Khalilah and Ryan are joined by the founders of B3 Coffee this week on Dr. thOTs. Former UNC OT and current SLP students, these three will knock your socks off. Jacklyn Boheler, Greg Boheler, and Hannah Steen come prepared to our recording with experiences, nuggets of wisdom, and reality checks for community practitioners and beyond. These three were doing Being, Belonging, and Becoming before it was cool. The three founders tell us about the origins of B3 and how its role in the community has evolved over the last years, now including pop up coffee, a kiosk in a local library, and ongoing community programming. They talk "community facilitation" and the necessity to smash the hierarchy when it comes to disability justice. Strategy and partnerships are core to their approach and it shows. Highlights include: Khalilah loving a pound cake, Jacklyn and Greg getting married, Hannah directing all the fun, and Ryan being a proud OT professor.

This one is a long one but, y'all, the Dr. thOTs duo had a lot to unpack. After saying hi to new followers, Khalilah and Ryan kiki about AOTA Inspire 2023. They first cover the good and exciting things that happened at conference, recognizing the good work being done, networking and coalition building, and the amazing OTPs who are continuing to contribute to this profession and its progress. Then they get to the tea - which, let's be real, is really why y'all are here. They discuss the undercurrent of the #JusticeForArameh movement and its advocacy presence at the conference - which also set a particular context for "the incident". Ryan and Khalilah discuss the comment heard 'round the OT world, why it was problematic, its aftermath, and AOTA leadership in the wake of the situation. The duo discusses the role AOTA has - or does not have - in leading this profession. Highlights include: Khalilah gets a grant! Ryan considers an OT union, and the AOTA Board of Directors gets an invitation.

Content Warning: This episode of Dr. thOTs discusses sexual harassment and assault, particularly within the OT profession. | Ryan and Khalilah are excited to welcome Dr. Rachel Proffitt to the podcast to discuss her recent article with colleagues regarding the #MeTooOT movement and revealing the realities of sexual harassment and assault within the occupational therapy profession. Dr. Proffitt discusses her impetus for leading this powerfully important study for our profession and the implications it has for action. She discusses the emotional toll that writing this study entailed, but also the responsibilities she felt as a tenured professor. Power, systems, action, and institutions are all discussed in relation to creating change for this issue. Highlights include: The Need for Action within OT for Systemic Change regarding Sexual Harassment and Assault

Join us next Friday for our BONUS episode on AOTA Inspire 2023

Have the thOTs got an episode for you! Ryan and Khalilah welcome a phenomenal educator, researcher, and fashionista to the podcast, none other than a former senior White House staff member and one of Obama's Black 44, Dr. Lauren Mims! Dr. Mims walks us through her transitions from doctoral school, to politics, to the White House, and back to academia. She tells Ryan and Khalilah all about her research on the education of Black children, claiming an axiom of brilliance, and changing up the game when it comes to facilitating transformative classrooms. She calls us to do "research that matters" and drops gem after gem as the hosts discuss research design, showing up in the classroom authentically, and how we prepare students to cope with and redress systemic prejudices. This is not an episode to miss! Highlights include: Khalilah and Lauren mutually fangirling, Khalilah bestowing an honorary degree, and Ryan finding a kindred quote spirit.

Drs. Khalilah Johnson and Ryan Lavalley are starting up a new season of Dr. thOTs! Here comes season 3! Bringing you all the thoughts and thots they can fit into 14 episodes! In this first brief episode, the hosts give some updates on their own lives, work and personal. Let's just say they've got grants, babies, classes, and plants galore. Ryan got a new D.R. in front of his name and Khalilah is rolling in those grant applications. The doctors share their hopes for the season and discuss some of the upcoming guest hosts. With a good reminder about self-care, the hosts launch this new season with excitement and sass... per usual. Highlights include: a specific shout out to the OTJR instagram - looking at you social media person! Khalilah may or may not drop Obama's name - what!? and Ryan makes a bad pun... per usual.

Khalilah and Ryan put each of their 4/10 energies together to make a 10/10 finale episode of Season 2 of the Dr. thOTs podcast. Weaving and rolling through connections to past guests and the ideas they discussed throughout the season, the Drs. discuss their growing edges and what they learned from this season.  Ryan throws out a sassy sponsorship suggestion - Khalilah makes the invitation. They talk juggling projects, leading teams, and providing honest feedback all while giving shoutouts to guests from this season. Looking forward in the podcast and their work, the Dr. thOTs duo celebrates 28 whole episodes and are excited for Season 3! Highlights include: Khalilah putting her edges down, Ryan resetting his brain, and both making plans to continue being two thots growing old together.

This episode is one for the record books. The first 6 minutes alone will give you chills - in the best way possible. Khalilah and Ryan welcome the revolutionary occupational therapy educator, Dr. Jian Jones to the podcast. A newly minted PhD, Dr. Jones is bringing effective education through hip hop culture to the OT classroom. Diving deep into pedagogy and classroom professionalism, the three doctors explore the doors they've stepped through to show up authentically in the classroom and the strategies they've used to help students find themselves in the content. With metaphors and effortless bars punctuating the conversation, Dr. Jian Jones reminds us to bring peace, love, unity, and fun into our classrooms and beyond, following the footsteps of pioneering hip hop leaders. You do not want to miss this finale guest episode of Season 2. Highlights include: Khalilah reconsidering an entire syllabus, Ryan suggesting a new head of ACOTE, and Dr. Jones giving us a historic Dr. thOTs moment.

Ryan and Khalilah plunge into the world of social media, respectability, and the tension in public scholaring. They kiki about some of the challenges of having such an amazing network of people to connect with while also trying to manage professional obligations and work. Ryan can't decide if he's an OT influencer or not. They unpack the tension in compartmentalizing their sassier sides and their professorial sides, in general and particularly at a public university. Khalilah calls out Instagram. They also reveal some uncomfortable posts, that had them intentionally and unintentionally reeling in the full potency of their personalities in social media. In the end, they love engaging but it comes in a mixed bag. Highlights include: Khalilah pursuing a cronut, Ryan wearing a speedo, and both maybe going in together to hire a social media assistant - but probably not - because let's be real, who has that money?

Ryan and Khalilah welcome Dr. Alaa Abou-Arab from @knowbias on the podcast this week and dive into the difficult work of speaking truth into the occupational therapy profession and beyond. Alaa shares a bit about his journey to occupational therapy and the experiences that sparked his interest in antiracism and activism in OT. He shares the discomfort he feels with how much silence persists and the need for more professionals to speak out against injustice. The three talk about the fires that push them forward in their respective work, including the privileges they carry with them. Alaa encourages us to be our authentic selves for ourselves and Khalilah reminds us we have to bring our interests and motivations to the hard work. Although this had to be a shorter episode, the hosts are sure to bring Alaa back to the microphone. Highlights include: Alaa swapping surpise baby stories , Ryan having the audacity, and Khalilah finishing a cocktail.

Ryan and Khalilah welcome Dr. Anne Kirby onto the podcast to discuss her research with the autistic and trans communities regarding suicidality and mental health. Before jumping into the topics, Ryan and Khalilah reminisce about old times with Anne from graduate school and discuss the differences between identity-first and people-first language. Dr. Kirby shares how she got into OT, what brought her to her work with the autistic community and how she has walked with that community as she's built a somewhat unexpected research trajectory. Her story reflects an important skill in therapy and in research - listening to mirror. All three discuss the need to be responsive in working alongside the community, moving in the direction that most benefits the community. Highlights include: Anne making a licentious joke, Ryan wanting to be a wrench, and Khalilah starting a new university.