Physical Therapy for Every Body
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Opal Physical Therapy
How Katie Bond and Laura Tallman left the corporate world to build Opal Physical Therapy — a hands-on, women-owned practice for every age, in West Annapolis and Severna Park.
“Take the risk.” That’s how Katie Bond, co-owner of Opal Physical Therapy, sums up the decision that changed everything. About a year and a half ago, after more than two decades in the field, Katie and her business partner, Laura Tallman, left the corporate world — walking away from a large, private-equity-backed physical therapy company to build something of their own. “If I didn’t do this, I would always have this ‘I should have,’” Katie says. “I just need to go for it.”
What they built is, by design, the opposite of the place they left. “[We wanted to] do it ourselves,” Katie says, “and not be part of a corporate, private equity backed venture.”
Physical Therapy for Every Body
“Physical therapy is for every body,” Katie says — and she means it literally. Opal provides outpatient care across the full span of life, from pediatrics to geriatrics. They’ve treated an infant with torticollis only months old and, recently, a 103-year-old woman. “Movement is medicine,” Katie says, and “physical therapists, they’re the musculoskeletal experts.” Opal is also, deliberately, an insurance-based practice at a time when “a lot of physical therapy practices have gone to [a] cash pay model” — a choice that keeps care within reach.
Hands-on and by name
Ask Katie what sets Opal apart and the answer is personal. “It’s really hands on with our PT,” she says. Every patient gets manual, hands-on therapy from a therapist who knows them. As Katie puts it, “Our therapists know every patient by name.” And a real person answers the phone and greets you at the door, too.
“You’re not just a number.”
There’s also speed. Patients can wait weeks to get into physical therapy elsewhere; Opal aims to get new patients in for an evaluation within 48 to 72 hours. “We’re going to get you in,” Katie says. Katie runs the business side. “There is no typical day,” she laughs. Laura, meanwhile, anchors the clinical work she’s been doing for over 25 years.
Why “Opal”?
The name was chosen with care. An opal, Katie explains, “is [a] unique gemstone — rare, transformative.” That’s exactly the goal: a homegrown, local company woven into the communities it serves. It’s also women-owned and operated — still rare in an industry Katie knows from the inside.
“Even having a seat at the table at the old
company, we look around and [see] just a sea of men.”
Success, beyond the numbers
Ask Katie what success looks like and she doesn’t reach for revenue. “Success to us means that we have happy patients. Happy employees.” It’s the culture, the word of mouth, and the community behind them — patients who call their PTs “magicians and miracle workers.” And what fuels two co-owners who are also both moms? “We are definitely powered by coffee,” Katie says, with frequent runs to local favorites — Bean Rush in West Annapolis, Rise Up in Annapolis, and Big Bean in Severna Park.
Two women, 20-plus years of experience, and a practice built to feel like the neighborhood it serves — that’s Opal: something rare, and entirely their own.
Find Opal Physical Therapy
West Annapolis: 703 Giddings Avenue, Suite M1, Annapolis, MD 21401
Severna Park: 770 Ritchie Highway, Suite W24, Severna Park, MD 21146
Hours: Mon–Thu 7 AM–7 PM • Fri 7 AM–2 PM • opalphysicaltherapy.com
Women-owned & operated, insurance-based outpatient physical therapy — for every age, pediatrics to geriatrics.
