The 2024 RISE UP! Peds-A-Palooza® Conference: The Keys to More Effective Hiring, Retention and Leadership!

Here we are, energized and rising up!

In early May 2024, more than two hundred of us descended on Dallas, Texas (or joined in virtually), to share the inspiration, leadership and tools needed to create explosive expansion. There were Private Practice Owners from all over the country and many brought their staff. Everyone arrived primed and ready to learn from the agenda and each other. 

The message of this conference was RISE UP! Our goal at Peds-A-Palooza® Community & Conferences is to help practice owners and their staff rise up both personally and professionally. By rising up, owners and staff are more capable of working together to achieve the practices of their dreams. These dreams can only be achieved as a cooperative effort so it was great to see so many staff there. 

Our meeting started, as usual, with a vibrant and enthusiastic meet and greet. There were so many happy new faces there so we took care to bring them into the fold, so to speak. We made sure they felt welcome and got to meet other practice owners they could network with. 

Then a little rest to recharge the batteries after a day of travel and our attendees were ready for day one!

RISE UP! began with our traditional fun-filled Meet and Greet where Nancy was all smiles greeting new and returning attendees.

Attendees were pumped and looking forward to the conference.

Then a little rest to recharge the batteries after a day of travel and our attendees were ready for day one!

Day One: Communication Skills and Private Practice Success

Nancy opened the conference with a perfect definition of “RISE UP!”

Don’t you ever, ever underestimate the power of communication! Improve your communication and you improve your ability to be effective in every sphere of your life! Diane Crecelius, Founder of ABC Pediatric Therapy Network, got down to true brass tacks and showed the attendees just where and why they needed more communication skills. Then she explained what the result would be of gaining those skills.

Diane Crecelius, keynote speaker, PT, and ABC Pediatric Therapy Founder, covered vital communication skills and their use in private practices.

All the attendees learned the skills and practiced them, right on the spot. The feedback on this segment was crazy. Diane really provided practice owners and staff with vital tools they could put to use.

Real Life Stories: Overcoming Obstacles to Private Practice Growth.

Diane interviewed Haley Addis, SLP, and More to Say Pediatric Private Practice Owner, during the “Owner in the Hot Seat” segment.

In our Guests in the Hot Seat feature, we heard from Haley Addis from Connecticut and Lan Carrico from California. They’re both owners of thriving private practices. The attendees just soaked up their stories about how they overcame obstacles to growth. You could see their faces light up as they realized they weren’t alone in their struggles to grow. There was a lot of discussion during this segment on how successful hiring is a key element in growth and how to get the barriers to successful staffing out of the way.

Beating the Private Practice Competition with Referrals

Patrick Valtin, speaker and Hirebox CEO, covered how to create a competitive advantage for private practices.

Patrick Valtin followed our guests with a dynamic presentation: The Power of a Competitive Advantage: How to Create Yours! Patrick is an international speaker on recruitment and management. Once again, our attendees got a powerful lesson on how to open the door to a steady flood of referrals. They not only got a whole new understanding, they also practiced the skills needed to unleash this flood as soon as they got back to their practices. 

We took a break for lunch, but we maximized the potential value of this time, too! We challenged both practice owners and their staff to mingle with others for more sharing and learning. 

After lunch, Patrick guided the practice owners and staff through more skill-building exercises to get them ready for intensive growth as soon as they returned home.

Day Two: Crushing the Barriers to Staff Expansion and Loyalty

Diane showed attendees how to crush the staffing barriers!

This was the keynote of the whole weekend and Diane truly delivered! Everyone struggles with hiring until they master the skills and framework that make everything come together. Diane made it abundantly clear that increasing profitability must go hand in hand with increasing staff. What that takes is an in-house recruitment machine that won’t quit.

But that’s not all, not by a long shot. Once you attract quality staff, they have to want to stay. This is an extremely powerful element of any practice’s success. Diane infused owners and staff with the message not to be stingy with recognition, but to make rewards and recognition an integral part of your culture. This is where a little bit goes a long way. Staff that feel loved return that love. 

Of course, the practice has to prosper at the same time! Happy staff generate enthused clients that provide great masses of referrals! It’s a win-win-win all around. You could see that these practice owners and their staff totally got the message: Everyone is in this game together for the win!

Attendees interacted throughout the conference.

Team members discussed implementation of their new tools.

Balancing Your Work with Your Personal Life

The next presentation was Work-Life Integration: The Art of Blending Personal and Professional Needs. For practice owners and key staff, life can get pretty unbalanced at times. When personal and professional needs align, life is so much easier and more rewarding. 

As Diane built her practice up to over 3000 visits a week and over 200 staff, she had to learn this art or drown! Fortunately for these attendees, she shared the lessons she learned to keep her professional purpose from overwhelming her personal life.

Hot Tips from Private Practice Owners and Their Staff

After lunch, Staff in the Hot Seat validated everything Diane taught in the morning. Practice owners got the staff’s viewpoint on what creates strong loyalties and team players.

Patrick also worked with attendees during our breakout sessions.

In our Peds in a Pod segment, we got the whole crowd moving and grooving, collaborating and sharing. Diane led the owner’s breakout with inspiration and ultra-practical tips on how to approach steady practice growth. The staff breakout totally blew some staff’s minds with the message that everyone in the practice can influence the success and expansion of the practice.

Emily Watkins, speaker, PT, and Pediatric Therapy Partners founder, shared her successful actions on leadership and building a gratifying culture.

Last, but absolutely not least, Emily Watkins, CEO and owner of Pediatric Therapy Partners, revealed how she created an irresistible culture in her practice that motivates the staff to do their very best every day.

Dallas: The Brightest Star in the Texas Flag!

Dallas was a great place for this Peds-A-Palooza® conference. Our favorite choice for dinner was Si Tapas on Allen Street, not far from the aquarium and Dallas Museum of Art. If you’re not familiar with tapas, they are small, shareable bites of foods originating from Spain. Its warm and welcoming atmosphere fit right into the mood of our event.

Mark Your Calendars! Our 6h PALOOZAversary in October 2024

Also, there’s this great news! We’ve set the dates for the 6th PALOOZAversary, Path to Prosperity! They are October 4, 5 and 6, 2024. The location is Orlando, Florida, and the agenda is soon to be announced. Plan to join us for the biggest boost your practice has ever seen! I hope to see every one of you there and don’t forget to bring your staff.