Private Practice Success Stories

Have you ever dreamed of starting a private practice that brought in six figures? When many people think of starting their own private practice, they think of it as a side income, but it doesn’t have to be. You can grow it as much or as little as you want. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my Start Your Private Practice students, Samantha Asher, to talk about how she grew her private practice to six figures while only working 3 days a week. She is able to support her family financially with her private practice and also be there for her kids every day. Samantha Asher, MA, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and the CEO of Green Light Speech and Language Services, LLC. Green Light specializes in providing effective feeding, language, and speech therapy that children genuinely enjoy. Samantha built Green Light on the principles of responsive feeding and parent-child-therapist collaboration. Samantha also develops and shares content about responsive f

Do you dream of growing a large private practice with multiple clients? This episode of Private Practice Success Stories is for you! I sat down to chat with Dr. Jennifer Moore. She is a renowned speech-language pathologist and the proud co-owner of a thriving multidisciplinary private practice in northern New Jersey. Jen started her private practice on the side of her regular job. She started small, like we all do. Once she realized how many kids needed help in her area, her practice grew and expanded quickly. She now co-owns Brave Wings Therapy with Naomi Sutton. During our conversation, she talked about the baby steps that she took along the way to grow from solo to having 55 employees and two locations. She shares about her hiring process and how she cultivates both happy employees and happy clients.She also shares one of the biggest secrets to getting more referrals, and hint: you can do this too! This episode is truly a delight, and whether you're at the very beginning of your private

Looking for more flexibility for your family and career fulfillment? You’re going to love this episode of Private Practice Success Stories. I sat down with Jessie Kensey, a Start and Grow Your Private Practice program student. Jessie decided to start her own private practice as a speech language pathologist, in order to have more flexibility and time with her family, especially after her son was born. In this episode, Jessie and I discuss ways for her to grow her practice, including expanding her online presence and hiring additional clinicians, which would allow her to serve more clients and generate more income.Jesse's story shares the incredible transformations that can happen when you follow your passions and seek a more fulfilling path, and I know you’re going to love it! Jessie founded Simply Speech Therapy to make meaningful changes in her clients' lives by supporting the goals that matter most to them. She celebrates her clients' unique interests, preferences, and strengths while helpin

Interested in offering innovative therapy services in your own private practice? You’re going to love this episode! I sat down with Mary Hadley, a Start and Grow program student, to discuss how she took the leap into private practice after facing a pivotal moment in her career. Now, she’s offering a very innovative therapy model for teens who need help with social communication.Join us as Mary discusses how being in private practice has given her career fulfillment, flexibility for her family, and financial success as she’s earning significantly more than she was as a school SLP. Y’all, Mary was considering leaving the profession, but starting a private practice helped her turn things around. This is a can’t-miss episode! Mary is a highly experienced, certified speech-language pathologist and founder of Signpost Speech and Language Therapy. She specializes in evaluating and treating social communication and executive functioning issues for children, adolescents, and adults. In Today's Epis

Wondering how you can grow your clients for your private practice online? In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Ahlam Issa to discuss how she did it. Her story is a testament to the incredible transformations that can happen when one follows their heart and perseveres through challenges. We talk about her boutique-style private practice and how it works, how she's built her client base through word of mouth, online searches, and yes- TikTok!Ahlam has a  long-term goal of taking her private practice to a national and international level to provide more services to underserved communities. If you've been thinking about pursuing private practice, especially to underserved populations, this is a must-listen episode!Ahlam Issa, M.A. CCC-SLP, is the owner and founder of Issa Speech Therapy. She has dedicated her career to helping children and adults of all ages find joy in expressing themselves and connecting with others. Ahlam Issa brings a wealth of knowledge and expe

Do you ever wish that you could hear directly from the people who have gone from regular SLPs or OTS to successful private practitioners after going through the Start Your Private Practice program? Well, today's episode of Private Practice Success Stories is going to introduce you to four amazing Start Your Private Practice alums. We've got three SLPs on the panel: Vanessa Alcala, Luisa Rinaudo, and Rachael Harrelson. We also have one OT: Megan Bartley. All four of these Start Your Private Practice students came from different backgrounds. Some of these clinicians are in major cities and others are in small towns. Some work exclusively with adults, others exclusively with children, and others with all ages. Three started their private practices early in their careers and one started after a career change. These clinicians all had the same fears, doubts, and hesitations about private practice as you do, but they decided to go for it and join the Start Your Private Practice program to create a ne

Are you in search of more balance in your professional and personal life? Private practice may be the answer! In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Tayler Garzarek to talk about how she built her practice with balance in mind. In this episode, she shares the fear she had about the cost of the investment in the Start Your Private Practice program,  how she rationalized the cost, and what she’s been able to gain as a result.I’ll let her fill in the blanks, but let’s just say that a year later, her practice has grown, her income has grown and the amount of flexibility she has for her family has grown! Plus, she’s sharing one really cool thing she’s done with the money she’s earned. Hint: I’m totally jealous!Tayler Garzarek is a Speech-Language Pathologist and owner of Chatterbox Children's Therapy located in Mary Esther, Florida. She currently provides services in her clinic, on-site at daycares, and via telehealth throughout the state of Florida. Tayler is

Are you ready to finally start your private practice? There has never been a better time to get started. In this solo episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I’m sharing why fall is the perfect time to start working with private clients. Whether you're a newer clinician who is already feeling burned out and looking for a change or you’re a seasoned clinician who has been putting off private practice for years, or even decades, and is finally ready to do it, this episode is for you.If you've been thinking about starting a private practice for a while now, but haven't taken the plunge, the time is now. The fall seasons, energy, and the demand for your services make it an ideal moment to turn your private practice dreams into a reality.In Today's Episode, We Discuss:The contagious energy of back-to-school timeWhy more families are seeking out services in the fallThe benefits of starting your private practice now I hope this episode inspires you to take action on your private practice dreams and st

Sometimes, you have to overcome a lot of obstacles to make your dreams happen and it takes a lot of perseverance. In this episode, I’m sharing my conversation with Vanessa Alcala to talk about her journey into private practice and the perseverance it took for her to get there.  Vanessa knew that she wanted to start a business and after graduation in January of 2023, she participated in our private practice boot camp and then decided to invest in the Start program to avoid wasting time and money. Now, just eight months into her private practice journey, she’s sharing how it's going. We discuss the clinical populations that she works with, where she sees her clients, what services she offers, and her desire to eventually have a small team of culturally responsive SLPs. Woven through this episode are discussions about the need for more minority and bilingual SLPs in the field and the importance of showcasing diverse role models in private practice, and I am so excited to share it with yo

Suffering from early career burnout? This is something that many overworked SLPs are suffering from, and private practice may be the answer. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, Laura and Adrianne share how they started their private practices after overcoming burnout. They both share where they get their referrals from, what types of clients they see, and whether they are generalists or specializing in certain populations. If you've been thinking about starting a private practice and want to see how other folks are doing it, this episode is for you! Laura and Adrianne are the hosts of The SLP Book Club podcast. Each month, they carefully select amazing books that speech therapists might not have the time to read and discuss them on their podcast chapter by chapter. They create and post free resources to accompany the books, allowing SLPs to immediately use the information they've learned with their caseloads.Laura began her career in public schools, working as a contracted

Have you ever wondered how you could use grants to fund your private practice? In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Anne Marie Flood, a Grow Your Private Practice student to discuss how she did it and now has a thriving private practice. Some cool things that we discussed in the episode include how as a homeschool parent herself, she's been able to attract home schoolers as clients and how hiring a virtual assistant has been a game changer for her practice. If you've been thinking about starting and growing a private practice and want to hear how Anne Marie did it, this is a must listen episode!After 5 years as a Spanish teacher, including earning a master's in Secondary Education, Anne Marie found her passion in the form of Speech Language Pathology. She returned to pursue a master's degree at the University of Maryland following the birth of her oldest children. Between virtual, school-based, and private practice experience, Anne Marie has worked with chil

Have you been curious about starting your private practice on the side and then eventually going full-time with it? This episode of Private Practice Success Stories is for you! I sat down with my Start Your Private Practice student Kimberly Kean who did just that. In this episode, she talks about what her private practice looks like now, as well as her plans to grow her private practice by offering more services and hiring clinicians. She has a secondary dream of owning a commercial property, not just for her clinic, but as another income stream!Triad Speech Therapy opened its doors in March 2022 after Kimberly worked in various settings (SNF, LTC, and the school systems in Virginia and Kentucky). While working for a friend and mentor in her private practice in Virginia for several years, Kimberly was enlightened to see that you can make money as an SLP and enjoy some work-life balance as a mother. She enrolled in the Start Your Private Practice course in the winter of 2021, and the rest is his

Dreaming of starting your own private practice in the big city?In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Genna Ricotta who started her practice in New York City. In addition to talking a lot about referrals and where she's getting her clients from, Genna shares a lot about family and what having a private practice has meant for her family, as well as the importance of building strong relationships with clients and treating them like family. Genna Ricotta is the founder of Small Steps Speech and Feeding Therapy, LLC. She’s been a pediatric SLP for over 20 years.  She has always loved interacting with children and teaching them in a way that they don’t feel like it’s work.  She never sees limitations, only the possibilities.   Genna has worked in a variety of settings throughout her career, including working for a private practice in NYC, but after a few months realized that she could not deliver services the way she thought they should be delivered so sh

Ever wish that you could hear directly from people who have gone through the Grow Your Private Practice program, their words, their experience, and their outcomes in the program? Today's episode of Private Practice Success Stories is going to introduce you to two amazing Grow Your Private Practice members, Lisa Geary and Bridget Cibulskis. While aspects of how they got started vary quite a bit, there are some big commonalities which include the rewards of being your own boss, what they've done with their more flexible schedule, how hiring has gone for them, what systems they now have in place, and the importance of being part of a supportive community with other growth-focused private practitioners.There are simple steps to starting your private practice, but growing your private practice can be a lot harder without support. Neither Lisa nor Bridget decided to wing it when it came to growing their private practices. They knew that investing in a tried and true plan would save them a ton of time

Are you ready to finally take the steps to follow your passion? In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my Start and Grow Your Private Practice students, Kayla Thurston, to talk about how she followed her passion and now has a thriving private practice, Communicate With Me, Speech Therapy. She put in the time and effort to grow her practice and now she has the freedom to pursue her next goal, getting her clinical doctorate. Kayla is a very cool person, and whether you're thinking about getting a clinical doctorate or not, I know that you're going to love this episode because she talks about following her passion and making sure that she had a solid foundation on which to grow.Communicate With Me, Speech Therapy LLC (CWM) is a private speech-language pathology practice that provides personalized therapy to children, adolescents, and adults in Wallingford, CT. CWM values enhancing communication in all forms because we believe communication to be far more than j

Are you tired of working in settings that don’t serve you and your clients the way you need? In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Kelsey Brown, a Start and Grow Your Private Practice student, to talk about her journey as an SLP and why she decided to do things differently and start her own private practice. Kelsey shares how she started to lay the groundwork for leaving her job, exactly how she's making more money and working less, and how she's built stability into her income by filling a school contract and doing sessions while she builds her private pay caseload. Kelsey is a great example of a young and talented SLP who refused to get caught up in working in settings that didn't serve her or her clients and is instead creating her own systems and life through her private practice.Kelsey Brown (she/her) is a DC-based speech-language pathologist by day and children's book author ("Come On, Calm," 2019) by night, weekend, and summer. She has undergraduate degrees

Wondering if you are too early in your career to start a private practice? You aren’t! In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my students, Luisa Rinaudo, to talk about how she suffered from early career burnout and made the leap to private practice. Now Luisa is working less, making more, and seeing the clients she is truly passionate about on her own terms. Luisa Rinaudo is the owner of The Therapy Garden, LLC. Her passion for educating and instructing individuals, especially those in the neuro-divergent community has always been a driving force in her personal and professional life. She is the lucky older sister to two siblings, one of which was born with Down syndrome-a superpower as she likes to say! Her brother has given her countless opportunities to find her potential and when she was ready to decide on a career, this is where she landed.She pursued her Bachelor's degree in early elementary education and special education at Seton Hall University from 2015

Thinking about how starting a private practice could give you more flexibility and time with your family? In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my students, Olivia Rae Jones, to talk about how she started her private practice on her homestead so that she could have more work-life balance. Olivia shares about her recent resignation from her job, where she gets her clients, the home office that she's building is part of their recent renovation, and how she eventually wants to create a multidisciplinary clinic with multiple clinicians to serve her community locally.Olivia Jones is a speech-language pathologist in rural south central Wisconsin. She earned her Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology from Midwestern University - Downers Grove. Private practice was the dream from the very beginning. Olivia developed her experience in SNFs, acute care, adult and pediatric outpatient, inpatient rehab, and finally, schools before making the leap into her own prac

Want to start an out-of-the-box private practice? In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Kristin Park who came up with an amazing idea to offer mobile speech therapy services and call her private practice The Magic Speech Bus, which is a customized converted bus that serves as a mobile speech therapy room. In this episode, we discuss the start-up costs and legal and practical logistics of having a magic speech bus, as well as how Christine provides speech and language therapy services not just in the bus, but also in nature-based settings such as parks and playgrounds.Kristin Park is an experienced Speech-Language Pathologist dedicated to helping kids overcome communication challenges. As the founder of Magic Speech Bus, Kristin brings a unique approach to therapy by incorporating the power of nature and outdoor settings. With her innovative mobile therapy room, she creates a dynamic and immersive experience for clients, allowing them to connect with nature while w

Interested in learning about other ways to be in private practice? In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Stephanie Clairmont, a retired registered dietitian who now teaches health practitioners how to add online programs to their practice. We discuss how she got started in private practice and why she left, how she builds in work-life balance to reduce burnout and spend more time with her kids and on self-care. We also dive into why it's important to invest in your business education along with your clinical education and so much more.Stephanie Clairmont is the founder and lead facilitator at The Leveraged Practice. Stephanie has supported hundreds of colleagues with her webinars and online programs to build their own practice and launch online programs. She has worked intimately with a handful of professionals to help them launch online programs with great success making multiple 5-figures in their launches and reaching hundreds of clients.In Today's Episode, We Discu