I Love Neuro

Hosted by Erin Gallardo and Claire McLean

Business Education

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100

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Jun 2026

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About the show

We are a couple of neurologic physical therapists on the quest to keep the passion, commitment, and possibilities alive for those who love neuro rehab and wellness like us, without burnout and overwhelm. This show is great for neuro therapists and trainers looking to stay up to date and make a greater impact. Join us in this important movement to elevate healthcare!

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60 recent

June 15, 202639 min

322: Find Work-Life Balance With Alignment, Not Productivity Tools

Is work-life balance an elusive concept you have yet to master while running your life and neuro biz? In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS discuss the topic with NeuroBiz Coach, Emily Duval Ledger. Many clinicians start businesses to escape traditional job burnout but then recreate the same patterns by overworking and glorifying busyness. In the show we talk about recognizing when "busy" becomes unproductive, using tools like time-blocking, planners, and realistic daily priorities to focus on high-impact tasks and reduce urgency overload, but, really, it is about much more than just "tools." The topic of metacognition—noticing and questioning automatic thoughts about productivity—comes up. We encourage business owners to listen to signals like dread and frustration, realign work with the clients and tasks that energize you and continually adjust your business models to support long-term well-being for yourself and your team.

June 8, 202642 min

321: How To Use AI Tools To Get Time Back Even When You're Not Techy With Shanté "Movement Maestro" Cofield, PT, DPT, OCS

Dive into AI tools in your personal life, work life and business by learning what to use, how to use it and how NOT to use it. In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS talk with physical-therapist-turned-entrepreneur Dr. Shanté "Movement Maestro" Cofield, PT, DPT, OCS about what AI is and how it can practically support health and fitness professionals. Shanté explains AI in simple terms as powerful computer programs called large language models (LLMs) that use math and probability to predict the most likely next word, making it possible for us to just "talk" to a chatbot and get useful outputs, even though the AI itself doesn't truly understand what it's saying. The conversation covers how AI can help with everyday, non-hands-on tasks like writing recommendation letters, drafting emails, creating presentations, automating small workflows (like forwarding utility bills), and building custom dashboards, all of which save time and let clinicians focus more on people instead of paperwork. The episode also touches on valid concerns about privacy and environmental impact, with Shanté encouraging a nuanced, "both-and" mindset: be informed and cautious, but also recognize that many of our tools already use AI and that the biggest gains come from offloading repetitive, non-client-facing work while keeping human creativity and connection front and center. The episode closes with resources for learning more, including Shanté's AI-focused project "Prompting Curiosity" and her main platform, The Movement Maestro, and an invitation for clinicians to simply start experimenting so they can see for themselves where AI helps and where it falls short. Prompting Curiosity website - www.promptingcuriosity.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themovementmaestro/

June 1, 202646 min

320: AI Documentation As A Game-Changer For Neuro Rehab: How-To

Has your clinic adopted AI for documentation yet? If not (or if so!) check out this episode to learn about how it can transform your time and allow you to do your job unfettered. Hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS interview Sparky instructor Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS about how AI-powered documentation is transforming her life in the clinic, and how without it she would not have returned to the clinic after being in academia. Neuro physical therapists have long struggled to balance hands-on care with time-consuming paperwork. In this conversation, Jamie, a PT of over 30 years, who would not call herself "techy" shares how using an AI scribe layered onto her EMR has been a true game changer after returning to full-time clinical work. By wearing a microphone and letting the system transcribe and organize her notes, Jamie can stay fully present with patients, capture richer and more accurate subjectives, and generate skilled, compliant documentation in just a few minutes. Over time, the AI learns her common tests, goals, and language, even translating lay terms into professional wording and clearly articulating clinical decision-making. While some clinicians are initially hesitant to learn a new system, Jamie's experience highlights how AI can reduce burnout, improve audit readiness, and finally let therapists do what they do best—focus on creative, high-quality care—without being buried by documentation. You'll get tips for teaching it how to write things the way you want and what to do if your administrators are reluctant to get it for your clinic. Let us know which system you're using and whether or not you love it! Send us a DM @neurocollaborative on IG

May 25, 202640 min

319: How And Why You Should Train Neuro Clients In More Positions With Dr. JJ Mowder-Tinney, PT, PhD, NCS

In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS and JJ Mowder-Tinney, PT, PhD, NCS discuss the critical but under-addressed role of transitional movements in neurologic rehab, especially for people with conditions like MS, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and spinal cord injury. In the show we'll highlight how traditional therapy often focuses on sitting, standing, and walking, while many real-life challenges involve moving through positions such as supine, prone, quadruped, kneeling, and floor-to-stand. Claire and JJ share clinical experiences showing that training mobility in these varied positions can transform posture, confidence, bed mobility, fall recovery, and functional independence, even when research and standardized assessments lag behind. We also emphasize the need for objective, time- or repetition-based measures of transitions, discuss safety and buy-in for both therapists and patients, and note how clinicians may be able to use more creative, high-skill interventions. We'll talk you through what a session could look like taking a patient through the transitional movements you want to train them in and why it matters. For more education on this - and a visual - join us for a free webinar on June 2nd! Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86927822993 To get mentorship and continuing education on the latest evidence-based techniques you can apply immediately, join NeuroSpark! Learn more at www.joinneurospark.com

May 18, 202650 min

318: Using RTM With Neuro Clients For Increased Revenue, Motivation, And Data Metrics To Justify Therapy

Want to learn more about Remote Therapeutic Monitoring in neuro? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS speaks with physical therapist and former clinic owner turned digital health leader Sarah Anestam, PT, MSPT and practice owner Katie Wadland, PT, DPT, GCS about how the OneStep app and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) are transforming outpatient and home-based rehab. Sarah explains how OneStep uses smartphone sensors to turn everyday walking into objective gait and fall risk data, giving clinicians "gait lab in a pocket" insight into how patients move in real-world environments without extra hardware. Katie shares how her practice, Healthy Aging Physical Therapy, an outpatient-at-home practice has integrated OneStep to better serve older adults and people with neurologic conditions like Parkinson's disease, using the platform to track progress between visits, support home programs, and even synthesize large datasets for documentation and clinical decision-making. In the episode we'll break down the challenges and opportunities with different RTM systems, discuss the evolving RTM billing rules, give practical workflow tips, and demonstrate how RTM has created a meaningful new revenue stream while enhancing patient engagement, long-term monitoring, and community-based wellness initiatives such as fall prevention events. If you've wondered if RTM would work for your neuro clients and be worth your while, this is the episode for you! Healthy Aging is on FB, IG and Youtube @HealthyAgingPT HealthyAgingPT.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-anestam/ OneStep www.onestep.co

May 11, 202641 min

317: Maximize Progress In Neuro Rehab Using Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation With MedRhythms

If you've used music in therapy sessions and found it helpful you're going to love this one! In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviews Brian Harris, MA, MT-BC, NMT/F, FACRM, a board-certified music therapist and founder of MedRhythms, about how music, neuroscience, and technology are being combined to transform neurorehabilitation. Brian shares the powerful clinical experiences that led him from traditional music therapy into developing neurologic music therapy programs at Spaulding Rehab Hospital, where rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) produced remarkable gains in gait and function for people with stroke and brain injury. To scale access beyond what one clinician can provide and take this evidence-based intervention into the home, he founded MedRhythms. They created prescription digital therapeutics that use wearable gait sensors, bone-conduction headphones, and "clinical thinking" algorithms to deliver personalized, music-based gait training at home for people with chronic stroke and Parkinson's disease. Now FDA-listed and supported by Medicare reimbursement, MedRhythms' products marry evidence-based neurorehab with user-friendly design, familiar music via a partnership with Universal Music Group, and ongoing clinical research to expand into additional neurologic conditions—bringing high-quality music-based rehab to more people who need it. MedRhythms www.medrhythms.com www.intandemrx.com www.movive.com https://www.facebook.com/MedRhythms https://www.linkedin.com/company/medrhythms

May 4, 202644 min

316: Proven Fall Prevention Strategies To Implement Today With Dr. Tiffany Shubert, PT, PhD

Fall risk for older adults is manageable, modifiable and, guess what? They are capable of owning more of the responsibility than we've been giving them credit for! In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviews Dr. Tiffany Shubert, PT, PhD, a physical therapist, researcher, and healthcare innovator dedicated to turning strong evidence into practical tools for clinicians and older adults. Tiffany shares how her journey from clinician to PhD and then into digital health led her to champion the Otago Exercise Program and other proven fall prevention strategies. She discusses the realities of implementing programs in the U.S. healthcare system, the need for user-friendly technology, and the power of simple, consistent strength and balance training to meaningfully reduce fall risk at any age. Tiffany gives practical advice for what to implement in your practice today to start making a difference and encourages listeners to think bigger about the impact you can make. NCOA Falls Free Checkup Checklist Open source videos of Otago Exercise Program to share with everyone: Video 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmZO_EPoB4k Video 2 - https://youtu.be/gO74v4VnfX4?feature=shared Video 3 - https://youtu.be/xxzDtLqZBro?feature=shared Video 4 - https://youtu.be/ZdJAsPqPqzs?feature=shared

April 27, 202638 min

315: A Beginner's Path To Using AI To Improve Your Workflow

Are you using AI to improve your workflow as a clinician or a business owner? Are you really? Or are you still scared of it? This episode explores how Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS and the Rogue Physical Therapy & Wellness team are integrating AI into their practice to save time, improve documentation, and enhance client care so they can do more of what they love and bring enjoyment to the tasks they used to dread. Claire shares how tools like the Plaud NotePin and Claude have transformed consultations and one-on-one notes, streamlined standardized Parkinson's wellness assessments, and supported data management projects. She also explains how AI has helped her overhaul hiring and HR processes, from interview forms and training programs to a comprehensive benefits manual, as well as solve technical issues with their video library and build a more efficient, automated timesheet system. Beyond operations, Claire is using AI to design an onboarding "roadmap" for new online members and to quickly generate polished, research-informed handouts from her presentation slides. AI isn't replacing therapists, but instead offloading repetitive administrative tasks so clinicians can spend more time doing the work they love with people. Get on board and get inspired. New ideas will sprout while you listen to this episode! For more learning check out Dr. Shanté Cofield aka The Maestro's podcast Prompting Curiosity

April 20, 202647 min

314: Get Advanced Real-Time Gait Analytics With NUSHU With Erica Demarch, PT

In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS interview physical therapist and inventor Erica Demarch, PT, MSPT about her work at the intersection of neuro rehab, motor learning, and wearable technology. Erica shares how her background founding her company, Step and Connect where she developed the Balance Matters system led her to join Magnes, a Swiss company that created NUSHU, a smart shoe with embedded sensors and vibrotactile feedback designed to analyze and improve gait in real time. She explains how the shoes capture over 35 gait parameters, support both assessment and treatment, and can be used in the clinic or at home, particularly for people with Parkinson's disease and those experiencing freezing of gait. Erica discusses current and ongoing research, practical clinical use cases, challenges like individual variability in vibration perception, and the need to individualize cueing strategies. She also describes implementation models for clinics, emerging possibilities for remote monitoring, and her efforts to train and collaborate with clinicians through demos, courses, and networking events to further refine and expand the clinical applications of this technology. ericad@magnes.ch Learn more at: magnes.ch Follow on IG: @magnes_nushu

April 13, 202639 min

313: Vision, Autonomics & Neuro Rehab: What PTs and OTs Should Know Now

Eager to learn more about vision rehab in neuro? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS talks with optometrist Melissa Zarn, OD, FAAO, FNAP and occupational therapist David Katz, OTR/L, CBIS about current advances in neuro-visual rehabilitation and updates within the Neuro Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA). They describe how NORA's clinical skills fellowship program has evolved into a hybrid model with asynchronous online coursework plus in-person hands-on training across three levels, increasingly emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration among OTs, PTs, speech therapists, and neuro-optometrists. A major focus of the conversation is the role of the autonomic nervous system in post-brain injury visual symptoms such as light sensitivity, headaches, dizziness, and sensory overwhelm, and how tools like tinted lenses, environmental modifications, and team-based care can help calm the system and improve function. They also highlight new opportunities for PTs and OTs to deepen their vision rehab skills through NORA's annual conference, the growing community of practice within AOTA around neuro-visual remediation, and starter resources like NeuroCollaborative's vision rehab course for clinicians who want to go further in this specialty area. Learn more about Neuro Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) here: https://noravisionrehab.org/ Learn about NORA's annual conference: https://noravisionrehab.org/about-nora/annual-conferences/2026-annual-conference email: dvkatz14@gmail.com Practical Vision Therapy for Neurologic Conditions Course