Khalilah and Ryan jump knees first into the topic of aging, including all the aches, pains, joys, and opportunities that come with more years. They talk about their personal experiences of getting a little older and what being "old" means to them. They unpack ageism and the ways our society can perpetuate it, breaking down some myths about aging and older adults. They talk the infantilization of older people, sex in elderhood, and the right for older adults to take risk. Let's just say the meaning of "community service" is greatly expanded. They also break through the stigma and talk about death and dying, their plans, and how to prepare for your own death. Highlights include: Ryan having to pee in the middle of the night, Khalilah finding out she's a Type A dier, and both going to brunch to direct a movie.

The twists and turns Ryan and Khalilah take you on in this episode will rock your kool-aid cups. The thOTs cover everything from problematic slide shows to spilling tea about the Well Elderly study - also Ryan has a stache! They dive into the politics of representation in the profession and the idolization of our founders and the biomedical model. They challenge practitioners to lean into our identities as embodied advocates, take on some risk, put our eggs in more than the biomedical basket, and diversity our revenue streams. They talk decolonizing OT the WHOLE way and shifting power for real. Highlights include: OT entrepreneurs getting a shout out, Khalilah giving OT conferences kool-aid flavors, and Ryan just absolutely obliterating a gas idiom.

Ryan and Khalilah welcome Dr. Nancy Bagatell, everyone’s favorite boss… and also their actual amazing boss. Dr. Bagatell is the Director of the UNC-Chapel Hill Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy as well as many other things! The Drs. discuss giving and receiving feedback in academia and the ways we can keep our wits about us in the wild west of evaluations, manuscripts, and mentorship. We hear stories of rough feedback, prejudiced feedback as well as true and needed feedback. Dr. Bagatell offers thoughts and strategies for managing and offering feedback to and from everyone from students, to practitioners, to her own daughter! Highlights include: Dr. Bagatell secretly wanting to be intimidating, Khalilah not needing to be told to “be careful,” and Ryan making a weird noise.

This episode is a tad longer than the usual duo episode, but that's because it's packed full of Ryan and Khalilah answering YOUR questions about them, their work, and their thOTs. They discuss everything from inspirational moments and people to what they got wrong about academia and what their hopes are for the OTPs who come after them. They talk about centering joy and showing up authentically and the nuances that come with that work. Ryan explores how to get into #VintageOT and Khalilah discusses the hard lessons she's learned as a Black female scholar and practitioner. Finally they end on a note about self-love and honoring your successes. Highlights include: Ryan gets a new nickname (probably won't stick), Khalilah preaches the word on trauma, they are both happy the other showed up today, Ryan wins a jump-roping award, and Khalilah reminds everyone to mind your business and drink water.

Khalilah and Ryan welcome Dr. Jaclyn Schwartz to the podcast this week to talk about medication management and occupational therapy practice. Dr. Schwartz is an assistant professor of occupational therapy and neurology at Washington University in St. Louis and also a new chicken farmer. While they start off the episode with a little tangent about chickens and antibiotics, the hosts dive right into the reasons why occupational therapy practitioners should be considering medication management in their work. Khalilah tells us the story of how this topic was inspired and both Jaclyn and Ryan get on soap boxes about the work. Jaclyn gives advice on how to start a medication revolution and where our work is supporting change. Highlights include: Jaclyn making a claim for a new ADL, papers giving side-eyes to new manuscripts, and comparing women's hormones to rocket science.

Khalilah and Ryan welcome Mecca Williams (@meccapresents) back to the podcast for another lively, gem-filled, hilarious, and insightful conversations about relationships, both personal and professional. Relationshipping is the occupation of the hour, with Mecca dropping her wisdom, naming realities, and calling us into authentic relationships. They discuss the work of self to be able to be in relationship with our clients, partners, parents, and more, showing and receiving love. They talk family, friends, boundaries and boards. Ryan and Khalilah even help each other set some boundaries. Highlights include: Ryan getting into a canoe, Khalilah having a breakthrough, and Mecca writing a book.

Have you ever wanted to jump from the clinic to the classroom? From practice to pedagogy? From grading activities to grading papers? - well maybe not that last one. Either way, this episode is for you! The Drs. discuss the various journeys and pathways to becoming a professor or faculty at a university for practitioners. They touch on everything from which degrees you might have or want to pursue to the story you tell on your 1-2 page (please!) resume. They discuss myths about landing the job and a few difficulty realities to prepare for once you're in the classroom. Highlights include: Khalilah not having the words, Ryan suggesting drop kicking professors (metaphorically of course), and most importantly, we learn how many walls are between Khalilah and Ryan's offices.

Khalilah and Ryan welcome Dr. Douglene Jackson, FAOTA to the podcast to talk about all things imposter syndrome and the future of OT practice.  They explore the places and spaces occupational practitioners are showing up and some of the challenges they face in believing they can translate their skills. Dr. Douglene reveals her tips and tricks for shifting your narrative around imposter syndrome and framing the work you do. Khalilah names and frames how that can show up in academia and the profession. Ryan and Dr. Douglene kiki about community practice. Highlights include: Dr. Douglene going Futuristic OT, Khalilah wanting to know Dr. Douglene’s bicep measurement, and Ryan reclaiming #VintageOT.

Welcome back to Dr. thOTs! Drs. Ryan Lavalley and Khalilah Johnson are excited for the next sassy installment of the podcast. Khalilah and Ryan jump straight into updating listeners on the last few months - mostly incubating babies, grants, and labs - as academics do! They discuss the transitions of motherhood and going from post-doc to full faculty member, and all the joys and challenges that accompany. Shout outs rain down for all the amazing OTPs out there doing the werk and mobilizing to make change and leadership happen across the globe. But even with that mobilization, self-care is important! Ryan and Khalilah touch base about how they're keeping self-care alive as they dive into the work alongside such a powerfully inspiring community. Let Season 2 begin!

Ryan and Khalilah jump into reminiscing about the past season and the lessons and takeaways they'll carry with them from it. We discuss the new ways science communication is evolving, the importance of how we learn from each and support each other in our professional spaces, and the hopes we have had for this podcast. We remember transformational moments from our guests and talk discussions we hope to have in Season 2. Have ideas for us? Connect with us via email [email protected] or on instagram (@Drth0ts_podcast). Highlights include: Ryan learning how not to be raggedy, Khalilah calling out anybody eating ribs with a fork, and all the joyful reprisals of Dr. thOTs moments you could every ask for!