EP. 302 From $15K to $121K: How an Occupational Therapist Built a Fully Booked MFR Practice

I wanted you to hear Shauna Fox Hamilton’s story because it challenges what so many occupational therapists believe about building a private practice. She didn’t leave her job because everything felt certain. She left because she realized the life she wanted wasn’t possible if she kept waiting for the perfect time.

When Shauna started Rooted OT, she was working 32 hours a week for another clinic while seeing myofascial release clients on evenings and Saturdays. She was burned out after years in pediatrics, raising two young children, and trying to build a business whenever she could find the time. As more people started booking appointments, she realized her biggest obstacle wasn’t demand. It was continuing to divide her time between two careers.

In this conversation, we talk about the decisions that helped her grow from earning about $15,000 in her first year to building a fully booked MFR practice generating more than $121,000 annually. Along the way, we explore what it takes to leave a traditional therapy job, create real financial security through private practice, and build a business that supports your family instead of competing with it.

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How Did an Occupational Therapist Build a Fully Booked MFR Practice?

Building a fully booked MFR practice began with recognizing that burnout made staying in a traditional therapy role unsustainable.

Shauna spent 13 years working in pediatrics before reaching a point where she knew something had to change. She had always considered owning a business someday, but she didn’t know what that would look like until she discovered myofascial release. After attending MFR seminars and introducing the work into her pediatric practice, she decided to open Rooted OT.

The transition wasn’t immediate. For nearly a year, she continued working 32 hours a week for another clinic while seeing MFR clients during evenings and on Saturdays. She hauled her treatment table between locations, subleased office space when she could, and built her schedule one client at a time. It was exhausting, but every new client confirmed there was demand for the specialized care she wanted to provide.

Looking back, Shauna said the work that kept her motivated wasn’t her full-time job. It was the time she spent serving clients in her own practice. That growing sense of fulfillment became the foundation for everything that followed.

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What Finally Made It Possible to Leave a Steady Therapy Job?

Leaving a steady therapy job became possible after consistent client demand demonstrated that Shauna’s MFR practice could support her financial goals.

At first, Shauna approached the transition cautiously. She and her husband wanted the security of a reliable income, so she set specific client goals before reducing her hours at the clinic. As her MFR schedule filled, she gradually cut back her contracted position, replacing employment hours with appointments in her own practice.

One realization changed how she viewed the decision. Every hour she remained at her job was an hour she couldn’t offer to people who wanted to work with her. Once she calculated what she could earn treating clients in her own practice, the financial picture became much clearer. Instead of earning less for more work, she found herself working fewer hours, earning more, and enjoying her days far more than she had in traditional employment.

The final step wasn’t about eliminating uncertainty. It was about recognizing that waiting any longer was preventing her business from growing. As demand continued to increase and she raised her rates, she decided it was time to commit fully to the practice she had already proven people wanted.

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Why Is a Fully Booked MFR Practice More Secure Than Traditional Employment?

A fully booked MFR practice provides financial security by creating consistent demand instead of relying on a single employer.

Like many therapists, Shauna once viewed a traditional job as the safer option. As she built her practice, that perspective changed. Instead of depending on one paycheck, she built a schedule that was consistently booked three to four months in advance. That demand gave her confidence because she knew new appointments were already on the calendar long before she needed them.

She also discovered that security came from having choices. When someone canceled, another client was ready to take the appointment. When it was time to raise her rates, people continued to book. Rather than worrying about whether enough clients would come, she had created a business where demand consistently exceeded availability.

For Shauna, the biggest shift was realizing she had built her own safety net. Instead of hoping an employer would continue providing stability, she had created a practice that generated recurring demand, supported her income goals, and gave her confidence in the future.

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How Can Occupational Therapists Build a Practice Around Their Life Instead of Their Schedule?

Building a practice around your life requires designing your schedule to support your priorities before filling it with appointments.

As Shauna’s practice grew, she stopped measuring success by the number of clients she could fit into a week. Instead, she built her schedule around the life she wanted with her family. During the summer, she intentionally reduced the number of clients she saw, planned vacations without requesting time off, and created space to be home with her children while still meeting her income goals.

That same approach changed the way she scheduled clients. Rather than offering every possible appointment time, she created consistent treatment blocks and gave people a few clear options. The result was a schedule that felt organized instead of reactive, making it easier for both her and her clients to plan ahead.

Shauna also shared that having more control over her calendar changed life outside the clinic. She could take her children to school, adjust her workdays when childcare plans changed, and spend more time developing workshops and collaborating with other professionals. Instead of asking permission to live her life, she built a practice that supported it.

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What Helped This Occupational Therapist Grow From $15K to $121K?

Growing from $15,000 to more than $121,000 required learning how to run a business instead of relying on clinical skills alone.

Shauna said one of the biggest differences was moving away from piecing together business advice from books, courses, and unrelated coaching programs. Having one place to learn the business side of private practice gave her a clear path forward, but what made the biggest impact was being surrounded by therapists building practices similar to her own. As an occupational therapist specializing in myofascial release, she found it valuable to learn alongside people who understood both the clinical work and the business model.

She also credited much of her growth to changing the way she thought about her business. Raising her rates, setting boundaries around her schedule, and trusting that clients would continue to book all required a different mindset than the one she had developed as an employee. Those decisions allowed her to create demand, rather than simply react to it.

One lesson stood out throughout our conversation: being an excellent occupational therapist and building a successful practice are different skills. Clinical expertise helped Shauna deliver outstanding care. Learning how to think like a business owner gave her the confidence to create a fully booked MFR practice that supports both her family and the life she wants to live.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can an occupational therapist build a cash-pay MFR practice?

A cash-pay MFR practice is possible when there is consistent demand for the care you provide.

Shauna started her practice while working another job, gradually adding clients until her schedule consistently filled. As demand grew, she reduced her employment hours, raised her rates, and eventually transitioned into private practice full time. Her experience shows that building demand can create the confidence needed to make the transition.

Is a small town too small for an MFR practice?

The size of your community does not determine whether an MFR practice can succeed.

Shauna built her practice in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she initially questioned whether enough people would understand myofascial release. As more clients experienced the work and shared their results, her schedule filled to the point that she was booking several months in advance.

How do you know when it’s time to leave your therapy job?

Consistent client demand provides stronger evidence than waiting until the decision feels completely comfortable.

For Shauna, the turning point came when she realized her limited availability was restricting her practice’s growth. Once she could clearly see the financial opportunity and had a schedule that continued filling, staying in her traditional role no longer aligned with the business she wanted to build.

How do you build a fully booked practice without working all the time?

A fully booked practice depends on intentional scheduling rather than accepting every appointment request.

As her business matured, Shauna created specific appointment blocks, reduced unnecessary scheduling options, and built her calendar around her family instead of trying to accommodate every possible request. That structure allowed her to maintain a full practice while creating more time for her children and future business projects.

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Ready to Think Like the CEO of Your Practice?

If you’re ready to stop thinking like a therapist waiting for the next client and start building a practice that supports the life you actually want, I’d love for you to join me.

From August 3 through August 7, I’m hosting the Get Fully Booked Challenge. Over five days, you’ll learn how to think like the CEO of your practice, create a clear plan for growth, and build a different relationship with your business.

Reserve your spot at https://heatherhammel.com/fullybooked 

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ABOUT SHAUNA

Shauna is an occupational therapist with more than 16 years of experience. After experiencing burnout in traditional pediatric practice, she discovered John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release (MFR), which inspired her to open Rooted OT in 2024. Today, she serves clients across the lifespan through her fully booked MFR practice and is passionate about helping people through a holistic approach to care.

Guest Contact

Website: https://therootedot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.rooted.ot

Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556970875054

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