Sometimes working as an occupational therapy practitioner can take its toll on us physically and even more so emotionally. And many times I think we underestimate the value that we bring to the table and the impact that we have on our clients and their family’s lives. So today I’m going to dive into the emotionality of practice a bit and share my reflections from my chat with Effie Parks on episode 81, Pediatric Therapy From the Parent’s Perspective. Effie’s words spoke straight to my heart and really made me think about my role as an OT practitioner and how much potential we have to shape our client’s lives. If you happened to miss that episode, you can give it a listen over at ot4lyfe.com/81.

Do you ever wonder if you’re actually making a difference in the lives of your clients? Today, I’m bringing on Effie Parks to share her experience as a parent to a son with a rare genetic disease. Effie isn’t a practitioner, but her insight into what it’s like to be a caregiver for a kiddo who receives therapy will most certainly make you understand the impact you can have on your clients and their families.

Getting experience in various practice areas as a student and a new grad is super important. Today, I’m going to discuss why I think this is so pivotal, how I went about it, and also why mentorship is one of those things that I talk about all the time. I’ll be sharing my takeaways from episode 79 with Amirra Johnson where we chatted all about working in early intervention as a new grad. While that episode is solely about EI, there are so many things that we discussed that can be applied across different practice areas. To listen to that episode, head on over to ot4lyfe.com/79.

Is early intervention a good practice area to work in as a new grad? To answer this, I've got Amirra Johnson, OTD, OTR/L on the show. Amirra’s an occupational therapist and has been working in early intervention for just over a year, having started in that practice area fresh out of OT school. She shares the pros and cons, as well as a few tips to be successful working in EI as a new grad.

Are you a student looking for the best advice from the OT community? Well look no further, because today I’m sharing the best advice for students from some amazing OT practitioners in the field. I’ve also got a new lyfer of the month that I am so excited for you to meet, and I’m answering some questions from the community. And make sure you stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out the next question of the month.

Being a lifelong learner is pivotal to being a great occupational therapy practitioner. In today’s episode, I dive into how a previous podcast guest solidified this for me.

The lymphatic system tends to be undervalued, but removing toxins and waste from the body is vital to everyday life. Today, Emilia Dewi, a certified lymphedema specialist, is here to help us understand cancer-related lymphedema and how occupational therapy practitioners can help clients navigate the lifestyle changes that arise because of it.

So much goes into being an OT entrepreneur. It is a process and definitely a tough one at that. In today’s episode, I highlight 3 important aspects that every OT entrepreneur needs to know.

Sometimes our clients need something to participate in their meaningful occupations, but there isn’t anything on the market to help them. Joseph DiFrancisco, MS, OT/L, faced this issue time and time again when trying to find shoes for his clients that they could put on by themselves and also could accommodate any type of adaptive device like an AFO. But his search always came up empty handed. So what did he do? He put on his OT entrepreneur hat and created his own line called Friendly Shoes. His mission? Making shoes that were accessible, supportive, comfortable, and also looked good too. Tune into the episode to hear more about his journey from therapist to entrepreneur and how his shoes are helping people with all abilities.

Need help with your organization? I’ve got tips and tricks from the OT 4 Lyfe community answering last month’s question of the month about how they keep their OT brain and materials organized. I’ve also got a new lyfer of the month for you to meet, and the new 30 day movement challenge. Make sure you stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out this month’s question of the month.