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The BRAVE OT Podcast | Real Conversations with Occupational Therapy TrailblazersAuthor: Carlyn Neek - OT Entrepreneur Coach, Educator, Founder of ACTivate Vitality
The BRAVE OT Podcast with Carlyn Neek is all about empowering occupational therapists to step-up, level-up, blaze some trails, and maybe engage in a little conscious rebellion in service of the profession, our clients, our work, our businesses, and living our mission wholeheartedly. We are all about keeping it real, doing hard things, unhuslting, being curious, trying new things, growing through our challenges, and finding joy and fulfilment along the way. Really, we are OTing ourselves and each other. About This Podcast The BRAVE OT Podcast features authentic conversations with occupational therapists doing innovative and interesting work, from private practice owners to clinicians pioneering new approaches to OTs, creating entirely new paths for the profession. Through real conversations, we explore the challenges of trailblazing, the reality of navigating uncertainty, and how OTs support each other through it all. Whether you're an OT practice owner facing uncertainty, a clinician exploring new directions to escape environments that contribute to burnout, or an occupational therapist who's ready to do things differently, these conversations will resonate. We talk about the messy middle of building something meaningful, the isolation that can come with going your own way, and what it really takes to create sustainable work that aligns with your values. Host Carlyn Neek brings her lived experience as a multipassionate ADHDer, her decads of work with adult mental health with high achievers and her OT mentorship and business coaching to these conversations. Creating space for honest dialogue about the challenges we face as innovators in our profession is her superpower. The BRAVE OT Podcast is perfect for: Occupational therapists in private practice, OTs exploring entrepreneurship, clinicians seeking inspiration and community, and anyone interested in the evolving landscape of our profession. We aim for 2 episodes per month. An invitation from Carlyn: If you're an OT Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Science, Social Sciences Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Ep. 57: Unbecoming - What Turning 50 Is Teaching Me About Authentic OT Practice and Letting Go
Episode 57
Monday, 20 April, 2026
In this solo episode, I'm getting deeply personal about turning 50 and everything that milestone is teaching me about values-based occupational therapy practice, sustainable work, and letting go of the structures we've inherited without examining them. If you're an OT who's ever felt like the practice you built for a previous version of yourself is now running you, or if you're navigating your own season of role transition, professional identity, and the ache to do things differently, this episode was made for you. I share the concept of the crone archetype, my experience teaching entrepreneurial thinking at the University of Alberta, and how ACTivate Vitality is helping OTs deinstitutionalize their thinking and build practices that actually fit their lives. In This Episode, I Talk About: What it means to embrace the "crone era" and why our culture gets it so wrong The crone as threshold, not ending: moving from people-pleasing into authentic purpose Why so many OTs become victims of their own success and how to build a practice that serves you again Deinstitutionalizing OT thinking: the beginner's mindset as an entrepreneurial superpower What I've been teaching in my entrepreneurship module at the University of Alberta and how it applies to your OT practice How I use ACT in ACTivate Vitality to help OTs sort through what's next How ACT helps us discern: am I saying yes from values alignment, or from fear? Navigating ADHD, perimenopause, and role transitions all at once My upcoming Entrepreneurial Thinking Workshop and how you can join Resources & Links 🌀 Gillian White - the local facilitator whose crone-themed words are shared in this episode 📋 My Workshop - sign up here: Ingniting OT Innovation Through Entrepreneurial Thinking 💬 Book a Clarity Call for ACTivate Vitality 🎙️ The BRAVE OT Podcast on YouTube Learn More About ACTivate Vitality ACTivate Vitality is my coaching community for occupational therapy practice owners who are ready to build sustainable, values-aligned businesses without the hustle. If you've built something successful and now it's running you instead of serving you, this is the space to sort through what needs to change. We have group coaching calls, an online community, an ACT-based framework to build entrepreneurial and psychological flexibility, and 1:1 support. It's not about hustling harder, it's about getting clear on what matters and building a practice that fits your actual life. 👉 Book a Clarity Call: https://tidycal.com/carlyn/clarity-call
