A Love Letter to Nine Years of SLP Summit
When someone asks me (Sarah) to name the courses or the moments or the people who have stood out over nine years of SLP Summit, my brain immediately starts listing names and I immediately start panicking that I'm going to leave someone out.
July 2026 | SLP Summit Retrospective Series
Reflections from Sarah Bevier, Co-Founder of SLP Summit & SLP Toolkit
This subscription may be eligible for coverage through your employer’s professional development funds. Download our template to ask your employer about reimbursement.
Okay, I have to be honest with you. This is hard.
Because when someone asks me to name the courses or the moments or the people who have stood out over nine years of SLP Summit, my brain immediately starts listing names, and I immediately start panicking that I'm going to leave someone out. Eric Raj alone has presented more times than I can count, and every single time he reaches out and says, "Hey, I've got some new content - can I do a Summit?" I feel like I've won something. And then there's Heidi Hanks, Anne Page, Jenna Rayburn - our friends from the very beginning who said you bet every single time we asked, no hesitation, even when we were still figuring out what we were doing. These people helped build SLP Summit from the ground up, and I love them for it.
But you asked for memories, so here are a few that I keep coming back to.
When Experts Actually Said Yes
I don't think people realize how much courage it took to cold-reach out to the people we admired most and ask them to present at this new, unproven, online conference we were putting together. We were nobody, and they said yes!
I fangirled more than once - I won't pretend otherwise. Getting to actually talk to Sarah Ward personally? I still can't fully believe that happened. The people who shaped this field, who created things we used in our own therapy rooms, who felt larger than life from a distance - they showed up for us. They showed up for you. That never gets old.
The Friendships That Became Real
Here's one that still makes me smile. Lisa and I were at a conference in Arizona, and Nina Reeves was presenting. We were excited, nervous, and genuinely intimidated. So we did what any confident professionals would do: we lurked at the very back of the room, waited until everyone else had filtered out, worked up every ounce of courage we had, walked up to Nina afterward, and launched into our best "so… have you heard of SLP Summit?" pitch.
She said yes.
She went on to present at SLP Summit multiple times. She co-hosted her own series with Scott Yaris. She became a real friend and a true supporter - not just of SLP Summit, but of the work and the community we were all trying to build together.
That's what SLP Summit has given me that I didn't expect when we started: actual relationships. Real ones. With people I genuinely admire. I'll be grateful for that forever.
The Course That Wrecked Me (In the Best Way)
We take presenter and topic selection seriously at SLP Summit. We always have, because we know the platform comes with responsibility. The people who trust us enough to show up are trusting us to use that stage thoughtfully.
But Shontaye's (Glover Jones) 2020 session "Representation Matters - Using Diverse Picture Books in Therapy" hit differently than I was prepared for.
It was a trifecta: the right presentation, the right messenger, at exactly the right moment. And I ugly cried on my Instagram stories afterward, which I'm not even a little embarrassed about. Because that course reminded me that professional development isn't only about becoming a better therapist. It's about growing as a person - so that we can truly show up for the students and families we're privileged to serve.
That one changed something in me. I'm still carrying it.
Another One That Made Me Want to Be Better
I also have to mention Phuong Palafox's Hear Me Roar. If you were there, you know. If you weren't - I'm sorry, I genuinely am. It was inspiring and moving and the kind of presentation that settles into your chest and stays there. The kind where you sit with it for days afterward and find yourself thinking about it in the middle of a completely unrelated Tuesday.
We've been lucky to have so many courses like that over the years.
The Great Dance Party of 2017
I wouldn't be telling the truth if I left this out: the Kari Zweber Palmer incident.
Social Thinking had agreed to present live only (no recording.) So we had one shot, in front of thousands of attendees with no do-overs. About halfway through, Kari lost connection completely. Thousands of people were sitting there waiting.
Lisa and I looked at each other and made a decision that I can only describe as chaotic and correct: we threw an impromptu dance party. Ten minutes of music, dancing, and chatting with the crowd while we scrambled behind the scenes to get Kari back online.
Ridiculous? Absolutely. Kind of amazing? Also yes.
Kari did reconnect and finish her presentation, for the record. But if you weren't there live, you missed the full experience - Social Thinking content and an unplanned variety show. Truly a SLP Summit exclusive.
Nine years of speakers who trusted us, attendees who showed up, moments that moved us, and yes - a few technical disasters that somehow became legends.
I'm so glad we started it. And I'm so glad you've been part of it.
— Sarah
SLP Summit runs twice a year and is always free to register. Pay the optional $29.99 fee to earn ASHA CEUs. Register for the July 2026 SLP Summit at www.bethebrightest.com.
