Hey, I’m Kari!
I create products/resources for preschool SLPs who crave more creativity in their therapy, but struggle with finding the time to plan and prep materials. I give them the tools to keep their students continuously engaged with minimal planning time, making it feel like a breeze to run effective whole and small group therapy sessions!
I’m a school-based-turned-clinic-based preschool SLP, and have been in the field since 2011. My first 5 years were spent in the schools, and after that, I moved to a clinic where I still get to do preschool language groups in a classroom setting- one of my favorite things to share about with you! Literacy-based therapy and preschool science experiments are my jam!
I’ve been blogging and creating resources since 2013, and was featured in a 2015 issue of the ASHA Leader. I regularly serve nearly 5,000 people with easy and practical therapy ideas utilizing books, toys, and low/no prep printable materials.
And that’s the skinny on my professional life!
When I’m not creating irresistible products and sharing therapy ideas on Instagram, I can be found…
- Making 15 second Instagram music videos of my two black lab mixes, Molly and Bruce
- Volunteering with a local animal rescue group, finding homeless dogs their furever homes through adoption events.
- Sipping my way around local Kansas City wineries and breweries with my husband, Ryan, and our friends
- And dreaming up my next mountain vacation!
If you’re dying to know more, here’s 8 fun facts about me:
- I started watching the Bachelor in 2016 solely because my new coworkers were doing a bracket challenge (I had to show them I was “here for the right reasons,” obviously). I ended up winning the first 2 years!
- Going along with bracket challenges.. Every year for March Madness, I join a pool where the buy-in is a $20 bottle of wine. In 2018, I came away with 18 bottles of wine for second place.
- There was a semester in college where I karaoke-d every Tuesday night. It was always a Britney Spears song—and you get bonus points if you can guess which one. (For the record, I’m a TERRIBLE singer)
- Both my parents are Deaf, so I grew up with sign language.
- A dirty chai with almond milk is my go-to coffee drink
- I attempted to learn how to sew once. Wanted to hem a pair of pants. Sewed a pant leg shut instead.
- My blog name came to me while I was driving around downtown Lawrence, Kansas- home of my alma mater, the University of Kansas Jayhawks. I was thinking about the school cheer- “Rock Chalk Jayhawk”- and Rock Chalk Speech Talk was born!
- I used to get a pit in my stomach just *thinking* about doing a whole group circle time in the preschool classroom. Now, it’s one my favorite things! My goal is to help other preschool SLPs get to that point, too!
Wanna learn from me? Click here