Today we’d like to introduce you to Sadia Fuller-Palmer.
Hi Sadia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been driven and a go-getter, even as a little girl growing up in Jamaica. I knew I wanted to own my own business one day, but of course at that age, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. Fast forward a couple of years, at the age of 13, my family and I migrated to the United States. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to work in a field where I’m able to help others, especially children. During high school, I was introduced to the profession of speech-language pathology and fell in love. Not only will I be able to work with children, but I will also be able to help individuals of all ages. The complexity of the field was also alluring due to the broad range of therapies speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide to treat so many different disorders. After graduating high school, I attended the University of South Florida, where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders and a Minor in American Sign Language (ASL) in 2002. In 2004, I graduated from the University of South Florida with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and became a Certified and Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) in the state of Florida. After working in a variety of settings, including the public schools, pediatric therapy centers, home healthcare agencies, etc., I knew I still wanted to pursue the entrepreneur world. I wanted to open my own speech therapy private practice. So, while working as a full-time SLP for a school district, I slowly build my private client base after school hours and on weekends. Eventually, I was able to quit my full-time job and became the founder and lead SLP of my own private practice, Speech Language & More, Inc., with locations in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. I also provide speech, language and accent modification therapy worldwide via teletherapy.
Being a multi-passionate person, I love anything and everything interior design. I am an Interior Design Enthusiast. I love decorating and creating spaces that are aesthetically pleasing yet functional. I believe your home and workspace shouldn’t be just a shelter, it should also be your oasis. And for that very reason, I’ve also created SFP Interiors to assist others in creating their own aesthetically pleasing sanctuaries. At SFP Interiors, we provide interior design/decorating services to local residential and commercial clients, as well as E-design services worldwide. E-design is a simpler and more affordable alternative to traditional interior design.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Trying to accomplish a dream often isn’t a smooth process for anyone, and that is true for me as well. I remember even the stress of trying to figure out how I would pay for grad school. My parents did all they could to assist during my undergrad years, and it was now on me to pursue an even higher education. I’ve always believed in God, and my beliefs were even more cemented when I was asked by the director of our speech clinic at the University of South Florida (USF) to meet with her in her office prior to graduating with my undergraduate degree. I had no idea why she wanted to meet with me, but by the end of the meeting, she asked if I would be her graduate assistant (GA). I agreed to being her GA, because in my mind at least, I would make a little money every two weeks. To be honest, I was more concerned with how I was going to afford grad school. She had a puzzled look on her face and was wondering why I wasn’t more enthusiastic about her offer. That’s when she explained that as her GA, not only will I earn an hourly wage, but my graduate degree would also be paid for by the department. Needless to say, I was crying like a baby with nothing but tears of joy.
Building my private practice also had its share of challenges. I was trying to build something while working a full-time job and being a mom. Trying to juggle everything was sometimes challenging but doable. I wanted to make sure I had time devoted to my children. I was trying my best not to give them mere mediocre time either, but true quality time well spent. Finding the funding to start and grow my business was sometimes challenging, but I made financial adjustments where I could and kept pressing forward a little bit at a time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Speech Language & More, Inc. and SFP Interiors?
At Speech Language & More, Inc. (SLM. Inc.), we provide speech/language therapy services, as well as accent modification therapy for children to adults. Our goal is to provide quality, functional and effective therapy to all our patients. We are able to achieve excellence by customizing specific therapy services to meet the unique needs of each individual patient, as well as responding to the concerns and needs of patients, parents, caregivers, and family members. Our therapists have extensive experience in the evaluation and treatment of a wide variety of diagnoses in children and adults. Our priority is to improve our patient’s ability to effectively communicate and function in his or her daily living, school, play environments, etc. The unique thing about Speech Language & More, Inc. is the great bond we achieve with our patients. We are like family at SLM, Inc. Our patients achieve such high improvement rates due to the highly effective therapy our therapists provide, but also due to the positive and close relationships that are created. Treating the whole person is what we do at Speech Language & More, Inc.
At SFP Interiors, we provide interior design/decorating services to local residential and commercial clients, as well as E-design services worldwide. E-design is a simpler and more affordable alternative to traditional interior design. SFP Interiors assist our clients in creating aesthetically pleasing yet functional spaces. Our priority is to work with our clients to design/decorate their homes and take them from inspiration to flawless outcomes.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I have too many great childhood memories to pick just one. I’m from a very close-knit family and we do so many fun and memorable things together. We are from humble beginnings, and my cousins and I grew up more like brothers and sisters than cousins. My fondest memories are filled with such fun, joy, laughter, etc. when we were all together. The greatest thing to me is that we (all the cousins) continued that bond into adulthood and has extended it to our children.
Contact Info:
- Email: slm@speechlanguageandmore.com
- Website: www.speechlanguageandmore.com
- Instagram: @slmspeech @fpconsultgroup
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SLMspeech
- Other: https://fpconsultgroup.com
