Hi there, I’m Karen Dudek-Brannan!

I’m a Professional Development Specialist, SLP, and founder/owner/operate of Dr. Karen, LLC, a company focused on empowering therapists and educators to design interventions that support language, literacy, and executive functioning. In my current role, I develop engaging professional development and products that help school teams work together to get better results.

On the De Facto Leaders Podcast, I share up-to-date evidence-based practices, my own experience, and guest interviews designed to help pediatric therapists, educators, and aspiring school leaders design services that support social, emotional, and academic growth and set kids up for success in adulthood. Whether you want to learn effective strategies for your therapy session or classroom, be an influential leader on your team, or find creative ways to use your skills to advance in your career, I’ve got you covered. You can listen to the De Facto Leaders podcast on most popular podcast directories, and can scroll through past episodes on this page here.

Latest Episodes

Frontloading, explicit instruction, and providing the “right” amount of support

In this episode, I’m answering FAQs from the School of Clinical Leadership members about supporting students’ executive functioning.I answer the following questions:Wh...

Public perception of education, positive role models, and keeping good leaders in schools (featuring Dan Kelley, Dr. Joseph Williams, and Danny Bauer)

A good school leader knows how to protect their staff from initiatives and fires they may need to put out on a regular basis. In many cases if you’re unaware of everyt...

Swallowing and feeding intervention in the schools (with Carolyn Dolby)

Many people classify swallowing and feeding intervention as a “medical” service that shouldn’t be addressed in the schools.  This is a very black and white (and inaccu...

Supporting underrepresented families with “Families and Educators Together” Teams (with Ari Gerzon-Kessler)

Helping families feel involved in their child’s school experience is a challenge; and underrepresented populations may often feel like their voices aren’t being heard....

How to run a high-value, no-drama PTO (with Christina Hidek)

Finding the resources and funding for learning tools and enriching events is a consistent challenge for many districts. The PTO is often a largely underutilized resour...

More Episodes »