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Catherine — not her real name — has never lost touch with the passion that drove her to become a physical therapist. But she also can’t shake memories of what it was like to feel that passion being smothered.

"There were times when I’d get in my car and start driving to work and this feeling of dread would just come over me," she says. "It took me quite a while to realize that, oh my God, this is how work is making me feel."

At that point, Catherine was rehab manager for a company that served SNFs — maybe not her dream job, but an advancement in her career, and the extra money was nice. Still, the productivity pressures, management headaches, and the company’s lack of respect for work-life boundaries were taking a toll.

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