web analytics
Finding the Courage for a Career Change: Where to Begin {SLP Spotlight}
SLP Spotlight
SLP Spotlight
Finding the Courage for a Career Change: Where to Begin {SLP Spotlight}
/

Download the shownotes or full transcript of the conversation.

Meet Sara Schmuckler, a speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice and recently made the jump from a full-time clinical position to starting her own private practice. In this episode of The Missing Link for SLPs, Sara reveals what her journey has been like so far and delves into how she made the brave decision to change her career path. 

Discussion & Reflection Questions

  1. Tell us who you are and what you do now. Why are you a speech pathologist? What’s your speech pathology story?
  2. After you graduated, where did you go and what did you do? Tell us about your early experience as an SLP.
  3. Tell us about your journey from the time your clinical fellowship ended to what you’re doing now. 
  4. What is it like now that you have your own private practice? What were some of the biggest challenges you had while starting?
  5. What are some of your favorite voice resources?
  6. What are some words of advice that you would give the speech pathologist who wants to break off into private practice or become a voice specialist like you?
  7. What is one client or patient that you will never forget?
  8. How did you make the brave decision to change your career path?
  9. If you could sum up what being an SLP means to you in one word, what word would that be?

Quote of the Conversation

“We have the ability, under one title, to reinvent ourselves as clinicians. I mean, and also from a treatment standpoint, when something doesn’t work, what do we do? You know, we have all of this experience, so we adapt and we reinvent our approach until we find something that works. And that can be just within one session. We’re constantly reinventing ourselves as clinicians. As human beings. As people who want to help other people.”

-Sara Schmuckler, M.S. CCC-SLP

Sara Schmuckler, M.S. CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist, Founder/Owner of On Your Voice

Sarah Schmuckler

Sara Schmuckler is a speech-language pathologist and founder/owner of On Your Voice LLC, a private teletherapy practice currently serving Pennsylvania that specializes in voice disorders as well as speech, language and communication deficits for pediatrics and adults. Sara received her Bachelor’s in Theater from Temple University, pre-graduate certificate in Communication Disorders from West Chester University and Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University. Sara is certified in LSVT LOUD and LSVT eLOUD and is a Certified Lingraphica Technology Specialist. Sara recently made the leap into private practice to have more control and flexibility in her schedule and allow her to specialize in the therapeutic areas that she is passionate about.

Sara is grateful to be working from home now and able to spend more time with her husband, Seth, their almost 2 year old daughter, Talula and Labrador, Rosie.

Keep the Conversation Going

Sara Schmuckler, M.S., CCC-SLP, On Your Voice LLC – Founder/Owner/SLP

  • sara@onyourvoice.com
  • www.onyourvoice.com
  • p: 267.999.9698 (9OYV)
  • f: 866.926.0960 
  • IG: onyourvoicellc
  • FB: On Your Voice, LLC


Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links to help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.

Follow me on Instagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebook or learn more at FreshSLP.com.  Let’s make those connections. You got this!

 Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? 
Interested in sharing your experience as an SLP with our audience?
Send a message to Mattie@FreshSLP.com! 

Not a substitute for a formal SLP education or medical advice for patients/caregivers.

Share this podcast:   

Hosted by Mattie Murrey

April 6, 2021

Call Link for Dear Mattie

You May Also Like…

The Missing Link for SLPs Episode: 122 A Day in the Life of a School-Based SLP Series #14: Working across age ranges in a small bilingual school with Breeah Carey #9

The Missing Link for SLPs Episode: 122 A Day in the Life of a School-Based SLP Series #14: Working across age ranges in a small bilingual school with Breeah Carey #9

In this episode, we talk with Breeah Carey, an SLP truly loving her work as a contract school based therapist in a small bilingual school of 200 students. She talks about how she works with students from pre-K right through to eighth grade, their parents, and their teachers.
Big on relationship building, Breeah speaks about, especially after post-pandemic isolation, the importance of helping her little ones build relationships and communication skills with others to help improve overall quality of life. She also talks about how she had to learn additional skills to also work in private practice, and the benefits of social media for SLPS.

The Missing Link for SLPs Episode: 121 A Day in the Life of a School-Based SLP Series #14: Learnings and Insight from Transitioned School Based SLP with Renee Brown, The Busy Speech Mom #8

The Missing Link for SLPs Episode: 121 A Day in the Life of a School-Based SLP Series #14: Learnings and Insight from Transitioned School Based SLP with Renee Brown, The Busy Speech Mom #8

In this episode, you’ll hear Renee Brown talking with Katie Widestrom-Landgraf about how she took up an opportunity to switch from being a medical SLP to being school based. Renee talks about aspects of being a school based SLP that she needed to relearn and update to meet current practice. She also talks about what’s worked for her to work collaboratively with teachers, and other duties SLPs may find themselves tasked with in the school setting. A therapist who takes a holistic child led approach, Renee talks about the importance of advocacy not just for students, but also yourself, and the SLP profession.

The Missing Link for SLPs Episode: 120 A Day in the Life of a School-Based SLP Series #14: Being a School and Private Practice SLP #7

The Missing Link for SLPs Episode: 120 A Day in the Life of a School-Based SLP Series #14: Being a School and Private Practice SLP #7

Our guest for this episode, Noelle Scolieri, works in both private practice and schools. Noelle talks about how she learned to adapt to the expectations of being an SLP as a grad student versus the reality in the job, and working long days. Hear how being a graduate student at the start of the pandemic and being unable to go to planned placements ultimately has led her to finding a niche in teletherapy. Noelle also shares some great tips on how to manage challenges such as attendance and no-show issues, leading an IEP meeting, and working effectively with other school-based professions.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Our Community Newsletter

In our Newsletter you will get updates, helpful hints and tidbits on how you can further your career as a fresh SLP.

Free Resources

We are dedicated to improving the Speech Language Pathology profession by building innovative and effective support materials aimed at better outcomes for SLPs and their patients.

Premium Courses

Here you’ll find video lessons, strategy guides and quizzes from Mattie on a range of topics that you likely didn’t learn about in grad school,