Mary Burns is joining me in this episode to talk about how she designed a private practice that has helped her move past those feelings and into a more sustainable lifestyle. She is also giving her advice on how you can do the same.
Mary Burns is a speech-language pathologist and board-certified patient advocate. She has worked as an SLP since 2014 and is fiercely passionate about person-centered care and rural healthcare access. Although her academic training was certainly formative, Mary considers her experiences as both a patient and a caregiver to be the most influential on her career.
Mary launched her private practice, Overland Speech & Swallowing Rehabilitation, in 2018. Her practice continues to grow and change. Today, Mary is proud to offer mobile FEES to 22 counties across Oregon as well as in-home therapy to adults in central Oregon.
Mary also works as a mentor for The Medical SLP Collective and an instructor of McNeil Dysphagia Therapy Program. She also recently launched her passion project, The Sustainable Clinician, exploring new ways to help clinicians improve job satisfaction and sustainability through developing the internal skills that grad school forgot.
In Today’s Episode, We Discuss:
- Why you need to realize that you don’t have to be good at everything or help everybody
- How to choose your population based on how you want to serve people
- Common feelings and symptoms of burnout
- Why having autonomy in your work is so beneficial
- There’s no such thing as a perfect private practice
- What it’s like to have an adult-focused practice
- The benefits of mobile therapy
Creating a more balanced life was crucial for Mary, and I think we can all agree on the importance of that.
If you are struggling with the same feelings that Mary had before she started her private practice, I really hope you got a lot of value out of hearing her story.
Mary actually got started by joining the Start Your Private Practice System, and Spring Enrollment for Start Your Private Practice System is opening SOON! Make sure you’re on the waitlist www.startyourprivatepractice.com/waitlist!
Resources Mentioned:
www.overlandslp.com
www.thesustainableclinician.com
The Sustained Clinician mailing list
www.Instagram.com/overlandslp
www.facebook.com/overlandslp
Start Your Private Practice Waitlist
Where We Can Connect:
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Mary Burns is a speech-language pathologist and board certified patient advocate. She has worked as an SLP since 2014 and is fiercely passionate about person centered care and rural healthcare access. Although her academic training was certainly formative, Mary considers her experiences as both a patient and a caregiver to be the most influential on her career.
Mary launched her private practice, Overland Speech & Swallowing Rehabilitation, in 2018. Her practice continues to grow and change. Today, Mary is proud to offer mobile FEES to 22 counties across Oregon as well as in-home therapy to adults in central Oregon.
Mary also works as a mentor for The Medical SLP Collective and an instructor of McNeil Dysphagia Therapy Program. She also recently launched her passion project, The Sustainable Clinician, exploring new ways to help clinicians improve job satisfaction and sustainability through developing the internal skills that grad school forgot.

Jena is a private-practice consultant who has helped thousands of speech-language pathologists start and grow their own private practices through her company, The Independent Clinician.She has written articles for
The ASHA Leader and Presented at ASHA Connect (2017).You’ll find her online in the
SLP Private Practice Beginners Facebook Group and in her premium programs, The Start Your Private Practice System and the Grow Your Private Practice Coaching Program.episode sponsored by:
If you’ve been thinking starting a private practice full-time or “on the side” I encourage you to sign up for my FREE TRAINING. I’ll make sure you know everything more in a free 60 minute presentation than you ever learned in grad school!