I “met” the Nice Speech Lady last year on Facebook and frequently recommend her Cognitive Linguistic Home Programs. You’ll find 50 activity ideas for each of three levels: simple procedural, moderate impairment, and high-level.
I thought it would be interesting to interview Wilson Nice and learn more about her and the resources she shares on NiceSpeechLady.com.
We decided to interview each other in writing. She sent me her questions first (you can read my answers). Her questions were so good and so thorough, that I unashamedly sent the same questions back! I’ve lightly edited her answers.
Why did you launch NiceSpeechLady.com?
I have always been a resource-creating therapist, making resources to use with my patients. When I left a clinical educator position in the summer of 2017 to go back into the field full-time as an SLP, I knew I needed an outlet. I wanted a creative way to continue to impact others in a leadership-type capacity.
Since I was taking contract work under the name “The Nice Speech Lady, LLC” at the time, it made sense to add a website to the business. I wanted a way to contribute to the field and grow as a clinician. Having a background in journalism as an undergraduate student, I felt having a website was a way to come full-circle.
When did NiceSpeechLady.com start?
I hired a web developer in October 2017, and the website officially launched with a big family party in February 2018.
Is this a solo venture?
My husband Tim is my business partner in The Nice Speech Lady, LLC, which operates nicespeechlady.com. He assists me with the business side and serves as a sounding-board. He’s had businesses in the past, so it’s helpful to have that perspective.
Describe the Nice Speech Lady in a nutshell.
We offer free practical and effective resources to the medical SLP, which includes:
- Handout-ables for patients and families.
- Home programs.
- Session materials.
- Caregiver and patient reporting-based assessment tools.
- And more!
Blog articles are posted on a regular basis on relevant current topics. We have a job board and other features, such as a searchable ASL faith-based directory. Resources are in a printable PDF format and are easy to access on a desktop, phone, or tablet.
Do other disciplines benefit from your site?
Yes, we have resources for allied health professions on the role of SLPs working in the medical field. The handout-ables are helpful in describing our scope of practice.
We make a disclaimer that the resources are for certified and licensed SLPs (or students or CFs operating under the supervision of a licensed SLP), however the resources provide general information for patients, families, loved ones, etc.
Three most popular posts or resources?
“Speech Pathology: I Almost Left the Field” is my most popular blog post. I was as transparent as ever about not taking care of myself, and the trend in my life in not finding balance. This post resonated with a lot of SLPs, and I was honored to have such an overwhelming, supportive response from other SLPs. I learned that I wasn’t alone in this struggle to find daily balance.
Another popular post is “Cognitive Summary Sheet Available for Patients/Families After Testing.” This resource details aspects of cognitive-linguistic testing and includes definitions for patients/families. You can highlight strengths and areas for improvement.
“‘Reasons to Refer’ Handout for Allied Friends” is also highly visited. You can give this handout to nurses, OTs, PTs, or other providers to educate and spread the word about the medical SLP’s scope of practice.
What are some resources you wish more people knew about?
My caregiver and patient-rated assessment tools (example: Expressive Language Assessment Tools). These tools rank the patient’s strengths and areas to address in treatment from the perspective of the patient and caregivers.
What is something most people don’t know about having a website?
That it takes a lot of support and upkeep to maintain a website. It’s not an easy task! At the same time, it’s worth it. It’s meaningful to me to be able to create and know that it’s helping others out there.
More advertisers are coming onboard, including Phagia-flex now. And Preferred Health Care continues to advertise on the job board. We have different subscription packages. If you’re interested in advertising with us, use the “Contact Us” section of the website.
What is the Nice Speech Lady most known for?
I think it’s known for having free resources for the SLP, which is helpful to a lot of folks. The feedback from other SLPs has been very receptive, supportive, and encouraging. I’m very thankful for all of the messages I receive from SLPs.
What direction do you want to take in the future?
For the business as a whole, I would love an opportunity to start presenting. That would be very meaningful to me. I would love the opportunity to offer free CEUs as well on nicespeechlady.com.
I’d also love the opportunity to assist other SLPs in getting published on the site in some sort of peer-review process and to allow others to have the opportunity to start participating in such a venture. That could be therapy materials, blogs, news articles, or other formats.
What has been your biggest surprise along the way?
I’ve been surprised at the large role social media has played in reaching other SLPs. For those SLPs who use social media, it’s a very powerful medium. The people I have connected with along the way have just been amazing, and I am so very thankful to have been able to “meet” and rub shoulders with SLPs who have such amazing experience and knowledge. A lot of the traffic to nicespeechlady.com is from social media posts, so I’m obviously grateful for this.
What is your biggest struggle?
Time. As a I continue to work full-time and have a family, devoting the amount of time I desire to the website isn’t always possible. Finding balance continues to be a daily hurdle to jump. I’m still learning how best to take care of myself, as most of us are, to one extent or another.
What would you most like people to know about?
Please ask to join the “SLP Support & nicespeechlady.com” Facebook group or like the nicespeechlady.com Facebook page. Join in the discussion! Share how you use my resources as well as other resources. Let’s all collaborate, let’s all work together as SLPs. Your experience matters, and we want to hear from you. You matter!
Related Eat, Speak, & Think posts
- Interview with Allison Toepperwein: Overcoming Parkinson’s disease.
- 24 podcasts for adult medical speech-language pathologists.
Reader, who would you like to see featured?
In the spirit of building community, I’d love to highlight the hard work of other SLP creators. Who would you like to see featured in a future Eat, Speak, & Think interview?
Lisa earned her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland, College Park and her M.A. in Linguistics from the University of California, San Diego.
She participated in research studies with the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the University of Maryland in the areas of aphasia, Parkinson’s Disease, epilepsy, and fluency disorders.
Lisa has been working as a medical speech-language pathologist since 2008. She has a strong passion for evidence-based assessment and therapy, having earned five ASHA Awards for Professional Participation in Continuing Education.
She launched EatSpeakThink.com in June 2018 to help other clinicians be more successful working in home health, as well as to provide strategies and resources to people living with problems eating, speaking, or thinking.
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