Meet Erin Clarelli | Human, Wife, Fur Mama, Friend, Daughter, Sister, Autistic Ally, Small-Business Owner, Occupational Therapist

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

Hi Erin, what matters most to you?
It’s interesting this question came up just now… today. When I finally made the time to share my story with you after a whirlwind of a week and when I just finished really honing in on my values and principles, both personally and professionally. For me as a human, fur mama, wife, friend, autistic ally, and small business owner, a few come to mind. Courage, curiosity, collaboration, connection. But the biggest one to stand out in all areas of my life has been, and always will be, compassion. When this came to mind while doing some of this reflecting at the beginning of this year, I asked google… “Hey Google, define “compassion”. Here’s what I got… “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” **YIKES** That’s not what I feel when I feel I am expressing compassion to myself and others.. pity? concern? That doesn’t feel good. BUT THEN, I recently finished reading Brene Brown’s new book “Atlas of the heart” (10 out of 10 recommend to any and all!). She had more than 2 full pages breaking down what compassion means through her research and I want to quote some of that here.

1. “Compassion is the daily practice of recognizing and accepting our shared humanity so that we treat ourselves and others with loving-kindness, and we take action in the face of suffering.”
2. “It’s not just feeling, it’s doing.”
3. “Compassion is fueled by understanding and accepting that we’re all made of strength and struggle – no one is immune to pain or suffering. Compassion is not a practice of “better than” or “I can fix you” – it’s a practice based in the beauty and pain of shared humanity.”

Now THAT is what I feel and experience when I think of compassion and act compassionately. So yes, compassion is my number one value in life and in my work. Why?…. because WHY NOT?

What should our readers know about your business?
My business is called SUNRISE Therapies, offering occupational therapy services to neurodiverse individuals throughout San Diego. We focus on neurodiversity affirming care. What’s that mean? It means that we include the individual we are working with in treatment planning and activity planning. We respect and honor the individuals interests, passions, boundaries, etc.

This seems like that should always be the case, right? Unfortunately, it’s not. Often individuals who may move their bodies different or use varied ways to communicate instead of spoken language are thought to be unable to understand what others may be saying or expressing. Often their true potential isn’t tapped into because of others doubts in their abilities and understanding. At SUNRISE, we recognize that every human has the best version of themselves within. It’s about unlocking that for them through purposeful and meaningful experiences.

It’s hard to fully capture what we do because that is up to the client and family we are serving. Some days we’re learning the motor patterns for stand up paddle boarding or surfing, other days we’re in a kitchen cooking up a delicious recipe, and one day you may even cross paths with us as a local supermarket or target.

I’m the most proud of building meaningful and connected relationships within the autistic community locally in San Diego and across the country through social-media and the digitally connected world we live in today. I’m proud to dedicate my life’s work to advocacy and education around neurodiversity and plan to instill this passion and learning in other clinicians to work with us at SUNRISE therapies.

Was it easy? No, nothing truly worth experiencing comes easy. The road is bumpy sometimes and smooth other times. There’s a lot of forks in the road and detours because of obstacles, but every single one leads us to where we now we’re meant to be going.

You can read more about the specifics of my story on how I ended up here at: http://sdvoyager.com/interview/exploring-life-business-with-erin-clarelli-of-sunrise-therapies-inc/

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.
Ooof. So I’m not a native San Diegan. I am originally from Long Island, NY so my palate was basically pizza, bagels, and pasta. I’ve become a total foodie since moving here.

Coffee from Kings Kraft in Poway.
Breakfast would be at The Mad Beet in PB to grab the best Acai bowl in town.
Lunch would be at Lolitas for a Cali Burrito
Lunch Dessert (yes, dessert after lunch because I have a total sweet tooth) would be from The Boba Co in Poway to get a sweet drink.
Dinner would be somewhere on Convoy, likely Tajima or Shanghai Saloon for some bomb dumplings
Second dessert would be at Salt & Straw in Del Mar

Throw in some Yoga with Namasteve on Law Street cliffs, a sunset up at Del Mar dog beach with our fur baby, and a hike (can’t choose one! too many amazing options)

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?
Oh gosh, where to start?! (Pictures self holding an award on a big stage saying “I’d like to thank my fans..”)

haha, in all seriousness.. every single living being that has crossed my path has altered my path and life in some way. Whether it be the upbringing my parents gave me, the fluffy dog that gave me kisses on my hike up Cowles mountain, or clinical mentors who expanded my knowledge and skill in the work I do each day.. so lets just say that to start.

Right now in my life I am heavily focused on my small business and growing as a CEO and entrepreneur. I have an amazing local clinical mentor who is always open to sharing and supporting. Corey Roan, mama and CEO of Milestone Pediatric Clinic right here in San Diego. Ironically enough, we reconnected as CEOs after knowing each other as clinicians, in Boca Raton, FL at a summit for OT Entrepreneurs. This was led by two incredible OTs and CEOs’s Laura Park Figueroa & Trish Williams. I am incredibly grateful for this community of OTs who are all supporting one another in advocating for OT CEOs and what we have to offer!

If I gave you all the books I’ve read to learn we’d be here all day.. but am happy to share with anyone interested! 🙂

Last, but not least, my patient and kind husband, Vinny. Literally, none of this would work if I didn’t have his shoulder to cry on or his sense of humor to carry me through this life. <3

Website: http://www.sunrisetherapiesinc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunrise.therapies/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/73235169/admin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunrise.therapies.inc

Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/2hw_SNTqIZvYwxdcpuKPCg/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJoEa1HPumi_UKlKrD1611A