A refreshing dose of encouragement and perspective for SLPs who wear many hats.

Guest: Emily Bromer, MS, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of First Bite, host Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, sits down with Emily Bromer, MS, CCC-SLP to celebrate the many roles SLPs take on throughout their careers. They reflect on what makes a supportive and successful clinical fellowship, what graduate students should look for in meaningful practicum placements, and how diverse clinical experiences and strong mentorship can shape a fulfilling career path. They also tackle the reality of imposter syndrome, and offer practical perspectives for protecting your mental health, staying grounded, and rediscovering the passion that drew you to this profession in the first place. If you’re feeling stuck, stretched thin, or simply need a reminder of why you chose this field, this episode is for you.

About the Guest: Emily Bromer is a SLP based in Lynchburg, Virginia, who is passionate about increasing her community’s access to quality therapy services and strengthening the profession she loves. She has been practicing for six years and currently serves as the Lead SLP for Appomattox County Public Schools. In addition to her work in public education, Emily is the owner of Hill City Speech Services, PLLC.

Show Notes:

Contact Emily: @hillcityspeechva on Instagram

Emily’s Private Practice: Hill City Speech Services

Support Miriam’s House - Solutions to Homelessness

How can a simple tool can strengthen complex clinical decision-making?

Guests: Kelly Kleinhans, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Courtney Richards, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC

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Kelly and Courtney share how mind maps and case-based learning are used in graduate training to help learners organize complex information, recognize patterns, and connect assessment findings to meaningful intervention planning. Explore how these strategies can support diverse learning styles while also strengthening supervision and mentoring conversations. Use these tools to help students make sense of complex PFD cases and translate knowledge into confident, thoughtful clinical decisions.

About the Guests: Dr. Kelly Kleinhans is a professor, program director, and clinical education enthusiast who is passionate about helping graduate students become confident, compassionate, and practice-ready SLPs. She leads the Master of Speech-Language Pathology program at Austin Peay State University.

Courtney Richards, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, is the Lead Feeding Therapist at Advanced Therapy Solutions (ATS) in Clarksville, TN, where she oversees the feeding program across three clinics.

Show Notes:

Bridging Pedagogy and Practice: Case-Based Learning and Mind Maps by Kelly Kleinhans, Courtney Richards, and Alison Desomma

Supplemental Material

APSU Speech-Language & Swallowing Community Clinic

Feeding Therapy Sweatshirt - Courtney’s Etsy Store

Feeding Matters Power of Two Program

Support Feeding Matters

Related Course: Research to "Chew On" with Dr. Amy Delaney

RAM Clinics

Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders

If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9 1/2 Things You Would Do Differently by Fred Lee

Mentioned in this episode:

Register for the School-based Feeding and Swallowing Masterclass

How can we strengthen and mentor the next generation of clinicians?

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

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Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP welcomes Belinda Daughrity, PhD, CCC-SLP, Anita Fitzgerald, PhD, RN, AGNP, and Sharon Konrad, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CNE to this episode of First Bite for a powerful conversation on mentoring a healthy professional identity in future colleagues. Together, these SLPs and nurses demonstrate why interprofessional education across allied health professions is not optional, it is essential. The conversation unpacks what “professional identity” really means in clinical education, why it matters for long-term career resilience, and how intentional mentoring shapes confident, ethical SLPs.

About the Guests: Belinda Daughrity, PhD, CCC-SLP, Anita Fitzgerald, PhD, RN, AGNP, and Sharon Konrad, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CNE are a powerhouse group from California State University Long Beach who bring research from the fields of nursing and social work and pour that wisdom directly into speech-language pathology to strengthen how we prepare and mentor the next generation of clinicians.

Show Notes:

Read the journal article, "Professional Identity in Speech-Language Pathology Students"

Support The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA)

Support your local Domestic Abuse Shelter

Support Beach Food Pantry

Mentioned in this episode:

Register for the School-based Feeding and Swallowing Masterclass