OUR STORY
Why I Created Voice Fit
I started in this field as an SLPA, then went from my bachelor's through my master's, and since 2012 I've worked in nearly every setting and across the age span. I love this work. It's the parts around it that wear us down.
One painful reality: we rarely get to be part of preventative care. We usually meet people after the problem has already happened. Between insurance restrictions and productivity demands, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, and it leads a lot of us to burnout. I started Aligned Horizons Therapy to remove the parts of the job I didn't love, so I could truly support my clients and protect my own mental health and work-life balance.
Then I did something that scared me. Public speaking was my biggest fear, so I made myself start speaking to Parkinson's groups. I'm so glad I did. I was shocked by how many people didn't know what SLPs do, how we can help, or that voice exercises can begin before problems start. I felt so alive at those talks.
At one of them, a local fitness instructor presented right before me. He had everyone moving to music, smiling. And I thought: my talk is going to sound glum next to that. What if we offered something like this, within our own domain? What if it was fun and not scary, and we came together as people instead of a patient and a clinician?
That became Voice Fit, and it resonated. People told me they had been capped, discharged, or denied more visits, and they still needed support. Others didn't need 1:1 therapy but still wanted to do something. Some told me they didn't like going to speech because it made them feel "broken" and "sick" when they weren't. As a private practice with only me at the time, I couldn't keep up with the demand for 1:1 therapy.
Classes started in January 2026, and I built the course soon after, because I knew other clinicians needed this too.
Kara Heckerman, M.S., CCC-SLP Owner and Founder, Voice Fit and Aligned Horizons Therapy
Kara Heckerman M.S., CCC-SLP
Owner and Founder
Voice Fit & Aligned Horizons Therapy
WHY IT WORKS FOR YOUR PRACTICE
Voice Fit makes your speech therapy practice stand out because it…
âś“Â Â Supports real-life carryover through consistency and engagement
âś“Â Â Improves the overall patient experience
âś“Â Â Works alongside therapy to enhance outcomes, not replace it
âś“Â Â Addresses gaps in care created by limited therapy access, particularly within Medicare models
âś“Â Â Builds natural referral pathways through connection and community
âś“Â Â Positions you as a go-to provider for innovative, community-based care
âś“Â Â Creates a sustainable, cash-based revenue stream for your practice
CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR DIRECTORY
The map is just the beginning.
Every instructor adds a new voice, new community, and a new opportunity for connection.
Where should the next pin go?
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Drop your email and we'll send you the free guide: Start Your First Wellness Group
AS FEATURED IN
The PD Treatment Brief
Voice Fit was recently featured in The PD Treatment Brief, a newsletter for clinicians serving people with Parkinson's.
