Episodes

Rachel & Steph dig into what self-advocacy truly is and how they cultivate it within their learners. They chat about the importance of people and social skills, why it’s important to understand the teacher’s perspective and point of view and how to use this understanding to ask to have their needs met. Learn Smarter Pro Application 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 G...

Julie Skolnick joins the podcast today to talk about her areas of expertise: guiding parents, 2E adults and training teachers. She shares so many gems including the importance of finding verbs, responding not reacting, expectations, the interconnectedness of anxiety and perfectionism, comparing selves to self, and why sometimes good enough is good enough. Rachel & Steph also dig deep with Julie about internal motivations, finding joy in every day, and the importance of failure. Connect with Jul...

Rachel & Steph introduce their Check-in/Check-Out of Work System. With virtual learning, learners have had to be even more diligent with making sure they’re staying “on top” of their workloads. To help them reach their goals, Rachel & Steph created this framework and system to make sure they’re “on it.” Click here to access our Check In/Check Out System freebie! Thinking about joining Learn Smarter Pro? Apply here and we’ll be in touch! The group will be kept small by design so don’t wait to le...

Today, the amazing Elaine Taylor-Klaus joins Rachel and Steph to discuss her new book, The Essential Guide to Parenting Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety, and More: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know to Empower Complicated Kids with Confidence and Calm. In this episode, Rachel and Steph explain how influential Elaine and her collaborator Diane were to their journey and have an engaging conversation about parenting complex kids, focusing on relationships not tasks, and understanding your parent...

Learn Smarter Pro is back! You asked and we’re saying “yes!” Learn Smarter Pro is our 8 week coaching program for learning specialists and ed therapists in private practice who want to learn from the benefit of our experience. Wondering how we built thriving practices? That’s where we dig in and spill all the tea. Listen in to hear more and learn how to apply! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel...

Rachel and Steph welcome psychologist Dr. Jeremy Sharp to the pod for a behind the scenes chat between educational therapists and psychologists. They talk about the parenting experience of testing and assessment, why the evaluation process is long and thorough, and how labeling is not such a bad thing. Patreon: In their extended conversation, Rachel & Steph deep dive with Dr. Jeremy Sharp about collaboration with assessors and why some families follow through with recommendations and some don’t...

Rachel & Steph are THRILLED to welcome ADHD expert Dr. Thomas Brown to the podcast today. Dr. Brown teaches all of us how he defines ADHD, shares several stories that help all of us to understand ADHD and how it works and how we all struggle with executive functioning at different moments. He further highlights that ADHD is NOT a struggle of willpower but rather a disorder of motivation. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group...

Elizabeth Hamblet joins Rachel & Steph to chat about: accommodations for college learners the biggest misconceptions about accommodations what learners can do to prepare for college in high school how you get accommodations what the laws are What are typical accommodations How asking doesn’t always lead to accommodations On Patreon: Elizabeth joins Rachel & Steph for an extended conversation about how the field of college accommodations has shifted in recent years, whether or not you sho...

Dr. Rishi Sriram joins Rachel & Steph again on the podcast to discuss the 5 M’s of Talent. He digs into the old question of nature vs. nurture and explains what the research is showing in that age-old debate. He also explores his 5 M’s of Talent which are: mindset, myelin, mastery, motivation and mentorship. Mindset by Carol Dweck Connect with Dr. Rishi Sriram 5 M’s of Talent Infographic In their extended conversation on Patreon, Rachel, Steph and Dr. Sriram dig further into myelin, the importa...

Rachel and Steph welcome Parent Coach Cheryl Hersh. As you’ll hear, Cheryl will share what a parent coach is, what a parent coach isn’t and who would benefit from a parent coach. They also dig into her Ground Rules Playbook for parenting. You’ll hear how Cheryl is so aligned with our mission here on the podcast. And bonus–Cheryl has known Rachel for a long time so you’ll get a little dirt on her too. Take Care of You Worksheet cheryl@hershparentcoaching.com www.hershparentcoaching.com Support u...

Rachel & Steph dig into what graphic organizers are, who they are good for, and how they help. Oreo Graphic Organizer 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: Writing Series Episodes Ep 121: The Most Common Executive Functioning Hazards (Executive Fun...

Today, Rachel & Steph welcome Dr. Elise Brisco, a developmental optometrist in Los Angeles. She shares her personal vision story and talks about the differences between optometry and developmental optometry. She also digs into what vision therapy is, addresses a common critique of vision therapy and talks about how vision issues deeply impact reading, learning, and academic functioning. Connect with Dr. Brisco: www.hollywoodvision.com IG/Facebook: @hollywoodeyes More about Developmental Optome...

Today, Rachel, our resident math guru, digs into why students don’t think they have to study for math. She also talks about how to create a study plan for math that your learner can follow. 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 116: Why You Shou...

Today, Rachel & Steph are interviewed again by Dr. Jeremy Sharp of The Testing Psychologist podcast. Listen in as they discuss the challenges families are facing during distance learning from an educational therapy perspective. Rachel & Steph chat with Dr. Sharp about the need for parent expectations to shift and how navigating conflicts at home around learning can be addressed. Tune in for a rich conversation! If you would like to learn more about Dr. Sharp you can visit his website: http://w...

Rachel and Steph dig into the impact that processing speed has on interpersonal relationships. Rachel and Steph review what they mean by processing speed, describe the differences between fast and slow processors, and explore how the gap can be bridged interpersonally between different processing speeds. 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 T...

Online portals have long been a sore subject for educational therapists. Online portals are not perfect systems and have so much potential to benefit the life of learners. Today, Rachel & Steph dig into the pitfalls of online portals that parents, teachers, and students experience. 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 @learn...

Rachel & Steph feel healthy email habits are more important than ever. Whenever they work with a client, they are all about simplifying systems and increasing free time. Rachel & Steph dig into why healthy email management is so important, what healthy email management looks like, and how they do it quickly with their learners. 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...

Rachel & Steph have been working with students for so many years that they have seen it all. Today, they share some of the most common Executive Functioning pitfalls and trends they’ve seen over the years. 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 8...

Rachel & Steph welcome their friend and fellow business owner, Mary, to the podcast to discuss how to executive function her life for the fall. She and her husband have made the decision to homeschool their kids during this period of pandemic uncertainty and she had many questions about how to set herself and her family up for the greatest success. They covered topics including physical organization of space, schedule, curriculum, email management, games, after school activities and how to coach...

Rachel & Steph are huge fans of the books author Dustin Brady has written. Today, he joins us on the podcast to discuss his books and chat about why they are so perfect for reluctant readers. He talks about writing for the 10-year old he used to be and how he loves connecting with his readers and audience in person and online. Connect with Dustin: www.dustinbradybooks.com Discount Code for Escape from a Video Game: 5ESCAPE Trapped in a Video Game 1-5 Rachel & Steph continue the conversation wi...

Today Rachel & Steph go over the framework of questions that parents should ask themselves before they ask their learner to make a change to their systems. They also share a bunch of their pro tips to setting up a successful at-home learning environment. 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, @kappedthera...

Rachel & Steph welcome Tracy for her on-air coaching call. Tracy gets coaching help for her son, who just completed the 10th grade and is extremely emotionally disconnected from learning, school, and his own learning profile. She shares the story of her son’s academic journey, what ultimately brought them to an ADHD diagnosis and asks for Rachel & Steph’s help in figuring out how to help her son move forward. Rachel & Steph highlight what strategic next steps Tracy can take to help her son get t...

Rachel and Steph dig into the many reasons why you should think twice about correcting your child’s homework. They talk about how teachers use homework to inform their teaching, anxiety, perfectionism, and learned helplessness. They also dig into knowing what’s best for your kid (versus what you want) and how collaboration with teachers can be so powerful. 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 K...

Rachel & Steph welcome back Dr. Rishi Sriram from Baylor University to the podcast. In episode 109, Dr. Sriram begins the conversation about “learning how to learn”. That episode is linked in our show notes. In this episode, Dr. Sriram delves more deeply into his GHOSTRIVER to the SEA mnemonic that guides the conversation for how learning occurs. Through this master class conversation, they talk about how to use our knowledge of how learning works and works best to teach and support the learning...