Learn Smarter Podcast

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET share some life updates on this episode! They also chat about systems versus tools and how both are required to symbiotically work together.   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 we...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET explore why traditional consequences often fail for kids with learning differences and/or executive functioning  skills challenges—and what actually helps instead. They unpack the critical idea that consequences only work when a child already has the underlying skills, and explain how repeated punishment can increase stress, shutdown, and...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET revisit a previous episode to 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 “failing”. They share the transformation that can occur with prioritizing this conversation and plan and f...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET explore a common parent belief that they should “try everything else first” before seeking outside support. They explore why this hesitation shows up, including fears of overreacting, and the pressure to solve challenges independently. Rachel & Stephanie also explain the hidden costs of waiting—academically, emotionally, financially, a...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET explore whether music helps or hurts a learner’s ability to focus. They break down why some students work better with background sound, why others become more distracted, and how the type of task—and the type of music—matters. The episode includes simple strategies families can use to help learners identify what supports their focus best a...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET unpack why executive functioning work is about increasing a learner’s capacity —not enforcing compliance. They break down the difference between behavior that comes from pressure and behavior that comes from internal skills, and they explain why real progress happens only when learners develop planning, regulation, and flexible thinking. T...

In this re-air of episode 190, Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss how the learners they work with at Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist ALL have some emotional response to tasks that they avoid. Rachel and Steph dig into this–they talk about what it means, what it looks like, how to figure it out through getting curious, and some examples from their...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET explore a common concern they hear from parents: the fear that seeking support for their learner will lead to stigma—within their family, cultural community, or even in how their child sees themselves. They unpack why these fears are so prevalent and why they make complete sense, especially for families navigating cultural messages around...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss why learners get stuck in decision-making and what they need in order to move on. They break down the executive functioning skills required to make choices, why overwhelm and perfectionism create paralysis, and how adults can help learners gain clarity and confidence. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodca...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Ellen Galinsky to discuss her latest book The Breakthrough Years . Ellen is a “research adventurer,” parenting expert, president of the Families and Work Institute , former Fred Rogers Parenting Expert, a civic scientist and author. She talks about how her fundamental core question of “How can we best help kids learn and thrive?” h...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET revisit an episode from the early days to talk about highly gifted students. When we think of neurodiversity or learning differences, we often think of students who have challenges such as dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, etc. However, students with high intellect require a unique learning approach as well. Listen in to hear us discuss the typical...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET explore one of the most common questions families express when starting educational therapy: the desire for quick results. They discuss why this is such a universal question, what parents are actually asking for, and how professionals can guide families toward a clearer, calmer understanding of the educational therapy process.   Suppo...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET break down one of the most persistent myths in school, work, and home life: the idea that multitasking is a skill. The science is clear — the brain cannot actually multitask. What the brain does is rapidly switch between tasks, and that switching is far more costly than most people realize. Rachel and Stephanie discuss what is really happe...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss the role of the educational therapist as a middleman. We dig into the middleman role educational therapists often end up playing — between parents, teachers, clinicians, tutors, and everyone else on a child’s support team. They discuss the benefits and challenges of this role and how to keep boundaries that are in alignment with yo...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Claudia, a former parent from My Ed Therapist, to the podcast. Claudia shares her journey with her daughter, Emma, who is autistic, has ADHD, and has Pathological Demand Avoidance (or “Persistent Demand for Autonomy”). Claudia shares about the impact of these diagnoses on her relationship with Emma and the family. She shares about...

In this re-air of episode 169 (originally aired August of 2021),  Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET talk with Dr. Sharon Saline, author of What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life . Dr. Saline discusses her goal of improving the connection between parents and learners with ADHD through improving conversation. She...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET are back to chat about commitment overwhelm. Families often say things like “We’re too busy right now” or “Let’s wait until next semester.” But sometimes those words aren’t about scheduling — they’re about commitment overwhelm and that heavy feeling that starting something new, even something helpful, might just be too much to handle. In t...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET celebrate 400 episodes of Learn Smarter ! In this special milestone episode, they reflect on what they’ve learned over the years—from their learners, their guests, their listeners, and each other. Rachel and Steph share their biggest takeaways about growth, executive functioning, and the parenting journey, and they look back on some of the...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome back Dr. Karen Wilson, a pediatric neuropsychologist, founder of ChildNexus, and podcaster of Diverse Thinking, Different Learning . She teaches Rachel and Steph about early indicators that could impact learners. She shares how the early signs are used as information and early signs should be observed in relationship to their peers...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET talk about the lost art of boredom and why it’s so essential for developing executive functioning skills. It’s well documented that kids, learners, and adults are really overscheduled and overstructured (and we really do not like and have a problem tolerating being bored). Rachel and Steph explore what boredom actually does for the brain,...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET discuss how tricky the decision to start educational therapy when parents receive mixed feedback from the other adults in their learner’s life. They chat about why a lack of consensus can easily emerge and the questions you can ask yourself to help you determine if you should start educational therapy.    Support us on Patreon:...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET Dr. Jessica Broitman and Dr. Jack Davis for part 2 of their conversation about Non-verbal Learning Disorders (Developmental Visual Spatial Disorder). They share what to do once you know that your learner has NVLD. They talk about the importance of passion, giving your learner permission to talk about whatever their learner is upset about w...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Dr. Jessica Broitman a psychoanalyst, child psychologist, and researcher and Dr. Jack Davis,  school psychologist and neuropsychologist for this conversation about non-verbal learning disorders. They share the history of NVLD and discuss the process of renaming NVLD to be classified as Developmental Visual Spatial Disorder. They al...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET dive into all the ways learners unintentionally overcomplicate their foundational systems. From color-coding everything to creating elaborate planners they never use, Rachel and Steph unpack how learners often make organization and productivity harder than they need to be. They discuss why this happens and what parents and educators can do...

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET talk about one of the most common concerns they hear from parents: “My learner doesn’t want extra work.” In this episode, they explore what’s really behind learner resistance and how to tell when a learner is truly ready for support. They share how resistance is often a form of self-protection, not defiance. Rachel and Steph break down pra...