Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Griffith.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Pursuing a career in speech pathology has been a profession that has always been “meant to be.” My grandfather was diagnosed with esophageal/laryngeal cancer when I was in high school. Although the cancer treatment provided many challenges to my grandfather and worry for all of his family, the way that the speech-language pathologist worked with him and gave him a way to get his voice back by using an electrolarynx, was so inspiring. His vocal chords were removed during a very long and difficult surgery leaving my grandfather without the voice that he once knew. Instead, he used an electrolarynx which produces a humming sound that is transferred to the throat, which is then shaped into words using the mouth, tongue, lips, and teeth. My grandparents had 5 children who then went on to have 20 grandchildren! All of us grandchildren still got to hear his stories, jokes, wisdom, and even singing!
After studying speech pathology at KU (my grandfather’s alma mater) and experiencing all that the field has to offer, I found that I loved working in all settings but I knew that my true calling was working with the pediatric population. Having worked in a variety of settings and always thinking that a private practice was a “pipe dream,” I made it my mission that 2025 was going to be the year! I decided to take the steps (and there were many!) to start it! Speech pathology is my passion and I love it. I love everything about it! I have great love in helping children find a voice. Everyone deserves to make their needs and desires known. There is no other job that I would rather be doing.
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?
Becoming a speech-language pathologist (SLP) requires a rigorous path for schooling and there are many steps along the way. It requires a master’s degree and many “tests” that you have to take and pass – the GRE, summative exams with professors, the praxis, etc. The career is very broad and always evolving so keeping up with continuing education is essential. Taking the leap to start my private practice was huge for me! I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out because there are just so many things involved with it. I had many nervous nights and early mornings working out the details. I also have 3 small children (7, 4, and 2) so starting it while also ensuring that I wasn’t taking the time that I typically spend with them wasn’t compromised was a balancing act. There were definitely many learning curves to starting a private practice such as understanding insurance, developing a consistent way to acquire clients, creating a website, navigating being a mobile SLP – traveling all around the KC metro to now having a brick and mortar location. Although there have been challenges, it has been so fun and rewarding!
As you know, we’re big fans of Super Speech Therapy. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Super Speech Therapy is a pediatric speech therapy private practice. We see clients from birth to 21 years of age (but 21 isn’t a hard and fast rule because I’m licensed from birth – geriatrics). We see clients for articulation, language, social skills, apraxia, fluency (stuttering), augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and more. Building rapport with the kids is so important! It makes all the difference if they like you and have an enjoyable time during their speech therapy sessions. Laughing and having fun while accomplishing goals and making progress is the best way to help them succeed. Another very important part of my private practice is collaboration with the clients’ families. It is essential with carryover to the home environment. So I would say that the most important parts of Super Speech Therapy are connection, collaboration, inclusivity, and accessibility. This definitely sets us apart. We want to truly develop a trusting relationship and create a fun environment so each child can make progress as fast as possible for that child. Every child deserves a voice whether that is correcting a stubborn articulation error, increasing their vocabulary, improving their language skills, providing an alternative and augmentative communication, and more!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My husband, Steve, has been my biggest supporter in this adventure. He’s my right hand man – whether that was venting about how long insurance took with credentialing, sharing in the excitement of seeing the logo for the first time, and finding the perfect space for the clinic…I was in a bit of a challenging SLP role before starting Super Speech Therapy, and Steve helped me gain that extra boost of confidence I needed in taking the leap! Steve’s an MBA finance guy so I was able to learn a lot from him. He helped me create rock solid books. We aren’t taught about business in speech pathology coursework at all. I learned such vital information from him. I would say that starting this together was a calling for both of us and we’re a great team. The others who played an unknowingly big role were my 3 kids. The logo is the 3 of them in superhero outfits. I get to see my kids in cartoon form every day – my reports, website, advertising, the walls in the clinic. When we go to the clinic to get something done, it’s a space that my kids love to come to as well – they scatter toys throughout the rooms and it truly is such a warm and happy place.
So many of my clients’ families have been absolutely amazing! They have been so supportive all along the way. I’ve had parents share my services and information on social media and many have written the most thoughtful testimonials. I get to collaborate with the best parents and I am so grateful for their support and trust. I have a really big family and many of them have helped spread the word and show their support – cousins, aunts, uncles, my momma, my mother-in-law, my brothers, my dad, my friends – who share my page and like my posts. My mom has been one of my biggest cheerleaders my entire life. She’s helped watch my kids when my husband and I needed to work on the business at times or an ear to hear about all the excitement. I’ve had a lot of support from so many people and I can’t thank them enough. I appreciate it all more than they know!
Pricing:
- In-network provider with most insurance – Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, Aetna, Cigna, Healthy Blue, KanCare, Sunflower, Ambetter, Multiplan. I can check on insurance benefits and give families a quote the same day based on their coverage
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.superspeechkc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superspeechkc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superspeechtherapykc
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/super-speech-therapy/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/super-speech-therapy-lenexa
