We recently connected with Megan Jewell and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I think our society needs to re-shift their focus away from academic and athletic successes within our educational system, and start to prioritize life-skills readiness and social-emotional wellness. Modern day families are over-scheduled and overstressed, leading to burn-out and often, an inability to find comfort in downtime and restorative rest; which can interfere with a child’s imagination, creativity, and self-determination.

As these young children progress through the years into high school, I believe that society is instilling a false sense of perfectionism to these students, and dismissing the idea that they can have a joyful and fulfilling life even if they aren’t accepted into all the top colleges or aren’t selected on the starting lineup of a sports team.

We need to root for our youth, and begin to re-shift how we prioritize the values we are instilling in the future generations. We need to guide them through example, and encourage them to follow their dreams. We need to focus on preparing them for LIFE- cooking, managing bills, driving, interviewing, dating, household management, etc. We need to invest in the importance of prioritizing relationships and connection over successes. When children are safe, well-adjusted, resilient, and in connection with others, it allows them to mentally and emotionally have the energy to follow their dreams and do great things!

Megan, 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?

My name is Megan Jewell, and I was born and raised here in Point Loma. Throughout my high school years, I spent my spring breaks volunteering at an orphanage in Mexico with my youth group, and spent many weekends babysitting, and continued to do so through college. These opportunities instilled in me not only my love for children, but it also sparked my desire to do something with my life where I felt like I was leaving it a better place by serving others.

While on the nursing track in college, I had a change of heart, and dedicated my efforts towards pursuing a career in pediatric occupational therapy….just like my mom (who said “I could have told you so, but you would have never listened to it coming from me!”) Fast forward 10 plus years later, and we are now business partners of Kids on the POINT OT.

We have a staff of 5 therapists, in which we provide occupational therapy services to children at our sensory integration studio in Point Loma. Occupations are what people engage in daily to “occupy” their time; for kids, this can range from learning to tie their shoes or ride a bike, developing the strength and coordination to go from crawling to walking, learning how to break down the hidden social rules with friends, organizing their backpack and assignments, fine tuning their timing and accuracy to participate in sports, engaging in cooking tasks, learning to navigate the neighborhood safely, and SO much more!

Kids on the POINT OT has always prioritized meeting families at the heart of where they need support. We offer individualized therapy, as well as parent coaching models to help troubleshoot daily dilemmas. We also work with children in the context in which they need support; whether its in their home, their preschool class, at a park, or in the community. Our expertise and advanced trainings in child development position us to give expert advice; we like to think of ourselves as master problem solvers! Many of our clients cycle in and out of our lives, and it’s our greatest privilege to be a family’s “go-to” person who they trust and rely on to help their child or young adult navigate the many stages of life.

Kids on the POINT OT- Mastering Life’s Skills

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

Although I am a business owner, I always think of myself as a therapist first. Our business has grown into what it is today largely in part because we felt there weren’t enough options that already existed in which high value was placed on employees (and clients). In our industry, most clinics are insurance-driven, which can limit the type and quantity of therapy we often feel a client would benefit from. Kids on the POINT OT is primarily fee-for-service, meaning it gives us the ability to meet those needs in fun and interesting ways. This also allows therapists to tap into their creative sides; which is often one of the driving factors for individuals putting forth the effort to earn a degree in occupational therapy.

We have learned that it takes time to build a team that you feel really confident with when you work so hard to create not only a business, but a “style” to running that business. I think our greatest success in keeping quality staff is by individualizing how we treat them. Everyone is in different phases and stages of their professional and personal development; we do our best to foster growth that is in line with each employee’s goals and strengths. We are also present down at our studio, and make ourselves available to our employees to ensure they feel supported, heard, and recognized.

It takes a lot of practice “letting go” and putting your trust in others to help carry out your mission; but when you find that sweet spot, the benefits for the business and community at large can be felt!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I feel like the reputation within our market is largely in part due to the community in which we live and work. It takes time to foster connections, and it’s always been a belief of ours that “if you build it and believe in it, they will come.” After moving the studio from a bedroom in a house to our commercial space (with a big jump in expenses to run the business), we realized the niche we provide is filling a need far greater than we could have supported had we kept it much smaller.

The families we work with are very invested in the development, success, and well-being of their children. Therefore, to have a therapy business that relies primarily on parents paying us directly for services versus going through insurance, means there is enough value being placed on the type of service we provide. Our goal is to positively impact a child’s nervous system through play based therapeutic approaches leading to more resiliency, flexibility, connection, confidence, and independence!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kidsonthepointot.com
• Instagram: kidsonthepointot
• Facebook: Kids on the POINT Occupational Therapy