Meet Jessica Hudson | Speech Language Pathologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Hudson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
This question really hits home for me. I was taught at an early age that hard work built character. I started working when I was 15 years old and continued through college and grad school, usually working two jobs at a time. This was my norm. Work, and more work. When I opened my clinic five years ago, I knew it would take hard work and a lot of time. I didn’t leave much room for anything else. Thanks to some wise people in my life, podcasts, and books, I have realized this train can’t continue this way and rest and balance have to be part of the picture. I preach this to my clients all the time but don’t always walk the walk. Lately, my husband (also a small business owner) and I have made rest more of a priority in our lives. We try to make time to eat dinner together every night and find time to take trips where we unplug from work. It is so easy to become wrapped up in your business and go, go, go constantly. However, I am learning that successful people and businesses need a good work-life balance to succeed. This balance will continue to be a process over time I am sure.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started Stuttering and Speech Therapy of Arizona five years ago with the desire to “change the world of stuttering in Arizona.” I hope to bring more awareness to our community about stuttering and support those who stutter and people around them. We pride ourselves on being a clean, comfortable, and welcoming clinic with well-educated and caring speech-language pathologists. We don’t want to be just another clinic, we want to be the best because our clients deserve the best. This high expectation does come with it’s challenges. It has caused some sleepless nights thinking, “how could we make this better, what could we do to help client XYZ, what more can we offer, etc.” But it is completely worth it because we have been able to meet and help the most amazing people! As I mentioned in a previous question, I am working on balance. We all need a little rest and rejuvenation in our lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Wow! This is a great question, Arizona has SO MUCH to offer! My friend would visit during the fall or spring to enjoy the best of our weather. We would do some hiking during the day, most likely in the Superstition Mountains. We would eat all the local food we could find. Some of the restaurants on our itinerary would include Cotton and Copper, Vecina, Otro Cafe, Larder and Delta, and Taco Chelo. On Saturday morning we would hit up the Gilbert Farmer’s Market and visit my favorite vendors: Benny Blanco Tortillas (I may be a little bias on this one, he happens to be my husband), Proper Beast, Sonoran Pasta Co, Blue Sky Farms, Proof Bread….who am I kidding, really everyone there is amazing, we would stop at all the booths. And we would have to hit up Cider Corp for the best cider around!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people in my life that I could give a shoutout to, and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart! But the biggest shoutout goes to my supportive husband. He put his dreams on hold so I could pursue mine. He moved to the desert so I could try something new. He said “go for it!” when I said I wanted to open a clinic focusing on stuttering. He cooks me dinner when I have had late nights at the office. He is my biggest cheerleader and I can’t thank him enough for going on this journey with me.

Website: https://www.stutteringtherapyaz.com/
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