Speechie Side Up

In this Literacy Connect podcourse, we are joined by Brianna Guild, a private-practice SLP in Ontario and creator of SLP Literacy Corner, to dive into literacy essentials toolkit for SLPs.

Brianna explains reading models (Simple View of Reading, Scarborough’s Reading Rope, Active View of Reading), speech-to-print vs print-to-speech approaches, and notes limited comparative research on “best” programs or phonics scope and sequence.

She discusses SLP roles in literacy (direct intervention, indirect support, advocacy/education, research) and key instructional components (phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension), providing activity ideas such as phoneme isolation, “Say It, Move It, Spell It,” word building/sorts, reading with feeling, word ladders, Frayer models, and inference organizers, often using Pokémon-themed examples and resources like the Pokédex.

In this Literacy Connect podcourse, we are joined by Elizabeth Doherty (“Reading SLP”) in a presentation on the connection between dyslexia and word recognition, outlining objectives to define word recognition, why it’s difficult, key dyslexia characteristics, and how SLPs can support treatment.

Elizabeth explains reading as word recognition plus linguistic comprehension (Simple View of Reading) and describes word recognition as progressing from phonological awareness to decoding to orthographic mapping and sight word recognition (Scarborough’s Reading Rope), emphasizing reading is not natural and often requires explicit, repeated instruction.

She details challenges including weak phonological awareness in speech/language students, English’s opaque and morphophonemic system, and inconsistent instruction.

Dyslexia is defined as a neurobiological, phonological-based difficulty with accurate, fluent word recognition; it is not visual, not intelligence-related, and not a comprehension disorder.

She recommends multisensory structured literacy (e.g., Orton-Gillingham), early identification, assistive technology, and highlights overlap with DLD and risk with persistent SSD and apraxia, sharing key resources including IDA fact sheets and an SLP-focused dyslexia guide.

This podcourse is part of the SLP CreativeCon. SLP CreativeCon is an online business conference event for entrepreneurs and creators in the field of Speech-Language Pathology where attendees learnt about social media marketing, branding, private practice, financial planning, time management, and the most important things to do when starting a business. 

In this episode, I am joined by Alexandria Wynter Russell, M.S., CCC-SLP. Alexandria is a Medical Speech Pathologist, Private Practice Owner, and Business Mentor.

She has 10 years of experience as a medical speech pathologist specializing in the adult and senior population with chronic conditions and is helping patients to improve their cognitive, communication, language, and swallowing skills.

Her holistic approach to therapy incorporates nutrition, advocacy, health literacy, community, and mental health into patients' plan of care. She has worked for some of the top healthcare systems in Philadelphia including Penn Medicine at Home & Hospice Services, Mercy Home Health, Bayada, and the ACTs Retirement Life Communities.  

Over the last decade, she's specialized in treating the adult & senior population across multiple settings including: the home & community, subacute, memory units, psych units, skilled nursing, and assisted living facilities.

This podcourse is part of the SLP CreativeCon. SLP CreativeCon is an online business conference event for entrepreneurs and creators in the field of Speech-Language Pathology where attendees learnt all about social media marketing, branding, private practice, financial planning, time management, and the most important things to do when starting a business.

In this episode, I am joined by Jena Castro-Casbon, MS CCC-SLP. Jena has helped 20,000+ speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists start a private practice in order to have more freedom, flexibility and financial independence. Jena is the founder of The Independent Clinician, author of The Path to Private Practice and creator of The Start and Grow Your Private Practice Programs. She wants private practice to be as popular for SLPs and OTs as it is for Psychologists.

This podcourse is part of the SLP CreativeCon. SLP CreativeCon is an online business conference event for entrepreneurs and creators in the field of Speech-Language Pathology where attendees learnt all about social media marketing, branding, private practice, financial planning, time management, and the most important things to do when starting a business.

In this episode I am joined by Craig M. Goldslager, CExP™️ who is the owner of Utterly Financial. Craig graduated from the University of Miami Herbert Business School and received a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University.

He is married to speech pathology. Literally. As the husband of a practicing SLP, he knows the business landscape of Speech Pathology is constantly changing and so too are the financial implications of being an SLP.

Utterly Financial was created to help Speech Language Pathologists and Private Practice Owners plan for an exceptional retirement. As a Certified Exit Planner, he strategizes with private practice owners to plan an ideal exit from their business on their terms.

This podcourse is part of the SLP CreativeCon. SLP CreativeCon is an online business conference event for entrepreneurs and creators in the field of Speech-Language Pathology where attendees learnt all about social media marketing, branding, private practice, financial planning, time management, and the most important things to do when starting a business.

In this episode, I am joined by Sarah Breshears, a Speech-Language Pathologist, Social Media Strategist, and owner of Social Moguls.

Sarah has 8 years of clinical experience as an SLP in acute care, inpatient rehab, outpatient peds and adults, schools, and private practice...and that's just the beginning. After drumming up social media content and weaving the online SLP community together behind the Short and Sweet Speech brand, she took her career to new heights and founded Social Moguls, a social media management company for medical professionals.

She finds the greatest joy in helping her clients increase the visibility of their brand so that they can help more patients, reach more people, and bring more awareness to the SLP profession. As with her patients, she helps the businesses she works with find, improve, and amplify their voice. With the help of her team of 4 SLPs, an OT, and a graphic designer, Sarah provides a DIY course on strategically using socials, one-on-one social media coaching, and done-for-you social media management for some of the most well-known brands in the SLP world.

When she’s not leading her team of content creators and keeping it real on Reels, she’s momming two frenchies, Betty White and Jack Black, and bringing optimism and positivity to the Instagram community. She is an avid traveler, scuba diver, CEU addict, and oral care advocate.

This podcourse is part of the SLP CreativeCon. SLP CreativeCon is an online business conference event for entrepreneurs and creators in the field of Speech-Language Pathology where attendees learnt all about social media marketing, branding, private practice, financial planning, time management, and the most important things to do when starting a business.

In this episode, I am joined by Jacqueline Jebian Garcia, a Neurodivergent SLP and the creator of Create Yourself Co. Jacqui is working as a full-time Social Emotional Coach for a research project at the University of Miami.

This podcourse is part of the SLP CreativeCon. SLP CreativeCon is an online business conference event for entrepreneurs and creators in the field of Speech-Language Pathology where attendees learnt all about social media marketing, branding, private practice, financial planning, time management, and the most important things to do when starting a business.

In this episode, I am joined by the founders of SLP Toolkit, Lisa Kathman, M.S. CCC-SLP and Sarah Bevier, M.S. CCC-SLP. SLP Toolkit is a universal assessment program that is accessible from any device, comprehensive, and digital. It's software was designed so that SLPs can accurately and confidently collect, record, and report data and have access to quality assessments.

Lisa graduated from Florida International University with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and of Arizona State University with a degree in Communication Disorders. She has been a Speech Language Pathologist since 1997 and had the opportunity to work in various environments such as home health, preschools, private practice and served as the lead SLP for K-12 in the largest school district in Arizona. She has developed a sensitivity to needs of all SLPs and is confident working with private practices and school districts alike.

Sarah is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing and a Master’s degree in Communication Disorders. She has worked in the field of Speech Language Pathology since 2006 and have worn many hats including Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, Speech-Language Technician and Speech-Language Pathologist. Working exclusively in schools has provided her with a great insight into the importance technology plays in the success of an SLP.

This podcourse is part of the SLP CreativeCon. SLP CreativeCon is an online business conference event for entrepreneurs and creators in the field of Speech-Language Pathology where attendees learnt all about social media marketing, branding, private practice, financial planning, time management, and the most important things to do when starting a business.

In this episode, I am joined by Kristin Bowers, a Speech-Language Pathologist and owner of Therapy Marketing Kit.

After watching too many fellow SLPs become disheartened by the process of creating marketing, Kristin realized there was a better way. With a unique combination of graphic design expertise and experience as an SLP, she now helps private practices and other businesses with their own marketing.

In this SLP Creative Con podcourse, we welcome back Sarah Breshears, an SLP and social media strategist, and founder of Social Moguls.

Sarah explains that strategic intent—not just posting—makes social media marketing, emphasizing defining the “who” (ideal audience) and creating content with intentions to entertain, educate, empathize, inspire, or sell.

She walks through Eugene Schwartz’s customer awareness journey (unaware to fully aware) and describes social media as a “funnel filler” supported by lead magnets, email nurturing, and websites to move lurkers into loyalists.

Sarah also discuss buyer behavior shifting to Instagram/TikTok for social proof and recommend automating with ManyChat, Flodesk, and Zapier.