Thoughts on Integrity Hearing Services’ 20th Birthday

Today is Integrity Hearing Services' 20th birthday. In reflecting on my 20-year business career and 39 years in audiology, I've learned a few things.

First, opening my own practice and going into business for myself has been one of the best decisions I've made. It hasn't always been easy, and I've had my share of ups and downs. However, I've had the absolute honor and privilege of serving the Lakewood community. It has given me a deep love for the people here because I've had the opportunity to be a part of their lives. I don’t say this lightly—I’ve truly loved getting to know my patients. I’ve laughed and even cried with them. I’ve felt their joy, their sadness, and their hopes. It’s a humbling part of what I do.

My mission has always been to help people hear so they can fully participate in their lives and the lives of those they love. Over the years, I’ve realized just how much hearing loss impacts every aspect of a person’s life. People take their hearing—and therefore their ability to communicate—for granted.

For example, I’ve seen an elderly man moved to tears because he could finally hear his wife say, "I love you." I’ve witnessed family members become frustrated with their loved ones, convinced they were just "not listening" or "ignoring" them. I’ve watched a husband break down when he experienced a hearing loss simulator that allowed him to hear what his wife had been struggling with for years—his understanding and relationship with her changed in an instant. I’ve heard of a grandfather sitting alone in the corner at a family gathering because no one knew how to include him. The bottom line is that people want to be heard.

Being a business owner has taught me so much. I’ve learned to be fiscally responsible, to properly track my accounting and taxes, and to manage a team—one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of ownership.

One of the main reasons I started my own practice was that I was always being told "no." No, I couldn’t do that because there wasn’t any money in it—even though the patient really needed it. No, I couldn’t give away that service, even when it was the right thing to do. No, I couldn’t spend extra time with a patient because the company wasn’t paid for it. No. No. No. I questioned those “nos” all the time. Finally, I realized the only way to say "yes" was to do it on my own. So I did.

So, would I do it again? Would I start a business when I could have just worked for someone else? Would I do it again when I could have had a steady paycheck? When I could have quit if I didn’t like my situation? When I could have worked for a company, made more money, had a better retirement, and avoided the challenges of business ownership? Would I do it again, knowing what I know now? Knowing the hardships I’ve endured over the past 20 years?

Yes. I would do it again and again and again—because of the patients, the people, and the community. In the words of the great Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way.”