Meet Hannah Zimmerman | Speech-Language Pathologist & Owner/Founder of Just Once Language & Speech Therapy, Inc.

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

Hi Hannah, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Here’s the thing: I don’t consider myself to be a risk taker. I’m the type of person that stresses about any big decision. I can overthink just about anything. But at the end of the day, everything you do in life is a risk. I think it all comes down to what you think is worth taking a chance on uncertainty for. For me, getting an opportunity to have an experience that helps me grow and learn as a human or as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) is the catalyst for my risk-taking. I think back to some of the things that I thought were huge risks at the time – going to college out of state or going to work as a SLP in Australia – and how overwhelmed I was at the start of doing those things. Now I look back on those experiences and realize how much they shaped me as a lifelong learner, a passionate SLP, a more understanding human, and a more self-assured person; and they all seem worth it. I think of starting my business in the very same way. Often my biggest barrier was my own doubts holding me back. Now that I have taken the first steps, I am so excited for the things I will continue to learn along the way!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Just Once provides speech and language services to children, teens, and young adults with complex communication needs. Our goal for our clients is to guide them to lead meaningful lives through increased self-advocacy skills, independence and autonomy in communication, and an empowered support system. First and foremost, we are dedicated to teamwork, respect, and put the priority on engagement and connection. We want parents and caregivers to ask questions, share feedback, share struggles, share hopes, and collaborate with us every step of the way. At Just Once, we will always respect our clients in how we speak to them, speak about them, and act towards them. We recognize potential and have high expectations for them! Building connections with clients and families are at the heart of all we do because strong relationships are foundational to learning. We will spend time getting to know our clients, their parents/caregivers, and what is meaningful for them as family so that we can best support them on their communication journey!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love having visitors and playing tourist in my own city! If you are coming to visit me, just know that we are going to visit a lot of coffee shops, breweries, and restaurants! We’d go to Liberty Station, check out Stone Brewing, grab a bite to eat at either the public market or Officine Buona Forchetta, and end the day watching a stunning sunset at Sunset Cliffs. Some other cool places that I would like to go are to grab some coffee at Better Buzz on our way to see the seals and sea lions at La Jolla Cove. We would definitely need to get some delicious homemade ice cream at Mariposas in North Park. We would definitely be sure to check out Coronado, Balboa park, the zoo, a Padres game, and then have plenty of time for hiking and paddle boarding. One of my favorite things about San Diego is there are so many amazing places and people here!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I feel very thankful that there have been so many people in my life – my parents, my sister, family, friends, teachers, co-workers – that have supported me, listened to me, and encouraged me in everything that I do as a human. In terms of the SLP parts of my life, I would like to give a special shout out to my brother because without him I wouldn’t be doing the work that I am doing. He continues to teach me about what really matters in life and how to better serve my clients. I also feel that every single client and family I have worked with along the way has helped me grow as a clinician. I owe them a debt of gratitude for their trust and collaboration.

Website: https://www.justonce-slp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just.once.slp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/just.once.slp

Other: Phone: (619) 790-3344 Email: info@justonce-slp.com