SLP Coffee Talk

Get ready for an inspiring conversation with Hylan Noble Landthorn and Nikki Rosner Jacobs, the powerhouse duo behind The Mentorship Collective! With over 24 years of combined experience as speech and language pathologists, they’re on a mission to support and empower the next generation of SLPs.As the founders of WordsMyWay, a play-based, child-led speech therapy practice, Hylan and Nikki believe in connection, creativity, and personalized care. After years of mentoring clinicians through fellowships and daily practice, they saw the need for deeper support—and that’s how The Mentorship Collective was born.In this episode, they share how they’re redefining mentorship to help new SLPs grow with confidence, professionalism, and purpose—so they don’t just survive their fellowships, but truly thrive.Bullet Points to DiscussThe gap between grad school and real-world CF workWhy mentorship matters beyond supervisionBuilding clinical confidence and critical thinkingPreventing burnout in early-career SLPsMindset shifts for CFs and supervisorsHere’s what we learned: Grad school teaches theory, but CFs need help translating it into flexible, real-time decision-makingSupervision ≠ mentorship; CFs need space for questions, reflection, and growthConfidence grows through guided problem-solving, not having all the answersStrong mentorship reduces stress, overwhelm, and early burnoutAn open, growth-oriented mindset helps CFs learn faster and thrive long-termLearn more about The Mentorship Collective:Websitehttps://www.mentorshipcollective.com/Social Media LinksFacebookInstagramLearn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie tackles the chaos of returning to work in January. If you're feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation, this one's for you. She's dishing out practical strategies for easing back into therapy mode, getting your students re-engaged (even when they'd rather be literally anywhere else), and turning that New Year energy into actual buy-in. Hallie also shares how one simple activity can hit multiple goals across your entire caseload—because who has time to prep five different things? It's all about working smarter, not harder, and remembering that relationships matter just as much as data.Bullet Points to Discuss: Starting light: connection before data collection Quick check-ins and warmup games for the first week back Getting student buy-in through goal-setting conversations New Year's themed activities across all goal areas One activity, multiple goals: the SLP magic formula Why student voice and choice matter The secret sauce: creativity, adaptability, and compassionHere’s what we learned: Stretching before the sprint—ease into the first week instead of going full throttle. Your students are coming back just as tired and unmotivated as you are (totally normal!).Asking "what would make speech more useful or fun for you?" is a game changer. One activity can work for your entire caseload when you know how to adapt it. Show students their voice matters, and they'll actually want to show up. You don't need to be perfect—just present, creative, and compassionate.Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-bookSubscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie wraps up 2025 by reflecting on an incredible year — from presenting at conferences across the country to becoming a New York City approved vendor, publishing the Secondary SLP Roadmap, and meeting thousands of SLPs along the way. She celebrates the impact of SLP Elevate, the success of three Speech Retreat conferences, the launch of a merch store, and all the ways she's been able to support SLPs working with older students. Most importantly, Hallie takes a moment to celebrate you — the SLPs who show up every day for their students. If you're looking for a feel-good year-end recap full of gratitude, excitement, and a couple of truly terrible dad jokes, this episode is your perfect holiday listen.Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-bookSubscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie sits down with Kylie Helm — school SLP, private practice owner, and PhD student who’s doing the research we all desperately need. Kylie shares how growing up low-SES herself and then working in a Title I school opened her eyes to the massive disconnect between what grad school teaches us and what these kids actually need. She gets real about the dangerous assumptions SLPs make (spoiler: poverty ≠ language disorder), why standardized vocabulary tests are basically useless for this population, and how syntax is actually the diagnostic hero we’ve been ignoring. If you’ve ever felt pressured to qualify a student just because they’re from a low-income family or wondered how to write a report that says “they bombed the test but don’t need services,” this conversation is packed with research-backed truth bombs and practical ways to do better.Bullet Points to Discuss: The myth that every low-SES kid has “bad language” and automatically needs servicesWhy we need to stop using vocabulary scores as our diagnostic smoking gunLanguage samples and test-teach-retest: where the real answers actually liveHow to tell teachers the difference between functional communication gaps and academic language concernsWhen low vocabulary + low syntax = actual red flag vs. just environmental differenceHere’s what we learned: Stop assuming multilingual + immigrant + low-SES + busy parents = needs speech therapy.Syntax is ability-based, vocabulary is environment-based—that changes everything about diagnosis.Dynamic assessment (test-teach-retest) shows learning ability, not just current knowledge.Strong syntax + weak vocabulary? Probably environmental. Weak syntax + weak vocabulary? Now we’re concerned.Teachers need to step outside their comfort zone too—it’s not all on us to adapt.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Learn more about Kylie Helm:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylietheslpStudy: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/2024_PERSP-23-00299 Developing Cross-Cultural CompetenceLearn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-bookSubscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

Hallie chats with Colleen Ashford of Ashford Speech and Advocacy P.C. about navigating transition process from an IFSP to IEP.In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie sits down with Colleen Ashford — bilingual SLP, private practice owner, and the special education advocate we all need. Colleen shares how she went from planning to be a school SLP forever to accidentally falling in love with advocacy work when families kept asking her IEP questions she couldn’t half-answer. She gets real about taking a special education law course on Saturdays, why we need to stop treating parent rights like secret information, and how she now runs her own practice doing both speech therapy and advocacy. If you’ve ever felt stuck answering parent questions or wondered how to actually support families navigating the IEP maze, this conversation is packed with real talk and “yes, you can totally do this” energy.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Bullet Points to Discuss: Why families in private practice were totally lost about basic IEP stuffThe difference between school speech services and what happens in clinicsWhy SLPs need to stop being scared of “getting in trouble” for educating parentsParent education vs. parent advocacy—and when it becomes a whole new serviceWhen to hand families a community resource list (and how to build one that actually helps)Here’s what we learned: You’ll never get in trouble for objectively explaining educational rights to families.IEP meetings are collaborative—not presentations parents just stamp “yes” on.Early intervention families need extra support understanding what happens at age three.Translation services aren’t optional—parents have the right to understand in their native language.Building a resource list takes time, but tackle it during cancellations and it’s golden.Parent education is valuable, billable work—don’t downplay what you know.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Learn more about Colleen Ashford: Website: www.ashfordspeechandadvocacy.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theadvocate.slp Unfiltered IEPs: Apple | Spotify Right to Translation Freebie: https://theadvocateslp.myflodesk.com/kp4nh8184r Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-bookSubscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets