Denise Barbato, Founder of Soundwaves & with 25 years of industry experience.

MIAMI, FL, FLORIDA, USA, October 7, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In early 2020, Miami, FL-based Denise Barbato and her ultrasound services company, Soundwaves, surfed high on a decade-long wave of success. Whether providing highly skilled, on-demand sonographers to doctors, bringing 3D/4D ultrasound scanning into facilities, or providing everything from OB/GYN readings to HIPAA-compliant image storage, Soundwaves enjoyed ever-increasing popularity across the Miami region.

Then COVID hit, and Florida became (and remains) one of the most-affected states. One third of Barbato’s clients closed. The remaining two thirds saw their business shrivel. In April, Soundwaves had precisely $0 in revenue, but the bills remained: insurance, machine leases, payroll, and all the usual costs of running a business. Many of Barbato’s 17 sonographers ceased working due to social distancing and protecting their families.

For the first time ever, Barbato found herself powerless to exercise any control over her business. The quarantine tidal wave had struck, and she had no idea where to swim.

Turning Inward

When the novel coronavirus struck, Barbato had six-year-old twins, a full family life, and a business to run. She was no stranger to the idea of having to balance and prioritize. And, as is the case with most entrepreneurs, she felt constant pressure to do more and always do better.

Her tackle-everything personality hit a brick wall when quarantining set in during March. Schools closed, and there were no babysitters. Nor was there any reason to leave the house and need a babysitter. Almost overnight, Barbato transitioned from being an always-on, doing-everything mother, wife, and businesswoman to standing still, becoming an overnight school teacher, and having no pressing demands on her time. (Financial pressures remained, but those moved more slowly.) All the while, news about the virus became pervasive and terrifying as death counts filled every media outlet.

Soon, Barbato found herself forced into a decision: either wreck herself and her home life with ever-spiraling worry…or find some path forward into peace and productivity. Given those choices, the answer was clear, but she still needed a methodology for getting there.

In short, she chose to grow her spirit rather than her business. How? By consciously deciding to work less on the external forces over which she had no control, such as trying to wrangle appointments from customers unable to open their doors, and instead work on internal forces she could influence.

Daily Change

As step one, Barbato adopted a daily meditation regimen. She had dabbled with meditation off and on over the years enough to appreciate that it worked for her and helped her to still her mind. Now, she needed a lot of stillness. Barbato sampled several different phone-based meditation apps, found a couple she liked, and made a one-hour meditation part of her early morning ritual.

Not too early, though. With no school drop-off looming over the kids and no work related demands in the morning, Barbato felt she could finally prioritize having a healthy sleep regimen rather than always charging immediately into the day’s personnel, billing, marketing, and support concerns.
With a rested body and a quieted mind, she then turned to YouTube and a wide-ranging yoga practice and select bodyweight exercises. Over the following weeks, she grew stronger and more flexible, both in body and mind.

“In those early days, I was so worried about money and health,” reflects Barbato. “Every time I looked up, it was hard to imagine anything except seeing my business and the safety of my loved ones crumbling away. But I realized all the things contributing to that were beyond my control, so why obsess over it? Why not intentionally redirect my energy and attention? I did. And it worked.”

Emerging

Florida entered Phase 1 reopening in May 2020, and, as of this writing, the U.S. COVID-19 numbers are trending downward. Gradually, the Soundwaves schedule is filling back up, in part due to the precautions Barbato and her sonographers take to maximize the safety of all parties during client interactions. Soundwaves business is now 95% back to normal.

With countless patients still holding off on elective and optional procedures, Barbato knows that demand has not caught up to supply in her field. Prospects remain tentative and tenuous. Still, she believes that her business continues to recover thanks to the internal work she began during quarantine and has maintained to this day.

“I took all that negativity and consciously turned it into a positive,” she says. “It’s a skill I didn’t have before. Call it a trial by fire. We will always run into crises, one way or another. COVID-19 has taught me the importance of getting solid and centered. You have to learn how to help yourself before you can help others.”

Said differently, many women — and female entrepreneurs in particular — already run at full speed in their everyday lives, surrounded by stress and worry on all sides. Perhaps the best way to conquer those concerns and elevate one’s business is by seizing opportunities to set those old habit sets aside and cultivate new ones that will leave the person more whole and resilient. In turn, this will provide a stabler foundation for the entrepreneur to build that business to new heights.

About Soundwaves

Soundwaves LLC is a Miami-based diagnostic ultrasound services company that provides state-of-the-art in office services to Obstetricians, Gynecologists, Orthopedic Surgeons, Cardiologists, Urologists and Family Practice Physicians. The company launched in 2009 specializing in high risk obstetrical and gynecologic ultrasounds and musculoskeletal sonography services in South Florida, and has now expanded its services into other medical disciplines. With first-hand experience on more than 500,000 ultrasounds, Soundwaves’ team of accredited sonographers is prepared to handle and advise on the full spectrum of medical cases. For more information, visit www.soundwavesimage.com.

Beatriz Arana
EnergíaComm, Corp.
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