In this episode, I sat down with Sonia Cajigal, an Allergy/Immunologist at St. Louis Family Allergy, to talk about her path from an accelerated medical program into allergy and immunology, and eventually into building her own private practice in St. Peters, Missouri. She has a strong clinical background, but what stood out to me was how intentionally she has built a more modern, flexible, patient-centered model of care. We talked about the difference between training to become a physician and learning, in real time, how to become a business owner. Sonia also shared how her own experience with allergies helped shape the way she thinks about patient care and innovation.

We also went deep on what is changing inside allergy treatment today. Sonia explained oral and sublingual immunotherapy for food allergies, the difference between food allergies and intolerances, and why newer options like Quick-LI are creating a much faster path to relief for environmental allergy sufferers. Beyond the medicine, we discussed the business realities of private practice: choosing location strategy, managing overhead, handling insurance headaches, delegating operations, and deciding whether growth should mean getting bigger or becoming more specialized. One of the biggest themes from this conversation was that meaningful innovation often starts before the broader market fully accepts it.

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-cajigal-a3476616b

Website: https://saintlouisfamilyallergy.com/

Practice Profile: https://www.mercy.net/doctor/sonia-rani-cajigal-md/

St. Louis Family Allergy — private allergy, asthma, and immunology practice in St. Peters — https://saintlouisfamilyallergy.com/

Timestamps

00:00 Food allergies, myths, and why treatment has changed

01:26 Sonia Cajigal’s medical background and accelerated training path

05:53 The moment allergy and immunology clicked

06:59 Why she chose to build her own private practice

08:11 The first steps to launching a medical business

10:12 Location strategy and why she opened in St. Peters

13:33 New allergy therapies: oral and sublingual immunotherapy

17:21 Success rates, patient comfort, and treatment goals

19:28 Environmental allergies, allergy shots, and Quick-LI

23:18 Equipment, technology, and evaluating new tools

26:31 Private practice vs. hospital systems

27:39 Why food allergies are rising

34:09 Food allergy vs. intolerance: what parents get wrong

38:15 What frustrates her most about the healthcare system

43:49 The biggest surprises of business ownership and her advice for founders

This podcast is brought to you by Storyboard Living.If you're looking to sell us a 40+ unit multifamily property in the St. Louis region, or another part of MO/IL, please email deals@storyboardliving.comConnect with us at our Website: https://storyboardliving.com/

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#Podcast#Business#Healthcare#AllergyTreatment#PrivatePractice#FoodAllergies#Immunotherapy#MedicalEntrepreneurship

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