Episode 2: SLP by Day, Author by Night with guest Amanda Schaumburg

✨ In this episode of SLP by Day, Author by Night, Tali and Becca sit down with the incredible Amanda Schamberg — pediatric SLP, private practice owner, public speaker, and founder of Panda Speech Publishing. If you've ever dreamed about turning your therapy ideas into tangible resources, this conversation is for you.

Amanda shares her inspiring journey from early passion in high school special education classrooms to navigating graduate school with a newborn — proving that persistence and purpose can make the impossible possible.

Over the last decade, Amanda evolved from creating printable therapy materials to launching fully interactive lift-the-flap board books with movable Velcro pieces, felt sets, and digital Boom versions. Today, her publishing line includes board books, picture books, and even a joke book — all designed with speech and language goals built in.

She breaks down the behind-the-scenes world of self-publishing, including:
• Finding illustrators
• Testing manufacturers (and discovering how board book flaps are actually made)
• Warehousing books in her converted mini backyard warehouse
• Building products that are durable, meaningful, and kid-approved

Amanda also shares candid wisdom about marketing as an SLP-author — including why an email list can be more powerful than social media, and how authenticity (not perfection) drives connection.

Whether you're an SLP curious about writing, a creator navigating Teachers Pay Teachers, or someone who loves hearing about ideas coming to life, this episode is packed with motivation, humor, and practical takeaways.

📚 Where to find Amanda: pandaspeech.com
🚀 New release: Rey's Ride to the Zoo — her latest interactive board book

💡 Key Takeaways:
• Your path doesn’t have to be linear to be meaningful
• Interactive books create powerful learning opportunities
• Email lists matter more than follower counts
• Creativity counts — and there’s room in this space for you

🔔 Subscribe and hit that bell to stay updated with future episodes featuring more SLP-authors, their stories, and book recommendations.

👉 Connect with us:

Tali's YouTube Channel:    / @thespeakboutique  

Becca's YouTube Channel:    / @lifeskills2learnwithbecca  

Share your questions or SLP Author ideas in the comments below!