We were lucky to catch up with Carla Smiley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

In March of 2020, I was working as an Educational Audiologist service 9 school districts in my region, and the schools were closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This was the first time, in my career, that what had become monotonous for the past few decades, was now halted. As I began to do things like garden and take free online business courses that were being offered by some of the top Ivy League Schools during the pandemic, I began to realize that I was not content in my current position. Though, I was in a career field that I love, I knew there was more to my life. One night during the pandemic, my discontentment with where I was awakened me. I got out of the bed and went to turn the television on and the show Tiny House Nation was on. One the particular episode that I was watching, the rapper named Lil John was building a tiny house studio. In his studio, he build a very small recording booth, that looked like a booth similar to what we use in audiology to conduct hearing test. This is when it hit me. I made the choice during the pandemic, to brush off my graduate school business plan and begin to start the process of mobilizing audiology healthcare by building a tiny house hearing clinic on wheels. During this time, I researched all of the possible models of mobile clinics in our field, and realized that no one had ever created this service delivery model in the industry before. It was at this moment, I that I put my vision into work and began the process of creating this concept of what has now become the first tiny house audiology/hearing clinic on wheels.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a native of Warner Robins, GA. My dad is a retired military policeman from the US Air Force and two time Vietnam Veteran. My mother is a retired principal from the Bibb County Public School System. When I was 6 years old, a teacher recognized that I was having trouble hearing in the classroom and encouraged my parents to get my hearing checked. We were informed that I had hearing loss in both ears; however, due to the type of hearing loss, my ears were not ready for hearing aids at that time. I remember going to the audiologist for the first time and being enamored with her office and all that the audiologist was doing to evaluate my hearing. That moment was something that always stuck with me and was the moment that I knew that I wanted to be an audiologist when I grew up. When I matriculated into college, I looked for this field of audiology, but it wasn’t found in undergraduate programs. So in order to become an audiologist, I knew that I would have to eventually attend a graduate school. I received my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education, and when we had our first hearing screening conducted in my classroom, it reignited my passion to find a graduate school with an audiology program. I found a residential program at Nova Southeastern University, but had to resign from teaching early to attend graduate school full time. This is how I got into the field. Fast forward to now, I am now a doctor of audiology. I have a stationary office in Peachtree City, GA and also the tiny house hearing clinic on wheels, which helps mobilize hearing healthcare services care. This service delivery model is what sets me a part. Because of the mobile feature, I am able to take audiologic care to underserved areas and to populations where mobile services are need most. This helps break barriers that prevent people from seeking hearing healthcare. This is the work that I am most proud of because we were able to take a problem and create a feasible solution that has been able to reduce the gaps in the hearing healthcare system in my service area. We truly go the distance for better hearing, which is our slogan.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

One thing that has helped me succeed as a single practitioner and entrepreneur is finding my people. Finding my people in the world of entrepreneurship and mobile audiology has been transformative, both professionally and personally. As a mobile audiologist, it’s easy to feel like you’re in a silo, navigating uncharted territory without a roadmap. But connecting with others who share similar goals, challenges, and visions has reminded me that collaboration is one of the greatest catalysts for growth. Engaging with like-minded entrepreneurs and mobile care professionals has not only expanded my knowledge but also provided encouragement, accountability, and new perspectives that have helped me refine my business practices and strengthen my purpose.

Building this network has also reinforced the value of community in innovation. When we share ideas, resources, and lessons learned, we collectively elevate the profession and redefine what accessible hearing care looks like. Surrounding myself with people who understand the unique balance of clinical care and entrepreneurship has helped me grow in confidence, sharpen my leadership skills, and continue to dream bigger for the future of mobile audiology.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I had to choose my profession all over again, I would still choose audiology, every time, without hesitation. At six years old, when I was diagnosed with hearing loss, I didn’t know that moment would become the foundation of my purpose. What felt like an unexpected challenge became the very thing that shaped my heart, my calling, and my life’s work. Sometimes God hands us cards we don’t fully understand, cards that feel heavy, inconvenient, or unfair. But with time, we realize those same cards were positioning us to impact others in ways we never imagined.

My journey with hearing loss taught me compassion before I even knew the word. It taught me resilience, taught me how to listen beyond sound, and taught me what it feels like to be vulnerable in a world that doesn’t always adapt. Those experiences didn’t break me. They built me. They molded me into an audiologist who sees her patients fully, advocates fiercely, and walks boldly into spaces where access and equity are long overdue. My profession isn’t just a career; it’s a calling born from lived experience. And if I were given the chance to choose again, I would choose this path every time, because it allows me to transform the very thing that once challenged me into a gift that serves others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onsiteaudiology.net
• Instagram: onsiteaudiology
• Facebook: Onsite Audiology
• Linkedin: Carla Smiley, Au.D., CC-A
• Other: TikTok: DocSmiley404