The Untethered Podcast™

As therapists, it is easy to fall into the trap of protocol-based treatment—treating a clinical diagnosis like a strict recipe book. But true, transformative patient care requires us to step back from the "cookbook" approach and lean heavily into intentional clinical reasoning and pattern recognition. In this episode, Hallie Bulkin takes the mic for an essential masterclass on the critical distinc...

When a child presents with complex speech or feeding challenges, it’s easy to focus solely on the surface-level behaviors. But true, long-lasting transformation happens when we dig deeper to look inside the mouth and assess the underlying muscle function. In this episode, Hallie sits down with Galina Kislin, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and myofunctional therapist, to discuss her clinic...

When a child struggles with swallowing, chewing, or food transitions, our first instinct is often to look directly at traditional feeding strategies. But what if the missing piece of the puzzle isn't the food itself, but the foundational resting posture and function of the orofacial muscles? In this solo episode, Hallie Bulkin demystifies myofunctional therapy (Myo) and explores its critical, unde...

As pediatric therapists, we know that our time with a child is only one small piece of the puzzle. Real, lasting progress happens when parents and caregivers feel confident carrying strategies into everyday family life. Yet, navigating parent communication can sometimes feel like its own clinical challenge. In this episode, Hallie sits down with Johanna Stadtmauer, MS, CCC-SLP, a pediatric speech-...

When a child struggles with feeding, it’s easy to get laser-focused on oral-motor exercises or sensory strategies. But what if the root cause isn't a lack of coordination, but a struggle to breathe? In this solo episode, Hallie Bulkin dives deep into a critical, yet frequently missed, component of pediatric feeding therapy: airway screening . Airway issues often hide in plain sight, quietly underm...

When looking into tethered oral tissues, it is easy to focus entirely on visual structural appearance. However, judging a restriction by looks alone frequently misses the true clinical picture. Real progress happens when healthcare providers shift the diagnostic paradigm away from what a tie looks like and focus entirely on how it affects dynamic function over a patient's lifespan. In this episode...

Making the leap from a school-based setting into a specialized pediatric feeding niche is an incredible professional transformation. But what happens when that career pivot collides with your own deeply personal parenting journey? In this episode, Hallie sits down with Aerica Walsh, M.S., CCC-SLP, CPFT™, an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, pediatric feeding therapist, and the founder of...

Navigating the world of tethered oral tissues (TOTs) can often feel like wading through murky waters. With so much conflicting information out there, it’s incredibly easy for clinicians to fall into the trap of letting a visual anatomical structure dictate their entire treatment plan. But looking at a tongue or lip tie doesn’t tell you the whole story. In this solo episode, Hallie Bulkin dives dee...

If you’ve ever felt like you were "guessing" your way through a feeding session, you aren’t alone. In fact, many clinicians enter the field with a passion for OT or SLP, only to realize their foundational schooling barely scratched the surface of pediatric feeding. In this episode, Hallie is joined by Courtney Lewis, MOT, OTR/L, CPST, a pediatric feeding specialist and owner of NOSH Pediatric Feed...

In this solo episode, Hallie Bulkin dives deep into a common pitfall in pediatric feeding therapy: treating red flags as a diagnosis rather than a starting point. Many clinicians feel the pressure to jump straight into treatment the moment a concern is raised, but skipping the foundational steps often leads to stalled progress and clinical uncertainty. Hallie clarifies the critical distinction bet...

In this interview episode, Abigail Kemp shares her honest journey through her Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) and into the world of pediatric feeding therapy. Like many new clinicians, Abigail quickly realized that academic knowledge alone wasn’t enough—especially when faced with the complexity of real-life feeding cases. She opens up about the challenges of navigating unclear expectations, limited...

In this solo episode, Hallie Bulkin dives deep into the "noise" of complex feeding therapy. When a child presents with multiple overlapping issues, it’s easy for clinicians to feel stuck. Hallie explains why the secret to better outcomes isn't working harder or using more strategies - it’s prioritization . By breaking feeding down into four essential layers, Hallie provides a framework for identif...

In the ever-evolving world of motherhood, the journey through breastfeeding can often be fraught with challenges. In this episode, Hallie Bulkin and Tamari Jacob (CLC, founder of One With The Pump) share their personal experiences with exclusive pumping—a path less traveled but deeply impactful for many moms. Moving beyond traditional nursing expectations, Tamari opens up about the reality of the...

Is a thumb-sucking habit just a "phase," or is it a survival mechanism? In this episode, Hallie Bulkin breaks down the often-misunderstood world of oral habits in infants and toddlers.  Moving beyond the traditional "just make them stop" approach, Hallie explores how frequency, duration, and intensity act as a roadmap to a child’s underlying airway and developmental health. Whether you’re a t...

The world of myofunctional therapy is currently seeing a surge in "preformed appliances"—ready-made mouthpieces designed to guide dental growth and improve breathing. But are they a silver bullet or a systemic shortcut? In this episode, Hallie Bulkin is joined by the legendary Autumn Henning to pull back the curtain on these tools. From hygiene concerns like mold growth to the physiological risks...

The foundation of health isn't just how we move or eat—it’s how we breathe. In this milestone episode, Hallie Bulkin is joined by certified practitioner Kaitlyn Shrum to pull back the curtain on the Buteyko Method . While many view breathing as a passive act, this deep dive reveals how functional breathing is the literal bedrock of speech, feeding, and cognitive development. From addressing the ro...

Hallie Bulkin dives deep into one of the most misunderstood areas of airway health: the intricate relationship between sleep, airway dysfunction, and ADHD-like behaviors. Hallie shares her personal journey with ADHD, revealing how unrecognized sleep disorders can severely impact neurocognitive function in both children and adults.  This episode highlights why "quiet breathing" is the gold sta...

In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the world of airway-focused dentistry with Dr. Casey Jones . Moving beyond the traditional dental drill, Dr. Jones shares her transformative journey into sleep disorders and the "wellness collaborative" model.  We explore why breath is the ultimate foundation for health, the critical role of myofunctional therapy in addressing tongue ties, and w...

In this episode of The Untethered Podcast, Hallie Bulkin tackles a question many feeding specialists quietly wrestle with: Why can two therapists treat the same child — and achieve completely different outcomes? The answer isn’t more techniques. It’s clinical reasoning. Hallie dives into the complexity of pediatric feeding therapy, unpacking why progress often stalls when clinicians focus on surfa...

In this episode of The Untethered Podcast, Hallie Bulkin sits down with Beth R Poe, MA, CCC-SLP , a certified pediatric feeding therapist and the founder of Way to Grow Therapy . Beth shares her inspiring transition from clinical certification to the launch of her own private practice, proving that with the right foundation, you can turn a clinical passion into a thriving business. The conversatio...

In this episode of The Untethered Podcast , Hallie Bulkin exposes the "hidden" red flag that most people dismiss as just a bad habit: mouth breathing . Far from being just a look, it’s a functional crisis that can silently derail a toddler’s feeding development, destroy sleep quality, and even physically reshape their face. Hallie challenges the status quo, urging us to stop relying on standard "t...

In this episode of The Untethered Podcast, Hallie Bulkin is joined by Melanie Peacock Shell to explore the deep shift from being a “therapist” to becoming a Certified Pediatric Feeding Therapist (CPFT) . Melanie pulls back the curtain on the "hidden gem" of the Pediatric Feeding Hub, sharing how advanced mentorship and a community of experts can turn clinical overwhelm into streamlined, interdisci...

In this episode of The Untethered Podcast, Hallie Bulkin dives deep into the non-negotiable link between how a child breathes and how they eat. This conversation provides the essential clinical "missing link" for pediatric therapy: The Airway. Hallie challenges the idea that mouth breathing is "just a habit," reframing it as a structural adaptation that can stall even the best feeding therapy plan...

In this episode of The Untethered Podcast, Hallie Bulkin sits down with Kelly Wenger to explore the evolution of a pediatric feeding clinician. Kelly shares her raw and relatable journey—from the initial overwhelm of entering private practice as a new mother to finding her voice as a confident feeding specialist. The conversation dives deep into the "confidence gap" many clinicians face when deali...

In this episode of The Untethered Podcast, Hallie Bulkin dives into the intricate world of pediatric eating behaviors, pulling back the curtain on why "picky eating" is often a symptom of a much deeper developmental gap. Many caregivers and clinicians feel stuck when a child refuses certain foods, often labeling it as a behavioral "no." Hallie challenges this perspective, urging us to look at the...