All Episodes

356: The Silent Executive Functioning Problem (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss how executive functioning skills impact social skills. They share how it impacts friendships, relationships, and conversations. They chat about how emotional regulation and opportunity cost is a...

355: How to Get Learners to Read More (Reading Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET get asked all the time about how to get learners to read more. In this episode they dig into some big ideas about reading. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to...

354: When Session Progress Feels Slow (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss how progress works in educational therapy. Some learners click immediately with the process which thrills the student, the parents, and educational therapists alike. However, sometimes this doesn’t...

353: Why We Need to Teach Learners How to Google
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss how to help learners research quicker, faster and more effectively through getting specific, structured and neutral. They also give ideas about how to use AI to move learners through research faster....

352: Assuming Competence (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the idea of assuming competence. They define the idea and talk about some challenges to be mindful of when assuming competence. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to...

351: Alex’s Transformational Educational Therapy Story (Success Stories Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome Alex, Rachel’s former client at Kapp Educational Therapy Group. Alex is a 2nd year college learner who began working with Rachel during his 1st year of college. In this episode they talked about the...

350: Our Favorite Academic Accommodations Part 2 (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET complete their 4-part series about accommodations. In episode 347, they chatted about what accommodations are, why they’re important, and common misconceptions about them. Then in episode 348, they discussed...

349: Our Favorite Academic Accommodations Part 1 (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET continue their 4-part series about accommodations. In episode 347, they chatted about what accommodations are, why they’re important, and common misconceptions about them. Last week, in episode 348, they...

348: Why Some Accommodations Don’t Help (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, continue their 4-part series about accommodations. Last week they chatted about what accommodations are, why they’re important, and common misconceptions about them. Today they dig into why some...

347: All You Need to Know About Accommodations (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss accommodations in this episode. They discuss what they are, why they’re important, and common misconceptions about them. They dig into what makes accommodations different from modifications and...

346: All About Body Doubling (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss body doubling in today’s episode. They chat about what it is and why it’s effective and discuss various examples of body doubling. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How...

345: James’ Mom Ali and their Family’s Journey Back to Joy (Client Success Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome Ali, James’ mom to the podcast. James was featured in episode 343 and today Ali talks about her experience as James navigated academic challenges in high school. She talks about how James’...

344: The Single Best Thing We Did to Solve the Biggest Problem in Business (Business Practice Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET dig into a business practice that changed the trajectory of their businesses. They dig into how they knew when a change needed to be made, their reluctance to make a change and why they’re ultimately thrilled...

Our Message to Los Angeles Families: Supporting Kids Through the Fires
Smarties, we decided not to release a new episode today. Instead, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the devastating fires here in Los Angeles and share our thoughts and support with you. Stay tuned for additional resources and tips on talking to your kids...

343: James’ Educational Therapy Journey (Success Stories Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Steph’s clients James to the podcast. He talks about his initial reluctance and his high level of coachability. He shares about how his improvement in sleep has been transformative and how he learned...

Happy Holidays
Join Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, for a quick holiday check-in! In this short and sweet episode, they share warm holiday wishes and give you a sneak peek into the exciting plans ahead for 2025. Support us on Patreon:...

342: Email Templates All Learners Should Have (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET dig into why learners should have email templates ready to go to communicate with their teachers. They also share 9 ideas for email templates that the learners at Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed...

REAIR Ep 166: How Time Perception Impacts Learners with Dr. Ellen Braaten (Author Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET re-share a favorite episode of theirs this week: a conversation with Dr. Ellen Braaten! Dr. Braaten discusses how time perception is an incredibly important part of understanding processing speed and ADHD, and...

341: College Autism Experts Dr. Jane Thierfeld Brown and Dr. Lorre Wolf (Author Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Dr. Jane Thierfeld Brown and Dr. Lorre Wolf. They are college autism experts and they share the need for parents to let learners make mistakes and not do all the work for them. They further talk about...

340: Post-Exam Analysis (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the important final step of the study process, which is the post-exam analysis. In this episode they share how they view this process and what questions they ask and why. They also share a free...

339: How to Highlight “Micro-wins” (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss the importance of prioritizing and acknowledging the small wins for learners. They chat about what micro-wins are and how to find and highlight them for learners and their families. Support us on...

338: IEP vs. IEE vs. Private Comprehensive Assessment with Dr. Nicole Michaeli
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome Dr. Nicole Michaeli, a pediatric psychologist who specializes in comprehensive psychoeducational assessments. In this robust conversation, Dr. Michaeli shares all the differences between an IEP and a...

337: Important Updates!
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, share some important updates from the last few months! Big changes comin’! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp...

336: What Apps to Use to Support Your Learners (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss apps in this episode of Learn Smarter: the Educational Therapy Podcast. Their take on apps and support mechanisms may be surprising. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast...

335: 14 Ways Learners Complicate their Lives (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET have previously shared how executive functioning skills impacts all aspects of studenting (in fact, they’ve given this talk several times at various conferences and schools around the United States). Today,...

334: How To Do Math Virtually (Math Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the shift in both their practices towards virtual work and how that has altered the way they “do math” with their learners. They talk about making sure you have the right materials, resources, and...

333: Steph’s Secret to Getting Kids to Use a Planner (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET talk about calendaring and planning again! Steph shares a hack and offers up a freebie that should help reluctant planners see the benefits of exerting control over their time–rather than letting time control...

332: Test Anxiety (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET dig into test anxiety–what it is, why it happens and what to do about it. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our e-mail list...

331: My Ed Therapist’s Client Gigi and Why Mistakes are Essential to Learning (Student Success Stories)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET chat with Gigi, a client of Steph’s at My Ed Therapist. Gigi’s mom, Laura, joined us on episode 198 titled “Trusting your Parental Instincts” which was a part of our Success Stories series. She shares her...

330: The Grades Formula (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET talk about why grades aren’t reflective of knowledge alone and why that is frustrating for learners and parents. They chat about how grading is a lagging metric for parents, learners and clinicians. They also...

329: Foreign Language Requirement (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the Foreign Language Requirement for the learners in their practices. They share their ideas and explore alternative but meaningful ways to satisfy this requirement. Support us on Patreon:...

328: Recalibrating Learner-Clinician Relationships for the New Year (Business Practices Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss a really critical event that can happen in the educational therapy process: a recalibration of learner-clinician expectation and relationship. In episode 219 (which was released August 2022) Rachel and...

327: All About Dyscalculia with Dr. Sandra Elliott – Part 2 (Local Professional Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET continue the conversation with Dr. Sandra Elliott, Chief Academic Officer for Touch Math. She shares principles of helping learners with dyscalculia of 4 instructional strategies and learner strategies. She...

326: All About Dyscalculia with Dr. Sandra Elliott (Local Professional Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Dr. Sandra Elliott, Chief Academic Officer for Touch Math. She shares how she came to focus on math, special needs, and dyscalculia and she clearly defines dyscalculia. She shares that dyscalculia is...

325: Neuropsych vs. Psycho Ed Assessments with Dr. Karen Wilson (Local Professionals Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome back neuropsychologist Dr. Karen Wilson, who has a private practice in Los Angeles. She is also the founder of ChildNexus, a platform that connects vetted professionals and parents. Karen shares about...

324: REAIR Ep 226 – How Business Mindset Impacts Educational Therapists
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET reshare how business mindset and limiting beliefs have impacted their business. There have been surprises along the way as Rachel & Steph have gone through this podcast journey. Today, they share how the...

323: Master Class with Executive Functioning Expert Marydee Sklar (Part 2)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome executive functioning expert, Marydee Sklar for a continuation of their conversation. Be sure to check out part 1 if you haven’t already! This week, we dig deeper into how emotions and the brain impact...

322: Master Class with Executive Functioning Expert Marydee Sklar
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome executive functioning expert, Marydee Sklar. In this first part of our two-part conversation, Marydee shares her background, including how she struggled with time management for much of her life. She...

321: Reair Ep 201 – Executive Functioning Masterclass with Peg Dawson
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET reshare a wonderful and important episode this week: Episode 201: Executive Functioning with Peg Dawson. The school year is around the corner and executive functioning is such a huge part of school and life...

320: Alissa Opfer’s Leaving the Classroom Journey (Local Professional Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome Alissa Opfer to the podcast. Alissa is a learning specialist at My Ed Therapist and she is joining us today to talk about her journey leaving the classroom environment. She shares why she struggled...

319: Decision Making and Executive Functioning Skills (EF Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET talk about how weaker executive functioning skills lead to challenges with making decisions. In episode 274: The Silent Suffering of Problem Solving, they addressed what we mean when we talk about problem...

318: An Adult Autism Diagnosis with Elizabeth (Professionals Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Elizabeth to the podcast. Elizabeth shares how she explored her own journey and was able to “connect the dots” of her own story and explore her autism diagnosis as an adult. She shares her workplace...

317: Using the Summer to Plan for Failures (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the concept of failing forward. They talk about why summer is the perfect chance to prioritize this idea, how to involve parents in the process when appropriate, and the importance of planning for...

316: REAIR Ep 190: Emotionally Charged Task Avoidance
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET are thrilled to reshare episode 190. 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...

315: Sarah’s Parenting Journey of a Highly Reluctant Learner (Client Success Story)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome a parent of one of Stephanie’s clients at My Ed Therapist. Sarah is the mother of Finn, a 10th grader, who has had a very emotional journey in Educational Therapy. Finn was an elite athlete who was...

314: REAIR Episode 112: EF Summer Projects
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET reshare episode 112 of Learn Smarter: the Educational Therapy podcast. The teams of Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist inspired this episode! Nearly every daily activity can be turned into an...

313: What Parents Can Do In Between Sessions (Parenting Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the tricky idea of intersession parent involvement in educational therapy intervention for middle school through college learners. They share the 3 different levels of parental involvement and how to...

312: The 8 Reasons Learners Don’t Want to Email (Their Teachers) (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET share why learners push back about email and emailing their teachers in general and what to do about it. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join...

311: How to Know When to Delegate (Business Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET are back to chatting about business! Today they share how to know when to delegate in your business and work through all the mindset issues that come about when giving up control. Support us on Patreon:...

310: Learners Who Don’t Want Educational Therapy (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the many reasons why some learners don’t want educational therapy. They also chat about why a learner’s willingness to participate is actually not a prerequisite to hire an educational therapist....

309: Pathological Demand Avoidance with Diane Gould
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Diane Gould to the podcast to discuss Pathological Demand Avoidance. She shares how she got interested in PDA, her involvement with bringing awareness to the USA, and how behavioral strategies don’t...

308: (Reair 56): Why You Should Do Educational Therapy Over the Summer (Time of the Year Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET reshare episode 56 where they chat about why learners should do educational therapy over the summer. They share the numerous benefits to this type of intervention during a learner’s summer break. Support us on...

307: Finishing the Year Strong (Time of the Year Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET chat about what all clinicians, learners, teachers, and parents need to know to finish the academic year strong. We all want the learners we work with to thrive throughout the entire year and it is hard. In...

306: School-Related Questions: FAQ 3 (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET complete their 3-part series where they answer a final round of Frequently Asked Questions. In episode 304, which aired 2 weeks ago, they tackled Digital Age Questions. In episode 305, they tackled parenting...

305: Parenting Questions: FAQ 2 (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET continue their 3-part series where they answer a new round of Frequently Asked Questions. In episode 304, which aired last week, they tackled Digital Age Questions. Today they dig into frequently asked...

304: Digital Age Questions: FAQ 1 (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET begin a 3-part series where they answer a new round of Frequently Asked Questions. In this episode, they tackle Digital Age Questions regarding screen time, productive use of technology, and parent...

303: 3 Questions All Parents Should be Asking Their Learners (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET answer this frequently asked parenting question: “What can I do to support my learner in between sessions?” In this episode, Rachel and Stephanie share the 3 questions parents should be asking their learners...

302: The Roadblocks of Writing (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET explore why writing meltdowns occur with learners. They chat about what makes writing difficult to begin with, what can make writing harder and how to understand the learners who struggle with writing. Support...

301: Using Photos to Support Executive Functioning Skills (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET share the origin story of this episode and how it came about. They share about why we should be using tools that learners are already familiar with and examples of opportunities you can use photographs to...

300: Looking Back and Looking Forward
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome fellow educational therapist and their Director of Operations, Katrina Gonzalez, to celebrate their 300th episode. In this episode, Katrina interviews Rachel & Steph about their experiences with...

299: How to Make Clinical Notes Meaningful (Business Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss clinical notes. They share why notes are important, what they need to do for you as a clinician, and what should actually be documented. Support us on Patreon:...

298: Rachel’s Calendaring & Executive Functioning Problem (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET display their partnership in helping Rachel figure out how to best manage the family calendar moving forward. As the complexity increases and Rachel’s family life gets busier, she realizes that she needs more...

297: Time Blindness (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET revisit their earlier discussions regarding time blindness. Today they discuss what it is and why it matters. They chat about some benefits of time blindness and how one’s sense of time can be improved....

296: Why (Some) Learners Aren’t Thriving…Yet (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss why some learners haven’t started thriving yet and how we should be thinking about these learners, their motivations, and their challenges. They also dig into some ideas of what to do about it! Support...

295: The Importance of Specificity in Praise and Feedback (Parenting Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET round out their 3 episode arc on how parenting and educational therapy intersect. Two weeks ago they discussed why it’s important for parents to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Last week they chatted...

294: Displaying Failure (The Importance of Making Mistakes Out Loud in Front of Your Children) Parenting Series
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the importance of failing forward. Last week, they chatted about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Today they dig into why you want to show your learner or your partner failure and how to...

293: How to Let Learners Be Uncomfortable (Parenting Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss the way parenting and educational therapy intersect. For the next 3 episodes, they are chatting about some of the more uncomfortable parts of parenting and how it impacts the work that they do as...

292: How Workflows Create More Free Time in your Business (Business Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the importance of business workflows today. They discuss how having workflows specifically allowed them to free up time in their businesses, allowed them to teach other people how to do things, and...

Happy Holidays!
Listen for a special holiday message from Rachel and Steph. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website ...

291: How to Support Reading Comprehension through Inferencing (Reading Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss how inferencing supports reading comprehension. They go into detail about inference, why it’s important, and how to guide readers to thinking, understanding and using inferencing to support reading...

290: Re-Air 175: What to do About Learners Who Lie (Part 2) (Educational Therapy Series)
In this re-air of episode 175, Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET continue the conversation from last week and discuss what they do about learners who lie, avoid reality and avoid the truth. They share some tips and tricks they’ve learned along...

289: Re-Air: Why Learners Lie (Part 1) (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET re-air an important episode about the many reasons why learners lie. Be sure to listen next week when they talk about what to do about learners who lie. Support us on Patreon:...

288: Task Initiation and Completion with Adult Client Nicholas (Client Success Stories)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Rachel’s adult client Nicholas to the podcast. He talks about his processing issue, professional journey, struggles with task initiation, and how to know when things are done. He talks about how...

287: Do you need an Educational Therapist or a tutor? (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET are frequently asked by parents, “Do I need an educational therapist or a tutor?”. Today, they answer this question in depth, digging into the nuances of both, the differences, and if it’s more appropriate to...

286: How Educational Therapists Can Responsibly use Artificial Intelligence
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET share how educational therapists can responsibly and ethically use AI to their advantage. They talk about their initial reaction to AI as well as some ideas of how to use AI to support the work that they’re...

285: Why We Should be Encouraging a Minimum Viable Product for Writing (Writing Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET re-share the idea of Minimum Viable Product when it comes to writing and project management. They chat about keeping the ultimate goal in mind and scaffolding achievement in that way. They also further explore...

284: Remembering Your Why (Business Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET reminisce about their origin story, why they were attracted to educational therapy and how their friendship influenced their life trajectories. They share why it’s important to remember your “why” and what...

283: Executive Functioning Skills Expectations (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET share how they struggled with this episode. They talk about how comparison impacts adult expectations, the importance of independence incrementally, how masking works and the importance of recalibrating...

282: Next Level Calendaring (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss new language around calendaring and how it can magnify the impact of calendaring on the life of learners. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with...

281: Calendar Checklist for College Learners (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the different executive functioning needs of college learners. They share what college students need to consider as well as our Calendaring for College Learners checklist. Support us on Patreon:...

280: The Executive Functioning of the Learn Smarter Podcast (Business Practices Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, are back to share some behind-the-scenes news about how the podcast is produced. Additionally they share some personal news, an update about YouTube and the exciting news that Learn Smarter Pro is back! ...

279: Educational Therapy in High School with Cooper (Client Success Stories)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome Rachel’s client, Cooper, to the podcast. Cooper talks about the impact of educational therapy on his academic journey. He shares what sessions are like with Rachel and they discuss self-advocacy....

277: Catie Chase – How to Work with a Learning Specialist (Professionals Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome college coach for neurodiverse learners and life coach, Catie Chase. She chats about her previous role as a school learning support specialist and what the ideal collaboration with outside...

276: Reair: Online Portal Pitfalls (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET dig into everything online portals in this re-air of episode 123. Online portals have long been a sore subject for educational therapists. They are not perfect systems, but they do have so much potential to...

275: Building Learner Confidence with My Ed Therapist’s Educational Therapist Ali Guydan (Local Professionals Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Ali Guydan, an educational therapist from My Ed Therapist, to the podcast. Ali joins the podcast to talk about what brought her to educational therapy and how she was inspired to create change. She...

274: The Silent Suffering of Problem Solving (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss how problem solving is an often overlooked but major problem for learners. They chat about what they mean by “problem solving” and what it looks like both in and out of the classroom. They also share...

273: Math Accommodations with Adrianne Meldrum (Math Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome back Adrianne Meldrum, CEO and Founder of Made for Math. Last week she taught us all about multisensory math and this week we’re talking about math accommodations. She breaks down accommodations into...

272: Multisensory Math with Adrianne Meldrum (Math Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome Adrianne Meldrum, CEO of Made for Math, to the podcast. She shares her background and how she came to understanding multisensory math and explains the 5 components of multisensory math. She shares how...

271: Reair: Math and Executive Functioning Woes (Math Series)
Rachel & Steph dig into how executive functioning impacts math functioning and ability. They break down executive functioning when it comes to math and talk about frequent challenges of learners who struggle with math because of executive functioning. Support us...

270: Learning Intervention in Action with Kapp Educational Therapy Group’s Learning Specialist Deanna Tayag (Local Professionals Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome Deanna Tayag to the podcast. Deanna is a learning specialist at Kapp Educational Therapy Group who really prioritizes the social-emotional connection with learners to help them to be vulnerable and...

269: Reconsidering Metacognitive Strategies (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, share their tips and tricks for helping learners to understand themselves from a metacognitive perspective. They discussed metacognition in episode 239 where they went over what it is, why it is important,...

268: Dr. Jeremy Sharp – When and Why You Should Reassess Your Learner (Professionals Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome back friend of the podcast, Dr. Jeremy Sharp. Dr. Sharp is a licensed psychologist who owns and operates The Colorado Center for Assessment & Psychology. He also hosts the Testing Psychologist...

267: College Learning Disability Specialist Elizabeth Hamblet and 7 Steps to College Success (Author Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome back College Learning Disability Specialist Elizabeth Hamblet to discuss her new book 7 Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities. She discusses the origin story of the book...
266: Breaking Down an Essay Prompt (Writing Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss how to break down an essay prompt. This is a long overdue topic on the podcast and Rachel and Stephanie explain why essays are so hard for learners and how to guide learners through a multistep...

265: The Importance of Recalibration (Business Practices Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss the importance of recalibration as a professional. The idea often makes people (particularly women) uncomfortable, but in this episode, Rachel and Stephanie discuss what recalibration is and why it’s...

264: Reair: Feeling Time Part 2 (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET continue the conversation from last week. In this episode they chat about several strategies that work to increase awareness of time. They dig deep into the differences between kids who feel time quickly and...

263: Reair: Feeling Time Part 1 (Executive Functioning Series)
All people experience time differently and this could not be more true for learners with different learning profiles. In this re-air, Rachel & Steph dig into why feeling time is SO important and how feeling time differently from peers, parents, teachers and...

262: Games for Executive Functioning Skills (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET are bringing back a favorite episode. Today our resident Game Guru, Steph, brings us all the games that she likes to use to strengthen executive functioning skills. This is one of those episodes that is...

261: Is this Autism? with Donna Henderson and Dr. Sarah Wayland (Author Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET are excited to welcome back Licensed Psychologist Donna Henderson and welcome Dr. Sarah Wayland, a special needs care navigator, certified relationship development intervention consultant and parenting coach....

260: Learner Avoidance Tactics (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss the very specific avoidance tactics learners use when dealing with a large multi-step project. As they discuss, learners will focus on fluff (style and format) over content because it’s the perfect...

259: Test Anxiety (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss test anxiety. In this episode they discuss why learners feel anxious, how and why it impacts their ability to perform on a test, and what learners can do to mitigate their test anxiety. Support us on...

258: Re-Air: Why You Should Do Educational Therapy Over the Summer
Summer is the perfect time to start educational therapy. In this re-air of episode 56, Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET both share their summer plans and why they love starting with new clients over the summer. Also, they chat about some of...

257: Gap Year Specialist Julia Rogers (Professionals Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Julia Rogers, founder of En Route Consulting, which specializes in personalized gap year planning. She shares how gap years have been around a long time even if people weren’t labeling it specifically...

256: How OCD and Anxiety Impact Learning with Natasha Daniels (Part 2)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome back Anxiety Expert and OCD Child Therapist Natasha Daniels to the podcast. Today they dig into how anxiety and OCD impacts learning and school. Natasha shares how OCD can be missed in school or...

255: Re-Air: Top 10 Reading Comprehension Strategies (Part 2) (Reading Series)
Reading comprehension is critical--even if your student is the most fluid out loud reader...are they really understanding what they’re reading? Reading comprehension weaknesses can be sneaky because it can be difficult to identify. In last week's episode, Rachel Kapp,...

254: Re-Air: Our Top 10 Reading Comprehension Strategies (Part 1) (Reading Series)
Reading comprehension is critical--even if your student is the most fluid out loud reader...are they really understanding what they’re reading? Reading comprehension weaknesses can be sneaky because they can be difficult to identify. In this re-air of episode 17, ...

253: “Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less” with Dr. Ellen Braaten Part 2 (Author Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, are joined again by Dr. Ellen Braaten, the author of Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less. She shares the signs of an unmotivated child and discusses “hiding failures.” Dr. Braaten highlights the importance of...

252: “Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less” with Dr. Ellen Braaten Part 1 (Author Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, welcome back Dr. Ellen Braaten to discuss the origin story of her new book, Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less. Dr. Braaten shares her thoughts on how motivation works and how motivation is not generated the...

251: Understanding OCD and Anxiety with Natasha Daniels (Part 1)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Anxiety Expert and OCD Child Therapist Natasha Daniels to the podcast. They chat about how people misunderstand OCD and what the true definition of OCD is. Natasha digs into the different types of OCD...

250: Reair 47 – Note Taking
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET deep dive into note-taking in this re-air of episode 47. They chat about why it is so difficult, the various types of notes that teachers require and several of their favorite strategies. Support us on...

249: Nikki Returns (Client Success Stories)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome back Nikki, who initially joined us back in 2019 when she was 15 years old. She was Steph’s client at My Ed Therapist and is now a sophomore in college. Nikki shares what it was like to listen to her...

248: Why Systems are Essential (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss why systems for time, physical space, and digital space are essential for high functioning learners. They discuss why simplicity is a virtue, how systems impact the quality of life for learners, and...

247: Adults in Educational Therapy with Marshall (Client Success Story)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Rachel’s client, Marshall. He shares his story about what brought him to seek educational therapy and how his executive functioning impacted his relationships and self-esteem. He also shares how...

246: Reair 28 – Motivating the Unmotivated
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET do a deep dive on motivation. Hear why they don’t believe any student is ever “lazy” and what language they use instead. Also, they talk about why motivation suddenly stops for students who struggle in school....

245: Top 5 Reasons Learners Wait for Deadlines (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET share their experiences about the top five reasons why learners wait for deadlines. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail...

244: Productivity Pressure (Business Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the pressure to be productive as business owners and podcasters. They share why they’re talking about this, what led them to some realizations about productivity pressure, how it impacts their quality...

243: Learn Smarter Pro Group Convo
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET invited some of the Fall 2022 cohort of Learn Smarter Pro to talk about the experience. These Pro-sters share how they came to be Smarties and what went into their decision to join Learn Smarter Pro. They...

242: Learn Smarter Pro FAQs
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET get asked a lot of questions about Learn Smarter Pro and today they’re answering it for you. Listen in to get your frequently asked questions about Learn Smarter Pro answered! Support us on Patreon:...

241: 10 Things We’ve Learned From Learn Smarter Pro (Business Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss ten things they have learned from hosting Learn Smarter Pro. They chat about the common pain points that have emerged from all the Pro-sters who have participated in Learn Smarter Pro the past few...

240: Happy Holidays
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET quickly check in with a holiday message and preview a bit of what’s to come for 2023. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our...

239: Metacognition (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss a major component of Executive Functioning Skills: metacognition. They share what it is, why it is important, and how to have reflective and reactive conversations to encourage metacognitive awareness....

238: The Messy Room Episode (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss the messy room dilemma that occurs in the vast majority of our teenagers. They get into the whys, hows and whats of the messy room dilemma and talk about how to approach it in a realistic way. ...

237: Self-Care for Educational Therapists (Business Series)
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, talk through why Educational Therapists, learning specialists and those who “help” need to plan to take care of themselves. What they share about the ONE thing all of us MUST do in order to self-care may...

236: How to Get your Learner to Read Outside of School (Reading Series)
In this episode, Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET, discuss the whys and hows of how to get learners interested in stories. They discuss why reading is important, why flexibility around what reading can look like is critical and how to get...

235: Re-Air: Academic Emergencies (Educational Therapy Series)
Newsflash: there is no such thing as an academic emergency. In this re-air of episode 90, Rachel & Steph share: what an academic emergency is how parents can respond to an academic emergency strategies for learners to prevent academic emergencies the importance...

234: Why Knowing Your Ideal Client is Essential (Business Practices Series)
Rachel and Stephanie share why learning who their ideal client is was so essential in building Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist. They share how you can use your ideal client to battle Imposter Syndrome, simplify your business and elaborate on your...

233: How to Increase Follow Through (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel and Stephanie share why follow through is so difficult for people who struggle with executive functioning skills. They share their tips on how to increase follow through. Ep 38: How to set S.M.A.R.T. Goals Support us on Patreon:...

232: Re-air 121 :The Most Common Executive Functioning Hazards (Executive Functioning Series)
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:...

231: Principles of Test-taking (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph dig into the fundamental executive functioning skills of test-taking. They share their principles of test-taking for multiple choice, short answers and essays. They also dig into computer testing, a modern post-COVID phenomenon. Other episodes...

230: 11 Things the Books Don’t Tell You About Executive Functioning Skills (Executive Functioning Skills Series)
Rachel and Steph have collectively worked with learners with Executive Functioning Skills challenges for over 20 years. They share what they know about learners with Executive Functioning Skills challenges and some of them may surprise you. Support us on Patreon:...

229: Upleveling Games Part 2 (Educational Therapy Series)
We’re back with part two of how to uplevel games. In this episode, we’ll dive a bit deeper into how and why to informally assess learners using games. We also chat about how learners derive self-esteem from game playing and how games can help strengthen metacognition....

228: Upleveling Games Part 1 (Educational Therapy Series)
Stephanie is the Game Guru. Rachel & Steph go into Steph’s history with games and how she discovered her Game Guru-ness. Steph shares how games are low investment and high return and other reasons she integrates game play in sessions. She breaks down what type of...

227: The Start of the Year Mentality (Educational Therapy Series)
As Board Certified Educational Therapists, Rachel and Steph are able to observe trends throughout the year. Today they share what the new school year mentality looks like, why it is important to note, and the role of the educational therapist. Support us on Patreon:...

226: How Business Mindset Impacts Educational Therapists (Business Series)
There have been surprises along the way as Rachel & Steph have gone through this podcast journey. Today, they share how the podcast has impacted the work they do, the people they coach, and their approach to educational therapy. Support us on Patreon:...

225: How to Think About Math with Kapp Educational Therapy Group Learning Specialist and Master Teacher Anna Aguilar Gardner (Math Series)
Kapp Educational Therapy Group Learning Specialist Anna Aguilar Gardner joins us on the podcast. She talks about how to collaborate with the classroom teacher and how to approach material the same way. Anna talks about the importance of building a student-created...

224: Re-Air: New Year New Goals (Educational Therapy Series)
Today, we’re revisiting an important and timely episode all about SMART goals! Listen in to learn why it’s important to set SMART goals and how to do it. Also, Steph coaches Rachel about an issue with one of her clients. At the end, Rachel ends up shifting what the...

223: You Don’t Need All the Answers Right Now (Business Practices Series)
Rachel and Steph discuss why a major role of educational therapy is to guide the parents to next best steps while maintaining the larger picture in mind. They chat about how onboarding parents effectively will allow you to mitigate clinician pressure and perfectionism...

222: How to Talk to Your Kid About Their Diagnosis with Dr. Liz Angoff (Author Series)
Dr. Liz Angoff is an educational psychologist in private practice. She has also developed books and a framework around how to talk to your learner about their diagnosis. She shares how to explain and prepare learners for testing, giving scripts and establishing...

221: (Revisiting) Back to School (Educational Therapy Series)
Today, Rachel & Steph re-share how to prepare for going back to school. In this episode, Rachel & Steph talk about how to prevent “academic emergencies” by properly preparing and achievable goal setting. and partnership with your child’s teacher. They talk...

220: ADHD and Girls with Dr. Kathleen Nadeau (Author Series)
Dr. Kathleen Nadeau is a clinical psychologist and Director of Chesapeake Center for ADHD, Learning & Behavioral Health as well as author of several books on ADHD and girls. She joins Rachel & Steph to talk about the history and trajectory of ADHD and shares...

219: Permission to Pivot (Business Practices Series)
Rachel and Stephanie talk about how important it is to give ourselves permission as clinicians to pivot. They talk about giving yourself permission to pivot with clients, within your business and permission to not have all the answers. Support us on Patreon:...

218: Business Intentionality and New Motherhood with Educational Therapist & Former Learn Smarter Pro-ster Alena Houghton (Business Practices Series)
Educational therapist, new mom and Learn Smarter Pro-ster Alena Houghton joins Rachel and Steph to talk about her experience deciding to build a new business while raising a new baby. They chatted about her decision to join Learn Smarter Pro and the mindset work she...

217: Why Virtual Educational Therapy is NOT Online School (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph chat about how they thought about virtual educational therapy before the pandemic and how the pandemic completely shifted their thinking. They discuss the challenges that online school presented for learners and their families and how virtual...

216: How Educational Therapy Can Help an Adult (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph dig into how educational therapy can significantly benefit adults. They share how executive functioning skills challenges don’t end with schooling and how it can impact relationships, jobs, and lives. Support us on Patreon:...

215: The Testing Psychologist Podcast – Why Do Learners Lie and What to Do About It (Educational Therapy Series)
In this special episode, Dr. Jeremy Sharp of The Testing Psychologist podcast shares this conversation he had with Rachel Kapp and Stephanie Pitts. They tackle why learners lie and what to do about it. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast...

214: ADHD Essentials – The Wall of Awful with Brendan Mahan (Executive Functioning Series)
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...

213: How Coaching Led to Balance, Independence and Stabilibility with Educational Therapist Elizabeth Norwood (Business Practices Series)
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...

212: How to Know When You Are in the Right (or Wrong) School with Educational Consultant Shelley Lawrence (Professionals Series)
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...
![211: [Part 2] How Asking For Help Changed Her Life with Gracie (Success Stories Series)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_675/https://learnsmarterpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Art-LS-ep-211-1080x675.png)
211: [Part 2] How Asking For Help Changed Her Life with Gracie (Success Stories Series)
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...
![210: [Part 1] Coachability and Self-Reflection with My Ed Therapist Parent Megan (Client Success Stories Series)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_675/https://learnsmarterpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Art-LS-210-1080x675.png)
210: [Part 1] Coachability and Self-Reflection with My Ed Therapist Parent Megan (Client Success Stories Series)
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...

209: Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Start Business Coaching (Business Practices Series)
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...

208: Parenting the Kid You Have with Penny Williams (Parenting Series)
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...

207: Building Momentum to the Business and Life You Want with Educational Therapist and Learn Smarter Proster Jessica Mintz (Business Practices Series)
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...

206: Dispelling Myths and Relationship Building with Psychiatrist Dr. Chelsea Neumann (Local Professional Series)
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...

205: “Not What I Expected: Help and Hope for Parents of Atypical Children” with Dr. Rita Eichenstein (Author Series)
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...

204: How to Establish Clinical Boundaries with Kapp Ed Therapy Group’s Maria Eliades (Business Practices Series)
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...

203: Beyond The Label with Dr. Karen Schiltz and Dr. Amy Schonfeld (Author Series)
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...

201: Executive Functioning Skills Master Class with Dr. Peg Dawson (Executive Function Series)
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...

200: Our Journey to Board Certification (Podcast Milestone)
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...

199: How Business Coaching Leads You to What You Want with Denielle Adibi (Business Practices Series)
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...

198: Trusting Your Parental Instincts with Laura (Success Stories)
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...

197: How to Exit out of Educational Therapy (Educational Therapy Series)
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:...

196: The How and Why of Your Learner’s Superpower with My Ed Therapist’s Laura Korman (Educational Therapy Series)
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...

195: Sensory Processing Disorder and the “Out of Sync Child” with Carol Kranowitz (Author Series)
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...

194: Why I Went to Ed Therapy School with Kapp Ed Therapy’s Nikkia Pannell (Educational Therapy Series)
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...

193: Does My Learner Need a Diagnosis? (Educational Therapy Series)
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...

191: The Why and How of Informal Assessment with Katie Nolan (Educational Therapy Series)
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,...

190: Emotionally Charged Task Avoidance (Educational Therapy Series)
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...

189: How to Set the Stage for Success
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!...

188: Happy New Year
Rachel & Steph take the time to share a quick message of appreciation and some well wishes for all Smarties. 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...

187: Steph’s Favorite Games of 2021
It’s that time of year again! Stephanie shares her favorite games of 2021. If you’re on our email list, you already received her list in a freebie! If you’re not on the Learn Smarter email list, what are you waiting for? Join us on our website ...

186: All or Nothing Brain (Executive Function Series)
Understanding the “all or nothing brain” can be critical for learners. Rachel & Steph talk about what an “all or nothing brain” is, how it shows up in learning, school, and life. They discuss real world examples and why it is so important to understand the choices...

185: Announcements and Updates
Rachel & Steph share 3 very exciting announcements! Rachel shares BIG NEWS and Rachel & Steph announce some new projects and Patreon updates! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our...

184: Our Greatest Study Hack (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph are giving away their greatest study hack today. They deep dive into the 3 questions every learner should be asking on an ongoing basis, why it’s critical and what to do once your learner has implemented this strategy. Support us on Patreon:...

183: Indecision and Procrastination with Arielle (Student Success Stories)
Today, Rachel’s client from Kapp Educational Therapy Group joins the podcast to discuss her growth. Arielle started educational therapy in the middle of 11th grade and continued through her first year of college. In this episode, she talks about her early experiences...

182: The Principles of a Portal Audit (Educational Therapy Series)
In this critically important episode, Rachel and Steph go through why every learner needs to learn how to do a proper portal audit. They go through just some of the reasons portals are problematic (scroll back to Episode 123 for more on that) and deep dive into the...

181: Re-Air: My Kid Isn’t Reading (Reading Series)
We want all kids to love reading, and that’s why we’re revisiting this important episode this week. Stephanie does a deep dive on how she works with students who find reading challenging. She teaches us about how reading is comprised of two main components (fluency...

180: What Questions Should I Be Asking My Learner’s Teacher? (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph answer a frequently asked question they receive from parents in their practice and their Smarties audience: What questions should I be asking my learner’s teacher? Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect...

179: Classic ADHD: Avoidance and Lies with Annie (Success Stories)
Rachel and Steph welcome Annie, Rachel’s client from Kapp Educational Therapy Group. Annie impressively deep dives into her own learning profile, thoughtfully talking about her educational therapy journey. In this episode she talks about how her ADHD has impacted her...

178: Re-Air: Learning About Learning with Dr. Rishi Part 2 (Author Series)
This week, Rachel & Steph re-air their second conversation with Dr. Rishi Sriram from Baylor University. In episode 109, Dr. Sriram begins the conversation about “learning how to learn.” That episode is linked below. In this episode, Dr. Sriram delves more deeply...

177: Re-Air: Learning About Learning with Dr. Rishi Sriram (Author Series)
Today, Rachel & Steph are re-airing one of their all-time favorite episodes! They welcome Dr. Rishi Sriram from Baylor University to the podcast. In this episode, they chat with Dr. Sriram about how learning occurs in the brain, how important and normal forgetting...

176: Why Learners Procrastinate (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph dig into the top 5 reasons why learners procrastinate. 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...

175: What to do About Learners Who Lie (Part 2) (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph continue the conversation from episode 172: Why Learners Lie and discuss what they do about learners who lie, avoid reality and avoid the truth. They share some tips and tricks they’ve learned along the way that have dramatically helped the learners...

174: Re-Air 93: IEP 101 with Attorney Grace Clark (Local Professional Series)
This week, we’re re-airing an important episode we recorded with attorney Grace Clark. Grace leads us through a fascinating conversation about what education laws are, IEP vs. 504 plans, and what parents can expect (from deadlines to interventions to goals to...

172: Why Learners Lie (Part 1) (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph dig into the many reasons why learners lie in today’s episode. Be sure to listen in a few weeks when they talk about what to do about learners who lie. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect...

171: Girl ADHD with Dr. Julie Caplan (Professionals Series)
Dr. Julie Caplan joins Rachel and Stephanie on the podcast to discuss how ADHD manifests differently in boys and girls. Dr. Caplan explains ADHD, how it shows up differently from “traditional ADHD” in girls, and why it often gets missed in girls. She further discusses...

170: Re-Air: The Perfect Storm: Writing & Executive Functioning (Executive Functioning Series)
This week, we’re re-airing an oldie but goodie to help with the start of school and the anxiety that may be building around the challenging task of writing. Writing presents a challenge for ALL students--it doesn’t matter if they have a learning or medical diagnosis...

169: Improving Family Connections with Dr. Sharon Saline (Author Series)
Dr. Sharon Saline, author of What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life, joins Rachel and Steph to discuss her goal of improving the connection between parents and learners with ADHD through improving...

168: Processing Speed vs. Sluggish Cognitive Tempo with Dr. Ellen Braaten (Author Series)
For the final episode of Dr. Braaten month, Dr. Braaten guides Rachel & Steph through a conversation about the differences between processing speed and sluggish cognitive tempo. She teaches that processing speed is related to performance and is measurable, often...

167: How Processing Speed Impacts Social Skills with Dr. Ellen Braaten (Author Series)
Dr. Braaten month continues as she, Rachel & Steph dig into the impact of processing speed on social skills. Dr. Braaten redefines processing speed and shares that 40% of kids with processing difficulties will report social difficulties. She highlights that...

166: How Time Perception Impacts Learners with Dr. Ellen Braaten (Author Series)
Rachel & Steph welcome Dr. Ellen Braaten back for Dr. Braaten month! Dr. Braaten discusses how time perception is an incredibly important part of understanding processing speed and ADHD, and she shares some tips and hints to help respond to time perception issues....

165: Re-Air: Slow Processing Speed with Dr. Ellen Braaten (Author Series)
We are revisiting this important episode we recorded with Dr. Ellen Braaten to kick off an entire month of episodes featuring her! Dr. Braaten is a leading expert on processing speeds and she joined Rachel & Steph to have a wide-ranging conversation about what...

164: Emotional Intelligence and FeelLinks with Marcelle Waldman (Professionals Series)
Marcelle Waldman joins Rachel and Steph on the podcast to discuss her company, FeelLinks, an intentional tool related to social/emotional learning for young children. Emotional intelligence is understanding, labeling, and managing feelings while knowing and...

163: College Planning for Learners with Specialized Needs with Melanie Tasoff (Professionals Series)
College Counselor Melanie Tasoff specializes in helping neurodiverse learners and learners with specialized needs navigate the college process. She takes a well-rounded, whole child approach, talks extensively about best fit and what that means, and gives us the...

162: Navigating Post-Pandemic (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph dig into what re-entry into in-person school will look like and feel like. They discuss the fears, questions, and adjustments learners, parents, teachers, and educational therapists are experiencing as they navigate a slower re-entry into a...

161: Understanding and Developing Motivation for Your Learner Part 2 (Author Series)
Rachel & Steph continue their conversation from episode 159 with co-authors Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson. In the second half of their conversation, they dig into self-determination theory even more. They further discuss the parenting shift from helping...

160: Our #1 Study Hack (Tricks of the Trade Series)
Rachel & Steph are giving away their number one study hack! Tune in to hear this easy, simple, and effective strategy that works across ages, grades and subjects! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our...

159: Understanding and Developing Motivation for Your Learner Part 1 (Author Series)
Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, the co-authors of The Self-Driven Child, join Rachel & Steph on the podcast. This important conversation is critical for all those invested in education--so everyone! In addition to talking about stress and why life is...

158: How to Avoid Wasting Time with Flashcards (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph chat again about active studying vs. passive studying. They talk about how flashcarding can be an incredibly useful tool for studying when done properly, thoughtfully and intentionally. They chat about how time spent on “studying” does not correlate...

157: Anatomy of the Trigger with Diane Dempster (Parenting Series)
Parenting coach and trainer Diane Dempster of www.impactparents.com joins Rachel & Steph on the podcast to discuss the anatomy of a trigger. She takes us through the stages of triggers (aware, alert, alarm) and discusses how different people have different...

156: Behind the Scenes: 3rd Anniversary Episode
Pierce Siebers, the sound engineer of Learn Smarter Podcast, joins Rachel and Steph on the podcast to celebrate their third anniversary of the Learn Smarter Podcast. In this wide-ranging conversation, they talk about the origin of educational therapy, how Rachel and...

155: Parenting Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda’s with Penny Williams (Parenting Series)
Rachel & Steph welcome back Penny Williams for a retrospective on her parenting journey. She talks about what she wishes she knew, how she didn’t know what she didn’t know, and how the grass isn’t always greener. She also talks about the work she’s done on her own...

154: What to Expect from Educational Therapy (Educational Therapy Series)
After 153 episodes, Rachel & Steph still get asked what parents and learners can expect from educational therapy from their practices, Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist. In this episode, Rachel & Steph dig into what to expect from the...

153: Changing the Narrative for your Struggling Learner with Dr. Stacy Haynes (Professionals Series)
Dr. Stacy Haynes joins Rachel & Steph on the podcast to talk about the CPS (Collaborative and Proactive Solutions) model, the Plan B conversation, and how she shares Rachel & Steph’s fundamental belief that kids do well when they can. She talks about shifting...

152: Overcoming Dyslexia with Dr. Sally Shaywitz, Part 2 (Author Series)
Today, Rachel & Steph continue their conversation with Dr. Sally Shaywitz, author of Overcoming Dyslexia. In this episode, Dr. Shaywitz talks about the importance of evidence based interventions versus research based interventions, how parents can improve fluency...

151: Overcoming Dyslexia with Dr. Sally Shaywitz, Part 1 (Author Series)
Rachel and Steph welcome the incomparable Dr. Sally Shaywitz, author of Overcoming Dyslexia onto the podcast. She talks about her advocacy work with policymakers, the signs of dyslexia, the Sea of Strengths Model, the Connecticut Longitudinal Study and the Shaywitz...

150: How Cultivating Curiosity Transforms Writing (Writing Series)
Rachel & Steph dig into why cultivating curiosity transforms writing. They discuss why cultivating curiosity removes expectations and misunderstandings about how to answer a writing prompt, allows learners to move forward with a brain dump, and helps them figure...

149: How to Prioritize while Parenting with Elaine Taylor-Klaus and Diane Dempster (Author Series)
Rachel and Steph welcome (back) Elaine and Diane, the co-founders of ImpactParents.com. Elaine and Diane go into their origin story, explaining the way they have transformed the lives of hundreds of parents across the world who are raising complex children. They talk...

148: Why You Shouldn’t Wait for the Pandemic to End to Start Educational Therapy (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph dig into why virtual learning isn’t ALL bad and how it’s benefited some learners and been even harder for others. They talk about the lessons of the pandemic and why starting educational therapy NOW is absolutely the right step for families. Support...

147: Math and Executive Functioning Woes (Math Series)
Rachel & Steph dig into how executive functioning impacts math functioning and ability. They break down executive functioning when it comes to math and talk about frequent challenges of learners who struggle with math because of executive functioning. Support us...

146: How Graphic Novels Improve Reading with Author Raina Telgemeier (Author Series)
Graphic Novelist Raina Telgemeier joins Rachel & Steph on the podcast to talk about her books and stories that are inspiring a new generation of reluctant readers. They deep dive into a shared mutual love of The Babysitters Club, how Raina became associated with...

145: Auditory Processing with Dr. Bea Braun (Professionals Series)
Rachel & Steph welcome audiologist Dr. Bea Braun to the podcast. In this episode, Dr. Braun explains how layered and foundational auditory processing is, the way the brain processes auditory information, how it directly impacts learning (reading, writing, and...

144: Understanding Twice Exceptionality (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel and Steph dig into twice exceptionality--what it is, what it means, and how to identify it in your world. 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...

143: Problem Solving Expressive Language with listener Rachel (On-air coaching call)
Listen in as Rachel and Steph coach listener Rachel on how to support her 12 year old daughter. They discuss her learning profile and coach her to think more broadly about her daughter’s aversions. They dig into comprehension, auditory processing, honoring where her...

142: Understanding Autism in Girls with Dr. Donna Henderson – Part 2 (Professionals Series)
Rachel and Steph continue their conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Donna Henderson. They discuss the validation that families can feel from receiving a diagnosis, a framework for helping families to understand a diagnosis, and an in depth conversation about...

141: Understanding Autism in Girls with Dr. Donna Henderson Part 1 (Professionals Series)
Rachel and Steph welcome clinical psychologist Dr. Donna Henderson to the podcast. Dr. Henderson talks about the autism diagnosis and how it has shifted over the years. She talks about the benefits of diagnosis and when diagnoses can be helpful. She teaches how...

140: The Secret to “Studying Harder” (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph discuss the secret to “studying harder”--and the truth may surprise you! They go into what studying harder means, why parents say it, and what effective studying looks like. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast...

139: Social Emotional Games with Tara Eddy (Professionals Series)
Stomp It Out creator and licensed educational psychologist, Tara Eddy, joins Rachel & Steph today to chat about her new game, Stomp It Out, that is perfect for parents, educators, educational therapists and psychologists. Stomp it Out is designed to promote...

138: Self-Advocacy and Savvy Studenting
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...

137: Perfectionism with Julie Skolnick (Professional Series)
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...

136: Creating a Check-In/Check-Out of Work System (Executive Function Series)
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...

135: Parenting your Complex Kid with Elaine Taylor-Klaus (Author Series)
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...

134: Learn Smarter Pro
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...

133: What Your Assessor Wants You to Know with Dr. Jeremy Sharp (Professionals Series)
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...

132: ADHD Expert Dr. Thomas Brown (Author Series)
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...

131: Dispelling College Accommodations Myths with Elizabeth Hamblet, LDT-C, M.S. Ed. (Author Series)
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...

130: The 5 M’s of Talent with Dr. Rishi Sriram (Author Series)
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:...

129: Parent Coach Cheryl Hersh and the Ground Rules Playbook for Parenting
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...

128: What are Graphic Organizers and How They Help Writers (Writing Series)
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...

127: Understanding Vision with Developmental Optometrist Dr. Elise Brisco (Local Professionals Series)
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...

126: How to Study for a Math Test
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...

125: Learning at Home–Testing Psychologist Interview 2
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....

124: When Processing Speed Doesn’t Match (Educational Therapy Series)
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...

123: Online Portal Pitfalls (Executive Functioning Series)
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...

122: Email Management (Executive Functioning Series)
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...

121: The Most Common Executive Functioning Hazards (Executive Functioning Series)
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:...

120: Executive Functioning for Parents During Homeschool with Mary (On-Air Coaching Call)
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...

119: Books for Reluctant Readers with Dustin Brady (Author Series)
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...

118: At-Home Learning Environments (Educational Therapy Series)
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...

117: “ADHD, School Refusal & Strategic Next Steps” with Tracy (On-Air Coaching)
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...

116: Why You Shouldn’t Correct Your Student’s Homework (Parenting Series)
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...

115: Learning About Learning with Dr Rishi Part 2 (Author Series)
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...

114: The Educational Therapy Timeline (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph walk Smarties through each month of the year and what educational therapists are thinking each month. 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...

113: Action Plan for a Struggling Reader (on air coaching) Tanya
Rachel & Steph welcome Tanya onto the pod. Tanya is a mother of two in Washington State. Tanya shares some of the wins she’s had recently with her older daughter. Rachel & Steph also coach her through some questions she’s having about her younger daughter, who...

112: EF Summer Projects (EF series)
The team’s of Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist inspired this episode! Nearly every daily activity can be turned into an executive functioning episode. Rachel & Steph dig into all the executive functioning projects they like to do over summer with...

111: The Intersection between Twice Exceptional and Executive Functioning with Lolly Nelson (On Air-Coaching Call)
Today, Rachel & Steph welcome fellow educational therapist Lolly Nelson for an on-air coaching call. They dig into a challenging case on her caseload. Johnny, a 6th grader who’s twice-exceptional with a high IQ & ADHD. They talk to Lolly about some new tips...

110: Why we can’t Ignore Math Vocabulary (Math Series)
Today Rachel & Steph dig into math vocabulary and how “ignoring” it by omission in the early learning years of learners often is part of the reason learners are so resistant to math as they grow. Rachel coaches today on why it’s so important to think about math...

109: Learning About Learning with Dr. Rishi Sriram (Author Series)
Rachel & Steph welcome Dr. Rishi Sriram from Baylor University to the podcast. In this episode, they chat with Dr. Sriram about how learning occurs in the brain, how important and normal forgetting is to learning and the importance of interleaving, spacing and...

108: Feeling Time: Part 2 (Executive Function Series)
Rachel & Steph continue the conversation from episode 104. In this episode, they chat about several strategies that work to increase awareness of time. They dig deep into the differences between kids who feel time quickly and learners who feel time slower. LEARN...

107: Psychotherapy Expectations with Barrie Sueskind, LMFT (Local Professionals Series)
Connect with Barrie: https://www.barriesueskindtherapy.com https://www.instagram.com/psycho_therapist_confessions/ https://m.facebook.com/BarrieSueskindTherapy/ LEARN SMARTER PRO APPLICATION Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to...

106: Parenting Very Different Learners with Janice (On-Air Coaching Call Series)
LEARN SMARTER PRO APPLICATION Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB GroupJoin our e-mail listRachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group websiteSteph’s My Ed Therapist website @learnsmarterpodcast,...

105: Revisiting Screen Time During Quarantine with Dr. Joe Dilley (Local Professional Series)
Dr. Joe Dilley returns! He shares frameworks for thinking about screen time during quarantine, highlights the importance of what happens before and after screen time and questions we can all be asking ourselves. Rachel & Steph also announce the return of Learn...

104: Feeling Time: Part 1 (Executive Function Series)
All people experience time differently and this could not be more true for learners with different learning profiles. Rachel & Steph dig into why feeling time is SO important and how feeling time differently from peers, parents, teachers and siblings can create...

103: Youtube Learning with Mr. DeMaio (Author Series)
Today was an exciting interview for Rachel & Steph. Both of them have been using Mr. DeMaio’s youtube videos for years. His videos are engaging, fun, interactive, and MEMORABLE. Today, Rachel & Steph interview Mr. DeMaio about how and why he started his...

102: How Questions can Transform Reading & Writing (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph share one of their favorite strategies: using questions to direct learning. With so many learners out there who avoid reading and writing, this can be an effective tool for increasing engagement through planning, making connections, and clarifying...

101: Why Writing is Hard for Elementary Learners (Writing Series)
Writing is one of the most common concerns for families with elementary-aged learners. Today, Rachel & Steph dig into the many reasons it is so difficult and what parents and educators can do to alleviate the burden. Unjournaling Graphic organizer book for...

100: How to Set Up Homework Routines (Executive Functioning Series)
Rachel & Steph celebrate 100 episodes!!! As educational therapists, one of the many things Rachel & Steph teach learners is how to set up their workspaces. Today, they bring that coaching to their audience. They chat about which space to use and why, picking...

99: How to Explain Educational Therapy to Your Child (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph dig into how they coach parents to explain educational therapy to their kids. Through buy in, metaphors, realistic goals and reasonable expectations, Rachel & Steph share their favorite strategies. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join...

98: Mia’s Educational Therapy Journey (Student Success Stories)
Last week, we heard from Jacqui, a mom in Rachel’s practice (Kapp Educational Therapy Group in Beverly Hills, CA) about her journey parenting her daughter. Today, we followed up with Jacqui’s daughter, Mia. You’ll hear from Mia what brought her to educational therapy,...

97: Success Stories with Jacqui
Rachel & Steph welcome Jacqui to the podcast. Jacqui is a parent in Rachel’s practice, Kapp Educational Therapy Group, in Beverly Hills, CA. She talks about what brought her family to educational therapy and the progress her daughter, Mia, has made. Next week, Mia...

Webinar: How to Make Schooling at Home Work for Your Family
Rachel & Steph hosted their first live webinar on 3/20/2020 to help families respond to self-isolation and schooling at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Today’s podcast is an audio version of Friday’s webinar and in it, you’ll hear Rachel & Steph’s tips...

96: The Simplest Writing Strategy Ever (Writing Series)
Today, Rachel shares a story about one of her clients and the writing strategy that changed everything for her. Rachel & Steph take the opportunity to catch up with one another and update Smarties on their lives. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our...

95: Comprehension Strategies & Tools with Katie Cadigan (Local Professionals Series)
For the first time ever, Rachel & Steph welcome fellow educational therapist and Kapp Educational Therapy Group team member, Katie Cadigan, to the podcast. Katie shares a recent training she did for the team and digs into her favorite comprehension strategies and...

94: The Business of Educational Therapy
For the first and only time on the podcast, Rachel & Steph dig into the challenges of having their own educational therapy practice. They chat about the fears, mindset, isolation, lack of business training, and other challenges they have faced in private practice....

93: IEP 101 with Attorney Grace Clark (Local Professional Series)
For the first time, Rachel & Steph welcome attorney Grace Clark. Grace leads them through a fascinating conversation about what the education laws are, IEP vs. 504 plans, and what parents can expect (from deadlines to interventions to goals to collaboration). She...

92: Plagued by the Burden of Potential (Parenting Series)
Educational therapy can be magical in that it allows students to tap into their potential. Often times, the potential parents and teachers see in a learner is a heavy burden and source of conflict in family homes. In today’s episode, Rachel & Steph talk about...

91: Raising Complex Children with ADHD/Autism Coach Penny Williams (Author Series)
Penny Williams, the host of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, joins Rachel & Steph on today’s podcast. Penny shares why labeling is a good thing, how to break cycles, not letting ADHD take over your lie and how to define success on your own. She also shares the impact...

90: Academic Emergencies (Educational Therapy Series)
Newsflash: there is no such thing as an academic emergency. In this episode, Rachel & Steph share: what an academic emergency is how parents can respond to an academic emergency strategies for learners to prevent academic emergencies Keeping long-term goals in...

89: Minimum Viable Product (Educational Therapy Series)
Minimum Viable Product is an important idea that we are “borrowing” from product businesses. In this episode, Rachel & Steph chat about how MVP impacts both sides of the bell curve, how the 5% Challenge can be adapted and how important being imperfect is. How to...

88: Pick Progress over Perfection (Parenting Series)
Picking progress over perfection is an incredibly challenging but an important part of the work educational therapists do. In this episode, Rachel & Steph chat about why we shouldn’t focus on perfection, why and how to focus on progress. How to connect with us:...

87: Why Every Learner Needs a Living Strategies Document (Educational Therapy Series)
In this episode, Rachel & Steph share an idea that has transformed the way they do educational therapy. They chat about what a Living Strategies Document is, how to do it, and why it is so important. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list...

86: The Testing Psychologist Interview
This is a very special episode that was jointly produced by The Testing Psychologist and Learn Smarter: the Educational Therapy podcast. Tune in to hear Rachel & Steph be interviewed by Dr. Jeremy Sharp discuss all things educational therapy. Dr. Sharp, Rachel...

Happy Holidays!
We both wanted to take a minute and thank you for listening to our podcast. We hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season. 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...

85: Twice Exceptional Learners with Seth Perler (Executive Function Series)
Seth Perler is an executive functioning and twice exceptional coach. His passion for supporting learners who struggle is obvious and in this episode, he joins Rachel & Steph to chat about the different kinds of twice exceptionalities, executive functioning and the...

84: How to Support Slow Processors (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph dive into some of their favorite strategies to support slow processors. Tune in to hear their discussion that ranges from talking about a “thinking minute” to previewing to subvocalization and more! How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join...

83: How To Help Kids who are Rigid (Educational Therapy Series)
: In last week’s episode (episode 82), Rachel and Steph dig into just some of the reasons kids are rigid in their approach. Today, they chat about the skills and strategies they use to support kids who are rigid. They talk about the importance of flexibility,...
82: Understanding Kids who are Rigid (Educational Therapy Series)
Happy Thanksgiving, Smarties! Rachel & Steph dig into one of their most requested topics today--kids who are rigid. They chat about how often this comes up for them in their practices and why some kids are rigid. They chat about the ways rigidity can show up in...

81: Getting your Body Ready for Learning with Annie Mori (Local Professionals Series)
Today, Annie Mori joins Rachel & Steph to discuss occupational therapy. She talks about when it’s appropriate to make a referral to occupational therapy. She takes them through a conversation about penmanship and the overarching systems at play that can lead to...

80: Steph’s Favorite Middle/High School Math Games (Math Series)
Today’s episode is a complimentary episode to episode 64. Steph, the game guru, shares her favorite middle and high school math games. Steph breaks them all down, explains why she loves them and how she differentiates each game for each learner. Here's the links to...

79: The 4 excuses kids have for not calendaring (Executive Function Series)
Building a calendar can be met with a lot of obstacles. In this episode, Rachel & Steph go over the 4 excuses kids have for not calendaring. Of course, they dig deep into the objections and chat about how they respond to the excuses. How to connect with us:...

78: How to Calendar like a Pro (Executive Function Series)
Today, Rachel & Steph dive back into a favorite topic at Learn Smarter: calendaring! They give an update on Rachel’s calendaring experiment and talk about the goals of a calendar. Then they share their favorite pro-tips for Google Calendar (their calendar of...

77: Autism with Dr. Albert Knapp (Local Professionals Series)
Rachel & Steph welcome Autism expert Dr. Albert Knapp to the podcast. Dr. Knapp talks about the changes to the DSM recently. They chat about the shame associated with the diagnosis. Dr. Knapp talks about the differences in diagnoses between boys and girls and...

76: Thinking About Thinking (Educational Therapy Series)
Rachel & Steph tackle metacognition today! Metacognition or “thinking about thinking” is critical to the success of educational therapy. Rachel & Steph talk about what metacognition means for educational therapists and why it’s important. They dive into how to...

75: Being on the Same Team with Ezra Werb (Author Series)
Rachel & Steph are thrilled to welcome the first member of their cohort onto their podcast, Ezra Werb. The three of them met in graduate school when they were becoming educational therapists. Ezra is the author of a new book titled “Teach for Attention”. They chat...

74: How to Increase Reading Comprehension (Reading Series)
In this follow up episode, Rachel and Steph dig deeper into how to increase reading comprehension with their learners. This episode is a partner episode to episode 71 where they dig into the biggest secret of reading comprehension. In this episode, Rachel and Steph...

73: A Parenting Evolution with Karen (Student Success Stories)
In this episode of the Student Success Stories series, Steph introduces us to Karen, who is a parent in her practice, My Ed Therapist in Redondo Beach, CA. Karen shares her parenting journey, what brought her family to educational therapy, and the important...

72: P.O.P. Academy (Executive Function Series)
Rachel & Steph are excited to announce P.O.P. Academy. This new program is the newest launch from Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist. Rachel & Steph discuss how and why this program came about and the impact that it will have on the lives of...

71: The Secret to Increasing Reading Comprehension (Reading Series)
Rachel & Steph dive into what they think is one of the biggest secrets to increasing reading comprehension. They chat about how to use books effectively and how to prepare in advance FOR reading. They also discuss that it is important to mitigate expectations of...
70: How “Organization” Leads to Disaster (Executive Function Series)
Rachel & Steph discuss the terrible ways they’ve seen learners organize themselves over the years. They talk about all the easy ways they help modify systems so that learners can be successful. Rachel & Steph also go into specifics about physical systems--and...

69: “Should I become an Educational Therapist?” (On-Air Coaching with Kylee Yates)
Today, Rachel & Steph coach Kylee Yates, a long-time public school teacher who is considering making a career change and expanding into educational therapy. Rachel & Steph share their pathways into the field, advise her on what to explore next, talk about...

68: Back to School
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....

67: Psychiatrist Dr. Elisa Newman (Local Professionals Series)
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....

66: Strategies for the Writing Process (Writing Series)
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...

65: Screen Time with Dr. Joe Dilley (Author Series)
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...

64: Steph’s Favorite Math Apps & Games for Elementary (Math Series)
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...

63: Slow Processing Speed with Dr. Ellen Braaten (Author Series)
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...

62: Manager vs. Consultant (Parenting Series)
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...

61: The Assessment Process with Dr. Karen Wilson (Local Professionals Series)
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...

60: How to know if your kid is understanding what they’re reading (Reading Series)
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...

59: Communication & Limiting Beliefs with Rachel Madel
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...

58: Top 5 Reasons Learners Don’t Want to Make Changes
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...

57: How to Create Free Time while Maintaining Grades and Minimizing Anxiety with Nikki
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...

56: Why You Should Do Educational Therapy Over the Summer
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...

55: How to Think Small to Get Big Wins with Jenny Crandall
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...

54: One Year of Podcasting
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...

53: Alex’s Educational Therapy Journey
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...

52: Anxiety with Dr. Deanie Eichenstein
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...

51: Differentiated Writing Instruction with Master Teacher Pam Olivieri
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...

50: ADHD Expert Dr. Thomas Brown
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...

49: What To Do When Grades Suddenly Plummet
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...

48: Success Story with Kathryn Schnabel AKA Milkshake Girl’s Mom
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...

47: Note Taking
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...

46: Dispelling the Stigma of Educational Therapy with Ari Sokolov
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...

45: Word Problems
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...

44: School Partnership & Comprehension Strategies with Evelize Ramos
During this on air coaching call, Rachel & Steph coach Evelize on how to navigate and cultivate the relationship she has with her son’s school. School partnership is critical to the success of learners and can be tricky and emotional. We also give Evelize some...

43: Why Spelling Doesn’t Matter as Much as You Think
Rachel & Steph help shape the conversation about spelling. Spelling is hard and it’s also a weakness that parents readily notice. In this episode Rachel & Steph discuss why spelling is so hard for some learners and delve into a discussion about what matters...

42: How to Always Have a Backup Plan
Plan for the best, expect the worst. In educational therapy, Rachel & Steph teach “academic insurance policies” and build in redundancies so student’s know how to rebound when a plan doesn’t work out the way it was supposed to. Rachel & Steph share 5 of their...

41: The One Thing We Wish Learners Wouldn’t Do
In this episode, Rachel & Steph talk about the one thing they wish all learners would stop doing: LATE WORK. Rachel & Steph talk about why late work happens, why it’s such a problem. They explain all the different steps that a student has to go through to...

40: How to Start Fostering Independence in Your Learner with Meg Cunningham
Rachel & Steph welcome Meg Cunningham to the podcast to have a discussion about how to begin cultivating independence in her 6th-grade middle school student. They explore how tricky the middle school transition is for parents and dig into how Meg and her husband...

39: Growth Mindset
Struggling learners are very emotionally vulnerable. Rachel & Steph dive into the mindset of struggling learners and examine the differences between a growth mindset and fixed mindset. Mindset is critical to student success and they discuss how educational therapy...

38: How to Set SMART Goals
Rachel & Steph bring you SMART goals today! Listen in to learn why it’s important to set SMART goals and how to do it. Also, Steph coaches Rachel about an issue with one of her clients. At the end, Rachel ends up shifting what the SMART goal acronym means to help...

37: How Educational Therapy Works
Today, Rachel and Steph introduce to you the 3 phases that our clients experience when they work with us. This episode explains how educational therapy works in the real world. Educational therapy is a long-term play. This framework highlights the ABC’s of the...

36: How to Stop Doing the Executive Functioning for your Learner with Christine Walsh
Welcome to our new series! Rachel & Steph are delighted to welcome Christine Walsh as their very first guest of Learn Smarter: the Educational Therapy podcast. Listen to how they coach Christine to some big “ah-ha” moments. They discuss Christine’s role as the...

35: (Best of) ADHD and Executive Functioning
Happy New Year! Rachel & Steph do a deep dive on ADHD and how ADHD and executive functioning are connected. This episode is completely applicable to parents of all students this episode is totally applicable to your child and you will absolutely learn tips,...

34: (Best of) Executive Functioning (and why everyone is talking about it)
Happy Holidays, Smarties! It is so critical to understand executive functioning because EVERYTHING that has to do with “doing” life is impacted by executive functioning. There are many different definitions of executive functioning (EF) and in this episode, Rachel...

33: Six Rules for Winter Break
Winter Break is coming! Listen to this episode to hear: How important it is to relax and WHYHow to practice and hone skills in a way that your child will think is funHow to get ready to start 2019 Both Kapp Educational Therapy Group (Rachel) and My Ed Therapist...

32: Our Favorite Apps and Games of 2018
Ever wonder what apps and games we love in session? Well, you all asked us so here you go! Rachel does her best to keep up with Steph’s game/app “guru-ness” and both women share their favorite games and apps of 2018! Both Kapp Educational Therapy Group (Rachel) and My...

31: 2 Steps Forward 1 Step Back
Both Kapp Educational Therapy Group (Rachel) and My Ed Therapist (Steph) are hiring! To be considered to join Rachel’s team, click here. To be considered to join Steph’s team, click here. In this episode, Rachel & Steph dig into one of the more frustrating aspects...

30: The Magic Pill
There is no quick fix. There is no silver bullet. There is no “magic pill” that will suddenly change everything for your child. Instant solutions simply don’t exist. This is why we, as educational therapists, work towards establishing positive, attainable and...

29: Frequently Asked Questions
We get the same questions all the time from new parents calling us to begin the process of educational therapy. In this episode, we answer all your frequently asked questions about educational therapy including: How long it takes What is a typical session like...

28: Motivating the Unmotivated
Rachel and Steph do a deep dive on motivation. Hear why they don’t believe any student is ever “lazy” and what language they use instead. Also, they talk about why motivation suddenly stops for students who struggle in school. Then they dissect the differences between...

27: How to Make Memory Work
Today, Rachel & Steph demystify memory. They talk all about short term, working (the most important for school) and long term memory. We talk about how school is truly set up to reward those with good memory, challenges those with weaker memory and the strong...

26: What kind of learner is your child?
Understanding your learners learning profile is essential when making decisions about what school to attend or helping cultivate a relationship of understanding with your child’s teacher. The natural styles and affinities of different learners directly impact the type...

25: All in Good Time: How to manage time and get going
All human beings--no matter who you are or your learning style or profile--struggle with time. We all feel like we don’t have enough time. In this episode, Rachel & Steph talk about task initiation (which is their fancy way of saying “getting started” with a...

24: Respecting the POP: Prioritizing, Organizing, & Planning
In this episode, Rachel & Steph are super excited to reveal their POP approach in this episode. They remind you of the importance of respecting all aspects of executive functioning and in this episode, they detail ways it is important to respect the POP...

23: The Highly Gifted Student
As educational therapists, Rachel & Steph also work with highly gifted students, who have a very specific academic experience and journey. The often rely on their intellect and don’t “need” to learn academic coping skills--until they suddenly do! Rachel &...

22: Executive Functioning Strategies for Writing Part 2
Adding to their conversation from last week, Rachel & Steph continue their deep dive into writing strategies. In this episode, they chat about how spelling, syntax, and grammar are secondary concerns to the larger task of communicating ideas. They also talked...

21: Executive Functioning Strategies for Writing Part 1
Being able to express yourself in the written word is critical--in the “real world”, students need to know how to properly write an e-mail or quickly and politely express themselves on paper. As school progresses, the complexities of writing become increasingly...

20: The Perfect Storm: Writing & Executive Functioning
Writing presents suggest a challenge for ALL students--it doesn’t matter if they have a learning or medical diagnosis that interferes with their ability to function in the classroom. Writing. Is. Hard. In today’s episode, Rachel & Steph do a deep dive into writing...

19: Steph’s Top Games and Apps
Steph is back to teach us about all her favorite games and apps for reading (decoding). Steph has really earned her nickname as the game guru over the years and in this episode, she tells us her top 5 favorite games and top 5 favorite apps for reading. Be sure to go...

18: Our Top 10 Reading Comprehension Strategies (Part 2)
Reading comprehension is critical--even if your student is the most fluid out loud reader...are they really understanding what they’re reading? Reading comprehension weaknesses can be sneaky because it can be difficult to identify. In last weeks episode, Rachel &...

17: Our Top 10 Reading Comprehension Strategies (Part 1)
Reading comprehension is critical--even if your student is the most fluid out loud reader...are they really understanding what they’re reading? Reading comprehension weaknesses can be sneaky because it can be difficult to identify. In this episode, Rachel & Steph...
Ep 16: (Executive Function Series) “Why does your backpack look like that?”
Rachel & Steph do a deep dive on backpacks in this episode. They talk about why backpacks become a black hole of papers, broken pencils and old food (yuck), what kind of backpacks actually help children NOT lose things, what should be in a backpack (and...

Ep 15: School Supplies (What you need and what you ABSOLUTELY don’t need)
What Rachel and Stephanie have to say about school supplies may shock you--they both firmly believe in a “less is more” approach. Students do not need 50 pencils hidden in different parts of their backpack or 20 erasers scattered about. In this episode, Rachel &...

Ep 14: Back to School (Part 2)
Today, Rachel & Steph walk you through how to prepare for going back to school. It’s the beginning of August, which means you and your student are holding onto those last vestiges of summer with all your might--or you may have already started school. It also means...

Ep 13: Back to School (Part 1)
Today, Rachel & Steph walk you through how to prepare for going back to school. It’s the end of July which means you and your student are holding onto those last vestiges of summer with all your might. It also means that you may be feeling the anxiety that the...

Ep 12: “My kid isn’t reading.”
We want all kids to love reading. In this episode, Stephanie does a deep dive on how she works with students who find reading challenging. She teaches us about how reading is comprised of two main components (fluency and comprehension). She gives a million ideas on...

Ep 11: (Math Series) Math is a Four Letter Word
We know how students (and parents) feel about math. We get it and there are also some real reasons why students dislike math. This episode is full of simple and easy to implement suggestions about how to make math more manageable. Rachel gives away a ton of her math...

Ep 10: ADHD and Executive Function
Rachel & Steph do a deep dive on ADHD and how ADHD and executive functioning are connected. This episode is completely applicable to parents of all students this episode is totally applicable to your child and you will absolutely learn tips, tricks, and strategies...

Ep 09: What to do with your child over the summer
For a lot of people, summer is the best time of year. It is a time for fun and vacations. It is also a time to catch up on those things that were avoided during the school year such as cleaning out your closet. Summer is a time to relax, slow down the pace, and build...

Ep 08: A Session in the Life
Show Notes One of the most common questions we get is “what happens in a session?” This is very difficult for us to answer because every session is so individualized and so specific to the age, gender, interests, developmental abilities and psychoeducational goals of...

Ep 07: Educational Therapy vs. Tutoring
We are frequently asked questions regarding the difference between educational therapy and tutoring. This is a hugely important topic for us. We are going to dig into the differences between the two, how the two can work in tandem, and how sometimes tutoring can work...
![Ep 06: [Dreaded] Homework](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_675/https://learnsmarterpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/EP-06-art.jpg)
Ep 06: [Dreaded] Homework
Homework is definitely something that is hard for a lot of families. We know how much of a burden it can be. We, as educational therapists, have to maintain clear boundaries on homework. We are not homework helpers. We are not homework coaches. We teach skills and...

Ep 05: Executive Functioning (and why everyone is talking about it)
Executive Function (EF) We talk about executive functioning so frequently because it affects everything that a child (or adult) does all day, every day. We have a few disclaimers that we would like you to know when it comes to executive functioning. The first is don’t...

Ep 04: Creating a Study Plan
The most important part of studying actually occurs before you even start to relearn (or learn) the material. Today, we break down how to create a study plan that is mindful, achievable, and flexible. We will also explore the reasons why a study plan might fail and...

Ep 03: The Do’s and Don’ts of Studying
Studying isn’t what you think it should be. So, what does studying actually look like? Today we explain the do’s and don’ts of studying as well as ways in which to transform the “don’ts” into positive, helpful strategies. These thoughts and tips are applicable to...

Ep 02: (Executive Function Series) How to Calendar
Calendaring is hated by so many of the students we work with--and it’s the first thing we do with them. It is so critical and so important. If you do not keep track of what is going on in your life, nothing else can get done. Having a calendar is the starting point...

Ep 01: You’re Not Alone
It’s a narrative we hear all too often. A parent will call us regarding their child’s learning difficulty and low self-esteem in school--and the parent is unsure of how to help. Parents often feel isolated because there is no sense of community when they are going...

Ep 00: Who we are and how we got here
Learn Smarter: the Educational Therapy Podcast is your go-to resource for the parents and teachers of students with different learning needs. Rachel & Stephanie are two educational therapists who are committed to helping parents and educators find easy, simple and...
