Today we’d like to introduce you to San Juanita Reed.
Hi San Juanita, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is San Juanita Reed, and I am the founder and owner of Thriving Roots Speech Therapy, LLC. After almost seven years of experience in the field of speech language pathology, I ventured out into private practice to improve the lives of my patients as well as my own. I have over 15 years of experience working with children as an educator and speech therapist. My passion is to teach and empower patients, fellow colleagues (e.g., speech language pathology assistants, SLP clinical fellows, daycare teachers), caregivers, parents, community leaders, healthcare providers, and people involved in improving the lives of pediatric and adult patients with difficulties in feeding and communicating to bloom, grow, and thrive in living the lives they were meant to live. I am a proud graduate of Texas Tech University & TTU Health Sciences Center from which I obtained a bachelors degree and masters in education, and then returned for a bachelors in speech, language, and hearing sciences and masters in speech language pathology. I worked with children as a college student and teacher for 10 years, and my experiences caring for children have played a significant role in how I treat children in therapy now. I specialize in feeding disorders in infants, children, and adults with a history of tethered oral tissues and complex medical diagnoses, sensory feeding preferences, childhood apraxia of speech, augmentative and alternative communication, and myofunctional disorders. I am committed to finding the root cause of my patients’ difficulties to help them and their families improve their quality of life so they can feed safely, communicate functionally, and advocate confidently for their needs. I look forward to serving you and your family!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My life has not been easy. Facing challenges and jumping over obstacles have always been part of my story. However, it is because of these challenges and obstacles, I have a passion for helping, mentoring, and teaching others today. Also, I have built resilience and tenacity which has helped me get to where I am today. When I started the program for speech, language, and hearing sciences in 2015, I had withdraw from the program due to losing my mother after a few weeks of starting the program. This has been one of the hardest challenges I have faced as my mom was everything to me. I would not be here today if it were not for my mother. I am the youngest of 10 children and it was difficult to leave my hometown as a 18-year-old Latina woman. Although it was hard for my mother, she supported my decision and when I graduated with my first bachelor’s degree, she was so proud of me! Since I lost my father at 10 years of age, my mother was also both parents for me and this helped us become closer than ever. I could not afford to pay for college so I depended on grants and loans. I can proudly say my husband and I have paid off our debt completely in just 6.5 years! We have had many challenges along the way, but we remained focused and kept showing up even when life was really hard. I encourage anyone who is going through hard times in life to keep going, don’t quit, keep showing up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Thriving Roots Speech Therapy, LLC?
At Thriving Roots Speech Therapy, LLC, we assist, equip, and empower patients and their families to comprehend their diagnoses and enhance their quality of life. We focus on addressing the root of the issues through therapy, supporting both pediatric and adult patients in reaching their full potential in communication, feeding, and advocacy skills, allowing them to flourish and thrive in their daily environments. We believe this sets us apart from other providers. We are dedicated to providing specialized speech therapy services to meet the unique needs of each patient. Our team is committed to making a difference in the lives of our clients and their families. We believe in the power of personalized care and evidence-based therapy techniques to help patients thrive and reach their full potential.
We are the most proud of understanding the importance of collaboration and communication with parents and caregivers, and we strive to create a supportive and nurturing environment for every patient. Our holistic approach addresses a range of speech and language challenges, including infant feeding therapy, childhood apraxia of speech, autism spectrum disorder, myofunctional disorder, bilingual language disorders, and augmentative and alternative communication.
We value your feedback and input, as it guides us in continuously improving our services. Our goal is to empower child and adult patients to find their voices and build the foundation for a lifetime of successful communication, breathing, feeding, and sleeping. We are here to support you every step of the way on your or your child’s speech therapy journey. And if we cannot help you, we will help you find someone who can in our area.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
One of the main reasons I am here today and now have a passion for mentoring and teaching others, is because of the people who took the time to mentor and teach me ever since I was in high school. I have looked up to my sister Elena since she was in high school. She graduated high school and was the first one in the family to attend college. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree while working full time. She worked so hard to have everything she has now, and I aspired to be like her since I was a little girl watching her accomplish so much in her life. I knew I wanted to be the second first generation college graduate in my family! Dr. Jane Unzeitig helped me by giving me a job as a 16-year-old high schooler, and opening her office for me on the weekends in order for me to apply for college. She read over my essays and provided feedback before submitting them. My mother could not afford to get me a computer or have internet at home so I had to do most of my applications at school and during the weekends when Dr. Unzeitig opened her office for me. Lt. Col. Azbil, my commander from JROTC, saw leadership skills in me and believed in me way before I saw this or believed in myself. He challenged me everyday and helped me gain crucial skills which still help me today. My mother couldn’t pay for my college tuition, but she was my biggest and loudest cheerleader. She believed in me so much and supported my every dream. I miss hearing her words of encouragement since I lost her in 2015. Cindy Bruington was my mentor and supervisor very early on after moving to Lubbock ,TX to attend Texas Tech University. I tell her all the time she taught me everything I know about children. To this day, I implement what I learned from Cindy in the classroom in my therapy sessions with my patients. Lane and Karen Salvato took me under their wings after moving to Lubbock. I joined Indiana Avenue Baptist Church where I met them and they helped me get through my homesickness and grow as a person and in my relationship with God. Connie Walker, who also attended IABC, from the very beginning told me I would make a great speech language pathologist one day even though I would not pursue that degree until 10 years later. She helped me remain steadfast even when I wanted to give up in school due to the demand and difficulty of it. Dr. Nawal Zeitouni and Mr. Faisal Zeitouni gave me a place to live while I returned to school to pursue my degree in speech therapy. They made me part of their family and provided for me in so many ways. Dr. Zeitouni has been such a role model to me as a fierce and hardworking woman herself. Dr. Alan Korinek helped me through the hardest challenge of my life, the loss of my mother. He helped me through my grief and overcome so much. I don’t know if I would have made it through if it were not for him and his counsel. My husband, Austin H. Reed, who I met while in graduate school, pushed me to keep going on those really hard days. He continues to support me today by supporting my continuing education and taking the leap with me to open my own private practice in January 2025. He is my rock and my strength when I feel like giving up. Austin, thank you for being the best husband, partner, and supporter! I honestly would not be here today if God didn’t place all these people and many more along the way to help me keep climbing every mountain I have faced in life. Today, I am the proud owner and founder of Thriving Roots Speech Therapy, LLC and will be launching a mentoring program for therapists this year called “It’s Time to Thrive Mentoring Program.” I have mentored many college students and therapists and hope to continue to make a difference in the lives of others as they seek to be mentored so they can thrive in their own careers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thrivingrootsspeech.com
- Instagram: @thrivingrootsspeech
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/san-juanita-reed-m-ed-m-s-ccc-slp-qom-soffi®-820b56174
- Other: https://share.google/dnpA8lQLTkYihBhTs
Image Credits
Cactus Flower Photography
