Today we’d like to introduce you to Jolene Law
Hi Jolene, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I love the quote, “You’re going to be happy,” said life, “But first, I’m going to make you strong.” I whole heartedly believe that this is true and part of my story that makes me who I am today. Of course, it’s hard to see the forest through the trees when you’re in the thick of it, but life always has a perfect way of turning out just as it should in its own time. I hope to inspire anyone going through a hard time of life to push through and do the work, inside and out, because I promise, it gets better.
I had originally dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher. I was so passionate about being a teacher that I applied for literally hundreds of positions within a 30 mile radius, knocking on principal’s doors and hand delivering my resume directly to them, bound and determined to shake each principal’s hand and make my mark. Within this time, I held several long term teaching positions, I subbed in the classroom, taught preschool (which I loved), and even worked as a special education paraprofessional (I loved this even more). But unfortunately at the time, I was young and inexperienced and the field was oversaturated with teachers (gasp). I was denied and rejected over and over again and after several years of doors being slammed in my face, I finally decided to open a window and return to college for a Masters degree in Communication Disorders to become a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP).
When I was accepted into the grad program for Communication Disorders at Minnesota State University, Mankato, the acceptance rate was roughly only 16% at the time. I felt fortunate to get in but immense pressure. Grad school was a very dark time for me. I ran on little sleep, not because I was partying like my younger peers, but because I was trying to make ends meet single handedly while navigating and eventually escaping from a very unhealthy and abusive marriage. I regularly worked 50-60+ hours per week between 2-3 jobs; working for tips into the late evening/early morning hours only to wake up before the sunrise to rush to my next job before commuting 45 minutes to campus for a full day of class. I had to work twice as hard to keep up to the demands of grad school among the turmoil I had brewing beneath the surface in my private life. I kept this hidden from my peers and professors. So well in fact that I was almost kicked out of the program because my grades and tuition payments were falling behind. Little did they know that I was struggling to hold it all together and drowning as a full time student.
In the midst of the chaos and trauma that engulfed me during those 3 years, I learned to trust myself and to be independent. I persevered through the days that were unspeakably horrific and left me drained. Completing grad school and earning a Masters in Communication Disorders with a promise of a new life as a Speech Language Pathologist was more than a job or a career. For me, it was freedom. It was independence. And a hope for a better future for myself and eventually, a family of my own.
After graduation, I held two different SLP positions working in an ABA center with Autistic children and then in an outpatient pediatric clinic. Early in my career, I met my now husband, who is truly my biggest cheerleader and supporter of my crazy ideas (and vise versa). Once babies came, I eventually transitioned from the clinical setting and full circle, back into the schools, but this time with a new role as an SLP. As a working mother of two under two, I was searching for a healthier work/life balance and the school schedule proved to be a great option to fulfill both my passion as an SLP and my new favorite role as “mommy.”
As a new mom, I started making sensory bins and homemade playdoh for my young kids and soon a small side business idea was born which fed both my creative side and therapeutic brain. I started creating guided speech themed lesson boxes with my homemade doh tailored towards caregivers, SLPs, and teachers to incorporate and target communication and articulation skills within sensory play. I started selling these to friends and coworkers as well as on Etsy and in several in-person vendor events around my area.
What I love about a career as an SLP is that I have the freedom, ability, and knowledge to work with a variety of populations and ages in so many different settings. One new setting that I haven’t yet tackled and just starting to dabble in is Private Practice. Initially, I said “never” and “not me” and then life settled a little and I felt like I needed to kick up the stress notch a tad to remain at homeostasis and to continue to light that flame that burned inside me. I soon shifted my thoughts from “not me” to.. “Why not me?” With a new train of thought, I purchased a course on how to start a Private Practice. I learned that in order to truly focus and do the work behind the scenes, I needed to set my alarm for 4:30am each morning to get it done before the kids woke and we hit the ground running with our busy summer plans. And I was hooked on the idea of Private Practice.
I quickly registered my business, Talking Tots as an LLC, and I have been seeing private patients on the side, in addition to my full time school position, for almost 2-3 years in their homes, mine, and even virtually. I am also proud to say that all of my patients are word of mouth which speaks volumes of my therapeutic style and approach. Along with this idea of Private Practice, the pipe dream of a brick and mortar clinic developed. And starting May 1st, I am excited to announce that my “one day” plans are becoming a closer reality as I will be opening a small private clinic in Brooklyn Park that will host individual and group speech therapy and even small group classes.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am learning that starting a Private Practice comes with its own challenges and learning curves. But I think the biggest challenge, for me, is getting out of my head and out of my own way. In general, I have always been a very independent person and fairly confident but I do struggle with the ghost of my past. I rarely speak about it or the things that I endured openly, but the lessons and the words I told myself, or that were said to me during that time linger. If given a stronger voice, these feelings of doubt and shame can hold me back if I allow them to get the best of me. It is something I actively work on everyday to overcome. And sometimes, I just have to trust myself and believe in what will come, will be.
As you know, we’re big fans of Talking Tots. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I consider myself a pediatric, neuroaffirming, play based Speech Language Pathologist. Which, by my own definition means that I meet children where they are. You want to kick your shoes off during our session? Do it. Don’t want to sit at the table? Let’s play on the floor! To sum up my therapeutic style- I value connection over compliance. I honor all forms of communication and consider all behavior as a means to communicate basic needs and wants in some way, shape, or form. I believe that all children deserve a voice and that their little voice matters in our big world and should be heard.
I love to use my creativity in my speech lessons. I get bored easily myself, so my speech sessions are always fun, up beat, and packed full of opportunities to strengthen and increase communication and articulation skills. While my students and patients will tell you that all we do is play games, they don’t realize that they are learning. Rarely do I pull out a worksheet or do a paper/pencil activity. I’d rather focus on strengthening communication skills in natural moments to build and foster functional communication skills as a child’s job is to play. I also believe that parents and families are a huge part of their child’s success and openly welcome them into my sessions rather than forcing them to wait blindly in a cold waiting room. I aim to partner with families by providing education in order for their children to carry over and practice their skills outside of our speech sessions in order to truly generalize these skills.
Over the years, I have found my passions within the diverse field of Speech Pathology. I specialize in articulation and phonological disorders, fluency (stuttering), providing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for students that are not able to verbally communicate, as well as fostering language skills with Autistic children and new/late talkers. My Private Practice is established in the community that I work in, live near, and have grown to love. At this time, I accept private pay with immediate openings for new patients seeking an initial speech and/or language evaluation as well as children with current IEPs.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Even as a little girl, I dreamed of being a teacher. As a child, I lined all my dolls and stuffed animals up and pretended to teach them, calling on each one to answer a question. Each day, I waited anxiously for my younger sister to get off the kindergarten bus and begged her to play school. But she would huff and puff and tell me, “I don’t want to play school, I was just IN school all day!” I was the kid who was busy using my mom’s old typewriter to create addition and subtraction worksheets to pass out to all the neighborhood kids to brush up on their math skills over the summer. Who does that? Deep imbedded in my soul, I was always a teacher. But I also remember wondering about the frogs and the birds and all of the animals, and more specifically, if I could ever teach them how to talk.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.talkingtots.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talking.tots
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkingtotsspeech
- Other: www.talkingtots.etsy.com
