Inside SLP Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/inside-slp Inside SLP is a limited series podcast that reveals how our profession came to be and why it functions the way it does. Most clinicians work inside a system they were never taught to see, shaped by decades of history, policy, economics, and unspoken assumptions. This show offers lightbulb moments that bring clarity to the structures beneath our everyday work and opens space for thoughtful, grounded understanding of the field we share. © 2025 Megan Berg cb2d8254-de4a-5b05-b2ee-91792ad9c4a9 yes Megan Berg, SLP Inside SLP Trailer en Tue, 13 Jan 2026 17:55:53 -0700 Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:16:45 -0700 https://therapyinsights.com/insideslp/ https://img.transistorcdn.com/IBQ5I6a5K8JsIVoZ_e___sutuHmI4bDDiXCNMqnGiME/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81YzE4/YzFiYTRlNGVjNTZj/ODA1MzIwOTg5Y2Q0/YWNjOS5qcGc.jpg Inside SLP https://therapyinsights.com/insideslp/ serial Megan Berg Inside SLP is a limited series podcast that reveals how our profession came to be and why it functions the way it does. Most clinicians work inside a system they were never taught to see, shaped by decades of history, policy, economics, and unspoken assumptions. This show offers lightbulb moments that bring clarity to the structures beneath our everyday work and opens space for thoughtful, grounded understanding of the field we share. Inside SLP is a limited series podcast that reveals how our profession came to be and why it functions the way it does. SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy Megan Berg megan@therapyinsights.com No No 01: START HERE: The Summer I Failed the Test 1 1 01: START HERE: The Summer I Failed the Test full 2241fa50-23a2-491c-ab47-5b3199576ddd https://share.transistor.fm/s/022d3ea1 In 2015, a paperwork mistake and a failed jurisprudence exam left me living in a tent in Montana and questioning everything I thought I knew about becoming a speech-language pathologist. This episode tells the story of my first encounter with the profession’s hidden architecture and how that experience opened a decade-long journey of trying to understand the system we all work inside of.

]]> In 2015, a paperwork mistake and a failed jurisprudence exam left me living in a tent in Montana and questioning everything I thought I knew about becoming a speech-language pathologist. This episode tells the story of my first encounter with the profession’s hidden architecture and how that experience opened a decade-long journey of trying to understand the system we all work inside of.

]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2025 20:05:16 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 681 In 2015, a paperwork mistake and a failed jurisprudence exam left me living in a tent in Montana and questioning everything I thought I knew about becoming a speech-language pathologist. This episode tells the story of my first encounter with the profession’s hidden architecture and how that experience opened a decade-long journey of trying to understand the system we all work inside of.

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No 02: Fixing vs. Contemplating 2 2 02: Fixing vs. Contemplating full 15663efa-160c-4233-96bd-2fe4bb0cf202 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8fd4889a In this episode, I talk about the pull of certainty and how reassuring it can feel to believe there are clear answers, fixed structures, and someone who has it all figured out.


We explore how professional cultures reward confidence over curiosity, how uncertainty often gets smoothed over rather than examined, and why so many clinicians sense something doesn’t quite line up but struggle to name it.

Special thank you to Dr. Angela Louvenbrouk (former President of the American Academy of Audiology, ASHA Fellow, former ASHA board member, and recipient of Honors of the Academy—AAA’s highest award—2019) for being a primary source for this podcast series.

]]> In this episode, I talk about the pull of certainty and how reassuring it can feel to believe there are clear answers, fixed structures, and someone who has it all figured out.


We explore how professional cultures reward confidence over curiosity, how uncertainty often gets smoothed over rather than examined, and why so many clinicians sense something doesn’t quite line up but struggle to name it.

Special thank you to Dr. Angela Louvenbrouk (former President of the American Academy of Audiology, ASHA Fellow, former ASHA board member, and recipient of Honors of the Academy—AAA’s highest award—2019) for being a primary source for this podcast series.

]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:37:36 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 606 In this episode, I talk about the pull of certainty and how reassuring it can feel to believe there are clear answers, fixed structures, and someone who has it all figured out.


We explore how professional cultures reward confidence over curiosity, how uncertainty often gets smoothed over rather than examined, and why so many clinicians sense something doesn’t quite line up but struggle to name it.

Special thank you to Dr. Angela Louvenbrouk (former President of the American Academy of Audiology, ASHA Fellow, former ASHA board member, and recipient of Honors of the Academy—AAA’s highest award—2019) for being a primary source for this podcast series.

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No 03: How the CCC Came to Be 3 3 03: How the CCC Came to Be full 6527f99e-fa61-4a84-83e0-d8d9d4c81848 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8fd59897 Every system has an origin story. In Episode 3, we step back in time to examine how the CCC was created, what problems it was meant to solve, and why it once made sense. This episode traces the early structure of certification in speech-language pathology and follows how its meaning and function evolved as the profession expanded, state licensure emerged, and training pathways shifted. Rather than asking whether the CCC is “good” or “bad,” this episode asks a quieter question: What happens when a solution outlives the moment it was built for?

Sources:
Duchan, J. F., & Hewitt, L. E. (2023). How the charter members of ASHA responded to the social and political circumstances of their time. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(3), 1037-1049.

Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

]]> Every system has an origin story. In Episode 3, we step back in time to examine how the CCC was created, what problems it was meant to solve, and why it once made sense. This episode traces the early structure of certification in speech-language pathology and follows how its meaning and function evolved as the profession expanded, state licensure emerged, and training pathways shifted. Rather than asking whether the CCC is “good” or “bad,” this episode asks a quieter question: What happens when a solution outlives the moment it was built for?

Sources:
Duchan, J. F., & Hewitt, L. E. (2023). How the charter members of ASHA responded to the social and political circumstances of their time. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(3), 1037-1049.

Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:48:34 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 607 Every system has an origin story. In Episode 3, we step back in time to examine how the CCC was created, what problems it was meant to solve, and why it once made sense. This episode traces the early structure of certification in speech-language pathology and follows how its meaning and function evolved as the profession expanded, state licensure emerged, and training pathways shifted. Rather than asking whether the CCC is “good” or “bad,” this episode asks a quieter question: What happens when a solution outlives the moment it was built for?

Sources:
Duchan, J. F., & Hewitt, L. E. (2023). How the charter members of ASHA responded to the social and political circumstances of their time. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(3), 1037-1049.

Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No 04: It’s 1969 in Florida 4 4 04: It’s 1969 in Florida full d6f59621-036f-4dc1-9027-30396963d416 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4f2f8290 In 1969, Florida became the first state to license speech-language pathologists and audiologists, which reshaped the entire profession. But the fight for licensure started years earlier, fueled by fraud, unqualified practitioners, and the dawning realization that ASHA had no legal authority to protect the public or the profession. This episode dives into the drama, resistance, and grassroots organizing that led clinicians in Florida to say: “If we don’t regulate ourselves, someone else will.”

Sources:

Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.


]]> In 1969, Florida became the first state to license speech-language pathologists and audiologists, which reshaped the entire profession. But the fight for licensure started years earlier, fueled by fraud, unqualified practitioners, and the dawning realization that ASHA had no legal authority to protect the public or the profession. This episode dives into the drama, resistance, and grassroots organizing that led clinicians in Florida to say: “If we don’t regulate ourselves, someone else will.”

Sources:

Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.


]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:04:11 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 549 In 1969, Florida became the first state to license speech-language pathologists and audiologists, which reshaped the entire profession. But the fight for licensure started years earlier, fueled by fraud, unqualified practitioners, and the dawning realization that ASHA had no legal authority to protect the public or the profession. This episode dives into the drama, resistance, and grassroots organizing that led clinicians in Florida to say: “If we don’t regulate ourselves, someone else will.”

Sources:

Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.


]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Inside SLP Trailer Inside SLP Trailer trailer 8b92b915-6eaa-47d5-8947-0c57de12ff59 https://share.transistor.fm/s/9bef1260 Inside SLP is a short, weekly podcast about the systems that shape speech-language pathology.


In ten minutes at a time, we explore how training, credentialing, licensure, and professional power came to look the way they do—and why so much of this structure remains unseen in day-to-day practice.


This isn’t a podcast about outrage or quick fixes.
It’s a slower, more reflective look at a complex profession we all work inside.


Each episode offers an idea to sit with. Something that adds context, surfaces tension, or helps the system come into focus.

The episodes build on one another, so if you’re new, I recommend starting with Episode 1.

I’m Megan Berg, and this is Inside SLP.

]]> Inside SLP is a short, weekly podcast about the systems that shape speech-language pathology.


In ten minutes at a time, we explore how training, credentialing, licensure, and professional power came to look the way they do—and why so much of this structure remains unseen in day-to-day practice.


This isn’t a podcast about outrage or quick fixes.
It’s a slower, more reflective look at a complex profession we all work inside.


Each episode offers an idea to sit with. Something that adds context, surfaces tension, or helps the system come into focus.

The episodes build on one another, so if you’re new, I recommend starting with Episode 1.

I’m Megan Berg, and this is Inside SLP.

]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2025 18:02:26 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 49 Inside SLP is a short, weekly podcast about the systems that shape speech-language pathology.


In ten minutes at a time, we explore how training, credentialing, licensure, and professional power came to look the way they do—and why so much of this structure remains unseen in day-to-day practice.


This isn’t a podcast about outrage or quick fixes.
It’s a slower, more reflective look at a complex profession we all work inside.


Each episode offers an idea to sit with. Something that adds context, surfaces tension, or helps the system come into focus.

The episodes build on one another, so if you’re new, I recommend starting with Episode 1.

I’m Megan Berg, and this is Inside SLP.

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Before you continue... Before you continue... bonus f77c2f2f-4de6-4efa-ac36-e1746f7fed28 https://share.transistor.fm/s/53815a39 A short note from Megan.

]]> A short note from Megan.

]]> Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 206 A short note from Megan.

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 05: The Patchwork Profession 5 5 05: The Patchwork Profession full 49a6a084-ba9d-4e57-970d-535524879348 https://share.transistor.fm/s/711de761 Across the United States, speech-language pathology licensure looks wildly different from state to state. It's a patchwork of rules shaped not by a single national authority but by thousands of individual decisions over decades. This episode traces how school systems, state agencies, and clinician-run boards created a maze of inconsistent standards. And it reveals the surprising truth at the center of it all: The people regulating SLPs… are SLPs.

Sources:


]]> Across the United States, speech-language pathology licensure looks wildly different from state to state. It's a patchwork of rules shaped not by a single national authority but by thousands of individual decisions over decades. This episode traces how school systems, state agencies, and clinician-run boards created a maze of inconsistent standards. And it reveals the surprising truth at the center of it all: The people regulating SLPs… are SLPs.

Sources:


]]> Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:01:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 731 Across the United States, speech-language pathology licensure looks wildly different from state to state. It's a patchwork of rules shaped not by a single national authority but by thousands of individual decisions over decades. This episode traces how school systems, state agencies, and clinician-run boards created a maze of inconsistent standards. And it reveals the surprising truth at the center of it all: The people regulating SLPs… are SLPs.

Sources:


]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No 06: A Training Model Unlike Any Other 6 6 06: A Training Model Unlike Any Other full 1595bd17-7f7f-4c71-b57a-39e6cade4576 https://share.transistor.fm/s/37fd7891 SLP is the only allied health or education-adjacent profession that completes most of its clinical training after the degree. This episode unpacks how unusual that structure is and how it shapes hiring, supervision, billing, and professional identity. We explore why it affects nearly every tension we feel in the field today.

]]> SLP is the only allied health or education-adjacent profession that completes most of its clinical training after the degree. This episode unpacks how unusual that structure is and how it shapes hiring, supervision, billing, and professional identity. We explore why it affects nearly every tension we feel in the field today.

]]> Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:02:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 789 SLP is the only allied health or education-adjacent profession that completes most of its clinical training after the degree. This episode unpacks how unusual that structure is and how it shapes hiring, supervision, billing, and professional identity. We explore why it affects nearly every tension we feel in the field today.

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No 07: Why the Degree Never Changed 7 7 07: Why the Degree Never Changed full fd270202-f4ab-4937-94a9-f09fe400e760 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8908da61 Why has the speech-language pathology entry-level degree remained unchanged for over 70 years while the medical world evolved around it? This episode excavates the critical turning points of 1963 and 1983, where the profession repeatedly chose academic purity and economic convenience over clinical readiness. 


We dive into the 2020 Ad Hoc Committee Report, a document that effectively pulled the fire alarm on our current training model.

We also cover:

  • The Highland Park standoff: Why 1960s leaders feared a vocational degree and institutionalized the workaround we now call the Clinical Fellowship. 
  • The 1983 economic pivot: How the profession crunched the numbers and chose a model that favored immediate paychecks over university-owned clinical residencies. 
  • The modern crisis: Why 47% of modern graduate programs admit they may not have the capacity to teach the full scope of practice across the lifespan. 
  • The subtext of survival: A look at the faculty deserts and the hidden revenue needs that keep our accrediting systems anchored to a 1960s architecture. 

This episode is about policy and also about removing the shame of the training gap by seeing it as a documented structural failure rather than a personal one.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Final Report, Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Education for Speech-Language Pathologists, March 2020
  • Graduate Education in Speech Pathology and Audiology: Report of a National Conference Highland Park, Illinois, April 29 Through May 3, 1963.
  • National Conference on Undergraduate, Graduate, and Continuing Education (1983 : Saint Paul, Minn.); Rees, Norma S.; Snope, Trudy L.
]]> Why has the speech-language pathology entry-level degree remained unchanged for over 70 years while the medical world evolved around it? This episode excavates the critical turning points of 1963 and 1983, where the profession repeatedly chose academic purity and economic convenience over clinical readiness. 


We dive into the 2020 Ad Hoc Committee Report, a document that effectively pulled the fire alarm on our current training model.

We also cover:

  • The Highland Park standoff: Why 1960s leaders feared a vocational degree and institutionalized the workaround we now call the Clinical Fellowship. 
  • The 1983 economic pivot: How the profession crunched the numbers and chose a model that favored immediate paychecks over university-owned clinical residencies. 
  • The modern crisis: Why 47% of modern graduate programs admit they may not have the capacity to teach the full scope of practice across the lifespan. 
  • The subtext of survival: A look at the faculty deserts and the hidden revenue needs that keep our accrediting systems anchored to a 1960s architecture. 

This episode is about policy and also about removing the shame of the training gap by seeing it as a documented structural failure rather than a personal one.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Final Report, Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Education for Speech-Language Pathologists, March 2020
  • Graduate Education in Speech Pathology and Audiology: Report of a National Conference Highland Park, Illinois, April 29 Through May 3, 1963.
  • National Conference on Undergraduate, Graduate, and Continuing Education (1983 : Saint Paul, Minn.); Rees, Norma S.; Snope, Trudy L.
]]> Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:03:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 620 Why has the speech-language pathology entry-level degree remained unchanged for over 70 years while the medical world evolved around it? This episode excavates the critical turning points of 1963 and 1983, where the profession repeatedly chose academic purity and economic convenience over clinical readiness. 


We dive into the 2020 Ad Hoc Committee Report, a document that effectively pulled the fire alarm on our current training model.

We also cover:

  • The Highland Park standoff: Why 1960s leaders feared a vocational degree and institutionalized the workaround we now call the Clinical Fellowship. 
  • The 1983 economic pivot: How the profession crunched the numbers and chose a model that favored immediate paychecks over university-owned clinical residencies. 
  • The modern crisis: Why 47% of modern graduate programs admit they may not have the capacity to teach the full scope of practice across the lifespan. 
  • The subtext of survival: A look at the faculty deserts and the hidden revenue needs that keep our accrediting systems anchored to a 1960s architecture. 

This episode is about policy and also about removing the shame of the training gap by seeing it as a documented structural failure rather than a personal one.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Final Report, Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Education for Speech-Language Pathologists, March 2020
  • Graduate Education in Speech Pathology and Audiology: Report of a National Conference Highland Park, Illinois, April 29 Through May 3, 1963.
  • National Conference on Undergraduate, Graduate, and Continuing Education (1983 : Saint Paul, Minn.); Rees, Norma S.; Snope, Trudy L.
]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 08: The Under-Built House 8 8 08: The Under-Built House full 4d3559e0-e852-4f04-af72-11080d5d7c53 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ba2d5c86 Are you failing, or is the system failing you? This episode explores the psychological and political costs of an under-built profession. Using the 2020 ASHA Ad Hoc Report, we look at how a lack of a unified competency framework leads to arbitrary power dynamics and gratitude compliance. We also discuss the looming generational shift in state associations and the danger of leaving a vacuum of power that insurance lobbyists and competing disciplines are eager to fill.

  • Subjective gatekeeping: Why competence feels like a personal judgment without objective rubrics.
  • The certainty market: How structural gaps in grad school created an influencer economy that sells confidence as a product.
  • The power vacuum: Why the decline in professional volunteering is a threat to our scope of practice.

This is an invitation to stop personalizing the friction and start seeing the architecture.

Sources:

]]> Are you failing, or is the system failing you? This episode explores the psychological and political costs of an under-built profession. Using the 2020 ASHA Ad Hoc Report, we look at how a lack of a unified competency framework leads to arbitrary power dynamics and gratitude compliance. We also discuss the looming generational shift in state associations and the danger of leaving a vacuum of power that insurance lobbyists and competing disciplines are eager to fill.

  • Subjective gatekeeping: Why competence feels like a personal judgment without objective rubrics.
  • The certainty market: How structural gaps in grad school created an influencer economy that sells confidence as a product.
  • The power vacuum: Why the decline in professional volunteering is a threat to our scope of practice.

This is an invitation to stop personalizing the friction and start seeing the architecture.

Sources:

]]> Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:04:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 599 Are you failing, or is the system failing you? This episode explores the psychological and political costs of an under-built profession. Using the 2020 ASHA Ad Hoc Report, we look at how a lack of a unified competency framework leads to arbitrary power dynamics and gratitude compliance. We also discuss the looming generational shift in state associations and the danger of leaving a vacuum of power that insurance lobbyists and competing disciplines are eager to fill.

  • Subjective gatekeeping: Why competence feels like a personal judgment without objective rubrics.
  • The certainty market: How structural gaps in grad school created an influencer economy that sells confidence as a product.
  • The power vacuum: Why the decline in professional volunteering is a threat to our scope of practice.

This is an invitation to stop personalizing the friction and start seeing the architecture.

Sources:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 09: Audiology Pivots Away 9 9 09: Audiology Pivots Away full c1ee4e45-e0e8-4466-adcc-7b7da7ac7640 https://share.transistor.fm/s/41fec840 Audiology and SLP share a common history, but they did not share the same future. This episode traces the critical divorce of the 1980s, starting with a 1987 convention session in New Orleans that changed everything. We look at how audiologists identified the "Competency vs. Certification" trap and decided to rebuild their professional infrastructure from the ground up.

  • The New Orleans spark: How a minority group within ASHA realized they would never achieve autonomy inside the existing majority.
  • Competence vs. revenue: Why audiology had to separate from a "certification-first" model to create the AuD.
  • The 2020 mirror: How the same "bursting seams" found in audiology 30 years ago are now documented facts in the SLP master's degree.

This is a story about system literacy in action.

Sources:

Special thank you to Dr. Ian Windmill (former President and Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, former Professor and Director of the Division of Communication Science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and former partner in University Surgical Associates) for being a primary source for this podcast series.


The Crabby Audiologist Column (published in Hearing Health and Technology Matters)

]]> Audiology and SLP share a common history, but they did not share the same future. This episode traces the critical divorce of the 1980s, starting with a 1987 convention session in New Orleans that changed everything. We look at how audiologists identified the "Competency vs. Certification" trap and decided to rebuild their professional infrastructure from the ground up.

  • The New Orleans spark: How a minority group within ASHA realized they would never achieve autonomy inside the existing majority.
  • Competence vs. revenue: Why audiology had to separate from a "certification-first" model to create the AuD.
  • The 2020 mirror: How the same "bursting seams" found in audiology 30 years ago are now documented facts in the SLP master's degree.

This is a story about system literacy in action.

Sources:

Special thank you to Dr. Ian Windmill (former President and Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, former Professor and Director of the Division of Communication Science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and former partner in University Surgical Associates) for being a primary source for this podcast series.


The Crabby Audiologist Column (published in Hearing Health and Technology Matters)

]]> Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:05:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 756 Audiology and SLP share a common history, but they did not share the same future. This episode traces the critical divorce of the 1980s, starting with a 1987 convention session in New Orleans that changed everything. We look at how audiologists identified the "Competency vs. Certification" trap and decided to rebuild their professional infrastructure from the ground up.

  • The New Orleans spark: How a minority group within ASHA realized they would never achieve autonomy inside the existing majority.
  • Competence vs. revenue: Why audiology had to separate from a "certification-first" model to create the AuD.
  • The 2020 mirror: How the same "bursting seams" found in audiology 30 years ago are now documented facts in the SLP master's degree.

This is a story about system literacy in action.

Sources:

Special thank you to Dr. Ian Windmill (former President and Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, former Professor and Director of the Division of Communication Science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and former partner in University Surgical Associates) for being a primary source for this podcast series.


The Crabby Audiologist Column (published in Hearing Health and Technology Matters)

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 10: Who Actually Holds the Pen? 10 10 10: Who Actually Holds the Pen? full 9828fcb4-cbd0-4de8-adc9-25948b13fcf4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/60994438 Welcome to Systems Literacy 101. In this episode, we step out of the social media noise and into the architecture of speech-language pathology, tracing how authority moves from accreditation to certification to licensure, and where responsibility begins and ends.

We explore:

  • Why accreditation (CAA) and certification (CFCC) were legally required to separate (and what that changed).
  • How ASHA’s leadership structure evolved, including why academic representation dominates and why executive stability is often cited as exceptional.
  • Why state licensing boards (not national associations) hold the only enforceable regulatory power.
  • How the interstate compact is stress-testing existing structures and quietly embedding national standards into state law.

Sources:

Connect:


]]> Welcome to Systems Literacy 101. In this episode, we step out of the social media noise and into the architecture of speech-language pathology, tracing how authority moves from accreditation to certification to licensure, and where responsibility begins and ends.

We explore:

  • Why accreditation (CAA) and certification (CFCC) were legally required to separate (and what that changed).
  • How ASHA’s leadership structure evolved, including why academic representation dominates and why executive stability is often cited as exceptional.
  • Why state licensing boards (not national associations) hold the only enforceable regulatory power.
  • How the interstate compact is stress-testing existing structures and quietly embedding national standards into state law.

Sources:

Connect:


]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:01:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 1155 Welcome to Systems Literacy 101. In this episode, we step out of the social media noise and into the architecture of speech-language pathology, tracing how authority moves from accreditation to certification to licensure, and where responsibility begins and ends.

We explore:

  • Why accreditation (CAA) and certification (CFCC) were legally required to separate (and what that changed).
  • How ASHA’s leadership structure evolved, including why academic representation dominates and why executive stability is often cited as exceptional.
  • Why state licensing boards (not national associations) hold the only enforceable regulatory power.
  • How the interstate compact is stress-testing existing structures and quietly embedding national standards into state law.

Sources:

Connect:


]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 11: There Was Money Around 11 11 11: There Was Money Around full ad1b236e-ee5d-4b14-a764-2e868406c765 https://share.transistor.fm/s/3d750fec In the early 1960s, SLP leaders described trips to Capitol Hill as terrifying, migraine-inducing encounters with a world they didn’t yet understand. A few decades later, the profession had built enough political infrastructure to partner with McDonald’s and influence federal definitions of disability.

This episode traces how speech-language pathology moved from academic outsider to institutional insider and what was gained, lost, and locked into place along the way.

We explore:

  • How federal rehabilitation funding after WWII and Vietnam reshaped who counted as a “qualified provider.”
  • The quiet fight to keep language from being absorbed into the definition of Specific Learning Disability and why that boundary still causes friction today.
  • How the CCC shifted from a professional marker to a billable requirement in Medicare and Medicaid.
  • What it actually takes, organizationally, to put accessibility tools into 8,700 restaurants nationwide.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Connect:

]]> In the early 1960s, SLP leaders described trips to Capitol Hill as terrifying, migraine-inducing encounters with a world they didn’t yet understand. A few decades later, the profession had built enough political infrastructure to partner with McDonald’s and influence federal definitions of disability.

This episode traces how speech-language pathology moved from academic outsider to institutional insider and what was gained, lost, and locked into place along the way.

We explore:

  • How federal rehabilitation funding after WWII and Vietnam reshaped who counted as a “qualified provider.”
  • The quiet fight to keep language from being absorbed into the definition of Specific Learning Disability and why that boundary still causes friction today.
  • How the CCC shifted from a professional marker to a billable requirement in Medicare and Medicaid.
  • What it actually takes, organizationally, to put accessibility tools into 8,700 restaurants nationwide.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Connect:

]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:02:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 769 In the early 1960s, SLP leaders described trips to Capitol Hill as terrifying, migraine-inducing encounters with a world they didn’t yet understand. A few decades later, the profession had built enough political infrastructure to partner with McDonald’s and influence federal definitions of disability.

This episode traces how speech-language pathology moved from academic outsider to institutional insider and what was gained, lost, and locked into place along the way.

We explore:

  • How federal rehabilitation funding after WWII and Vietnam reshaped who counted as a “qualified provider.”
  • The quiet fight to keep language from being absorbed into the definition of Specific Learning Disability and why that boundary still causes friction today.
  • How the CCC shifted from a professional marker to a billable requirement in Medicare and Medicaid.
  • What it actually takes, organizationally, to put accessibility tools into 8,700 restaurants nationwide.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 12: What ASHA Can’t Legally Do 12 12 12: What ASHA Can’t Legally Do full 8f033a71-2e8a-4477-b5b8-7fae0cb9908f https://share.transistor.fm/s/6d6491c3 In moments of professional frustration, it’s easy to confuse visibility with authority and to assume that the loudest voice is also the one holding the gavel. This episode looks beneath that assumption, tracing the legal boundaries that shape what a national association can (and cannot) actually do.

We explore:

  • The HOA analogy: Why ASHA operates as a private association, not a regulatory body and why it doesn’t have enforcement power over employers.
  • The tying intervention: How the U.S. Department of Education forced a separation between accreditation and certification.
  • The jurisdiction map: Where different kinds of power actually live, from state legislatures to licensing boards to universities.
  • Fiduciary duty: How the law directs boards to protect institutional continuity, even under intense professional pressure.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> In moments of professional frustration, it’s easy to confuse visibility with authority and to assume that the loudest voice is also the one holding the gavel. This episode looks beneath that assumption, tracing the legal boundaries that shape what a national association can (and cannot) actually do.

We explore:

  • The HOA analogy: Why ASHA operates as a private association, not a regulatory body and why it doesn’t have enforcement power over employers.
  • The tying intervention: How the U.S. Department of Education forced a separation between accreditation and certification.
  • The jurisdiction map: Where different kinds of power actually live, from state legislatures to licensing boards to universities.
  • Fiduciary duty: How the law directs boards to protect institutional continuity, even under intense professional pressure.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:03:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 1043 In moments of professional frustration, it’s easy to confuse visibility with authority and to assume that the loudest voice is also the one holding the gavel. This episode looks beneath that assumption, tracing the legal boundaries that shape what a national association can (and cannot) actually do.

We explore:

  • The HOA analogy: Why ASHA operates as a private association, not a regulatory body and why it doesn’t have enforcement power over employers.
  • The tying intervention: How the U.S. Department of Education forced a separation between accreditation and certification.
  • The jurisdiction map: Where different kinds of power actually live, from state legislatures to licensing boards to universities.
  • Fiduciary duty: How the law directs boards to protect institutional continuity, even under intense professional pressure.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 13: Following the Money Without Losing the Plot 13 13 13: Following the Money Without Losing the Plot full 373c1fb5-10c1-492b-b6ca-cca434951e36 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c3bc2771 When we ask why change inside SLP feels so difficult, we often look to policy debates or leadership decisions. This episode looks instead at the financial architecture underneath it all and why long-term obligations shape what an institution can realistically risk.


To understand ASHA’s caution, we examine the scale of the organization and the financial commitments that anchor it in place.


We explore:

  • The 5-to-1 gap: What ASHA’s financial scale looks like compared to the American Occupational Therapy Association.
  • Long-term commitments: How maintaining a defined benefit pension plan created enduring revenue requirements.
  • Exit costs: Why unwinding decades-old obligations isn’t as simple as restructuring fees or programs.

Sources:

Connect:


]]> When we ask why change inside SLP feels so difficult, we often look to policy debates or leadership decisions. This episode looks instead at the financial architecture underneath it all and why long-term obligations shape what an institution can realistically risk.


To understand ASHA’s caution, we examine the scale of the organization and the financial commitments that anchor it in place.


We explore:

  • The 5-to-1 gap: What ASHA’s financial scale looks like compared to the American Occupational Therapy Association.
  • Long-term commitments: How maintaining a defined benefit pension plan created enduring revenue requirements.
  • Exit costs: Why unwinding decades-old obligations isn’t as simple as restructuring fees or programs.

Sources:

Connect:


]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:04:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 889 When we ask why change inside SLP feels so difficult, we often look to policy debates or leadership decisions. This episode looks instead at the financial architecture underneath it all and why long-term obligations shape what an institution can realistically risk.


To understand ASHA’s caution, we examine the scale of the organization and the financial commitments that anchor it in place.


We explore:

  • The 5-to-1 gap: What ASHA’s financial scale looks like compared to the American Occupational Therapy Association.
  • Long-term commitments: How maintaining a defined benefit pension plan created enduring revenue requirements.
  • Exit costs: Why unwinding decades-old obligations isn’t as simple as restructuring fees or programs.

Sources:

Connect:


]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 14: Before the CCC Meant Anything 14 14 14: Before the CCC Meant Anything full fab74f42-73d2-4892-8663-b0b65ebac402 https://share.transistor.fm/s/cdb9e840 In the 1940s, the idea that a private organization could define professional eligibility was so controversial it sparked accusations of communism. This episode traces the early decades of the CCC, when certification was fragile, contested, and anything but inevitable. We follow how it gradually became the central organizing force of the profession.

We explore:

  • The ivory tower era: Why ASHA’s early focus on academic legitimacy left frontline clinicians largely unsupported.
  • The “advanced” shift: The human consequences of consolidating certification standards in pursuit of medical recognition.
  • The dining room committees: How certification functioned before modern infrastructure and what that reveals about scale and control.
  • The stamp effect: How the CCC came to serve as a proxy for consistency in an uneven training landscape.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Duchan, J. F., & Hewitt, L. E. (2023). How the charter members of ASHA responded to the social and political circumstances of their time. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(3), 1037-1049.

Connect:

]]> In the 1940s, the idea that a private organization could define professional eligibility was so controversial it sparked accusations of communism. This episode traces the early decades of the CCC, when certification was fragile, contested, and anything but inevitable. We follow how it gradually became the central organizing force of the profession.

We explore:

  • The ivory tower era: Why ASHA’s early focus on academic legitimacy left frontline clinicians largely unsupported.
  • The “advanced” shift: The human consequences of consolidating certification standards in pursuit of medical recognition.
  • The dining room committees: How certification functioned before modern infrastructure and what that reveals about scale and control.
  • The stamp effect: How the CCC came to serve as a proxy for consistency in an uneven training landscape.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Duchan, J. F., & Hewitt, L. E. (2023). How the charter members of ASHA responded to the social and political circumstances of their time. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(3), 1037-1049.

Connect:

]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:05:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 862 In the 1940s, the idea that a private organization could define professional eligibility was so controversial it sparked accusations of communism. This episode traces the early decades of the CCC, when certification was fragile, contested, and anything but inevitable. We follow how it gradually became the central organizing force of the profession.

We explore:

  • The ivory tower era: Why ASHA’s early focus on academic legitimacy left frontline clinicians largely unsupported.
  • The “advanced” shift: The human consequences of consolidating certification standards in pursuit of medical recognition.
  • The dining room committees: How certification functioned before modern infrastructure and what that reveals about scale and control.
  • The stamp effect: How the CCC came to serve as a proxy for consistency in an uneven training landscape.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Duchan, J. F., & Hewitt, L. E. (2023). How the charter members of ASHA responded to the social and political circumstances of their time. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(3), 1037-1049.

Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 15: Bogus, But Not Like That 15 15 15: Bogus, But Not Like That full e4be61c7-968e-472f-a02c-f02f2d511f79 https://share.transistor.fm/s/54ef647c How did ASHA come to link membership and certification? And what happened when that structure was challenged? In the 1970s, one SLP brought that question into federal court. While Bogus v. ASHA didn’t end with a dramatic verdict, it quietly reshaped the professional architecture we still live inside today.


We explore:

  • The tying logic: Why the court viewed the CCC as a unique form of economic influence, even when labeled “optional.
  • The quiet settlement: How the case unfolded largely out of public view, including within ASHA’s own leadership.
  • Member vs. certificate holder: How the center of gravity shifted from association to credential over time.
  • The price of friction: Why the narrow gap between member and non-member options reflects institutional risk management, not indifference.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> How did ASHA come to link membership and certification? And what happened when that structure was challenged? In the 1970s, one SLP brought that question into federal court. While Bogus v. ASHA didn’t end with a dramatic verdict, it quietly reshaped the professional architecture we still live inside today.


We explore:

  • The tying logic: Why the court viewed the CCC as a unique form of economic influence, even when labeled “optional.
  • The quiet settlement: How the case unfolded largely out of public view, including within ASHA’s own leadership.
  • Member vs. certificate holder: How the center of gravity shifted from association to credential over time.
  • The price of friction: Why the narrow gap between member and non-member options reflects institutional risk management, not indifference.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:06:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 1068 How did ASHA come to link membership and certification? And what happened when that structure was challenged? In the 1970s, one SLP brought that question into federal court. While Bogus v. ASHA didn’t end with a dramatic verdict, it quietly reshaped the professional architecture we still live inside today.


We explore:

  • The tying logic: Why the court viewed the CCC as a unique form of economic influence, even when labeled “optional.
  • The quiet settlement: How the case unfolded largely out of public view, including within ASHA’s own leadership.
  • Member vs. certificate holder: How the center of gravity shifted from association to credential over time.
  • The price of friction: Why the narrow gap between member and non-member options reflects institutional risk management, not indifference.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 16: Optional Membership Is the Point 16 16 16: Optional Membership Is the Point full 01f3f68c-5a9c-49a8-b34f-7c1ea80e1692 https://share.transistor.fm/s/455704fc Many SLPs experience ASHA membership as essential to survival even when, structurally, it is designed to be optional. This episode examines why that tension exists, and what it reveals about how professions stay healthy as they grow.


Rather than framing optional membership as a threat, we look at how it functions as a stabilizing feature in mature professional systems and why the fear of “splintering” often signals growth, not collapse.

We explore:

  • The rootbound analogy: How a structure built for a smaller profession can start to constrain adaptation.
  • Exit and voice: Why meaningful participation depends on the possibility of choice.
  • The 96% signal: What ASHA’s own internal report reveals about shared concern and institutional inertia.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> Many SLPs experience ASHA membership as essential to survival even when, structurally, it is designed to be optional. This episode examines why that tension exists, and what it reveals about how professions stay healthy as they grow.


Rather than framing optional membership as a threat, we look at how it functions as a stabilizing feature in mature professional systems and why the fear of “splintering” often signals growth, not collapse.

We explore:

  • The rootbound analogy: How a structure built for a smaller profession can start to constrain adaptation.
  • Exit and voice: Why meaningful participation depends on the possibility of choice.
  • The 96% signal: What ASHA’s own internal report reveals about shared concern and institutional inertia.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 952 Many SLPs experience ASHA membership as essential to survival even when, structurally, it is designed to be optional. This episode examines why that tension exists, and what it reveals about how professions stay healthy as they grow.


Rather than framing optional membership as a threat, we look at how it functions as a stabilizing feature in mature professional systems and why the fear of “splintering” often signals growth, not collapse.

We explore:

  • The rootbound analogy: How a structure built for a smaller profession can start to constrain adaptation.
  • Exit and voice: Why meaningful participation depends on the possibility of choice.
  • The 96% signal: What ASHA’s own internal report reveals about shared concern and institutional inertia.

Sources:

Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 17: Apparently, You Can Do That 17 17 17: Apparently, You Can Do That full c0eb71de-5626-4eb3-b6e7-3ae8902ab9ae https://share.transistor.fm/s/b3bb9420 In 1968, the ASHA Convention became a moment of rupture. Not because of disorder, but because long-standing tensions were finally named. This episode examines what happened when Black clinicians challenged the limits of a profession that defined itself as “neutral,” and what that moment revealed about power, voice, and professional growth.

We explore:

  • The Denver moment: Why ASHA leadership responded to internal and external dissent with heightened security.
  • The “birdwatcher” debate: Whether a professional association can remain technically neutral in a socially unequal world.
  • Exit and voice in action: How the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing emerged.
  • Clinical consequences: How this advocacy reshaped the profession’s understanding of difference versus disorder.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Williams, R., & Wolfram, W. (1977). Social dialects: Differences vs. disorders.

Connect:

]]> In 1968, the ASHA Convention became a moment of rupture. Not because of disorder, but because long-standing tensions were finally named. This episode examines what happened when Black clinicians challenged the limits of a profession that defined itself as “neutral,” and what that moment revealed about power, voice, and professional growth.

We explore:

  • The Denver moment: Why ASHA leadership responded to internal and external dissent with heightened security.
  • The “birdwatcher” debate: Whether a professional association can remain technically neutral in a socially unequal world.
  • Exit and voice in action: How the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing emerged.
  • Clinical consequences: How this advocacy reshaped the profession’s understanding of difference versus disorder.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Williams, R., & Wolfram, W. (1977). Social dialects: Differences vs. disorders.

Connect:

]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:01:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 694 In 1968, the ASHA Convention became a moment of rupture. Not because of disorder, but because long-standing tensions were finally named. This episode examines what happened when Black clinicians challenged the limits of a profession that defined itself as “neutral,” and what that moment revealed about power, voice, and professional growth.

We explore:

  • The Denver moment: Why ASHA leadership responded to internal and external dissent with heightened security.
  • The “birdwatcher” debate: Whether a professional association can remain technically neutral in a socially unequal world.
  • Exit and voice in action: How the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing emerged.
  • Clinical consequences: How this advocacy reshaped the profession’s understanding of difference versus disorder.

Sources:

  • Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  • Williams, R., & Wolfram, W. (1977). Social dialects: Differences vs. disorders.

Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 18: What People Are Actually Arguing About 18 18 18: What People Are Actually Arguing About full 3c1197df-c0fe-425d-b8db-ac30fa623dac https://share.transistor.fm/s/3ab85386 The intensity in SLP spaces right now isn’t a sign of collapse. It’s the friction of a profession that has grown faster than the structures built to support it. In this episode, we slow the noise down to examine what’s actually underneath the debates, through data, psychology, and the real set of options the field keeps circling.

We explore:

  • The preparation gap: What the 2020 Ad Hoc report acknowledges about the limits of our current training model.
  • Displaced aggression: Why frustration so often turns inward when systems feel unreachable.
  • The doctorate conversation: How the push for an SLPD reflects a hunger for depth, not just status.
  • The domino effect: What changes like abolishing the CCC, unionizing, or rethinking undergraduate training would actually set in motion.


Connect:

]]> The intensity in SLP spaces right now isn’t a sign of collapse. It’s the friction of a profession that has grown faster than the structures built to support it. In this episode, we slow the noise down to examine what’s actually underneath the debates, through data, psychology, and the real set of options the field keeps circling.

We explore:

  • The preparation gap: What the 2020 Ad Hoc report acknowledges about the limits of our current training model.
  • Displaced aggression: Why frustration so often turns inward when systems feel unreachable.
  • The doctorate conversation: How the push for an SLPD reflects a hunger for depth, not just status.
  • The domino effect: What changes like abolishing the CCC, unionizing, or rethinking undergraduate training would actually set in motion.


Connect:

]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:02:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 1018 The intensity in SLP spaces right now isn’t a sign of collapse. It’s the friction of a profession that has grown faster than the structures built to support it. In this episode, we slow the noise down to examine what’s actually underneath the debates, through data, psychology, and the real set of options the field keeps circling.

We explore:

  • The preparation gap: What the 2020 Ad Hoc report acknowledges about the limits of our current training model.
  • Displaced aggression: Why frustration so often turns inward when systems feel unreachable.
  • The doctorate conversation: How the push for an SLPD reflects a hunger for depth, not just status.
  • The domino effect: What changes like abolishing the CCC, unionizing, or rethinking undergraduate training would actually set in motion.


Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 19: The Iceberg of Professional Grief 19 19 19: The Iceberg of Professional Grief full 385f4f82-69e2-4ce4-b4eb-410740d998f1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/cd94f792 Anger can feel clarifying, but without context, it rarely leads anywhere new. In this episode, we step back from the outrage cycle to examine what’s sitting underneath it: systemic grief, misaligned training models, and the shame many clinicians carry inside a profession that was never fully built to hold them.


We explore:

  • The arsonist parable: Why chasing villains distracts from the work of rebuilding.
  • A profession at its Flexner moment: What medicine’s shift away from the generalist model reveals about where SLP may be headed.
  • The normalization of shame: How outdated training structures offload systemic gaps onto individual clinicians.
  • The paradox of the nine: What becomes visible when we hold multiple professional perspectives at once.

Sources:

  • Duffy, T. P. (2011). The Flexner report―100 years later. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 84(3), 269.
]]> Anger can feel clarifying, but without context, it rarely leads anywhere new. In this episode, we step back from the outrage cycle to examine what’s sitting underneath it: systemic grief, misaligned training models, and the shame many clinicians carry inside a profession that was never fully built to hold them.


We explore:

  • The arsonist parable: Why chasing villains distracts from the work of rebuilding.
  • A profession at its Flexner moment: What medicine’s shift away from the generalist model reveals about where SLP may be headed.
  • The normalization of shame: How outdated training structures offload systemic gaps onto individual clinicians.
  • The paradox of the nine: What becomes visible when we hold multiple professional perspectives at once.

Sources:

  • Duffy, T. P. (2011). The Flexner report―100 years later. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 84(3), 269.
]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:03:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 813 Anger can feel clarifying, but without context, it rarely leads anywhere new. In this episode, we step back from the outrage cycle to examine what’s sitting underneath it: systemic grief, misaligned training models, and the shame many clinicians carry inside a profession that was never fully built to hold them.


We explore:

  • The arsonist parable: Why chasing villains distracts from the work of rebuilding.
  • A profession at its Flexner moment: What medicine’s shift away from the generalist model reveals about where SLP may be headed.
  • The normalization of shame: How outdated training structures offload systemic gaps onto individual clinicians.
  • The paradox of the nine: What becomes visible when we hold multiple professional perspectives at once.

Sources:

  • Duffy, T. P. (2011). The Flexner report―100 years later. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 84(3), 269.
]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP 20: An Invitation 20 20 20: An Invitation full 1955f9ba-3ef1-46c3-a89a-ef039b770231 https://share.transistor.fm/s/3f97a83a For twenty episodes, we’ve been examining the architecture of a profession under strain, including its history, its blind spots, and the pressures it was never designed to hold. In this final episode, we step back from diagnosis and turn toward orientation. Not a to-do list, and not a call to fix what’s broken, but an invitation to understand where we’re standing, and what it means to be a stakeholder in what comes next.

We explore:

  • The beauty of the boring: Why slow, rigorous data, like the PACT survey, matters more than outrage when systems lose touch with lived experience
  • No-blame cultures: What aviation and nursing can teach us about designing systems that tolerate human error instead of punishing it.
  • Internal architecture: How to hold professional dignity while working inside institutions that move slowly by design.
  • The wire: Why staying present with complexity may be harder (and more generative) than choosing a side.

Connect:

]]> For twenty episodes, we’ve been examining the architecture of a profession under strain, including its history, its blind spots, and the pressures it was never designed to hold. In this final episode, we step back from diagnosis and turn toward orientation. Not a to-do list, and not a call to fix what’s broken, but an invitation to understand where we’re standing, and what it means to be a stakeholder in what comes next.

We explore:

  • The beauty of the boring: Why slow, rigorous data, like the PACT survey, matters more than outrage when systems lose touch with lived experience
  • No-blame cultures: What aviation and nursing can teach us about designing systems that tolerate human error instead of punishing it.
  • Internal architecture: How to hold professional dignity while working inside institutions that move slowly by design.
  • The wire: Why staying present with complexity may be harder (and more generative) than choosing a side.

Connect:

]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:04:00 -0700 Megan Berg Megan Berg 808 For twenty episodes, we’ve been examining the architecture of a profession under strain, including its history, its blind spots, and the pressures it was never designed to hold. In this final episode, we step back from diagnosis and turn toward orientation. Not a to-do list, and not a call to fix what’s broken, but an invitation to understand where we’re standing, and what it means to be a stakeholder in what comes next.

We explore:

  • The beauty of the boring: Why slow, rigorous data, like the PACT survey, matters more than outrage when systems lose touch with lived experience
  • No-blame cultures: What aviation and nursing can teach us about designing systems that tolerate human error instead of punishing it.
  • Internal architecture: How to hold professional dignity while working inside institutions that move slowly by design.
  • The wire: Why staying present with complexity may be harder (and more generative) than choosing a side.

Connect:

]]> SLP, speech language pathology, speech therapy No Megan Berg, SLP