We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Suma Metla. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Suma below.
Suma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
I established my business, Three Little Ducks, out of necessity for the ‘Oahu community. I realized that families did not have a place to seek out further information about baby development and there were very few options for children requiring pediatric physical therapy interventions.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Dr. Suma Metla, pediatric physical therapist. I come from a family of healthcare providers, and always knew that I wanted to follow that path so I could support a happier, healthier community.
I grew up volunteering with Special Olympics and as a dancer. In college, I continued to dance and was a part of a research program studying the impact of exercise on young adults with intellectual differences. My experiences with research and volunteerism deepened my interest in pediatric physical therapy. During my physical therapy program, I spent my final rotation at the nation’s largest NICU at a women’s and children’s hospital. I was recruited in 2017 to Maui, Hawaii to serve as a pediatric physical therapist for the community. In 2021, I moved to Oahu. Upon moving to Oahu, I was shocked and disappointed that there were very limited options for pediatric therapy services.
Oftentimes, when new parents find out about my job, they immediately would ask what they should do with their baby to support their development and what toys they should be buying . I established my business, Three Little Ducks, out of necessity for the ‘Oahu community. I realized that families did not have a place to seek out further information about baby development and there were very few options for children requiring pediatric physical therapy interventions.
Currently, Three Little Ducks provides pediatric physical therapy services, baby classes led by pediatric experts, baby masasge classes, and ‘ohana yoga classes.
Proudest moment: working with Hawai’i Pacific Health to bring ‘ohana yoga classes to all areas of Oahu. We are partnering with each other for all of 2023 to provide yoga classes to multiple areas of the island. The goal is to support families in finding ways to engage in movement, play, and mindfulness.
I’d love for people to know that Three Little Ducks aims to support families! We love families feeling empowered to support their child’s development through play.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
communication skills! Being able to relate to children, parents, administrators is criticial to success. Each type of person requires a different style of communication and it is important to be able to adjust accorrdingly.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Hawaii’s YWCA- taking part in their Patsy T Mink Business Center for Leadership and Enterprising Women of Color programs have been the most pivotal experience with building and developing my business. They have offered incredible programming that taught me so much about creating a business, building a website, creating marketing strategies, and developing smart business financial habits.
Contact Info:
- Website: threelittleduckshawaii.com
- Instagram: @threelittleduckshawaii
- Facebook: @threelittleduckshawaii
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/three-little-ducks-kailua?osq=baby+sleep+consultant