We’re looking forward to introducing you to Megan Shull. Check out our conversation below.
Megan , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I would say that I am chasing limitations. I am constantly looking to push the envelope a bit further to challenge what the presently considered limitation is and eliminate it as a barrier in order to create opportunity for more, for something better. Limitations do just what they are defined to do… they hold us back. Our minds, hearts and imaginations have no limits except those that are imposed. Each day, I watch our clients shatter the limitations that have been placed before them, inspiring me to see more, want more and do more. If we stop chasing limitations, our growth stops. For me personally, I believe conceding to limitations would dampen my spirit and I would miss opportunities to serve the community around me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Megan Shull, and I’ve been helping children, teens, and adults build confidence and independence through communication since 2007. I’m a bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist, and I specialize in complex areas like Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Feeding Disorders. After starting my career in pediatrics, I began to work with adults by way of a colleague who could not find speech therapy for her adult son with Cerebral Palsy. Inspired by the great need and limited available options, I opened Building Bridges through Communication in 2014. Our mission remains the same: bridging the gaps in care we encounter in our community. Today, my team and I work across Dallas, Denton, and Collin Counties, offering in-home, community-based, and in some cases virtual services tailored to individual needs. In 2024, we added an outpatient clinic to continue our mission and reach even more patients in need of services. We take pride in providing highly specialized services to marginalized populations like those with complex needs or adults transitioning between pediatric and geriatric care.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
It’s difficult to narrow it down to a single moment, especially since I believe my world view continues to shift and change daily. But there is one view that is certain, the call to help and serve others. In between my Bachelors and Masters degrees, I was hired to be a direct service provider at a camp specifically for children using Augmentative Communication Devices (computers that generate speech for communication). I intended to have a cool experience, make a little spending money and learn a little in the process. Boy did I set my expectations too low. This experience was a catalyst to my career path and opening Building Bridges more than 7 years later. I recall the technology (communication devices, wheel chairs etc) creating opportunities for social connectedness and childhood experiences that many consider a right of passage. The teen I supported was very interested in cars and becoming a police officer. So, naturally we programmed his device with a siren recording and the Miranda rights. We then proceeded to “pull over” other campers for offenses such as speeding and failure to yield. The experience affirmed a sense of optimistic world view. That all things are possible. That the only limitations are those that we accept and choose not to challenge. That pure joy comes in the service of others and the breaking of boundaries and barriers that have been placed before us.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Of course! Owning a small business is hard. Owning a private therapy practice serving an underfunded population… extremely hard. The reimbursement rates for therapy services under Texas Medicaid Waiver programs have not increased in more than 10 years and are 30% less than the reimbursement rate allowed by the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (pediatric Medicaid). Can you imagine trying to keep up with inflation if you were still making the same salary as you were 10 years ago? It would be nearly impossible. But these moments of defeat are fleeting, quickly silenced by my client’s smiles and pride as they accomplish things that were previously thought to be impossible.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
This question really stood out to me. Likely because the answer felt so effortless. I admire every colleague on the Building Bridges Team. They are people I look up to and aspire to be like. They remind me of what’s important and help me drown out the white noise of business and stay centered on what truly matters, providing excellent patient care. My colleagues demonstrate compassion, creativity, perseverance and joy throughout their day in a way that is so effortless it can only be seen as genuine. They show up each day in the same way for our clients and their caregivers. They say “yes” even when it’s a stretch if it means a win for the patient and their care team. Even though I admire them for their character without a doubt, I do believe they have power. Maybe not power in the traditional sense, but certainly power to be an agent of change.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Honestly, I haven’t thought too much about what people will say about me when I am gone. I won’t hear it so it really can’t make me feel good or bad! I am most concerned about what people will experience when I am gone. My hope is that Building Bridges will continue. That there will continue to be a place for those marginalized communities to not only receive therapy services, but to receive the best therapy and hopefully more. I hope that through Building Bridges, the community of providers will grow and that the types of support available will grow creating places to receive specialized care in Augmentative Communication and transitional adult care.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbtctherapy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-bridges-through-communication-llc/?viewAsMember=true
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbtctherapy/
Image Credits
Jon Ewing
