Why Now?

Why now? I believe strongly in self-reflection as a powerful tool for growth. So I have spent many days asking myself this question. I work full-time plus most weeks. I work Mon-Thur in an Early Intervention Birth-3 program which is home-based (well normally-Covid has changed the location to zoom☹️) intervention as a speech-language pathologist and feeding specialists and every Friday I run an outpatient feeding clinic for children typically over 3. I also began my clinical doctorate program at my beloved alma mater in the fall of 2019, University of Kansas Medical Center. And now we have all been navigating a global pandemic since March of this year. So why not start my own company? I provide telehealth coaching for parents with feeding concerns for their babies and also professional development for other providers seeking high-level training in pediatric feeding and dysphagia. There are so many families and babies that I have been honored to coach and guide along their challenging journey to happy healthy eating. Reflux is a great example of how powerful it can be to walk a family through how to help their baby with evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence! I have helped so many babies with early signs of severe reflux or intolerance issue get directed down better paths by coaching parents how to talk with their providers, talk through understanding how the medication their provider may have prescribed works in their little one’s tummy, signs to watch for to know if their baby is responding to the medication, or to the impact positioning can have on the success of the plan established. There is so much teaching and coaching parents can benefit from. And the number one thing that stands out to me in the last 10-years of my 20-year career in pediatrics is that not many providers teach and coaching parents anymore. They listen to a few signs and symptoms and make a quick diagnosis and prescribe. Time is so limited for most physicians these days. So who teaches parents how the body works and coaching of what to watch for that tell them if they are on the right path or when it’s truly time to try something else. Me, that’s who! I love teaching and educating parents because that is how parents become empowered and learn how to advocate for their child. These advocacy skills become valuable throughout their child’s life. Parents feel more confident with advocating as other health questions arise! They learn to trust themselves to know what is best for their child. These moments are worth it to me! So I stopped saying someday when things calm down and decided it was now or never! I am not a professional blogger but I’m certain in time I will look back at this documented journey and be proud that I helped babies and families and professionals beyond the borders of my community to truly make the greatest impact possible! One of my favorite sayings that my oldest daughter Alexis (2nd child of 5) shared with me during her senior year of high school is…

I’m shooting for the moon AGAIN!!!

Alisha