Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriane Ransom.
Adriane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Pittsburgh in a very hard-working blue-collar family and was the first in my family to go to college. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997, I followed my dream to go into the field of occupational therapy by entering the Master’s program at the University of Southern California in 1998. The USC program was – and still is – considered the top school in the nation for occupational therapy. Moving across the country just wasn’t something we did in our family, but there was something within me that knew that this was the right move. My plan the whole time I was at USC was to move back to the east coast after graduation, but like John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Along the way, I met the man who would become my husband (at The Dresden amidst the sonic stylings of Marty and Elaine playing “Stayin’ Alive”). I fell in love with him… and also with Los Angeles. I graduated from USC in April 2000 with a Master’s degree in occupational therapy and have never considered living anywhere else since!
I didn’t originally intend on specializing in working with children when I entered the master’s program, but after gaining experience in pediatric settings, it clicked with me. I jumped into pediatric occupational therapy and was determined to be great at it, to change the lives of children and the families surrounding them.
At one of my first jobs after graduation, I was tasked with launching the OT clinic at a non-profit in Woodland Hills. The clinic went on to thrive and continues to succeed in treating children to this day. From there, I dove into private practice and created my own space in 2004 – the beginnings of what would eventually become “Bloom Pediatrics.” I wanted to think differently about treating children. I wanted to innovate. After working in so many impersonal indoor clinics inside office buildings, I knew that there was so much unexplored potential when it came to working with kids. Kids like fun, kids like to play, kids like the outdoors. Kids don’t gravitate towards things that are “clinical.”
Southern California has some of the best weather in the world (something I greatly appreciate as a transplant from the Northeast!). And no treatment centers were taking advantage of this natural resource. I witnessed the impact nature has on our mindset and how it improves outcomes in therapy. I began to take a look at what we were doing in these “traditional” OT settings and asked “WHY?” – why were we not outdoors, why were we not digging in the dirt, why were we not climbing trees? We were confining our children to the point of dysfunction. So, in 2013, Bloom Pediatrics launched as the innovative indoor/outdoor space that you see today. A warm and inviting OT setting where children and their families feel “at home.” A place where amazing things happen.
And it’s not just that it’s outdoors. Bloom has all the amenities of all those “other” clinics, but with a “real world feedback” philosophy. The goal of Occupational Therapy is to equip our clients with the tools they need for everyday life. And life is filled with imperfections. So the kids we treat experience therapy in an environment that’s just like the world they interact with throughout their lives.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Creating a business that is new and unlike anything else out there has not been an easy road. I was worried that the families I worked with in the office setting wouldn’t buy into working with me outdoors, rain or shine. I had no idea if what I was doing would work, even though I instinctively knew it was the right thing to do.
So there were certainly mistakes along the way. We realized that “getting dirty” and being amongst the insects and other wonders of the outdoors wasn’t for everyone. So, it took some time to find our niche of families that were right for this type of space.
In addition, I now had to look beyond myself as a sole proprietor: I would be hiring people to work for me. It was a challenge finding a team of like-minded people to work tougher, in order to create a culture that appreciates the outdoors and where thinking outside the box is the norm.
As we grew from a one-woman show to a small but bustling business, we have experienced at least two significant economic downturns (the 2008 recession and now another one due to the COVID-19 pandemic). In both cases, we have had to learn to pivot, restructure, and re-envision our role with children and their families. One of the things we’re doing more at present is taking our “real world” treatment to virtual telehealth sessions. And with the participation of some awesome parents, it’s working out fantastically!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Bloom Pediatrics is a pediatric therapy center like no other because of our unique indoor-outdoor setting. We offer occupational therapy evaluation and consultation, private occupational therapy sessions, school-break camps, and small groups for handwriting, social skills, and mindfulness. We also offer individual and group support for parents, school workshops, and community presentations. We are very proud of our creative programs and our passionate team of therapists!
Bloom is well-known for our expertise in working with gifted and twice exceptional children, which is an under-identified and underserved population. We are specialists in sensory processing challenges, feeding challenges, fine and gross motor coordination, handwriting, social skills, and overall childhood development.
We have always offered telehealth, but now more than ever we are providing our services virtually and it has been wildly successful with our families. We also have an amazing music therapist who works with us during our summer camp!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up in Pittsburgh (the cloudiest city in the United States, look it up!), I lived for summer. I loved exploring in the woods, riding my bike, swimming, and playing softball. I was – and still am – an introvert at my core, so I loved alone time just reading and using my imagination. The drive I had as child to take advantage of the warm and sunny weather when it finally made its appearance has clearly influenced my career path! I also had tons of sensory issues and was definitely not the most coordinated kid on the block, so I truly empathize with the children and families I work with on a daily basis. But even when the weather was rainy, cold, and snowy, I was still playing outside. For a few years, I had to walk to school every day, even in the cold and snow – believe me, my four kids hear about it all the time – and I look back on those days with a smile. My happiest childhood memories are times spent outdoors.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bloompediatrics.com
- Phone: (424) 229-2570
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bloompediatrics
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloompediatrics
- Other: www.linkedin.com/in/bloompediatrics
Image Credit:
Betsy Newman
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