Haley Schmoll

Tell a little bit about you, what you enjoy, how long you have been a therapist, etc.
I have been a speech language pathologist since 2020, treating clients with various diagnoses. I enjoy learning and applying what I learn to better serve my clients. I have fostered an interest in orofacial myology and oral motor functioning. I am amazed at how the different parts of the mouth work together and have such a large impact that has on development, sleep, and breathing. I enjoy connecting the dots and guiding clients towards a greater quality of life.

What do you like most about the work we do here?
I enjoy being part of a team that works together to have the greatest therapeutic outcome for our clients, surrounded by others who also want to learn and better the lives of clients.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?
I have found orofacial myology jaw-droppingly cool and enjoy learning more and more that I can apply in my therapy sessions. As for what I am most proud of, I am a bit amazed at how I have come to really want to understand the science behind the oral structures and how they work together, when I did not particularly care for science classes when in school. Being able to apply what I learn and have real people I want to help has certainly influenced this.

What’s one thing people don’t know about you that they would be surprised to find out?
Someone might be surprised to know that I have my second-degree junior black belt in Tae Kwon Do- I have the pictures to prove it!

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
Make time for relaxing with no to-do list, pick up a book!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
A superpower I would like to have would be to be able to KNOW what people need. If someone is feeling down, to KNOW how to make them feel better. If someone is upset, to KNOW how to help them feel supported and assist in getting them where they need to be. I guess I want to KNOW how to be the best supporter of others.

How did you decide to go into speech/occupational therapy?
I originally thought I wanted to be a special education teacher, but instead job shadowed a speech language pathologist. I absolutely loved it. So, I decided to go into speech language pathology instead.

What is one thing that you wish people knew about your job?
I do so much more than help kids talk, produce correct speech sounds, and use language correctly. Those are all parts of my occupation, but another large part of my job at Embrace is to educate and teach clients to retrain the muscles of the mouth to aid in speech sound production, facial development, sleep quality, swallowing patterns, prevention of orthodontic relapse, and so much more.

If you had three wishes, what would they be?
-75 degree weather everyday (if plants could still thrive)
-Time and energy to bake everyday
-More bike paths to explore (preferably without needing to cross over roads)

What’s one thing on your bucket list?
I would like to visit Rome someday.