Growing a Hybrid SLP Practice: Offering 1:1 Therapy and IEP Advocacy for Maximum Impact with Colleen Ashford
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How has the landscape of starting a private SLP practice changed for clinicians today?
Starting a private practice isn't what it used to be. Today's clinicians are starting private practices much quicker, easier, and cheaper than before. And they aren't guessing their way through it or getting stuck in analysis paralysis, they're following a tried and true roadmap in order to save time, money, and frustration. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel or struggle to figure out how to start a private practice on your own. We've helped thousands of SLPs and OTs through this process and now we want to help you too. For a limited time, I'm offering a free copy of our private practice roadmap, specifically for SLPs and OTs who are curious about private practice and want to see what the journey looks like.
To download your free copy, please visit startyourprivatepractice dot com backslash roadmap to sign up. Now on to the episode. Welcome back to another episode of the Private Practice Success Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Jenna Caster Kasbon, and today I'm so excited for you to meet our guest, Colleen Ashford. Colleen is a bilingual speech language pathologist and the founder of Ashford Speech and Advocacy PC in Vista, California. She's a former school speech language pathologist who felt the all-too-familiar pull for more flexibility, autonomy, And income, but she didn't want to just build a traditional practice. I got to know Colleen during her time in the Grow Your Private Practice program. And it was so incredible to watch her go from where her practice was then to where it is now, which is what we're going to talk about in this episode.
Who is Colleen Ashford and what unique services does her hybrid practice provide?
Colleen's going to share her inspiring journey of weaving together two powerful passions speech therapy and special education advocacy. Colleen has built a unique private practice that fits critical gaps for family, helping them navigate the complex world of IEPs while serving her community with clinical excellence. One of the things that's really unique about Colleen and is featured in this episode is how she added an additional revenue stream in the form of advocacy. She also shares how through the Grow program, she learned about how to embrace systems as a way to get back her time and freedoms. If you've ever felt like you have skills that could serve families in a bigger way, Or if you're curious about how to build a private practice that truly reflects your values and your niche expertise, then this is a must-listen episode.
Colleen's story is all about creative practice building and showing up authentically for your community and also for yourself. So let's dive in. I'm Jenna Castro-Kasbon, speech language pathologist, business coach, and creator of the Start Your Private Practice System. And I'm on a mission to turn stuck SLPs into successful private practitioners. If you're tired of dealing with high productivity requirements, high caseload sizes, and low pay, it's time to take control of your professional, personal, and financial life and finally get the freedom, flexibility, and financial abundance that you deserve by working with private clients in your own practice. Join me here each week as I share tips, best practices, and inspirational interviews on the Private Practice Success Stories podcast.
If you're a private practitioner or one in the making, you're in the right place, so let's get started. Before we dive in, can you please share your name, your location,
and the name of your private practice?
What experiences in school‑based speech pathology shaped Colleen’s move to private practice?
Yes. So my name's Colleen Ashford. I am in Vista, California, which is north of San Diego, and my private practice is called Ashford Speech and Advocacy PC. Colleen.
I have absolutely loved watching you, you know, watching your practice grow, watching it flourish, watching you on Instagram and all of the incredible things that you're doing as an SLP, as a private practitioner, as an advocacy advocate, possibly. I don't know. We'll talk about that in a little bit. But before we kind of talk about what your private practice is like these days, can you tell everybody how you got started in the field? And then at what point did you start thinking about private practice?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How has the landscape of starting a private SLP practice changed for clinicians today?
0:00–1:33
2
Who is Colleen Ashford and what unique services does her hybrid practice provide?
1:33–3:32
3
What experiences in school‑based speech pathology shaped Colleen’s move to private practice?
3:32–4:33
4
Why did Colleen decide to leave a stable clinic job in search of flexibility and autonomy?
4:33–5:50
5
How did the need for IEP advocacy become a revenue stream in her practice?
5:50–7:40
6
What does a typical week look like when balancing early‑intervention therapy, AAC coaching, and advocacy?
7:40–10:28
7
Which systems did Colleen implement to reclaim time and reduce stress in her business?
10:28–13:21
8
What are Colleen’s future growth plans—hiring, new services, and scaling the practice?
13:21–36:17
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Private Practice Success Stories
She Spent 5 Years Too Scared to Start - Now She Has a 4-Room Clinic with Tiffany Fairdosi
She Started With Two Clients on the Side - Now She Has Nine SLPs and a Clinic with Samantha Taylor
From 2 Clients on the Side to Ready to Hire — Then She Decided She Didn't Want To with Bianca Gizzi Fusco
She Told Her Dad She’d Never Start a Private Practice - Now She Has a Successful Clinic and Growing Team with Sarah Landry
She Started at 26 With One Referral - Now She Has a Downtown Office and a 3-Year School Contract with Becca Vilsaint
She Didn't Hate Her Job BUT She Left to Start a Private Practice Anyway with Heather Danielkiewicz