Episodes

ADHD Coach, Podcast Host and Speaker Brendan Mahan joins Rachel and Stephanie on the podcast. Brendan explains his “Wall of Awful”, how the bricks in the Wall of Awful form and the assumption of disappointment. He talks about the moral aspect of ADHD (when it’s really a biological challenge). He talks about the 5 options for responding to the Wall of Awful and Brendan shares how the concept of “done” is really about chunking. Brendan also coaches Rachel and Stephanie on some relationship communi...

Educational Therapist Elizabeth Norwood came to coaching with Stephanie concerned that working as an independent educational therapist was not sustainable. She talks about how coaching made her feel supported the way her learners feel in session and how she learned how important it was to get paid. Elizabeth shares how coaching made her take aim and be clear on her goals. She talks about how coaching led to a mindset shift where she no longer took the scraps of what the universe was sending to h...

Shelley Lawrence is the founder of Schoolhouse Collaborative and has spent her entire career helping families navigate their child’s learning. In this conversation, she chats with Rachel and Steph about what to do to establish collaboration with professionals and parents, how to not look at a deficit based model for learners, and why and how to get curious and the importance of being honest and receptive to feedback. She also provides her framework for how to know if your learner is in the right...

In Part 2, Steph’s client Gracie joins the podcast to discuss her journey. She talks about focusing on the forest not the trees and the importance of thinking about the big picture. She talks about self-advocacy, the backpack map, and the importance of partnering with adults at school like teachers and counselors. Gracie advocates for people getting help and how things have transformed with her family and home life. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to conne...

Megan, a parent of one of Steph’s My Ed Therapist clients, shares her parenting journey of why she sought out educational therapy for her daughter. Megan explains why her daughter stopped educational therapy and what eventually led them to start again. She also shares how she became the executive functioning part of her daughter’s brain, how Gracie’s challenges emerged in multiple schools, and how she was consistently inconsistent. Megan chats with us about how working with Steph was “life-chang...

Everyone is messy. Today, Rachel & Steph share the impact and importance of business coaching in building momentum. They share how coaching meets you where you are and helps you to figure out next best steps. They talk about the mindset of business coaching and the story people tell themselves. Apply for Learn Smarter Pro: https://learnsmarterpodcast.com/lsp/ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’...

Penny Williams of the Parenting ADHD Podcast joins us to talk about the power of communication and being in community with other like-minded parents. She chats with us about the importance of accepting kids’ neurodiversity, parenting without ego, and getting to know your child deeply. As Penny says, “Kids who feel good, do good.” She also shares what she tells parents to let go of and talks about acceptance as a practice. Other episodes mentioned: Ep 91: Raising Complex Children with ADHD/Autis...

Educational Therapist Jessica Mintz joins Rachel and Steph for the podcast today. She shares her story of why and how she came to be an educational therapist. Jessica was a part of the last cohort of Learn Smarter Pro, the group coaching program for educational therapists and learning specialists looking to build a private practice. She shares the mindset work she had to do to convince herself she was deserving and worthy of the support, how Learn Smarter Pro helped her identify and establish pr...

Dr. Chelsea Neumann joins Rachel and Steph to chat about her work as a psychiatrist. She talks about the difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist, what the relationship can be like with a psychiatrist, and how she supports the entire family system. She talks about the impact of COVID-19 and how it has led to some very common concerns and how ADHD is not a sign of stupidity. Dr. Neumann shares how she prioritizes her relationship with patients to support them where they are, how educati...

Author and Neuropsychologist Dr. Rita Eichenstein joins Rachel and Stephanie to discuss her book, Not What I Expected: Help and Hope for Parents of Atypical Children. During this conversation, she talks about changing the language around parenting atypical children and honoring the parent journey. She talks about the pressure of exceptionality and how to look at your atypical child as a gift. They also further delve into the importance of existing in community with other parents who “get it”. C...

Kapp Educational Therapy Group’s Maria Eliades joins Rachel and Steph today to talk about how establishing boundaries has been revolutionary for her. She talks about how time blocking and establishing boundaries early in relationships has led to rapport. Maria also shares about how porous boundaries lead to ripple effects and how identifying her ideal clients has helped her to love the work she does even more. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect wit...

Dr. Karen Schiltz and Dr. Amy Schonfeld join Rachel and Stephanie to talk about their book, Beyond the Label: A Guide to Unlocking a Child’s Educational Potential. They discuss the value of parents trusting and valuing their own instincts, the challenges of parenting and how intervention has to be insistent, persistent, and consistent to be effective. They also delve into a conversation about emotional functioning. Connect with Dr. Karen Schiltz and Dr. Amy Schonfeld: Golden State Neuropsycholo...

Dr. Peg Dawson, the author of several important Executive Function Skills books, joins Rachel & Steph on the podcast. She shares what led her to exploring Executive Function Skills, her framework for supporting executive skills, and the difference between foundational and advanced skills. Find out more about Dr. Dawson: Smart But Scattered Kids Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educatio...

Celebrate! Rachel and Steph celebrate 200 episodes of Learn Smarter: the Educational Therapy podcast. They pull back the curtain on what podcasting means to them and how the podcast has informed their role as clinicians and business owners. Also they announce some exciting news about their Board Certification. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s M...

Educational Therapist and Dyslexia Specialist Denielle Adibi joins the podcast today to discuss her experience doing business coaching with Rachel. She talks about how her desire to create a bigger impact and have a higher level of satisfaction led to her decision to leave the classroom. She shares how coaching led to her understanding her ideal clients and boundaries. Rachel and Steph also coach Denielle a little because they can’t help themselves. Connect with Denielle Adibi: d.adibi.ed.thera...

Laura is a parent of one of Stephanie’s clients and she joins Rachel and Stephanie for a discussion about her parenting journey. She shares how hard it has been to get her daughter the help she needed and what brought her family into Educational Therapy. Laura shares how Educational Therapy has not only impacted her daughter’s academic experience but also how it has improved family and home life and impacted her marriage for the better. Laura shares what she wishes all parents and clinicians kne...

Rachel and Steph share how they exit learners out of Educational Therapy. They share their thought processes and questions they ask to determine if learners are ready to mitigate or stop educational therapy. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website @learnsmarterpodcast, @kappedtherapy, @myedtherapist Other episodes mentioned: Ep...

My Ed Therapist’s Laura shares her own learning story and how it has informed her teaching style. She shares her ability to reframe learning disabilities to “super abilities”. She talks about the importance of identifying their superpower and using it for good. She also digs into other superpowers that learners can have and Rachel, Steph and Laura also chat about their own individual superpowers. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our...

We all are processing our senses all the time. Carol Kranowitz talks us through her story and explains Sensory Processing Disorder and how sensations come in. She talks about how the Central Nervous System is essential to our survival and why Sensory Processing Disorder is like a traffic jam in our brain. She talks about the differences between inside and outside senses, how to observe what your child is craving AND avoiding the modulation issues that result from those senses. She also talks abo...

Kapp Educational Therapy Group Learning Specialist and future Educational Therapist Nikkia Pannell joins today to share about her career journey. She shares what drew her into the Educational Therapy world and what she likes about the work that we do. She also shares some of the strategies she has learned in school and how she uses them in real life. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Ed...

Rachel and Stephanie dig into how they feel about whether or not a learner “needs” a diagnosis. They discuss some of the reasons why parents avoid getting a diagnosis, why a diagnosis is NOT an excuse or crutch and how a diagnosis actually preserves a learner’s self-esteem or self-concept. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website...

Rachel and Stephanie welcome back Katie Nolan, the Clinical Director of Kapp Educational Therapy Group. Katie breaks down why she loves formal AND informal assessment. She also explains how intentional informal assessments are flexible tools for progress monitoring, leading to more questions and increased curiosity. Informal assessment also highlights resilience and tolerance levels. Learn Smarter Pro is coming back! Listen to find out more and apply here! Ep 134: Learn Smarter Pro Ep 185: Anno...

The learners that Rachel and Steph work with at Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist ALL have some emotional response to tasks that they avoid. Rachel and Steph dig into this–they talk about what it means, what it looks like, how to figure it out through getting curious, and some examples from their own experiences. Learn Smarter Pro is back! Listen to find out more and apply here. Program begins February 1, 2022. Ep 134: Learn Smarter Pro Ep 185: Announcements and Updates Support...

Ever wonder what Rachel and Stephanie think about at moments of transition? In this episode, they discuss what they do with clients at the start of a new semester or school year and share their principles for establishing success. Learn Smarter Pro is coming back! Listen to find out more and join the waitlist here. Ep 134: Learn Smarter Pro Ep 185: Announcements and Updates Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-ma...