De Facto Leaders

De Facto Leaders


Latest Episodes

Audiobooks, homework research, and the "read for 20 minutes" rule
February 14, 2024

If the schools are devoting time and money to improving reading instruction, how should the rest of the day look for kids as it pertains to literacy?Should parents be working with kids at home? If so, how much? What about reading? Can we use apps to help

Unlocking success through sensory processing and team collaboration (with Maude Le Roux)
February 07, 2024

When I first learned about the field of occupational therapy, I had a very superficial understanding of what it entailed. In the school systems, it seemed like referrals often focused on fine-motor skills related to school, like pencil grip. When I learne

High school language therapy: Do we still have time to make an impact? (with Tiffany Shahoumian-Ruiz)
January 31, 2024

Language therapy often focuses on early intervention; but what happens if students continue to struggle with language in the high school years?Many SLPs are pressured to drop students from their caseloads or move to a consult-only model when students tra

The six stages of financial independence for therapists and educators (with Ben Hockema)
January 24, 2024

In this conversation, Ben Hockema and I discuss how to create a solid financial plan in your career so you can focus your time and energy on the impact you can make.We discuss all kinds of possibilities; whether you want to stay in your current position

Building financial literacy from elementary school through adulthood (with Ben Hockema)
January 17, 2024

Executive functioning and financial literacy go hand-in-hand; which is why money management should be a part of any K-12 curriculum.Much of this has to do with self-evaluation, the ability to think into the future, and the understanding of quantitative a

Becoming a school founder and empowering students through project-based learning (with Tanya Sheckley)
January 10, 2024

Many people working in K-12 education have ambitions to start their own company where they have the ability to redesign the way student learning happens.The motivation often comes from wanting to create a scenario where they feel less constrained, more in

Developing a cultural competemility mindset for educators and clinicians (with Melanie Evans)
January 03, 2024

Many clinicians are trained to focus on checklists and evaluations so we can walk in to work confident; knowing exactly what our protocols are.And while systems and processes are extremely important, we have to know how to use them flexibly.When we thin

Are we being too child-focused in our therapy planning?
December 27, 2023

People working in the schools are often expected to make everything a priority all the time, without consideration of how they might be able to manage the backlog of projects.They have to say No to people who need help in the interest of saying Yes t

No, kids do not learn to read and write naturally (with Melanie Brethour)
December 20, 2023

Skeptics of the Science of Reading claim that the current push for evidence-based reading instruction is just another pendulum swing.Yet if you look at the research, we havent so much been swinging as much as weve been building, evolving, and expandi

Creating an intentional career and life with alter egos (with Meg Niman)
December 13, 2023

Many leadership initiatives in education need to come from the topBut change can happen when direct service providers emerge as leaders on their teams without waiting for permission from someone else.School administrators and other people making decisio