Meet Daniela Curtis | Doctor of Physical Therapy & Running Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniela Curtis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniela, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I decided to start Magic City Athletics (MCA) because I wanted to treat runners and athletes the way I would want to be treated. Pretty early into my internships as a physical therapy student, I knew that the cookie-cutter model of traditional physical therapy wasn’t for me. I’ve never fit into a typical mold, and I knew my career wouldn’t be any different.

My passions have always been service, teaching, and sport—and MCA allows me to combine all those passions into one. I pride myself on making every single person I work with feel cared for and treated like family. Once you walk through my office doors, you can rest assured that I’m fully invested in your journey.

I’ve had so many personal experiences and conversations with clients who were told by others to stop running. Telling runners to stop running is like telling someone to stop breathing. It sounds dramatic, but the truth is that running is so much more than the physical. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, it’s a huge part of my mental health and gives me a continuous sense of pride when I get to test my limits and push myself—especially as I age. It’s a reminder that I’m alive.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to build the life I wanted unless I worked for myself. I love to train, travel, teach, and do volunteer work—and I wanted to build a career that would give me the flexibility to pursue all my passions and goals. I wanted to create a career where I wake up every single day excited to work. And as of now, there hasn’t been a single day when I don’t absolutely love what I do. Even when I’m exhausted, the moment I get to help someone else, I’m reminded of my purpose.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Magic City Athletics (MCA) offers orthopedic physical therapy and performance coaching for runners and athletes. What sets me apart is my unique combination of experiences—as a performance physical therapist, former collegiate running coach, and NCAA Division I cross-country and track & field athlete. It’s those experiences that allow me to help runners move past injury and get back to doing what they love.

Too often, runners are discharged from traditional physical therapy before they’re truly ready to return—or without a clear plan to get back to training. Many of the athletes who come to see me have been told to stop running. They stop, their pain goes away, but as soon as they start training again, the pain returns. That’s because they were never given a long-term solution that takes their running goals into account. That’s where I come in.

Unless someone is dealing with a bone stress injury or in the acute stages—where temporarily pausing running will do more good than harm—the biggest value I bring is knowing how to integrate rehab while helping athletes continue to train. You should never have to stop training entirely; it might just need to look a little different for a while.

When I first decided to start my own business, I had no idea what I was doing. In physical therapy school, you don’t learn how to start or run a business. Over the years, I’ve invested in multiple business and professional development mentorships. I’ve spent countless hours teaching myself how to build a website, market my services, create content, and write newsletters—everything.

Starting my business was far from easy, but every challenge became a learning experience. I originally started my business in Atlanta, GA, during COVID. After some personal life transitions, I had to close and take a position as a travel physical therapist. I always knew that was temporary, and once I returned home to Miami, FL, I decided to relaunch the business. I started with home visits before finding space inside a local gym.

Soon after restarting MCA, I also accepted a position as an assistant cross-country and track coach at Barry University. It was a lot to juggle, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity. Ultimately, I realized that to pour 100% into my business, I needed to direct all my energy there. Stepping away from collegiate coaching wasn’t easy—coaching will always be my passion—but that’s when my business truly began to grow. Thankfully, through MCA I still get to coach both youth and adult runners through individualized run coaching and strength training.

I’ve learned a lot along the way, but one of the most important lessons is that no one will do the work for you. That doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone—you just need to surround yourself with the right mentors and colleagues who can guide you when you need it most.

At the end of the day, I want people to know I’m a big believer in betting on yourself and not letting anyone tell you what you can or can’t do. I’ve been told more than once that I’m crazy for taking risks or that I wasn’t ready—and every time, I’ve used that as fuel to work even harder. It’s not about proving anyone wrong; it’s about proving to yourself that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d start the day with a sunrise run over the Rickenbacker Causeway—you can’t beat those views! Then I’d take them to one of my favorite breakfast spots in the Grove, GreenStreet Café—a total classic. After that, we’d drive down to El Farito to spend the day at the beach.

For lunch, I’d take them to get some delicious Peruvian ceviche nearby. I’m Peruvian, so I’m definitely biased—but I think ceviche is the perfect post-beach meal! Of course, we’d need a cortadito for a pick-me-up, and while there are plenty of great ventanitas in Miami, to keep it real, we’d head to Versailles.

I’d end the night in Little Havana, starting with a cocktail and live music at Hoy Como Ayer, followed by dancing at Ball & Chain. And my all-time favorite way to wrap up a night of dancing? A late-night meal from Latin America Café—the best way to end the day!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my wife, Marianne Curtis, for helping me push past the fear of fully committing to my business and for always being there as a sounding board for all my crazy ideas.

I’d also like to thank my college coach, Mike Ward, and my high school running coach, Rebecca Rodriguez-Michalak, for always being just a phone call away when I’ve needed to talk through pivotal decisions in my career.

Finally, to the Miami running community as a whole—I’ve met so many wonderful leaders and colleagues who have continuously supported me and trusted me to take care of their runners.

Website: www.magiccityathletics.com

Instagram: @drdanifrommiami | @magiccityathletics

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@magiccityathletics

Image Credits
Kevin Blair