We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Glenna Nave a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Glenna, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I originally started my Instagram account, OT_theTNway, as a way to keep up with activities, themes, and materials I had bought or created. At the time, I was working solely as a school based occupational therapist, and I loved planning themed weeks to give variety and something for my students to look forward to. The problem was each year I would have a hard time remembering what materials, games, and ideas I had used with each theme in years prior.

What I didn’t expect after starting this account was to find the support I found within the therapy community on Instagram and among users interested in my content. It changed my mission and and refocused the purpose of my page to educating others, sharing ideas, and advocating for the scope and benefits of occupational therapy.

Glenna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Glenna Nave, an occupational therapist with Sidekick Therapy Partners. I’ve been working as an OT for over 5 years. I’ve worked in schools, outpatient pediatric clinics, and outpatient rehab settings over the years, but my passion is working with kids. I’ve been with Sidekick for 2 years now, working in the school system and in our Johnson City outpatient clinic, and was recently named the OT liaison for the company. I also assist our social media team, write blog posts, and conduct presentations within the community.

In my spare time I run an Instagram account, OT_theTNway, where I share ideas, products, and intervention activities as well as a Teachers Pay Teachers store where I sale printable activities for therapists to use. I started my OT Instagram account in March 2020, with the intention of using it to document and save my activity ideas from year to year. Little did we all know, life was soon about to change drastically. I went from working 5 days a week in the school system, to being laid off from my job and being home around the clock, which wasn’t something I was accustomed to. I’m a busy body and a people person, so being home, alone a great deal of the time (because my husband still had his job and works night shift) didn’t suit me well. To pass the time and satisfy my need for interaction and a creative outlet, I began treating my OT account like a job, posting on it daily. I looked forward to not only creating my content and getting it posted, but also to seeing all of the likes and comments roll in. Along the way, I got intertwined with a group of other therapists and creatives who shared the mission of educating others on therapy and parenting topics and we all began supporting each other’s pages, and still do.

It’s fun to look back at how the account and my postings have changed over the years. I started off with a single picture a day, of the craft or activity I was showcasing. When an idea would strike I would either set up the activity or make the craft then take a picture of the finished product. Then as I started learning more about Instagram algorithms and how to best navigate growing my page, I moved into creating little videos using TikTok, then Reels when Instagram added that feature, to show step. by step. I even did a few showing me completing the activities. I was never, and still am not, a super tech savvy person, but I did enjoy learning from others, and of course from Google searches, how to help grow my page.

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

During the Covid closures is when I really started dedicating my time and energy to my page and the content I was sharing. This is when I really noticed that my page started growing. Posting consistently, using the right hash tags, sharing videos instead of pictures, using the Instagram features that show you what time of the day you’re getting the most interactions, and linking up with other accounts who were also focused on pediatric therapy services and education were the main ways I grew up account.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When Covid hit, our method of delivering therapy services took a big pivot. We went from providing services in person to working remotely and providing teletherapy services. Teletherapy wasn’t something we had covered in OT school or that I had any prior experience in, but our clients needed their therapy and teletherapy was the safest option. Sidekick’s web development team created an efficient teletherapy platform so we jumped right into learning and educating ourselves on how best to deliver occupational therapy services remotely and using the many features that were embedded in our platform to make it more engaging and fun for our clients such as use of games, white board drawing, reactions, timers, and backgrounds.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Otthetnway
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OT_thetnway/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OTtheTNway/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenna-nave-5760b91b3/