The Growth Lab Podcast

Is your child a late talker, and are you wondering whether to wait it out or pay closer attention? In this solo episode, Luba breaks down the real truth about late talkers, the version you won't find on social media. She explains what a late talker actually is, why understanding language is not the same as being able to communicate, and how speech delays ripple out into behavior, confidence, learning, and relationships. You'll hear the surprising connection between language and executive functioning, the red flags worth watching for at 12, 18, 24, and 36 months, and how to tell the difference between a child who needs a small nudge and one who needs real support. Most importantly, Luba reminds you that trusting your instincts is enough. You don't have to earn the right to ask questions about your own child.

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

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

01:13 The truth about late talkers, the real version 01:50 What a late talker actually is

02:24 The biggest myth, "as long as they understand, they're fine"

03:43 Why speech delays turn into behavior challenges

05:48 The hidden connection to executive functioning

07:41 What gets missed most, your child's confidence

11:13 Red flags to watch at 12, 18, 24, and 36 months

13:06 A true delay versus needing a little nudge

14:13 Why early support prevents problems, it doesn't create them

Most of us were raised on "clean your plate," "that's a bad choice," and "you're so lucky you can eat that." Then we grow up and wonder why food feels so loaded. In this episode I sit down with Lea Rifkin, a non-diet registered dietitian and founder of Kindred Nutrition Co., to talk about how early food messaging shapes our kids, and how we can rewrite that story while we heal our own relationship with food.

We get honest about the comments that slip out without us realizing it, why labeling food good or bad tends to backfire, and what it actually looks like to guide your child around food without controlling it. Lea shares the difference between always foods and sometimes foods, why sitting down together matters more than any perfect plate, and the signs that it's time to reach out for support instead of waiting it out.

If you have a picky eater, a snack grabber, or a little one already picking up messages about their body, this conversation will help you feel steadier at your own table.

Want to work with Lea? Check her out here: https://kindrednutritionco.com

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

Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

00:00 Welcome and meeting Lea Rifkin

02:52 Why our food stories start in childhood

06:09 What non-diet really means

13:09 How the words we use shape the way kids eat

18:14 The phrases parents don't realize are harmful

27:50 Bodies are like trees, and guidance versus control

37:41 Family meals and modeling around the table

42:36 When to seek help and why not to wait

When childcare falls apart, everything falls apart with it, work, stress, and the whole rhythm of family life. In this episode of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Beth Heyer, founder of Babysitting Connection and mentor to women building service-based businesses across the country. Beth shares how a frustrating search for trustworthy sitters turned into a vetted, membership-based network now serving families in five cities, and why she's so passionate about ending the "mommy martyrdom" that tells parents asking for help is a weakness. Together they get into what makes childcare reliable rather than just available, how to protect both the families and the caregivers in any care system, and what families consistently misunderstand about the real value of trusted support. For any parent trying to build something meaningful while raising a family, this conversation reframes childcare as what it really is, the infrastructure that lets everything else hold together.

Check out Babysitting Connection: https://babysittingconnection.com

Follow Beth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebethheyer/

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

Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

02:07 How a frustrating sitter search became a business

05:10 Ending the mommy martyrdom, why asking for help isn't weakness

06:02 Turning childcare into a business and pivoting through COVID

08:00 The biggest challenges families face finding reliable care

11:37 What families misunderstand about good childcare

13:07 How Babysitting Connection actually works, membership and vetting

16:15 Protecting both the families and the caregivers

21:23 Starting a service business without shrinking yourself

28:23 Where Beth sees the future of childcare heading

Long before children can use their words, they communicate through behavior, their play, their reactions, and the patterns parents and teachers notice but can't always name. In this solo episode, Luba walks through the everyday signs that quietly signal a child may need more help, from delayed speech and frustration-driven meltdowns to sensory red flags, feeding challenges, rigid routines, and motor concerns. She explains why these cues so often get dismissed with "wait and see," why waiting rarely makes things easier, and what actually happens when a family reaches out for support. Most of all, she reminds parents that their intuition is powerful, that there is nothing wrong with them or their child, and that they don't need a diagnosis or anyone's permission to start advocating right now.

Connect with Luba: Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

00:01:09 The everyday behaviors that signal your child needs more support

00:01:36 Why behavior is your child's first language

00:02:33 Your gut is data too

00:03:05 Speech and communication signs to watch for

00:04:58 Meltdowns, biting, and shutting down

00:06:23 Sensory needs and when OT can help

00:07:57 Feeding challenges that aren't just picky eating

00:09:14 Rigid routines and hard transitions

00:10:22 When your child just seems different

00:10:54 Why waiting doesn't make it easier

Behavior isn't random, and it isn't your child being "bad." It's communication. In this episode, Luba sits down with Kea Lee, M.S., BCBA, LBA, founder of Moment of Behavior, to unpack what your child's behavior is actually telling you, and how parents can shift from reactive to responsive. Kea brings 8 years of experience across clinic, home, school, and community settings, with a Bachelor's in Speech Language Pathology & Audiology from Old Dominion University and a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Together, Luba and Kea dig into the real meaning behind meltdowns, what modern assent-based ABA actually looks like, why "wait and see" can cost families precious time, and what parents stuck on ABA wait lists can do right now. Kea also opens up about caregiver burnout, the power of self-grace, and why every parent deserves to hear, "you are enough." Whether you're newly navigating a diagnosis, sitting on a wait list, or just trying to better understand your child, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, supported, and equipped.

Connect with Kea Lee: Website: momentofbehavior.com Instagram: @momentof_behavior

Connect with Luba: Instagram: @lubapatlakh

Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab

01:59 Meet Kea Lee, BCBA and founder of Moment of Behavior

03:15 What "behavior is communication" really means

07:34 From speech path student to BCBA, Kea's origin story

11:50 The body says what words can't

14:42 Why therapy only works when parents do the work at home

16:21 The biggest misconceptions about ABA today

21:51 A practical strategy for handling meltdowns

26:20 Caregiver burnout and giving yourself grace

29:23 Why "wait and see" can hurt your child

31:35 Rapid fire: first steps after a diagnosis and what every parent should hear

In this special solo episode, Luba shares the deeply personal story behind her very first children's book, Bobo Wears a Bowtie, launching this May during Better Speech and Hearing Month. This isn't just a book about speech, it's a story about courage, confidence, and helping children build the inner voice that says "I can try, I can learn, and I don't have to be perfect to grow." Luba opens up about the real reason this book exists, her mom, the woman who believed in her first, who spoke to her in possibilities instead of limits, and whose voice still shapes the way Luba raises her own family and supports the hundreds of children she works with each year. Written in her mom's honor and released around the four-year anniversary of her passing, Bobo Wears a Bowtie is a love letter to every child who just needs someone to believe in them, and to every parent looking for the words to do it. Preorder Bobo Wears a Bowtie now at bobowearsabowtie.com.

Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com

The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com

Follow Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh

00:00, Welcome to The Growth Lab

00:47, Introducing today's episode and the story behind the book

02:43, The real reason this book exists, a tribute to Luba's mom

03:37, How the words adults say become a child's inner voice

04:32, The kitchen table conversation that started it all

06:32, What Luba sees in her clinics when children lose confidence

08:26, Why she made an intentional choice not to make this a "therapy book"

10:31, The bigger message, you don't have to be perfect to grow

12:38, Why launching during Better Speech and Hearing Month matters

13:19, Preorder Bobo Wears a Bowtie at bobowearsabowtie.com

Jamie Giannino is a speech-language pathologist, private practice owner, and nonprofit founder who has spent the last decade working in the gaps the system pretends don't exist. Luba sits down with Jamie to talk about building Bee Bright Therapy and the Wordwise Speech Therapy Foundation side by side, what it actually takes to become an early intervention agency in New York State, and what pushed her to dress up as the Grinch and end up on the news fighting for providers who weren't getting paid. They also get into what parents need to know about IEPs, why you should never sign one you don't agree with, and how Jamie thinks about advocacy as someone who once needed someone to fight for her too. If you've ever felt like the system wasn't listening, this one's for you.

00:00 Welcome and intro to Jamie Giannino

02:52 Inside Bee Bright Therapy and serving rural counties

06:22 Jamie's road to becoming an SLP and finding her path

14:18 Building an agency and surviving New York's payment freeze

18:48 The private client who changed everything: discovering apraxia

24:42 Why Jamie started the Wordwise Speech Therapy Foundation

26:00 Dressing as the Grinch to get the state's attention

32:53 Funding a nonprofit and the grant writing reality

37:46 How providers can better support families beyond the session

43:09 Reading the IEP line by line and fighting for what's right

What happens when a pediatric SLP gets tired of reinventing the wheel before every session and decides to build something better? Luba sits down with Stephanie Feero, MS, CCC-SLP and founder of Chomper Champs, a speech therapy companion tool born in a feeding therapy room and now shipping to SLPs across the country. They talk about why play-based therapy produces better outcomes, how Stephanie went from a single janky 3D printer to a growing subscription box business, and what it actually takes to turn a clinical idea into a real product. Stephanie also gets honest about clinician burnout, the pressure SLPs put on themselves to create custom materials, and why low-prep tools aren't a shortcut. They're just good clinical sense.

Check out Chomper Champs here: https://www.chomperchamps.com

00:00 Welcome & intro to Stephanie Feero

01:36 Stephanie's path to becoming an SLP

05:28 Building Chomper Champs from her home workshop

08:41 Why fun is the driver of progress, not a distraction

12:00 From janky prototype to version 30

19:16 Advice for SLPs with an idea but no time

26:17 Preventing clinician burnout & what's next for Chomper Champs

29:50 Where to find Stephanie & Chomper Champs

The Growth Lab is back, and Luba is marking one full year of the podcast with a solo episode that's equal parts reflection and momentum. She gets honest about what year one actually looked like behind the scenes, how the show evolved from a business-focused platform into a space built for families and providers navigating child development, and why she didn't have it all figured out when she started. She also shares what's ahead, including new episodes with a sharper focus, and the launch of her book, coming this May. If you've been here since episode one or you're just finding the show now, this is the conversation that sets the tone for everything coming next.

00:00 One year of The Growth Lab

02:08 Starting before you're ready

03:22 The pivot from business to families

05:49 The real work behind the podcast

08:16 How hosting sharpened her voice

11:52 What's next: the book launch

14:14 Thank you to the listeners

In this episode, Luba sits down with Nicole Casey, speech language pathologist, clinic owner, and the creator of the Child Led SLP community, for a conversation that is equal parts clinical insight and personal honesty. Nicole unpacks what "child led" therapy actually means, clearing up the common misconception that it equals no structure or goals, and explaining how following a child's lead leads to deeper generalization outside of sessions. The two also get into what parents really need emotionally before strategies can even land, why finding the right therapist fit matters, and how Nicole accidentally went viral on Instagram, built a 100K following, and pulled off a 15,000-person summit while running a clinic and raising two kids. It's a refreshing reminder that you can grow a business and a platform without losing the heart of why you started.

Nicole's links:

https://childled.org

https://alignedrubricframework.com

(00:01:27) Child-Led Communication Development in Speech Therapy

(00:07:49) Building a Supportive Therapy Team for Children

(00:10:18) Empowering Parents through Non-Judgmental Support

(00:24:02) Speech Therapy Community Thrives Online During Pandemic

(00:29:15) From Clinic Owner to Movement Builder

(00:35:34) Purposeful Connection Through Compassionate Entrepreneurship

(00:38:52) Building Business Success Through Compassionate Growth