We were lucky to catch up with Luz Gaona recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Luz thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I am my happiest as a business owner of a pediatric outpatient clinic providing exceptional therapeutic services to the diverse population in our community. I spent the first twelve years of my career working in the public school system, home health therapy in the community, a hospital-based outpatient clinic, and as a state-based clinician. While I credit the different work settings and experiences facilitating me in becoming a well-versed therapist, I will not sugarcoat the systemic racism, classism, and other biases that exist. During my graduate years and the first years of my career, I was unable to find role models who looked like me within the field. I cannot speak enough on the importance of representation from mentors for new clinicians. As a new clinician from a marginalized background trying to hold my own combined with the pressure to excel in a workspace that lacked support exacerbated self-doubt and a sense of not belonging.

The field of speech-language pathology is a highly competitive field, it is not uncommon for the cutthroat competitiveness and toxic mindset to invade the workplace. Women of color make up approximately 8% of professionals in my field. This is alarming when children of color from low socioeconomic backgrounds are the highest population identified as having a communication disorder. My expertise as a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) helps reduce the misdiagnosing of marginalized populations by distinguishing between cultural and linguistic differences and true communication disorders. I am also able to provide mentorship to the next generation of therapists and an advocate for diversity within the field. In my most challenging days as a business owner, I would not ever consider returning to the corporate world. I have found my place of belonging in this field.

Luz, 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 did not grow up dreaming of becoming a SLP. To be honest, I did not even know the field existed until I had to research and commit to a college major. Even after selecting my major, I had to figure out who and what I was supposed to do with my life as a bewildered and many times out-of-place first-generation college student. My academic path had many hiccups and frustrating delays. As the only Mexican American in both my undergraduate and graduate school cohorts, I did not look like anyone else. The professors and mentors resembled the +90% student body. I struggled to find people who I could identify with and build connections. My financial responsibilities as the head of the household did not always allow me the flexibility to be available for study groups with peers. My lack of ‘flexibility’ was assumed to be a lack of commitment and only alienated me even more from fellow graduate students. A cloud of not belonging constantly loomed over me. Despite the challenges, I was determined to pursue a career as an SLP. Years later these same challenges would facilitate my decision to reanalyze my career path and make significant changes to allow me to serve with purpose.

Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc. primarily provides both comprehensive pediatric speech-language therapy and occupational therapy in English and/or Spanish to children from birth to 21. A typical morning at our clinic includes the initial speech-language or occupational therapy evaluation of new clients, while other therapists are working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who may present with developmental delays, speech-language delays, prelinguistic interactions delays, delays in social play, oral motor deficits/feeding delays, sensory processing deficits, and/or emotional regulating deficits. After lunch, our clinic is a very busy, loud, and energetic place filled with school-aged children eager to get in and spend some quality one-on-one time with their favorite therapist(s) to work and play. We work with children experiencing challenges related to the following: articulation disorders, receptive language disorders, expressive language disorders, reading comprehension disorders, deficits in writing skills, social skills deficits, pragmatic language deficits, fluency (stuttering), feeding disorders (oral motor and sensory), fine motor and visual motor skills deficits, motor planning, and postural control deficits, limited self-care skills, limited safety awareness, developmental delays and deficits associated with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and self-advocacy. In addition to providing direct speech-language therapy and occupational therapy, we offer boutique-style services that include parent coaching, individualized educational plan (IEP) support and advocacy, parent workshops, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) trials and assessments, and durable medical equipment (DME) advocacy and evaluations.

Several factors set Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc. apart from other pediatric therapy clinics in the area. First and foremost, our therapists are bilingual in Spanish and English. Our therapy team is made up of individuals who are culturally and linguistically competent and incorporate this into their approach during their therapy sessions. This is a unique niche because it has proven to improve the quality of therapeutic care provided to families from diverse backgrounds. The second factor is our clinic is in the community I grew up in, established my roots in, and returned to with a strong sense of responsibility to create a space I and countless others needed growing up. The third and just as important factor that sets our practice apart is the sense of community. I have worked diligently to create a workspace that is supportive of the therapists, office staff, and students by leading with respect, fostering growth in their skills, and celebrating individuality. Cultivating this type of environment in turn has fostered belongingness and encouragement to grow and take up space.

What I want potential clients to know about me is that I am a highly skilled SLP passionate about my work. I have been working in this field for 16 years now and have worked with hundreds of families; nonetheless, I have not lost perspective. I am present and take my time with each family considering this is their first evaluation, first diagnosis, and first-time needing therapy for their child. I do not take for granted the privilege and opportunity to be the voice of encouragement and help parents, caregivers, and families when they are going through a vulnerable and difficult time. Being able to share my expertise in a native language with the constant consideration of cultural beliefs and values allows me the unique opportunity to connect and build trusting relationships. When a family comes to Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc, they should expect to be seen, heard, and respected. The children we work with are in the best therapeutic hands, our therapists give their all to promote independence. Parents and caregivers are treated as critical team members. Our therapists do a phenomenal job of educating and supporting families in each session. Parents and caregivers have a clear understanding of the importance and expectation of partnership to best support their children.

Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc. has been a far-fetched dream become a reality for me. It was the answer to my calling to serve my community with the clinical skills I learned during my first twelve years as an SLP in various settings. Opening a pediatric therapy clinic with no business background to provide services to children with diverse backgrounds has been one of my hardest-earned achievements. The first two years were a blur of uncertainty and diligence to remain focused amid the global pandemic. What I have received in return, has been nothing short of life-changing. This successful endeavor has allowed me to take up space in rooms I never imagined I needed to be in to speak on behalf of the children I serve, the lack of representation of brown Latinas in my profession, and the importance of giving back to the community.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As a first-time entrepreneur, I have had my own share of lessons to unlearn and relearn. The one lesson that stands out above all others would have to be learning to add a reasonable monetary value to the services I provide. I benefited from hiring an advisor to research similar providers in our industry and determine our rates. I was initially torn between the conviction of making pediatric therapy services accessible to families from diverse backgrounds and the guilt associated with a fair fee to create a successful business. It took a significant amount of self-reflection when I was working as the sole therapist to appreciate the extensive formal education, years of experience, and dedication I brought into each evaluation and therapy session. By the time I had a powerhouse team of therapists, I had no doubt the quality of services we provide is worth the investment parents make in their children.

What I am about share makes me cringe [now], but this is my truth. Like many women of color, being the first [insert generational breakthrough], I felt like an outsider. Growing up in a first-generation Mexican American migrant home, scarcity and survival were normal. My parents were hardworking individuals who did their best to provide for us. As kids, my brothers and I knew we did without materialistic things, but because other families around us were in worse conditions, we thought we were middle-class poor. We were content with what we had and made the best of our circumstances. Along the way, we also subconsciously adopted the idea that money was evil and greed was at the root of the desire to have money. My formal education taught me how to be a SLP. My desire to excel as a clinician was my advantage when learning to adapt to the variety of settings I worked in. However, graduate school did not prepare me for how to address the generational guilt that came with financial security and opportunity. It took me years of work in my own therapy sessions with trained counselors to heal from my childhood experiences and self-reflection to acknowledge these ideas were born from the lack of financial stability at an impressionable age. I had to learn how to see and treat myself with the same abundance of kindness and worthiness I gracefully give to others.

Nowadays, my healthy relationship with wealth goes beyond materialistic possessions. I stand firmly behind the value of the professional services Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc. provides. As an entrepreneur, I believe in sharing the success of the clinic with our employees by offering competitive rates to our clinicians to compensate them for their diligent work. I am a proponent of investing back into the clinic in all its forms. My intentions also expand beyond the clinic. I founded Inspira Tampa Bay, Inc., a 501 c3 not-for-profit organization, as the giving arm of Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc. This organization is dedicated to encouraging participation in volunteerism in community-based activities geared to improve access to therapy, providing reduced-cost professional therapeutic services to uninsured families, promoting inclusion in the community, and providing educational services to community members.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I attribute the success and significant growth of Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc. to three things. The first would be my resilient work ethic and values. I was determined to put in the work to create something that was not available in the community. I had no plan B when I opened my private practice. The second factor would be the professional relationships we have fostered with the pediatricians in the community. Our therapists maintain strong channels of communication with the referring providers and apply their best clinical judgment when making recommendations for therapy services and/or other discipline services. I would also have to add our follow-through when making recommendations is impressive. The third and most influential attributing factor to our distinguished reputation within our industry has been word-of-mouth recommendations from past and current families who receive services at Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc. Parents and caregivers seek out our therapeutic services during a vulnerable time needing direction and support. Many times, it is their first experience with the world of therapy. We do our best to ease the burden and build trusting relationships. Knowing how many times families have highly recommended our services to their own families, friends, colleagues, and strangers; it is the biggest compliment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.southshorebilingualtherapy.com
• Instagram: southshorebilingualtherapy
• Facebook: Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc.
• Linkedin: Southshore Bilingual Therapy, Inc.
• Other: TikTok: @lasabelotodoslp