Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Gill.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Not sure what the following questions will be, so I will just go from the beginning…I was born and raised on the wild and windy plains of Laramie, Wyoming. A rural, fly-fishing, horseback riding lesbian who
also enjoyed belting musical theater torch songs. In college, I was faced
with the choice of playing intramural rugby or playing the leading lady in the musical. I elected to major in music, and received a Bachelors in vocal performance from Portland State University. My singing career kicked into high gear when I was actively recruited to attend
the Jacob’s School of Music at Indiana University on a scholarship for graduate opera performance.
Then, fifteen years as an operatic mezzo-soprano and at the height of my singing career, I was a vocal instructor, and mother of two, I was confronted with a vocal injury. That humbling period of my life ignited a desire to want more professionally. I was compelled to better understand the anatomy and physiology of my own vocal mechanism that I had relied on for so long. This was the missing element for me, and speech-language pathology was the natural next step. Four years later, a got a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Pacific University. After a medical externship in voice and swallowing at OHSU, I found a passion for helping others in the Portland community. My supervisor at OHSU at the time, Dr. Aaron Ziegler, asked if I wanted to start a private practice with him and we did just that. We started The Wellness Group for Voice, Speech, and Swallowing, LLC in June of 2019. We wanted to improve our corner of the healthcare world by providing compassionate, holistic and evidenced-based care with an emphasis on working with adults and specializing in voice care. In 2021 we started a 501(c)(3) from a generous donation from a client’s family and a desire to help others facing communication and swallowing challenges. We wanted to create a lasting impact by turning that generosity into something that could continue helping people for years to come. We established Bjorn This Way as a nonprofit organization, with the goal of helping people access speech-language pathology services when financial barriers might otherwise prevent them from receiving care.
In 2023 we purchased a scope to provide laryngeal imaging of vocal folds.
Our practice was a partnership for 5 years and then I became sole owner of the business in June of 2024. My private clinic is located in NE Portland. I am a speech-language pathologist and singing specialist with a clinical focus on gender affirming care. I am licensed and certified to serve clients in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building a private practice is very challenging and also rewarding. The first bump was COVID hitting us all just 9 months after we started our practice. We were just about to purchase a brick and mortar and quickly pivoted to providing only services online from my basement while I was also trying to monitor my own children’s online school between sessions. It was an awful time, but we persevered. We provided educational webinars, kept our caseloads going just enough and we would network with other SLP professionals with occasional online meetings to survive those crazy times. I was grateful to be in it together w/ my business partner at the time. We even started a 501(c) (3)non-profit just as we were coming out of COVID to provide SLP services for individuals w/ financial need.
Other bumps along the way were navigating insurance versus private pay, spending endless hours trying to track down payments from huge medical institutions. The challenges of marketing and getting the word out that we exist is no easy task. After COVID, we remodeled my business partners garage into a clean professional space to begin to see clients in person.
We were just beginning to have more steady referrals at the 5-year mark when I experienced yet another setback. My business partner’s life took him away from Portland and he opted to leave The Wellness Group. I was faced with the decision to continue what we started or dissolve the business. I was too far in and proud of what we had started, so I kept on. However, it took me longer then I had hoped to transfer the business over, to financially recover, as well as mentally regroup. I have always believed in what we started. I know it’s something special and worth the effort.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Wellness Group for Voice, Speech, and Swallowing LLC?
I help people discover their most natural voice with the least amount of effort so they can communicate, socialize and work.
I am a licensed speech language pathologist (SLP) that specializes in voice and upper airway disorders as well as motor speech. I work primarily with adults, teens and an occasional older child with voice and/or speech concerns. I provide screenings, evaluation and treatment for voice/speech/communication as well as injury prevention.
My previous graduate degree was in opera performance from Indiana University. I had a career as a professional singer and vocal instructor for over 15 years prior to becoming an SLP, so I am also a singing specialist as well as having a clinical focus on gender affirming voice and communication. My desire to become an SLP stemmed from my own experience as a patient in vocal rehabilitation at the height of my opera career as well as a desire to better serve my gender diverse singing clients.
I also have a contract with Vocational Rehabilitation were I support clients with voice/speech and social communication through VR. Many of the clients are neurodivergent and I help them with work related communication goals such as preparing for interviews and/or on the job, business communication skills. Often I am in communication with and collaborate with other professionals supporting the client (OT, VR counselor, job developer, etc)
I occasionally am a guest lecturer and do presentations for community outreach. (E.g. for World Voice Day last spring a did a lecture at PSU on injury prevention for the singing voice for the music department and the SLP department) Other vocal health and Wellness Seminars for teachers, professional voice users, etc
I provide occasional group classes for gender affirming voice and communication.
I provide laryngoscopy with stroboscopy for imaging of the vocal folds
I occasionally present at local and national conferences
I occasionally provide singing lessons not covered by insurance (habilitative work)
What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc? What sets you apart from others?
As a small private practice, clients have direct communication and access to me, their clinician from start to finish. I also provide diagnostic laryngeal stroboscopy imaging in house. I am warm, inviting, knowledgeable, I genuinely care, I am ethical and use evidence based best practice. I am efficient and effective. I understand the demands of professional voice users, I listen, I am thorough and try to look at all contributing factors to their concerns. I engage in continued education to do my best to be on top of the latest approaches. I do my best to have every person that reaches out to me get the care they need, even if it’s not me. I have life experience that I draw from as a parent, performer, business owner, and clinician. I am kind and compassionate and take time to listen. My knowledge of voice and the mechanism sets me apart from other SLP’s. I also have a lived experience of being apart of the LGBTQ community.
What are you most proud brand wise?
From the beginning it was important to me to do my part to improve access to care through community outreach and financial assistance. We just celebrated 5 years of our non-profit Bjorn This Way, Inc that does just that. I am a director and secretary on the board as well as the original funded clinic site for this 501 (c)(3) that funds speech-language pathology services for people in need to empower them to communicate, socialize and work. We have supported over 60 clients and over 275 sessions through this foundation.
I also want to highlight an unforgettable experience in Accra, Ghana in 2024. I was grateful to join my colleague, friend and former business partner, Dr. Aaron Ziegler to teach a voice disorders course to graduate students and provide voice and speech services at the Korle Bu teaching hospital I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with the students and faculty at Ghana University.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
There is no one way to get where you want to go. You may find connections when you least expect it and it takes time. Be patient.
In private practice there are a lot of hours spent not making money. Start with a focus on building a sustainable referral pipeline, a clear niche, and solid systems.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wellnessgroupslp.com
- Instagram: @wellness_group_slp
- Facebook: @wellnessgroupslp
