Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Carla “Brandi” Smiley.
Hi Dr. Smiley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello and thank you for interviewing me. I go by Brandi, and I am a proud native GA peach, born and raised in Warner Robins, GA. I am currently a resident of Locust Grove, GA, married to my wonderful husband Timothy Smiley, a bonus mother and a fur mother.
I am a graduate of Northside High School c/o ’97 and Valdosta State University (’01), where I graduated with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. I desired to study the field of Audiology (the study of the science of hearing) as an undergraduate, but there were no undergraduate Audiology programs in Georgia. So, Education was actually my second strategic choice as I knew that one day, I would return to school and study Audiology.
The desire to study audiology stemmed from personal childhood experience. One of my elementary school teachers noticed that I was having problems hearing in the classroom. The teacher encouraged my parents to have my hearing evaluated. I had my first visit with an educational audiologist at the age of six. I remember the feeling of having the stigma of hearing loss; however, I also remember walking into the audiology clinic and being impressed with the audiologist at such an early age. I remember the details of the testing and the moment she sat my parents down to inform them of the results. As she spoke to them, I remember playing in the kids’ corner and having an overall wonderful experience. It was a defining memory that is still with me today.
Throughout my adolescent and early adult years, I would remember that I wanted to be an audiologist when I grew up. Though my academic life did not start with audiology, everything came back full circle. I received my bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University in Early Childhood Education. It was during my student teaching years where I developed a heart for children with special needs. I graduated and moved to Florida to gain Florida residency and taught as a Duval County Public School teacher for a year. It was during the annual hearing screenings in my classroom that ignited my desire to enroll in graduate school to become an audiologist. After the completion of my first year of teaching, I resigned and moved to Davie, Florida to pursue my doctoral studies at Nova Southeastern University and fulfill my dream of becoming a Doctor of Audiology.
During my last year in graduate school, I was accepted for residency at the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center. About three months shy of graduation, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer. Momentarily, I felt like my dreams and aspirations would be ripped away, but God had other plans. During my many hospital stays and chemotherapy treatments, I remember pleading that if my life was spared, I would give back and help people. A few years after being in remission, I began to embark on mission trips and found a passion for those with hearing loss in unreached, hard-to-reach and underserved areas. I have served internationally in Serbia, Romania, India, and Honduras, and also have served in a local/regional capacity.
Professionally, I have worked in various sectors and have seen the same common thread of people in underserved regions that lack access to hearing health care. During the pandemic when my previous place of employment shut down, I had the opportunity to think about what kind of audiologist I authentically wanted to be. I knew that I wanted to mobilize services but didn’t know how. I brushed off my business plan, revised it but lacked the funding that was necessary to build. After some deep prayer, contemplation and conferring with my family, I was able to raise well over the amount needed to design, build and equip a unique tiny house hearing clinic on wheels. The purpose of the clinic is to help break the barriers that prevent access to hearing health care. I am so happy to extend these services to agencies that provide services to the underserved population.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been so many life challenges that have shaped me into the person that I am today. Having battled and overcome advanced cancer, I feel like that journey prepared me to be able to handle anything because it really is about expanding your faith when everything seems hopeless. I developed the mentality that I will give my best with the hope of being victorious and I refused to let failure become an option.
Becoming an entrepreneur during a global pandemic seems like the most asinine thing that one could do, but I kept those previous life lessons in the forefront of my mind. From dealing with projects being dropped due to worker shortages, the inflation of material and supply costs and shipment delays, I have learned to trust the process. I also learned to open my mouth and ask for what I need. When I opened my mouth, hearts were opened to pour into the mission. I learned that to become a trusted community partner, I need to put trust in my community. Without the support of my circle of family and friends, I wouldn’t have raised the funding necessary to build this clinic nor would I have been held accountable to complete the tasks necessary to finalize the mission. I learned even more that we were created for relationships and not to do things alone. This was an important lesson for me to learn as a solopreneur.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Onsite Audiology, LLC?
Onsite Audiology is an umbrella of mobile audiology services headquartered in Griffin GA but serving underserved regions south of Metro Atlanta. I am a board-certified and state-licensed Doctor of Audiology. What sets me apart is my unique vision to mobilize hearing services using a tiny house on wheels concept. This concept is the first to be done in the audiology industry. It is taking the clinic directly to patients. I am most proud of being able to be the visionary and to work with a trusted team to bring the vision of the tiny house hearing clinic on wheels into fruition. Regardless of a person’s socioeconomic status, they should have the opportunity to obtain quality hearing health and have a wonderful experience.
Onsite Audiology provides services to agencies such as Early Head Start and Head Start Programs, Pre-K Programs, Public, Private and Charter Schools, Veteran Organizations, Vocational Rehabilitation Centers, and Assisted/Independent Living Facilities, just to name a few.
Services include but are not limited to: diagnostic hearing evaluations, cerumen (ear wax removal), hearing aid selection and fittings, educational consultations, recommendations and programming of school-purchased hearing assistive devices, and verification measurements.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I have many wonderful childhood memories, but one that came back to me was the simplicity of summer days visiting my grandmother in Washington County, GA and sitting on her porch after she harvested vegetables from her garden, shelling peas and shucking corn. Trust me, I hated it at the time, but now that I think back, those are some of the fondest memories that I have from childhood. Those were the times I would spend quality time with my cousins, listen to the wisdom of my elders, play outside, be active with nature, and socialize with children in the community. There will always be a little country girl inside of me. Lastly, I think it is fitting to share that as a child that my parents always nurtured my gifts and talents, from piano lessons, playing the flute, Spanish classes, to my passion for art and science–my parents supported me. If I was into astronomy, my parents would figure out a way to get me a telescope, or a microscope for me to study biology. Having that parental support was major, because even as a child, I felt like I could do anything. I don’t take those moments for granted because still as a flourishing entrepreneur, my parent’s support has meant the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.onsiteaudiology.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/docsmiley404/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnsiteAuDGA
Image Credits:
Crystal Byrd Uqdah-Love Byrd Portraits
