Ep 28 | Kierra Shirley | Licensed Educational Psychologist | Empower LEP Podcast

IEEs are uncomfortable for everyone — parents, educators, and the evaluators themselves. But what if they didn’t have to be adversarial? In this episode, licensed educational psychologist Jana Parker shares a presentation she gave at the SELPA ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) 2026 conference, drawing on 12 years as a school psychologist and her experience running a private practice in the Bay Area. With IEE requests rising at an exponential rate — and California accounting for a striking ...

In this solo episode, Jana returns to the Empower LEP Podcast after an unplanned hiatus to reflect on a full year of growth, recalibration, and hard-earned clarity. As 2025 comes to a close, she takes listeners behind the scenes of what it really looked like to lead a growing group practice while intentionally stepping back from other projects, including the podcast itself. Jana shares an honest overview of what changed in 2025, from staffing growth and retention, opening a second office loca...

In this powerful episode of the Empower LEP Podcast, I sit down with Miriam Burlakovsky — a newly minted private practice owner who is absolutely crushing it in her first few months of entrepreneurship. After realizing her district role, particularly the professional development work, was draining her energy and passion, Miriam made a bold decision to pivot. In just 48 hours following a transformative moment, she launched SLO Psych Services, where she now offers high-quality assessments for A...

In this episode of the Empower LEP Podcast, I sit down with my colleague and friend, Dr. Rebecca Murray Metzger, to explore the world of psychological assessment and building a group practice. If you're a school psychologist or LEP considering a move into private practice, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss. Listen in to hear all about: The path from school psychology to private practiceChallenges and wins of launching a group practiceMentorship and supporting early-c...

In This Episode of the Empower LEP Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Jeremy Sharp — psychologist, host of The Testing Psychologist Podcast, and founder of Reverb AI — for a powerful conversation about entrepreneurship, redefining success in private practice, and the cutting-edge role of AI in psychological assessment. If you’re a psychologist with multiple passions or an interest in expanding your impact beyond the therapy room, this episode is for you. Dr. Sharp shares how he’s turned his clinica...