Learn Smarter Podcast

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 processing speed is and how it impacts daily functioning. Her book Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up further explains what processing speed...

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 understanding how others are feeling. Emotional intelligence builds responsible decision making, self-awareness, social awareness and empathy...

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 latest information on SAT/ACTs. She discusses the specific fears and concerns that parents are navigating through this process, the impor...

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 post-pandemic world.  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-...

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 kids feel safe to helping them learn to be brave. They talk about how figuring out who is responsible for what is critical, how to offe...

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 FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website  @learnsmarterpodcast ,...

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 stressful, they discuss happiness and shared delusion disorder while further exploring how motivation and control are so linked. Rachel...

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 with performance on an assessment. They further open up about what active flashcarding is and how to make it productive for learner...

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 triggers. She talks about raising the level of consciousness and understanding the story that you have told yourself (and then the reaction...

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 Steph connected originally, and what it was like to launch our businesses and then launch this podcast. They also chat about what the...

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 mindset to help her become the parent she wants to be.  Connect with Penny: www. Parentingadhdandautism.com   www.behaviorrevolutio...

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 educational therapy process. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group J...

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 the conversation from concerning behaviors to unsolved problems, how empathy plays a role in that shift, and how the Plan B conversa...

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 with their children, why dyslexia is so often missed, and how critical accommodations are. She also gives examples of how dyslexic...

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 Dyslexia Screening. Overcoming Dyslexia Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Joi...

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 out how to authentically add to their ideas and writing. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to co...

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 about the language that Elaine and Diane have given them over the years including the idea of taking aim, “getting curious not furio...

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 us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s K...

Rachel & Steph 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 on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp...

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 that series, how her work has changed over the years and how she got to be a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author . Raina relates to...

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 school functioning), and what learners can do about impacted auditory processing. Connect with Dr. Bea Braun https://www.auditoryprocess...

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 Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website  @learnsmarterpodcast , @kappedtherapy , @myedtherapist Other episodes...

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 daughter is (her developmental age vs. her chronological age), and expressive language. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.co...

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 “context blindness” and context impacts our entire understanding of the world. To listen to the first part of this conversation: Ep 1...

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 nuanced autism is, how it presents differently between males and females, and why girls are so often misdiagnosed. Connect with Dr. Hender...