Meet Annissia Davis | Speech-Language Pathologist, Real Estate Investor and Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annissia Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annissia, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am a proud native of Miami, Florida, hailing from the Opa-Locka area and I never forget where I came from. For those familiar with Opa-Locka, they are aware, it’s one of the rougher areas of the city, but I feel like that background gave me the motivation and determination to make it and to help as many people as I can along the way. Too many times people come from inner-city or urban areas and ‘forget’ the struggles they faced to make it out, or feel that if they made it, anybody can, when more often than not, that is not the case. We are all cut from different fabrics making our resiliency contingent upon the fabric of which we are made. So for me personally, I don’t feel successful until I can bring others to that same or greater level of success. So today, my work is all about helping, empowering and uplifting others.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Families Matter Therapies, LLC is my business baby that I birthed in July 2007. I began this company with the intention to include, educate and empower families who were going through therapy (speech, occupational and physical) to help them better understand their role in the therapy process and to achieve better therapeutic success. We are different from other therapy companies because we provide multiple settings for services (home-based, office or teletherapy), really emphasize making the family a responsible partner in therapy and go above and beyond for all of our families and therapists to make sure everyone is successful in therapy. I am most proud of the way our families feel about us and the services we provide. Our families constantly let us know how thankful they are and how supportive we are for them and that reinforces that we are on the right track, doing the right things.

I’ll tell anyone upfront that starting a business is not easy, but if it is your calling, it is definitely worth answering. Being a business owner means you are the problem-solver of the business. Anything that goes wrong, as the owner, you are responsible for fixing or risk sacrificing your brand and reputation. Challenges will come and all I can say is, you’ll find ways to figure them out if being an entrepreneur is the right path for us. Don’t get discouraged or let others discourage you because it is a rocky road and only you know where you are trying to go. I have learned that nothing easy is worth it and that it’s okay to not get everything done in a day and to not have the all the answers right away.

I want people to know that they can do whatever they set their mind to and to not throw in the towel too soon or when it takes a little longer than expected. I want people to know that they control more of their destiny than they realize. And I want people to know that if you have a child or adult in your family who needs speech, occupational or physical therapy within Georgia, or just have therapy-related questions, that they can contact us at 404-606-3755 or visit our website at www.fmtherapies.com. We are here to help!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d definitely recommend a visit in the Spring because this Miami girl does not do the cold well! Plus Atlanta in the Spring is one of my favorite times to be in the city because of the re-emergence of beautiful foliage and because of all the wonderful festivals that Atlanta offers. Pre-Covid spring in Atlanta offered the opportunity to attend the Dogwood Festival, the Sweet Auburn festival and many other music festivals and concerts. As a bit of a nerdy girl, I love museums and history and would have to include trips to the Apex Museum, the High Museum, the Fernbank and the MLK Memorial. Being from the flatlands of Florida, I’ve recently fallen in love with the elevation of the mountains and waterfalls in the area, and we’d have to visit Stone Mountain and a local waterfall, such as Dukes Creeks, Amicalola or Vickery Creek Falls. And because you can take the girl out of Miami, but you can’t take the Miami out of the girl, I am an avid shopper and we’d hit Lenox Mall, Mall of Georgia, Discovery Mills, or one of the many outlets or boutiques. As an eclectic, I love the vibe and stores of Little Five Points and love introducing my guests to that area. As a natural-born foodie, Atlanta doesn’t disappoint me and some of the spots I’d recommend are Busy Bees, Tasili’s Raw Reality and Papi’s Cuban Food to name a few of my favorites, And I don’t know what kind of host I’d be, if we didn’t explore a little bit of the night life. As a live music enthusiast, Cafe 290, Arizona’s, Sweet GA Jukejoint and Coaxum’s are great venues. The Ubar, Theory, MJQ Concourse, and Medusa are some of my favorite lounges/sports bars. As anyone can see, a visit with me is going to entail a lot of get up and going!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow this question definitely hits close to home as I’m grieving the loss of my mother, who died in Feb. Like most self-proclaimed ‘mama’s girls’, my mom meant the world to me and was a constant driver and supporter of my success. She offered unwavering encouragement and unfiltered criticism whenever needed. She definitely pushed me to my limits and always encouraged me to keep going and do more. Now everything I do will be done in her honor, knowing that I am doing my best to continue to make her proud. Additionally, I had an older sister and a niece who stuttered whom I credit my interest in the field of Speech Pathology to. It was my attempts to understand and help them that led me to my first career.

Website: www.fmtherapies.com

Instagram: @familiesmattertherapies

Facebook: Families Matter Therapies, LLC