An SLP's Identity Crisis: Can You Be a Speech Therapist AND a Coach?

Podcasts & Interviews
Written by Gretchen Wegner

Can you be a speech-language pathologist AND an executive function coach? Or do you have to pick a lane?!

Christa Payton was having a bit of a professional identity crisis, which she posted about in the Anti-Boring Learning Lab.

She'd recently opened her own speech therapy practice, focusing on younger students with ADHD and executive function challenges. She thought she'd found her niche! But now she wanted to add coaching to her services. Was she expanding her expertise—or undoing all that careful niching down?

So I invited two other SLPs from the Lab to talk it through with her.

Holly Steiger offers both speech-language therapy and executive function coaching. Robyn Dalberg transitioned out of speech therapy and into coaching entirely.

What followed was a funny, thoughtful conversation about professional identity, finding your niche, and figuring out what kind of work you actually want to do.

And one of my favorite lines came from Christa:

“I'm confused, but I'm very clear on why I'm confused.”

If you're an educator, therapist, or other professional considering adding coaching to your work, I think you'll recognize something of yourself in this conversation.

Watch on YouTube

Listen to the Podcast

You Don't Have to Start Over to Become a Coach

One of my favorite things about the Anti-Boring Learning Lab is how many different professional backgrounds our members bring to academic and executive function coaching.

Teachers, tutors, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists... they all bring valuable experience to the work.

But as Robyn pointed out, being an experienced clinician doesn't automatically make you an experienced coach.

Coaching asks us to do some things differently. When do we teach a strategy? When do we ask a question? And when do we stop talking and let students figure something out for themselves?

These are skills we practice inside the Lab, and I loved hearing how Christa, Holly, and Robyn have approached that learning.

Christa originally joined because she wanted more tools for supporting students with ADHD. She talked about how our mini-lecture practice sessions helped her get feedback on her coaching skills.

Robyn described learning when to teach, when to ask questions, and when to allow students to struggle productively. Holly shared how helpful her weekly Lab accountability group has been while developing her coaching business.

And the whole reason we're having this podcast conversation? Christa posted a question in our community, and we brought three different perspectives together to explore it.

That's what I love about the Lab. You don't have to abandon your previous expertise or figure everything out on your own. You can build new coaching skills, experiment with your approach, and learn alongside other thoughtful professionals.

Curious about adding academic or executive function coaching to your work?

Explore the Anti-Boring Learning Lab for practical coaching tools, training, business support, and a community of educators who are figuring out some of these same questions.

Access the Free Visitor's Center →

Questions This Episode Answers

Can you be both an SLP and an executive function coach?

Yes, and Holly and Robyn demonstrate two different paths.

Holly continues to offer speech-language services alongside executive function coaching, particularly for older students whose language and executive function challenges overlap.

Robyn no longer practices speech-language therapy but brings her background in language development and early childhood education into her coaching business.

For Christa, hearing both perspectives helped her recognize that she didn't necessarily have to choose one professional identity over the other.

What's different about being a speech therapist versus being a coach?

Experienced SLPs already bring valuable skills to coaching, including listening, scaffolding, and understanding how students learn.

But coaching also requires a shift from being the expert who provides answers to someone who helps students develop their own strategies.

Holly talked about asking better questions. Robyn described learning when to step back and allow productive struggle. And Christa shared how practicing mini-lectures in the Lab helped her recognize both her existing strengths and the coaching skills she still wanted to develop.

What about licensing and professional boundaries?

Speech-language therapy and executive function coaching have different professional requirements, which can make offering both services complicated.

Christa uses separate agreements to clarify when she's providing coaching rather than speech-language therapy. Holly maintains her SLP credentials, while Robyn no longer practices as an SLP.

We also explored the potential benefits and drawbacks of more formal regulation in coaching. There isn't one answer for everyone, and professionals need to understand the licensing and scope-of-practice requirements that apply to their work.

Do you need to find your niche before starting a coaching business?

I agree that a specific niche can make marketing easier. But after years of working with academic and executive function coaches, I've noticed something:

The best niche is often the one that finds you.

You begin working with students, notice which challenges interest you, and discover where your skills and curiosity are most useful.

Holly and Robyn both described how their preferences evolved through experience. Christa was already noticing that clients interested in ADHD and executive function support were beginning to find her.

You can't always figure out your ideal business in your head first. Sometimes you have to get started and see what you learn.

How can professional community help when you're changing careers?

Sometimes you need more than another training course. You need people who understand the work and can help you think through the messy parts.

Holly talked about the encouragement of her Lab accountability group. Robyn reflected on developing new coaching skills, and Christa described the value of practicing, receiving feedback, and hearing different perspectives.

By the end of our conversation, Christa hadn't resolved every question about her business. But she was beginning to see that her professional identities didn't have to compete.

And sometimes that's exactly what a good conversation with colleagues can do.

About the Guests

Christa Payton is an ADHD-certified speech-language pathologist and owner of Focus Speech Therapy in St. Louis, Missouri. With over a decade of experience, Christa loves helping clients accomplish their goals while helping them find their voice and independence.

Holly Steiger is the founder of Essex Executive Function and Speech, a certified Executive Function/ADHD Coach, and a speech-language pathologist with over 27 years of experience in public schools and private clinical settings. She is passionate about helping individuals recognize their strengths, develop practical strategies, and build confidence and independence. Her approach emphasizes self-awareness, self-advocacy, and emotional regulation.

Robyn Dalberg is the founder of eFUNction Academy in Fulshear, Texas, where she helps students develop executive function skills, confidence, and independence. With more than 30 years of experience across speech-language pathology, preschool education, and leadership, Robyn brings an understanding of child development, learning, and family collaboration to her coaching practice. Her professional curiosity and experience as a mother inspired her transition into executive function coaching. Today, she leads a growing team helping students understand how their brains work, develop practical strategies, and move from overwhelm toward ownership.

Links + Resources

Christa Payton – Focus Speech Therapy

Robyn Dalberg – eFUNction Academy

Holly Steiger – Essex Executive Function and Speech

  • Explore Brain Frames — a visual strategy Holly mentioned for helping students organize and communicate their thinking.

Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning Lab

Gretchen Wegner
Next

What If Students Are Reading Every Sentence—but Missing the Point?