Meet Laura Suarez | Pediatric Physical Therapist

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

Hi Laura, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My story started years ago in college when God gave me a vision of owning a pediatric physical therapy company and ministering to families. Once I finished graduate school and began working at an outpatient clinic, my dream was placed on hold for a while as I started my career. I honestly wondered if this dream would become a reality but knew if it was meant to be it would happen. Years later, I felt the urge to start my company Local Pediatric Physical Therapy, LLC. I was still working full time and not putting too much energy into it yet as I now also had a wonderful husband and three amazing children. Suddenly I was faced with circumstances where I had to make a stand at my full time job. God used these circumstances to put me where He wanted me to be, working on my new business. Since then, it has been a challenging but wonderful road as the business has begun to grow. I now have a clinic space and an aquatic space I am using to help clients. My family has also been able to start a charity called Suarez Cares Inc to help children receive intensive therapy at our clinic. I can look back now and realize that He had me working all of those years prior to ownership to build my skills and knowledge. All of this has been possible with God’s direction and taking leaps of faith toward His plans for our family.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I love what I do! I specialize in the pediatric field for physical therapy. My business offers many services. I am certified in aquatic therapy and I offer this weekly as one on one sessions in the pool. The water can really help when teaching the kiddos how to move as it supports them and takes some of the weight. It is also fun! I also specialize in serial casting for the ankles. The ankles can get tight and weekly casting can offer the stretching needed to gain good range of motion followed by exercises to help learn to use the muscles. I am certified in NeuroDevelopmental Treatment and this helps me in my weekly sessions with my clients. All of my services include one on one weekly in clinic services, one on one weekly aquatic services, serial casting, and intensive physical therapy which includes multiple sessions a week for a few weeks at a time.

The journey to be here was not easy as we had to learn about starting a new business and our family did not have the financial support to start it. We had to start from scratch and find sources that would help us learn how to create a business. God has placed amazing people along the way to guide us. One of our most exciting adventures along the way has been starting our charity Suarez Cares Inc. We cannot wait until we are able to assist our first client. So many kids need services but many do not have the financial means for it. There have been so many bumps, some more challenging than others, but all are teaching us and creating the ultimate plan God has for our family and business.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Our family loves Katy and Houston and all they have to offer! We typically know exactly where to take our family friends with fun spots for children. One of our favorite places is the zoo. It has such a variety and they are often adding new habitats. We would also love to go and explore all the various nature walks and arboretums throughout the city. There are so many. We love the museums around Houston and our favorites are the Museum of Natural Science and the Children’s Museum. We also enjoy watching our favorite Houston teams play including the Astros and the Texans. In between all of these fun places, we have many favorite food places that we enjoy taking our friends to. There are too many to name but a couple include eating fajitas at El Tiempo and all the yummy dishes at Local Table.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my wonderful husband and three amazing boys. They have supported me every step of the way providing me ways to go after my dream and encouraging me to go after the dream even when it was a leap of faith to do it. They are just as much a part of this business as I am.

Website: www.localpediatricpt.com

Instagram: @localpediatricpt

Facebook: www.facebook.com/localpediatricpt

Image Credits
Colt Melrose Photography