When I decided to open my own clinic, one of the first things I realized I needed was a name for my business. But it couldn’t just be any name. It had to encompass and represent a wide array of individuals— male and female athletes, young and old, amateurs and experts. Something timeless, clean, and professional, but certainly not boring. I wanted it to represent a life in motion, without sounding like a gym. And to be extra, I wanted it to honor my hometown, Milwaukee (from a design perspective I really liked the way the three letters MKE looked).
Being a young entrepreneur, I was living with my parents at the time and through the first few years of start up. The kitchen is where all important conversations happen in my parent’s house. So there I was at the kitchen counter chatting with my mom as she cooked, throwing out name ideas, saying them out loud, and seeing how they felt. Some names would stick for a minute, most were immediately tossed. It just felt impossible to find the right one—until one day, we were back around that kitchen counter, and she said it: Milwaukee Movement.
The moment she said it, I knew. My eyes got wide, a huge smile spread across my face, and I felt that instant “yes”—this is it! It perfectly captured what my clinic was going to be all about: helping Milwaukee athletes stay moving, whether preventing injuries or rehabbing from them. It would be a place for every person who wants to live an active life unhindered by pain. We talked about how I could keep the MKE and add MVMT to abbreviate movement. Aesthetically, visually, and business wise, it was perfect!
So this one goes out to my mom. If you’ve seen some of the merch, she’ll tell you the big “M” stands for both mom & Milwaukee Movement, and she would be correct in saying that. She has been my sounding board from day one. She’s helped me make so many of the big decisions that have shaped Milwaukee Movement, and I couldn’t have done it without her- I still can’t, let’s be real 🙂
MKE MVMT are more than seven random letters on a page. They represent a business founded on the active population that make up Milwaukee, and want to change the way chronic pain and injury are treated.
