Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Calonda Henry, M.S. CCC-SLP. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Calonda, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Self-esteem is often referred to as the feelings one thinks and feels of themselves. On the contrary, your confidence deals with your level of comfort surrounding how you look and feel. The biggest lesson I have learned is my thoughts and words dictate how I feel or even how I look at an existing situation. It is merely our words that can have the greatest impact on what we do as well as how we do it. Over the past few years I have really boosted my confidence and self-esteem as an entrepreneur. I have developed a sense of challenging thoughts of negativity. What do I mean by that? Well, it is so easy to let your thoughts get a hold of how you pursue a hurdle alongside entrepreneurship. The challenge comes when you push back at those thoughts of negativity and start to recognize what truly makes you great. I began to focus on the positives such as the legacy I’m building for my family, the eloquence of my speech, the lives I’ve touched in my career, and genuinely operating in my purpose. It is true what they say “comparison is the thief of joy”. Banishing feelings of comparison helped me to truly recognize just how far I’ve come and still have so much more to accomplish.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a licensed speech language pathologist as well as the CEO & Founder of Broad Horizons Speech Therapy. Many people often wonder “What in the world is a speech language pathologist?” As a speech language pathologist, I have been highly trained to work across the lifespan from infancy to the end of life. From communication development, feeding issues, reading comprehension, executive functioning, stuttering, articulation disorders, and so much more speech language pathologists play a critical role in improving one’s overall quality of life. The passion that I have for my career has subsequently grown into my role as CEO of my private practice. Not only do I get to do a job that I absolutely love, but I get to see firsthand how speech and language therapy can shape a family’s future. I am passionate about educating families, guaranteeing educational equity, and mentoring the future generation of leaders in speech language pathology. When families and their children enter the doors of Broad Horizons Speech Therapy it is our ultimate goal to ensure they feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. All of our clinicians and staff have the innate capability of genuinely connecting with families and the guarantee that they will prosper with the support of our dynamic team. Currently, our team is on a steady path of growth (doubled our overall gross profits from last year’s numbers) and continuously seeking highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals to join our team. If you have a love for all things speech therapy and working with children, we would love to talk with you more.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities that I have found to be most impactful on my journey are adaptability, self-discipline, and tenacity. From as long as I can remember, I have always been a goal getter! No matter how much someone told me something would be hard or I wouldn’t be able to do “x,y,z”, my tenacious mentality has always proven them wrong time and time again. I think it actually aides in a sense of supreme satisfaction to know whatever life throws at me, I’m coming out swinging harder than before. Being adaptable has definitely been an evolutionary skillset since becoming a full time entrepreneur. Things simply don’t go as planned and in most cases you have to do things that take you beyond your comfort zone. However, it is outside of these comfort zones that we produce results that exceed far beyond what we could have imagined. The nature of business is ever-changing and new challenges and opportunities present themselves all the time. Finally, the most important quality that I continue to work on and refine is self-discipline. On some days it may be extremely hard to find motivation as an entrepreneur, because let’s face it, life can most definitely give us tons of lemons. Self-discipline becomes extremely important to always do what needs to be done even when you don’t necessarily feel like doing it. It is very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel especially when you are deep in the trenches, but the ability to stay the course will certainly depict truly how far you can go on this journey.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Currently I am reading, The Art of Overcoming: Letting God Turn Your Endings into Beginnings by Tim Timberlake. Truly understanding that life is full of setbacks and how to process those moments and continue to move throughout life knowing that you can conquer all through His word! “The pain we experience is real—but there’s a difference between acknowledging it and giving into it.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://broadhorizonsspeech.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/calonda.slp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhspeechtherapy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calonda-henry-m-s-ccc-slp-1191721ab/
- Other: www.instagram.com/broadhorizonsspeech
Image Credits
Charlotte Patin Photography LLC
