Aurora woman wins prestigious NYU award after founding successful business
AURORA, Neb., March 25, 2024 – Aurora-based entrepreneur Sarah Lyon, OTR/L, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Jim Hinojosa Distinguished Alumni Award, an accolade recognizing outstanding NYU Steinhardt Department of Occupational Therapy (OT) alumni who have made significant contributions to their profession. Now in its eighth year, the award was created to honor the late Dr. Jim Hinojosa’s immense impact on NYU’s occupational therapy program and the OT field as a whole.
“My eyes welled with tears the moment I found out I was receiving this award,” Lyon said. “It really felt like a full-circle moment, because at NYU, I was the student who always asked a ton of questions, and now that curiosity is central to my job and my business.”
Lyon, a Nebraska native and 2011 graduate of NYU OT, founded OT Potential — an online educational and professional development platform for occupational therapists — shortly after beginning her OT career in acute care and inpatient psych. As a new therapist, she quickly discovered the need for a better way to get emerging clinical evidence into practice.
OT Potential started as an online community for OTs to connect, network and stay informed on the latest OT research. Over the years, it grew into a thriving membership-based business offering continuing education courses, research reviews and a suite of clinical tools. OT Potential now boasts members from every corner of OT practice across more than 40 countries.
“One goal I’ve kept in the back of my mind through all of this is bringing more visibility to OT, because we’ve always struggled with that,” Lyon said. “Not everyone knows who we are and what we do — even within the greater healthcare community. That lack of general understanding has held us back in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to regulatory action and policymaking.”
To help unite forward-thinking OTs and strengthen the profession’s public presence, Lyon has expanded the networking aspect of the OT Potential platform with initiatives like the searchable online OT Directory of professionals around the world.
“Members can create a personal profile in minutes to help them connect virtually with fellow OTs, advocates and clients,” she said. “It’s a fantastic networking tool with a variety of applications, and I think we’re just scratching the surface of all the ways it could be leveraged.”
The OT Potential Podcast, which serves as the foundation of the company’s continuing education offerings, features Lyon as the host. Each episode focuses on a different piece of research, which is summarized and discussed by a guest expert. After listening, members can take a test to earn continuing education units (CEUs), which are required at various intervals to maintain clinical licensure.
“I feel like I’ve really found my calling with the podcast,” Lyon said. “It perfectly merges my passion for occupational therapy with my love of meeting new people and my natural tendency to ask questions.”
About six years ago, Lyon left clinical practice to focus on running OT Potential full time from the company’s headquarters in Aurora, a rural Nebraska community located about 130 miles southwest of Omaha, where she resides with her husband and business partner, Mitchell, and their two sons.
“I’m a Nebraska girl at heart, and I’m so thankful to be doing something I love in a place I love,” she said. “The online nature of the business has given my family and me the benefit of living in a wonderful tight-knit community and enjoying everything that comes with that, while also allowing me to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams.”
Learn more about the NYU Jim Hinojosa Distinguished Alumni Award and see a full interview with Lyon here.
About OT Potential
OT Potential connects occupational therapy professionals with the tools and resources they need to create evidence-based change. In addition to offering AOTA-approved continuing education courses, we provide a variety of free content — including the OT Potential Podcast and OT Near Me Directory.
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Media Contact
Sarah Lyon
sarah@otpotential.com