Jamie Giannino on Early Intervention Access and Fighting for the Kids Nobody Else Would

Jamie Giannino is a speech-language pathologist, private practice owner, and nonprofit founder who has spent the last decade working in the gaps the system pretends don't exist. Luba sits down with Jamie to talk about building Bee Bright Therapy and the Wordwise Speech Therapy Foundation side by side, what it actually takes to become an early intervention agency in New York State, and what pushed her to dress up as the Grinch and end up on the news fighting for providers who weren't getting paid. They also get into what parents need to know about IEPs, why you should never sign one you don't agree with, and how Jamie thinks about advocacy as someone who once needed someone to fight for her too. If you've ever felt like the system wasn't listening, this one's for you.

00:00 Welcome and intro to Jamie Giannino

02:52 Inside Bee Bright Therapy and serving rural counties

06:22 Jamie's road to becoming an SLP and finding her path

14:18 Building an agency and surviving New York's payment freeze

18:48 The private client who changed everything: discovering apraxia

24:42 Why Jamie started the Wordwise Speech Therapy Foundation

26:00 Dressing as the Grinch to get the state's attention

32:53 Funding a nonprofit and the grant writing reality

37:46 How providers can better support families beyond the session

43:09 Reading the IEP line by line and fighting for what's right