Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hilary Burton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hilary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

At the time of starting my practice, I had been a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for about 8 years. Working at an outpatient therapy clinic, I continued to see the same patients for the same things for years. Parents were concerned about handwriting and shoetying- understandably so, as these are important skills. However, their children would make minimal progress over many sessions, so I began to assess other issues. I soon realized that many of my clients were struggling with the same underlying challenges, which were affecting their function in daily life. Most of these skills revolved around strength, stability, and the mind/body connection. So many of our kiddos were spending time on tablets and computers, rather than naturally playing, and in turn were delayed in physical development. Yes, these kiddos were able to sit upright at a table or chair, but they did not yet have the core strength to stabilize themselves while holding a utensil or writing. Also, many of our clients were disconnected with their body, and awareness of their bodies in different environments. Gathering all of this information, I knew there was a strong correlation between strength, movement, and the mind/body connection, With my personal background in fitness and personal training, I knew bringing my knowledge of strengthening and building would help our kiddos with many of their struggles! This is how Fun & Fit Functional Fitness began. Helping kiddos of all abilities to participate in movement, and strengthen their bodies to better participate in their daily lives.

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

I have been a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for over 10 years. I have owned my private practice for about four years now, since 2020. My specialty is Fitness based Occupational Therapy. Combining fitness into therapy sessions to help clients connect with their bodies, develop body awareness, and improve overall health. My typical clients are children from the ages of 3-23, of all abilities. I have clients with moderate developmental delays, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism, and typically developing children as well. Typically developing children see me for weight loss and overall health and wellness.

In my journey as an OT, I help individuals to live their fullest life possible. Since I primarily work with children, this involves helping them to feel safe, confident, and capable in their daily lives. Building on their current skills, my goal is to improve each child’s physical, mental, and emotional health. We incorporate various modalities, especially for sensory input. Our population on the Autism Spectrum greatly benefit from sensory input incorporated into movement, to help regulate their nervous system. We work through all physical, mental, and emotional skills throughout sessions, helping our clients to improve in all areas. (While they think they are just coming to the gym to play!) Something very unique about our model is that we incorporate mindset into our sessions. Guiding kiddos through their positive/negative thoughts, encouraging out of the box thinking, and praising perseverance.

I am most proud of designing this combination of fitness and therapy, and the improvements my clients have seen. So many of our kiddos are afraid, embarrassed, or uncomfortable participating in sports or exercise. Most sports, classes, and teams are geared towards typically developing kids, and can be quite overwhelming for many of our clients. Our purpose is to help children see the benefit of movement (comfortable in their body, enjoying physical activity, having a sensory outlet). We believe in providing the Just Right Challenge- encouraging clients to complete challenging tasks, with the ability to be successful. Another big benefit to this therapy model is that services are provided in a gym setting, Clients love coming into the gym, rather than a medical office. Knowing they have the space and freedom to play, and are also building critical strength and skills is so important.

We want to help as many children to live happy and healthy lives as possible.

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

Life takes many turns, but that’s where it gets exciting! Taking the leap and leaving my clinic job was terrifying. As any professional would do, I started searching for spaces to practice. Mostly gyms that had a separate space I could rent out to treat clients. The perfect opportunity came up, and a friend of mine had a large gym with a separate area I could rent. Immediately I signed on to rent the space (even though it was on the other side of town), with visions of building my practice in this gym. At the same time, I was also treating clients out of a separate gym on my property. But starting out as an entrepreneur, we all have to have our ducks in a row. It didn’t even occur to me that I could use my current space. Also, I was struggling with quite a bit of imposter syndrome, just out here starting my own business. So it bolstered my confidence and security in knowing I had a “real” space for my practice. One year later, the business out of my home gym had grown, and I barely had enough clients to cover my rent at the gym. Lightbulb moment- why am I paying to rent a space, when I already have one (and it’s been working perfectly)? Sometimes we just put our visions in a box and have difficulty seeing another path. So a couple weeks later, I moved my clients to my home gym, and stopped renting a space that was no longer serving me or my business. The biggest lesson I learned from this, is when something doesn’t align with your vision or your beliefs, change it right away. Everything else will fall into place with some trust and hard work.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would most definitely choose this profession! As an Occupational Therapist, there are so many options. Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Hand therapists, upper extremity specialists, etc. We truly can adapt to most environments and situations. Working with children with disabilities has not only been an incredible gift, but it has taught me to see the world through the eyes of a child. It is incredible to see how difficult we make our daily lives, and how simple they can truly be. We think thousands of thoughts a day on other people and the world around us. Many of us could benefit from looking at the world with the hopefulness and positive beliefs our kiddos have. Especially now, with my own practice, I would definitely choose OT. There are so many modalities that tie into OT, creating endless options to treat our patients. I truly love the flexibility and independence of the field. Combining OT and Personal Training was another great decision- creating a niche therapy that is so needed. I hope everyone is inspired to go achieve their dreams, whatever they may be (it’s never too late)!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.funfitot.com
• Instagram: funfitot
• Linkedin: funfitot