Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

You wrote the book. So why isn't anyone reading it?

Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Nick Hutchison, founder and CEO of BookThinkers, the author growth agency that played a big part in the launch of The Epic IEP™. They met in a mastermind, where Karen gave a stranded Nick a ride back to his hotel. Good traffic meant she got to pick his brain the whole way. Today, you get to listen in.

Nick started reading to get better at his sales job. The books worked, he started sharing them online, and authors started knocking on his door. Today BookThinkers helps mission-driven authors get their message in front of the readers who need it.

If you are an advocate, an educator, or a parent with a story to tell (or a book already sitting in boxes in your garage), this one is for you.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The biggest mistake authors make: surprising their audience instead of inviting them in
Why "you don't write a book, you launch a business"
It's never too late: the first time someone reads your book is the first time
Planting trees: how one reader who implements becomes word of mouth
Clear beats clever, and why a confused customer always says no
Why the QR code belongs in the front of your book
How podcast guesting builds trust with listeners, and with AI search tools
Resonance over reach: the right room beats the biggest room
The book that changed Karen's life in the third grade
ABOUT THE GUEST
Nick Hutchison is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and founder of BookThinkers, a 7-figure author growth agency helping mission-driven authors reach more readers. He is the author of Rise of the Reader, host of the BookThinkers: Life-Changing Books podcast, and host of the BookThinkers Book Club on Skool. His signature philosophy: Read Less. Apply More.
BookThinkers: https://bookthinkers.com
Join the BookThinkers Book Club: https://www.skool.com/bookthinkers/about

READY TO SIT AT THE TABLE PREPARED?
You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. Get The Epic IEP™ in print, Kindle, or audiobook: https://theepiciep.com
Join us inside the Academy for the training, the community, and the walkthrough of every page of the IEP: https://specialeducationacademy.com/training

Need an advocate or a consultation? office@specialeducationacademy.com

This is educational training, not legal advice.

"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone™." — Karen Mayer Cunningham
Support the show
✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨
👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®
Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence.
👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime. 
📱 Follow Karen on:
TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
YouTube: Special Education Academy
🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence.
📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl
(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)
Because when...

Your child is not lazy. Your child is not unmotivated. And ADHD is not an attention disorder.

Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Michael McLeod, MA, CCC-SLP, ADHD and executive functioning specialist and founder of GrowNOW ADHD, for the conversation most families never get in the IEP meeting.

Michael started out as a speech-language pathologist and watched parents spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on services that never made the skills stick. So he went to the research, built the GrowNOW internal skills model, and has spent the years since training students, parents, and school staff in the one thing that actually predicts outcomes: executive function.

Karen brings every piece of it back to the table. What does this look like during the instructional day? What goes in the document? And what are you agreeing to that is quietly working against your child?

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Why ADHD is a disorder of executive function and emotional regulation, not attention
- "Pills don't teach skills." Why medication is a family decision, and what it can and cannot fix
- The one-to-one Chromebook problem, and how to push back on a district technology directive
- Why extended time backfires for a student who is time blind
- How 23 accommodations became normal, and how to lean the document back out
- Grades are not the gate. Educational impact is.
- What to say when the school implies homework is required (no state requires it)
- Boys, girls, masking, and the three zones of executive function: school, home, and social
- ADHD vs. autism, ADHD and dyslexia, and why characteristics matter more than labels
- The 90 percent rule for parents: use less language, remove the audience

Plus close to an hour of live listener questions, answered on the spot.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Michael McLeod, MA, CCC-SLP, is an ADHD and executive functioning specialist and the founder of GrowNOW ADHD, which has worked with close to 3,000 families worldwide since 2016. He began his career as a speech-language pathologist and now trains school staff across the country and internationally.
Website: https://grownowadhd.com
Instagram: @grownowadhd
Podcast: the ADHD Parenting Podcast, on Spotify

READY TO SIT AT THE TABLE PREPARED?

You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. Join us inside the Academy for the training, the community, and the walkthrough of every page of the IEP: https://specialeducationacademy.com/training

Need an advocate or a consultation? office@specialeducationacademy.com

Follow along:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialeducationboss/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialEducationBoss/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpecialEducationAcademy

This is educational training, not legal advice.
Support the show
✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨
👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®
Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence.
👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime. 
📱 Follow Karen on:
TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
YouTube: Special Education Academy
🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence.
📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl
(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)
Because when...

School is back, and so are the questions. In this back-to-school Ask the Advocate, Karen Mayer Cunningham takes them live from parents, advocates, and educators sitting at the IEP and 504 table.
You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. This episode helps you close that gap and walk into your next meeting prepared.
In this episode:
Modifications vs. accommodations, and what to do when a modification isn't written anywhere in the IEP
Why doing anything outside the IEP is a violation, and how "codified" means it is the law
Resource rooms and the continuum of placements: what a school is actually required to offer
The three phrases that govern paraprofessionals: direct supervision, close proximity, and frequent contact
When a one-to-one para is warranted, and when it sets up learned dependency
How to file a complaint the right way when you are a district employee
Removing your child for safety, the written notice reimbursement requires, and where homeschool fits
Eligibility questions: IEP goals, OHI vs. Orthopedic Impairment, and communication supports
The back-to-school mindset: speak the promise, not the problem, and assume competency
Do you know your rights? This is why we sit at the table prepared.
Resources and next steps:
Join the Special Education Academy
The Two-Day Special Education Advocacy Intensive (live virtual, Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23, 2026, 9:00 to 5:00; also available on demand)
The Fall Mastermind (begins September 10; the Two-Day Intensive is the prerequisite)
The Epic IEP™ book family (playbook, law book, workbook, and PARA book)
Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Buzzsprout • iHeart Radio • Amazon Music
Connect: Instagram • Facebook • TikTok
This is educational training, not legal advice. Special Education Boss® educates and prepares parents, advocates, and professionals. It does not provide legal representation.
"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham
Support the show
✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨
👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®
Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence.
👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime. 
📱 Follow Karen on:
TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
YouTube: Special Education Academy
🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence.
📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl
(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)
Because when...

Rachel Irizarry studied for every test and prepared for every quiz, and her grades still would not move. Around fifth grade, her mom trusted her gut, asked the school to evaluate her, and everything changed. Today Rachel is a titleholder in the Miss Volunteer America system, is on track for a doctorate in physical therapy, and uses her SERVE initiative, Learning Disabilities Endless Possibilities, to tell students one thing: a learning disability is part of your story, not your whole story.

In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham and Rachel walk through what actually helped in the classroom, where the system dropped the ball, and what every parent can do about it.

In this episode:
- Why a parent's gut check ("something isn't right") is often the start of getting help
- The supports that moved Rachel's scores: in-class support, extended time, and fewer answer choices
- Staying in general education while getting what she needed
- How the handoff into high school failed when her records did not transfer, and how a freshman had to advocate for herself
- What Rachel saw when she finally read her full high school IEP, ten years later
- Karen's do-it-now move for parents: print the full IEP, add a one-page summary, and hand it to every adult who teaches your child
- Why the IEP is a best informed guess, and why meetings happen as needed
- "Packages have labels, children have eligibility"

Do you know your rights? You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. This is why we sit at the table prepared.

Follow Rachel's SERVE initiative, Learning Disabilities Endless Possibilities, on Instagram at @ld_endlesspossibilities, and her titleholder journey at @missgardenstatevol. She competes in the Miss Volunteer America system this November in Ocean City, New Jersey.

Want to sit at the table prepared? Special Education Academy is where parents, advocates, and professionals learn to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes. Learn with us at specialeducationacademy.com.

Listen and subscribe:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-boss-with-karen-mayer-cunningham/id1805933912
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03I43tikXlYvR6xIe3F24w
Buzzsprout: https://specialeducationboss.buzzsprout.com
iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/271518986/
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d75378a3-0f8b-4fd1-989b-67a5723b5377/special-education-boss%C2%AE-with-karen-mayer-cunningham

This is educational training, not legal advice.

"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham
Support the show
✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨
👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®
Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence.
👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime. 
📱 Follow Karen on:
TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
YouTube: Special Education Academy
🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence.
📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl
(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)
Because when...

Do you know your rights at the IEP table? In this live Q&A, Karen Mayer Cunningham (Special Education Boss®) answers real questions from parents, paraprofessionals, and educators on the issues that actually show up in meetings — no fluff, no legal jargon, just clear preparation.
Karen breaks down what really happens after a young child makes a threat (hello, MDR and FBA), why an IEP is written for the full instructional day, and why agreeing to a half-day can quietly release the district from its obligation to deliver FAPE. She tackles ESY denials and the second prong nobody talks about, pull-out vs. push-in and the two questions that decide it, missed services and compensatory packages, and how to write a robust state complaint when your child has been denied a free appropriate public education.
She also clears up the alphabet soup — OI, ED, ECSE, LRE — and reminds every para in the room why the book on paraprofessionals exists. Plus a little pot-stirring on where IDEA money actually goes.
In this episode:
How schools must respond (not punish) when a student with an IEP makes a threat — MDR + FBA
Why an IEP is written for the full instructional day — and the half-day trap
ESY: the two prongs, and the one they almost never bring up
Pull-out vs. push-in — meaningful benefit and harmful effect
Missed services, compensatory education, and outside-provider reimbursement
Writing a robust state complaint when FAPE has been denied
Eligibility clarified: OI, ED, ECSE, and "we don't make up names"
Progress reporting is a right — not a summer to-do
Get The Epic IEP™ — the seven-part framework Karen uses to write an IEP anywhere in the country. Find it in the TikTok shop or at theepiciep.com, along with The Epic IEP Workbook, The Epic IEP Paraprofessional, and The Epic IEP Federal Law & State Guidelines.
Join Special Education Academy — Mondays at 8:00 PM. 250+ hours of training, updated weekly.
New: Epic Educator Academy — for school-based educators only. $27/month, and it stays $27.
Coming up: 2-Day Live Virtual Intensive, August 22–23.
Catch Karen in person: Innovative School Summit, Nashville (Gaylord), July 25–29 · ASHA National Conference, Indianapolis, November 18.
"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham
Support the show
✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨
👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®
Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence.
👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime. 
📱 Follow Karen on:
TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
YouTube: Special Education Academy
🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence.
📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl
(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)
Because when...