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

Laine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

As a professional communication coach, I specialize in supporting clients with speaking anxiety. This fear typically stems from a lack of confidence and often holds professionals back from being engaged, active participants in their lives and careers. My goal is for each client to be the central protagonist in their own story by becoming a more empowered, confident, joyful version of themselves.

I had a mid-level manager approach me with the desire to become a successful public speaker. Her siblings were accomplished presenters, but she struggled with the day-to-day speaking demands in her career, and she was starting to dread the workweek. Her primary goal was to stop fearing the Monday morning agenda meetings that she was required to lead. She could barely sleep on Sunday evenings, anticipating the shaking voice, sweaty palms, and rapid heart rate that would inevitably accompany her meeting.

After just a few months of a holistic coaching program, this client became not only less fearful of these meetings–she actually looked forward to the ability to share her insights and knowledge to inspire her team. She no longer felt that she had to stick to the agenda script, as she was able to speak freely and confidently after finding her authentic professional voice.

After achieving this goal, she had an additional objective to achieve: landing her next dream job. We pivoted to address interview preparation skills, and I received the following email from her a few months after she completed her coaching plan with me:

“Dear Laine,
I have been reflecting on what an amazing experience I had working with you and I wanted to let you know that since our final meeting:

-I applied to about ten companies and heard back (almost immediately!) from several of them.
-I got very far in the interview process with these companies and whittled it down to two I really liked.
-I accepted a perfect role for me; a promotion from my previous role and at a major Fortune 500 company.
-I negotiated to bring up the initial salary offer by over 40%!

I truly owe so much of this success to you. My visual resume was a game changer, setting me apart in all of my interviews. In addition, my elevator pitch and enthusiastic and deliberate interview answers accelerated me through the process. Most importantly, I gained the confidence to advocate for myself and hold my own in all of my interviews, with recruiters to startup CEOs.

I just wanted to reach out to update you on the good news. THANK YOU!”

This client is now a Fortune 500 company leader who embraces new opportunities with confidence and resilience. This potential was always inside her; it’s amazing what someone can accomplish when they discover their own voice.

Laine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been a practicing speech-language pathologist since 2014, and prior to this, I worked in the adult education field. Over the past decade, I’ve supported a wide variety of populations, ranging from toddlers to mid-career professionals to senior citizens. As a clinical speech pathologist, I’ve worked in home health, outpatient, skilled nursing, and telehealth settings to treat conditions including speech-sound disorders, stuttering, aphasia due to stroke/brain injury, language impairments, social skills concerns, and executive dysfunction.

After transitioning to teletherapy as my primary service-delivery model, I had the opportunity to begin utilizing my background as a speech pathologist to support adult clients with non-clinical communication concerns. Many of these clients were seeking support for speaking anxiety, dialectical modification, or overall clarity of speech to advance in their careers. This quickly became a passion area of mine, and I’ve worked with hundreds of professionals in developing communication skills that will set them apart in their careers.

As I advanced within my own career, I pursued a management track that provided me with invaluable leadership skills regarding guiding teams, establishing an effective, supportive work culture, and running a business. In early 2024, I decided to build my own values-based, mission-driven company to support both pediatric and adult clients in achieving their communication goals.

Our mission at Carefree Speech is to empower clients of all ages to develop effective communication skills for full, meaningful participation in their lives. We embrace each client’s unique strengths to help them discover what truly makes them shine. Through our convenient telehealth model, we improve access to high-quality speech therapy and communication coaching services for adult and pediatric clients across the United States. We offer clinical speech therapy services in multiple states, as well as executive function and communication coaching to clients across the country.

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

In March of 2020, I was working as a PRN medical speech pathologist in skilled nursing, which meant that I often traveled between buildings to see multiple clients in different cities. The COVID pandemic brought this to a screeching halt, as many buildings were not allowing therapists to enter if they were treating clients in other facilities. Out of the blue, I had an opportunity to transition to a short-term pediatric job serving children over Zoom, which was relatively novel at the time. On my first day, I had fifteen children to see back-to-back (after four years only working with adults in a medical setting), over the computer. This was truly a sink-or-swim experience for me.

However, I discovered an intense love for the telehealth model. I was a guest in my clients’ homes, with the ability to include the parents, caregivers, and even the family pet in therapy to better engage the child. I saw meaningful, rapid progress in a way I’d never experienced with in-person pediatric therapy and learned how to incorporate green screen technology to allow for unique, creative therapeutic experiences. I was hooked and haven’t looked back!

Telehealth is now my primary service delivery model, which is ultra convenient for families and adult clients with busy schedules. It also allows clients in any area of the country to find the best clinicians for their specific needs, without the need to drive several hours away. It has been a game changer!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My husband had always encouraged me to start my own private practice, but there was a chronic, nagging voice in my head telling me I didn’t have the business acumen to be successful as an entrepreneur. I think most people can relate to that kind of imposter syndrome, and it wasn’t until I landed my first leadership role that my mindset started to shift. I’ve had several role models of highly successful business owners who were just like me–speech-language pathologists without formal business training. These women were mission-driven, ambitious, tireless leaders who knew there had to be a better way to serve clients without long waitlists.

In early 2024, I had a choice: to continue climbing the corporate ladder or take a risk on myself. I always envisioned entrepreneurs as having MBAs or other specialized business training, but the reality is that anyone can become a business owner with a strong work ethic, willingness to learn, and dedication to the clients we serve. I decided to take the leap, and the business has grown so much more quickly than anticipated! There is a definite need for both clinical and coaching services throughout the country, and I’m grateful I didn’t let imposter syndrome hold me back from pursuing this dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carefreespeech.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carefree.speech/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amacslp/

Image Credits

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