SLPathways
Careers Beyond The Clinic
A podcast for speech-language pathologists to explore what's possible beyond the traditional career path — in innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, and beyond.
SLPathways exists because the conversation about what an SLP career can look like beyond clinical care is long overdue.
Each episode features real stories and career journeys of speech-language pathologists who took the leap to design something different — and honest insight into what it actually takes to get there.
Listen to the latest episodes
My name is Dr. Rinki Varindani Desai
Hey there,
about your host
I'm a medical speech-language pathologist and dysphagia specialist, with over 15 years of clinical experience across healthcare settings.
In addition to working full-time clinically, I co-founded and run STEP, an online dysphagia education platform. I also founded Theratactix, a digital health consulting practice, to help clinical founders and healthcare organizations create meaningful digital health solutions. I work at the MGH Institute of Health Professiosn as an educator, researcher, and coordinator of professional development for SLP students and clinicians.
Over the years, I have intentionally designed a portfolio career, and spoken with hundreds of SLPs who did not follow linear paths in their professional journeys. I started this podcast because I wanted SLPs to be able to explore ways to scale their impact – both within the clinic and beyond it. My purpose is to expand and reimagine what's possible with our speech-language pathology degrees, and this show is part of that greater mission.
What we’ll be talking about…
Topic Block 1: Non-Traditional Career Paths & Transitions
What does it actually look like when an SLP steps off the conventional path? We'll dig into the real stories — the pivots, the transitions, the moments of doubt, and the breakthroughs. Whether you're navigating burnout, motherhood, a new diagnosis of your own, or simply a quiet sense that there's more for you, these conversations will show you that a shift is not only possible — it's already happening for clinicians just like you.
Topic Block 2: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & Leadership
SLPs belong at the table where healthcare and education’s future is being built. In these episodes, we explore what it looks like when clinicians step into roles in healthtech, research, education, and organizational leadership. We'll talk about how our clinical expertise translates into influence, why the field needs SLP voices in innovation, and how to start building credibility in spaces that have historically overlooked us.
Topic Block 3: Scaling Our Impact
From launching private practices to founding startups to building digital products — SLPs are creating things that didn't exist before. These conversations go behind the curtain on what entrepreneurship really looks like as a clinician: the business decisions, the identity shifts, the things nobody tells you, and the moments that make it worth it. If you've ever thought "I could build something" — this podcast is for you.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Real stories. Real careers. Real talk."
"[Full listener review to be added at launch — approximately 25–30 words describing impact of the show.]"
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★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Finally, a podcast that gets it.”
[Full listener review to be added at launch — approximately 25–30 words describing impact of the show.]
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★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"This is what our field has been missing."
"[Full listener review to be added at launch — approximately 25–30 words describing impact of the show.]"
- [Listener Name, Credentials, Location]
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"The conversation I didn't know I needed."
"[Full listener review to be added at launch — approximately 25–30 words describing impact of the show.]"
- [Listener Name, Credentials, Location]
I'd love to hear it!
Have a career journey worth sharing on the podcast?
Want to be on the podcast?
The best guests are SLPs who have taken an unconventional path, built something meaningful, or have a perspective that challenges the way we think about our impact in this field.
If you've navigated a real career transition, launched something, led something, or learned something the hard way and want to share it honestly, you're exactly who this show is looking for.