In a world where effective communication is key to success, the demand for speech therapy has never been greater. Whether you're struggling with a complex patient case or simply wanting to improve your medical speech therapy skillset, speech therapy podcasts can be a valuable resource on your journey toward empowerment and growth.

My top 5 podcasts for medical speech therapists offer a wealth of knowledge and insights from experts in the field of speech pathology and other fields. From improving your medical speech therapy toolbox to enhancing your professional communication skills, these podcasts offer practical strategies to boost your clinical knowledge and foster better team engagement.

With engaging discussions, real-life stories, and expert advice, these podcasts create a supportive and informative space for medical speech therapists seeking to improve their clinical skills and professional development. Whether you prefer to listen during your commute or while exercising, these podcasts allow you to learn and grow at your own pace.

Top speech therapy podcasts for empowering growth and success

In the vast landscape of speech therapy podcasts, a select few stand out as exceptional resources for individuals seeking to improve their communication skills and boost their confidence. These top podcasts offer diverse topics, engaging discussions, and practical tips to empower listeners on their journey toward personal and professional success.

1: Speech Scope: A MedBridge Podcast

Speech Scope is a must-listen for anyone interested in the field of medical speech therapy. Hosted by Sarah Baar, a renowned medical speech-language pathologist and owner of Honeycomb Speech Therapy, this podcast delves into a wide range of topics related to acquired speech, language, and cognitive communication impairments. Speech Scope is a MedBridge podcast that addresses complex clinical questions encountered by medical speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The objective of the podcast is to provide SLPs with a comprehensive understanding of these issues and offer practical insights and solutions.

What sets Speech Scope apart is its focus on practical, evidence-based approaches to assessing and treating speech, language, and cognitive communication impairments for MedSLPs. Sarah and her guest’s deep knowledge of the field, combined with Sarah’s engaging and approachable style, make the content easy to understand and implement. Whether you're a new medical speech therapist looking to improve your clinical skills or a veteran MedSLP looking to add tools to your medical speech therapy toolbox, this podcast offers a wealth of valuable information and guidance.

One of the standout features of Speech Scope is its emphasis on real-life stories and case studies. By sharing the experiences of individuals who have overcome various communication challenges, the host provides listeners with hope and inspiration, demonstrating that progress and success are within reach. The podcast's diverse range of guests further enriches the content and expands the perspectives shared.

2. Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs: A SpeechTherapyPD.com Podcast

Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs, hosted by Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is a captivating exploration of the intersection between communication, personal growth, and professional development. Brainstorms is a speech therapy podcast designed for medical speech-language pathologists (MedSLPs). This innovative podcast merges evidence-based practice with functional tasks for medical speech therapists working with patients with various communication and cognitive-linguistic disorders. It focuses on empowering individuals to find their authentic voice and looks into the root and emotional aspects of effective communication.

What sets Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs apart is its holistic approach to the entire field of medical speech therapy. Rather than solely addressing technical aspects of speech and language, the host encourages listeners to explore the deeper roots of patients' speech therapy-related challenges, such as swallowing, cognitive-communication, the impact of polypharmacy on patients, and much more. Through insightful interviews and thought-provoking discussions, the podcast guides listeners on improving their skills and asking themselves more insightful questions during their assessments and interventions as medical speech pathologists.

One of the standout features of Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs is its emphasis on practical exercises and actionable strategies. The host often provides listeners with specific techniques and tools they can implement to enhance their medical speech therapy toolbox. This hands-on approach empowers listeners to participate in their professional and clinical growth and development actively.

3: Speech Path Pod

Speech Path Pod, hosted by Aidan Osborne, is an amazing podcast for medical speech therapists that covers all things medical speech therapy. It is a podcast about the field of speech pathology, including its clinicians, research, and patients.

What sets Speech Path Pod apart is its diverse set of topics for medical speech therapists, ranging from cognitive communication impairments to voice disorders and dysphagia. The podcast host has a variety of guest speakers in the medical speech therapy field on each episode, including Jonathan Waller from Dysphagia Cafe, Brooke Beilman from TIMS Medical, and Felicia Francois a voice specialist medical speech therapist at USC Voice Center.

One of the standout features of Speech Path Pod is its emphasis on evidence-based practice, clinical experiences, and real-life patient experiences. The host and guests provide listeners with specific case studies and tools to improve their medical speech therapy toolbox and clinical practice. In my opinion, this podcast is a must listen for all medical speech therapists.

4. Neurology Podcast by the American Academy of Neurology

The Neurology® Podcast offers practical information to help neurologists and clinicians deliver the highest quality care. The podcast provides insights that influence clinical practice and improve patient care by reviewing methods and findings from peer-reviewed journals.

What sets The Neurology Podcast apart is that it isn’t specifically designed to target medical speech therapists but clinicians who work in neurological-related fields and neurologists. I recommend this podcast to medical speech therapists wanting to expand their knowledge about topics in the field of neurology and neurological-based conditions. Not every episode may be one that you are interested in, but there are SO MANY episodes that can help build your medical speech therapy skillset. Through insightful interviews and thought-provoking discussions, the podcast guides listeners on a journey of gaining a better understanding of neurology and neurological disorders by listening to interviews with authors of research articles on these weekly podcasts.

5. ReThinking with Adam Grant

ReThinking, hosted by Adam Grant, is a weekly podcast that helps medical speech therapists develop critical thinking skills that can enhance clinical decision-making, empathy, and discussions with colleagues. Adam believes that great minds don't think alike—they challenge each other to think differently. His weekly show explores new thoughts and new ways of thinking.

What sets ReThinking apart is its holistic approach to communication and organizational psychology skills. Rather than solely addressing technical aspects of speech and language, the host encourages listeners to explore the deeper roots of their communication challenges, such as self-confidence, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal dynamics. Through insightful interviews and thought-provoking discussions, the podcast guides listeners on a journey of self-discovery and personal transformation.

ReThinking with Adam Grant features lively discussions and debates with fascinating thinkers, creators, achievers, and leaders, such as Mark Cuban, Brene Brown, John Green, Anne Lamott, and many others! This podcast provides real-life examples of how Adam and his guests implement certain strategies for communication effectiveness, conflict management, and how to think outside of the box for difficult, daily decisions so that we can strive to make better choices collectively as a society.

Round-up:

These podcasts were subjectively chosen by the author of this post, Tracie Bearden, based on listening history and opinion. These podcasts may not be preferred by all medical speech therapists, but I do highly recommend giving a few of them a try by listening to more than one episode!

Remember, the journey toward effective communication, broadening your medical speech therapy skillset, and improving communication amongst peers is an ongoing process. These podcasts are here to guide and support you every step of the way. Embrace the opportunity to unlock your true potential and embark on a transformative path towards greater confidence, connection, and growth.

Disclaimer: I am not endorsed or affiliated with any of the podcasts I have listed above, I am just an avid listener.