Our co-host is off enjoying Hawaii this week, so I had the opportunity to sit down with a very special guest—Kelsey, a physical therapist turned travel healthcare recruiter behind @catinuousadventures. Kelsey shares her incredible journey from working as a full-time and PRN physical therapist for four years to spending two years exploring the country as a travel PT. Along the way, she completed contracts in Maine, California, Washington, Montana, Colorado, and back to California, all while living in an RV with her partner (who became her fiancé and eventually her husband!)—and their four cats. One of the things that made Kelsey's travel journey unique was how she approached finding contracts. Rather than choosing a job first, she chose the destination. She would decide where she wanted to live and explore, secure the appropriate state license, and then look for positions that aligned with her preferred settings, including skilled nursing, inpatient rehabilitation, and acute care. Now, Kelsey has stepped into a new role as a travel healthcare recruiter with Triage Staffing, where she combines her firsthand experience as a traveler with her passion for helping other clinicians find opportunities that truly fit their goals. She also explains why she continues to keep her PT license active and how her years on the road have shaped the recruiter she is today. Whether you're thinking about taking your first travel contract, wondering what life on the road in an RV is really like, or curious about transitioning into healthcare recruiting, this episode is packed with practical advice and honest conversation. In this episode, we discuss: Kelsey's path from staff PT to travel PT Choosing destinations before choosing contracts Traveling full-time in an RV with four cats Balancing travel therapy with a relationship and marriage Working in skilled nursing, inpatient rehab, and acute care Making the transition from clinician to travel healthcare recruiter How being a former traveler makes her a stronger recruiter Advice for clinicians considering travel therapy If you'd like to connect with Kelsey or learn more about travel therapy opportunities, you can find her on Instagram at @catinuousadventures. She also offers free discovery calls through the link in her Instagram bio for anyone who wants to learn more about travel therapy or explore whether it's the right fit. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another healthcare professional who's been curious about travel therapy. We'll see you in the next episode!

We're kicking things off with our very first guest ever on Travel Therapy Social — Jenna! As a new grad who jumped straight into travel therapy, Jenna's here to answer the hard questions and share the honest, unfiltered truth about what this industry is really like. In this episode, we cover: What it's really like starting travel therapy as a brand new grad The hard questions most people are afraid to ask Lessons learned (the easy way and the hard way) Jenna's honest truth about the industry — no sugarcoating Connect with Jenna: 📸 Instagram: @traveltherapist.jenna 🎵 TikTok: @traveltherapistjenna

Burnout is real. Feeling stuck is real. And nobody talks about it enough. This episode is us pulling back the curtain on what we are building with this podcast and why we want YOU to be a part of it. Travel Therapy Social is not just about the highlights of travel therapy. It is about the nuance — the hard moments, the pivots, the career crises that led people to something better. We want to capture the other side of hard. The stories of therapists who felt completely stuck, burnt out, and ready to walk away from the career they worked so hard for — and what they did instead. If you are a PT, OT, or SLP who has built something positive out of a really difficult season in your rehab career — we want to hear from you. Here is what we are looking for in a guest: Someone who has felt stuck or burnt out in a traditional therapy role and found a way through it. Someone who has pushed beyond the mold of what a therapy career is supposed to look like and built something that actually works for their life. Someone who is willing to share the real story — the backstory, the vulnerable moments, the raw truth — not just the highlight reel. This podcast is for student PTs and therapists who are ready to take back control of their careers. Your story could be exactly what someone needs to hear to take their next step. We want to know your backstory. Your experiences. The moments you almost gave up. And the practical and inspirational takeaways that helped you come out the other side. If that sounds like you — we would love to have you on the show. 👉 Apply to be a guest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_zk1_cU7wyBPnYA70dapWVmSXZHfADix2wIa-KgI9qE6eVA/viewform?usp=share_link&ouid=108160412082364624191 You can also find the link in our bios: @transcendtraveltherapy and @yourtravelptfriend Come share your story. Someone out there needs to hear it!

If you've ever felt alone on a travel contract, googled a question at midnight and gotten nowhere, or wished you had someone to ask about pay packages, housing, and recruiters — this episode is for you. Chelsea and Kellen are officially opening Travel Therapy Social Club — a private monthly membership community built specifically for travel therapists at every stage. In this episode we cover: - Why we built this and what was missing in the travel therapy space - What's inside the community (channels, resources, live office hours) - Our first live office hours call: Saturday, June 27 - How to lock in your founding member rate before it's gone 🔒 Founding Member Pricing — Limited Time. Join for $4.99/month use code "FOUNDERS" — locked in forever. After that, the price goes to $9.99/month. 👉 Join Travel Therapy Social Club here: https://transcendtraveltherapy.mykajabi.com/offers/nNvk4vzQ Questions? Drop them in the Ask Chel + Kel channel the second you're inside. See you in the club. 🎉

We're back with a little life update episode — and honestly? A lot is happening. Chelsea is gearing up for a big summer, going all in on Transcend Travel Therapy, and she's not holding back on what that looks like. Kellen is doing his thing out on contract and as always, keeping it real about the travel PT life. But before we get into it — we may have let something slip. There's something coming for this community and we are so excited we could barely keep it quiet. Stay tuned. It launches this week. You're going to want to be first in line. Then we get into the good stuff — a full contract overview for anyone who's newer to travel therapy or just needs a refresher on how it all works. We break down what a contract actually includes, what to look for, and the negotiation tips that most therapists don't know to ask about until it's too late. Whether you're on your first contract or your fifth, there's something in this episode for you.

Let's be real — not every contract is going to be the dream assignment, and sometimes the only thing getting you through is knowing there's an end date in sight. In this episode, Kell and Chels get vulnerable about the contracts that pushed them to their limits. Kellen opens up about her current outpatient contract with ATI, sharing exactly where she's at on the burnout scale (spoiler: she rates herself a 7/10, with 10 being a full mental breakdown). She talks honestly about the long hours, missing the sunshine, and what it feels like to be in the thick of it — while still finding the positives and the lessons emerging from the hard days. Chels shares her own breaking point story from a SNF contract on Oahu, plus the Kona contract she ended early because the timing just wasn't right. From regrets to learning when to push through versus when to walk away, she opens up about the guilt, the growth, and everything in between. This one's for the traveler who's mid-contract and counting down the weeks. For the one second-guessing their last decision. For anyone who needs to hear that regret doesn't mean failure — it means you're paying attention. Whether you're thriving, surviving, or somewhere in between — this conversation is the reminder that you're not alone, and every contract (even the regretted ones) is teaching you something. 🎧 Tune in now and let us know — have you ever regretted a contract? DM us on Instagram @traveltherapysocial and share your story.

This week on the pod, we're getting real about what travel therapy actually looks like behind the highlight reel. ✨ Kellen checks in from her family's lake house (much needed 🌊) and opens up about the burnout creeping in from outpatient 4x10s — plus the curveballs of trying to buy a home as a travel PT. Chelsea shares why she's feeling more grounded, leaving her PRN OT gig to return to her travel roots, and what a year of PRN taught her about taxes (spoiler: she was setting aside ~20-25% in DE — but every state is different, so do your homework 📚). We also talk: 🏡 Why every travel therapist should consider an LLC 💰 Charging for the value YOU bring ⚖️ The reality of inconsistent gigs + how to plan for it 📖 Financial literacy reads we recommend Books we love for financial + tax literacy: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz — game-changer for managing income with variable pay The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel — mindset around wealth Tax-Free Wealth by Tom Wheelwright — solid intro to tax strategy I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi — practical, no-fluff personal finance Profit First for Therapists by Julie Herres — niche but gold for clinicians ⚠️ Friendly reminder: we're therapists, not tax advisors. For the real deep dive — tax home qualifications, state-specific strategy, deductions — book a consult with Travel Tax. Their tax home consultation and tax advisor services are built specifically for travelers like us. Link in bio. 🔗 Tune in wherever you get your podcasts 🎧

Saying goodbye to a contract, a facility, and patients you love is one of the hardest parts of travel therapy or any position nobody talks about. Chelsea and Kellen sit down this week to unpack the emotional weight of leaving, Chelsea's big news about going all in on Transcend, and how to know when it's time to walk away from something that's no longer aligned with where you're going.

She graduated with a dream, a degree, and a whole lot of debt. In this episode, Chelsea sits down with Kellen to unpack her very first week on contract — the nerves, the wins, and the reality check nobody prepares you for. They get honest about the student loan conversation that nobody in healthcare loves to have: how much debt Kellen walked away with, whether the degree was worth it, and if she'd make the same choice all over again. Plus — the real talk on how travel therapy can actually be one of the fastest, smartest ways to tackle debt as a new grad or seasoned clinician. From pay packages and stipends to budgeting on the road, this one is full of strategies you can use starting with your next contract. If you've ever looked at your loan balance and questioned everything — this episode is for you.

Burnout in healthcare is real — and nobody hands you a roadmap for navigating it. In this episode, Chelsea and Kellen get honest about hitting their limits as travel therapists and the strategies they actually used to reclaim their energy, their passion, and their lives. From choosing contracts intentionally, setting boundaries with facilities, and using the built-in breaks between assignments to fully recharge — they break down how travel therapy gave them something a permanent job never could: control. If you're an OT, PT, or SLP running on empty, this one's for you. Because you can't pour from an empty cup — and you deserve to fill yours back up.