After an unexpected summer hiatus, we’re back with a solo episode that’s part update, part confession, and 100% from the heart. In this deeply personal kickoff to the new season, Theresa opens up about a professional ego check she didn’t see coming—one that hit close to home.As a board-certified swallowing specialist, choosing a feeding tube for my own son was never part of the plan. But what started as a tough decision turned into something surprisingly beautiful: freedom, nourishment, and a whole lot of learning.In this episode, Theresa Richard shares the behind-the-scenes updates on her dissertation, the MSLP-C™ Certification accreditation, exciting changes in the MedSLP Collective—and the very real parenting moments that led her to a new understanding of what feeding success can look like.Whether you're a med SLP, a parent, or someone navigating what it means to truly support patients and families, this episode is for you.

Join the MedSLP Collective: https://medslpcollective.com/

Find out. more about the MSLP-C™ Certification Program: https://medslped.com/certification

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What do you get when you mix a surgeon, a scientist, and a self-proclaimed “tinkerer” who also happens to struggle with reflux? You get Dr. James Daniero—and you get this conversation about RefluxRaft.

In this episode, Theresa Richard chats with Dr. Daniero, an ENT who’s not just treating voice, airway, and swallowing disorders—he’s innovating them. From basement experiments to biomaterials backed by NIH grants, Dr. Daniero walks us through how his personal journey with reflux turned into RefluxRaft, a barrier-based solution designed to help patients (and clinicians) think beyond PPIs.

We dive into the science behind alginates, the "physics problem" behind reflux, and the collaborative power between ENTs, SLPs, and GIs. This one’s for the med SLPs who want to understand the why behind the symptoms—and the potential tools to help.

https://RefluxRaft.com

Download show notes and references here: https://syppodcast.com/372

The post 372 – What If Reflux Isn’t Just an Acid Problem? A New Way to Think About It with RefluxRaft appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

“They just told me I had a stroke—but no one ever explained what that means.”

In this eye-opening episode, Theresa chats with with bilingual SLP and educator Jackie Rodriguez to unpack one of the most overlooked drivers of poor outcomes: health literacy.

Episode Page: https://syppodcast.com/371

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If you’ve ever wondered, “Wait… are we as SLPs really allowed to be in the esophagus?” — this episode is for you. Theresa brings on two MedSLP Collective favorites, Christoph Schmitz, CEO of PatCom Medical, Inc, and Laura McWilliams, med SLP + board-certified swallowing specialist + all-around powerhouse. Together, they unpack what might just be […]

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 Feeling all the feels around pediatric feeding disorders? You're not alone. In this powerful episode of Swallow Your Pride, Theresa Richard sits down with Dr. Jeanne Marshall—a clinician-researcher and passionate advocate for early intervention in pediatric feeding—to talk about the real stories behind the research. They dive into:  A scoping review on dysphagia prevalence in […]

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Raise your hand if you've ever felt like airway and breathwork live in some mysterious corner of our field that only a handful of people truly understand ‍♀️ Well… this episode might just be your flashlight. ✨ Theresa chats with with the incredibly knowledgeable—and wonderfully down-to-earth—Kaitlyn Shrum, MS, CCC-SLP, QOM, IBT, who wears many hats: […]

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When it comes to true community reentry after brain injury or stroke, real magic happens through teamwork—and Alexandra Arvidson, M.S., CCC-SLP, is here to show us how. In this episode, Alexandra shares her journey from feeling stuck on “SLP Island” to thriving as part of an interdisciplinary dream team that gets patients back into the […]

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In this episode of the Swallow Your Pride podcast, Theresa Richard sits down with Ali Mehreganfar—a stroke survivor, motivational speaker, and author who is redefining what recovery can look like. Ali shares his incredible journey from coma to comeback, offering a heartfelt look into his hospital experiences, the hurdles of rehab, and the mindset shifts […]

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In this episode of the “Swallow Your Pride” podcast, host Theresa Richard speaks with Roxann Diez Gross, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, an expert in dysphagia with over 38 years of experience. Dr. Gross discusses her innovative Diez technique, which focuses on the interplay between breathing and swallowing to treat dysphagia. She shares insights from her […]

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In this episode of the “Swallow Your Pride” podcast, host Theresa Richard speaks with Dr. Lauren Tabor Gray, a clinician scientist and assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Gray, who directs the Gray Research Lab, discusses her work on respiratory exercise interventions for ALS patients. The conversation covers the complexities of managing swallowing disorders […]

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