February 6, 2024 • 12 mins
Welcome to the new season of "Animals and Aquatics in Occupational Therapy" with hosts Gina and Ryan. They own a private practice in New Jersey and are passionate about helping OTs and OTAs incorporate animals or aquatics in their therapy journey. The hosts share their experiences, challenges, and valuable insights to build a supportive community for fellow practitioners. Season two promises more series, engaging interviews, invitations to connect, and a special freebie on finding your unique OT niche. Get ready for a season full of learning, reflection, and practical advice.
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(00:14):
Hi, welcome to animals andaquatics.
I'm Gina.
And I'm glad to be your host andhappy to be back for a new
season of animals and aquaticsand occupational therapy.
Animals and aquatics inoccupational therapy is a
podcast for other OTs and OTAswho are interested in
incorporating animals oraquatics in their occupational
(00:34):
therapy journey.
Ryan and I are husband and wifeteam.
We own a private practice in NewJersey.
And we're also interested inhelping other occupational
therapy providers along theirjourney with animals and
aquatics.
We certainly have found somechallenges along the way, and we
(00:54):
want to share what we havelearned, and we want to network
with others who are on thisjourney with us.
So welcome.
I'm so excited to be back forthe second season of animals and
aquatics and occupationaltherapy.
Last year when we started this,it was just kind of a thought of
starting a podcast to helpothers find out some information
(01:16):
that we had really struggledwith when we were getting
started.
And.
We went through the wholeseason, which was amazing and
more than many podcasts are ableto do and survive.
So we are back now starting withseason two.
So if you are new to us,certainly go back and have a
listen to season one.
(01:37):
But if you have been catching upon back episodes,
congratulations.
We'll now be publishing everyweek on Tuesday, or at least
every week that we can onTuesday.
And we're so excited to getstarted with this season.
If you've been wondering at allabout what we did over our time
off.
(01:57):
Well, One of the reasons why itwas important for us to take
that little break.
Right.
In December and January was thatthe first two weeks of December
are always really super crazyfor me.
Because I am an adjunctprofessor for an occupational
therapy assistant program.
And those first two weeks inDecember are always when finals
(02:20):
are going to happen.
And it just, it takes me a lotof preparation to get ready for
finals and for the students tomake sure all the grading and
everything is going to be done.
And I just really wanted to beable to focus on that.
Really well and not feel.
Distracted.
(02:40):
By worrying about whether Iwould have another episode done
for the podcast.
And that was a really goodplanning decision for me because
it did allow me a little bit ofbreathing room.
I was kind of able to wrapeverything up in November.
Take a big deep breath and thenstep into December.
Ready to focus on the thingsthat I really didn't need to pay
(03:02):
attention to.
So those first two weeks inDecember for finals were really
important, but I also had the20, 24 planning party, which is
a free event that I've done.
Actually now for the last threeyears to.
Help OTs and OTAs who aregetting ready to start or grow
(03:22):
their programming in the nextyear.
And so we'd like to gettogether.
We go through some planningexercises and.
Think about where we need to putour focus, what our strengths
are, what our support andcommunity is going to be.
And what we're really gonnafocus on for the new year.
So it helps me personally, toblock off a couple hours,
(03:44):
myself, to put some time in theschedule for planning.
And I just love doing it withother people because it's a lot
more fun to sit down and kind oftalk about planning when there's
some other people there.
We had the planning party onDecember six.
That was a lot of fun anddefinitely helped me get my new
year off to the right start.
Then after that.
(04:04):
Grandparents from out of towncame in.
So that was about two weeksright around the holidays.
Uh, we have three young childrenages six and under.
And this time with grandparentsis really special for us.
So being able to carve out thattime was, was nice.
It also allowed us to slow downa little bit around the holidays
(04:26):
and the holidays can be reallyhectic, but we really ended up
with a full house for a littlewhile of having, my mom and her
husband come and Ryan's momhere.
And the kids and us, and justreally sinking into the
holidays.
And it's so magical, when yourkids are really little around
Christmas time, Because they'rethey're so into everything and
(04:50):
we were making homemade presentsfor one another.
And we really wanted to takethat time.
Those of you have been listeningin, maybe have picked up on that
we are following a Waldorf.
Curriculum in our homeschooljourney with our children.
And one of the things with thatis a lot of hand work or
handcrafts.
(05:10):
And so that was part of ourholidays was working on making
some handmade gifts for oneanother.
So during that time we had, someextra time to slow down.
Spend time with the kids makethose gifts.
And it was really nice again,having that time with family,
having that time to slow down.
(05:31):
And then as the holidays reallyturned into the new year there
was still some breathing room.
There was a little time offbefore I was heading back.
To the college to teach again.
So having those few weeks withthe kids, trying to get the new
year planning done and reallywrapped up.
I like to do both a personalyear end review that's really
(05:54):
looking at.
Personally, where am I at?
But then we also do our businessplanning and you're in review.
We're going to be preparing fortaxes and tax season.
So it's really a lot of justgetting all those things
together.
Ryan.
And I we've been doing a lot ofplanning for our own business on
our Friday business meetings andfor the podcast as well.
(06:17):
So I just want to share a fewsneak peaks into this year.
If you're curious about whatwe've been thinking about and
planning.
Specifically for the podcastthis year.
The number one thing is doingmore series.
I really love doing the horsesand mental health series last
year.
And for me, it was a great wayto do planning and.
(06:39):
It allowed me to take a bit of adeeper dive into that
information.
So this year we are planning afew series and we're excited
that we get to.
Dive into a topic, but keep itin a short like bite-size or
commute sized episode.
So you're getting moreinformation, but it's keeping it
(07:01):
relatively manageable by doingit in a series and allows us to
really look at something from anumber of different angles.
So.
That's one of the things thatwe're prioritizing or putting
together as part of ourplanning, rather than having
certain topics that you mighthave one in one month, and then
you might have a, another topicon, or another episode on that
(07:23):
topic.
Leader.
We're really focusing on puttingthose together in a series where
you can just listen along or youcan follow along for those
couple episodes and get what youneed.
Get a real, take-home messageout of those.
Of course for this year, we areplanning some awesome
interviews.
We have some amazing guestslined up this season to talk
(07:45):
about a variety of OT centrictopics.
So.
We think it's really importantthat we're taking that OT
approach.
When we're covering topics likeanimals, aquatics, hippotherapy,
business planning interventionsession planning, clinical
reasoning.
Because in some of the areas,there's more information about
(08:07):
PT and that physical therapyapproach is already out there
and well-documented, and whileyou're searching or Googling for
an intervention, you might comemore across the PT side of
things, but for us, it's reallyimportant that we're bringing
that holistic view to things andwe're coming at it from a real
OT lens.
And I think that applies toeverything.
(08:28):
Even when we're talking aboutbusiness.
Certainly, whether we're runninga physical therapy, private
practice or an OT, privatepractice, or a speech language
pathology, private practice,there are some things that are
going to be very much the same,but there are some things that
are kind of OT centric, or maybeit's just the flavor.
(08:49):
I think that is a little bitdifferent.
And, occupational therapyproviders are just such a
welcoming bunch.
And so it's been fantastic toreach out to people and see if
they want to be on the podcastand, get those interviews plan
because I think it bringssomething extra when you have
(09:09):
those extra perspective.
So we're really excited to getour interviews on the calendar
and get those recordings done.
This season, so season two,we're excited to bring more
invitations to connect and towork together or meeting in real
life at conferences or throughinternships and coaching.
(09:31):
We think it's important thatwe're not just speaking out into
the void, which is sometimes thefeeling when you're podcasting
and you're recording and thenyou're publishing it.
But if it's not a two-waycommunication, your voice is
just going out there and wereally want.
Want to open up those doors toconnection and working together
because we see such value whenwe network with others, when we
(09:55):
connect with others and we wantto make sure that that's going
to be in the forefront of thisyear.
So I just want to give you alittle insight into how we're
kicking off 2024 for thepodcast.
We're actually going to getstarted with a series.
And I also have a freebie toshare with you.
(10:18):
That's a little bit fun.
So.
Our first four episodes will beabout getting started.
And we've had a lot of questionsabout how we got started and
specific questions about gettingstarted if you're using
hippotherapy in your OT practiceor getting started, if you're
using aquatics in your OTpractice, and we want to cover
(10:39):
those getting started questionsright at the beginning of the
year.
So if you are thinking aboutgetting started this year,
that's going to be a great thingfor you to get that information
right at the beginning of theyear, that way you can start to
put.
Some of our experiences to usefor you.
So we're going to be reflectingon some of our wins and
(11:00):
definitely our learning momentsand give you our best advice for
getting started in 2024.
Plus over the break, I made afun little learning course
called nail your unique OTniche.
So that's my fun little freebie.
It will take you through fourareas of OT.
Goodness.
So hippotherapy, animal assistedtherapy, aquatics and
(11:20):
nature-based OT.
To help you find the specialtythat is the best fit for you.
So I will leave the link forthat in the show notes for you.
If you're interested.
In learning a little bit aboutwhat might be the best fit for
you if you are thinking aboutworking in a unique OT niche.
And might be interested in, wantto learn a little bit more about
(11:42):
what those areas entail.
It will go really well with ourgetting started series and is
definitely a little bit of fun.
So I'm super glad to be back inthe podcasting seat and talking
about all the things that I loveabout OT.
I'm glad to be back for a newseason.
We're excited to share with you.
Learn alongside you and help youon your journey with animals and
(12:04):
aquatics in OT.
Hi, welcome to animals andaquatics.
I'm Gina.
And I'm glad to be your host andhappy to be back for a new
season of animals and aquaticsand occupational therapy.
Animals and aquatics inoccupational therapy is a
podcast for other OTs and OTAswho are interested in
incorporating animals oraquatics in their occupational
(00:34):
therapy journey.
Ryan and I are husband and wifeteam.
We own a private practice in NewJersey.
And we're also interested inhelping other occupational
therapy providers along theirjourney with animals and
aquatics.
We certainly have found somechallenges along the way, and we
(00:54):
want to share what we havelearned, and we want to network
with others who are on thisjourney with us.
So welcome.
I'm so excited to be back forthe second season of animals and
aquatics and occupationaltherapy.
Last year when we started this,it was just kind of a thought of
starting a podcast to helpothers find out some information
(01:16):
that we had really struggledwith when we were getting
started.
And.
We went through the wholeseason, which was amazing and
more than many podcasts are ableto do and survive.
So we are back now starting withseason two.
So if you are new to us,certainly go back and have a
listen to season one.
(01:37):
But if you have been catching upon back episodes,
congratulations.
We'll now be publishing everyweek on Tuesday, or at least
every week that we can onTuesday.
And we're so excited to getstarted with this season.
If you've been wondering at allabout what we did over our time
off.
(01:57):
Well, One of the reasons why itwas important for us to take
that little break.
Right.
In December and January was thatthe first two weeks of December
are always really super crazyfor me.
Because I am an adjunctprofessor for an occupational
therapy assistant program.
And those first two weeks inDecember are always when finals
(02:20):
are going to happen.
And it just, it takes me a lotof preparation to get ready for
finals and for the students tomake sure all the grading and
everything is going to be done.
And I just really wanted to beable to focus on that.
Really well and not feel.
Distracted.
(02:40):
By worrying about whether Iwould have another episode done
for the podcast.
And that was a really goodplanning decision for me because
it did allow me a little bit ofbreathing room.
I was kind of able to wrapeverything up in November.
Take a big deep breath and thenstep into December.
Ready to focus on the thingsthat I really didn't need to pay
(03:02):
attention to.
So those first two weeks inDecember for finals were really
important, but I also had the20, 24 planning party, which is
a free event that I've done.
Actually now for the last threeyears to.
Help OTs and OTAs who aregetting ready to start or grow
(03:22):
their programming in the nextyear.
And so we'd like to gettogether.
We go through some planningexercises and.
Think about where we need to putour focus, what our strengths
are, what our support andcommunity is going to be.
And what we're really gonnafocus on for the new year.
So it helps me personally, toblock off a couple hours,
(03:44):
myself, to put some time in theschedule for planning.
And I just love doing it withother people because it's a lot
more fun to sit down and kind oftalk about planning when there's
some other people there.
We had the planning party onDecember six.
That was a lot of fun anddefinitely helped me get my new
year off to the right start.
Then after that.
(04:04):
Grandparents from out of towncame in.
So that was about two weeksright around the holidays.
Uh, we have three young childrenages six and under.
And this time with grandparentsis really special for us.
So being able to carve out thattime was, was nice.
It also allowed us to slow downa little bit around the holidays
(04:26):
and the holidays can be reallyhectic, but we really ended up
with a full house for a littlewhile of having, my mom and her
husband come and Ryan's momhere.
And the kids and us, and justreally sinking into the
holidays.
And it's so magical, when yourkids are really little around
Christmas time, Because they'rethey're so into everything and
(04:50):
we were making homemade presentsfor one another.
And we really wanted to takethat time.
Those of you have been listeningin, maybe have picked up on that
we are following a Waldorf.
Curriculum in our homeschooljourney with our children.
And one of the things with thatis a lot of hand work or
handcrafts.
(05:10):
And so that was part of ourholidays was working on making
some handmade gifts for oneanother.
So during that time we had, someextra time to slow down.
Spend time with the kids makethose gifts.
And it was really nice again,having that time with family,
having that time to slow down.
(05:31):
And then as the holidays reallyturned into the new year there
was still some breathing room.
There was a little time offbefore I was heading back.
To the college to teach again.
So having those few weeks withthe kids, trying to get the new
year planning done and reallywrapped up.
I like to do both a personalyear end review that's really
(05:54):
looking at.
Personally, where am I at?
But then we also do our businessplanning and you're in review.
We're going to be preparing fortaxes and tax season.
So it's really a lot of justgetting all those things
together.
Ryan.
And I we've been doing a lot ofplanning for our own business on
our Friday business meetings andfor the podcast as well.
(06:17):
So I just want to share a fewsneak peaks into this year.
If you're curious about whatwe've been thinking about and
planning.
Specifically for the podcastthis year.
The number one thing is doingmore series.
I really love doing the horsesand mental health series last
year.
And for me, it was a great wayto do planning and.
(06:39):
It allowed me to take a bit of adeeper dive into that
information.
So this year we are planning afew series and we're excited
that we get to.
Dive into a topic, but keep itin a short like bite-size or
commute sized episode.
So you're getting moreinformation, but it's keeping it
(07:01):
relatively manageable by doingit in a series and allows us to
really look at something from anumber of different angles.
So.
That's one of the things thatwe're prioritizing or putting
together as part of ourplanning, rather than having
certain topics that you mighthave one in one month, and then
you might have a, another topicon, or another episode on that
(07:23):
topic.
Leader.
We're really focusing on puttingthose together in a series where
you can just listen along or youcan follow along for those
couple episodes and get what youneed.
Get a real, take-home messageout of those.
Of course for this year, we areplanning some awesome
interviews.
We have some amazing guestslined up this season to talk
(07:45):
about a variety of OT centrictopics.
So.
We think it's really importantthat we're taking that OT
approach.
When we're covering topics likeanimals, aquatics, hippotherapy,
business planning interventionsession planning, clinical
reasoning.
Because in some of the areas,there's more information about
(08:07):
PT and that physical therapyapproach is already out there
and well-documented, and whileyou're searching or Googling for
an intervention, you might comemore across the PT side of
things, but for us, it's reallyimportant that we're bringing
that holistic view to things andwe're coming at it from a real
OT lens.
And I think that applies toeverything.
(08:28):
Even when we're talking aboutbusiness.
Certainly, whether we're runninga physical therapy, private
practice or an OT, privatepractice, or a speech language
pathology, private practice,there are some things that are
going to be very much the same,but there are some things that
are kind of OT centric, or maybeit's just the flavor.
(08:49):
I think that is a little bitdifferent.
And, occupational therapyproviders are just such a
welcoming bunch.
And so it's been fantastic toreach out to people and see if
they want to be on the podcastand, get those interviews plan
because I think it bringssomething extra when you have
(09:09):
those extra perspective.
So we're really excited to getour interviews on the calendar
and get those recordings done.
This season, so season two,we're excited to bring more
invitations to connect and towork together or meeting in real
life at conferences or throughinternships and coaching.
(09:31):
We think it's important thatwe're not just speaking out into
the void, which is sometimes thefeeling when you're podcasting
and you're recording and thenyou're publishing it.
But if it's not a two-waycommunication, your voice is
just going out there and wereally want.
Want to open up those doors toconnection and working together
because we see such value whenwe network with others, when we
(09:55):
connect with others and we wantto make sure that that's going
to be in the forefront of thisyear.
So I just want to give you alittle insight into how we're
kicking off 2024 for thepodcast.
We're actually going to getstarted with a series.
And I also have a freebie toshare with you.
(10:18):
That's a little bit fun.
So.
Our first four episodes will beabout getting started.
And we've had a lot of questionsabout how we got started and
specific questions about gettingstarted if you're using
hippotherapy in your OT practiceor getting started, if you're
using aquatics in your OTpractice, and we want to cover
(10:39):
those getting started questionsright at the beginning of the
year.
So if you are thinking aboutgetting started this year,
that's going to be a great thingfor you to get that information
right at the beginning of theyear, that way you can start to
put.
Some of our experiences to usefor you.
So we're going to be reflectingon some of our wins and
(11:00):
definitely our learning momentsand give you our best advice for
getting started in 2024.
Plus over the break, I made afun little learning course
called nail your unique OTniche.
So that's my fun little freebie.
It will take you through fourareas of OT.
Goodness.
So hippotherapy, animal assistedtherapy, aquatics and
(11:20):
nature-based OT.
To help you find the specialtythat is the best fit for you.
So I will leave the link forthat in the show notes for you.
If you're interested.
In learning a little bit aboutwhat might be the best fit for
you if you are thinking aboutworking in a unique OT niche.
And might be interested in, wantto learn a little bit more about
(11:42):
what those areas entail.
It will go really well with ourgetting started series and is
definitely a little bit of fun.
So I'm super glad to be back inthe podcasting seat and talking
about all the things that I loveabout OT.
I'm glad to be back for a newseason.
We're excited to share with you.
Learn alongside you and help youon your journey with animals and
(12:04):
aquatics in OT.
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