The Untethered Podcast™

In this solo episode, Hallie Bulkin dives deep into a common pitfall in pediatric feeding therapy: treating red flags as a diagnosis rather than a starting point. Many clinicians feel the pressure to jump straight into treatment the moment a concern is raised, but skipping the foundational steps often leads to stalled progress and clinical uncertainty.

Hallie clarifies the critical distinction between screening, assessment, and treatment. She explains why red flags should be viewed as "decision points" and how a structured screening process can transform your clinical decision-making. Whether you are navigating complex sensory issues or safety concerns, this episode provides a systematic framework to help you move forward with clarity and intention.

About the Host: Hallie Bulkin

Hallie Bulkin, MA, CCC-SLP, CMT®, CPFT™, is a pediatric feeding and orofacial myofunctional therapist and the founder of Elevation Movement. With years of experience in pediatric feeding, myo, airway, and tethered oral tissues, Hallie is dedicated to empowering clinicians with the tools they need to provide life-changing therapy for children and their families.

Key Topics & Takeaways

Red Flags as Decision Points: Understanding why a red flag is a signal for more data, not a roadmap for immediate therapy.
The Power of Structured Screening: How a checklist removes the guesswork and identifies specific risks.
The Clinical Sequence: Why the order of Screening → Assessment → Treatment is non-negotiable for successful outcomes.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls: Why relying solely on parent reports or mislabeling limited variety as "just sensory" can hinder progress.
Building Confidence: How a systematic approach reduces "imposter syndrome" and helps you know exactly what to do next.

Soundbites

"Red flags are decision points, not treatment plans."
"Screening answers the vital question: Is further assessment even needed?"
"Jumping straight to treatment skips the assessment phase entirely."

Timestamps

00:00 – Red Flags: The Doorway to the Next Step
00:36 – Introduction: Meet Your Host, Hallie Bulkin
01:52 – The "Now What?" Moment in Feeding Therapy
02:54 – Why Structured Screening is Not Optional
03:48 – Screening vs. Assessment: Solving the Sequencing Issue
04:22 – Mistake #1: Treating Parent Concern as the Only Data Point
05:27 – Mistake #2: Equating Limited Variety with Sensory Issues
06:17 – Mistake #3: Skipping the Safety & Airway Layer
07:22 – What a Strong Feeding Screening Checklist Actually Does
08:24 – The 3-Step Sequence: Screening, Assessment, and Treatment
09:34 – Case Example: Moving from Red Flags to Clarity
10:30 – Building Confidence & The "Screen The Peds" Free Training

👉 Join the free 3-day Screen The Peds to Feed The Peds training

WORTH A LISTEN: CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY

Why Two Therapists Get Different Feeding Outcomes (And How to Fix It)
The 4 Layers of Feeding: How to Finally Know Where to Start

STAY CONNECTED & GROW YOUR PRACTICE
💬 Join the Conversation: Catch behind-the-scenes insights and daily clinical tips on

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If this show has impacted your clinical practice, please leave a review. Your support helps us reach the therapists and families who need these answers most!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this interview episode, Abigail Kemp shares her honest journey through her Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) and into the world of pediatric feeding therapy. Like many new clinicians, Abigail quickly realized that academic knowledge alone wasn’t enough—especially when faced with the complexity of real-life feeding cases.

She opens up about the challenges of navigating unclear expectations, limited mentorship, and the pressure to perform early in her career. Through these experiences, Abigail discovered the power of self-advocacy, continuous learning, and finding the right support system to grow as a clinician.

This episode offers a grounded and relatable perspective for therapists who feel overwhelmed or unsure—reminding you that confidence isn’t about knowing everything, but about learning how to think, adapt, and take action.

About the Guest: Abigail Kemp

Abigail Kemp, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who began her clinical career in 2024, gaining experience across pediatric clinics, preschool and daycare settings, elementary schools, as well as adult outpatient and acute care.

While she had strong academic exposure—particularly in dysphagia—her early clinical experience in pediatric feeding therapy presented unexpected challenges. During her CFY, Abigail was faced with feeding cases that pushed her beyond her comfort zone, often without the level of mentorship and guidance she needed.

Abigail continues to expand her expertise in feeding therapy and hopes to further specialize in the field. She encourages new clinicians to advocate for themselves, ask questions, and trust that growth takes time—but is always worth the journey.

Key Topics & Takeaways

The Reality of CFY Challenges:
Why many new clinicians feel unprepared—and how real growth happens after graduation.
The Power of Mentorship & Community:
How the right environment can accelerate your confidence and clinical development.

Building Confidence in Feeding Therapy:
Why confidence comes from action, not perfection.

Self-Advocacy in Clinical Practice:
How speaking up and seeking support can transform your career trajectory.

Individualized Feeding Therapy:
Why no two clients are the same—and treatment must reflect that.

Soundbites

“I realized how little I knew about feeding.”
“Treatment strategies must be individualized.”
“Support and mentorship are crucial in our field.”

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to Abigail Kemp
01:43 – Early Career and the Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY)
03:39 – Navigating Expectations in a New Pediatric Clinic
05:39 – Challenges of Remote Mentorship and the First 4 Months
06:56 – Finding a New Setting & The Power of Self-Advocacy
08:21 – Facing the First Pediatric Feeding Client (approximate transition based on the flow of setting change)
10:58 – Discovering "Feed The Peds" and Pediatric Feeding Courses
17:16 – Balancing Practice in School and Clinic Settings
21:38 – Navigating Ethical Dilemmas and Professional Integrity
25:20 – Practical Application: Using Clinical Knowledge at Home
47:24 – Final Advice for New Clinicians & Closing Remarks
If you’re feeling unsure where to start in pediatric feeding, Screen The Peds to Feed The Peds is the perfect next step.
Join me for this free 3-day training, where I’ll show you how to screen feeding cases clearly, confidently, and with intention — so you know what to do next.

👉 Join the free 3-day Screen The Peds to Feed The Peds training

WORTH A LISTEN: CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY

Why Two Therapists Get Different Feeding Outcomes (And How to Fix It)
When Imposter Syndrome Shows Up in Pediatric Feeding Therapy (and What to Do Next)

STAY CONNECTED & GROW YOUR PRACTICE
💬 Join the Conversation: Catch behind-the-scenes insights and daily clinical tips on

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If this show has impacted your clinical practice, please leave a review. Your support helps us reach the therapists and families who need these answers most!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode, Hallie Bulkin dives deep into the "noise" of complex feeding therapy. When a child presents with multiple overlapping issues, it’s easy for clinicians to feel stuck. Hallie explains why the secret to better outcomes isn't working harder or using more strategies - it’s prioritization.

By breaking feeding down into four essential layers, Hallie provides a framework for identifying the "primary limiter" and building a treatment plan that actually moves the needle. Whether you’re a seasoned therapist or new to the field, this episode will help you trade confusion for clinical confidence.

Key Topics & Takeaways

The Four Layers of Feeding: Understanding the hierarchy of physiological stability, oral motor skills, sensory processing, and behavior.
Cutting Through the Noise: Why treating every issue at once often leads to plateaued progress and clinician burnout.
Identifying the Primary Limiter: How to determine which factor is actually holding the child back from reaching their next milestone.
The Foundation First Approach: Why skipping foundational stability for high-level skills is a recipe for failure.
Clinical Confidence: How mastering decision-making skills changes the way you show up in the therapy room.

Soundbites

"The problem isn't effort, it's prioritization."
"Not everything is equally urgent. If we treat everything like a priority, nothing is a priority."
"Clarity in your plan builds confidence—not just for you, but for the families you serve."

Timestamps

02:09 – The Real Problem: Effort vs. Prioritization
03:19 – The Confusion Loop: Why Feeding Cases Feel Complex
04:22 – Identifying the Primary Limiter in Feeding
05:05 – Layer 1: Physiological Stability
05:54 – Layer 2: Oral Motor Skills
06:25 – Layer 3: Sensory Processing
07:01 – Layer 4: Behavior and Learned Patterns

If you’re feeling unsure where to start in pediatric feeding, Screen The Peds to Feed The Peds is the perfect next step.
Join me for this free 3-day training, where I’ll show you how to screen feeding cases clearly, confidently, and with intention — so you know what to do next.

👉 Join the free 3-day Screen The Peds to Feed The Peds training

WORTH A LISTEN: CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY

Why Two Therapists Get Different Feeding Outcomes (And How to Fix It)
Why Pediatric Feeding Therapy Feels So Hard and What’s Been Missing

STAY CONNECTED & GROW YOUR PRACTICE

💬 Join the Conversation: Catch behind-the-scenes insights and daily clinical tips on
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

If this show has impacted your clinical practice, please leave a review. Your support helps us reach the therapists and families who need these answers most!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the ever-evolving world of motherhood, the journey through breastfeeding can often be fraught with challenges. In this episode, Hallie Bulkin and Tamari Jacob (CLC, founder of One With The Pump) share their personal experiences with exclusive pumping—a path less traveled but deeply impactful for many moms.

Moving beyond traditional nursing expectations, Tamari opens up about the reality of the "hot mess express," from the initial confusion of latch struggles in 2017 to the emotional weight of grieving the nursing journey she thought she’d have.

Whether you are a parent feeling isolated in your feeding choices or a professional seeking to provide more compassionate care, this episode sheds light on the emotional and practical pivots required to navigate infant feeding when the "natural" path doesn't go as planned.

Key Topics & Takeaways

The Unforeseen Challenges of Nursing: Why we must normalize the shift from nursing to exclusive pumping when reality doesn't match our expectations or a baby struggles to latch.
A Community of Support: How connecting with others—through online groups and social media—provides the validation and specific pumping education that is often missing from traditional healthcare.
The Shift to Creating Change: How a personal project during the 2020 pandemic turned into a global platform to fill the gap in pumping-specific resources.
The Emotional Toll of Feeding Struggles: Addressing the grief, guilt, and "triple feeding" trauma that occurs when feeding becomes a source of stress rather than bonding.
The Professional Gap: A look at why many training programs fail to provide adequate lactation education, leaving parents to "drive the boat" in their own advocacy.

Soundbites

"I assumed that I would nurse because why wouldn't I? But when it didn't work, I found myself on the 'hot mess express,' grieving the journey I didn't have."
"Exclusive pumping is essentially a second full-time job. We didn't just need the equipment; we needed to know we weren't alone in the middle of the night."
"We have to stop chasing a 'perfect' ideal and start aligning our feeding choices with our values—bonding, flexibility, and mental health."

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction: The Ever-Evolving Journey of Motherhood
03:15 – The "Hot Mess Express": Navigating Latch Struggles and Confusion
08:42 – Grieving the Goal: Processing the Emotional Toll of Feeding Challenges
14:10 – Finding Your Village: The Rise of the Exclusive Pumping Community
21:30 – COVID-19 & The Content Gap: Creating the Resources You Needed
29:45 – Advocacy & Education: Why Compassionate Support is Non-Negotiable
38:20 – Aligning Values: From "Perfect" Feeding to Mental Health Sanity

WORTH A LISTEN: CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY

Episode 164: Lactation Consultants Journey Into Tethered Oral Tissues
Episode 82: Bottle Refusal Is Not Always A Feeding Disorder With Jill Rabin M.S. CCC-SLP/L IBCLC

STAY CONNECTED & GROW YOUR PRACTICE

💬 Join the Conversation: Catch behind-the-scenes insights and daily clinical tips on
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Connect with our guest, Tamari Jacob:
Follow One With The Pump on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube Visit onewiththepump.com

If this show has impacted your clinical practice, please leave a review. Your support helps us reach the therapists and families who need these answers most!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is a thumb-sucking habit just a "phase," or is it a survival mechanism? In this episode, Hallie Bulkin breaks down the often-misunderstood world of oral habits in infants and toddlers.

Moving beyond the traditional "just make them stop" approach, Hallie explores how frequency, duration, and intensity act as a roadmap to a child’s underlying airway and developmental health. Whether you’re a therapist or a parent, this episode will change how you look at pacifiers, fingers, and oral fixations forever.

Key Topics & Takeaways

Decoding the "Why": Why we must stop viewing habits as behaviors to be eliminated and start seeing them as symptoms to be investigated.
The Compensatory Connection: How thumb sucking often masks underlying airway issues or tongue-tie restrictions.
The Triple Threat: Understanding the "Frequency, Duration, and Intensity" framework for assessing when a habit becomes a developmental red flag.
Sleep & Behavior: The hidden link between poor sleep quality and the "behavioral" concerns that often land children in therapy.
The Professional Path: Why specialized credentials in pediatric feeding and myofunctional therapy are non-negotiable for lasting results.

Soundbites

"We have to stop asking how to stop the habit and start asking: What is this habit trying to tell us about this child's system?"
"If a child is biting through a pacifier or sucking their thumb aggressively, they aren't just seeking comfort—they might be seeking an airway."
"Frequency, duration, and intensity. If you don't look at all three, you're missing the full picture of a child’s development."

Timestamped Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to Oral Habits: More Than Just a "Phase"
02:29 – Defining Oral Habits: From Pacifiers to Fingernails
04:30 – The Red Flags: Identifying When a Habit Becomes Problematic
07:50 – Why Credentials Matter: Finding the Right SLP or OT
10:25 – The Airway Connection: Is the Habit a Compensation?
12:19 – Root Cause Resolution: Moving Beyond Habit Elimination

WORTH A LISTEN: CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY

Ep 363: Tongue Ties, Oral Habits & the Future of Airway Health (with Dr. Casey Jones)
Mouth Breathing in Toddlers: Why It Matters

STAY CONNECTED & GROW YOUR PRACTICE

💬 Join the Conversation: Catch behind-the-scenes insights and daily clinical tips on
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
If this show has impacted your clinical practice, please leave a review. Your support helps us reach the therapists and families who need these answers most!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.