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

Hi Crystal, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I am an Occupational therapist, Certified Aging In Place specialist and Certified Fall Prevention Specialist. During my travels throughout the country as a traveling therapist, I treated patients who had fallen at home, were seriously injured, and even left on the floor for days because they could not call for help and had no emergency plan for such situations. When it came time for discharge, patients would ask me the same questions before leaving, like “what can I do at home to feel safer? How can I stay at home and avoid being moved to a nursing home? If an emergency happens again what can my family and I do to be more prepared next time? If I have a fall, what is a safe way for me to get up if I can?” After noticing this trend of questions, I dedicated myself to becoming an Aging in Place Specialist and Fall Prevention Specialist to help patients and their families solve these problems.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I still consider myself new in my career, as I’ve only been practicing for two years. What I’m most proud of are the little moments that reassure me that I’ve chose the right path. For example, most occupational therapists work at a company for at least a year before becoming a traveling therapist but I went against that rule. Many of my professors and some of my mentors told me that I should go the traditional route and work at a facility for at least a year to gain experience then travel. The more people told me to do this the more I rebelled against the idea and decided to become a traveling therapist as soon as I graduated. My reasoning was that if I can challenge myself as a traveler so soon then I can conquer anything in my career and being a traveling therapist will make me more marketable because it shows flexibility, leadership, adaptability and so many more marketable skills. Well so said so done. Within my first year as a traveler I became a director of one of the facilities I traveled to, which is unheard of in the first year. I also always had a plan to start my own business as an occupational therapist but I told myself it’s in my 10 year goal. However, after speaking to another female OT who owns her own business, I told her about my 10 year plan and she flat out said to me “Crystal this is an awesome idea, why not start now?” I took a second and asked myself the same question and realized she was right, there was nothing holding me back from starting my business now, so I did. The biggest lesson I’ve learned through all of this in the two short years in my career is, like Nike says “Just do it”. If something is in your heart then follow it, if you fail then you learn from that and correct those mistakes and make it better. I can’t remember where I heard it but someone once said “better done than perfect” and that stuck with me.

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?
Some of my favorite places to eat in the city are Kamp, Turkey Leg Hut, JINYA Ramen, Taste Bar, Brennan’s, Lost & Found, Gen Korean BBQ, Cool Runnings, and Toulouse.

For drinks and a good vibe I’ve enjoyed Wonder bar, Puttery, roots wine tasting, and present company.

I haven’t really explored much since I’ve lived here but I plan on changing that in the new year.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My very first mentor Allyson Evelyn-Gustave at Johns Hopkins. While I was in undergrad she took me under her wing and taught me everything I know about OT. My mentor through OT school Richard Aiyegoro. He was in OT school while I was applying to programs and taught me everything I needed to know about the process to get into OT school. While I was in school I could call him at anytime to ask random questions about a topic if I didn’t understand and he would answer immediately or really sit there and help me through a thought. Lastly my entrepreneurial spirit comes from Dr. Denbow. He always encourages me to reach higher and act on an idea if I had it. He once told me that there are thinkers and there are doers and you won’t know how an idea plays out if you don’t just do it. I owe these three people everything.

Website: https://therapendence.com/

Instagram: _guyanesebarbie_

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-godette-mot-otr-l-caps-cfps-1943a5aa

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.