OT Uncorked

What’s coming up for OT Uncorked?

• NEW episode about how OTs can support homeschooling families
• NEW episode about how OTs can support mamas 
• SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW to get notifications when these episodes go live

Episodes to revisit:

• Episode 31: Pregnancy, Identity, & Occupational Transition with Sarah Putt from OT4Lyfe
• Episode 32: What OTs Need to Know About Student Loan Planning with Expert Meagan Landress
  • If you have student loans, this episode is for you! The fed has extended the pause on student loan interest and payments until the end of January. Take this time to get your financial house in order and plan for loans to resume. 

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected] 

Guest: Meagan Landress, CSLP®

• Consultant at Student Loan Planner and Certified Student Loan Professional®
• Website: www.studentloanplanner.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StudentLoanPlan/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studentloanplanner/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StudentLoanTrav

Topics we Uncorked:

• Holistic student loan planning 
• A helpful guide for refinancing your student loans 
• The different student loan forgiveness options for occupational therapists 
• Student loans and the COVID-19 pandemic -- the latest you need to know

Wine we Uncorked:

• No wine updates from me during pregnancy, but reach out on IG to tell me what wine you’re enjoying while you listen to the episode!

Book Recommendations:

• Money, Planning and Positivity: A Guide To a Better Financial Life by Jacqueline Schadeck 

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Email me at [email protected] 

Guest: Sarah Putt, MA, OTR/L

• Host of the OT 4 Lyfe Podcast 
  • Subscribe 
  • Website: https://ot4lyfe.com/
  • Instagram: @ot.4.lyfe 
  • Twitter: @ot4lyfe 
• Email: [email protected] 
• 36 weeks pregnant at the time of recording 
• Listen to Sarah’s take on the episode at OT 4 Lyfe Podcast
• Also, check out episode 99 to hear Sarah’s pregnancy announcement and so much more in episode 100:
  • Episode 99: Reflections from the OT Community 
  • Episode 100: The Good, The Bad, and Like, Umm Ya Know The Ugly

Topics we Uncorked:

• Pregnancy updates
  • Sarah was 36 weeks at time of recording and is now mom of one month old Baby A!
  • I was 17 weeks pregnant at the time of recording and am now 24 weeks pregnant!
• Occupational transitions of pregnancy
  • Identity 
    • The moments that remind us of our new identity as “mom”
    • Telling our husbands they were dads
    • Sarah shares about her identities as both an OT who specializes in early intervention and a new mom
    • I share about my experience with having health conditions that are highly associated with infertility and the relief of finding out we had conceived
    • Changing expectations of ourselves 
      • Asking for help
  • Changes to our occupations
    • How our identities and patterns of participation (high achieving, active, always doing something new and challenging, etc.) and symptoms (being exhausted, pregnancy brain fog) collide
    • Adapting our ADLs (dressing, donning shoes, changing diet)
    • Difficulty focusing and multitasking at work 
    • Podcast interviewing and the difficulties of pregnancy brain (hello word finding difficulties)
    • Changing workouts and activity patterns
    • Projects that we wanted to do together with our spouses
      • Our home renovation “DIY”
      • Sarah and Ray’s furniture refurbishing 
    • Grocery shopping is exhausting
      • Carrying bags
      • Walking around the store
  • Pregnancy symptoms and how we’re coping
    • Symptoms people talk about 
    • Symptoms people DON’T talk about
    • The first trimester symptoms and experiencing them without others knowing we’re pregnant
    • Second trimester “surge” of energy
    • Third trimester (aka the return of the first trimester)
    • Pregnancy brain
      • I always thought this was a secondary effect of being tired, but pregnancy brain is REAL
  • Using our OT brains to help us adapt
• Finding the right health team 
  • Seeking help and validation when we’re concerned 
  • Not sure if you should call your OB to ask a question? Sarah and I had that question, too. Calling or messaging our practitioners gave us peace of mind and empowered us!
• Being pregnant during a pandemic
  • Pros
    • Wearing yoga pants to work! (aka my living room...)
    • Our spouses are home with us, too, and can be part of the daily ups and downs of being pregnant
    • Easier to keep pregnancy to yourself when you’re socializing and working over Zoom
    • Strangers don’t randomly approach to touch your belly
  • Cons
    • Going to appointments alone
    • Inability to celebrate and share this life milestone with people in the ways we had hoped
    • Additional fears of how to best protect ourselves and our babies during a pandemic
    • Social isolation layered with being pregnant and wanting social connection
• Lessons learned from being pregnant that will make us better therapists
• Our favorite pregnancy “hacks”

Wine we Uncorked:

• None! These two pregnant ladies enjoyed their favorite flavor of water (plain 'ol tap water)
• In episodes 27 through 30 of OT Uncorked, which were recorded since I became pregnant, I “reviewed” wines instead of drinking wine during the episode… did you notice the subtle shift in my wording? I felt clever! Now that the secret’s out, I want my listeners to know that those reviews were based on notes I took about wines pre-pregnancy. In some cases, I let my guest review a wine they were enjoying (check out Lindsey Vestal’s AMAZING wine review in Episode 30!)  

Resource Recommendations:

Check out our favorite pregnancy resources:

• Podcasts
  • What About the Mama?
    • Hosted by Karena Skibinski, an OT who was featured on Episode 22 of OT Uncorked 
  • Best of Both Worlds 
    • Not pregnancy-specific but it’s all about making work and family life fit together
  • The Unstressed Mama
    • Co-hosted by a PT, fitness expert and military officer, and financial expert 
• Instagram accounts
  • @thepassionatephysio
  • @pregnant.postpartum.athlete
• YouTube
  • GlowBodyPT
    • Pregnancy workouts
  • Kids OT Help
    • Pediatric development and pregnancy from an OT perspective
• Apps/ Website
  • What To Expect 
    • Week by week development, advice, and symptom trackers
  • Ovia 
    • They have both pregnancy and parenting apps 
  • Peloton prenatal classes
    • In the episode, I said I wasn’t working out much, but I have since started using our Peloton bike and am also loving the Peloton prenatal yoga and strength training  
• Book
  • Mama Natural by Genevieve Howland

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Email me at [email protected] 

*Show notes may contain affiliate links. By purchasing a product through an affiliate link, OT Uncorked will receive a small commission from your sale, at no extra cost...

Guest: Lindsey Vestal, OTR/L

• Owner, The Functional Pelvis 
• Email: [email protected]
• www.functionalpelvis.com
• IG: @functionalpelvis
• FB page: The Functional Pelvis
• FB group: OTs for Pelvic Health 
• Lindsey’s offerings for business owners and practitioners:
  • Private Pay MBA: www.privatepaymba.com (JOIN THE WATLIST!)
  • Pelvic Health HQ: https://functionalpelvis.com/professionals/

Topics we Uncorked:

• Private Pay MBA course coming soon
  • JOIN THE WAITLIST: www.privatepaymba.com 
  • Dare to Dream Calculator 
• Pelvic Health OT
  • How OT can serve pre-natal and post-partum women
• Entrepreneurship  
  • Mindset
    • Abundance mindset
  • Separating yourself from the competition (and embracing your OT approaches while you do it!)
  • Competing on price
  • Building relationships with referring partners 
  • When you don’t have the energy for what you’re being paid to do
  • What to do when you don’t know what you need to be doing for your business (at the beginning) 

Wine we Uncorked:

• Château Musset Chevalier

  • Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux
  • Listen for Lindsey’s amazing wine connoisseur description!

Book Recommendations:

• Burnout: Solve Your Stress Cycle by Emily Nogoski 
• Come as you are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nogoski 
• Listen to two great TED Talks by Emily Nogoski

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Email me at [email protected] 

*Show notes may contain affiliate links. By purchasing a product through an affiliate link, OT Uncorked will receive a small commission from your sale, at no extra cost to you. 

Guest: Barrisford Bladon

• OT student, stroke survivor, and peer mentor
• Email: [email protected]
• IG: @justbarri
• Facebook: Barrisford Buchanan Bladon
• twitter @BarrisfordB

Topics we Uncorked:

• Barri’s experience as a stroke patient and survivor
• The journey to becoming an OT
• Awareness of environment and concurrent struggles
• Being a mindful practitioner
• Meeting the needs of the patient

Wine we Uncorked:

• Ironstone Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Lodi, California 2018
• My take: 
  • Pros: good flavor, dry, smooth
  • Cons: slightly sweeter than I prefer a Cab Sav to be

Book Recommendations:

• Mindfulness by Ellen J. Langer

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Email me at [email protected] 

*Show notes may contain affiliate links. By purchasing a product through an affiliate link, OT Uncorked will receive a small commission from your sale, at no extra cost to you. 

Guest: Dr. Heather Evans, DSW, LCSW (Doctor of Social Work, Licensed Clinical Social Worker)

• [email protected]
• www.drheatherevans.com
• twitter: @drheatherevans

Topics we Uncorked:

• Voices of Survivor Project
  • www.voicesofsurvivorsproject.com
  • twitter: @voicessurvived
  • IG: Voices of Survivors Project
  • facebook: Voices of Survivors Project  
  • REGISTER for the virtual exhibit on MARCH 6th 2021: 
• Complex trauma healing & posttraumatic growth
  • Experiences of survivors of sex trafficking 
  • How OTs can get involved in supporting healing and reintegration for survivors
    • Have ideas? Know an OT involved in this work? Let's connect @OTuncorked on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook

Book Recommendations:

• Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution by Rachel Moran
• Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not For Sale by Rachel Lloyd
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. 
  • Also The OT Bookclub’s April pick! Join us on April 18th for the discussion and follow us @TheOTbookclub on Instagram for details  
• Heather’s book COMING SOON! Understanding Complex Trauma and Post-Traumatic Growth in Sex Trafficking: Foregrounding Survivors Voices for Effective Care and Prevention
  • Follow Heather on Twitter @drheatherevans for updates about the book release 

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Email me at [email protected] 

Show notes may contain affiliate links. By purchasing a product through an affiliate link, OT Uncorked will receive a small commission from your sale, at no extra cost to you. 

Guest: Shahrose Aratia, MScOT

• Co-Founder of OTECH Canada
• Clinical Specialist, Cala Health
• Rehab Tech Summit Keynote Speaker
• Connect with Shahrose on LinkedIn

Topics we Uncorked:

• Rehab Tech Summit (February 19-21, 2021)
  • Don’t miss out on this virtual summit!
  • Check out the impressive list of speakers, including inventors, executives, clinicians working in the rehab tech industry, and more!
  • In addition to attending the value-packed sessions, you’ll have a chance to connect with companies in the rehab tech space
  • You can buy your ticket online now! Don’t forget to use the promo code RTSFRIENDS at checkout
  • Follow RTS on Instagram @RehabTechSummit and Facebook #rehabtechsummit  
  • PROMO CODE: RTSFRIENDS
• Entering the health tech space as an occupational therapist
  • Job opportunities for clinicians in industry 
  • Tips for getting your foot in the door at a tech company if you have a clinical background
  • Marketing your clinical skills in non-clinical settings

Wine we Uncorked:

• The Seeker Pinot Noir
  • France
  • My take: 
    • Pros: developed profile, fruit forward, not too acidic, perfect wine for a nice meal
    • Cons: When you and your friends finish a bottle, you’ll be wishing you had a second!

Book Recommendation:

• The Defining Decade:Why Your Twenties Matter--And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Dr. Meg Jay 

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Email me at [email protected] 

*Show notes may contain affiliate links. By purchasing a product through an affiliate link, OT Uncorked will receive a small commission from your sale, at no extra cost to you. 

Guest: Anna Braunizer, Occupational Therapist, MScOT

Guest: Emily Polovick-Moulds, MOT, OTR/L

• Anna and Emily are Team Leaders at Beyond COVID
• Contact them: [email protected] 

Topics we Uncorked:

• Beyond COVID
  • www.beyondcovid.com
    • Find links to their blog, Weekly Wellbeing Missions, and Pathways to Wellbeing 
  • Do What You Love Podcast 
• Occupation Disruption due to COVID
  • How can occupational therapists and scientists apply our theory and practice to influence global wellbeing? 
  • Coping with changes to daily routine
    • Anna mentioned having a dance party to Mamma Mia and I thought that sounded like a great idea! So here’s the link to the soundtrack because You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life.. ENJOY!!
  • Interrupted holidays and other milestones that orient us to time
    • “FUN” FACT: Emily and I were both COVID Brides
  • Are we adjusting to a new normal? 
    • Love this quote Emily shared from poet and activist Sonya Renee Taylor: ““We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. we should not long to return my friends. we are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature. What we have been forced to leave behind we needed to leave behind. what is getting us through is what we will need to take forward, all the rest is up to us. DREAM. While we have so much time. DREAM of the life you want. DREAM of the world you desire to exist in. look for the places in your new dreams that have parts of the old world and remove them. what is the dream then? from there we can add to the collective weaving of whatever it is that is next. if we are gonna heal, let it be glorious.”
• Research articles and theories we mentioned
  • Occupational science: A renaissance of service to humankind through knowledge by Dr. Elizabeth J. Yerxa  
  • Reflections on Doing, Being, and Becoming by Ann A. Wilcox
  • Forced social isolation due to COVID‐19 and consequent mental health problems: Lessons from hikikomori by Takahiro A. Kato, MD, PhD, Norman Sartorius, MD, PhD, and Naotaka Shinfuku, MD, PhD
  • Self-Compassion: What it is, what it does, and how it relates to mindfulness by Kristin Neff andKatie Dahn 

A special thank you to Sarah from OT 4 Lyfe for helping me with a last minute editing issue! The community of OT podcasters is the best. Check out www.otpodcasts.com for a list of other great OT podcasts   

Wine we Uncorked:

• Beringer Main & Vine Chardonnay
  • Napa Valley, CA
  • My take: reminds me of my pre-COVID trip to Napa! I sat on the porch of the old mansion on the Beringer vineyard with good friends, a glass of wine and a charcuterie board. It doesn’t get much better than that!
    • Pros: dry, easy to drink, inexpensive 
    • Cons: very simple flavor profile 
• Anna enjoyed a Rose from Mission Hill Vineyard 
  • British Columbia
  • Her take: sweet, light, great to share with friends
• Emily enjoyed a Montepulciano from Italy
  • Her take: earthy flavors, reminds her of her time spent in Italy

Book Recommendations:

Anna

• Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong
• From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle 

Emily

• Becoming Better Grownups by Brad Montague
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander 

Join The OT Bookclub. Find us on Instagram: @TheOTBookclub

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Email me, I'd love to connect! [email protected] 

Guest: Amanda Wiles, OTD, OTR/L

• Email: [email protected] 
• Owner of Pediatric Therapy Partners 
  • Instagram @pediatrictherapypartnersde
  • Facebook @pediatrictherapypartnersde
• Recent graduate of USC’s Post-Professional OTD Program 
• Amanda and I graduated from OT school together at Towson University 
• Professional Development Coordinator for the Sensory Integration and Processing Special Interest Section of AOTA 
  • Check out the other SIS

Topics we Uncorked:

• Amanda’s previous episode of OT Uncorked
  • Listen here or find it on your podcast player 
• Starting a business, from the idea to the first client!
• The post-professional OTD and how it helped her start her business 
• Amanda’s new business - Pediatric Therapy Partners
  • Mobile pediatric practice in Delaware and Maryland
  • Amanda’s core values: 
    • Guided by child interests
    • Driven by collaborative partnerships with families
    • Informed by Research 
  • PTP uses floor time, relationship-based models, and sensory integration as the basis for their interventions
• Some things she considered when starting her business
  • Non-compete agreement - what to consider before leaving your job to start your own practice 
    • Check out this episode of the 40 years and Counting - Building Business Success in Therapy Practices- What Matters Most Podcast for an explanation of the different clauses  
  • Location
  • The “competition” 
  • The “ideal” client 
• Some initial steps she took after developing the basic idea for her business
  • Brainstorming the values and vision for the business 
  • Embedding herself in entrepreneurship resources and content
  • Choosing a name and logo that captures your values
  • Registering the business with the state
  • Enrolling in Passport to Business 
  • Seeking resources from the Small Business Administration 
• What about insurance?
  • Professional liability insurance (insuring YOU as the OT) 
  • General liability insurance (protecting the business for what happens on site) 
  • Client payment: private pay vs insurance 
• Challenge of starting a new business - learning the acronyms! Here are a few to get you started:
  • CAQH = Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare
  • NPI = National Provider Identifier 
• Ready Set Treat 
  • Facebook Academy
  • Ready Set Treat Book  
    • Contains a checklist and timelines for starting a practice 
• Costs of starting a business: what up front costs did she “bootstrap” and what did she outsource?
  • Register the business
  • Design a logo (outsourced)
  • Get state/town/board licensure
  • Purchase HIPAA compliant email, phone, fax, storage services
    • PTP is using G-suite (now called Google Workspace) instead of an EMR
• Copy writing and website design
  • Linked In Learn 
    • Offers training on a wide range of technical and interpersonal skills
    • Amanda used their Wordpress training
  • Frustrations of learning how to make a website!
  • Elementor plugin for Wordpress “drag and drop” 
  • CSS is the acronym of “Cascading Style Sheets” and is a computer language for laying out/structuring web pages
  • Making flyers and social media posts
    • Canva 
  • Stock photos for marketing materials 
    • Adobe Stock Photo (free & subscription) 
    • Pexels (free) 
    • Pixabay (free) 
• The Mentee’s Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You (Book) 
  • Think about your personal vision, seeing yourself in the future
  • Break down the small steps to reach your goal  
  • Reflect on your journey and where you want to be
• How OT theory contributes to her business plan
• Her vision for the future of her business 
  • Students! The future of our profession
• CommunOT Discussion Board within your AOTA SIS 

Wine we Uncorked:

• DIME Red Blend (70% Cab Sav, 30% Merlot) 
  • Santa Barbara, 2016
  • My take: A new favorite! Highly recommend 
    • Pros: Dark, red, rich flavor, well balanced between fruit and spice
    • Cons: None! Love it 
• Available Pinot Grigio  
  • Puglia, Italy
  • Her take: not too sweet, goes well with just about anything 
• Wine Profile Wheel 

Book Recommendations:

• Ready Set Treat: The Official Pocket Guide to Starting Your Solo Private Practice  
• The Mentee’s Guide 
• Crucial Conversations: Tool...

Guest: Morgan Starkweather

• Email [email protected]  
• Ithaca College’s Occupational Therapy Program 

Topics we Uncorked:

• In the intro, I mentioned my episode on personal goal setting. Check it out here: 
  • February Growth Goals 
• Raising an assistance dog
  • What is the role of the raiser?
  • What does the dog learn while living with the raiser? 
• Role of assistance dogs in enabling participation and engagement in people with ASD
  • Speciality commands that match the handler’s needs
  • How dogs keep their handlers safe
  • How dogs can help their handlers with ADLs like eating and dressing
  • Dogs can encourage their handlers to participate
  • Freedom for the family to not have to explain themselves in public 
• Different types of assistance dogs (guide, hearing, and service)
  • Assistance Dogs International 
  • Pepper is a guide dog
  • Many organizations that raise and train assistance dogs
  • Morgan raised Pepper through Guiding Eyes for the Blind 
• The possible role of OT with assistance dog agencies for matching dogs with handlers  
• The benefits of doing a Masters thesis 
  • Learn how to advocate for OT in emerging practice areas
  • Learn new methods for learning about people’s experiences 

Wine we Uncorked:

• Paxis Red Blend (Bulldog)
  • Portugal, 2013
  • My take:  aromatic, but the taste was a bit tart and chalky
    • Pros: less than $10
    • Cons: I’m not likely to buy this vintage again, but I hear the 2017 and more recent vintages are much better, so I may give those a chance
•  Lucas Vineyards Sangria
  • Finger Lakes, NY, USA  

Book Recommendations:

• Room by Emma Donoghue 

More from OT Uncorked: 

• Instagram @OTuncorked
• Twitter @OTuncorked
• Facebook @OTuncorked
• www.otuncorked.com
• Questions? Email me at [email protected]