
We pulled out all the stops at our 6th PALOOZAversary conference on October 4th to 6th in Orlando, Florida. We brought in no fewer than eleven experts to provide attendees with the tools they need to blow the doors off their practices! Over 200 practice owners and staff showed up with many more attending virtually.
This event came on the heels of Hurricane Helene which ravaged North Carolina and parts of Georgia and Florida. Many of our Paloozies suffered damage or destruction of their practices. I felt helpless but wanted to do something for them. We decided to invite those practices to virtually attend our PALOOZAversary at no charge to help them get back on their feet. Dozens did and we were so happy to see that they were safe, picking up the pieces and moving on.
Our Meet-and-Greet Started Things Off with a Bang!
Friday night, we held our usual meet-and-greet to get everyone pumped for what was coming. But this time, we did something different. We invited the newbies—the first-timers—to a pre-meet-and-greet! We know it can take some time to tune into the vibe so we gathered them together to bring them up to speed fast.
Once that was done, we welcomed all the attendees from points as far away as Hawaii and Alaska. The energy was tremendous! Old friends hugged and new friends were made on the spot. We then introduced (or re-introduced) ourselves and showed everyone how to get the most out of every minute of the PALOOZAversary weekend.
Day One: Giving Private Practice Owners Tools for Prosperity

To get everyone razor-focused on taking home knowledge that would turn into prosperity, I started the day off by getting all attendees to decide exactly what they wanted to get out of the three days. With their focus sharpened, we started off with Vanessa Guerrero, one of Survival Strategies Inc.’s top trainers. She launched right into the five principles that lead to prosperity. The audience totally loved her talk!
That was followed by a tremendous presentation from Teresa Daulong and Mary Daulong from BCMS. They know exactly how hard it is to keep up with the new HR regulations that come out every year. To help every practice streamline this area and avoid the pitfalls, the Daulongs updated our attendees on regulation changes and new responsibilities.


After lunch, we hosted an Inspiration Station. In these segments, we bring up a couple of owners who have been through severe challenges and came out the other side winning. They shared the mindsets and decisions that brought about success. We know how this kind of inspiration motivates others who are fighting their own battles.
Presenting Growth Strategies for Private Practice Owners

In a segment titled A Projection for Growth, Diane Crecelius interviewed practice owners to reveal how they forged their paths to prosperity. Diane is the founder of ABC Pediatric Therapy and has been with us since the very beginning. The atmosphere was electric as practice owners in the room saw how they could similarly blow through their own limitations!
Harnessing AI for Pediatric Private Practices

Our next speaker was Mati Kochavi, founder of Korro AI. Mati is the genius who is helping children’s healthcare harness artificial intelligence. He is the founder and investor of Korro AI, a groundbreaking platform that enables therapists to offer remote healthcare in an engaging, immersive and effective way. It was great to see that AI won’t eliminate jobs but enhance them and make life easier for private practice owners and therapists. If you weren’t at this presentation, you’ll flip when you learn about it! We were lucky to have Mati educate our attendees on these new frontiers of pediatric therapy. (Find out more about Korro or book a demo.)
We wrapped up the day with an incredible charcuterie and open bar, which was a smash success, courtesy of Raintree Systems! We were so moved by their over-the-top generosity in helping us celebrate our 6th PALOOZAversary. Raintree is a company that is helping many of our clients integrate all of their PT, OT and SLP records in one software package created specifically for this purpose. They also set up a help desk at the conference to assist existing Raintree users and give demonstrations to practice owners who wanted to see if Raintree’s EMR was right for them. We’re so grateful to them for helping us have a stand-out conference!


Throughout the conference, Paloozies also had access to representatives from Survival Strategies Inc., Korro AI and BCMS to answer questions and provide help. Each of these businesses was carefully selected for their ability to provide real benefits to our clients so you can count on every one being Palooza-approved!
Day Two: Fundamentals of Private Practice Expansion and Prosperity

After another session of pure inspiration, we had Robin Bogan reveal the way practices are unintentionally leaving money on the table. Robin is a Corporate Trainer and Consultant for Survival Strategies Inc. and she gave attendees their money’s worth! By eliminating areas of lost income, our attendees learned how to arrive at stable prosperity faster.
Diane came back to shine a bright light on the area of statistics. Diane clarified that knowing your statistics results in more kiddos achieving better lives. And that’s what we are all here for.

Following that, Natan Agami, a Senior Business Consultant with Survival Strategies Inc. explained how the Objective Management Suite of software products enables practice owners to manage their statistics with less effort, resulting in more productivity. His presentation flowed beautifully from Diane’s revelations.

Last but definitely not least, Rick Gawenda, PT and founder of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, Inc., updated the attendees on the complex world of therapy services. He is the master of CPT coding and billing! The audience was rapt during his presentation and took all the notes they could.
Day Three: Key Components of Pediatric Private Practice Success
To start off day three, we brought back Rick Gawenda for more insights into proper documentation of therapy services. His data is intimately involved with what makes a practice run well and receive appropriate compensation.
We then proceeded to breakouts for owners and staff. Owners met with Diane along with Paul Silovsky of Rebound Physical Therapy in Kansas. Paul established his practice so expertly that he can run it from six states away. Diane told the story of how she built her practice up till it was so valuable she received that proverbial “offer she couldn’t refuse.” Whether owners wanted to turn day-to-day management over to others or sell their successful practices, there was something for everyone.

The staff were treated to problem-solving guidance from Robin and Vanessa to reduce stress and increase the success of every staff position.
When the group reassembled, Paul and his daughter Jolene Gragg, his Financial Controls Officer, educated owners and staff alike on the keys to controlling finance for increased profits.
Conference Conclusion: Motivational Talk for Private Practice Owners

I wrapped up the weekend with a special and intimate conversation about certainty in an uncertain world. There’s so much change all around us that it can be hard to predict how the practice is going to be tomorrow, much less next year. But it is possible to carve out some certainty for yourself and your staff and I showed the attendees how to do it. If you missed it, I hope you come to our next PALOOZAversay where there will be more inspiration and motivation!
Many Thanks to the Hyatt Regency Orlando!
We had great service and care from the Hyatt Regency Orlando staff and the accommodations and food were first rate. It was really a great choice for this event.
I want to make sure you are thinking about next year’s Spring Palooza! It will be in Austin, Texas, on April 26 and 27. Get yourself on the priority list which is filling up! In the meantime, if you want some help achieving more success for your practice right away, give Survival Strategies Inc. a call at (833) 221-8002. You don’t have to wait till spring.
See you next year!