Bio
Gina Taylor, MS, OTR/L, is a dedicated occupational therapist with extensive experience in clinical practice, education, and leadership. Holding a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Philadelphia University, Gina is a licensed occupational therapist in New Jersey, bringing a rich skill set to her roles. Her commitment to continuous learning is evident in her teaching experience as an Adjunct Instructor at Raritan Valley Community College and her role as Coordinating Faculty for the American Hippotherapy Association, where she contributes to curriculum development and ensures learner outcomes. With clinical expertise in pediatric and psychosocial interventions, Gina holds certifications in Sensory Integration, DIR/Floortime intervention, and is a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist.
As the owner of Epona Therapy Services, LLC, Gina operates a private practice, delivering direct occupational therapy services and providing career coaching. Her leadership roles have included Director of Operations, Education Chair for the American Hippotherapy Association and business owner/coach, showcasing effective staff management and oversight of program and education. Gina’s impact extends to from sensory integration to mental health in diverse populations, exemplifying her holistic approach and commitment to the transformative potential of occupational therapy in unique settings.
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Q&A with Gina Taylor
What is your desired transformation(s) from this alternative journey?
I love this journey and have no idea where the road is going. I love being flexible, creative, and authentic in my role as OT and mom. I love being part educator/coach and clinician. I have been teaching a long time and now I am able to innovate and bring those experiences back to those I am teaching and coaching. It’s a lot of fun most days.
What was at stake if you didn’t take the risk of pursuing your alternative career?
I would miss my kids growing up. I would work for 20+ years and not “own” any of that career (after 20 years I didn’t “own” one picture of me treating clients to use on social media). I would also be limited in the scope of OT interventions that I could use. When you have a clinical job that has a specific focus, it limits you in pursuing other intervention tools and strategies that could better help your clients.
What is your story behind the first sense of awareness that things weren’t quite right with your rehab career?
My fieldwork experiences reinforced that a traditional career in rehab wasn’t for me. I was able to see OT providers doing their best within a setting that limited their scope, required non-functional group therapy, or focused on medically necessary goals without considering what the clients needed or wanted. When I went into a non-profit role, I was able to create more client-focused care. I was able to provide OT services within the mission of the organization. As I grew as a professional and as a mother, I understood that this setting would not be able to accommodate my growing role as a mother and experience as an OT.
What was your decisive moment to transition to something else?
When my employer wasn’t able to be flexible with my childcare needs. I was not willing to choose my employer over my child. I knew that I could provide a broad range of OT services in the community with flexibility for my growing family.
What are some personal struggles you went through while finding and then transitioning to your business? How did you overcome them?
There was a big transition from an employee mindset to a business owner. I was lucky to have a transition period of working limited part-time as I got myself organized to provide community-based care. It’s certainly scary when you need to support your family while trying to grow your own business.
What was the first sign(s) of traction with your new career? When did you know this could actually work?
The first few clients were exciting, but there wasn’t a feeling of traction. I think our first feeling of traction was running nature-based groups. This was exciting and felt very meaningful. My husband and I were running the groups together and it was like seeing a dream come true.
What are the roots of your new career? What was your seed of hindsight to your new career?
Most people don’t think that a career with horses is a real thing. Most people wouldn’t think that you can work as a medical professional in a barn or forest or pool. We’re not most people. As a child, I was able to share my 4-H pony with Special Olympics athletes. This was inspiring as a child to help others through something that I loved. When I went to grad school for OT- I hoped to be able to work in OT using hippotherapy, but there was very little support or knowledge about what this would look like. Looking back- I can see how these early experiences influenced my path all along.
What is obvious to you now that you struggled to see in the moment of working in the rehab profession?
That you don’t have to follow the medical model of insurance based medically necessary care. You can provide care within your scope of practice and licensure that is authentic and client/family centered. This is hard to see when you are working within the model where your co-workers and colleagues want to remain within the medical model for acceptance.
What made you decide to pursue your current career? Why this specific one?
We have grown into this as my husband is a COTA and we work together and run the business together. We have each brought our strengths along- me with horses and farm animals, him with aquatics and survival skills. We are both avid outdoors people and nature-based OT was something we both understood the value of. This specific flavor of OT was important to both of us so that we could best serve the families in our community through nature-based OT.
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