WOO, what?!

WooTherapy : The Meaning Behind the Name

What’s your go-to word?

Do you have a go-to word to express excitement? Yesssssss!? Eeeeek!? Awesome!? Yeehaw!? Hallelujah!?

All of those are great, and I’ve probably used them at some point or another depending on the situation. But now, more than ever my go-to word is WOO! It is a word that has become so deep-rooted in my soul that I use to exude joy, excitement and the occasional relief.

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Did I say WOO all the time and then come up with WooTherapy or was there a more intentional meaning behind naming the blog which is now constantly on my mind that I now WOO about everything?

Truth be told, the name actually did come first and now my exclamations of WOO are seriously just a reflex.

Meaning Behind WooTherapy

I’ve had thoughts and desires to start a blog (and YouTube channel) since the fall of 2017 when I was dreading going back to work after my second baby was born. Who wants to abide by 8+ hour workdays, sneaking in opportunities to pump between clients, regularly attending meetings at the end of the day, and often bringing work home with them; even if only mentally.

Ugh…not me! But alas, here I was (and still am)…

“Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’, It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.”

Dolly Parton, 9 to 5

Musical puns are also a reflex.

But truly…It. Is. Hard! There are limited freedoms that I so desire (time and finances primarily) and minimal affirmations that you’re doing a good job or even appreciated.

Enter, the personal efforts to strive for something greater for me and my family!

After becoming overwhelmed at all the equipment, scripting, and editing a YouTube channel would be, I {temporarily} ruled that out and decided to go with a blog. The first blog I started was called UpcycledOT.com where I posted several articles sharing my ideas on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials found around our house for therapeutic benefit.

I try so hard to do my part and be a good friend to Mother Earth; but, after the closets in our kids’ playroom become a little too much like an episode of Hoarders, my husband gave me the look. The look that inferred, “Honey, are you ever really going to use all this junk?”

While I still have big intentions and a large box of reusable materials (relocated to the garage), I decided UpcycledOT didn’t encompass everything I wanted to share.

So, I scratched that and started brainstorming again.

During the time I was lamenting over what to call the blog where I wanted to share my love and knowledge of occupational therapy, I actually invented a therapy product; adaptive handwriting tape to support students who require visual boundaries in order to generalize their skills in the classroom.

It was an idea that I knew could help so many people. I loved it, my colleagues loved it, and I needed to move forward with figuring out how to produce and manufacture that product.

But I got stuck. The “tape” needed a name. A name that would go on the packaging. A name that people would recognize and reference. A name that would link back to my original goals for a blog.

No PRESSURE!

I pondered over why I wanted to start this blog in the first place and what I could offer. I just kept coming back to “I want to share the world of occupational therapy!”

And BAM! There it was! It was so quick I bet you didn’t even notice it.

World Of Occupational THERAPY…WooTherapy

It was perfect. I love the world aka Earth. And I love occupational therapy. I could literally talk about anything OT related.

And then, it was quick and easy to decide to stick with that “woo” concept as it’s engaging, memorable, and implies FUN!

At that moment WooTape went from an idea to a product and I haven’t looked back.

If you’d like to learn more about WooTape, read this blog post for answers to 7 common questions people have about it or head over to the Shop and watch a demo video.

In part 2, I look forward to sharing how I discovered WooTherapy has a second meaning and how perfectly it compliments my long term vision for the blog and business.