The Origin Story of SLP Summit: Building Community, Connection, and Confidence

In this special episode, host Shontaye Glover Jones sits down with the founders of SLP Summit — Lisa Kathman and Sarah Bevier of SLP Toolkit and Marisha Mets of SLP Now. Together, they share how a simple idea to connect SLPs and provide accessible professional development grew into a beloved, career-sustaining event that’s been going strong for nine years.

Explore Conversation

Listeners will hear the behind-the-scenes story of how the Summit began, how it’s evolved, and what keeps these leaders motivated to create meaningful, affordable, and community-centered learning experiences for SLPs worldwide.

Here about:

🔹 How SLP Summit Began: The conversation that sparked an event now in its ninth year.
🔹 Why Accessibility Matters: The importance of making professional development flexible and affordable for every clinician.
🔹 Building a Movement: How collaboration between SLP Toolkit and SLP Now strengthened the profession.
🔹 Evolution of the Summit: From a small online event to an internationally recognized PD experience.
🔹 Sustaining the Mission: Keeping the focus on learning, connection, and community over competition.
🔹 Favorite Moments and Lessons Learned: Behind-the-scenes stories, speaker highlights, and the joy of seeing SLPs engage worldwide.
🔹 What’s Next: How the team continues to innovate and listen to their audience’s needs.

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Guests

Lisa Kathman
M.S. CCC-SLP
Lisa Kathman, MS, CCC-SLP, is an SLP turned tech founder and co-founder of SLP Toolkit and Bright Ideas Media. With experience spanning early intervention through middle school in the U.S.V.I., CA, and AZ, Lisa brings real-world insight to everything she builds. A former lead SLP, she now supports SLPs nationwide with tools, training, and strategies that make school life easier.
Sarah Bevier
M.S. CCC-SLP
Sarah is a speech-language pathologist and co-founder of SLP Toolkit. She’s known for her humor, honesty, and deep understanding of what it means to juggle real-world SLP responsibilities. Sarah believes in supporting clinicians through transparency, collaboration, and fun.
Marisha Mets
M.S., CCC-SLP
Marisha earned her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Washington. She has worked as a school-based SLP and shares therapy ideas and resources on her blog (SLP Now). Marisha also developed a membership for SLPs that includes digital tools and resources to streamline evidence-based therapy.

Learning Objectives

Describe the origin and evolution of the SLP Summit and its impact on the SLP community.
Identify key values that guide the event’s continued success, including accessibility, collaboration, and relevance.
Reflect on how community-driven professional development can sustain engagement and growth throughout an SLP’s career.

The Origin Story of SLP Summit: Building Community, Connection, and Confidence: FREE!
In this special episode, host Shontaye Glover Jones sits down with the founders of SLP Summit — Lisa Kathman and Sarah Bevier of SLP Toolkit and Marisha Mets of SLP Now. Together, they share how a simple idea to connect SLPs and provide accessible professional development grew into a beloved, career-sustaining event that’s been going strong for nine years. No ASHA CEUs are available for this episode.

Add-ons

SLP Summit Registration - Jan '26

$0.00

Get access to all 6 live courses (Jan 12-14, 2026) and their replays. You'll also get two 1-hr on-demand courses available upon registration. All courses will be available through Feb. 6, 2026.