First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional SLP Insights
Aug 25, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min · 13 segments
Gain actionable strategies to support more inclusive, culturally responsive, and family-centered practice. Guest: Samantha Dudding, MS, CCC-SLP…
Samantha DuddingGuestMichelle DawsonHostEarn 0.1 ASHA CEUs for this episode by completing the accompanying course online at speechtherapypd.com [whistles].
What I love about Samantha Dudding is that she's actually kind of an introvert, so she's not, like, the first to jump into the conversation, but when she does, oh, good God almighty, it's...
Today's episode, um, she's paving the way in what it means to actually be an ally, uh, for our BIPOC colleagues as well as those that we serve.
And truthfully, she rem- she's like the living embodiment of this, um, conclusion paragraph in a book I read.
The book is called Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Dr. Uché Blackstock.
And at the end of this book, there's, like, a conclusion and, like, a call to action, and she charges white women and... to be allies and says it's not for, uh, members of our BIPOC world to continually and perpetually advocate for DEIA, for cultural understanding, and to serve in those leadership roles, that there needs to be not just allyship, but we have to be vocal advocates for change, vocal advocates for culturally responsive practices, especially in our world of speech therapy, especially for those that have, uh, language differences, language disorders, and that's what Samantha's doing.
And, um, Sam's getting her doctorate in educational leadership and organizational innovation because not only is she doing this in her day-to-day work, but she's paving the way to fight at a systems organizational change level.
I hope this episode, and I know that came out twangy, but I hope this episode lights a fire in you that you can be the source of change, that you can advocate for the students, for the patients, for the caregivers that are on your caseload, and that you can also advocate for policy change.
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