We were lucky to catch up with Genna Espinoza recently and have shared our conversation below.

Genna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school

I always wanted a career to help others. Personally feel like occupational therapy found me and then I feel like working in Pediatrics found me as well.

Initially was a physical therapy major and the more I learned about occupational therapy the more I grew to love the scope of practice. I applied to a dual degree program where I would earn my Masters of Occupational Therapy Degree and later my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. While on my first internship at the University of North Carolina I fell more in love with the profession of occupational therapy and decided to drop the DPT and focus on occupational therapy. While on internship, my clinical instructor would ask where I planned on working and I firmly ALWAYS stated “Acute Rehab focusing on Neuro. She would smile and say no, you’re going to be a pediatric therapist. I would quickly respond with “Nope, acute rehab”. I asked her why she felt I would become a pediatric therapist and she smiled at me and stated, “your face lights up differently when you enter the Children’s hospital, you’re going to be a pediatric therapist one day..and I want you to call me when you become one.”

On my second internship I was in a school-based setting and clinic based setting working with children with disabilities. I LOVED IT. Words couldn’t even describe what I was feeling at that moment in internship. I began purchasing therapy toys to work with my clients, and I couldn’t get enough of the help I was providing to the families I worked with. After internship I was offered a job working in pediatrics. I called my previous clinical instructor and told her the already anticipated news. I had become a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and knew it was the perfect fit for me. She laughed and said, “I knew you would become one, you had a special way with working with the children. I could always tell you loved it.”

Its been a little over 10 years now, and I continue to love what I do. I love being a pediatric occupational therapist. I love learning and growing so I can better serve my clients and their families. I guess the lesson I learned is to always follow your heart and dreams. It allows you to truly be fulfilled and when it doesn’t feel like work you naturally excel in it because others can see your passion.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Genna Espinoza and I was raised in Firebaugh, California. I spent my weekend working out at our family ranch and it instilled in me a strong work ethic. Coming from a family of educators, I always knew I wanted to go into a field to help others because it is what brought me the greatest joy. After graduating high school, I attend California state University of Fresno and graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation and later attending the University of St. Augustine of Health Sciences where I earned my Master of Occupational Therapy Degree in 2012.

Nearly 10 years later I began my journey as a small business owner of Heart of Occupation Pediatric Occupational Therapy, Inc. It was a lifelong goal of establishing an occupational therapy practice that provides comprehensive care to kids and their families. On July 18th (Dr. Anna Jean Ayres Birthday), I launched Heart of Occupation to offer kind, effective occupational therapy services. We provide evidence-based treatment, personalized to each child and their needs. I firmly believe in collaboration between children and caregivers, rooted in the occupational therapy methods of Dr. Anna Jean Ayres, helping families develop the best at-home accommodation for their children and their progress. With a specialization in helping kids on the Autism Spectrum and those with developmental delays and physical disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorders, Learning Disorders and Mental Health conditions, I am constantly researching and introducing new treatment options. We provide services that are client-centered and family-centered and address occupations that are purposeful and meaningful to the individual. Currently providing in-home/at site services as well as tele-health. Also, we provide services in the school-setting.

I am proud of taking the leap to follow my dreams and establish a business that dedicated to helping and supporting children in becoming confident learners as they develop necessary skills to live life to their fullest potential.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my audience on social media by just being me and having fun! I wanted to provide quality posts that educated others about occupational therapy and advocated for our profession in a non-traditional way. I also feel that communication is key to any good relationship so it was another way for my clients and their families to see the work that I did, learn about me and my values. I’ve met so many amazing people on social media and I continue to develop content that is for practitioners, parents, educators, actually everyone!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

When you’re managing a team of therapists, it’s important to be seen. It’s important to ensure that everyone on the team knows you’re there through everything. You have to be a present leader/mentor in order to build a trusting relationship. Learn about each member of the team. Learn about their learning styles, favorite interests, fears, areas they want to learn more about, etc. and provide support that is non-judmental and comes from a place of good intention. The team needs to feel heard and supported in order to maintain a high morale. You’re guiding everyone to work as a team and utilize everyones strengths to build the team up to support one another which also helps maintain the high morale.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heartofoccupation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/occupational_therapy_love/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartofoccupation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genna-espinoza-otd-otr-l-4bb64521b
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/HeartOccupation

Image Credits
onegoodshotphotography Angelia Jansen