In this special OT Month episode, we are doing something a little different — a reunion episode! Just a couple of weeks ago, the four of us were on stage at SXSW, one of the world’s most influential festivals for tech, film, music, and culture, sharing our experiences, perspectives, and our passion for role-emerging and non-traditional OT practice. And today, we’re bringing the band back together to debrief, reflect, and process what that incredible panel meant to us — and where we go from here. So, I am thrilled to welcome back our three amazing panelists — Francisco Lasta, Dawn Heiderscheidt and Esther Bae— brilliant practitioners, storytellers, and changemakers in the OT design space. If you missed our SXSW panel, don’t worry — we’ll catch you up, dive deeper, and pull back the curtain on what it really felt like to share our message with such a dynamic and diverse audience.
Occupation-Centered Design: Unlocking Inclusive Experiences
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP146632
Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA
Inclusive Spaces & Design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flastaotr/
IG: @spinyfiredragon
Esther Bae, OTD, OTR/L, CPACC
Make Up, Beauty & Product Design
Website: https://www.modifiedindependent.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthersbae/
IG: @modifiedindependent
Dawn Heiderscheidt, OTR/L, ECHM, CAPS, CHAMP
Aging In Place Specialist
Website: https://www.auroraindependence.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-heiders2024/
IG: @auroraindependence
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In this special OT Month episode, we are doing something a little different — a reunion episode! Just a couple of weeks ago, the four of us were on stage at SXSW, one of the world’s most influential festivals for tech, film, music, and culture, sharing our experiences, perspectives, and our passion for role-emerging and non-traditional OT practice. And today, we’re bringing the band back together to debrief, reflect, and process what that incredible panel meant to us — and where we go from here. So, I am thrilled to welcome back our three amazing panelists — Francisco Lasta, Dawn Heiderscheidt and Esther Bae— brilliant practitioners, storytellers, and changemakers in the OT design space. If you missed our SXSW panel, don’t worry — we’ll catch you up, dive deeper, and pull back the curtain on what it really felt like to share our message with such a dynamic and diverse audience.
Occupation-Centered Design: Unlocking Inclusive Experiences
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP146632
Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA
Inclusive Spaces & Design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flastaotr/
IG: @spinyfiredragon
Esther Bae, OTD, OTR/L, CPACC
Make Up, Beauty & Product Design
Website: https://www.modifiedindependent.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthersbae/
IG: @modifiedindependent
Dawn Heiderscheidt, OTR/L, ECHM, CAPS, CHAMP
Aging In Place Specialist
Website: https://www.auroraindependence.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-heiders2024/
IG: @auroraindependence
In this episode we will learn from Sarah Lyon, OTR/L (she/her). Sarah received her BA from St. Olaf College, then moved to the Big Apple and earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University. Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. In 2011, Sarah launched OT Potential because she realized we needed a reliable source of quality occupational therapy-related content and resources. OT Potential connects occupational therapy professionals with the tools and resources they need to create evidence-based change. In addition to offering AOTA-approved continuing education courses, OT potential provides a variety of free content — including the OT Potential Podcast and OT Near Me Directory. The OT Potential Club is a hub to learn and exchange best practices with a community of evidence-focused OT professionals. Sarah releases a new journal article review or CEU podcast course every week and provides a space to discuss the content. Members can also access journal article reviews, documentation examples, assessment searches, a capstone catalog and most recently, clinical decision support. Sarah loves spreading the word about our wonderful profession and is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with others who share her passion.
The Uncommon OT Series
In this special OT Month episode, we are doing something a little different — a reunion episode! Just a couple of weeks ago, the four of us were on stage at SXSW, one of the world’s most influential festivals for tech, film, music, and culture, sharing our experiences, perspectives, and our passion for role-emerging and non-traditional OT practice. And today, we’re bringing the band back together to debrief, reflect, and process what that incredible panel meant to us — and where we go from here. So, I am thrilled to welcome back our three amazing panelists — Francisco Lasta, Dawn Heiderscheidt and Esther Bae— brilliant practitioners, storytellers, and changemakers in the OT design space. If you missed our SXSW panel, don’t worry — we’ll catch you up, dive deeper, and pull back the curtain on what it really felt like to share our message with such a dynamic and diverse audience.
Occupation-Centered Design: Unlocking Inclusive Experiences
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP146632
Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA
Inclusive Spaces & Design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flastaotr/
IG: @spinyfiredragon
Esther Bae, OTD, OTR/L, CPACC
Make Up, Beauty & Product Design
Website: https://www.modifiedindependent.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthersbae/
IG: @modifiedindependent
Dawn Heiderscheidt, OTR/L, ECHM, CAPS, CHAMP
Aging In Place Specialist
Website: https://www.auroraindependence.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-heiders2024/
IG: @auroraindependence
