever rest on our laurels, so to speak. There’s a lot that people don’t understand about the human body, and the way that these diseases and injuries impact the human body…the brain, the nervous system, these are all very complex mechanisms that we’re just scratching the surface of understanding, from a human perspective. So, for us to not be pushing the envelope of our programs…how can we continually get better and better and better, and how can we add more to the equation that might be the right combination, even if it’s just for a small subset of people…that, to me, I think is what differentiates us from other organizations. Really just our ability to innovate and our thirst to try and evolve the organization and the services that we provide.

What would you consider the definition of a visionary to be?

I think, to me, a visionary is somebody that can see macro trends, whether it be in industries or populations of individuals, and understands how to identify what those trends mean and…be able to provide something that is either going to be able to change the course of that trend in a positive way, or create something that’s going to materially impact that trend.

How do you see the work of Adapt fitting into the world at large? Why does it matter?

That’s a great question. If you look at data, the incidents of these documented neurodegenerative diseases is on the rise, pretty substantially. Not necessarily linearly…if you look at the data on MS diagnoses in the U.S. alone…up until last year we thought that was about 400,000 or so people in the United States that had been diagnosed with MS. I think that when Melanie was first diagnosed there was maybe 100,000 or 200,000…And then just this year a new study was released, a study that was done by the MS Society, that there’s actually now near a million people in the U.S. with MS. So, you’re talking about a more than doubling of the population impacted by just this one neurodegenerative condition in a very short period of time. So, I think that the need for programs that are designed for people that have these types of long-term, chronic conditions is on the rise.

And I think if you look at our current health system as it is today, it’s very much oriented around acute care, meaning that [if] I get an injury or I get sick, the system is predisposed to assume that I’m going to get better. I’m going to have a surgery or I’m go through some physical therapy and my knee’s going to get better. Or I’ve got the flu or I’ve got some sort of bacterial infection and I’m going to take my antibiotics or I’m going to get on my regimen and then I’m going to get better and I’m going to continue to live my normal life. And I think we’re starting to see a rise in these conditions that are chronic. They’re not going away, they’re permanent, we don’t really know what’s causing them, we don’t really necessarily know the most efficacious way to treat them yet…I think just generally, the demand for and the requirement for more organizations that are going to be focused on care and wellness for long-term, permanent, chronic conditions is an absolute necessity. And I think that we’re just starting to see those types of conditions populate in our society today and I think it’s only going to continue to grow. So, that’s kind of how I view the future if I look five, ten, fifteen years down the road, and why it’s important that we as an organization are doing the type of work that we’re doing. And that we continue to evolve the services that we offer and the types of professionals that we have in our circle and in our organization, and how we deliver our service.

So what can we expect from Adapt in the near future, besides always pushing the envelope? Do you have specific plans on the horizon?

Again, I think for us, immediately and tactically there’s a couple new types of services that we’re looking to integrate into the facility. First and foremost would be neuromuscular stimulation. It’s a new practice that we’re actually integrating in a very dedicated way. So we’ve partnered with a company in Carlsbad called Powerdot to open up a stim lab…and then physical therapy is another one that we’re adding in.

And in the bigger picture I think our goal would be to expand. It’s great to help everybody in North County San Diego with regards to the programs that we offer, but the more we can have even a smaller presence in different geographies…we’re going to be impacting more people. Always looking for ways to expand the reach of what we do as much as possible, whether that be…geographically replicating our space and growing, or using technology to expand our reach.

So are you and Melanie happy? Do you feel fulfilled in your work?

Yeah, of course. I think there’s always this lingering, “Hey, there’s a lot more that we need to do.” So, again, I’m not the kind of person that necessarily rests on our current accomplishments and says, “This is good enough,” and I think that’s something that has to be held in balance with, “Hey, we are fulfilled and we are doing good work.” But generally, yeah, we’re super pleased with the mission we’re on and it’s been incredibly rewarding.

For more information about Adapt Movement, visit https://adaptmovement.org/. You can get involved in a myriad of ways, by volunteering, interning, donating funds, and of course, spreading the word!

If you like the images accompanying this story and would like to explore how visual storytelling could help your organization share the heart of its mission, please visit my website, www.soulvoyagerstudios.com, or send me an email at soulvoyagerstudios@gmail.com. To receive regular content regarding visual storytelling and inspiring ways to make a difference in this world, subscribe to my newsletter below!

Discovering Recovery - Journeying through the Realities of Chronic Illness with Adapt Movement