Rooted in Connection: Where Relationship Moves us Forward – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Rooting Connection, host Erin Forward explores the foundational role of relationships in therapy and why true healing requires more than techniques. It requires authenticity, vulnerability, and attuned connection. Erin discusses how trauma shapes the therapeutic process, how family dynamics influence behavior, and why recognizing individual differences is essential for meaningful care.

She also dives into the realities many caregivers and therapists face behind the scenes, including secondary trauma, emotional overwhelm, and burnout in healthcare. Erin shares practical reflections on navigating rupture and repair in therapeutic relationships, maintaining boundaries, and advocating for yourself in professional environments that don’t always support emotional well-being.

Whether you’re a therapist, caregiver, healthcare provider, or someone curious about the relational side of healing, this episode offers grounded guidance, compassion, and insight. It sets the foundation for future conversations about connection, co-regulation, resilience, and the heart-centered work of supporting others.

In this introductory episode, host Erin Forward, relationship-based speech and feeding therapist, CLC, and educator, shares why Rooted in Connection was created and why relationships sit at the center of everything we do.

Erin reflects on how the most meaningful learning comes through people, stories, and connection. She explores how our clients, colleagues, caregivers, and communities shape us — and how this podcast will be a safe space to learn from each other and about ourselves.

This episode sets the tone for honest, relational conversations about feeding, communication, child development, neurodiversity-affirming care, and the human experiences that connect us all.

In this episode of Rooted in Connection, Erin Forward sits down with Dr. Gillian Boudreau to explore how relationships quite literally shape the brain, and why safety is the foundation for regulation, learning, and resilience.

Together, they unpack what it means to create true emotional safety for children and the caregivers supporting them. This conversation moves beyond strategies, highlighting how connection, non-judgment, and authenticity are what actually support growth and healing.

Erin and Jillian also vulnerably share their own experiences as children who weren’t always easily understood, and how those moments shaped the way they now show up in relationships, both personally and professionally. From the idea that “a safe brain is a smart brain” to the reminder that “adults are basically tall children,” this episode weaves together lived experience and clinical insight in a deeply human way.

This is a conversation about being seen, about repairing what wasn’t always held with care, and about the power of relationships to change the trajectory of a child and an adult.

In this episode, we cover:

• How relationships shape the brain and influence development

• Why safety is the foundation for regulation and learning

• Supporting caregivers as a pathway to supporting children

• The impact of non-judgment, authenticity, and presence

• Reparenting, emotional growth, and relational healing

• How our own childhood experiences shape the way we show up

Resources 

Gillian Boudreau (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist in practice in Portland,Oregon with a focus on children families adults and couples at the intersection of autism, adhd anxiety and trauma. Dr. Boudreau's work is about  understanding and addressing our human need for attachment, connection, and effective communication in such a way that can help individuals, family systems, school systems, and larger organizations to support all brains and hearts.  She is a national speaker on topics including psychological safety and emotional intelligence, offers many courses and trainings on fear in institutional systems, trauma, neurodiversity and mindfulness, and provides ongoing consultation for multiple school districts and organizations.  Dr. Boudreau co-hosts two podcasts: "I Hate You. What's For Dinner?" With a focus on parenting and being parented, as well as "Stance of Curiosity" with a focus on school psychology.  Dr. Boudreau offers content and resources related to emotional safety and connection on instagram at @clearconnectionpsychology

In this episode of Rooted in Connection, Erin Forward sits down with her friend and colleague, speech-language pathologist and advocate Colleen Ashford for a deeply honest conversation about what it really means to show up as both a clinician and a human.

Together, they explore the tension between professionalism and authenticity, and how social media, storytelling, and lived experience can become powerful tools for connection, advocacy, and change, and truly what it means to be a neighbor.

This conversation dives into the complexity of holding boundaries while still being relational, the role of intersectionality in clinical practice, and the courage it takes to challenge systems that were never designed with everyone in mind.

Erin and Colleen also speak candidly about navigating IEP systems, building a private practice, and learning to trust your voice, even before you feel fully “ready.”

At its core, this episode is a reminder: you don’t have to be perfect to be impactful. Growth, humility, and connection are the work.

In this episode, we explore:

• How social media can foster safe spaces and meaningful community
• The balance between authenticity, vulnerability, and professional boundaries
• Why storytelling deepens trust with clients and families
• The impact of intersectionality on clinical decision-making and advocacy
• Challenging traditional ideas of “professionalism” in healthcare spaces
• Navigating systemic barriers within IEP and therapy systems
• Starting a private practice with intention (and embracing mistakes along the way)
• Building your clinical identity through lived experience, reflection, and growth
• The importance of joy, regulation, and celebrating small moments

Colleen's Bio: Colleen Ashford is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and non-attorney special-education advocate serving families in San Diego County through her mobile and virtual private practice. She began her career as a public school SLP in a bilingual elementary program, where her commitment to culturally responsive practice and improving her Spanish first took root. After relocating to California, she worked in multidisciplinary clinics, learning from OTs and PTs in ways that continue to shape her holistic, sensory-informed approach.

Now in her own private practice, Colleen focuses on AAC, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and early-intervention parent coaching, with a passion for supporting Spanish-speaking families in her community. As an IEP advocate, she equips parents with clear information about their educational rights and guides them through the IEP process. Through her Instagram page @theadvocate.slp she also brings accessible insights on IDEA, policy, and advocacy to school-based SLPs and teachers. A lot of those insights will be available in a downloadable guide January 2026. Colleen loves to dig into a great conversation with parents and professionals who sit around the IEP table, and does so on her podcast, Unfiltered IEPs. Tune in to Season Two in early 2026!

In this episode of Rooted in Connection, host Erin Forward, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, is joined by her oldest friend, Julie, an emergency medicine physician assistant, for an honest conversation about connection in high-stress healthcare environments. They explore emergency medicine, caregiver burnout, anxiety in healthcare professionals, the importance of listening to patients, and the role of self-care in sustaining compassionate care.

This episode offers insight for healthcare providers, caregivers, therapists, and anyone navigating emotionally demanding work. Through personal stories and reflection, Erin and Julie discuss how relationships, communication, and human connection remain essential—even in moments of crisis.

Topics include:
• Emergency medicine and emotional resilience
• Anxiety and mental health in healthcare
• Compassion fatigue and burnout
• The importance of listening and communication
• Friendship, self-care, and staying human in high-pressure roles

In this heartfelt conversation, Erin Forward sits down with speech therapist and mother Marlee Brandon to talk about navigating her son’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at just 12 months old. Marlee shares the emotional realities of receiving a life-changing diagnosis, learning to manage insulin and food with a toddler, and the unexpected ways the experience reshaped her perspective as both a parent and clinician.

Together, they explore how trauma-informed communication, connection, and including children as part of the care team can build confidence and self-advocacy, even in the face of chronic illness. Marlee also discusses how sharing her family’s journey on social media has helped educate others, challenge misconceptions about Type 1 diabetes, and build community for families navigating similar experiences.

This conversation is an honest look at parenting through uncertainty, the power of advocacy, and the resilience that can grow when children are invited to be active participants in their own care.

Navigating autism services can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re both the parent and the professional.

In this episode of Rooted in Connection, Erin Forward sits down with Casey Quinn-Daly to talk about what it really feels like to support a child with developmental delays and autism while navigating speech therapy, provider recommendations, and complex healthcare systems.

At the center of this conversation is one powerful truth: you are your child’s expert.

Together, we explore:

• How to build the right autism and speech therapy support team

• What collaborative, neurodiversity-affirming care actually looks like

• How to advocate without burning out

• The questions to ask therapists

• Why flexibility and real connection matter more than rigid plans

Casey shares her personal journey of finding the right providers for her son and the emotional weight of holding both clinical knowledge and maternal instinct. We talk honestly about systemic challenges, provider transparency, and the courage it takes to trust your gut when something doesn’t feel right.

If you’re a caregiver navigating services, or a therapist who wants to better understand the parent experience, this episode will remind you that connection changes every session, and empowered caregivers change outcomes.

Today on Rooted in Connection, Erin Forward sits down with friend and trailblazer in the trauma-informed space, Rachel Archambault, to talk about what trauma-informed care actually means in practice.

Awareness of trauma-informed care is growing, which is needed, but it’s also so much more than a buzzword. Rachel and Erin vulnerably explore their therapeutic use of self, how they show up in sessions, and the small shifts clinicians, caregivers, and humans can make to help children feel truly safe.

In this conversation we talk about recognizing our own triggers as providers, how language can unintentionally create or reduce safety, removing compliance-based or harmful phrasing, supporting regulation in the moment, and why trust is built through relationship rather than technique. We also discuss cultural humility, community responsibility, and the role systems and policies play in trauma-informed care.

This conversation matters deeply to both of us, and we hope you enter it with an open mind, curiosity, and plenty of grace for yourself.

In this first episode of Where You’re Rooted, Erin shares her journey into DIR/Floortime and explores why this relationship-based model became central to how she understands development, communication, and feeding.

Erin breaks down the foundations of DIR/Floortime, shares clinical stories, and reflects on how connection, emotional safety, and individual differences shape growth in children. This episode invites listeners to look beyond strategies and consider how relationships influence learning, regulation, and meaningful engagement.

If you are curious about DIR/Floortime and want to learn more head to ICDL.com

In this episode of Rooted in Connection, Erin Forward sits down with Brooke Nutting to explore a relationship-based approach to advocacy for children with disabilities, especially within the IEP process.

Brooke shares her journey from mental health professional to caregiver advocate and reflects on how relationships, vulnerability, and collaboration shape meaningful change. Together, they unpack why advocacy is not about conflict or perfection, but about connection: with educators, clinicians, caregivers, and communities.

This conversation dives into navigating IEP meetings with clarity and confidence, understanding evidence-based practices, and building partnerships that truly support children’s individual needs. Erin and Brooke also discuss the emotional weight caregivers carry, the challenges within education systems, and how empowerment begins when caregivers feel seen, informed, and supported.

Whether you’re a caregiver, clinician, or educator, this episode offers practical insights and grounding reminders that advocacy works best when it’s rooted in trust, communication, and human connection.

Topics include:

• Navigating IEPs through relationship-based advocacy

• Building collaborative relationships with educators

• The role of vulnerability in effective advocacy

• Empowering caregivers and children to use their voices

• Community resources and systems-level change

Because advocacy isn’t a battle. It’s a relationship.