Who or what is your inspiration in business?

I started working with children as a preschool teacher in 1996. Frustrated with the cookie cutter design of activities, I decided to pursue holistic health and became and massage therapy and yoga teacher in 2003, creating Massage By Lisa. I expanded to Radiant Sun Therapies in 2009 and began hiring on other practitioners. I worked with an extraordinary young man with Autism through craniosacral therapy and yoga/meditation classes. He inspired to become an occupational therapist in 2014.

How do you stay motivated?

I stay motivated by looking at my life as a continual learning process. Every decade or so in my life there is a need for further expansion into new areas of interest. Change can feel scary, but they bring lessons and eventual expansion into new realms of understanding and growth. As I leave the comfort of state contracts and expand into my own private practice again, I look forward to a new decade of growth. Despite the challenges a new business brings, valuable lessons are learned.

What would you do with the $25,000?

With $25,000 I would fund my business for the expansion it requires to get off the ground quickly. I have been working slowly for the past year and a half to set up systems and slowly transition away from state contract reliance. I would like to build a place for not just myself, but other therapists to work that actually supports clinical skills, professional growth, maintains expertise based upon evidence based strategies and expand access to needed support for those with neurodivergence.