Meet Evan Hunter Blumenthal | Occupational therapist & practice owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Evan Hunter Blumenthal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Evan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
A few different factors influenced my thought process behind starting an occupational and speech therapy practice: my passion for using a neurodiversity-affirming approach, my desire to implement positive change in the profession (e.g., salarying full-time clinicians instead of paying per hour or session, paying clinicians for cancelations, offering more PTO than average, creating a culture that naturally lends to work-life balance, etc), and the observed need in the greater Boulder community for these services.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I pursued a career in occupational therapy after working for three years as a human resources manager. Prior to that, I studied psychology and music in college, but I graduated not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my skill set. Shortly after I graduated, I embarked on a 450-mile hike with my best friend, Heather, that neither of us properly trained for. For five weeks, our days looked like this: wake up around 5 AM, eat breakfast, walk anywhere between 7 and 26 miles from one destination to the next, and stay at a hostel for the night before repeating the next day. As you can imagine, the lack of training lent itself to all the pain and discomfort – blisters, heat rash, tendonitis, exhaustion, and food poisoning, among other things. Some days, my body said “no,” so I took the bus to our next destination while the rest of my group walked. Without distractions and just the pack on my back, it was the first time in my life that I reflected on the fact that, at several points, I was not able to do what I wanted or needed to do. This sentiment – participating in the things that are meaningful to you – is the basis of occupational therapy, and ultimately informed my decision to pursue a career in the field, as I believe that everyone deserves to live a meaningful life.

Soon after completing the Camino de Santiago, I began my job as an HR manager and started shadowing PTs and OTs to learn more about their day-to-day. At this point, I was certain I wanted to pursue OT, and I was certain I wanted to work with adults, likely in a medical setting.

During my time in Tufts’ OT program, I was exposed to a variety of settings, populations, and diagnoses. I completed my level II fieldwork experiences in inpatient mental health and inpatient rehab, both with adults, and both strong interests of mine. While I learned a great deal during these experiences, I left them feeling like something was missing. I found myself questioning where my place was in the field of OT, and whether or not I would find it. I started applying for my first OT job, and on a whim decided to apply to a job that focused on supporting autistic kids. The more I learned about the job, the more excited I felt, and accepting their job offer felt like an opportunity to understand if pediatrics is a good fit for me. I quickly found so much joy and fulfillment in working with my clients, and my journey to this point started to make more sense. Given that I was supporting neurodivergent individuals, I began reading and learning from the adult neurodivergent community to inform my practice. I also took continuing education courses from providers who are passionate about using a neurodiversity-affirming approach so that I could learn how to better implement it on a daily basis with my clients. The more passionate about this approach I became, the more I realized how important it is to work cross-functionally with providers who share the same passion – and how hard it was to find providers who had done the learning and unlearning that I had done.

The term “neurodiversity” is simply a way to reflect the substantial diversity of human neurology. To be neurodiversity-affirming is to believe that differences in the human brain and experience are natural. One goal of this approach is to support clients in further understanding their unique strengths and needs while promoting meaningful skill development, communication, and participation in valued activities. To be affirming means to prioritize therapeutic and nervous system safety and connection while rejecting traditional behavioral expectations/approaches.

In March 2023, my husband (fiance at the time) and I moved from Boston to Boulder. As I was applying to jobs, I found that the work I wanted to do was hard to find. I also found that I was usually the only provider in a setting that implemented a neurodiversity affirming approach.

While it seemed like an elusive dream, my husband and I decided to start our own practice in October 2022, founded on the following core principles: always affirming, always child-led, and always strengths-based. I quickly found that the need in the community was greater than I realized, and I hired my first employee just three months after starting the practice. In December 2023, we incorporated speech therapy into our practice. Our team is now comprised of 12 compassionate, dedicated individuals who provide the highest quality of care to our clients.

Over two years since starting the practice, it has been a journey filled with successes, hiccups, questions, answers, growing pains, exploration, and partnership. I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with a close-knit team in supporting our community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a fun question!

Where we would eat: Jungle for delicious burgers and expertly-crafted tiki drinks, Stella for incredible Italian food, Woodgrain Bagels for the best bagels in town, brunch at Dushanbe Teahouse, pizza from Pizzeria Alberico, sandwiches at Dish Gourmet, and snowcones at PunchBuggy Shaved Ice

What we would do: if the weather allows, hike Sanitas & Chautauqua, ride bikes on the city paths, walk up and down the shops at Pearl Street, swim at the Boulder Reservoir, drive to Nederland for gorgeous hikes, and watch the sunset on the rooftop at Avanti. If we had extra time, drive to Ouray to camp, hike, and enjoy the hot springs!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people who have helped me to start and continue a business. I want to recognize my husband (and co-owner of Blume). Without his support, encouragement, and love, I would have never dreamed of creating a space where kids can play, learn, grow, and be accepted exactly as they are. I am also endlessly grateful to our families for their support over the years, as they have always believed in and done whatever it took to support our dreams. Thank you to Monica, who pulled me aside when I was shadowing a PT and said, “Hey. I think you’ll love OT and here’s why.” Thank you to our team, who I learn from and feel supported by every day. Thank you to our clients and their families, who teach us what it means to play, learn, and grow. Lastly, thank you to my friends, colleagues, and professors from Tufts, Trinity, and Ursuline for giving me a solid foundation to return to.

I also want to recognize the following professionals who have informed our approach at Blume:

Meg Ferrell at Learn, Play, Thrive
Greg Santucci
Kelly Mahler
Rachel Dorsey
Alexandria Zachos
Mona Delahooke
Katie Zelinski

Website: https://www.blumekidstherapy.com

Instagram: @blumekidstherapy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blume-kids-therapy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Blume-Kids-Therapy-100087415423693/

Image Credits
Photos by Taylor Prinsen Photography