Tamakio Patterson: From Office Manager to ABA Therapy Owner Without a Degree

[0:00]  [music] Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle Podcast. Our next guest says, "I didn't plan to work with kids. I didn't even like kids, but God had a different playbook and he kept putting them in my path until I just couldn't ignore it." So, welcome in, ma'am. Tamikio. Is that right?

[0:30]  Tammakio.

[0:31]  Tammakio. I knew I was going to butcher this even though I said it right the first time. I should I should definitely practice this. No, I appreciate you um joining in this early morning on a Wednesday. This might not air on a Wednesday, but this is what we're doing on a Wednesday morning, letting you guys know that before our before we clock in and before we get into the next chapter of our day, we're having good conversation with other leaders. And um I love this man. Take me back. What was that one emotional toll of doing um you started actually doing HIV AIDS work for years and how did that

[1:00]  actually started off in pain management

[1:03]  pain management and then you okay take me there take me there how do you get from that from pain management and on that journey to now you're doing ABA work

[1:11]  um well I was working in pain management for 14 years in Michigan um and then moved to the Atlanta area and continued to because pain management I loved it I start I moved from was working as a front desk receptionist to doing epidurals. So, I kind of like got my foot in the door and kind of elevated up in the pain management field. Um, but once I kind of mastered that, I'm like, I need to do something else. I wanted to do something else. Um,

[1:38]  so I went into HIV and AIDS, which is something on the other side of the medical field, something I've never um dealt with before. Um, and I, it helped me a lot because like a lot of other people who really didn't know a whole lot about H& um, HIV and AIDS, it kind of opened up um, for me like what HIV and AIDS, you know, really is, how can you, you know, attracted um, things of that nature? We really didn't know those things. So it it really um gave me an insight and I gained a love for it because I gained relationships with the patients um because you see them every three months so you kind of get to know them. You

[2:21]  and me being the person I am, I kind of I have everybody open up. I I leave a space for people to open up to me. So

[2:28]  yeah,

[2:28]  with them having HIV, you know, they there was some denials, you know, people

[2:35]  didn't want to express it to them families. they didn't want to put it out in the open, you know, and I would always advocate for them and let them know like, hey, it's okay. You you have this. It's not going to keep you from living your everyday life. Just take your medications and you'll be able to live your life like everybody else. Um, but it became very emotional after a while. Um, gain in all these, you know, relationships and then something takes a turn for the worse and then they're no longer here and that takes a toll on you.

[3:06]  Yeah. Um, so after six years of that, it was God telling me that I had to go because I probably would have stayed um longer, but it was I was destined for another path. Um, so I wanted to do something else on my own and um I wanted to I tried to go into um starting another healthc care business. Um that didn't work out. It didn't work out.

[3:36]  Before you started the one that you have today, you were starting a different

[3:39]  Yes. Yeah. And it didn't I want to do a healthcare staffing agency, but it was after co so many hospitals had already been contracted out. It was very very difficult. I'm riding around Georgia trying to get contracts. It was really really hard.

[3:53]  So you were doing it?

[3:55]  Yes.

[3:56]  Well, okay. Okay. I love this. I love this because [laughter] there's so many lessons learned. Like I've I've I've had failed businesses and at the moment when you fail and you got to like kind of give up in a sense it hurts. Was this your first business that you had to close after starting?

[4:11]  Yeah.

[4:12]  Okay. So it hurts. I remember my first business.

[4:15]  But you know what I it really did not hurt me because I really wasn't looking at I'm like this is something that okay this is something that I want to do. However, it may not be what is for me.

[4:28]  There might be something else for me. So, I it really didn't I'm like, "Okay, well, yeah, it didn't work out. Let me go find something else." However, before I can go find something else, it found me. Um,

[4:41]  I just up out the blue get a call from this guy who just started a a franchise with a ABA center and he was looking for office managers. And I'm questioning like, how did you even get my information? because I didn't apply for a job for for anything. Um, and then once I did my I I decided to go ahead and do the interview. I said, "Okay, let me do the interview." You know, I've already had office manager experience. It'll be a a walk in the park for me. So, you know, I'll go ahead and do it. I did my first interview and he was like, "I didn't even have to interview you because you answered all of my questions before I even, you know, asked my questions." And I'm like, yeah, I mean, if you have it, you have it. If you have the knowledge, you have the knowledge. In healthcare, um, or especially when it comes to the admin side of healthcare, everything is pretty much the same. It's just you're in a different specialty. So, you might have to change stuff up a little bit. So, he I did my second he asked me to do a second interview. I did my second interview with him and the corporate office in Texas. They they loved me. However, they sent me an email saying that they chose somebody else. Okay, fine. Well, that is not for me. You know, you chose somebody else. But then turned around 4 hours later and I get a phone call and say, "You know what? No, scratch that. We need you. Would you, you know, would you accept the offer?" And I said, "Sure, I'll accept the offer." And so he went and um he had already told me um about the the the business, you know, him just going buying into the franchise. So he really didn't have any um healthc care um background at all. He was working in somewhere in corporate America um or whatnot. And um and I and I, you know, I I decided to take that on when I did when I started.

[6:37]  Like literally his office had nothing. It was a empty space. He had absolutely nothing. So I said, "Okay, no worries. Let me do it." So I just kind of pushed him out the way and kind of told him like, "Hey, you need to do this. This is what you need to have. You have to have this to say appliance with the HIPPA laws." You know, just trying to um guide him in a way. After a while, I think he just was like, "Yeah, Tamakio has it. I'm just going to let her do her thing." And that's what I did. [laughter] I kind of just did my thing. I helped with his marketing. I helped um

[7:09]  Do you think real quick? Do you think that the journey of what you were doing in the HIV AIDS office with what you were doing on that um pain management was really leading you up? I mean even starting your own business. Do you feel like all that was what's what was getting you prepared for this moment and then on?

[7:26]  I I really do. I really do think that pain management was my foot in the door because I've always been a empath and a helper. So that's always been my nature of helping other people. So that was my that was the footstep for me in the healthcare industry. And then I just gradually started moving my way up and now I have my own ABA center. I you now I never thought I would have my my own ABA center but as I was helping him build his own I started seeing a lot of different things like I'm sitting up here making this you know making a way for everybody

[8:12]  but I'm still sitting here stagnant as an office manager.

[8:17]  Yeah. I no I and I've and he he told me um when I told well after he started seeing me do a lot of different things because I take initiative like I don't wait for nobody to do nothing. I plan out everything like

[8:31]  and so he just let me go and um after a while he's like I can see you owning your own ABA center. I said I can see myself opening my own ABA center too but guess what? I don't have the money to own an ABA center. Oh, I'm just going to if it if it happens for me, it happens for me. If it's not, I'm this is just where I'm going to be. However, he was like, but I remember when you did your interview, I asked, "What was your goal? What was your your goal?" Like, "What was your P?" And your response to me was not to work for somebody.

[9:06]  That has always been my goal. Nobody wants to work for Especially when you know your your your value and what you bring.

[9:13]  You know your worth.

[9:14]  Yeah. you know your worth

[9:16]  and you don't want to continue to work for somebody. You putting all your energy into somebody else's business, making them rich and letting them flourish. Meanwhile, you're sitting stagnant

[9:27]  and just [snorts] passing by, you just making a way to live like no no no when I know that I can do way more.

[9:39]  Hey, real quick. Have you enjoyed the podcast? We first want to say thank you and we also just want to give you a little insight of what we're up to at Francis. Some don't even realize that we're working with organizations to help them use AI to create that real human communication experiences where that's actually supporting your your families, those patients or the entire community. We're actually creating tech that connects. Check it out. Francis.ai that you mentioned that. That is kind of the same scenario I was in, right? like we go to corporate where it can I can tell that you're a very you have high work ethics and that doesn't it's not found often these days. So when you find someone like that, yeah, it's like, man, this person is so good,

[10:22]  but we don't feel valued at times, right? Like, so that that starts to creep in our brain like, man, why am I stressing over somebody else's problem and financially, I'm still living paycheck to paycheck,

[10:33]  but without me, this place don't run, right? Like that's just

[10:37]  and and that's exactly what it was when I wasn't there. I heard it from the the the clients, the parents. I heard it from the staff like, "Oh, it was this and I'm like, I can't even Can I go to the bathroom for 15 minutes [laughter] without something happening?" But that's exactly how it was, you know. Um, so I knew that if I ever left that it was going, you know, it was going to be chaos and I didn't want it to be chaos. I kind of overexhilarated myself when it came to to the the office in general. Like I over I've always overexhilated myself, but because I didn't want to see anything fail. I don't like to see nobody fail. So I kind of overextend myself a lot. So a lot of hours I always took work home

[11:28]  home,

[11:28]  you know. I always it was always something like I was always working 24/7 and I'm like if I'm working 24/7 why not have my own to work 247 so I can actually see something coming out. I feel like the the world has opened up for me in so many ways since I actually took a step back from actually working for somebody else. Um and actually I ask you actually what did that moment teach you like building somebody else's business about what not to do when you build your own because there's also learning like I feel like through this journey and you could probably um testify to this is that through this journey there were so many learning lessons not losses right there was so many lessons that today you still hold on to that allowed you to be where you're at today what did you learn from helping that individual build theirs that you said you know what this is what I will not do while I'm building money

[12:25]  the biggest thing that I've learned and I've said it I don't know how many people is everybody is not meant to be a owner. Everybody is not meant to be an owner.

[12:37]  Yeah.

[12:38]  Ownership comes with a lot of responsibility. And if you can't handle those responsibilities, then it is not for you. It is not just you showing up and showing your face. You are the person who is building your business. Like that is your business. That is your bread and butter. If you can't sustain that um image of your company, then it's not going to work out for you.

[13:02]  You're gonna go grow.

[13:04]  You think it was more of a leadership thing.

[13:07]  Absolutely.

[13:08]  Like just not the leadership. Got it.

[13:09]  Absolutely. If you don't have leadership skills because you are the leader, you are you're you're up here. You're on the the hierarchy of of your business. Like it starts from the top and and goes down. And if you as a manager or as a owner cannot sustain that image, it is not going to work for you. So you definitely need leadership skills which they lack. Yeah. Now, I always tell clients a lot of times when I can see that they're in their own way and they're in the way of others,

[13:38]  it's like until you understand how to be a leader

[13:42]  or hire someone that can do that and you just become the financial partner in this situation, you'll never see it move forward

[13:50]  because it is that it's that people work for people ideally. Yeah. We work for paychecks, but I I know a lot of people that will go do a job for a little bit less money because the leadership is good.

[14:00]  Yeah.

[14:00]  Right. And you you heard that time and time again like when people like man I love to come and work when you're at work

[14:06]  that speaks volume

[14:07]  you know like wait a minute

[14:09]  I'm not even the top

[14:10]  dog my office [laughter]

[14:13]  that's good

[14:15]  for nothing

[14:17]  that's good okay okay so let let's get to the ABA work that's why this is why we're here right now you're doing ABA work um

[14:25]  and and most people enter through education or psychology and you just came for pain management. What did you see in that first ABA call that made you say, "Oh, no. I'm in." Because this was something completely different for you,

[14:39]  the growth of the children. Because I'm actually because I I love to see people do better and I love to see growth. Just watching the kids come in as a nonverbal and to saying a couple of words, two sentences is joyful. like just to see because people feel like that these kids are incapable of doing any and everything when actually they are the smartest and most intelligent kids that I have come across. Um, so and and see and helping the parents. That was another thing cuz a lot of the parents who I've encountered um new to autism never really had any family members or um anything that had a you were autistic really did not know what to do. They didn't know what to do. But I kind of open up a safe space for them to express that and kind of give them let them know like I I'm holding your hand in this. Like we're going to get through this together and we're going to try to figure out how it is. It's more to me than what the BCBAS do. The be behavior analysts. Their their job is to come up with treatment plans and goals for these kids. However, they can't go any further outside of that. However, I can I can help advocate. I can help try to give you some at least a little bit of of peace, you know, to to knowing that your child is it might I they are not incapable of doing this. It's just a little setback, but we're going to get them back on track. We're going to get them to where they need to be, and they need that sometimes. They need that a lot of times, like all the parents that I've come across. [clears throat] Did you grow up with this like wanting to give back, pouring into others? Because you've kind of lived your whole life, at least from some of the jobs you're telling me is to help others. Like where did that come from?

[16:34]  I'm a cancer. [laughter]

[16:38]  I'm do it too.

[16:41]  I'm natur I'm a nurturer. I always have the mommy feel like

[16:45]  Got it. Got it. Got it.

[16:46]  I don't know. I've always been like I've always been that like I used to give get my happiness off of other people's happiness. Didn't care a whole lot about my own

[16:57]  as long as somebody else over there was happy.

[17:00]  It was fine by me. It wasn't until I got a little bit maybe it I had to grow into that maybe about four or five years ago that's when I finally started seeing like hey Tmakio you need to start thinking about you. Um, but for the most part, just seeing other people like happy and and getting what they want, it made me happy. So, I've always extended myself to any and I still do it.

[17:25]  I was going to say, you're still that person. That is so funny you said that.

[17:29]  But now I do have boundaries.

[17:31]  Correct. Okay. Why do those boundaries? Yes. Yes, I hear you. I was that person that same. I just said yes to everything

[17:40]  and realizing that I had to learn how to say no because it was killing me, right? Like

[17:44]  it's hard to say no. It's hard to say no, especially if it's coming um if if it's towards somebody that you really care about, close family, things of that. It's hard to say no.

[17:58]  Then you start feeling like, huh, well, I can't do this. You know

[18:02]  what? What? Okay. What made you want to say no, though? I share mine after you share yours. What made you want to say, you know what, cuz I used to think it was a little selfish, but I'm like, no, I got to help myself. Like, there's no way that I'm I'm helping to pour into others when I'm empty.

[18:16]  I got tired of getting the short end of the stick every time.

[18:21]  I'm always extending myself without nobody asking question. But, however, nobody helps me. Nobody asks me for if I need anything. Nobody asks me how I'm doing. Nobody. So, I had to really take a look and say, "Wait a minute." Yeah. No, I need this. I need to set a boundary of when and when I when I can and when I cannot give to somebody else cuz I have to take care of my I just went through a whole little thing with a whole another BCBA not too long ago. She's trying to start her own business and I was just giving giving giving giving giving. And after a while, I said, "You know what? No, ma'am. Because I worked so hard to build what I'm building just to give it away to you. You're showing me that you really don't have any initiative of what this is going on when I really do have a purpose of this business. So, you just want me to give you what I have. I don't care what dollar you say you you will pay me. All money is not good money

[19:26]  because what are you actually doing with that?

[19:29]  What are you actually doing with what I worked hard to give you? Yeah.

[19:34]  No. So, yeah.

[19:35]  Yeah. I love that you mentioned that because that is a lot of times where we are God has given us this spirit of giving back like helping others and I think that we had to learn okay continue to do that but understand where you put your time

[19:51]  because time is very valuable. And I think when I once I became a father that I realized wait time is very valuable because I was saying yes and believe my wife also says it like yeah you got to stop saying yes to everything. Like I'll say yes to my neighbor, you know, time and time again. And she's like, "Yo, they keep knocking on the door not looking for you." Like, "Can you please stop because the next time I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna let them know you are not available." And I'm like, geez. But it is that it's because we say yes so much. And then we do get burned. And then we we do feel like, man, like I'm giving somebody my all and they don't reciprocate that back to me,

[20:23]  you know? Like as you mentioned, I had to work for this. There was sleepless nights. There was the times I was crying. There was all this. and you just don't like you don't appreciate it. I can tell you don't appreciate it. And when someone does not appreciate something,

[20:35]  it bothers me knowing that I'm pouring into you and you're not utilizing and there's still the same excuses. That bothers me because I'm giving you the playbook. What are you doing with it? As you mentioned, I don't care about the money. If you're not going to execute the work that I'm giving you,

[20:49]  the playbook,

[20:50]  I don't want to do business with you.

[20:51]  Yeah.

[20:52]  You know, uh uh and stuff like that. And also was finding friends. Maybe you were experiencing this a little bit. Friends that will call you and give you their drama and and and give you all these negativities was happening or even sometimes dim your light. Like, girl, what is you doing? All this. At least I was experiencing some of that on my end. And I had to realize, you know what? I got to I got to stop picking up the phone as much to some of those friends I was talking to often because the dimming of my light or you don't even ask me how I'm doing. Like I'm here struggling and all you want to tell me is about your drama at your house.

[21:22]  Yes.

[21:22]  You know [laughter] anybody unless they're going through something, they do not call you to see how you're doing.

[21:30]  Yeah.

[21:30]  Yeah. And that's how it is. So yeah, you you have to set boundaries for yourself.

[21:36]  And this is Yeah. I love it. I love that you get there and it's only getting better. And because of that, I think is what allowed those doors to open, right? I think once you take ownership of that, the opportunities come and present themselves. What are the opportunities?

[21:49]  Uh yeah, because I feel like sometimes people can block you from your blessings.

[21:55]  And when you have those people around you who don't have the same mindset, the same goals, and the same the same aspirations as you, it's going to hinder you from getting to be to being your full potential. And I will not have it. Like I won't have it. I'm very even though I'm I say that I'm extroverted but I'm really introverted when it comes to a lot I'm a little bit of both

[22:22]  because I know if I feel like it's something that's going to stop me or hinder me I will remove you. I will forget that you exist. [laughter]

[22:31]  However, I can be the light of the party if I need to be.

[22:36]  That's funny. Um no, I I love it and I think that this also opened up doors for you. you haven't got into it, but you mentioned there was no way that I was going to start a business financially. Like you had the mindset, but we didn't have the finances, right? But then someone come along and says, "Wait a minute. I invest into this vision of because I believe in you and they believed in your work. They understood how hard you work and they knew that you weren't going to take it for granted."

[22:57]  What did that moment really unlock in you when someone says, "Hey, I see like I see your worth." Not a lot of times people will see our worth. Someone says, "I see your worth and I want to invest into this dream of yours." What does that make you feel? What does that unlock?

[23:10]  Um, at that point, that's when I started actually feeling valued, like somebody's actually seeing me, seeing what I'm capable of doing, seeing how I'm making things better, you know, um, and not like you said, not dimming my light, you know. Yeah. So I felt I I felt exhilarated until I didn't because it coming into this or starting your own business, you are going to come through all kinds of rocks thrown at you. Like it's not it doesn't come easy. So even though I did get that opportunity, it didn't work out the way that it was supposed to, the way that it was planned, the the way that my business plan had went for it to go.

[23:56]  Okay. So you had to pivot

[23:58]  very much so to where I almost lost my business.

[24:03]  Wow.

[24:04]  I almost

[24:06]  You can't go. See, there's something special about you. Like that's why I love to talk to you the first time because I always like to say that the entrepreneurship first is lonely, right? It is not for the weak.

[24:20]  No, it is not.

[24:21]  It is. It takes failing. Failing forward, right? Um I've had the opportunity to do multiple businesses and it does become easier every single time because I'm like, "Oh, okay. What did I learn from here?" Right? That's how that's how I looked at it. Okay, what am I learning? Like I get it. I had to close the doors and I', you know, to some brick and mortars. What did I learn is the most important thing. And that's in a relationship when you have to leave somebody. What did I learn? You know, this this gentleman that uh was investing, I believe it was a gentleman that invested and then go, okay, what did I learn? Right? There was always something to learn. What was the learning lesson in that moment when you realized someone believed in me, but maybe it wasn't to my benefit? that everybody is not looking at your vision the way that you look at your vision.

[25:06]  They were looking at it in in the money aspect of what they can kind of get about out the situation as I was doing it because it's a passion for me because I want to actually help. And I thought that that's what they wanted as well because

[25:18]  they had an autistic child

[25:21]  who was in ABA

[25:23]  but that wasn't the case. They were just trying to manipulate me. me being a woman, they felt that I they can get over on me and do all this other type of stuff. And I'm like, "No, it's not going to happen." Especially when I work all night long. Every piece of paper that I have in my business, I did it with my own hand. You are not going to take this away from me. And it was just things that were popping up that was I wasn't aware of being that I did not come in with money. They were helping me financially. So, I was putting my trust in them financially, but they didn't stand up. They they didn't hold their end of the bargain. That's what almost left me to leave um to to lose my business. I had a whole 9,000 square foot building that I end up losing,

[26:13]  which had me having kids and I'm like, I can't just not have, you know, can't stop business. It's like I cannot just tell the parents to go find somewhere else to go because I did get a text message saying you need to tell your parents to go find somewhere else to go. That that's not an option for me.

[26:32]  So, with the help of my staff and everybody else around me, they're like, "It's okay. You'll figure it out." And the the way that I what I did to kind of make it make myself feel better. I end up opening my home. I renovated my home. I I did the the garage all over as a classroom. I added equipment out in the backyard. I talked to my parents who were really supportive of what I was doing and they had my back and they were like, "We're we're we support you. Whatever you choose to do, we're we have your back." So, that's what I end up doing. I transferred service from that 9,000 square foot building to my house and did that for a couple of months. And it and it just so happened I'm like, "Okay, it's just till I can find another location." I got knocked out a couple of times, you know, people because I'm very transparent first and foremost. So anywhere I go, I let them know like, "Hey, this is what happened with me." You know, I don't want nobody coming in blind when it comes to any kind of communication with me or any kind of relationship with me. You know, I was getting opportunity to get another location just for him to turn around and say, "Yeah, no, I decided not to after I paid this whole big deposit." So now I'm back at square one. At first I did kind of feel a little bit defeated because I'm like now what am I going to do if everybody keeps closing the door on me? They saw what I was doing. They saw it on paper. They heard it from me verbally. They saw they, you know, they, you know, I let them know that I was doing services from my home um to allow these kids to not have a gap in the care because I wanted I didn't want them to be set back. So that was my only other option. you know, I could have moved it to their home where, you know, just had inhome services, but however, I feel like everybody does not benefit from inhome services. They're in a a familiar place. So, they're not going to get their full potential of ABA in their home. So, I opened up my home so that the kids can remain in a group setting and have those social skills and things um together. And then all of a sudden, I I mean, I just kept looking. I kept going. I kept I didn't let nothing stop me. I kept going, finding locations, kept going to look. And I'm like, at this point, if it's if it's for me, it's going to be for me. God is going to make a way. I just have to sit back and be patient. And it worked out the way that it was supposed to because we were only in my home for the summer. So, it's like a summer camp. And then I get another [laughter] I got a whole another business, a whole another center, you know. So it it worked out the way that it was supposed to be. I felt like it the things that happened happened the way that it was supposed to be to remove those that negative energy out of my way that was preventing me from being my greater self because they

[29:26]  test your faith and to test your faith. What are you going to give up?

[29:30]  Yeah. There's no If you don't have a test, you don't have a testimony.

[29:35]  Yeah. Oh, come on now. [laughter]

[29:39]  I love that. I'm taking it. I'm taking it. Oh, that was so good. You dropped that one. Um, that's so good. I I just love that you just that never giving up, right? Like h how many um kids do you serve now? Do you see?

[29:52]  Um, right now I have um what I the 20 I have I have 25 kids. I have so many more kids coming in. I'm probably going to end up getting another location soon. Um because since I I had my grand opening

[30:09]  um of the new location back in September, the councilman of Stockbridge has been phenomenal. He's been posting me all over social media and I've been getting so much exposure

[30:22]  since then. A lot

[30:25]  um more so from me going out and meeting other people. I had kind of pulled back from marketing as when I um was doing inh home because I was trying to figure out how I'm gonna find another location. So I had I I pulled back from marketing and um gaining partnerships with uh other providers um and things of that nature. But now I'm getting to the point now where I can actually start getting back out again. But that kind of helped me too because a lot of people actually see that I'm in the city of Stockbridge. I'm in a downtown area on Main Street. I'm the only ABA center downtown on Main Street and it's accessible for a lot of people around me which they did not have. So I'm like it was meant for me to be in the location that I was at. Um because the people around me have been more than accommodating and they are I mean they just been supportive

[31:18]  all the way around.

[31:20]  I love [clears throat] that. And you created something special as well and actually I've been talking telling people about this. I thought it was pretty cool. You created a parent night right before you had your own center as well. What made you care that much that early?

[31:34]  Seeing the parents seeing the parents, they feel like they don't have an outlet and they don't have the resources um to kind of support them going through this autistic journey. Like they just don't feel it. So it gives them an outlet. They're with their children all

[31:52]  Yeah.

[31:52]  time. They're with them all the time. Sometimes you you have to have you have to be able to self-reflect. You have to have me time. And not not just anybody, not not just the parents who have children that are on spectrum, but people in life, we have to step back and be able to have some self some self-care and and uh self-reflect. Um and so parent night kind of gives the parents opportunity of meeting other parent parents who has children on the spectrum. maybe that they can shed the light um in each other's life of they're doing something differently, what's helping them out or vice versa. Um have a conversation because they don't get to do that often and people really don't talk about it. They don't talk about it. They deal with the situation at home and then they leave it as that. So parent night gives them a opportunity to do that for two hours. The last Friday of every month, they're able to have that community feel that I'm not in this alone. there are other people out here that are trying to get the same things that I'm trying to get and maybe we can come together as a collective and do something else, you know, do make it make it a big thing for the autism community because it's not it's not uh autism with a lot of ABA clinics I've heard in in general, their focus is really not on actually helping the families. your their idea of helping the family is getting them into ABA. Why? So that they can gain revenue off of that child.

[33:29]  I feel like if your real purpose to actually help somebody, you're going to overextend yourself to go to to bigger heights to try to to help them because they're the parents are are the ones that are dealing with these kids outside of that eight hours or six hours that those kids have for ABA. They have to be able to function and be able to maneuver around those children. They have to be able to deal with those behaviors um that those kids have. And they don't know how to do that if they don't have the support to kind of give them a push and saying, "Hey, you can do this. You're not alone. You have support. All you have to do is ask for it."

[34:08]  Yep. And you mentioned extending your services. I mean, there's times, I think you mentioned, where you're doing months. you offer uh free months, right? Like that's how much you truly care.

[34:20]  I'm I'm insurance based. Like I My parents don't um they don't pay cash for their services is by the insurance companies. However, sometimes they have to get authorized. Those authorizations don't come in for a whole month. Um like with Medicaid, for for a child to fully get into service is a whole six months. I No, I'm sorry. A whole 60 days. a whole 60 days before we get an authorization for um to provide treatment for those kids. Um and I've had they're in my care already. So, I don't want to stop the care

[34:57]  so that they can go and go go back to the behaviors that they were having before. I chose to continue to do the services so that we can I was like, I can go back and back. I can go back and and build. I can go back and build. But BCBA said, "You're a good woman." Because any other ABA center would tell them absolutely no. We'll come back to this when when we get the authorization. I feel like I'll be failing them.

[35:24]  You've done so much work. I mean, you've done work that what most PhDs couldn't, right? [laughter] Like, and I can imagine that there was some noise coming with that as well. Like, how did you shut out the noise of not enough degrees? Cuz let's believe it or not, okay, I don't have a degree. I'm probably like a two classes away from an associates degree. But I realized very early on in my life, you know, when I was running a store at 19 years old, like, wow, I didn't need school, right? Um, don't get me wrong, I went to school and I just feel like school teaches you black and white.

[35:58]  School does not prepare you to deal with scenarios and people.

[36:02]  So, I used to always get so upset when I seen someone come with a bachelor's degree come in and I'm running circles around this person because this person didn't have people skills. You can't teach that. That's exactly what happened to me. That's exactly what happened to me in the hi in the HIV. I started off as the patient registar, the face of the clinic because that's I'm the first face that people see when they come up in in the clinic.

[36:26]  However, because I've already had medical experience, everybody else around me really not so much. And not only that, I was a medical assistant as well.

[36:36]  Wow. Um, so there were social uh case workers around me. You know, I had an office manager

[36:43]  who had been an office manager for I don't know how long. However,

[36:47]  she didn't do anything. She didn't work. She didn't know a whole lot. I'm like, I don't even know how she lasted as long as she did.

[36:55]  But me, I've all I kind of being the I I'm a naturalb born leader, period. That's just me. I I hate to toot my own horn, but that's just me. I'm not going to wait for nobody to do nothing. If I see something wrong, I'm going to go ahead and push. So, I kind of handled the um the the the office. I kind of maneuvered the patients through the office and let them know like, hey, this is what these people can help you here. These people can help you here. It got to the point where the corporate office was actually calling me to have me do stuff that the manager was supposed to be doing. And then after a while, I got fed up and I said, "No, y'all not going to keep calling me asking me to do stuff when you have this lady sitting down here in this big old office doing nothing."

[37:46]  Yep.

[37:46]  So, she ended up leaving. We end up getting um some more office managers and it wasn't I had applied for the manager uh position three times. They denied me all three times because I did not have a degree. So I said, "Okay." I responded to them and gracefully. They was like, "You you the way that you responded was so graceful. We never would have thought. We thought you were going to crash out for what?" No, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that. Like whatever. If it's for me, it's going to come to me. I don't have to work hard for it. It's going to sit right on my lap. It wasn't until the last ma the last manager they hired. She came in. She was literally there for maybe two, three weeks and she called me when she left and she said at her exit interview they asked you know her questions about the operations and things of that nature and her she said I told them I don't understand why you would not give Tmakio the office manager position.

[38:51]  This girl knows this place like the back of her hands. You don't have to act. we have to go to her for her to guide us in the way. Why would you not give it to her?

[39:03]  And I was like, yeah, they said, I don't have a degree. I don't have a degree. I didn't go and sit in the classroom for four years or, you know, to get so I'm not worth given the opportunity to get that position. However, they called me 3 days later at 8:30 at night and said, "Tamio, I know that you applied for the office manager position and that you we couldn't give it to you because you didn't have a degree, but we decided to expand our horizons because you are the person that's down there taking care of that that office and you are the go-to person. We're constantly contacting you. Would you like to be the office manager?" Everything in me started to say forget you no because when I applied you told me no not once but three times.

[39:55]  Now you want to give it to me but I appreciate that that office manager for actually seeing it. They saw what I was capable of doing. That's the thing. You saw everything that I was capable of doing but you just decided to shun me out. But she really used her voice to advocate for me and get me in that position and that's how I got there.

[40:18]  I love that. I love there's always that one person in your life.

[40:21]  All it all it needs to be is one who was really going to stick their foot out for

[40:26]  I say it's one story, one person that can change your life forever. And at that moment, I can imagine that

[40:31]  you appreciated that so much that you continue to fight from that day on even more. It's like, damn, someone's seen something in me. Yeah, I appreciate that. Whether you work or not that position,

[40:41]  that's another stepping stone. I went from down to just being a front desk person, medical assistant, and I gradually started moving my way way up. Once I became manager, I already knew that it was gonna be SC because I when we first when I first um was hired into that clinic, they only had 300 and something

[41:06]  clients at at that particular facility. When I left, they had 700 and something clients because I was pulling from 12 different counties and trying to find because they were going off. They didn't know that they were there.

[41:20]  Yeah. So, I feel like I did my due diligence. It was time for me to go.

[41:28]  Yeah. Yeah, you did. Yeah. No, for sure. At some point, you have to um cap yourself. Understand how far you need to go somewhere. And I' i've done that in any company. I've always like, you know what, I'm giving myself two years. If I can't get here, I got to go.

[41:40]  Yeah.

[41:41]  You know what I mean? Um and even recently when I was in the airline industry, I gave myself two years. And kind of to what you were saying, I applied. I said, "You know what? I love facilitating but I want to take it a step further because I was getting bored and one of the thing about me is like don't allow me to get bored

[41:55]  because once I get bored I get frustrated. I need a challenge. I love challenges.

[41:59]  And um you know I applied and same thing wouldn't even get an interview. Like wouldn't even get a response of why couldn't I even get an interview. Like I am as you mentioned I am top of the line type stuff. And uh whatever life happened and and I decided to leave the aviation industry after all these years and and really bet on myself. And I think um one of the hardest things but also one of the most rewarding things to know that you can do things on your own and all those people that told you no or shut the doors on you that you're sitting here now opening doors for other people, right? You're giving other people opportunities. Um how cool is that? And I think every time someone told you no or all the times that something was happening that just wasn't aligning that it was really fueling you to be who you are today, right? I think all those moments that we've experienced as you mentioned is part of the journey. It is because it allows us to be who we are today. allows us to have all the education that we've had today to be able to do what we do and and you just touching the surface like you just mentioned grand opening was September of last year right like you just hit a year you know like what does it look like for another year like all this growth in a year like damn this is cool what does it look like if I do this

[43:06]  I have that I sit and say to myself all and it's so funny you said I'm like I never would have thought that I would be in this position right here right Now in just this year span with all of the stuff that I went through with all the trials and tribulation that I went through it was and I kept decided to keep going. How I have elevated in just one year when some companies it takes them four or five years to get to where where at a third of where they want to be.

[43:39]  Yeah. But I've that's what sets me apart, I think, from a lot of different ABA centers because I do extend myself outside of just providing the ABA services. I'm actually helping. I'm I actually want to advocate for the families that are on the spectrum. I'm actually trying to put myself out there to let them know that there are other resources out here for you to get out there. I'm working on a project right now calling bridging the gap and that the project is the school systems the public school systems and um collaborating with ABA services because they will not allow it. However, when those kids have these behavioral um issues inside the school, you're ready to kick them out. So why can't we collaborate to make that child the best child that they can be by providing those academic and those behavioral that behavioral support

[44:34]  that's been a big struggle.

[44:37]  You know you said you talking about how you're different from everybody and that's really what diff sets you apart is that you have the passion and purpose for it. It was never about the paycheck.

[44:44]  Yes.

[44:45]  Like I always say that, right? You never chasing the money about it. It was always having a passion and purpose for helping others. And when you got into the space, the passion and purpose even fueled more because you realized like, wait a minute, that these people are are um considered disabled, but they're able, right? You you mentioned that that was your word.

[45:04]  They're they're not disabled, they're differently aabled.

[45:07]  Definitely able. Okay. [laughter]

[45:12]  Differently abled. No. And I I I truly love it. I love that that just talking to you for the first time and even today a little bit more is is there's such a passion for the work that you do and you just getting started. I love it. Um, if I can ask you though as we start to wrap up, what do you tell the woman who knows that she's meant for more but she's still waiting for someone to validate her?

[45:34]  Well, I first of all, don't never second guessess yourself. If you feel like you have a purpose in something, go for it. Don't let anything hinder you. My my number one question I always ask, what is stopping you? Let what is stopping you? Because I will never let anything stop me. Like, I'm going to find a way. I'm going to if I don't have the answer for something, I'm going to go and find it. I don't care if it's through if I if I have to research it myself. If I come across somebody who is experiencing the same things that I have, like I'm going to to find a way because if you really really want something, you're going to find a way to get to that. If it's really your purpose, you're going to find a way to get to that. Don't let nothing stop you. Don't let nothing hinder you. If that is what is set for you, it's going to be for you. Now, everything sometimes what we're set out to do is not for us. Yep.

[46:32]  If that doesn't work out for you, try something else. Like there's always something out there for people to do. It's so much room out in this world for us to have our own and not depend on others and work for others and give to others and in in that that business aspect, you know, way. Get out and do it. Do it. Just do it.

[46:57]  Okay. I'll leave you this blind question. All right. There's a last question. wrap up. What part of your journey are you still healing from? But pretend you've already moved on.

[47:09]  Um,

[47:12]  got to get you thinking. So, a lot of times we say we heal, that we're good, and there's some

[47:19]  The only thing that really bothers me is going through that fir that that that part I was talking about, you know, having people think that they're actually um on the same have the same mindset, you have the same goals as you as you, but actually using you for their own um their own gain. um and thought that by you doing what you did, it was going to dim me and that I was just gonna pull back. Meanwhile, Tamakio kept it moving. And now I'm up here now and you're going to be sitting up here watching me on TV somewhere

[47:56]  when you could have been standing beside me, you know, trying to play in my face. So, I think that's the only part that kind of um that kind of really bothers me. Like people will pretend like they are genuinely um helping you, but in the in the back of their mind they're really not.

[48:14]  They're really not.

[48:16]  Yeah. They they they see they take your kindness for weakness.

[48:20]  Yeah. And that that happens quite that happens quite often. Um

[48:24]  Yeah.

[48:26]  But you know, it happens. It happens in life. I'm still moving forward with what I what I plan to do with my business plan. I'm still trying to grow even more. So I I I don't let it hinder me from what I'm doing, but it is still bothersome because

[48:44]  I hear you.

[48:44]  Those are people who you felt kind of shared the same passion because of them experiencing it handson with someone in their household, you know. But

[48:57]  no, I hear you. We I've experienced some of those as well, so I can completely relate to what you're talking about. But um before we wrap up, where can people find you? Are you on social media? What is the website?

[49:06]  I am on social media. Um I have um on Facebook Joel ABA um TherapyLC. Also LinkedIn you can find me um Tamakio Patterson. Um my website is Joelaba Therapy LLC.com. Um and you can simple Google me. I'm all over Google. Hey, Google Tamakio Patterson. It it's gonna pop up. You you'll see me. I'm going to be seeing one way or or another. So yeah, Google my name.

[49:37]  Tammakio, I thank you so much for your time, for being so transparent, honest, real, um, authentically yourself more than anything. And that's what allowed you to really win. I think so many times people try to put on this mask and don't realize people do business with people. And when you're authentically yourself, people can read that. And when you're fake, people can read right through that as well. So Tamakio, thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for what you're doing in the community. um where people sometimes don't kind of turn a blind eye because they don't know much about it but you're making sure the world knows about it and as you mentioned the world is going to know who you are and they already do right so Tbakio thank you so much for your time I'm

[50:11]  yes of course I'm Era we'll catch you guys on the next episode lers