De Facto Leaders – Details, episodes & analysis

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De Facto Leaders

Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/7d. Total Eps: 265

On the De Facto Leaders podcast, host Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan helps pediatric therapists and educators become better leaders, so they can make a bigger impact with their services. With over 15 years of experience supporting school-age kids with diverse learning needs, Dr. Karen shares up-to-date evidence-based practices, her own experiences and guest interviews designed to help clinicians, teachers, and aspiring school leaders feel more confident in the way they serve their students and clients. She’ll cover a range of topics designed to help you support students' emotional and academic growth and set kids up for success in adulthood, including how to support language, literacy, executive functioning, and how to help IEP teams working together to support kids across the day. Whether you want to learn more effective strategies for your therapy session or classroom, be a more influential leader on your team, or find creative ways to use your skills to advance in your career, Dr. Karen has you covered.

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🇨🇦 Canada - courses
18/08/2026
#75
🇨🇦 Canada - courses
17/08/2026
#48
🇺🇸 USA - courses
17/08/2026
#97
🇨🇦 Canada - courses
16/08/2026
#32

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https://www.renaissance.com/
251 shares
https://www.playworks.org/how-can-schools-reduce-chronic-absenteeism-with-recess/?tfa_3398&amp
250 shares
http://ixl.com/BE
247 shares

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcsjones/
4 shares
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-williams-777b7927/
4 shares
https://www.linkedin.com/in/destinybrookjohnson/
4 shares

https://www.instagram.com/educationalinnovation360
4 shares
https://www.instagram.com/drcsjones
3 shares
https://www.instagram.com/principaldodge1
3 shares

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Score global : 63%

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Re-release: The impact of texting on literacy and the skills needed for effective word-reading

Episode 175

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 • Duration 44:01

In this episode, I’m revisiting an older episode in honor of a special event that I'm doing in the month of September, 2024.

I'm so excited to participate in the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, which we're presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

De Facto Leaders is part of the BE Podcast Network (Link here: https://bepodcast.network/), so I’ll be participating in this effort.

About Reading Is Fundamental (RIF):

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading is Fundamental here: https://www.rif.org/

What’s happening on De Facto Leaders as part of the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) campaign:

In September, I’ll be featuring a series of guests to talk about how we can improve the nationwide literacy crisis. As part of this effort, I’ll be publishing two episodes a week during the month of September.

In October, I’ll resume the standard once a week schedule and will publish some shorter episodes that outline my key take-aways based on the September interviews. These shorter episodes will give you a chance to catch up on listening to the extra episodes; and will also give you the chance to hear my take on each interview.

To celebrate this special partnership, I’m giving my listeners 25% off their tuition when they join either Language Therapy Advance Foundations (Link here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy) and the School of Clinical Leadership (Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership) between September 15 and October 15.

To get access to this special rate, all you need to do is enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page.

In this re-release episode, I share:

✅What the current literacy trends show as far as the impact of texting.

✅The 3 tenets of effective literacy intervention.

✅Common mistakes people make when teaching kids to use reading strategies.

✅Three essential skills kids need in order to become fluent readers and spellers.

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode, I mention the Word Study Toolkit, which comes with Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate.

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary.

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.

2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.

3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign.

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here: https://www.rif.org/

You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network

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Creating a culture of collaboration on your school team (with Kurtis Hewson)

Episode 174

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 • Duration 59:06

I’m a huge supporter of professionals taking ownership of their careers; regardless of the systemic issues at play.

But having said that, I ALSO like to help educators get to a place where they can work towards addressing systems issues head on.

That’s why I was so excited to talk with Kurtis Hewson about the Collaborative Response Framework in episode 174 of De Facto Leaders.

Kurtis Hewson is an award-winning former administrator and teacher, as well as teaching faculty at the post-secondary level. He is the co-founder of Jigsaw Learning, a co-author of the text, “Collaborative Response: Three Foundational Components That Transform How We Respond to the Needs of Learners” (Corwin, 2022), and currently works with districts and schools nationally and internationally establishing Collaborative Response frameworks and interacting with thousands of educators annually.

Good teachers, therapists, and administrators often develop toolkits they can use to offer a continuum of support to students. But as Kurtis points out, they’re often operating in “silos of excellence”.

What would happen if team members worked together to pool their resources?

We discuss this topic in this episode, including:

✅People in education talk a lot about the problems with “the system”. But what is the “system” and how do we improve it?

✅Is talking about individual student needs always the best use of time at team meetings?

✅Meetings sometimes feel like an obligation or a waste of time. How do we change that?

✅What types of meetings should district level teams have and what’s the purpose of each?

✅Why school teams need 4 tiers of support rather than the traditional 3 tiers of RtI.

Turning litigious situations in to reading reform initiatives (with Mary Saghafi and Shannon Betts)

Episode 165

Wednesday, June 19, 2024 • Duration 01:12:30

Teacher preparation programs should equip reading teachers with the knowledge they need to provide explicit intervention for students who have dyslexia or other disabilities.

But what if they don’t?

Unfortunately, this situation is quite common.

That’s why I invited Mary Saghafi and Shannon Betts from the Reading Teachers’ Lounge Podcast to episode 165 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about how reading specialists and other service providers can emerge as literacy leaders; whether it be in their current job or within a career transition.

The Reading Teachers’ Lounge is a podcast where listeners can eavesdrop on professional conversations between elementary reading teachers. Shannon and Mary are passionate about literacy and strive to find strategies to reach all learners. Shannon and Mary are neighbors who realized they were “literacy soul sisters” at a dinner in their Atlanta Neighborhood. Once they started chatting about reading, they haven’t really stopped. Shannon is currently teaching part time as a reading resource teacher while she continues to create teaching materials on Teachers Pay Teachers and Boom Learning. Mary is a private tutor and dyslexia advocate. They began their podcast in 2018 and are currently finishing their sixth season.

In this conversation, we share:

✅How a litigious situation turned into a reading reform initiative and inspired Mary to make a career pivot.

✅When there’s conflict between schools and parents; should you be a united front with your school team, even if you resonate more with the parent’s point of view?

✅The parent advocacy perspective: How parents can advocate for their kids AND the school staff at the same time.

✅Should schools be using the “dyslexia” label (and what do the laws require vs. allow)?

✅Will voicing your opinion have a negative impact on your career (plus Shannon’s experience with being the squeaky wheel on her team)?

The low-risk way to explore career pivots (for therapists)

Episode 79

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 • Duration 29:59

There’s often a typical expected career path for pediatric clinicians, regardless of the discipline. It can often feel a bit constraining, especially if it doesn’t fully align with your strengths; or if the system you’re working in limits the way you serve your caseload. But what if you weren’t limited to the typical model, or the traditional job postings? What if you could design a clinical career on your own terms? This idea is exciting…but scary. Especially if you’re in a job that you enjoy and that feels “almost” in line with what you’d want to be doing. Many clinicians have this nagging feeling. They love what they do…but they wonder if they could be doing more for their field and in their career. I felt this way when I was nearing the end of my doctoral program and was working the school systems. I knew the next stage of my career was coming…but I wasn’t exactly sure what direction I should go. Private practice? Higher ed? School administration? Something else? To answer this question, I did what I refer to as career “micro-experiments”.

This is one of the strategies I used to launch my business while I was working in the schools full time.

In this episode, I share:
✅Why doing “test-runs” can help you discover your strengths, build your resume and skills, and serve your current caseload at the same time

✅Why I turned down a job interview that could have led me towards what I thought was a “dream job”

✅How to start building your leadership experience NOW, without leaving the security of your current job. In this episode, I mentioned the Clinical Leadership Roundtable, an ongoing event for pediatric clinicians that want to plan a career path that finally allows you to serve in a way that feels aligned and impactful.

You can join the Clinical Leadership Roundtable here. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding.

The Levels of Clinical Leadership

Episode 78

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 • Duration 40:33

A lot of the clinicians I work with feel very “boxed in” when it comes to the typical career path for therapists. They’re boxed in by the way they have to provide services within the system, which often dictates how, when, and how often they see students/clients. They may feel boxed in by their schedule, their setting, or even their earning potential. Usually, they enjoy what they do, but have a nagging feeling that they could be doing more for their caseload, their field, and their community. What I’ve observed over the last 5 years of mentoring clinicians is that they often go through “levels” of clinical practice. I like to refer to this as “Clinical Leadership”. Many therapists don’t think of themselves as leaders; especially if they aren’t in an “official” leadership position…but I think that every clinician has an opportunity to be a leader regardless of their official job title.

Once therapists get comfortable with the traditional model of therapy, they’re often ready to transcend to the next stage of their career. So many of them are super talented, creative individuals; but they feel limited by what they see in the standard job postings. I’ve designed what I refer to as the “Pillars of Clinical Leadership” to help people get out of this career rut, so they can create a career unique to their own skills, talents, and preferences…and so they can make a bigger impact with the way they serve. In episode 78, I outline the common stages of leadership people go through, as well as the pillars for successful clinical leadership.

If you don’t feel fully aligned or excited by the typical career path for clinicians, or if you love your job but want to discover creative ways to be of service, you won’t want to miss this episode. In this episode, I mentioned the Clinical Leadership Roundtable, an ongoing event for pediatric clinicians that take you through a series of exercises designed to help you craft your career path based on your unique skills, talents, and preferences. You can join the Clinical Leadership Roundtable here. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding.

Don’t avoid problems. Plan for them.

Episode 77

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 • Duration 34:20

There are a lot of challenges that we face as therapists; but not all of them need to prevent us from delivering quality services. By facing our problems head on, often we can mitigate them or eliminate them completely. This doesn’t happen from avoiding or ignoring them. Instead, we need to get them all out on the table to figure out how to minimize them. This is also key in determining if you’re on the right career path, or if it’s time to pivot. I talk about how to think through this risk mitigation process in episode 77. Getting this “risk mitigation” process out of the way is often the key to freeing up mental resources that allow you to think bigger about the way you show up for your caseload. In this episode, I mentioned the Clinical Leadership Roundtable, a special event for pediatric therapists who want to make a bigger impact with their services. When you’ll be taken through a 3-stage process where you’ll start to design a plan for feeling more empowered in your work. You can join the Clinical Leadership Roundtable here. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding.

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Creating assets and leverage to amplify the impact of your services

Episode 76

Wednesday, September 7, 2022 • Duration 40:50

When people talk about assets, they’re often thinking about personal finance. They’re talking about things like real estate, index funds, crypto and other things aimed at giving you some kind of return on your investment. But I want to talk about how therapists can apply this concept to what they do, because it's the key to making a bigger impact. When we make the “leadership shift” and start thinking about service delivery in the broader sense, we have to start thinking about how to coordinate an entire service plan for a student. This means utilizing other people and thinking creatively about how we can ensure that kids are getting the support they need across the day; rather than just focusing on what’s going on when they’re in a therapy session or in your classroom. One of the biggest challenges therapists face is that they don’t have enough time with their clients to address all the skills they need to cover. This is exactly why we need to stop functioning in silos and instead see ourselves as part of the bigger picture, like puzzle pieces that fit together seamlessly. It’s remiss to imply that people working in education and healthcare have endless resources at their disposal.

But many times, they have more power than they realize. And when they use their time the right way, they can actually create more time, resources, relationships, and impact. In this episode, I mentioned that I’m about to open the doors to my Clinical Leadership program. This program is designed to help pediatric therapists be better leaders, so they can make a bigger impact with their services. If you’re a therapist or an educator working with kids, and you want to think bigger about how you serve your caseload, community, and your field, then this program is for you. You can join the waiting list here to be notified when program enrollment is open. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding.

Therapists are leaders in disguise

Episode 74

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 • Duration 35:41

One of the most common questions I get is “What am I supposed to do in therapy with students/clients?” Many of my readers want to know what strategies and techniques they need to do in therapy in order to help move their students forward. They’re very focused on “planning for therapy” or “lesson planning”; especially if they’re in the school systems. I think it makes sense to focus on these things some of the time. The way we’re trained often focuses on that “medical model” of service delivery. A lot can be accomplished with this model, and it’s a part of what some kids need to be successful; depending on what their needs are. It’s easy to start with the question, “What is MY role and what should I be doing in my sessions to support this student?” But I think we need to look at things in reverse. Instead of saying “What do I do in therapy?” we need to be asking “What does this student need, and how do I make sure they get it?”

In this episode, I mentioned that I’m about to open the doors to my Clinical Leadership program.

This program is designed to help pediatric therapists be better leaders, so they can make a bigger impact with their services. If you’re a therapist or an educator working with kids, and you want to think bigger about how you serve your caseload, community, and your field, then this program is for you. You can join the waiting list here to be notified when program enrollment is open. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding.

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Why "work-life balance" is unattainable (and what to do instead)

Episode 73

Wednesday, August 17, 2022 • Duration 42:41

Therapists and teachers (and anyone else in a “helping people” profession) always have to take care of OTHER people…which is hard to do if you’re burnt out all the time. But most of the advice they’re given about “self-care” and achieving a “work-life” balance is unhelpful. There are a lot of “tips and tools” out there for stress relief and productivity. In the self-care realm, it ranges from reasonable suggestions like gratitude journaling or meditation to more questionable things like “crying in your car” or “hide in the bathtub with a bottle of wine and drown your sorrows”. Perhaps the biggest issue of all is the myth of a “work-life” balance. When people say they want a “work-life” balance, what they’re really saying is: “I don’t have enough energy and time to devote to things that matter to me.” We don’t accomplish this by striving for “work-life” balance, nor do we get there with a disjointed list of superficial tips. In episode 73, I share an alternative way of looking at “balance”, fulfillment, and career satisfaction.

This is what I used to maintain some sense of peace while I was working on my dissertation and working full time in the school systems. It’s the opposite of what most people do, and I believe it’s why 60% of the people in my doctoral program end up ABD (“all but dissertation”). It’s always why so many talented therapists and teachers leave “passion projects” on the backburner and get stuck in the day-to-day hustle. In this episode, I mentioned that I’m about to open the doors to my Clinical Leadership program. This program is designed to help pediatric therapists be better leaders, so they can make a bigger impact with their services. If you’re a therapist or an educator working with kids, and you want to think bigger about how you serve your caseload, community, and your field, then this program is for you. You can join the waiting list here to be notified when program enrollment is open. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding.

DLD, CAPD, dyslexia, hyperlexia and supporting literacy

Episode 71

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 • Duration 46:41

Therapists and educators supporting K-12 literacy have a lot of diagnoses and labels to navigate, and some of them are controversial.

In some debates, the diagnosis itself is in question; Central Auditory Processing Disorder being one example. With hyperlexia, some people suggest that there is a certain way hyperlexic people need to learn to read; but the verdict is still out as to whether there is one specific method that is more effective for them.

Diagnoses and labels can give us a roadmap. But this roadmap is often incomplete, with unclear directions for getting to our end destination. That means that clinicians need to have a good clinical problem-solving process to navigate all these debates. I believe that labels are useful; but only when we know what to do with them. That’s why in this episode, I talk about 4 specific labels/diagnoses (DLD, CAPD, hyperlexia, dyslexia) and what they mean for literacy instruction/intervention.

Specifically, I discuss:

✅The DLD vs CAPD debate: The case for DLD and why some people are skeptical about the CAPD diagnosis

✅Why I don't teach "working memory drills" and how I go about addressing working memory issues in a functional way

✅How professionals can engage in healthy discussions about debates in the field without getting defensive

✅A discussion on dyslexia vs hyperlexia and intervention planning for each.

✅Current research on hyperlexia and red flags for misinformation.

In this episode, I mentioned an article called Why is it so hard to reach agreement on terminology? The case of developmental language disorder (DLD) by Dr. Dorothy Bishop. Please note I made an error in the original recording and said she was an SLP. I was incorrect; she is a psychologist.

De Facto Leaders – Details, episodes & analysis

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De Facto Leaders – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

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LinkedIn53

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