Ballina speech pathologist wins prawn tank pitch

SPEECH pathologist Lucie Regan has taken out the top prize in a ‘prawn tank’ business pitch competition at an International Women’s Day event at Ballina RSL Club.

She will receive business mentoring and a support package worth more than $5,000 to help implement her ideas.

Regan, founder of Sunshine Speech and Allied Health Services, was one of three finalists who pitched their ideas to a crowd of about 200 people and a panel of judges.

Her winning pitch focused on launching ‘no BS parent education sessions’ through her clinic to better support families whose children are experiencing behavioural or developmental challenges.

She said many referrals involve children struggling with communication or behaviour, but parents are often left overwhelmed by the amount of information available.

 

“I’ve noticed a big pattern that the parents are often just missed,” she said.

“There’s so much information out there that they just need something that’s realistic and doable.”

Regan established the business almost two years ago and has grown the clinic into a team of nine staff.

“I started this by myself with no financial backing, it’s been self-funded with business coaches and HR consultants so what I’m building has longevity and can help the community for a long time,” she said.

“With this support package I’ll have experts in different fields who can help deliver what we’re really passionate about.”