Private Practice Success Stories

Latest Episodes:

Travel SLP Adds Private Practice and Grows Her Income with Laura Shaw Jan 16, 2023

Show notes

For the 200th episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I am sharing a very special interview!

Laura Shaw started her private practice in one of the most innovative ways ever. She started while she was a travel SLP, which helped exponentially grow her income on the side while traveling for work.

Laura was a student of my Start Your Private Practice program and my Grow Your Private Practice program, and in this episode, she shares why she chose travel therapy, how she decided to get private clients on the side, how she started her blog, and how she’s grown her private practice.

If you've been thinking about adding private practice as a side hustle, either as a traveler or on the side of your regular job as a way to grow your income, this is a must-listen episode.

Laura is an SLP with a passion for all things speech pathology. Unable to pick just one setting to work in, Laura jumped into the world of travel therapy after her CF and experienced as much as she could—from inpatient and outpatient, to schools, SNFs, and early intervention.

After discovering that no one setting would ever give her the flexibility, freedom, and financial stability she wanted, she decided to dip her toes into the world of private practice. Laura built her practice as a side gig initially, but after turning a school-based travel position into a contracting job through her practice, she hasn’t looked back!

Additionally, Laura is the owner of The Travel SLP, a community focused on connecting and educating current, future, and former travel SLPs.

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

Travel therapy
Why Laura started seeing clients on the side
How she created multiple streams of income
The way that she created her dream private practice
School contracts
How the Grow program helped her level up
The unexpected way she gets referrals

Before I had Laura on one of the panels for the Start Your Private Practice program, I didn't realize that the job that she was seeing private clients on the side of was her traveling SLP job. This was basically the most creative way to date that I have ever heard of people exploding their income.

Laura is a kind person and an amazing clinician who found a super creative way to earn exponentially more than she would be able to in traditional settings. If you want to learn more from her, make sure to visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

To learn more about how we can help you start or grow your private practice (just like we helped Laura!) please visit www.IndependentClinician.com

Resources Mentioned:

Visit Laura’s website: https://www.balancedspeech.com/

Visit the Travel SLP website: https://www.thetravelslp.com/

Follow Laura on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.travelslp/

Follow Laura’s practice on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balanced.speechtherapy/

Join the Travel SLP Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetravelslp/

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

Plan to Start a Private Practice in 2023? Listen to This Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

Are you thinking about starting a private practice in 2023? If so, this episode is for you.

In this week’s episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I’m sharing why it’s so important to plan your private practice before you start, and I’m giving a special behind-the-scenes sneak peek into our beginner's bootcamp that’s coming up at the end of the month.

Most speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists are planners. Starting a private practice is a big deal. And my role at The Independent Clinician is to make it faster and easier for you, which starts with planning it all out.

There are so many ways to be in private practice. You can have a solo practice or have an entire team providing multidisciplinary services to your community. You can be a specialist or generalist. You can offer teletherapy or in-person services. The list goes on.

The point is that you get to choose! But in order to build the private practice of your dreams, you need to start with a plan.

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

The types of private practice you can have
Why planning is so important
Things you need to think of when planning
What to expect from the Plan Your Private Practice Bootcamp
The important “f-words” when starting a private practice

I believe that starting a private practice is the only way to take full control of your professional, personal, and financial life. So let’s do it! The Plan Your Private Practice Bootcamp is both fun and functional and we would love to see you there.

Join our Plan Your Private Practice Bootcamp event at www.PlanYourPrivatePractice.com.

Whether you want to start a private practice or grow your existing private practice, I can help you get the freedom, flexibility, fulfillment, and financial abundance that you deserve. Visit my website www.independentclinician.com to learn more.

Resources Mentioned:

Private Practice Bootcamp: www.PlanYourPrivatePractice.com

Plan Your Private Practice Bootcamp | Winter 2023 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3233791053539740

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

Private Practice Predictions for 2023 Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

Do you have any predictions for 2023? If you’re interested in hearing mine, listen to this episode closely.

In last week’s episode, we looked at our year in review to see how we supported private practitioners in 2022. If you didn’t catch that episode, you can go back and listen to it anytime!

In this episode, I’m sharing my plans and predictions for private practices in 2023.

Whether you already have a practice or you’re planning on starting one this year, you’re going to want to listen closely and maybe even take some notes!

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

What you can expect from the Independent Clinician in the new year
Future content that I have planned
When you can join the Start Your Private Practice program
Predictions to help you navigate the coming year
Why more people are shifting to private practice
How mindsets have changed since the pandemic
Why starting your private practice part-time can be limiting
Deciding how to position yourself
The popularity of school contracts
How to make hires in a difficult job market

I hope you’re as excited as I am about the possibilities for private practice. Whether you’re curious about private practice or you’re committed to starting or growing one, I hope you enjoy this episode. I’m wishing you all the best for the new year!

To learn more about how we can support you as you start and grow your private practice in 2023, please visit www.IndependentClinician.com.

Resources Mentioned:

The Independent Clinician: www.IndependentClinician.com

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

How We Helped Private Practitioners in 2022: A Year in Review Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

Do you like to take a look back at your accomplishments at the end of the year? I sure do, and I thought you might like to join me.

This is the first installment of a 2-part episode where I’m taking a look at our year in review and then looking forward to next year.

In this episode, I’m sharing who we helped this year and how we helped them, and in part 2, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what’s coming in 2023 and how we can support you in the coming year.

I’m also dropping some major hints about what's coming in 2023 so that you can get excited for the new year! (There’ll be more on this in the next episode.)

Join me to chat about how my business is growing, how things are changing in the private practice space, and what’s next for me and you.

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

Why so many SLPs are starting private practices
How we grew as a business in 2022
Starting 2023 off with a bang
What to do if you want to start a private practice
Some of our most popular podcast episodes so far
How to know if the Start Your Private Practice program is right for you
What to expect from me in the new year

Thank you so much for listening and being part of the private practice movement. I hope that you have an amazing New Year, and I’ll catch you in 2023.

To learn more about how we can help you start, grow and scale your private practice in the new year, visit www.IndependentClinician.com.

Resources Mentioned:

Learn More About The Independent Clinician: www.IndependentClinician.com

Get Help in the Growth Phase of Your Private Practice: www.growyourprivatepractice.com

Get the Clinic Forms: www.privatepracticeforms.com

Learn More About the Book: www.privatepracticebook.com

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

Navigating Private Practice Together with Mindy Hudon and Rachelle Mauer Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever thought about opening a private practice with a partner?

In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Mindy Hudon and Rachelle Mauer to talk about how they decided to start a private practice together. In addition to talking about their friendship and partnership, this episode also explores multiple streams of income and how they use it to increase their impact.

Mindy is a speech and language pathologist and the author of the graphic novel, “Kodi’s Adventures: How I Learned to Defeat the Time Snatcher,” ASHA Press (publishing date January 2023). She is the creator of Creative Child Magazine’s 2019 Educational Product of the Year, the Bee A Time Keeper® clock, a tool to help young children learn how to see and feel the passage of time. Mindy is the speech and language expert advisor for 30Seconds.com and has been published in newsstand magazines, and blogs.

Mindy is a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist and has spent the majority of her career working with children and adults in clinical facilities, public schools, and private practice. Mindy specializes in executive functioning, myofunctional disorders (OMD), dysphagia, feeding/swallowing, pragmatic language, and early literacy development. Mindy is an author-presenter to other professionals specifically in the area of executive functioning. In her spare time, Mindy is the President of Building Awareness Rocks, a non-profit corporation that is dedicated to improving the lives of children with exceptionalities.

Rachelle is a Speech and Language Pathologist who has practiced in a variety of clinical settings including: education, rehabilitation, and hospitals. Her interests include executive functions, literacy, AAC and stuttering. Rachelle specializes in person-centered focused intervention to support emergent language learners and their families. Rachelle is a national trainer and expert author-presenter focusing on stress and its impact on executive functions. In addition, Rachelle provides trainings to support educators within the public schools. Rachelle specializes in evidence-based practices with an executive-function treatment lens.

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

What it’s like creating workshops for other SLPs
When they knew it was time to go on their own
How private practice enables you to have a greater impact
The freedom they get from their private practice
How the partnership works for Mindy and Rachelle
How they handle referrals
The importance of an abundance mindset
How they created multiple streams of income
Their plans for adding to their team

I hope you enjoyed this episode with Mindy and Rachelle! I love that they've been wanting to do this for a while and they knew that there are children in their area who need what they have to offer. They also created multiple streams of income that allows them to have an even bigger impact on those around them.

In terms of starting your own private practice. Whether you want to do a slow rollout like Rachel or a fast rollout like Mindy, we can help. To learn more about how we help SLPs and OTs start, grow and scale private practices step-by-step, please visit: www.IndependentClinician.com.

Resources Mentioned:

Visit Mindy and Rachelle’s website: https://www.achievectslp.com/

Follow Achieve CT on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/achievect_slp/

Follow Mindy and Rachelle on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AchieveCTSLP

Follow Mindy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindyHudonAuthor/

Follow Mindy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindyhudonauthor/

Follow Bee A Time Keeper Clock on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beeatimekeeper/

Follow Mindy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mindyhudon

Visit Mindy’s 30 Seconds website: https://30seconds.com/mindy/

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

Building a Sellable Private Practice with Craig Goldslager Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

Did you know that private practices are sellable assets?

That means that when you’re ready, you don’t have to close your doors and give away everything you’ve worked for, you can sell your private practice and enjoy a payday!

In this episode, I’m introducing you to Craig Goldslager. Craig is a financial advisor and certified exit planner. He specializes in working with SLPs because he’s married to one, so he cares deeply about the profession and the people in it. Craig has been invited to speak at ASHA and other conferences, and he wants to make sure that SLPs get what they deserve and aren’t selling themselves short. He cares deeply about those of us in the SLP industry and wants nothing more than to see us thrive.

No matter where you are on your private practice journey right now, this is an important episode for you because one day that journey will come to an end, and selling your private practice could be a great way to go. Luckily for you, Craig is here to teach you all about it.

If you want to know how to make money from your business when the time comes to leave it, this is for you.

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

Thinking about your future as a speech-language pathologist
Reaching your financial goals
How to earn more money in less time
Why debt isn’t always bad
Resources available to build and grow your business
Changing how you think about investing in your business
Preparing to monetize and sell your business
How to build a sellable business
Relying on others who have gone through this process before you

One day, your business will be worth a lot of money. That might seem like a long way off right now, but the earlier you’re aware of it, the better you can set yourself up for success when the time comes. If you want to find out what it might look like to sell your private practice one day, Craig has got you covered in this episode.

Resources Mentioned:

Check out Craig’s website: https://utterlyfinancial.com/

Tune in to the SLP Money podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slp-money/id1500322616

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

Building a Practice With Time for Advocacy and Self-Care with Samantha Taylor Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

Are you ready to finally have more time for your family and for yourself?

In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Samantha Taylor to talk about how she started her private practice as a way to get more balance in her life to have more time to focus on her son and create advocacy for other children like him.

Samantha is the owner of Olive Speech Therapy located in Rochester, New York. She, along with her husband, have two incredible, creative, and fun-loving boys. Back in 2009, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with the dream of becoming a journalist. During that time, she welcomed her first son and his bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss. Needless to say, she had to quickly re-evaluate what she actually wanted to do with her life as both a mother of a Deaf child and as a professional.

It was through her son and his early journey that she learned about the amazing world of speech pathology and how remarkable it could be not only for the child but the family, as well. She wanted to offer that knowledge and guidance, as well as be a shoulder to cry on and be a person to celebrate the milestones and progress with. When her son was a year and a half old, she took what felt like a leap of faith, and applied for Ithaca College’s Speech-Language Pathology Master’s Program and was accepted. She has worked as a pediatric SLP in a variety of settings since May 2013. In 2021, she took a (second) leap of faith and stepped into what was once just a far-off dream by opening up her own private practice.

Through her experiences as not only a mother of a child who receives related services but also as a related service provider, she has learned so much about what it means to advocate for her own child and the children of others. She has learned the value of providing a safe space for people to express their fears, hopes, and dreams for their children without judgment. She has learned the importance of connecting with people not only as a professional but as a human being.

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

How Samantha got started with her private practice
How she built her first website
Why Samantha focuses on advocacy
A typical day as a private practitioner
The importance of being able to slow down
Why private practice can help prevent burnout
What’s next for Samantha’s private practice
When it’s time to make your first hire

I hope you loved this conversation with Samantha. I love how she created her private practice with balance in mind so that she has enough time for her family and herself too. SLPs and OTs are so giving. But when you give everything you have to others all the time, you burn out. Starting a private practice makes it easy for you add in time for the self-care that you need.

If you want to learn more from Samantha, make sure to visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

Do you want help to start a private practice so that you have more balance and time for family and self-care? We would love to help you - just like we helped Samantha.

To learn more, please visit: www.IndependentClinician.com

Resources Mentioned:

Check out Samantha’s website: https://www.olivespeechtherapy.org/

Follow Olive Speech Therapy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olivespeechtherapy

Follow Olive Speech Therapy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olive_speech_therapy/

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

From The Great Resignation to Grateful for Private Practice with Rachel Mangan [Start and Grow Your Private Practice Member] Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Are you ready to be a part of the Great Resignation?

In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Rachel Mangan, a Start Your Private Practice and Grow Your Private Practice student, to talk about how she took the leap during the Great Resignation. After her son’s cancer diagnosis, she realized that life is precious, and that if you have a dream, you should go for it.

In this episode, she shares how she transitioned from employee to private practice owner, her tips for marketing and systems, overcoming imposter syndrome, and so much more.

Rachel Mangan is the co-owner and CEO of Gabriel Therapy Group. An alumnus of the University of Central Florida, Rachel is nationally certified through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as a Speech Language Pathologist and is licensed in the state of Florida. She also holds her certification through the AG Bell Association for Listening and Spoken Language in Auditory Verbal Therapy.

Rachel loves partnering with families, whose children are Deaf or hard of hearing, to maximize the use of hearing technology for listening and speaking. Rachel’s passion for personal and professional growth encourages others to work hard and succeed. Her experience in executive leadership, grant writing and fundraising for non-profit organizations, and the use of coaching strategies help Rachel support the growth of her clients, families, staff, and business.

She enjoys speaking and providing educational in-services to professionals, pediatricians and schools to raise awareness and spread knowledge about hearing loss and language disorders in pediatric populations. Rachel is inspired daily by her supportive husband, Nick Mangan, children, Lantz (12) , Maddy (8), and Zoey (8).

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

How she got started with her private practice
Why parent coaching is a big part of her practice
The transition from employee to private practice owner
How she markets her practice
Imposter syndrome and the upper limit problem
The importance of systems
Her plans for her private practice going forward
Having a value-based business

I love how Rachel turned a very stressful situation into a new dream for herself, her family, and the clients that she’s serving. She stands strong in her values with her business and she is thriving because of it.

Rachel was part of our two programs. She started in the Start Your Private Practice Program and then transitioned into the Grow Your Private Practice Program. If you would like to know more about these programs and how we can support you on your private practice journey—just like we’ve supported Rachel and most of the people you’ve hard on the podcast—please visit www.IndependentClinician.com

Resources Mentioned:

Visit Rachel’s website: https://www.gabrieltherapygroup.com/

Check out our programs: https://www.independentclinician.com/

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

Cutting Out the Middle Man and Seeing Her Own Private Clients... From Argentina with Megan Ramirez [A Grow Your Private Practice Case Study] Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever fantasized about living internationally and seeing telepractice clients in the U.S.?

It’s totally possible! With teletherapy growing in popularity, you could easily see your clients online while living anywhere in the world and working on a schedule that works for you. When you have your own private practice, you have the freedom and flexibility to make those types of decisions.

In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Megan Ramirez, a student from my Grow Your Private Practice program, to talk about how she started off working at a telepractice company but ended up deciding to start her own teletherapy practice while living in Argentina. She shares marketing strategies, payer sources, the services she offers, and whether or not she’s a specialist or a generalist.

Megan is a bilingual (English-Spanish) speech therapist and works with children who are primarily between the ages of 2 and 10. Her private practice provides teletherapy services in NJ and NC. She is also licensed in WA and CA. She created her private practice as she currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and wanted more flexibility and a better work-life balance. She also loves being her own boss!

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

How Megan ended up in Argentina
Why she decided to start her own private practice
How she finds her clients
The payer sources she uses
The types of clients she sees
Where she’s licensed
The flexibility her private practice gave her
The benefits of growing slowly

If you can’t find a job that you want, create one that you love. Megan is the perfect example of someone who created a private practice based on her needs and now she gets to live wherever she wants while running a successful private practice.

Don't work for a telepractice agency! Cut out the MiddleMan and see telepractice clients through YOUR private practice. This is exactly what Megan shared that she's doing and it's something that you can do too.

To learn about how we can help you start or grow a telepractice-focused private practice, please visit: www.IndependentClinician.com

Resources Mentioned:

Check out Megan’s website: https://www.littlefishspeechtherapy.com/

Follow Megan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlefish_speechtherapy/

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/

Lessons Learned Growing From 1 to 460 Clients with Ebone Williams Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

Are you looking for some inspiration from someone who has started and grown a wildly successful private practice? You’re in the right place.

In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I am joined again by Ebone Williams (a returning guest from one of my most popular episodes of all time!). In that episode, she talked about how she grew her private practice using daycare screenings.

In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, Ebone is talking about getting started on a shoestring budget, investing in her business, how offering daycare screenings has been a big contributor to her growth, her thoughts and suggestions on hiring and retaining staff, and her recent 40 Under 40 Award.

Ebone is a speech-language pathologist in private practice based in North Carolina. She started her private practice with one client, as we all do, but now has grown her practice to serve 460 clients in just a few years.

In Today's Episode, We Discuss:

How teletherapy helped Ebone’s business grow
Why now is a great time to be in private practice
Ebone’s high retention rate among employees
Tips for becoming an insurance provider
How Ebone avoids burnout
Tips for overcoming imposter syndrome
Getting started on a shoestring budget
Tips for doing daycare screenings

There is no denying that Ebone’s story is incredibly inspiring. She is a savvy businesswoman whose private practice is thriving. She’s helping her clients, their families, and her staff thrive too.

If you want to grow a large private practice like Ebone’s or a small one, we can help you. Whether you want to start a private practice or grow your existing private practice, I can help you get the freedom, flexibility, fulfillment, and financial abundance that you deserve. Visit my website www.independentclinician.com to learn more.

Resources Mentioned:

Visit Ebone’s website: https://www.sapedstherapy.com/

Where We Can Connect:

Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199

Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentclinician/

Follow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jena.castrocasbon/