In today’s edition of The Missing Link for SLPs podcast, I want to explain to you where this podcast is going and why I even named it The Missing Link.
—> Download this episode’s “study guide” and show notes <—
After having been in the field for more than 25 years as an in-the-trenches medical speech pathologist, and then recently stepping into an assistant professor position at an accredited communication and science disorders program, I learned that there are a lot of missing links for the students that I’m working with. And that caused me to reflect back on all of the students I’ve worked with, and all of the people that I’ve talked to, in my more than 23,000 hours of one-on-one skilled intervention. And one of my skills-I think we should always be operating from where we’re really good at – one of my skills is being able to take basic information and connect it to the person I’m talking to, and explain to them why they need to know this. And I have a lot of aha moments.
And that’s what this podcast is about. I’m hoping to create a lot of aha moments for you, where you’re listening to the podcast, and I explain a very basic simple concept. One you may not have heard from grad school, since grad school, or if you’ve heard it in grad school, because you were under such a deluge of information you’re trying to memorize, you weren’t able to apply it. That’s what I want this podcast to do. That’s what I want this to be for you, the listener.
We’re gonna talk about a variety of topics, because when I first started, you know, scripting for this podcast, I wrote everything out and try to read it, and I ended up sounding like Captain Cardboard. It was terrible. Well, in my eyes, it was terrible. So two thoughts from that. One, I have a very new appreciation for students going through and learning things again, because it’s so easy for me to stand up at the front of the class and say, “Yes, just go do this.” Because now that I am the student learning to podcast, man, it takes a little, it takes a bit of time and skill.
So the second thought is my best way of talking and teaching on this podcast is the way that I do it with my students in class. And in my class, at the beginning of every class, I hand out a pad of sticky notes, and during the class, if anybody has a question, they write that question down. They can pass that up during the class, which they seldom do, or they can raise their hand, which a lot of people do because we just have a very lively conversation. Or I collect those post it notes. I organized them. And at the end of every class, we will answer one or two questions. And of course, this gets discussion going. These are real functional questions that students have. Every once in a while, I will insert a question that I have heard repeatedly through my career as a speech pathologist. Do you have a question you’d like answered on the show? Message me!
So that’s the format that this that this podcast is going to take. It’s going to be a discussion and question and answer about a lot of the basic questions that I have coming at me that are just so fun to answer. Each podcast will also have a challenge of the week, because I love to challenge my students. Each podcast will also have a quote of the week because I absolutely love quotes, and each podcast will also have tips for success. So this podcast will help you build your confidence because it’s going to help you build that missing link between what you know and how to apply it.
You know what you know, so listen to this podcast and let’s make some of those connections from what you know and how to use it in your sessions. I want to help you see the big picture of what you’re doing because once you see the big picture, you’re gonna understand how to make those small little adjustments. In listening to the podcast week by week, you’re going to pick up on those small little adjustments.
I want to help you tap into your strengths as a speech pathologist and live from your areas of strength. So you understand who you are, and what your strengths are. It’s hard when you try to implement what you see or imitate what you see on YouTube, or other speech pathologists, but I want to build a community for you and help you thrive in your community doing what you do best, in your style best.
I want this podcast to be a source of resources for you, where you can come back and find links and connections to things that you need to know more about or want to know more about or just follow those fun little rabbit trails.
And lastly, but not least important and almost most important, I want to introduce you to the art of being a speech language pathologist. I have been in this field for over 25 years, over 23,000 hours of one-on-one patient care in a variety of settings all around the world. I’ve not worked in a school setting. That’s the only place I haven’t worked. I but I’ve worked with a lot of people. And I’ve made a big impact on lives because I understand that speech pathology is an art, not just a science, they go hand in hand. This podcast bridges the gap between the art and the science. It is intended to help you understand the art and apply the science.
I’m also a speaker for NAMI, the National Mental Health Institute. So you will see and hear flavors of resilience, neuroplasticity and self care coming through this podcast. So there’s magic and the power to change lives, to change your life, and to change those that you work with.
I want to arrive at the end of my career, exclaiming, wow, what a ride. Look what I have done in the lives I have touched and saved. I am at a very small part of some of these lives, but whose lives I have touched? I have made a good difference. And I want to touch your life with this podcast. I want to touch your career with this podcast because you’ve chosen this and I want you to succeed at it. This podcast is me building a legacy and giving back to a career that has so richly rewarded me. So welcome to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast and join me on this adventure!
I hope today’s conversation has created some aha moments for you and motivated you to become a better SLP, continuing to connect some of those missing links between what you know and how to use that knowledge. Thank you for listening to The Missing Link for SLPs podcast! If you enjoyed the show, I’d love you to subscribe, rate it and leave a short review. Also, please share an episode with a friend. Together we can raise awareness and help more SLPs find and connect those missing links help them feel confident in their patient care every step of the way.
Follow me on Instagram, join the Fresh SLP community on Facebook or learn more at FreshSLP.com. Let’s make those connections. You got this!
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