Private Practice Success Stories

Do you feel trapped working at your current employer? You’re not alone. Many SLPs and OTs feel this way. In this episode of Private Practice Success stories, I sat down with Sarah Sweeney, one of my Grow Your Private Practice students, to talk about how she felt trapped as well, which led her to start her own speech therapy private practice and turn her life around. Sarah Sweeney is a board-licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with a special interest in orofacial myofunctional disorders and pediatric feeding. She graduated with a Master’s in Communication Disorders in 2017 from the University of Virginia. Sarah’s special trainings and methods include International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM)™, PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets), The D’Onofrio Institute Diagnosing and Treating OMDs, DIRFloortime, and Feed the Peds.During her spare time, she enjoys running, making music, researching, and spending time with her husband Luke, their son Finn,

Are you planning to leave your job in the next few months and shift into your own private practice full-time? Starting your private practice part-time is the best way to start but it’s not the best way to grow. Most folks can handle seeing a handful of private clients after work and on the weekends, but if the word is out about your practice and your caseload is full, it’s time to start thinking about the steps that you need to take to safely leave your job and shift into full-time private practice.In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I’m sharing the 3 steps you need to take to successfully shift into full-time private practice. You’ll learn how to make sure that you’re ready to make the transition and the things you need to have in place so that you can hit the ground running. In Today's Episode, We Discuss:The impact of the pandemic on private practicesWhy you have the capability to run a thriving businessDoing the math before leaving your jobPicking a date to leave your jobTips f

Are you looking to start a private practice on the side and transition to full-time private practice pretty quickly? It’s amazing how fast you can grow when you get your private practice started. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my students, Lisa Geary, to talk about how she started and grew her private practice significantly in just one year. Lisa is a speech-language pathologist with over 25 years of experience in a variety of settings including skilled nursing, outpatient rehab, public schools, and higher education. She served as a Clinical Assistant Professor at a university in Maryland, and she also worked as Learning Consultant for an AAC vendor company. Following her relocation to Virginia, Lisa decided to follow her big dream and open her own speech-language therapy practice. Lisa uses space in her husband's dental office, and she has enjoyed converting former dental operatories into children's therapy rooms. In Today's Episode, We Discuss

In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Kristin Kudarauskas, a Start Your Private Practice and Grow Your Private Practice student, to talk about how she started a private practice that serves her community.Kristin shares her journey of starting her private practice, how her faith supported her through the entire process,  and how she uses one of our Casefiller Strategies that we teach in the Grow Your Private Practice program. Kristin received her Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders from Emerson College in 2005. Considered a “Jackie of all trades,” she has served families and their loved ones from age 4 to 104 for over 17 years. Early on, she had the honor to work with students in various public and private school systems, with a specific focus on enhancing communication for students on the Autism Spectrum and with moderate to severe physical disabilities. Kristin transitioned to serving adults with both developmental and acquired speech, language, v

Are you holding back from starting your private practice because you’re worried that you don’t have enough money saved up? This is what I hear from many SLPs and OTs, but you don’t actually have to have a bunch of money saved up! You can keep your costs very low at the start and grow as your practice grows. In today’s episode of Private Practice Success stories, I sat down with Michelle Eliason who didn’t let the investment scare her. She started her private practice debt-free from her kitchen table and now she has grown it to two different locations!Michelle Eliason is an Occupational Therapist and private practice owner. She began a consulting company in 2016 and now owns two neurological and physical restorative outpatient practices in New York as well as an online mentorship and resource site for occupational therapy students and practitioners seeking to utilize their full scope in clinical practice. Michelle is now an OT mentor for our Start Your Private Practice students where she teaches

Referrals can be a powerful tool to utilize in your business. By serving your clients well and forming good relationships with others in related fields, you can change the trajectory of your private practice by receiving referrals. In today’s episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Yasmin Rios-Schultz, a Start Your Private Practice student who grew her private practice to full-time and now gets a large number of referrals from doctors. Yasmin Rios-Schultz lives in Austin, TX with her husband, son, and dog.  She has been an SLP for 13 years and has owned her adult-focused private practice, Lake Austin Speech Therapy, for 2 years. She is a mobile therapist and also provides telehealth for those who are outside of her driving range. She is a 6-time marathoner, and a lover of the outdoors, camping, road trips, and travel. She formed her private practice to be independent and in charge of the decision-making for her therapy services. She wanted to decide her own work h

As SLPs, a lot of us get into this profession because we just want to help people. Helping people is just what we do. And when we aren’t able to do that, it takes a serious toll on us emotionally. This quickly leads to burnout which can leave you feeling unhappy and unfulfilled. But you don’t have to stay that way. You can find more fulfillment by starting your own private practice where you get to build the life you want on your own terms. In this week’s episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Lydia Lacy, who was feeling stuck and unfulfilled in her job. This led her to start her own private practice which has given her so much more happiness and fulfillment. Lydia started working for Detroit Public Schools right after graduating in May of 1999. She was placed in a Title 1 elementary school in the heart of the city and then moved around to other settings throughout the district. Lydia and her family moved to Georgia in 2011 where she continued to work in education. She has

Are you dreaming of more flexibility so that you have time for the things that you love? Starting a private practice is the perfect way to live life on your own terms. You set your hours and you decide what’s important to you. Since it’s your private practice, you get to run it how you see fit. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Tracy Droege to talk about how she grew her private practice with flexibility in mind so that she could still make time for her other passion- tennis. Tracy shares her goals for hiring, marketing tips, and how she plans to integrate systems as she grows. Tracy Droge is an occupational therapist and certified ADHD provider in Temple, Texas. She started her OT private practice, The Rise Center, in order to have more flexibility as she cared for a sick family member. Although it was born out of a sad situation, she has been able to turn it into a happy one by caring for children and families who benefit from her services.In Today's Episode

Do you feel overwhelmed by the idea of starting a private practice? Many SLPs and OTs feel that way and it’s totally understandable. Starting a whole business can seem like an impossible task when you are already dealing with overflowing caseloads. Rest assured, it can still be done! By taking little steps every day, you will be ready to take on your first private practice clients in no time. In today’s episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Liz Seagrave Tantareanu to talk about how she did it little by little and now has a successful practice. You’ll also learn how she became a Medicare provider and how she deals with things like people pleasing and perfectionism. Liz is the founder of Golden Coast Speech Therapy Services in San Rafael, California, and has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for over 10 years. Liz's clinical interests include neurogenic voice disorders and Parkinson’s Disease, care of the professional voice, gender-affirming voice therapy, early

Are you a military SLP or OT? It used to be pretty complicated to start your own private practice as a member of the military since you had to relocate more often; however, that’s not really the case now. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Rachael Harrelson, a decorated Navy veteran to talk about how she started a successful private practice on the side of her full-time job. Even if you aren’t in the military, you’ll love this episode because Rachael shares some amazing tips for starting your practice on the side, the importance of Google reviews, and becoming a health insurance provider. Rachael Harrelson, M.S. CCC-SLP is the owner of Southern Star Speech and Language Therapy in Burleson, TX.  She is a Texas State licensed and nationally certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Prior to starting her practice, Rachael worked in various settings including in-patient rehabilitation, home health, and public schools.Rachael received a Bachelor’s and Master's Deg

Are you at maximum capacity with your clients that you see on the side and considering making the leap to full-time private practice? I always recommend starting your private practice on the side, but there comes a time when you grow so much that you have to choose if you want to stay small or go all in. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Ali Moulton, one of my Grow Your Private Practice students, to talk about how she started and grew her private practice. Ali is a certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed as a Speech-Language Pathologist by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia. She received her graduate degrees in Speech and Language Pathology and Learning Disabilities from Northwestern University. She received her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a concentration in Speech and Language Pathology from Northwestern University.Ali enjoys working with children of al

I am a firm believer that starting a private practice part-time is the best way to start, but it isn’t the best way to grow. Growing your private practice takes time, support, and dedication. In today’s episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Amanda Donaldson, a Grow Your Private Practice student, to talk about how she knew it was time to invest in herself and her business and go all in to grow in a systematic rather than stressful way. Although originally from Canada, Amanda spent most of her childhood in northeast New Jersey. She attended Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania where she completed the five-year accelerated program earning her bachelor's and master's degree as well as a teaching certificate. Immediately following graduation, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona.Amanda worked for 4.5 years in various public schools and a charter school system. During this time, she worked with children from preschool to 8th grade and has ample experience with speech and language

Are you still dreaming of starting your own private practice?In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my Start Your Private Practice and Grow Your Private Practice students, Patricia Saenz. She started her private practice after just 5 years in the profession!In this episode, she shares why she started her private practice and how she let go of imposter syndrome. She also shares some really good information about how to become an insurance provider.Patricia has been a private practice owner for a little over a year and an SLP for 5.  She is a single mom to a wildly outgoing and fun teenage boy.  He's 15 and her best friend.  Everything she has done was for him and because of him.Her educational journey began in 2008 a year after her son was born.  After changing degree programs and attending 7 different colleges over the course of 9 years, she graduated from Our Lady of The Lake University in 2017.  She’s worked in school, home health, and clinic set

I have some big news! After 15 years of teaching SLPs and OTs how to start and scale successful private practices, I’m writing a book.In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what went into my decision to write a book, who it’s for, and how to get your hands on a copy when it’s released. This is something that has been on my radar for a long time and it is finally happening. I have been helping people start their private practices since 2008, and I have a lot of levels of people that I serve—everyone from people who are just thinking about getting started or who are considering whether a private practice is for them all the way to people in their “scale” phase. These are clinicians who are looking to grow their income with a multidisciplinary, multi-location private practice.This means I have audiences with different folks who need to hear different messages. One of the largest groups though is the group of people who are still in the schools or hospita

Thinking about leaving your job and going all-in on your private practice? It’s a big decision and it can be intimidating, but it could change your life. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my Grow Your Private Practice Students, Sherley Jackson, to talk about her decision to go full-time with her practice as well as hiring, referrals, and so much more. Sherley L. Jackson is a Speech-Language Pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language Association and licensed by the Georgia Department of Education and Board of Speech & Language Pathology.  With 22 years of experience in the field (in Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina), 20 of which have been in the public school system, working with PK through 5th-grade students in special education programs. Sherley earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Audiology and Speech Pathology from Florida State University. She earned a specialist degree in Special Education fr

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the growth of your private practice and wondering if it’s time to hire? Or do you know that it’s time to hire but you don’t know who or how to do it? When you first start your private practice, it’s completely normal to wear all of the hats; however, as your private caseload and demand start to grow, you will reach maximum capacity. There are only so many hours in a day that you can see clients and since seeing clients should be your priority, you might start to drop the ball about things like billing. You may have started with no intention of ever hiring anyone, but as your practice grows, you’ll start to get more referrals than you can handle. That’s when it’s time to start thinking about hiring. Among many other things, hiring is something that we help folks do in the Grow Your Private Practice program. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I am sharing everything you need to know about hiring because whether you are in the hiring stages now or w

Summer is here, and it is the perfect time to start dipping your toe into the waters of private practice!This is something that is often on people’s to-do lists for years before they finally take action, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Take advantage of the opportunity to get your ducks in a row over the summer so you can start taking on your first few clients. You might be thinking that by only seeing one or two clients to start, it isn’t really a private practice—but it actually is, so in this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I am helping you finally get started because I truly believe that there is no better time than right now. In Today's Episode, We Discuss:Why summer is the perfect time to start seeing clientsThe importance of setting your business up legitimatelyHow much you could make if you start this summerHow to determine if there is a need for your services in your areaThe legal protection you need in place when you start your businessWhat forms of payment to accept when

Sometimes you just need to go all-in on your private practice in order to achieve fast results. In today’s episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my Grow Your Private Practice students, Olivia Rhoades, to talk about her experience in the program. We talk about what led to her decision to grow her private practice, how she differentiates her practice from others, how she made her first hire, and so much more. If you are interested in growing your private practice now or in the future and want a first-hand account from someone in the program, this episode is for you. Olivia Rhoades is a speech-language pathologist by trade and a player at heart. To her, playtime is not an event, it’s a mindset. Every day…from the therapy room to the living room, she observes how taking a play-based approach to everything builds stronger relationships and provides the foundation for meaningful learning. Throughout her career, she has served on committees, presented at conferences

Ready to start your private practice but worried about the legal aspects? You’re not alone. This is something that holds many SLPs back because they want to make sure they do it all legally but they don’t know where to start. The truth is, It can be risky to start a private practice if you don’t set it up the right way in the beginning. This is why I feel it’s my duty to help SLPs with this process. In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I am sharing how you can successfully protect yourself and minimize your legal, personal, and financial risks.As SLPs, we are generally pretty risk-averse. This is why many don’t choose to start private practices in the first place.  We are perfectionists and we tend to be afraid of making mistakes. However, making mistakes isn’t a bad thing. Mistakes are a learning opportunity, so don’t let that deter you from going after what you want.There are easy ways to minimize risk. It may feel scary when you are just getting started because there is so mu

Have you ever wished you had more financial security as an SLP? We all know that many SLPs are overworked and underpaid, but what if I told you that you could make as much money as you want while setting your own hours by starting your own private practice? It is possible! Today on Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with one of my Start Your Private Practice students, Danni Augustine, to talk about how she started her private practice with a bang and is now on track to retire both herself and her husband in their forties—yes, you read that right!Danni has been an SLP for 5 years. After working in a variety of settings, she found her love for dyslexia intervention, myofunctional therapy, feeding, and all things birth-3. Not only has diving into these areas helped her business but it allowed her to fall in love with the SLP field again. She went from almost switching careers to now having a "boutique-style" private practice in Baton Rouge, LA, serving families in an office and home setting.C