The BRAVE OT Podcast | Real Conversations with Occupational Therapy Trailblazers

Join Jill Garaffa and I in an expansive discussion about how occupational therapists and coaching. Jill shares her vision for a professional disruption where finding OTs in on staff becomes the norm in corporate settings. We are well equipped to work with individuals and organizations, transforming functional to optimal. Jill is a licensed occupational therapist in New Jersey, USA and an ICF-crede...

We all know the uncertainty that surrounds our profession, how we communicate it to others, how we define our scope and impact, how others see our value. Yet I think we deeply know our value and purpose as OTs. In my role supporting OTs in their personal and professional development, I know that this uncertainty sometimes undermines the confidence of OTs, particularly when stepping out of traditio...

Come jam with 2 mental health OTs, on 2 continents who coach other therapists and have similar names. Karlien and Carlyn at your service! We talk about finding our way in business, applying what we know to impact other therapists in how they find values alignment personally and professionally. Karlien Terblanche joined my ACTivate Vitality program last year and was gracious enough to come on the p...

Imagine going about your work as an OT in a completely open, curious, exploratory kind of way, letting go of the bounds of externally imposed timelines, locations, goals, expectations and pace.  For some this might sound like occupational utopia. For others it may sound terrifyingly unclear and frustratingly aimless. Either way, you're going to want to crack your mind open and join Kary and I on a...

Work-life balance, occupational balance, balancing roles, finding balance. These are all terms that roll around in conversations among business owners. Well, occupational therapists are probably the only ones talking about occupational balance. What is it? Where do we find it? OTs often come to me searching for this elusive thing we call balance and in the next breath they tell me they want to be...

Well behaved women seldom make history. That is what Alice's shirt said when I met her in the UK in the fall of 2022. I knew we'd get along famously at that point. Alice Hortop has made conscious rebellion an art form. In this episode of The Brave OT Podcast, Alice shares how she sees human occupation as more belonging-centred than independence-focused and it makes a world of sense.  She describes...

Ugh! Are you tired of hearing about how you should be doing more self-care, better self-care, and loving every minute of it? I bet you're even beating yourself up about not doing as much as you'd like. But you're busy. There's too much to do. There's nothing left for you at the end of the day after you've taken care of everybody else. Sound familiar? This is NOT another self-care guilt trip. This...

In this episode my friend, Arno van Vuuren of The OT Minute, helps me introduce myself to you and why I started The Brave OT Podcast. We dig into my personal and professional mission and the values that underpin how I show up in everything I do whether I'm acting in my role as occupational therapist, business owner, personal development coach, mom, potter, traveller , or, now, podcaster.   Make su...

I am Carlyn Neek. I'm the host of the Brave OT Podcast and I'm thrilled to have you join me as I dive in and explore what being a brave occupational therapy practitioner is all about. I have a lineup of important topics, and juicy conversations to share with you and hopefully inspire you to be just a little more brave in all you do. Let's start with getting clear on what being brave is. Important...