This talk will focus on the challenges and strategies in Indigenous language revitalization. It will emphasize the process of speaker creation for North American Indigenous languages with few remaining fluent first-language speakers or no speakers at all. Drawing from my dissertation and over 15 years of experience as a language worker, I present a framework that bridges academic linguistics and community-based language work. My work aims to support both practitioners and scholars in their efforts to sustain and grow speaking communities. I will address the roles and responsibilities of community practitioners, academic linguists, and tribal policymakers in fostering collaboration and ensuring that language programming is culturally responsive and sustainable. Central to this talk is the methodology of whole language immersion, practical tools and policy considerations for language assessment and program development.