Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Smith.
Hi Crystal, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I love to share that I’m a first-generation college graduate. Not out of selfish pride but gratefulness for how I was raised. My family is full of successful entrepreneurs who taught me the meaning of perseverance, hard work, and sacrifice. Although many of my family members found success without college, per my grandmother, college was the only option. It never crossed my mind not to go. And when the opportunity arose to be a part of the school, I was raised to love it was a no-brainer. The University of SC was a place I knew well, growing up attending football and basketball games and living just a short drive away.
I started UofSC knowing I wanted to eventually attend graduate school and become a Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist. There were so many seeds planted along the way that led me to the career field. My great grandparents were deaf and I watched them communicate in sign language with my mom and granddad as a little girl. My second cousins were born deaf and I watched them go through the process of getting cochlear implants. I graduated from UofSC and eventually went on to complete my graduate degree in speech-language pathology from South Carolina State University.
Entrepreneurship was in my blood so I had often dreamed about starting my own therapy practice. One short year after completing my graduate degree the dream became reality. I desired flexibility and freedom in my schedule. At this point, I was married and a mom of 3, and my priorities and desires had shifted. I wanted to put the majority of my energy into being a wife, a mom, and serving my community. It was a risky decision financially and hard for quite a while but I’ve never regretted it. In July of 2007, just a few months after my 3rd child was born, I took the plunge. It was so surprising how quickly the company grew. I think the people in my path were seeing the flexibility and how the change in work changed me and my lifestyle. Women were coming to me asking how’d you do this? One girl in particular asked and I responded “I can show you.” She called me a few days later and said “I think I’d rather just work for you” and that’s when I made my first hire. And now, almost 15 years in, we have grown to over 30 therapists providing speech-language, feeding, occupational, physical, and mental health therapy to the children of SC.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Certainly not. In my sophomore year of college my grandfather, who played a key role in my life, passed away tragically. It rocked my world and drastically affected my performance in school. The next year, my high school sweetheart and I become pregnant with our first child. As an undergrad student, I was married, working, and raising my first child. It was hard but quitting wasn’t an option and the dream of grad school wasn’t lost. Two summers after completing my undergrad, I began the graduate program at SC State. It was 3 of the hardest years of my life. I was working full-time and commuting over an hour 3 nights a week to school. I was trying so hard to be a good wife, mom, and employee while also struggling to manage school. The days were long and I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I learned to pray harder than I ever had because the strength I needed was beyond myself. I learned the meaning of hard work and dedication. I learned what real sacrifice looks like as I watched my mom give up her time to take care of my children while I was at work, school, or just too tired to function. I learned what true commitment looks like as my husband loved me unconditionally through the toughest season of my life. And in the end, I accomplished my dream.
As you know, we’re big fans of Moonbug Therapy. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Moonbug Therapy is a fun, encouraging environment that really strives to increase the quality of life for the families we serve and the people that work for us. We currently offer speech-language, feeding, physical, occupational, and mental health therapy. We believe in serving children holistically. And we believe in providing an experience for our families. Our website and social media highlight this in a beautiful way. Moonbug has an original song and an original fun animation video the kids love. Soon we will be releasing a series of books, which we are so excited about.
When children are served by Moonbug we hope they feel safe, loved, and free to fully be themselves.
When families are served by Moonbug we hope they feel like they can express any needs and concerns they have and know that we hear them and we are going to help them.
Community is really important to us, the more we’ve grown the more we’ve been able to give. One of the first involvements we had in the community was Lexington’s Kids Day. We completed over 100 speech screenings. One of the real joys in that was talking to families in our community and educating them. We are also involved with Ezekiel Ministries, Young Life Ministries, and so many other community organizations.
The therapists that work for us has such a sweet deal. We encourage our therapists to build their schedules around their life-giving things, the things that make them more of who they are meant to be. We truly believe our therapists will be more of a gift to our clients when they are doing the things they love first. We also encourage our therapists to bring their creative ideas to the table and let us help develop them. We are so passionate about our clients, as well as our therapists, meeting their full potential.
We aren’t just serving the child; we’re serving the family. Our team is lighting the way for the children of SC and their families every day!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Lexington is my hometown. My people, my places, and my passions are all here. It’s such a joy to be fully invested in the community where I was born and raised.
Contact Info:
- Email: crystal@moonbugtherapy.com
- Website: moonbugtherapy.com
- Instagram: moonbugtherapy
- Facebook: Moonbug Therapy
- Other: Apple Music Little Moonbug
