OT Yourself to Freedom

What if building a successful OT business isn't about working harder, doing more or following somebody else's formula? For many Occupational Therapists, starting a business is about creating more freedom, doing meaningful work and having greater control over their time. But when you're also navigating parenthood, changing priorities and your own personal growth, the way you work may need to change, too. In this episode of the OT Yourself to Freedom Podcast, Beki Eakins is joined by Meg Smeraglia, OTR/L, to explore what it means to build a business that genuinely fits your life, rather than forcing yourself into a model that leaves you exhausted. Together, they discuss why there is no single right way to build a business, how self-understanding can influence the way you work, and why following what genuinely interests you can lead to a more fulfilling professional life. They also explore the fear of judgement within the OT profession, the pressure to fit into traditional expectations, and how Occupational Therapists can begin to recognise their unique strengths and bring more of themselves into their work. Whether you're an OT parent, considering entrepreneurship or already running a business that no longer fits your current season of life, this conversation is an invitation to rethink the hustle and find a more sustainable way forward. In this episode, you'll discover: Why there's no single right way to build an OT business. How parenthood can change your values, priorities and approach to work. Why understanding yourself matters when creating a sustainable business. How fear of judgement and professional expectations can hold Occupational Therapists back. Why you don't have to copy somebody else's business model to succeed. How to recognise your strengths and build around what genuinely interests you. Why personal growth and business growth often happen together. How to move away from hustle culture and create a business that supports your life.   Connect with Beki Are you ready to leave the whinger mindset behind and embrace your inner go-getter? Beki helps OTs worldwide design, launch, and scale their online business Free Resource: Download Beki’s free overnight mindset meditation for free to help you build confidence, overcome money mindset challenges, and develop self-belief. Join OT Yourself To Freedom Membership: Discover the only membership designed specifically for OTs to create freedom-based businesses by leveraging the skills you already have. Learn to design and sell  offers, market effectively, and align your work with your purpose. Follow Beki: Website: www.bekieakins.com Instagram: OT Yourself to Freedom Facebook Group: OT Freedom Community LinkedIn: Beki Eakins Book an Inspiration Call : https://otfreedom.bekieakins.com/widget/booking/JfKQUgoHVwsRF5gqBs4W  Meet Meg Smeraglia Meg Smeraglia, OTR/L, is a Lifestyle Designer who blends her expertise in Human Design and holistic Occupational Therapy with practical, whole-person support. She helps clients better understand themselves and translate that insight into more aligned decisions, sustainable energy, fulfilling work, and a lifestyle that actually feels good to live in. Drawing on her background in mental health OT, sensory regulation, mindfulness and holistic wellness, Meg helps people understand their individual needs, strengths and natural rhythms so they can create lives that feel more sustainable and authentic. Connect with Meg: Website: https://wholebeingot.com Instagram: @wholebeingot Ready to follow your spark? You don't need to build a business that looks like everyone else's. You can create something that reflects your strengths, values, interests and the life you actually want to live. Listen to the episode, reflect on what resonates with you, and consider what might change if you stopped following the hustle and started following your spark instead. Listen to Episode 161 of the OT Yourself to Freedom Podcast now. About the Host Beki Eakins is a business mindset and lifestyle coach for occupational therapists. After leaving traditional OT practice, she has helped hundreds of OTs worldwide design aligned online businesses that support freedom, income, and purpose, without burning out.  

Why does being visible on social media feel so uncomfortable for so many occupational therapists? In this episode of the OT Yourself to Freedom Podcast, Beki Eakins is joined by Katja Naia to explore visibility, confidence, rejection and finding your voice in business. They discuss why OTs can become trapped in overthinking, rules and fear of judgement, even when there is a much bolder business idea they secretly want to create. Katja also shares how she supports entrepreneurs with voice work, nervous-system regulation and somatic practices to help them feel more grounded and confident when showing up online. The conversation also explores criticism, fear of rejection and what happens when you begin expressing stronger opinions and allowing more of yourself into your business. If you are an OT who second-guesses every post or worries what other people will think, this episode is for you. Connect with Beki Are you ready to leave the whinger mindset behind and embrace your inner go-getter? Beki helps OTs worldwide design, launch, and scale their online business Free Resource: Download Beki’s free overnight mindset meditation for free to help you build confidence, overcome money mindset challenges, and develop self-belief. Join OT Yourself To Freedom Membership: Discover the only membership designed specifically for OTs to create freedom-based businesses by leveraging the skills you already have. Learn to design and sell  offers, market effectively, and align your work with your purpose. Follow Beki: Website: www.bekieakins.com Instagram: OT Yourself to Freedom Facebook Group: OT Freedom Community LinkedIn: Beki Eakins Book an Inspiration Call : https://otfreedom.bekieakins.com/widget/booking/JfKQUgoHVwsRF5gqBs4W      Meet Katja Naia Katja Naia is a Voice Alchemist, singer, sound healer and sacred music producer. Through her work with voice, sound and embodied practices, she supports people to reconnect with their authentic expression and feel more confident sharing their voice. Her work brings together voice exploration, nervous-system awareness and somatic practices, creating space for people to explore what may be holding them back from expressing themselves fully. In this conversation, Katja shares her perspective on the fear of being judged, the stories we tell ourselves about how others might react, and how these fears can affect the way we express ourselves, both personally and professionally. Connect with Katja Naia Instagram: @katja.naia.medicine YouTube: @katjanaia Website: https://www.katja-naia.com/ You can also explore Katja’s music and other offerings through her website. About the Host Beki Eakins is a business mindset and lifestyle coach for occupational therapists. After leaving traditional OT practice, she has helped hundreds of OTs worldwide design aligned online businesses that support freedom, income, and purpose, without burning out.  

If someone you love got seriously ill tomorrow on the other side of the world, could you just get up and go? Or would you be sat in a staff room checking the rota, counting your remaining annual leave days, and worrying about who would cover your caseload? I’ve been in both positions. Years ago, when a family crisis hit, a low OT wage and a rigid work structure kept me trapped when my children needed me at home. A few weeks ago, when my mum suddenly needed open heart surgery in Australia, my reality looked completely different. This episode isn't about sipping cocktails on a beach while a business magically runs itself. It's an honest look at how building an online business for Occupational Therapists put me back in control of my family, and why time and location freedom are closer than you might think.   IN THIS EPISODE The contrast between handling a major family medical crisis on an OT contract versus running my own business. What Daniel Pink’s research on autonomy and Bronnie Ware’s The Top Five Regrets of the Dying reveal about how clinicians work. The no-filter truth about leaving a low OT wage, working a 12-hour week, and relying on a team while travelling. How having an independent income gave me the strength to leave a marriage that wasn't working and take my kids away for three months. Why the 40-hour working week is a 100-year-old factory rule, and why time and location freedom come before full financial freedom. Three honest questions to ask yourself this week to start moving towards being "free enough". Connect with Beki Are you ready to leave the whinger mindset behind and embrace your inner go-getter? Beki helps OTs worldwide design, launch, and scale their online business Free Resource: Download Beki’s free overnight mindset meditation for free to help you build confidence, overcome money mindset challenges, and develop self-belief. Join OT Yourself To Freedom Membership: Discover the only membership designed specifically for OTs to create freedom-based businesses by leveraging the skills you already have. Learn to design and sell  offers, market effectively, and align your work with your purpose. Follow Beki: Website: www.bekieakins.com Instagram: OT Yourself to Freedom Facebook Group: OT Freedom Community LinkedIn: Beki Eakins Book an Inspiration Call : https://otfreedom.bekieakins.com/widget/booking/JfKQUgoHVwsRF5gqBs4W    About the Host Beki Eakins is a business mindset and lifestyle coach for occupational therapists. After leaving traditional OT practice, she has helped hundreds of OTs worldwide design aligned online businesses that support freedom, income, and purpose, without burning out.

Are you waiting for permission or another qualification before calling yourself a leader? Many Occupational Therapists spend years justifying their value and explaining what they do, conditioning themselves to shrink instead of claiming their space. Meanwhile, creators with zero clinical background are stepping onto digital platforms, influencing your target audience, and building massive reach. In this episode, Beki Eakins breaks down why OTs hold back from Occupational Therapy business leadership and how modern "social leadership" has completely replaced old institutional authority. Whether you are a confident practitioner scaling globally or catching yourself saying you are just a "jack of all trades," growing a freedom-based OT business requires stepping up online. Beki challenges the habit of hiding behind extra credentials and shows why taking action comes long before feeling ready. In this episode, you'll discover: • How workplace conditioning trains OTs to shrink rather than lead • Why modern social leadership allows anyone to build trust and influence online • The hidden cost to the profession when qualified OTs stay silent • Why readiness only shows up after you take imperfect action • How human design, performance coaching, and voice alchemy build business confidence Connect with Beki Are you ready to leave the whinger mindset behind and embrace your inner go-getter? Beki helps OTs worldwide design, launch, and scale their online business Free Resource: Download Beki’s free overnight mindset meditation for free to help you build confidence, overcome money mindset challenges, and develop self-belief. Join OT Yourself To Freedom Membership: Discover the only membership designed specifically for OTs to create freedom-based businesses by leveraging the skills you already have. Learn to design and sell  offers, market effectively, and align your work with your purpose. Follow Beki: Website: www.bekieakins.com Instagram: OT Yourself to Freedom Facebook Group: OT Freedom Community LinkedIn: Beki Eakins Book an Inspiration Call : https://otfreedom.bekieakins.com/widget/booking/JfKQUgoHVwsRF5gqBs4W    About the Host Beki Eakins is a business mindset and lifestyle coach for occupational therapists. After leaving traditional OT practice, she has helped hundreds of OTs worldwide design aligned online businesses that support freedom, income, and purpose, without burning out.

What if the part of your work that feels a little too different is actually the thing that could make your OT business stand out? In this episode of the OT Yourself to Freedom Podcast, Beki Eakins explores spirituality, holistic practice and why so many occupational therapists keep parts of themselves hidden from their professional lives. From breathwork, meditation and yoga to human design, somatic practices, poetry and other less traditional approaches, Beki discusses what happens when OTs begin creating businesses that reflect more of who they actually are. She also explores the fear of peer judgement, the pressure to fit inside a traditional version of occupational therapy, and why an OT’s first business idea is not always their bravest one. This episode also looks at the importance of staying within appropriate professional, ethical and regulatory boundaries while finding a business model, voice and offer that genuinely feel aligned. If you are an OT who has ever wondered whether your interests are “too leftfield” for your professional life, this conversation is for you. Listen to Episode 157 now. Connect with Beki Are you ready to leave the whinger mindset behind and embrace your inner go-getter? Beki helps OTs worldwide design, launch, and scale their online business Free Resource: Download Beki’s free overnight mindset meditation for free to help you build confidence, overcome money mindset challenges, and develop self-belief. Join OT Yourself To Freedom Membership: Discover the only membership designed specifically for OTs to create freedom-based businesses by leveraging the skills you already have. Learn to design and sell  offers, market effectively, and align your work with your purpose. Follow Beki: Website: www.bekieakins.com Instagram: OT Yourself to Freedom Facebook Group: OT Freedom Community LinkedIn: Beki Eakins Book an Inspiration Call : https://otfreedom.bekieakins.com/widget/booking/JfKQUgoHVwsRF5gqBs4W    About the Host Beki Eakins is a business mindset and lifestyle coach for occupational therapists. After leaving traditional OT practice, she has helped hundreds of OTs worldwide design aligned online businesses that support freedom, income, and purpose, without burning out.