From Expansion to Rest (and a New Kitten đž)
Can you believe April is already behind us? Spring is finally hereâand with it, a season of renewal.
April was Occupational Therapy Month, a time usually filled with celebrations in hospitals, clinics, and rehab department break rooms. While I truly love owning my own business, Iâd be lying if I said I donât sometimes miss the camaraderie of colleaguesâthose everyday moments of sharing ideas and celebrating the work we do.
So this year, I organized a gathering of Occupational Therapists here on the North Shore who have each built their own holistic, independent practices. There were eight of us around the table, each bringing a unique lens to the profession:
⢠Hypnosis & nervous system regulation
⢠Adaptive driving & family education for aging in place
⢠Infant feeding
⢠Chronic pain management
⢠Energy work
⢠Life coaching for GLP-1 weight loss support
And of course, Myofascial Release was representedâI was so glad my friend Patti could make it. She opened her business two years ago, and it was wonderful to connect and collaborate.
Different specialties. Different paths. Shared foundation.
What struck me most is that none of these specialties are departures from Occupational Therapyâtheyâre expansions of it. Each of us has stepped outside the traditional medical model to support people in ways that feel more aligned, more personalized, and often more impactful.
For years, I worked in traditional settingsâspecial education, low vision, stroke recovery, orthopedic rehab. And even then, I found myself drawn to approaches that looked beyond the surface, toward deeper healing and connection.
This OT celebratory dinner felt like a full-circle moment: a reminder that while the setting may change, the heart of this work remains the same.
That ideaâtending to what mattersâshowed up in other ways this month, too.
We returned to Anguilla to celebrate dear friends as they closed their family restaurant after 44 years. It was a meaningful gathering, with people coming from near and far to honor not just a business, but a legacy of care, community, and connection.
And in the midst of that trip, we adopted a kitten from the local shelter. Meet Snapper.
After the sudden loss of our sweet DJ in December, there has been a real sense of grief in our home. While that doesnât disappear, bringing Snapper home has added a new kind of energyâplayful, curious, and full of life. Even Manchego (our 16-month-old, 20-pound Maine Coon) is slowly adjusting to his new little brother.
Itâs been a reminder that healing doesnât always look like moving onâit can also look like making space for something new alongside what weâve lost.
April also marked a first for me professionallyâI cancelled a full day of clients because my body was hurting. I knew I couldnât be fully present, and I risked injuring myself by pushing through.
Iâve cancelled before for blizzards, COVID, and family emergenciesâbut never for my own body.
As much as I didnât like doing it, it turned out to be a deeper form of self-care. I used the time to rest and receive chiropractic and manual therapy, and I returned the following week able to show up fully again.
It was a powerful reminderâand one I share often with clients: you canât go wrong by listening to your body.
Kitten Introductions & Floor Sitting (Don't)
I put together a reel about introducing Snapper to Manchego. Fair warning: it involves me realizing I was doing exactly what I tell my clients not to do: sitting directly on the floor. Turns out, practicing what I preach applies to kitten wrangling too. Come hang out on Instagram for more.
Whether its celebrating my OT roots, honoring transitions, making space for joy, or simply knowing when to pause, April felt like a practice in paying attention to what matters most, and Iâm carrying that forward into May.
As always, thank you for being here and supporting this journey.
Take good care,
Jessica