Director of Employee Experience — Julie Meslin

This week’s spotlight is on Julie Meslin, MS, OTR/L, a Non-Clinical 101 graduate who is now Director of Employee Experience for Clinical Care Solutions!

What is your full name, title, and company name for your current, primary role?

Julie Meslin, MS, OTR/L — Director of Employee Experience, Clinical Care Solutions

Where are you located?

New York.

Where did you go to OT school, and what year did you graduate?

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 2013.

What did you do when you first finished school, and for how long?

I worked at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, an inpatient rehab facility, for about two years. I worked on the orthopedic unit primarily and covered other units. I also took a job in the research department, supporting the studies that were being conducted.

After the birth of my second child, I transitioned to pediatrics, first working with young children in their homes and at preschools, and then eventually got a job with the NYC Department of Education.

What did you enjoy about your early roles? What didn’t you enjoy?

I liked that I was always learning, both from my colleagues and from my clients. I liked being a creative problem solver. My favorite part of working at Burke was when we got to take people out into the community.

The day before they were scheduled to go home, we would put what we practiced in the gym to the real-world test. They got in and out of a real car, walked on real sidewalks, stepped up real curbs, and ordered themselves a real coffee and a donut at the local coffee shop.

I did not enjoy the relentless pace of my days. Back-to-back sessions the whole day went from being difficult to unsustainable once I was pregnant. While I always liked the part of my job that allowed me to be up and moving throughout the day, I was worried about the physicality required in the long term.

What else have you done since then, prior to your current role?

I transitioned to working in schools after working in the rehab hospital. This schedule worked better for me as a parent of two young children, and I found that my art background was very helpful. While the hours on the job were better suited to my family life, I did a lot of work at home—researching, prepping for sessions, sourcing materials (that I usually had to purchase myself), and of course, writing annual reports and initial evaluations. While a little less rigid than the hospital environment, my days were similar—back-to-back sessions all day, every day.

When and why did you decide to do something non-clinical?

I finally applied all sensory processing learning I had done to my own body, brain, and circumstances. I realized that it wasn’t that I just wasn’t fast enough or tough enough; being a full-time clinician isn’t a good match for the way I am wired as a Highly Sensitive Person.

I also had grown as a therapist. The deeper my clinical knowledge became, the more frustrated I was with working in the school environment. While my experience and expertise were deepening, there was nowhere for me to move up. I wasn’t comforted by the promise of 20 more years of doing the same job; I wanted opportunities to evolve in my career.

While I had the realization that I wanted to do something else in 2020, it took me two years to leave my full-time OT work. I discovered The Non-Clinical PT during that time and also worked with an amazing coach who specializes in working with HSP’s who are therapists as they re-evaluate their ways of working (shoutout to Lydia Adams Coaching).

What are you doing these days?

Immediately after I left my full-time OT job, I cobbled together several jobs. I did OT agency work, I worked part time at Trader Joe’s, and I taught Hebrew school.

A few months into that arrangement, I got a job at a medical communications agency, and I was able to quit two of the part-time jobs. I still work at this medcomms agency today.

Are you still treating patients, or are you solely non-clinical?

I don’t support any clients directly right now.

How long have you been in your current Director of Employee Experience role?

I got my first job at the medcomms agency in October 2022, as Program Coordinator. In October 2023, I stepped into the strategic planner role. In January 2025, I became Director of Employee Experience.

Did you get any special certifications or training along the way to help you get into your current role?

Yes, I took Non-Clinical 101 in January 2022. It was very helpful to see that there were so many other people in my boat, wanting to transition to other work.

I had so much guilt and shame, and knowing that others were asking the same questions as me and having the same struggles got me out of my head and got me moving.

As I mentioned above, I also worked with coach Lydia Adams, which was very helpful. I became certified in Health and Wellness Coaching through the Wellcoaches during this transition as well.

How did you find your job? Did you apply or find it through a connection?

Yes, I found it through a college friend.

What are some of the things you did to stand out, take initiative, and advance in your career?

When I left full-time OT, all I wanted was a foot in the door somewhere, so they could see me as something other than a clinician. My first goal was just to get a job that wasn’t “Occupational Therapist.” I took a significant pay cut and made it work by working other jobs on the side at first.

I jumped into my role with both feet. I presented on an all-company call within the first two weeks of arriving. I asked a lot of questions to get oriented in the industry. I looked for ways I could be useful and proactively volunteered.

I never pretended to know things I didn’t, but I made sure to find ways to use and highlight the skills I did already have.

How have people reacted to you leaving patient care?

Before I left patient care, I spent a long time feeling angry and frustrated and then finally, very sad. One day I just decided, “I can’t hear myself talk about this anymore. I have to do something.”

Nobody is living your life—they don’t know what it feels like on the inside. Some friends cheered me on, some thought I was crazy, some family members worried…it really didn’t matter to me.

The truth is, whatever people think is much more a reflection of them than it is about me. My husband was supportive throughout; his opinion was the only one that mattered to me since we share a home, finances, children.

What’s a typical day or week in the life like for you? What types of tasks and responsibilities fill your time?

I meet with executive leadership or collaborators on projects several times a week. I work either independently or in asynchronous collaboration in between those meetings. I maintain an internal communications schedule. I gather feedback from colleagues through surveys or meetings and then analyze this feedback.

I assist in planning in-person meetings and design team-building exercises. I collaborate with teams and managers to build systems that improve their day-to-day experience, including communication channels, workflow, career trajectories, and training. I partner with leadership in implementing effective change management strategies.

What are some of the rewards of your role? What are the biggest challenges?

I am new to the role, and the role is new to the organization, so I suspect the challenges are forging a path where there wasn’t already one. However, this is also what appeals to me about this role: the opportunity for creativity.

I always wanted to do work in which I saw a direct impact, in which I knew that my work made someone’s life better. That was part of what appealed to me about OT. Now, I get to do that for my colleagues, which is gratifying. The challenge is to balance the needs of the collective (the business) with the needs and wants of the individuals.

How did your clinical background prepare you for this role? Which skills transferred?

When I was at a strategic communications conference last year at Columbia’s School for Professional Studies, I attended a seminar in “design thinking.” A few minutes into the presentation, I realized that I am trained in this way of thinking as an OT.

Occupational therapy taught me “actionable empathy.” OTs are well-practiced in looking at the intersection of the person, environment, and task and asking what is helping and what is hindering? This all applies to my current role.

Roughly speaking, how are the hours and pay compared to patient care?

I took a pay cut initially, but I made it work (by supplementing with side gigs) in order to get my foot in the door. By year two, I was making close to my full-time salary as an OT. In year three, I exceeded my OT salary. I don’t get summers off anymore, like I did when I worked in the schools. But I have a lot more flexibility in my day-to-day life.

What type of person do you think would do well in your Director of Employee Experience role?

Someone who is empathetic and likes collaborating with others. Someone who is a creative thinker and willing to experiment. Someone who looks for opportunities in times of change. Someone who is a connector, enjoys building bridges between people and lifting others up.

Do you work remotely or onsite?

I work remotely.

Did you read any books, take any courses, or do anything special overall to get you where you are today?

I became a certified Health and Wellness coach through Wellcoaches. I took Non-Clinical 101. I have read several of Martha Beck’s books, and I highly recommend them, especially to people who are in a career transition.

In terms of learning specific to my new role, I attended some conferences at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies in the Strategic Communications department. Also, Adam Grant is one of my favorite thinkers in the employee experience space.

What is a typical career path for someone in your Director of Employee Experience role?

Employee Experience is a relatively new area. I don’t know that there is a typical career path, though people who are in HR could step into this role.

I think my OT background is particularly useful, as we are trained in design thinking and actionable empathy.

What is next for you? What are your high-level career aspirations?

This is a new role for my company, and I am looking forward to developing ideas and establishing its presence. The next step for this role would be to extend to the parent-company level, which I would love to do.