Name
Nicole Donnelly
Age
37
Company/Organization
Sunflower Therapy Centers
What Does Your Company/Organization Do?
We provide skilled speech, feeding, occupational and physical therapy services. We have clinics in New Buffalo, St. Joseph and Niles, MI as well as provide in home services in the Holland, MI area.
Education
Masters Degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences
Accomplishments
In life- my proudest accomplishments are marrying my husband and creating a beautiful life together that was completed with the birth of our two daughters. Related to work-I am proud to say that I moved to Michigan in 2019 and began my private practice in 2020. I wasn’t sure if there would be a need for a therapy clinic in this area but my husband and I decided that we would try it for a year and then see how it went. I quickly learned that we are able to serve so many children and adults with disabilities in this area.
What else do you hope to accomplish by the age of 40?
I hope to continue to lead Sunflower Therapy Centers by example, providing the most positive work environment for my staff and therapy environment for our clients. I hope that we can continue to change the lives of the families we meet and provide parents with a sense of comfort in navigating their child’s needs so that they can become the best version of themselves! I hope to maintain a work life balance so that my husband and I can continue to make memories with our two young daughters!
Current City
New Buffalo
Place You Were Born
Palos Heights, IL
What was your first job?
I was a childcare provider at a local gym in my hometown.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
I have received so much great advice over the years, but I think a few pieces of advice that I try to live by every day are: -treat others the way you want to be treated -honesty is the best policy -a little bit of kindness goes a long way -you never know how much one little word or gesture can change someone’s whole day/week/life
Who inspires you most?
My family- I have the most incredible parents along with 3 sisters and 1 brother. I could never be more thankful for each one of them.
That one thing about you we’d be most surprised to learn.
I love crafting/woodworking/etc. We have tons of tools and I love creating things and building them on our own with the help of my husband!
What do you love to do in your downtime?
I don’t have a whole lot of downtime right now with running a business and having 3 and 1 year old daughters but this summer we started a garden and that has been a fun activity for us. I love doing date days with my husband, going on adventures with our girls, crafting and laying down to read a book also sounds lovely.
What book are you reading now?
Our 3 year old is the dictator of the book reading. Right now we love reading Jabari Jumps, The Pout Pout Fish, Nessie & Who Ate Steve?
Volunteer activity you love the most.
I love doing things with children to watch the joy in their hearts come to life!
What motivates you to give back to your community?
I feel incredibly blessed to be raising my family in New Buffalo and the love we feel from our community and all of the amazing friends we have here is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. The small town community really makes people feel more like family. I want to continue to give back so that we can continue to make our community an amazing place to raise a family.
What Superpower would you most love to have?
I would love to have two: 1. to be able to heal those who are sick & suffering 2. to be able to instill kindness and peace into all people
What would you like to leave behind as your legacy once you are gone?
I’d love to leave behind my core values of kindness, honesty and love. I constantly try to be the best I can be and to be kind to everyone I meet. I hope that people will remember me as someone who brought light to their life & made a difference in this world. I hope my daughters always strive to be the best they can be and know that they have the tools, support and freedom to be exactly who they want to be in this world.
What does the honor of being named to the 40 Under 40 most mean to you?
I am honored to have received this award because it tells me that although I feel like most days I am stretched too thin, my hard work and dedication to being a business owner, mother, wife, boss, therapist, daughter, sister and friend has not gone unnoticed. I am humbled to be recognized and tearful to know the impact my business has made on the lives of others. I am humbled to be recognized and hope that my story allows others to know that no dream is too big!
