Meet Jade Wong | Certified Hand Therapist, Owner of Reach Beyond Therapy

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

Hi Jade, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work and life. I’ve always tried to embody that phrase “work to live, not live to work”, while continuously trying to work on myself professionally as a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT). This perspective was back when I was unmarried with no kids. As an occupational therapist, the foundation of our profession is occupational balance. In addition to spending time in your vocational occupation (work), in order to function effectively, you must also have an equal amount of time also in your other meaningful occupations (role as a partner, leisure, sleep). It is an active decision to create boundaries around each category, or else you fall into an imbalance.

As time has passed in my career, the same intention stands. Work to live, not live to work. However, now my circumstances have changed. I have a spouse. I have a 2 year old with a very rare and devastating epileptic condition, called Dravet Syndrome, requiring a vast amount of medical attention and emergency situations. We have a second child on the way. These priorities have shaped where I want to go in life as well as work. Ultimately, I still love clinical practice and serving my community. Which is one of the reasons I’ve chosen to be an entrepreneur– so that if I do need to drop everything on a dime, it is on my time. Right now, I definitely have my schedule overloaded, but it is an investment of my time for future time flexibility and freedom. And it has also shaped my growth in prioritizing and creating more of those boundaries so I can function effectively professionally, as well as personally as a wife and mother. As I’m able to continuously grow in this way, other identities that I used to hold (hiker, triathlete, climber) can also take shape as it used to.

What should our readers know about your business?
Reach Beyond Therapy is an outpatient mobile hand therapy practice. My practice helps people with hand and arm injuries in order for them to avoid further surgeries/injections and get the best possible results to return to their active lifestyles without pain. All within the comfort of their homes.

What most people are not aware of in outpatient rehabilitation is where it has been heading in quality and service. Thanks to worsening health care reimbursements per patient seen, businesses have been compensating by increasing the volume of patients that one therapist has to treat. This means that a physical therapist might have to see 3 patients in one hour, sacrificing good outcomes and a good experience by the one receiving services.

My business looks beyond what health insurances allow or envision for people, bringing them to their highest potential in their meaningful activities and lifestyles.

The decision to start a business was not easy, but all aspects of my life were catapulting me to this decision. I always wanted to have my own practice. I’d always enjoyed growing in my profession skill-wise, and I also had the opportunity to delve into the marketing realm throughout my different jobs trying to grow their practices. The nail in the coffin really was when I realized I was not proud of my position in the business I worked for, I wanted more for myself reputation-wise and growth-wise, and I wanted to invest in a way that I could eventually get back time flexibility and one day freedom for my family in return.

I want people to know that they can have higher expectations for their recovery or wellness past what their insurance governs for them. I’ve always set high expectations for patient goals and outcomes, yet been limited under businesses that instead expect high volume and less quality. I am proud to say now that I have control over the time I spend with my clients to bring them to 100%.

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?
Having an active lifestyle and born/raised in Hawaii, my residence choices have always been near the coast. I’ve always lived on the Westside and South Bay and enjoy my activities here as well! I would take them to Hermosa Beach, where the beaches are vast and you could play some beach volleyball, as well as enjoy a bustling night scene, play trivia at Hennesy’s, or have a chill espresso martini at Fox & Farrow. If we had more time, I’d take people to a little drive out to a long hike — ie. Mount Baldy or Cucamonga Peak. I love LA because it is not a super long road trip to get out of the city and immerse yourself in fresh air and stunning mountain views.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate this shoutout to my husband Aristo, who has been always supportive of this endeavor to start my own business despite all the other financial and life obligations we also are forced to focus on. I am grateful that we have always had the opportunity to discuss how we can make this work and break down the steps needed to rocket forward.

Website: https://reachbeyondtherapy.com

Instagram: @reachbeyondtherapy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567395206560