On The Air

Meredith Castin, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist who has developed a self-paced online course to guide therapists through the process of finding gainful employment in non-clinical positions. Meredith has been a PT for ten years, during which time she worked in outpatient orthopedics, inpatient rehab, acute care, and home health settings. She entered the non-clinical space in 2015, starting out as a rehab liaison and co-creating NewGradPhysicalTherapy and NewGradOccupationalTherapy. Since then, Meredith has moved entirely into the content creation world. She has written for OT Potential, WebPT, MedBridge, Breg, Janssen, MD Revolution, Student Doctor Network, and many other health and rehab brands. These days, Meredith runs The Non-Clinical PT, where she provides career education and job postings for PT, OT, and SLP professionals looking to launch non-clinical healthcare careers. She is passionate about therapists and assistants remaining invested in their professional identities as rehab clinicians, even when

Melissa LaPointe is an occupational therapist-turned-consultant from the UK who helps OT practitioners transition from burnt-out clinicians to thriving, purpose-driven entrepreneurs. After running a brick-and-mortar practice for five years, Melissa transitioned to full-time online business ownership and is now location independent. She helps occupational therapists around the globe to market and sell their digital products and coaching programs with confidence.On this episode, we talk about coaching as a therapeutic approach in occupational therapy, burn out, and mindset supporting success as an entrepreneur. To connect with Melissa and to access the resources discussed in the interview, visit the podcast website at www.ontheair.us or Melissa's website, www.melissalapointe.com

Marissa Yahil, MSOT, OTR/L, CBS, is an occupational therapist who specializes in lactation and infant feeding. She owns and operates a private practice in Texas called Lactation & Development Resources which serves mothers perinatally and infants ages 0-6 months. Prenatally, she educates and empowers mothers with evidence based information about lactation, breastfeeding, and bottle feeding so that they can go into their birth as prepared as possible. Postpartum, Marissa offers a holistic and integrated approach to lactation support and feeding therapy in order to help her clients achieve their individual goals. Marissa is also passionate about helping other OTs as well as SLPs and PTs transition into specializing in this specialty area of practice. She offers lactation business consulting and mentorship. She is also one of the Co-Founders of The Lactation OT.As a bonus for On The Air listeners, Marissa is offering a discount of 15% off on an all-access pass for The Lactation OT Summit which will be held J

Laura Barnhart, OTR/L, CIMI-2, CIIT, has been an occupational therapist for almost 20 years and has a passion for helping the pediatric population and their families. Laura completed her sensory integration training at The Children's Center for Neurodevelopmental Studies in Glendale, Arizona, under the tutelage of Lorna Jean King. Laura first became certified in infant massage in 2004 while working in a small western North Carolina hospital. After returning home to Kentucky in 2010, Laura noticed a significant need for pediatric and parent educational services. Laura became a Certified International Instructor Trainer for infant massage in 2014. She now travels and teaches the Certified Infant Massage Instructor class to pediatric healthcare professionals and has been a 2-time recipient of the Meade-Johnson grant to certify NICU nursing staff. During her class, Laura loves to tell stories of her husband, Robert, and their 2 sons. A fun fact about Laura includes her great-great aunt Loulie Rogers Richardson be

One thing that many people don't realize is that, as one of the big things that occupies our time, sleep is an occupation. In fact, sleep is a vital part of wellness as research indicates that deficits in sleep are linked to accidents, chronic disease, early mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity (CDC, 2015). On this episode of the podcast, occupational therapists Stacy Smallfield, DrOT, OTR/L, BCG, FAOTA, and Kathy Yang, OTD, discuss the role of occupational therapy in supporting sleep and sleep hygiene in OT students and others. Stacy is an Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy and Medicine and Assistant Director of Entry-Level Professional Programs in the Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine. She has been an occupational therapist for over 20 years, working in a variety of adult physical rehabilitation settings before transitioning to academic education. She has experience teaching a wide range of occupational therapy course content and has col

Trish Williams, BA, BHScOT(c) is an occupational therapist and the owner and CEO of Spring OT, ​a multi-disciplinary practice in which OT is the lead service provider, in Calgary in the province of Alberta, Canada. Trish is also an educator at the University of Alberta, a coach for OT Entrepreneurs, and the co-founder of the upcoming OT Entrepreneur Summit 2020. She has been an OT for over 25 years and holds a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario and in health science from McMaster University. Trish's current passions include working with individuals with sensory processing disorder and sharing information about the role of OT in pediatric mental health, moving from therapist to CEO, finding order and strategy after the hustle of a start-up, and leading OTs into the confidence required to be business leaders for each other.On this episode, Trish and Stephanie talk about the application process for getting into OT school and how their own experiences with that compare to how

Allison Chrestensen, MPH, OTR, is a licensed occupational therapist with over 10 years of experience specializing in cancer rehabilitation. After earning her Masters of Public Health degree, Allison worked in healthcare quality improvement, leading large-scale projects for Medicaid waiver programs and conducting training programs for providers. Inspired by her own patient experience after a catastrophic cardiac event, she co-created a Patient/Family Engagement-focused workshop series that has empowered healthcare organizations around the country to build models for partnership with patients and families. She has served as an advisory board member for the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care and is currently faculty for The Beryl Institute for Patient Experience. Allison has a special interest in medical humanities and has trained internationally in mindfulness and narrative medicine practices through the University of Rochester’s Mindful Practice Program. Sh

Niccole Rowe, BA, COTA/L has 7 years of experience as an occupational therapy assistant with clinical experience working in various settings such as acute care, long term acute care, skilled nursing, and outpatient chronic pain treatment. She currently works as an adjunct faculty member at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In 2019, Niccole ventured forth into entrepreneurship as a founding partner of Aspire OT which is a continuing education company that seeks to serve only the OT profession. Throughout her career, Niccole has exemplified leadership capacity through her impact on the OT profession in the development of future OTA leaders and advocating for OT’s role in the treatment of chronic pain. While serving on two leadership committees within AOTA along with her work on the student involvement committee for the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association, she has advocated for OTAs and their roles in leadership. Her work to promote OT’s role in the treatment of chronic pain includes

Rachel Russell, PhD, OT, is an occupational therapist, lecturer and researcher based at the University of Salford in the UK. With 18 years of experience of working in adult health and social care, she has been directly involved in the assessment and delivery of home modifications. Since 2011, her research has focused on the home modification process, particularly the role of occupational therapists in this process. During that time, Rachel developed the Home Modification Process Protocol, which helps occupational therapists to explains their role in this field of practice as a design and construction process. For a list of resources including Rachel's contact information, visit the podcast website at www.ontheair.us

This episode features an occupational therapist by the name of Margret Kingrey who retired from practice in 2016 after working in the field for several decades. Margret graduated with a degree in occupational therapy from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, in 1976. She worked as an occupational therapist in many different states including Washington and Alaska. During her career as an OT, Margret worked in pediatrics outpatient, early intervention, schools, nursing facilities, home health and outpatient rehabilitation and taught in three different OT programs. She recently completed her Master of Fine Art in writing at UNO. She also holds an MA in Early Childhood Education from NMSU in Los Cruces , NM. She has an adult son who lives with his family in Lacey, WA. Her current project is a book about her work as an occupational therapist. She is a published author of ALASKA STORIES: A Memoir and several articles and short stories.

Robin Akselrud, OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist with fifteen years of experience in a variety of clinical practice areas. As a certified early intervention provider, she has worked in several treatment settings, including schools, home care for medically fragile infants and children, and hand therapy and splinting for infants and toddlers. In addition to her clinical work, Robin was an Assistant Professor/Academic Fieldwork Coordinator in the Master's level OT program at Hofstra University from 2017-2019 and recently joined the BS/MS program at LIU-Brooklyn as an Assistant Professor. Robin has also served as an adjunct professor at LIU, York-CUNY and at Touro College for the past seven years. In 2011, Robin founded an OT outpatient facility, Forward OT PLLC, for both children and adults in Brooklyn. In 2018, Robin also established the OT program at a primary care facility for an underserved community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn- ParCare Community Network. She is also a consultant for The Lighthouse G

Diane Knoll, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist who works as the founder and director of Vibrant Palette Arts Center, a non-profit visual arts day program for adults with disabilities in the city of Seattle. With 15 years of experience working in both school settings and pediatric therapy clinics, delivering quality care to clients ages three through adulthood, Diane enjoys working with clients who have self-regulation challenges, sensory processing differences, fine motor delays, and dysgraphia. She specializes in the use of creative approaches to encourage engagement and increased independence with clients. Diane is currently the only therapist with a specialty certification in the Size Matters Handwriting Program in Washington State. She recently started a consulting company that specializes in providing sensory support for all ages in clients' natural environments, Cascadia Therapy Services. To find out how to connect with Diane, visit the podcast website at www.ontheair.us

Kokeb Girma McDonald, OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist, the founder of Polaris Therapy, an online parent and service provider coach, and a best-seller author to Integrating Primitive Reflexes Through Play and Exercise: An Interactive Guide to the Moro Reflex for Parents, Teachers, and Service Providers. She has 15+ years hands-on experience working with children from diverse background and with various diagnoses. Kokeb recently created an online course and wrote a book to teach parents and service providers a step-by-step home and classroom playful exercises, which can be implemented in less than 10 minutes a day to help improve a child's development. For more information about Kokeb's book and to find out how to connect with Kokeb, visit the podcast website at www.ontheair.us

Research tells us that many older adults wish they could spend more time with people other than those their own age, and it also indicates that there are benefits to both younger people and older adults when those in the two groups interact and form relationships. On this episode of On The Air, two occupational therapy students from Quinnipiac University, Michelle Zubko and Julia Kowal, share about their experience residing at the Pond Ridge Assisted Living community through the Student in Residence program at Masonicare at Ashlar Village in Wallingford, Connecticut. For more information including how to connect with Michelle and Julia, visit the podcast website at www.ontheair.us

Kathryn Ellis, OTR, OTD, is the CEO and founder of the Institute for Sex, Intimacy and Occupational Therapy, which offers continuing education services for occupational therapy professionals and client services for sexuality counseling. Kathryn is a Doctor of Occupational Therapy and an AASECT certified sexuality counselor. Her mission is to dismantle restrictive norms related to sexuality and intimacy which limit occupational therapists and clients so that all individuals can thrive as sexual beings. On this episode, we talk about the role of occupational therapy in addressing sex and intimacy. For more information, resources and recommendations mentioned on the episode, and a discount code for an online class offered by Kathryn, go to www.OnTheAir.us

Helen Valencia is an occupational therapist who was born in Colombia and migrated to the U.S. at age 7. Helen grew up in Queens, NY, and earned an undergraduate degree from Queens College. She worked in advertisement sales for A&E TV and then worked for the United Nations as a staff assistant in two different offices, the last one being the office of the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.Dissatisfied with what she calls "the office life," Helen began a journey of self-discovery to help her figure out what was next in her career path. After a year of self-reflection, she learned about OT and, as she says, the rest is history. Helen graduated from OT school at Stony Brook University. She co-founded a non-profit called Project InReach which funded self-development/leadership workshops given to adults in Colombia. She also worked as a translator in Suffolk county at IEP meetings during OT school. Helen recently moved with her husband to New Hampshire and is here in the studio today to ta

Kripa Sundar, PhD, is an independent researcher and a learning detective. As a cognitive scientist and leader in the field of education and educational research, Kripa earned her doctorate in educational psychology with an emphasis on instructional strategies, with and without multimedia. She managed the Course of Mind project from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) as their Learning Science Specialist, following which she did a stint as an adjunct professor at Washington State University. Currently, her focus is geared towards getting her own initiative - Learning Incognito - up and going.On this episode, Kripa discusses the research she and her colleagues have conducted as well as research done in the field of cognitive science over the past 30+ years. We talk about how the strategies uncovered in her work can be used by OT students, practitioners, and educators to aid in the teaching and learning process.To access the resources shared on this episode and to see how to connect with

Meghan Fox is the lead occupational therapist in a school district in Southern California where she lives with her with husband, two sons, and dog. A Midwest transplant, Meghan attended the University of Illinois-Champaign for her undergraduate educate where she earned a Bachelors of Science in kinesiology before moving to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California for her Masters in Occupational Therapy. Meghan and her family like parks and beaches and enjoy going to Disneyland, and she and her husband have aspirations for their sons to see the world. On this episode, Meghan introduces her product WooTape which she developed as a result of her work as an OT. She discusses her drive for achievement that led to her quest for entrepreneurship and shares tips for people interested in following a similar path. For more information about WooTape and to connect with Meghan, visit the podcast website at www.ontheair.us

Today's guest is an OT who's kind of a big deal on social media these days. Nicole Julia, OTR/L, OTD, - the mastermind behind the social media sensation, the Able Fables - holds a clinical doctorate in occupational therapy from Belmont Univ. in Nashville, TN. In addition to being an OT, Nicole is a self-described lover of people and a believer in a more inclusive, universally designed world - and now she's a book author as well. She has started an inclusive movement and a children’s picture book series telling stories, through fables, of love and ability. Through the series she named The Able Fables, she embarked on a beautiful, non-traditional OT journey that highlights the benefits of the community-based practice aspect of occupational therapy! Nicole currently live in Nashville with her husband, Jordan - she just got married last week! On this episode, Nicole discusses how and why she started The Able Fables and how she gives back through her work. She talks about the first book in the series, Gary's Gigan

Hoang ("Wong") Tran - a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) and the owner of Hands-on Therapy Services and the online community of practice CHT Secrets - has been practicing as an OT for about 20 years. She started Hands-on Therapy Services about 6 years ago in an effort to help more people with hand and arm injuries be more active and pain free while avoiding pills, injections, and surgery. As a CHT, she also helps a lot of people after surgery get the best possible outcome. Hoang has always been in education in one form or another; when she started her private practice, she saw a need to create a community for OT's that want to specialize in hand therapy. Through the community she has established since through CHT Secrets, she seeks to provide coaching and mentorship for others who want to navigate the specialty practice area of hand therapy. Hoang's YouTube Channel and her Instagram page can be found by searching CHT Secrets or by visiting the podcast website, www.ontheair.us, where you can also find out how t