Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Christine Nguyen, a licensed occupational therapist.
Hi Dr. Nguyen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was as young as five years old when I knew that I wanted to work with special needs children. I always volunteered to help students in the classroom that needed additional support. This entailed either sitting next to them in class to help them color or walking them to the office to take their medication. When I got to high school, my first English paper was about my desire to specialize in Autism. I was inspired by the movie, “Mercury Rising,” starring Bruce Willis, about a 9 year old boy with Autism. I ended up joining a club called Best Buddies International in which I was randomly paired up with a non-verbal boy with Autism. He was the brightest light in the room and further validated my love for the path I was choosing. By the end of high school, my goal was to one day open my own practice. Fate may have had a hand in this because when I got to college at UC Riverside, a girl sitting next to me in one of my classes freshman year said, “Hi, do you want to work as a behavioral therapist helping children with Autism?” I enthusiastically accepted and was being trained within that month. I worked as a behavioral therapist for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder for about 10 years. Within those years, I studied Occupational Therapy at USC and earned my Master’s Degree in 2008 and Doctoral Degree in 2010.
Since 2010 till present, I have worked in various occupational therapy settings that included private clinics, schools, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric hospitals, aquatics, therapeutic horseback riding, and with celebrities and high-profile clients. In 2016 I received a call from a close friend informing me that a clinic space was available if I was thinking about opening my own practice. It was destiny because I was actually looking for a space before he called me. Without a business plan in place, I quickly called the landlord and my realtor and signed a 5-year lease that week. From 2016 until 2022, I operated a very successful private practice in Arcadia, CA with two satellite locations in Culver City and Calabasas. I gradually shifted my focus from children with Autism to infants with sleeping, breathing, feeding, and functional movement needs. I had the honor of meeting phenomenal providers, physicians, surgeons, therapists, and families. I made this transition because many of the issues I saw in children and adults could have been prevented or treated during infancy. Although I continue to consult for families with children with Autism, ADHD, and or Learning Disabilities, my focus is now with infants.
Watching my business grow from the ground up has been incredible. My goal became a reality that I still cannot believe came true. The dream did not stop there. I functioned as the sole director, founder, and employee for 5 and a half years. I was getting burnt out and needed a team. Around 2020 I met a pediatric dentist, Dr. Jessica Choi, founder and owner of San Marino Pediatric Dentistry. We collaborated with a few shared clients and I always felt like our values, ethics, personalities, and intentions were very similar. Therefore, in May of 2022 I pitched the idea to her about merging and developing a more comprehensive approach for our clients. She more than happily accepted and believed in my vision. Her and her husband immediately began constructing an exam room for me in her office. What started as an idea became a shared vision that blossomed into a partnership that I have so much love and respect for. In December of 2022, I officially closed my Arcadia location and fully relocated to San Marino and the Center for Infant Tethered Oral Ties was born.
I could not have done this without the support of my family, close friends, and colleagues that believed in me. There were many nights of tears, confusion, self-doubt, and fear. But my intentions and dreams never faltered. I’m where I am today because I had a vision; a vision that continues to grow and change for the bigger and better.
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?
It’s cliche, but what is success without struggle? Without the adversities I experienced in the past 20 years of working in healthcare, going to school, and opening my own practice, I would not have made the decisions I’ve made that led me to where I am today. When obstacles impede our plan, we have three decisions to make. We can run, we can cry, or we can fight. In some scenarios, I did all three, but I did it with a new intention, plan, and execution. I was also fortunate enough to have mentors that cared about me, my future, and my practice.
I mentioned earlier that I had no business plan when I signed the 5 year lease. I lacked the knowledge it took to run a business let alone how to even find clientele. I was driven by desire; a desire with little to no experience. I made every mistake in the book. I realized what I didn’t know, very quickly. I had to keep a former job and emptied out my savings just to pay for the overhead for the first 6 months. I borrowed money from my family and spent many days and nights staring at the walls in my empty office. I watched money disappear. I started reaching out to every colleague I knew. I did free in-services at Mommy and Me classes, daycares, schools, and anywhere that would listen to what I do and how I might potentially be able to help their babies or children. One client became two and eventually I was scheduling new clients on a steady, monthly basis. I was feeling blessed, productive, and confident.
But as the business grew, I made other mistakes, especially on the administrative side. I was not properly keeping track of my finances, I did not have an official corporation, I signed a handwritten lease [this is a whole other story that my attorney finds quite hilarious to this day], and I also found out I didn’t even file for a business license. To be honest, I was not aware I needed one. I assumed that since I was a licensed occupational therapist, I could work anywhere. I was wrong. I reached out to my academic advisor at USC and asked her if she knew any current OT business owners that I could talk to. This was a game-changer. I met with two spectacular women, who without hesitation, pointed me in the right direction. The takeaway from both was to have an attorney, an accountant, and formal contracts. Everything was sorted out by 2017.
I now had consistent clients and a well-established business foundation. My next step was to network and build a bigger referral base. More mistakes ensued. I naively jumped into any situation or setting that would take me. I convinced myself that any opportunity was better than no opportunity. This cost me time and money; I lost clients; I had to sever ties with some providers; I started to question my own ability to continue to run a private practice. I had to reach out to business advisors, mentors, and my family. Over time, I improved my networking approach and I put more value to my time. This has allowed me to create a reliable referral base with people I respect and trust and who, in return, respect and value me.
Growth is a process. Challenges are inevitable. How I address my obstacles now are significantly different than 5 years ago, or even a month ago. My advice? Let the emotions settle. Have solid advisors and mentors. And accepting that revising your plan is ok.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In order to appreciate how my professional life and career came to be, allow me to give context to how my artistic side shaped it. Music, dance, and art have always been a part of my life. My parents surprised me with a piano when I was 5 years old and my dad taught me how to play Beethoven’s Fur Elise before I even started lessons. I have memories of him playing guitar and singing John Fogerty’s Proud Mary for us. Growing up, I have always been involved in dance and art classes. I loved creating art, whether it was playing piano, dancing, painting, drawing, or calligraphy. Without this aspect of my life, I probably would not have created the unique business I have today. For one, music, dance, and art was a form of therapy for me because it allowed me to escape the day-to-day stress of school, adolescence, and eventually the woes of work and adulthood. Most importantly, it was the craft of creativity that allowed my mind to be free to explore beyond a structure, or what musicians would define as ‘improv.’ In retrospect, my business was my improv. I had a general idea of the business structure, however, I was constantly changing the ideas behind it, tweaking things, developing new marketing strategies, eliminating plans, and revising programs over and over again. The great thing about art though, is that it’s fluid. It isn’t set in stone and can always be recreated, redesigned, and rewritten.
I applied my creative nature into creating my practice. When I first opened my practice, it was called One Child Specialized Occupational Therapy because I serviced any pediatric age group with varying diagnoses ranging from Autism to feeding, to handwriting needs. Changing the lives of one child at a time. I took every client that called me. My eagerness of running my own business propelled endless ideas and programs that I wanted to implement. I perceived my own enthusiasm as proactive, efficient, and business-oriented. It wasn’t long before I started feeling overwhelmed with all the independent things I was doing under one roof. I was not in fact specialized at all. This was when I gradually began to hone in on my skill, which was feeding therapy. One of the first babies I treated was a baby post-frenectomy. This is a surgical procedure to release a restricted lingual frenulum or a tongue tie. He required invasive feeding and oral motor therapy to retrain his little mouth how to function. I was hooked.
I began taking related classes, attending conferences, networking with more specific providers in this field, and seeking out clients in this population. I immediately reached out to the dentist that performed this baby’s procedure, including his other team members. We all began collaborating for other mutual clients and the learning process was in full effect. I began to cut down on accepting clients that did not have feeding or tongue tie needs. Although I made sure they were referred to the right people, focusing on my specialty required my undivided attention. I wanted to be known as the infant tongue tie specialist. Sharpening my skills, knowledge, and experience in this is ongoing. I’ve learned to appreciate the trans-disciplinary approach because it supports my clients’ progress, including my clinical approach. It truly takes a team to raise a baby. What sets me apart from others is how I teach, not what I teach. All the information is out there. We can all hand our clients printouts, exercises, videos, and more. But the intention needs to be there. Think of a pianist. One can sit, memorize notes, and play a song, however, not anyone can put genuine emotions, feelings, and intent into a playing a piece. The audience can feel it. My clients can feel it.
By 2022, I rebranded and became The Center for Infant Tethered Oral Ties. I can confidently say I’m an infant tongue-tie specialist. I’m proud of the love and consistency that I give each and every client that comes through my door. I emphasize the importance of informing a family and guiding them in the best decision for their family and not just on scheduling them and increasing my numbers. I met a provider who once said to me, “focus on volume, not quality.” As a business owner, volume is important, I do agree. What I don’t agree with is separating the two. My philosophy is and always will be “focus on quality and the volume will come.” Remember, it’s not just about playing a piano song; it’s about performing it.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Love matters to me most. I know that might sound a bit unoriginal or even predictable. But if we don’t have love or give love, what is the purpose of what we do? For me personally, I have always been an emotional person. I empathize more than not. When a family calls me for support for their baby, I end every call with, “whether you see me or not, I’m here for you,” and I mean every word of it. I don’t see them as a number. I want them to know I’m here to support them, guide them, and show them the love and care they are looking for. We’ve all experienced a lack of attention when going to a restaurant, a doctor, a coffee shop, or even when we hold the door for someone and they don’t even acknowledge your kind gesture by saying thank you or even nodding in gratitude. You feel it and it weighs on you, even if just for a split second. Now imagine you’re a first-time parent with a baby that needs help and you’re received with little to no information, a sales pitch, or high fees with a ‘take it or leave it,’ intention. It doesn’t feel good and leaves many families feeling defeated, unheard, and lost. It doesn’t take a parent to understand a parent. It takes a human being with good intention to provide love and support to another human being. Love is and alway will be central to my practice.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oralties.com
- Instagram: @centerforinfantties
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/center-for-infant-tethered-oral-ties-san-marino?osq=center+for+intant+ties
Image Credits:
Ann Kim: Cover Photo
