The Growth Lab Podcast

What happens when you're raised by people who sacrificed everything for opportunities they never had? In this deeply personal solo episode of The Growth Lab, Luba shares the story of her family's journey from Kiev, Ukraine to America, and how growing up between two languages and two definitions of success shaped the woman she became. She looks back on a childhood of translating mail for her parents, watching her dad drive a taxi through the night, and learning her earliest lessons about money. She then traces the winding path from broadcast journalism to speech-language pathology to building Kidology, a multi-million dollar pediatric therapy company.

Luba also reflects on the other side of ambition: the pressure to keep achieving, the guilt of being a working mom, and the hope that her children will inherit her courage without her pressure. She closes with a message for bilingual families: being bilingual does not cause a speech or language delay.

Whether you're an immigrant daughter, a parent raising a bilingual child, or a founder who can't stop chasing the next goal, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

00:50 Born in Kiev: how my family got to America

07:50 The birthday party and my first lesson about money

15:10 Raised to survive vs. raised to dream

18:10 Growing up in Russian and English

24:40 From Hofstra and Good Morning America to speech pathology

28:40 Building Kidology through COVID

34:20 The other side of ambition and mom guilt

37:20 Courage without the pressure

38:10 Does speaking two languages confuse a child?

39:40 What immigrant daughters do with ambition

What happens when a mom tired of dishes, waste, and feeling alone decides to build something better? In this episode of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Pallavi Pande, founder of DTOCS, a brand creating classy, compostable tableware from rescued palm leaves, and DTOCS Consulting, a full-service Amazon growth partner. Pallavi is a Stevie Gold winner, a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow, and an Inc. fastest-growing female founder.

Pallavi shares how her childhood in India inspired her mission, why she believes legacy is what we role model every day rather than what we leave behind, and how she built Portland Brown Mommies, a free 2,000+ member community for South Asian women, after feeling isolated as a new mom. They also talk about giving back through sewing machines, school scholarships, and support for families in Portland, and why filling your own bucket first is not selfish, it is necessary.

If you are a mom founder, a parent seeking connection, or anyone who wants to build with purpose, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Pallavi Pandey on LinkedIn: Pallavi Pande

Connect with Pallavi on Instagram: @pallavipande

DTOCS: DTOCS

Portland Brown Mommies on Facebook

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

03:15 From supply chain to starting over

07:45 Why single-use waste is personal

09:15 Palm leaves, banana leaves, and cultural roots

14:00 Giving back in India and Portland

17:45 Building Portland Brown Mommies

21:30 Fill your bucket first

23:15 Role modeling as legacy

27:30 The Indian ethnic clothing donation box

30:30 Rapid fire: Zumba or wine?

Maybe the reason you're stuck isn't that you're not working hard enough. Maybe you're trying to create a new life while wearing an old identity. In this episode of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Tracy Litt, founder of the School of Becoming and creator of Neuro Identity Evolution, to talk about the identity shift and what it takes to make it. Tracy shares her journey from single mother on food stamps to VP of HR to leader in personal transformation, and how she learned that success begins with how you feel on the inside.

Together they talk about the lie successful women tell themselves about rest, why confidence comes after courage, how the nervous system keeps us tied to what's familiar, and the difference between worry and fear. They also explore why spirituality and science belong together, how connection and regulation help us show up for the people we love, and how breathwork can be a simple first step toward change.

Whether you're a parent, a business owner, or someone who looks successful on paper but feels disconnected, this conversation is a reminder that you're not broken, you're becoming.

Connect with Tracy on Instagram: @thetracylitt

The School of Becoming: theschoolofbecoming.com

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

02:00 Who Tracy was before she became Tracy

04:00 The wake-up calls and redefining success

09:00 The biggest lie successful women tell themselves

13:30 What is the School of Becoming?

17:00 Breathwork, regulation, and kids’ nervous systems

22:00 Why spirituality gets misunderstood

25:30 Fear, worry, and why confidence comes after courage

34:00 Why a hug matters: connection and self-worth

39:00 Rapid fire and the first tiny step to begin becoming

What if the skills you already have, the degree you earned, and the experience you built were already enough? In this episode of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Hannah Boeck, business coach, creative strategist, founder of Cued Creative, creator of Scale Smart Academy, and host of the Scale Smart podcast. Hannah shares how she went from a burned-out speech therapist struggling to pay rent to building a business around her strengths, and how she now helps therapists create income that does not depend on trading every hour for pay.

Together they talk about burnout in the caregiving professions, aligned growth, pricing with confidence, building multiple income streams, and setting boundaries while raising a family. They also get honest about mom guilt, defining what “enough” looks like, and why your worth is never tied to your business. Whether you are a therapist, a business owner, or a parent who feels stuck but knows you are capable of more, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Hannah on Instagram: @cuedcreative and @thehannahboeck

Scale Smart podcast: https://www.cuedcreative.com/podcast

Scale Smart Academy : https://www.cuedcreative.com/scalesmart-academy

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba’s website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

[00:00] Welcome to The Growth Lab

[00:52] Meet Hannah Boeck

[02:36] From interior design to speech therapy

[06:17] The notebook list that changed everything

[08:58] Burnout and trading time for money

[10:53] Building Scale Smart Academy

[18:08] Money stories and setting your rates

[21:47] Facing fear around rate changes [

30:05] What aligned growth really looks like

[31:44] Growth seasons, mom guilt, and boundaries

[42:19] Aligned or misaligned: rapid fire

[44:23] Monetizing your expertise without reinventing yourself

[49:51] First steps if you feel stuck

This one is for the mom nobody talks about, the one who keeps the entire family moving. She knows which child needs new shoes, when the dentist appointment is, and which kid has been coughing for three nights. She answers work emails while making dinner and still ends the day wondering why it feels like she is not enough. In this solo episode of The Growth Lab, Luba speaks directly to her about the invisible mental load, the guilt, and the quiet exhaustion of caring so much for so long with almost no one noticing.

Luba unpacks the feelings underneath "I am failing," from grief and identity loss to hypervigilance and loneliness, and offers a gentle reframe: stop measuring yourself against the outcome and start measuring yourself against your intention. If you are a mom who does everything and still feels like it is never enough, this honest, encouraging conversation is the reminder that you matter too.

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

01:30 The mom nobody talks about

06:00 The invisible mental load

11:00 Grief, identity loss, hypervigilance, loneliness

16:00 The standard nobody agreed to

20:00 Doing everything right vs. real life

24:00 The reframe: intention over outcome

27:00 You matter too

For so many children in foster care, everything they own is carried in a trash bag, and the message it sends is that they are not seen, not valued, not important. In this deeply moving episode of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Rob Scheer, founder of Comfort Cases, who lived that reality and decided to change it. Rob grew up in the foster care system, and when his own adopted children arrived with those same trash bags, he set out to restore dignity to children entering care. Comfort Cases has since delivered hundreds of thousands of backpacks filled with pajamas, toiletries, books, and comfort items to kids across all 50 states and beyond.

Together they talk about empathy, legacy, resilience, and how the smallest acts of intention can completely change how a child sees themselves. Rob shares what children in foster care truly need, how to raise kids who give rather than take, and the simple ways any family can make an impact. If you have ever felt less than, or you want to raise more compassionate children, this conversation is for you.

Comfort Cases: comfortcases.org · [email protected]

Rob Scheer on Instagram: @rob_scheer

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

02:00 The trash bag that started it all

06:00 Feeling less than in the foster system

10:00 Teaching empathy and legacy to our kids

15:00 What children in foster care really need

21:00 Comfort Cases and the dignity of a real bag

26:00 Adopting Alex and building a family

30:00 Simple ways anyone can help

34:00 A message to a child in foster care

Sometimes the most meaningful businesses are not built in boardrooms. They are built in hospital rooms. In this Season 5 premiere of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Morgan and Josh Weiser, the parents behind TUBzi, an innovative bathing assistant born out of one of the hardest seasons of their lives. When their twins arrived three months early, the family spent more than 100 days in the NICU and navigated nine surgeries before their son was two and a half. What started as a way to safely bathe their healing child became a product designed to make bath time easier, safer, and less stressful for families everywhere.

Together they talk about parenthood, resilience, entrepreneurship, and mental health, and how some of life's hardest moments can unexpectedly become our greatest purpose. Whether you are building something of your own, raising kids through a tough chapter, or you simply need a reminder that you can get through hard things, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about TUBzi: https://tubzitime.com/

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

01:30 Meet Morgan and Josh

04:00 Life in the NICU

09:00 Nine surgeries and coming home

14:00 The basement experiment that became TUBzi.

20:00 Designing around real kids

27:00 Protecting your mental health in survival mode

32:00 Parenting twins vs. launching a business

36:00 Advice for a parent in the hospital right now

Most people know Allen Genkin from the dance floor, but dance was never really the story. In this deeply personal episode of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with professional ballroom dancer and Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro competitor Allen Genkin, whose family has been family to hers since the day he was born. Behind the television lights and the trophies is a story of extraordinary resilience: losing his mother at just 15, growing up with ADHD and as an ESL kid, and battling cancer as a young adult. Allen opens up about how dance became his therapy, what kept him moving through his darkest chapters, and why he chases the dream instead of the accolades.

Together they talk about grief, identity, perseverance, and what parents raising kids with ADHD, loss, or adversity most need to understand. This one is about turning pain into purpose, dreaming after loss, and finding the courage to keep dancing through it all. If you have ever faced a hard chapter, or you love a child who has, this conversation is for you.

Allen Genkin on Instagram: @allengenkin

Allen Genkin on TikTok: @iamallengenkin

Connect with Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

01:33 Meet Allen Genkin

02:36 Growing up as family

05:10 From hockey to dance

07:46 ADHD, ESL, and finding his footing

12:35 Losing his mom at 15

14:13 Dance as therapy

19:01 Beating cancer

22:19 Chasing the dream, not the trophies

28:08 Raising resilient kids

30:55 Lightning round + advice to a struggling kid

It's 8:30 at night. Your child spikes a fever, or takes a fall off the playground, and suddenly you are weighing urgent care, the ER, the pediatrician, or waiting until morning. Every parent has stood in that exact spot, phone in hand, unsure which door to walk through.

In this episode, Luba sits down with Dr. Daniel Kogan, owner and founder of MedX Urgent Care, to unpack what urgent care actually handles for kids, from newborns to young adults. Dr. Kogan shares which fevers in young infants need attention right away, what to watch for after a head injury, why so much chest pain turns out to be non-cardiac, and why no family should ever feel embarrassed for getting something checked out. His message lands for every parent. You know your child better than anyone, and a fair, thorough look is always worth it.

Listen in for the clarity to trust your instincts the next time a moment turns scary.

Connect with Luba on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh/

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:00 Welcome to the Growth Lab

01:42 Meet Dr. Daniel Kogan

04:07 What urgent care actually handles for kids

07:57 The most unexpected cases he has seen

08:55 When scary symptoms turn out to be minor

10:58 Fever guidelines for babies

11:21 Warning signs after a head injury1

2:02 Why you should never feel embarrassed to come in

16:42 Why he chose to open an urgent care

21:04 Where to find MedX Urgent Care

You know you were made for more than a packed caseload and an endless to-do list, but figuring out how to actually build the business can feel like guesswork. In this special business edition of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Ebony Green, owner and CEO of The Speak Center, creator of the SLP Business Suite, and founder of the Made for More movement, for an honest look at what it really takes to grow a speech practice on purpose. Ebony breaks down her three phases of intentional acceleration, from stabilizing as the operator, to building systems that run without you, to stepping into legacy and longevity as a CEO. She shares the client who almost made her quit, why she finally stopped trying to do everything herself, and the shift from delegating tasks to delegating decisions. If you are an SLP who knows there is more but you are figuring it out in real time, this conversation is your permission slip.

Ebony on Instagram: @slpbizqueen (personal), @theslpbusiness_suite (business)

Made for More conference: @madeformoreslp

Ebony Green on LinkedIn

The SLP Business Suite (her online education platform, home of the School Contracting Masterclass): https://theslpbusinesssuite.teachable.com

Connect with Luba on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh/

Get a copy of Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Join the Parent Pathway: https://www.skool.com/the-parent-pathway/

00:02:52 Meet Ebony Green

00:03:54 From proving herself to leading on purpose

00:10:35 The school job that pushed her to start her practice

00:13:36 The client who almost made her quit

00:18:20 Phase one, stabilizing as the operator

00:21:05 Why school contracts made sense

00:24:38 Did your cash register ring today

00:29:04 Phase two, building the architecture

00:31:52 Delegating decisions, not just tasks

00:46:33 Phase three, leadership, legacy, and longevity