Vlad Constantinescu

Comment ‘Watch’ and I’ll personally DM you the full conversation! Most people don’t think about their feet until something goes wrong. But today’s guest, Dr Courtney Conley, says that by the time you’re injured - it’s already too late? Dr Courtney is an internationally renowned chiropractor who specialises in foot and gait mechanics (the way a person walks/runs). Courtney’s mission is to ensure that as many as possible people get to enjoy the physical, mental and emotional benefits of walking. She says 1 in 4 adults will fall and after the age of 50, your foot strength declines by 35%. And yet… we still prioritise how shoes look, not what they do. So in today’s conversation, we cover: - Why most foot pain doesn’t come from your feet? - Why modern footwear is making you weaker?! - The simple toe exercises that can prevent life-threatening falls. - How to choose the right shoes (and what to avoid)? - Why walking is the most powerful form of medicine we all have access to… And more. This conversation will give you more than just better feet, it will give you a better relationship with your body. When I discovered her work, it was a game changer for my foot health and also just from this conversation today, it feels like I now have a better understanding of how what I thought was largely irrelevant is having a big downstream impact on a bunch of things in the long run that I really, really care about. The advice she gives is something that you can take on a daily basis to prevent finding yourself in a situation where you hurt yourself or lose mobility all because you have something wrong with your foundations. Hopefully next time we see each other @gaithappens, I’ll have the strongest feet you’ve ever seen! Watch the full episode now on YouTube: search “The Diary of a CEO Dr Courtney Conley”

Why feet? Why do I care so much?

Walking is my therapy, my reset, the steady rhythm that brings calm when everything else feels overwhelming.

At times in my life when I wasn’t able to walk,—largely because of foot pain—I would find myself drifting into dark places. That’s when I realized: staying on my feet isn’t just about movement. It’s about mental clarity, emotional healing, and truly living.

I’ve spent much of my life exploring how to keep moving forward—both physically and mentally. What began as a personal challenge has grown into a deeper purpose. Today, my mission is to help others stay on their feet as well. I’m committed to being a lifelong learner: continuously studying the research, learning from others in the field, and sharing the most informed and compassionate guidance I can.

If foot pain is holding you back, I hope this podcast brings you hope, relief, and a path forward.

To my family—Mom, Dad, Mike, Addi, Joe—I love you more than words. To all of YOU who have shown so much support since the release of this podcast, you are my ‘why’. Thank you.

And to and the incredible team—thank you for the space, the grace, and the support to share this message.

WALK: Your Life Depends On It.
Coming soon. 💙👣

Saw this post and I thought it was worth sharing that sometimes people miss things. This doctor caught a stroke in his patient and I thought it was a great story to share.

"53yo M presented walking with a hiking stick. He says his wife dropped him at Wendy’s across the street while we were at lunch and he walked over from there. Says he stumbled and fell on the way, light headed when he turned his head to look for traffic.
Says he has been vomiting and feeling sick for a few weeks. Last week, while feeding his cats on his back porch, he turned his head quick while tossing a can in the garbage, “went woozy” fell to the grond and vomited, unconscious.

911 was called and in the ER he was worked up for stomach issues with a CT of the abdomen and released, according to his paperwork, with a stomach virus. Was advised to follow up with his P*P

He called the P*P to find out his doctor was out of town and the covering doctor recomended waiting until the doctor more familiar with him gets back, in 10 days.

He had seen me in 2015 for a low back issue, so he presented to our office, after walking over from wendy’s.

During the history, he made it clear that turning his head made him dizzy, nausesous and occasuioanlly loses consciousness.

BP 159/ 120

I referred to the ER, and I thought he was on his way but h3e went home. I called as follow up the next day, Friday, and he was in the ER. I had given him a copy of my daily notes on which I had circled in red several indications for the cervical vasculature to be assessed.
He said “Doc, they say I had a stroke. One of my blood vessels is 80% blocked.”

When I was at Logan, waaaaay back in the 80’s Dr Kettner, the radiologist, used to say “If yu’re not catching it, you’re missing it.”
I just have this deep down wonder: And i realize the man was a poor historian and a little confusing but, ya know, that’s where your history taking skills are. What i wonder is: How do you call passing out and vomiting with rotation and extension as a stomach bug?
How?
How does a triage nurse in a P*P office not escalate this?
How does the covering docrtor blow it off?
I can’t wait to see what the ER noites say."

I think it's a good story to show that sometimes symptoms should be looked at more closely. Happy to hear that the man got the care he needed in the end.