Episodes

Today, Rachel & Steph re-share how to best prepare for going back to school. In this episode, they talk about how to prevent “academic emergencies” by properly preparing, setting achievable goals, calendaring for success, and partnering with your child’s teacher. Rachel & Steph also do a deep dive into big academic transitions (the leaps that occur from elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school, or high school to college). Be sure to scroll back and listen to Episode 15 (t...

Today, Rachel and Steph are fortunate to welcome Psychiatrist Dr. Elisa Newman to the podcast. We’ll let her explain her credentials but we were excited to have her come on and have this in depth conversation about medication and the emotional impact of a diagnosis. She also did a deep dive on what she has coined as “thoughtful parenting”, sharing anecdotes from her practice and her life. How to connect with Dr. Newman: https://www.semel.ucla.edu/profile/elisa-newman-md How to connect with us:...

So many of the learners Rachel & Steph work with struggle with getting started with writing. In this episode, Rachel & Steph discuss why getting started is so hard and share many strategies that they use in their sessions with their clients. They also share some unhelpful strategies that they’ve seen learners use over the years. 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, @ka...

Today, Rachel and Steph welcome Dr. Joe Dilley, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, CA, who authored The Game is Playing Your Kid. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore boundaries and limit-setting in the context of the modern age. Dr. Dilley explains his framework for guiding children and families towards desirable behaviors through rewards and response costs. He also explains his Triangle Defense approach which takes a scaffolded approach to parental reactions in the family home. H...

Today, our game guru, Steph, gives us several of her favorite math games and apps. In this episode, she explains when, why, and how she uses each game. Rachel also chimes in with how she uses certain games and it’s always fun to hear how Rachel and Steph use games differently. 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...

Dr. Ellen Braaten is a leading expert on processing speeds and today she joins Rachel & Steph to have a wide-ranging conversation about what processing speed is and how it impacts daily functioning. Her book Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up further explains what processing speed is and the effects slow processing can have on family life, school, and, social life. Dr. Braaten also shares what we can do to help the people in our lives who have slower processing while also providing very reassuring an...

What’s the difference between managing your student versus consulting with your student? In this episode, Rachel & Steph talk about this parenting framework and how it impacts educational therapy. Rachel & Steph spend quite a bit of time in their private practices talking to parents about how to help parents make this (not-so-smooth) transition. 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 @learns...

Today, Rachel & Steph continue their local professionals series with Dr. Karen Wilson, who is a neuropsychologist in Los Angeles. She breaks down: ✅the difference between types of assessments ✅how to know when to get your learner tested ✅what makes the transition from high school to college difficult ✅what parents need to know about students heading to college ✅navigating the college accommodations process Find our article on ChildNexus: The Intersection of Executive Functioning, ADHD, an...

This episode is a deep dive into one area of reading that can be tricky. Readers can often beautifully decode without fully comprehending what they’re reading. This episode is full of practical advice on how to figure out if your reader is understanding. Rachel and Steph talk about the importance of deeper and meaningful connections to stories and text as well. 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 w...

Rachel & Steph are thrilled to welcome longtime Smartie and their dear friend, Rachel Madel to the podcast. Rachel is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a practice in Los Angeles. She is a communication expert and today she shares her expertise with. Rachel defines what communication is and we have a conversation about limiting beliefs. How to connect with Rachel: www.rachelmadel.com Talking with Tech Podcast @RachelMadelSLP How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rache...

Rachel & Steph have a conversation about resistance from learners and how difficult change can be for some of their clients. Push back forces Educational Therapists to be creative, flexible and intentional. Today, we share the framework for how we know when to introduce changes to our learners. We also share the top 5 reasons learners DON’T want to make changes (and how we collaborate with our learners to work through their resistance). How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail...

Rachel & Steph are bringing you another episode in their Student Success Story Series! Today, you’ll meet Nikki, who is a client of Steph’s at My Ed Therapist in Redondo Beach, CA. Nikki has always been a high achieving student but came to Steph when her mom recommended she try different strategies to increase her efficiency and output. You’ll hear how Nikki learned to have free time, while maintaining her grades. Through intentionality and support from Steph, Nikki has also mitigated her anxiet...

Summer is the perfect time to start educational therapy. Today, Rachel & Steph both share their summer plans and why they love starting with new clients over the summer. Also, they chat about some of the great and creative ways educational therapy can be done over the summer and why it feels so freeing for educational therapists, learners, and parents alike. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group in our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist webs...

On today’s episode, we welcome Jenny Crandall in Idaho! Jenny shares her family’s story as they navigate her son’s Carson’s struggle with school and ultimate decision to homeschool. She talks about the benefits of having flexibility in Carson’s schedule and taking the pressure off while she remediates Carson’s challenges herself. We also coach her on how to think small to get big wins. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website...

Happy podcastaversary, Smarties! Cory Zacker, who is a longtime Smartie, interviews Rachel & Steph today to mark their first year of podcasting anniversary. Rachel & Steph pull back the curtain on the origins of Learn Smarter and how it gets produced each week and what has happened to them, professionally and personally, as a result of the podcast. Most important, though, Rachel & Steph want to thank you, Smarties for being on this journey with them. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group J...

Today, we welcome a graduate of Rachel’s from Kapp Educational Therapy Group, Alex. Alex worked with Rachel for a little less than 2 years and you’re about to be wildly impressed by Alex’s own explanation of his academic journey and the skills and strategies he still uses. Alex discusses the goal-setting process, explains how school and home life are different after educational therapy. He’s also able to speak the language of educational therapy. Resource: Unjournaling How to connect with us: ...

We love Dr. Deanie over here at Learn Smarter Podcast! Today, Dr. Deanie shares her insights into how anxiety impacts the learners that Rachel & Steph work with. One of Dr. Deanie’s superpowers is to take complex issues and simplify them so we can understand how best to help our learners help their anxiety. Connect with Deanie: Dr. Deanie’s Website @DrDeanie on Instagram How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My ...

Today, Rachel & Steph welcome Pam Olivieri, master teacher, and writing expert. Pam shares her personal and parenting journey with us (and we think you’ll all be fascinated to hear what she recently discovered) and shares her top tips for differentiated writing instruction. She also shares a mnemonic that we love! 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, @m...

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. Brown EF/Attention Scales Scales (3 years old-adults) www.brownadhd.com 310-590-7181 How to connect with us...

Learners are constantly calibrating in educational therapy. We try sometimes, we see if it works and we adjust from there. Today, Rachel & Steph talk about why backsliding happens, how normal and functionally important it is to the educational therapy process and how to move forward. 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 me...

What an exciting day at Learn Smarter Podcast! Today, you’ll get to meet Milkshake Girl’s mom! She joins us to discuss the academic journey of her daughter, Erin (aka Milkshake Girl). Baby steps are important for this family and having another adult (Steph) to partner with has been transformative for Kathryn. 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, @myedt...

In this episode, Rachel & Steph deep dive into note-taking. They chat about why it is so difficult, the various types of notes that teachers require and several of their favorite strategies. 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: 17: Reading Comprehension Part 1 18: Reading Comprehension Part 2 20: The Perfect St...

Today you’ll meet Ari Sokolov, who is a former client of Rachel’s in Kapp Educational Therapy Group. Ari shares her educational journey today and you’ll be incredibly impressed by her admirable growth mindset. She’s impressive, articulate, generous and VERY tech savvy. She shares some of her tech genius, as well, when she highlights her favorite ways to integrate technology and learning. Here’s a list of the apps Ari shared with us: ⁃Trello — Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your ...

Word problems are HATED by a lot of the students we serve in educational therapy. Today, our resident math guru, Rachel, teaches all of us why word problems create such resistance in our learners. She also guides us on how to approach and solve word problems mindfully and intentionally. www.Math-aids.com 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, @myedtherap...