Dreams, Difficulty, and Delight ~ A Reflection on Synapse' Journey
[from left to right] Kristin Hupp, Danielle Dolan, Marli Chavkin, Katie Vienot, Emma Williams, Kathleen Zintsmaster
When I founded Synapse eight years ago, hiring a team was a distant hope. Shortly after starting the practice, I found out I was expecting our first kid - and realized I needed to hire so I could make sure my clients were taken care of during my maternity leave.
We had several part-time employees come and go between 2017 and 2020 and then, the pandemic hit. I very nearly closed the practice, as I was seven months pregnant with my second kid, and the stress of pivoting to teletherapy, financial strain, and fear of the unknown threatened to overwhelm the limited resources I had at the time.
I remember a tearful conversation with my husband in April 2020 where I suggested maybe I should close the practice. And, he, knowing me well, said, "This is your dream. If you stop now, I know you will regret it. What do you need to make this work?" In that season, my little support network banded together to help me with childcare amid the foggy, scary year that was 2020. We began offering teletherapy and, to my surprise, the number of clients we served over the next twelve months nearly doubled.
Two years ago, I stumbled upon the perfect location for a speech clinic. It was for sale! With the help of a loan from the Small Business Association, I bought the space and rehabbed it into the cozy, bright clinic that it is today. As the demand grew for speech therapy - and later occupational therapy - we continued to grow and are now celebrating one year in our beautiful Evanston location.
Each and every member of our team is talented, kind, and committed to continually learning and growing. Every day when I walk through the doors, I look forward to whoever I get to cross paths with that day. I often say that business ownership is not for the faint of heart, but when I look at the team we have at Synapse, and the community we are building, all I feel is amazement and gratitude.
Thank you to our team and our clients for being the sweetest part of our journey!
