A New Chapter for Jenna's Speech Corner: Turning a Little Dream Into Something Bigger

Somewhere between speech therapy sessions, creating resources, and a whole lot of late nights on my laptop, I realized I might have found something pretty special.

If you had told me a few years ago that I would be sitting here launching my own website, building a business, and dreaming about turning Jenna's Speech Corner into my full-time career, I probably would've laughed. Not because I didn't want it, but because I never really imagined this little corner of the internet could become something so meaningful to me.

And yet, here we are!

For those of you who have been following along for a while, you probably know that I recently made the incredibly difficult decision to step away from my position as a school-based speech-language pathologist.

And when I say difficult, I mean really difficult.

The Part of Speech Therapy I Never Stopped Loving

I absolutely loved being a school-based SLP.

I loved the silly conversations, the little breakthroughs, the excitement over finally producing a tricky sound, and the relationships I built with students who made even the hardest days feel worth it.

I loved creating a therapy room that felt welcoming, colorful, and full of opportunities for kids to learn through play. I loved watching students walk through my door excited to see what we were doing that day.

But somewhere along the way, I started realizing that loving what you do doesn't automatically protect you from burnout.

And I think that's something we don't talk about enough in our profession.

As SLPs, we pour so much of ourselves into our students, our caseloads, our paperwork, our planning, and the million other responsibilities that somehow find their way onto our plates.

We want to be everything our students need, but sometimes we're working in environments that make it incredibly difficult to give them, or ourselves, our best.

For a long time, I thought I just needed to push through. That maybe things would get better, or that if I worked a little harder, I could make everything manageable.

But eventually, I had to acknowledge that I was exhausted.

Not because I stopped loving speech therapy. Not because I stopped caring about my students. And certainly not because I didn't believe in the work I was doing.

I was burned out by the circumstances surrounding a career I genuinely loved.

Making the decision to leave was heartbreaking in ways I don't think I can fully explain. I had poured so much love into my little therapy room and, more importantly, into the little lives that filled it.

I didn't leave because those things stopped mattering.

If anything, they mattered so much that walking away was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

But I also knew I couldn't keep giving everything I had to a job while leaving nothing for myself.

So, Where Does Jenna's Speech Corner Come In?

Here's where things get a little more exciting!

What started as a creative outlet for making my own therapy materials slowly grew into something I never expected.

I discovered how much I genuinely LOVE creating resources.

And I'm not talking about just throwing a few pictures onto a worksheet and calling it a day. I'm talking about spending an embarrassing amount of time finding the perfect graphics, rearranging things approximately 47 times, and getting ridiculously excited when an activity finally looks exactly how I imagined it.

If you know, you know.

There's something so rewarding about taking an idea from my brain and turning it into something that another SLP can use with their students.

Even better? Hearing from other therapists who have used my resources and seeing the difference those materials can make in their therapy rooms.

That's the part that gets me every time.

Knowing that something I created at my kitchen table, probably with entirely too many browser tabs open, is being used to help children communicate somewhere else in the world?

That's pretty incredible.

And somewhere along the way, Jenna's Speech Corner stopped feeling like just a little side project.

It started feeling like a dream I actually wanted to pursue.

A Website, a Big Dream, and a Whole Lot of Learning

Which brings me to this new adventure!

I'm officially working on growing Jenna's Speech Corner beyond just my social media pages and Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Having my very own website is something I've wanted for a long time, and seeing it finally come together feels a little surreal.

My hope is to create a space where SLPs, SLPAs, educators, and families can find meaningful resources, practical ideas, helpful information, and maybe a little reassurance that none of us have this whole speech therapy thing completely figured out.

I want to continue making resources that are functional, engaging, and actually useful. You know, the kind of materials that make your therapy planning easier instead of giving you another thing to prep for 45 minutes.

Because I've been the SLP juggling a million different things, trying to plan engaging sessions while keeping up with everything else.

I get it.

And if I can make even one therapist's day a little easier, that means something to me.

My biggest dream? To turn Jenna's Speech Corner into my career.

Writing that feels equal parts exciting and terrifying.

There are so many things I still have to learn about running a business, building a website, and figuring out what this next chapter is going to look like.

But for the first time in a while, I feel genuinely excited about what's ahead.

I get to be creative. I get to share ideas. I get to connect with other people who love this profession. And I get to continue supporting speech and language development in a way that looks a little different from what I originally imagined.

I'm not walking away from everything I loved about being an SLP.

I'm finding a new way to pour my heart into it.

If You've Ever Felt This Way, You're Not Alone

I also want to say something to the SLP who might be reading this after another exhausting day.

It's okay to love your career and still need a change.

It's okay to be passionate about your students and recognize that your current environment isn't sustainable.

And it's okay if the career you once pictured for yourself ends up looking a little different.

I used to think that being a good SLP meant I needed to keep pushing through, no matter how exhausted I felt.

Now I'm learning that sometimes protecting your love for a profession means finding a different way to be part of it.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

Here's to What's Next!

I have absolutely no idea where this adventure will take me.

Maybe one day I'll look back at this very first blog post from an office filled with therapy materials, a thriving small business, and approximately 500 unfinished ideas scribbled on sticky notes.

Honestly, the sticky notes are probably a guarantee.

But I do know that I want to give this dream a real chance.

To everyone who has purchased a resource, shared a post, left a sweet comment, sent me a message, or simply followed along with Jenna's Speech Corner, THANK YOU.

You have helped turn something I started for fun into something I can genuinely imagine building a future around.

This little business means more to me than you probably realize, and I'm so excited to share the journey with you.

Here's to new beginnings, big dreams, and finding joy in speech therapy again, even when it looks a little different than before.

I'm so glad you're here.

Jenna G.