Kaizen Health and Wellness
Deana Ladd
Deana Ladd
RN, BSN
Co-Owner/Office Manager
I grew up in Nebraska. My background is in nursing and healthcare management, and I have worked as a staff nurse for urgent care, then with submarine medicine with the Navy in Washington, and then after that with family practice with the Air Force in Okinawa, Japan. And finally interventional radiology at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines before coming to work full-time with Kaizen.
While working with Submarine Medicine in Washington, I set up and managed the first fleet medical home port for the US Navy. I coordinated this new program between three major commands while supervising the care of over 3,000 Sailors. In my other nursing positions, I managed to care for patients while learning about insurance and working with different healthcare teams.
Core Values:
- Faith
- Perseverance
- Honesty.
The drive to work hard has been instilled in me from a young age thanks to my hard-working parents.
Favorite Quote:
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” -Henry Ford
What’s Deana Watching, Reading, or Listening To?
We have four small children so Bluey is the only show on our TV. I read a lot of books on leadership, business management, and parenting, and the same with podcasts. One podcast I’ve listened to every episode of is The Game with Alex Hormozi and of course the Fit Moines Podcast with the Kaizen team.
I verify patients’ benefits, enter data in patients’ records as needed, and manage the accounting and weekly/monthly/annual reports. I order supplies and assist in hiring, and other human resources concerns. I also coordinate events such as workshops, meetings, celebrations, and competitions to attend.
Things I want to help our patients understand:
1. Insurance is confusing.
2. Patients do not understand all of the things physical therapy can treat.
3. Surgery is very rarely the answer.
I love working with my husband and including our kids in the process of building a business. I love taking care of patient’s and staff’s needs and hearing patient success stories!
When I’m not at work, I love spending time with Bryan and our four children.
Patient Testimonials
“Kaizen has THEE. BEST. Staff. Josh helped me get better quicker than I imagined to do by myself. He was understanding of my lower back situation, listened attentively, and found common ground with me. He met me where I was at but challenged me to try harder than what I gave myself ability to. I am not pain free yet since I’m in my early stages of getting better but growing in functional movement is a total win for me. I can’t believe where I am at today with all the pain I have gone through for two years. I’m on a better path to heal and strengthen now after Josh’s help. I was referred to Kaizen and to see Josh. I’m so glad I followed through. I beat myself a little by not seeing him sooner. I will recommend Kaizen and Josh any day. I hope to keep both as a resource for myself and any athlete. Super thankful for all the guys here. Thank you Josh, Bryan, Logan, and Dylan for creating a great environment for physical training and your knowledge. Thank you Gwen and Deanna for all the background work you do to help run the business well!”
“So Josh is basically a PT wizard. I went to Kaizen because I had chronic back pain that was morphing into other issues. I’ve had this looked at many times before without anything really changing, so I was skeptical, but I needed to try something. My first visit, Josh literally put his finger on the problem immediately, and when I got off the table I found that I was suddenly holding back tears of joy because I felt relief that I had never experienced before. I didn’t realize how long I had been living with this pain until it was finally gone. And it hasn’t come back! We’ve continued to work through the kinks, and in the weeks that followed my first visit, I feel like I’ve only made progress. I now have plenty of stretches and exercises to continue to heal and strengthen myself, too. Also, I’ve had zero issues with insurance, which is its own little miracle. The whole team is helpful and communicative, and I know if I do have any questions or concerns they’ll be there for me. I’m so, so thankful I chose Kaizen. Keep up the excellent work, guys!”
“Dr. Ladd is not a traditional physical therapist, actually he is much more than a physical therapist. I’ve been seeing Bryan regularly for over two years and he has been helping me achieve several of my fitness goals injury-free, from running to weight lifting. Last year, he helped me finish my first marathon at the age of 61! I couldn’t say thank you enough to Bryan and his wife, Deana. Highly recommend! Also, check out Kaizen’s instagram. Bryan often posts helpful and interesting easy workout clips.“