Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Cady.
Hi Jacob, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
From the moment I started working with Autistic people, I knew I wanted to do this forever. I have been in public service since I was 19 years old, starting out as an Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter while in college. I loved doing that, and had so many amazing experiences I am very grateful for. I also witnessed many people on their worst day, and I learned over time that I had a knack for helping people through difficult times. I worked in emergency services for about 4 years before I stepped out of public service for a brief stint in sales. I enjoyed the job, but knew my personal calling was to help those in need. I decided to return to healthcare and took a job at a hospital, but then COVID hit, and the job was paused. I decided to switch course and lean on my skillset in de-escalation and patience, and I enrolled in a Registered Behavioral Technician course to work with Autistic people. I knew right away I was going to love the work. I began doing in-home ABA therapy with children aged three to seven. After a while doing that, I started working in special education, and got to connect with some amazing families and students who inspired me to start dreaming about ways to effect change in what was offered in terms of education for autistic students who needed something different.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have been incredibly fortunate to have an overwhelming amount of community support while starting these ventures, but it has been a very difficult and exhausting experience. Managing the administrative aspects of the businesses and marketing during off-hours while leading workouts, planning and teaching lessons, and working closely with the individuals who come to us for services to establish a relationship based on connection and trust in order to be able to push them to accomplish new, hard things with appropriate support is a lot, but every second of it is worth it. I have an amazing team who I couldn’t do this without.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
This adventure began from conversations with the families of our autistic students while working in Exceptional Education. We were consistently hearing from the parents that their children needed a safe and inclusive place to move and exercise. For many autistic people, traditional spaces and options for physical activity are not ideal, and so many of our students were not getting enough movement in during their day. We knew we had to do something. It started as a workout aftercare program for a handful of students as well as open gym sessions offering individualized, interest-based workouts with a focus on intentional movement with my business partner Shane Hearing and my wife Baylee Cady. Right away, families began to report increased emotional regulation at home, better engagement in school, and a renewed resiliency in their children. It was then that we knew we had an opportunity to offer something to the neurodiverse population of the Nashville area that was desperately needed, but severely lacking. We took the company, Movehaus LLC, full-time, and hosted a STEM sports summer camp. The kids blew us away with what they could accomplish when given the right support, and each day we left inspired and in awe of their resilience and drive. What started off as barely recognizable yoga, over time and daily practice turned into 20-second planks and minor tweaks to their form on downward-facing-dog. Working in physics and math lessons was easier than ever with the kids being so emotionally and physically regulated after a few games of pickleball and a core workout. From there, we began to think about offering a different kind of education. I launched Movehaus Homeschool Tutorial, a non-profit alternative educational option for Neurodiverse people based on integrating intentional, functional movement deeper into academic curricula. We partnered with the South Nashville location of the Youth Encouragement Services, a Non-profit group that works to bring quality services to marginalized communities, to share their amazing space, and Next Level Skills College Prep and Recruiting, a non-profit organization offering mentoring and preparation for student athletes in the Nashville Area, to act as our fiscal sponsor. We could not have done any of this without these amazing organizations, as well as the amazing families who have supported us and believed in our mission. We are so honored to get the opportunity to make an impact in our community, and that we get the privilege of meeting and working with so many amazing people.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lessons I have learned along this journey are to lead with compassion, listen to the community, and also to think differently and take risks. If your mission is right, even if you fail, it is always worth trying.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/move_haus?igsh=MWY3anJyaTVtMGcwYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: jacobc@movehausht.org
