I’ve been designing and writing for SLPs since 2013. And yet, for the last several years, I felt like I was having an identity crisis. Two things happened in 2023 that helped me find my place and inspired me to start (somewhat) fresh with The Calm SLP.

First, I transitioned from my job at brick-and-mortar schools to the teletherapy setting. For the first time in nine years, I experienced a sense of calm as an SLP. I had more control over my schedule, more control over my physical space, and more control over how many cups of tea I could drink throughout the day (the most important thing).

Then, I took a new teletherapy job serving not only middle and high school students but also college-age students participating in a transitional program at their local college. This happened just as my two youngest siblings entered their senior year of high school and transitioned from community college to university. I became even more aware of the language and executive functioning skills needed for students to wade through high school and college—not just for making good grades or making friends but for navigating an ever-changing world.

After a few years of feeling out of place in the speech therapy world, I believed there was a space for me. I wanted to help not only SLPs actively working with older student populations but also help prepare future SLPs for middle and high school placements.

And even more, I wanted to offer support directly to individuals with language and executive functioning deficits.

I didn’t want to approach this only as an SLP. I wanted to approach it as a mentor: for SLPs, SLPs in training, and neurodivergent students and young adults.

And thus, the Communication and Language Mentor was born.