Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Sinclair.
Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a young 16 year old teen, sitting in my Sports Medicine elective class at Dorsey High School, I discovered the career of physical therapy. Since that day 20 years ago, I knew this was the career for me. Discovering this profession has been one of life’s greatest blessings for me.
During my senior year at Dorsey, I applied to several colleges. Many of the schools were in the Los Angeles area and/or California. However, there was something that stood out about Howard University in Washington D.C., even though it was 3,000 miles away from home. I had lived on campus for a month during one summer in high school while attending a program geared towards young students interested in pursuing medical careers. That experience was life-changing and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The icing on the cake for me when deciding to attend Howard was the scholarship offer I received and the fact that they offered a pre-physical therapy major.
While completing my Bachelor of Science degree at Howard, I was so focused on my academics and maintaining my GPA to keep my scholarship, that I did not do a good job of preparing myself to apply to graduate programs for physical therapy . So, in the summer of 2005, I moved back home with my parents in Los Angeles and started working as a physical therapy aide in a clinic in West Hollywood.
After working at the clinic for a year, I decided to apply to Physical Therapy school. I chose to only apply to USC at the time and was not accepted. Instead of getting discouraged, I kept working and decided I would reapply the next year; I was accepted.
While attending the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at USC, I decided that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping the special needs and pediatric populations, so I became a Pediatric Physical Therapist. I’ve had several positions since becoming licensed in 2010, however I’ve always felt the most comfortable and effective when working with children and young adults, especially those with special needs. Early on in my career, while working with this population I became inspired to start volunteering with various non-profit organizations.
After years of volunteering and networking with various families and professionals, I started thinking about starting my own non-profit. I was sitting on my couch one day and started brainstorming about what I wanted to do and what I wanted to name my organization. In 2016, I came up with the name G.O.O.D. which stands for Girls Overcoming Obstacles Daily. I was very close to starting the organization and officially applying for 501 (c)(3) status, however life events derailed my plans. Fast forward to 2018, I was once again ready to get things going. At this time, my path was detoured and I started to do more volunteer work, eventually taking on more responsibilities within these organizations; so once again, I put G.O.O.D. back up on the shelf for later.
More recently, as I’ve continued to balance multiple roles with various organizations, work, and life, I still felt like something was missing. Right now, I am in the process of rebranding G.O.O.D., which I now intend to start as both a non-profit and a wellness “brand”. My passion has taken the front seat and I’m ready for the journey ahead to take this brand and organization to the next level.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have definitely been bumps in the road on this journey. Coming up with such an incredible idea and having to put it on the back burner because life events derail you is very tough. Losing my grandmother in 2016 was devastating, and I just couldn’t find the strength, time, or energy to get G.O.O.D. up and running. Another challenge a few years later was being so close to officially applying for 501(c)(3) status and facing some financial difficulties that caused me to reconsider. Since then, with all of the responsibilities I have taken on, one of the biggest challenges has been finding the time and energy to get the ball rolling…..but I am ready!!!! And NOTHING will stop me now!
Please tell us about Girls Overcoming Obstacles Daily (G.O.O.D.).
G.O.O.D is an up and coming wellness brand and non-profit that was created for girls and young women with special needs and/or disabilities. G.O.O.D. stands for Girls Overcoming Obstacles Daily and the mission is: To empower girls with disabilities by celebrating their resilience, cultivating self-love, encouraging leadership, and promoting inclusion. G.O.O.D. is unique because in addition to representing ALL girls with disabilities, it seeks to acknowledge and focus its efforts towards girls from the underserved community of South Central Los Angeles (and surrounding areas) who often lack resources, funding, and access to basic necessities, despite their special needs. The wellness brand will expand on the mission of the organization, providing members and the general public with products that represent our cause and vision. Be on the lookout as my goals and visions manifest with G.O.O.D., because I am going to need all of the support I can get, especially from the LA community!
One thing I’d like to add since we’re speaking about business. As a licensed Pediatric Physical Therapist, aside from my full-time job, I am starting to offer consultations and home treatment sessions for the 0-10 years old population with developmental delays, orthopedic conditions/injuries, and special needs as an independent contractor. My services can only be offered virtually at this time due to the pandemic and can resume to in person sessions once California regulations allow. I provide several options for consultations, home treatment sessions, home exercise programs, equipment recommendations, and referrals to appropriate specialists as needed.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel that Los Angeles, and more specifically the community of South Central, is the perfect place to start a non-profit and/or physical therapy business. I say this because of the diverse population, lack of resources, and continuous need for representation of the most underserved population(s) of Los Angeles. I also believe that there is no greater feeling than giving back to the community you grew up in. We should always return to plant seeds for the future generations to be fruitful. When Angelenos put their heart and soul back into LA, the positive effects are infinite and undeniable.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/g.o.o.d_inc/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-sinclair-pt-dpt-a3a928b9
Image Credit:
Amy Atmore, Janet Roberts, Bryce Sinclair
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