Swallow Your Pride Podcast

408 – Building Mobile FEES From the Inside: How One Company Trained Its Own Endoscopists

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, Theresa Richard sits down with Lindsay Iser, M.S., CCC-SLP, Director of Clinical Specialty for Powerback Swallow Solutions, who leads one of the largest in-house mobile FEES programs in the country. Lindsay walks through how the program started with conversations before 2020, launched its first training in […] The post 408 – Building Mobile FEES From the Inside: How One Company Trained Its Own Endoscopists appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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407 – Cognitive Rehab Belongs in Acute Care: How One Hospital Built the Case Over 12 Years

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, Theresa sits down with Nicole Langton-Frost, CCC-SLP, BCS-S and Carey DeWalt, CCC-SLP from The Johns Hopkins Hospital to talk about something a lot of acute care SLPs have been told to skip: cognitive evaluation and treatment in the ICU. This conversation started because MedSLP Ed posted a question about whether cognitive rehab really has a place in acute care, and Nicole reached out to say her team wanted to weigh in. Nicole Langton-Frost CCC-SLP, BCS-S and Carey DeWalt CCC-SLP walk through the research on multimodal sensory stimulation for patients with disorders of consciousness, the 2013 New England Journal of Medicine study showing 40% of ICU survivors still had cognitive function equivalent to a moderate TBI at three months, and a 2023 randomized controlled trial where just two 30-minute cognitive sessions a week produced significantly better cognitive scores. They also get specific about chart review: what head imaging tells you about cerebral small vessel disease and Fazekas scores, which lab values should make you postpone a standardized assessment, and how ejection fraction factors into cognitive risk. They cover which patients are and are not good candidates, why the answer is often compensatory strategies and caregiver training instead of restorative therapy, and how their department grew this practice one patient population at a time. Get the show notes and references here: https://syppodcast.com/407 The post 407 – Cognitive Rehab Belongs in Acute Care: How One Hospital Built the Case Over 12 Years appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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406 – From Rat Lab to Real Patients: Building a Career in Dysphagia Research

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, I sit down with Nicole Schaen-Heacock, PhD, CCC-SLP, a postdoctoral fellow in the Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, working in Dr. Nicole Rogus-Pulia's swallowing and salivary bioscience lab. Nicole won first place for the New Investigator Award at this year's DRS conference for part of her dissertation on how the timing of swallow-based intervention affects outcomes in a head and neck cancer treatment model. We get into her research, her path from clinician to PhD to postdoc, and a candid conversation about doing hard academic work while raising twin toddlers.

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405 – A New Tool for the Hardest Patients: Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation After Stroke | Phagenesis

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, Theresa sits down with Cari Manypenny, MS, CCC-SLP, Associate Director of Medical Affairs at Phagenesis, and Alyssa Cook, MA, CCC-SLP, Therapy Development Manager at Phagenesis, to talk about pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES) and what it means for medical SLPs treating post-stroke dysphagia. Cari and Alyssa both made the transition from acute care clinical practice to the medical device industry, and they bring a deeply clinical perspective to the conversation. They cover the basics of what PES actually is, how the Phagenyx device works, and why it is fundamentally different from neuromuscular electrical stimulation. They dig into the science behind the therapy, including the 30-plus years of foundational neuroscience research that led to its development, the nine randomized controlled trials in stroke populations, and what it means that PES was included in the 2026 AHA/ASA Stroke Guidelines. They also talk through patient selection, what treatment actually looks like session-to-session, how hospitals and SLP teams can bring this technology into their institutions, and why Alyssa believes PES gives medical SLPs a bigger seat at the multidisciplinary table. Episode Page: https://syppodcast.com/405 Website: https://www.phagenesis.com/

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404 – The Weekend Effect: What ICU Exam Delays Are Actually Telling Us About Dysphagia Care

Paige DiStefano walks through her research on FEES implementation in an acute care hospital that already had regular access to video fluoroscopy, and what the data showed when FEES came back online after the equipment was down for over a year.

403 – 3 Doctors walk into a bar: How the Most Unexpected Album in Medicine was made

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, Theresa sits down with Kate Hutcheson, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, Peter Belafsky, MD, M.P.H., PhD, and Andrew Tritter, MD, for a listening party unlike anything the dysphagia world has ever seen. What started as a dinner conversation at the Dysphagia Research Society about overrated anatomical structures became something none of them planned: a full-length AI-assisted music album called "One Night at La Reserve." Theresa plays several tracks live on this episode, including "The Hyoid," "Pharyngeal Jam," "Rad Tox Blues," "DIGEST," and more. The album is available on iTunes and coming to Spotify, with proceeds supporting the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders. Links: Get One Night at La Reserve on: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/one-night-at-la-reserve/1888366428 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7z5ItKFX5OguKijNMZqZ0M?si=JHED8QApSOiSZYOQAgqMAg

402 – Bigger Fish to Fry: Why Our Field’s Fixation on Aspiration Is Costing Patients More Than We Realize with Dr. Debra Suiter

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, Theresa sits down with Debra Suiter, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA — Director of the Voice and Swallow Clinic and Professor at the University of Kentucky — for a conversation that started as a personal text and turned into something the entire field needs to hear. Both Theresa and Dr. Suiter found themselves navigating hospitalizations for close family members at the same time, and what they witnessed from the family side of the bedside was deeply troubling: an overemphasis on aspiration risk, no shared decision making, no informed consent, and interventions that caused measurable harm in the name of preventing it. They discuss the Langmore 1998 paper, John Ashford's three pillars of aspiration pneumonia, why waivers are coercive, how documentation protects you, and how SLPs can use risk management and ethics committees to change practice patterns from the inside out. This one is personal. It's also clinical. And it's long overdue. Get the informed consent bundle here: https://go.medslpcollective.com/informedconsentbundle The post 402 – Bigger Fish to Fry: Why Our Field’s Fixation on Aspiration Is Costing Patients More Than We Realize with Dr. Debra Suiter appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

401 – Stop Overcomplicating It: The Research Proving Cough Suppression Therapy Is Simpler Than You Think

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, we sit down with Marie Jetté PhD, CCC-SLP, a clinician-scientist who has spent over 20 years studying voice and upper airway disorders and ended up at the forefront of behavioral cough suppression research. We cover what refractory chronic cough actually looks like for patients who have […] The post 401 – Stop Overcomplicating It: The Research Proving Cough Suppression Therapy Is Simpler Than You Think appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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The 400th Episode: Swallowing my own pride and sharing the full story

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, it's episode 400 and Theresa Richard is giving you the full picture. How the podcast started because blogging got too hard. How the Collective was basically her paying all her smart friends until someone told her to run it like an actual business. And how she built and sold two mobile FEES companies, navigated a divorce, and pushed through accreditation all at the same time, while also apparently never sleeping. If you've ever wondered how all of this came together, this is the episode. Visit the show page: https://syppodcast.com/400 Links Mentioned: MedSLP Collective - https://medslpcollective.com MedSLP Ed - https://medslped.com MSLP-C Certification - https://mslpcertification.com Theresa's website: https://theresarichard.com The post The 400th Episode: Swallowing my own pride and sharing the full story appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

Fewer Resources, Higher Stakes: What It Actually Takes to Be a Post-Acute SLP | Ep 399

On this episode of Swallow Your Pride Podcast, Theresa sits down with Dr. Sonal Pathak to talk about something that's been simmering in the field for a long time: the perception gap between acute care and post-acute SLPs. Dr. Pathak brings 16+ years of clinical experience across both settings and makes the case that SNF clinicians aren't "step-down" anything. They're managing medically complex patients with fewer resources, less backup, and often zero SLP colleagues in the building. The two dig into discharge planning gaps, the fight for a seat at the interdisciplinary table, how to advocate for your caseload when your DOR is a PT, and why continuity of care across settings should be the standard, not the exception. Dr. Pathak also shares her doctoral research on spontaneous swallowing frequency and how it could change bedside outcome measurement for SLPs everywhere. Visit the show page: https://syppodcast.com/399 The post Fewer Resources, Higher Stakes: What It Actually Takes to Be a Post-Acute SLP | Ep 399 appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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398 – From Glasgow Coma Score of 2 to Certified Brain Injury Specialist: An SLPs Journey from Patient to Clinician

On this episode of The Swallow Your Pride Podcast, I sit down with Laura Morgan was halfway through her clinical fellowship in speech-language pathology when a motor vehicle accident left her with a moderate-severe traumatic brain injury, a fractured jaw, and broken C1 and C2 vertebrae. She spent 72 days inpatient, had to retake the Praxis, redo her CF, and fight her way back into the field she'd just entered. Laura shares what she learned about brain injury rehabilitation from the patient's perspective: why your office decorations matter more than you think, how cognitive progress and grief can show up at the same time, what errorless learning looks like in everyday life, and why recognizing a patient's lost coping mechanisms should come before any clinical label. Laura now works at Metro Therapy Center in Gaithersburg, MD and has given over 50 multimedia presentations on her experience as both a provider and a recipient of speech pathology services. Learn more at www.soundmindinsights.com and follow her on Instagram @slp_tbi and @soundmindinsights. See the show page at: https://syppodcast.com/398 The post 398 – From Glasgow Coma Score of 2 to Certified Brain Injury Specialist: An SLPs Journey from Patient to Clinician appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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397 – SLP to SLPD: What the Clinical Doctorate Actually Looks Like from the Inside

On this episode of Swallow Your Pride, we are talking about what SLPD is the SLPD, and who is it actually for? Theresa sits down with four speech-language pathologists who pursued the clinical doctorate while working full time, raising families, and staying deeply rooted in patient care. Dr. Erin McCarthy (D'Youville University / Northwestern), Dr. Irene Brettman (Mass General / MGH Institute), Dr. D'Anna Nowack (Baylor University / Nova Southeastern), and Dr. Courtney V. Moore (Rocky Mountain University) share why they chose the SLPD over the PhD or EdD, what the programs actually cover (hint: way more than you'd expect), and how the degree changed their career trajectories in ways they didn't see coming. They also break down the recent elimination of the CAA's 51% faculty rule and what that means for clinician-educators across the country. Whether you're considering an advanced degree or just curious about what the SLPD brings to the table, this one's worth your time. Visit the show page: https://syppodcast.com/397 The post 397 – SLP to SLPD: What the Clinical Doctorate Actually Looks Like from the Inside appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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396 – From NPO to Full Diet: Why Patients Are Dilating Their Own Esophagus

On this episode, we're joined by a head and neck surgeon and a speech-language pathologist from the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital who have built a self-dilation program that is changing lives for head and neck cancer patients with recurrent esophageal strictures. Their program currently has 20 patients self-dilating, and the outcomes are remarkable: 80% of patients who came in with feeding tubes have had them removed. We talk about how their multidisciplinary clinic model works (surgeon and SLP evaluating patients together, in the same room), how they identify good candidates for self-dilation, what the training process looks like, the role of the infinity balloon in initial dilation, how they navigated the cost barrier of a $3,400 dilator, and patient stories that show what's possible when you keep the esophagus open long enough for therapy to actually work. If you work with head and neck cancer patients dealing with recurrent strictures, this episode is a must-listen. Get the show notes: https://syppodcast.com/396 The post 396 – From NPO to Full Diet: Why Patients Are Dilating Their Own Esophagus appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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395 – When Pureed Food Tastes Better Than Your Dinner: Inside Mama Gourmet’s Mission to Change the Game

On this episode of the Swallow Your Pride podcast, Theresa sits down with Kelly Kalseth, founder and CEO of Momma Gourmet, a company that is changing what pureed meals look and taste like for people with swallowing disorders. Kelly's journey started in 2015 when her son Caleb was born premature at 30 weeks and was later diagnosed with Tracheal Malacia. After navigating thickened liquids, swallow studies, and surgeries as a first-time mom, Kelly saw a massive gap in the food options available to people on modified diets. When she toured a Meals on Wheels kitchen and saw the shelf-stable brown purees being served to clients, she knew she could do better. Today, Momma Gourmet provides chef-crafted, flash-frozen pureed meals made with real ingredients like red beets, cauliflower, lentils, quinoa, and Greek yogurt. Every meal packs at least 28 grams of protein and ships nationwide on dry ice. Kelly talks about the emotional experience of eating, why food presentation matters even on a pureed diet, how she's expanded into halal meal options, and her goal of getting nutritious purees into senior living centers and hospice programs. She also shares a client testimonial from a caregiver whose 99-year-old mother eats every single bite. If you work with patients on modified diets (or love someone who's on one), this episode is going to make you rethink what's possible. Episode Page: https://syppodcast.com/395 🔗 Learn more or set up delivery at https://MommaGourmet.com The post 395 – When Pureed Food Tastes Better Than Your Dinner: Inside Mama Gourmet’s Mission to Change the Game appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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394 – Pressure, Pumps, and the UES:The Case for Pharyngeal Manometry in Clinical Practice

On this episode, Theresa sits down with Dr. Diane Longnecker, Assistant Professor at Baylor University and clinical researcher at Baylor Scott and White, and Jamie Anderson, medical SLP and clinical instructor at the University of South Florida, to talk about something a lot of clinicians have heard of but aren't quite sure what to do with: pharyngeal manometry. Jamie starts with a confession most of us can probably relate to — she rolled her eyes at it when she first heard about it. Now she can't imagine practicing without it. Dr. Longnecker walks us through why she started using it clinically back in 2019, what her very first case taught her about the limits of visual interpretation, and why she no longer sends a patient for UES management without it. They break down what pharyngeal manometry actually tells you that your modified barium swallow study and FEES simply can't, which patients belong in the referral pool, what the barriers to starting a program actually look like (reimbursement, analysis time, catheter placement), and why someone in this field needs to take ownership of the UES. If you've been curious about this tool but didn't know where to start, this conversation is a genuinely helpful place to begin. Get the show notes and references: https://syppodcast.com/394 The post 394 – Pressure, Pumps, and the UES:The Case for Pharyngeal Manometry in Clinical Practice appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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393 – Clinks, Clunks, and Clinical Confidence: Rethinking Cervical Auscultation – Julie Cichero BA, BSpThy(Hons), PhD

On this episode, Theresa sits down with Dr. Julie Cichero, a clinician, researcher, and one of the foremost experts in dysphagia with over 30 years of experience, to talk about something that has had a complicated reputation in our field: cervical auscultation. If you trained in the 90s, you probably learned it. If you trained more recently, you might have been told to ignore it. The truth, as it turns out, is a lot more nuanced than either camp wants to admit. Dr. Cichero breaks down what the evidence actually shows, including sensitivities of around 91% and negative predictive values that should genuinely change how we think about using this tool at the bedside. She explains why it's not really about the "clink and clunk" sounds at all, and why the breathing pattern after the swallow is where the real clinical information lives. She also shares what proper training looks like, how cervical auscultation fits alongside instrumental assessment (not instead of it), and two clinical stories involving pharyngeal pouches that are honestly pretty wild. Get the show notes and references here: https://syppodcast.com/393 The post 393 – Clinks, Clunks, and Clinical Confidence: Rethinking Cervical Auscultation – Julie Cichero BA, BSpThy(Hons), PhD appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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392 – The Surprising Truth About Thickened Liquids: What Patients Really Want with Naturally Nectar

On this episode of Swallow Your Pride, Theresa sits down with Ally Roberts, M.S., CCC-SLP, to talk about dysphagia management, patient-centered care, and the story behind Naturally Nectar. Ally shares what years in acute care, inpatient rehab, and outpatient swallow studies taught her about thickened liquids, clinical nuance, and the importance of listening to what patients actually want. They also get into the process of building a product for people with dysphagia that prioritizes dignity, nutrition, and real-world usability. Get the references here: https://syppodcast.com/392 Website: https://naturallynectar.org The post 392 – The Surprising Truth About Thickened Liquids: What Patients Really Want with Naturally Nectar appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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391 – From Exercise Science to Swallowing Success: A New Approach to Dysphagia Rehabilitation

In this episode, Theresa interviews Dr. Yvette McCoy, Assistant Professor at Moravian University, about her research on the connection between physical performance and swallowing function in older adults. Dr. McCoy discusses her dissertation, which found that upper body power strongly predicts swallowing-related measures, highlighting the value of integrating exercise science principles into dysphagia rehabilitation. The […] The post 391 – From Exercise Science to Swallowing Success: A New Approach to Dysphagia Rehabilitation appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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390 – SLP Billing Changes: Breaking Down the 92507 Proposal

The proposed changes to CPT code 92507 have sparked a lot of discussion across the SLP community. Many clinicians are seeing numbers circulating online and understandably feeling worried about what this might mean for reimbursement and clinical practice. In this episode, Theresa sits down with Lysa Johnson, speech-language pathologist and regulatory compliance expert, to unpack […] The post 390 – SLP Billing Changes: Breaking Down the 92507 Proposal appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

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389 – Respiratory–Swallow Coordination in Parkinson’s: What the Research Actually Shows

In this episode of Swallow Your Pride, Theresa sits down with Dr. Rabab Rangwala, PhD, CCC-SLP, to explore the science behind respiratory–swallow coordination in Parkinson’s disease and what it means for clinical practice. They dive into how breathing patterns can influence swallowing safety, why patients with Parkinson’s may not fully perceive their swallowing impairments, and what recent research reveals about the relationship between patient-reported symptoms and instrumental findings. Dr. Rangwala also shares how her clinical experience shaped her research questions and why instrumental assessment plays a critical role, while still recognizing real-world access barriers. This conversation bridges neuroscience and bedside care, offering practical insights to help medical SLPs strengthen their clinical clarity and better serve individuals with neurologic disease. Get the references and special links to articles mentioned here: https://syppodcast.com/389 Dr. Rabab Rangwala is a speech-language pathologist and postdoctoral scholar at University of California, San Francisco. Her research focuses on the neural and behavioral control of swallowing and speech across healthy and clinical populations. Her work in dysphagia examines respiratory–swallow coordination, and objective assessment of swallowing impairments using wearable sensors, particularly in individuals with Parkinson’s disease and other neurologic conditions. In parallel, she conducts speech neuroscience research using neuroimaging, psychophysics, and computational modeling to understand how the brain supports complex motor behaviors such as speech production. By integrating clinical insight with neuroscience and quantitative methods, Dr. Rangwala’s work seeks to improve our understanding of speech and swallowing disorders, with the goal of informing healthcare delivery, guiding treatment decisions, and ultimately improving patient quality of life. The post 389 – Respiratory–Swallow Coordination in Parkinson’s: What the Research Actually Shows appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.