We were lucky to catch up with Gabriella Garcia recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Gabriella thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
Before I even go there, it’s important for me to state that I NEVER intended, planned, or imagined beginning a private practice of my own. In fact, I always said I never wanted to have a business of my own. I had a different “dream job” and vision for my life. My own practice technically started shortly after becoming a licensed speech-language pathologist in 2013. It all started with one client “on the side” that I would provide weekly, in-home speech therapy sessions for after my full-time job. I was connected with this family through a mutual acquaintance. I worked with this child on a weekly basis in his home and loved the flexibility and connection this dynamic establish. It was a refreshing change of pace and mindset compared to my business-hours schedule. Shortly after, the mom of my client asked me if she could pass along my information to someone else and without hesitation I said yes. I managed to make the time to fit another client into my weekly schedule. Fast forward to a year later, I had my full-time job AND had 3-5 clients I would see weekly in their home or at a local library.
Two years after graduating with my Master’s degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders from Florida State University, I had an opportunity to interview with my DREAM JOB through a friend who knew I was interested in any opening that became available. I immediately updated my resume and sent it her way. Within a week an in-person interview was set-up. I interviewed with a panel of experienced speech-language pathologists and a manager – this was something I had never done before. I landed the job and I vividly recall being told by the hiring manager that the computer system showed a history of applying to the company, however due to simple “years of experience” filter options, my application never made it to call-backs.
Throughout my years of working at my dream job, I always maintained a few clients I would see weekly – “on the side”. Any family I worked with was solely through word of mouth. I didn’t have a website, instagram, or even a business card. I’d see clients before or after my full-time job an even worked at times on Saturday. It was “extra” money that I would use towards traveling, running adventures, and savings.
I’m going to GO THERE – 2020! The year that changed everything for me – in the best way possible. (I can say that NOW. I surely didn’t think this THEN.) The pandemic hit and I was furloughed for 9 months, that is correct NINE MONTHS. For 9 months I did not receive a paycheck from my full-time, dream job. Instead I was collecting unemployment, had bills to pay, an apartment I was living in alone, and had many big decisions to make when there was so much uncertainty. I knew I didn’t want to wipe out my savings or go into debt since I didn’t have a timeline of when I would be going back to work I ended up terminating my lease early by a month and moving back in with my parents to off-set monthly rent.
At some point, during my furlough period, I was reconnected with my former boss – who asked me if I knew of anyone willing to pick-up a few hours for virtual speech therapy sessions. I shared with her my situation and told her I would be interested, however whenever my dream job called me back to return to work, I would be transitioning back to “the workforce”. At the same time, friends and friends of friends were looking for speech language pathologists to service their children who were not receiving speech therapy at school. During this time I did a variety of virtual speech therapy, seeing clients in their backyards, and learning to pivot. Little did I know that my private practice was starting without me ever really trying.
When my full-time dream job finally called me back (9 months later), I decided going back part-time made more sense. I had clients and families I had established a relationship. I loved the flexibility and ability to shift the schedule as needed, on my terms. Months went by and little by little my “dream job” shifted to a different dream. I craved flexibility and autonomy to do things my way. I started to feel irritated by so many little things that were out of my control.
When this feeling lingered and grew to be incredibly uncomfortable, I knew I had to make a drastic change. Without a plan in place or even a next step in mind, I drafted up a resignation letter and gave a one-month notice. Then I knew I had no choice but to figure it out. It gave the organization sufficient time to find someone to replace me, but it really gave me time to determine my next move. It’s ironic that the same way a friend knowing I was looking for an opportunity got my foot in the door, another friend knowing my situation and desire guided me to take the next step out of the door.
Enter spring of 2023: I was working part-time for an organization and maintaining a solid caseload of my own -“on the side”. I still didn’t have a website, instagram, or even a business card. My “side business” had grown and maintained itself through word-of-mouth.
If you notice a pattern in my life, the people in my circles help me get to the next step, even when I don’t know if I’m ready for it. A friend I met in grad-school and connected with over a decade prior was thriving in her private practice. We maintained connected through social media regularly and saw each over the years, despite living in different states. It was amazing to witness her growth and success by trusting herself and needing a change. She approached me with an opportunity to help expand her business. She developed and incredible language-rich, play-based curriculum designed for toddlers and preschoolers. Long story short, she basically told I had to trust myself and give it a shot. It would only be 6 weeks of my summer for a couple hours. The planner in me got busy and managed to schedule my summer around a language-rich play-group for Toddlers and Preschoolers.
If I was going to offer classes to the community, I had to with families and gain a wider reach. Word-of-mouth wasn’t going to be enough. I got busy, opened up a business, designed my own logo, created my own website, and established an instagram handle. I’m not trying to pride myself in any of these because at the end of the day I had no idea what I was doing then and I knew little by little I would figure it out. I used my resources to navigate each step, I asked for help. I tried things. I failed. I tried again. I succeed. I failed. I learned what worked, what didn’t work and kept going. Last summer was a game-changer for me. It gave me a glimpse of what was possible and shifted by perspective drastically.
I probably could have decided in that moment to go “ALL IN” and start my private practice full-time. I know I would have figured it out. However, I value and take pride in taking my time to do things one step at a time. In the past year, I have gained a wealth of knowledge, made valuable connections within the community, and expanded my reach to new families.
As of June 2024, I can officially say I have my own private practice that I can dedicate 100% of my time to. It’s taken me over a decade to get here. I’ve learned and grown so much from my experiences over the years. It definitely has not been an easy road and I openly share my challenges with colleagues, My biggest take-aways over the years has been to focus on making a difference, establishing meaningful relationships, knowing that the to-do list will still be the in the morning, and there’s always more than one way to do things. T
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?
By trade, I am a bilingual pediatric speech-language pathologist. I am passionate about working with children of all ages and abilities. I love creating fun and meaningful opportunities to build and expand language with little ones learning to communicate with their siblings and family. I excel at working with school-aged children recognize their strengths, increase this confidence and improve their communication skills, reading skills, and writing skills. I prioritize working closely with parents and teachers to navigate the most effective ways to increase carryover and independence for the children I serve. It truly takes a village!
I earned my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Exceptional Student Education from Miami-Dade College in 2010 and taught Kindergarten for a year prior to continuing my studies. Many are surprised that I did not get accepted to graduate school the first time around. I attribute this to putting all my eggs in one basket, applying to only one school, working full-time, taking pre-requisite classes part-time and not preparing sufficiently for the dreaded GRE. All of this was so I could live on the “timeline” I imagined I needed to be on. The second time around for applications I applied to 9, got accepted to 7, received scholarship offers at 3 and did not have the minimum GRE score. At the time, I hoped and trusted that the GRE score was just a piece of the puzzle for students to be considered. Long story short, I attended an amazing graduate program that taught me the importance of collaboratively, thinking critically, and prepared me to feel confident enough to begin this career.
Since graduating from Florida State University with a Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2013, I have dedicated over a decade working in a variety of pediatric settings to support children of all ages effectively communicate with their loved ones and better understand the world around them. I have extensive experience working closely with children and their families in their homes, pediatric hospital settings, private practice and a variety of school settings. Working in collaboration following a multidisciplinary team has provided additional knowledge in understanding child-development from a variety of lenses.
I integrate her passions of movement, communication, and play during individual treatment sessions and small-group programs to provide children and their families with high-quality, meaningful, and effective interventions. I take pride in continuously learning from colleagues and attending continuing education courses to expand my knowledge and skill set.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Building and maintaining a solid reputation requires a combination of skills. Providing families with high-quality services is one of the most important factors. Being a pediatric speech-language pathologist means I am working with someone else’s most valuable part of their life – their children. Parents are entrusting me, initially a complete stranger, to observe, assess, and develop ways to improve their child’s overall communication skills. Little do they know that with time what they get is someone else who is on their team, supporting and rooting for their child to be the best version of themselves. Although I am a pediatric SLP, supporting parents and caregivers is a HUGE part of the role. Listening to families’ concerns, questions, and observations is crucial. At times, parents feel very alone in navigating the process of starting speech therapy services and I am here to be fully present by your side to figure out the next step.
Creating a network amongst colleagues is another important factor. Over the years I have met and connected with incredible occupational therapists, child psychologists, audiologists, physical therapists, behavioral therapists, educators, and speech-language pathologists. Having a wide reach of contacts allows me to better serve the families I work with and new families I meet along the way. Often times, families will reach out to me that are not in an area I service or are looking for a day/time that I do not have available. Being able to connect them with an SLP that I know and trust is the best way for me to support the family. Brainstorming with colleagues in the field is a great way to expand my knowledge and skill set. I love getting together, face-to-face with like-minded colleagues who are looking for ways to build community and establish meaningful relationships.
Something I value, not only as an SLP but also as a human is maintaining transparency and integrity. To me, this means being clear and open about expectations. It means asking questions to get more information. It means addressing and owning any errors whenever they occur. We’re humans, not robots. I’ve unintentionally double-booked myself before or made an error on an evaluation report that I looked over what feels like a million times before submitted. The best way to navigate any situation is by taking responsibility and determining the best way to remediate it.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
This is a good one! I’ve said this more than a handful of times recently in conversations with different people. If I could go back in time, I would absolutely be an occupational therapist. I had idea occupational therapy was even this career path while I was in college. It’s definitely something I find to be the foundation of life in so many ways. When it comes to pediatrics, if your child is delayed in speaking you see an SLP without thinking twice. If your child is delayed in crawling or walking, you’re going to take them to a physical therapists. I feel the work of occupational therapists is unknown to so many and can be life changing. Working alongside phenomenal occupational therapists over the years has been a blessing. I am incredibly fortunate to have learned so much from them and continue to consult with and refer to them ALL. THE. TIME!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.speechlanguageliteracysolutions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speechwithgaby/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-garcia-9b2412b4/
Image Credits
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