Luba Patlakh is a speech and language pathologist, myofunctional therapist, and founder of Kidology. She's also an entrepreneur, podcast host, and children's book author. Luba has expanded her mission beyond one-on-one services through education, content creation, and community building. She is the host of the Growth Lab podcast, author of the children's book Bobo Wears a bow tie and creator of the Confident IEP Parent, an ebook to help parents navigate the IEP process with greater confidence and clarity.

In our discussion, Luba and I talk about her busy life, going from broadcast journalism to entrepreneurship and founding Kidology. She gets into the importance of one’s communication skills when working with children and the difficulties of being an entrepreneur. If you’re thinking about starting your own brand, you need to tune into this episode.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode194.

Chinon Maria is an artist, educator, and founder of Art World Explorer Kids. For the past 15 years, she has dedicated her work to empowering and teaching children across the globe about the power of art.

In this episode, Chinon tells Lily how became such a major part of her life and educator journey. She also discusses how she balances her successful art career while being an educator.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode193.

Rob Heller is a successful entrepreneur, youth development innovator, and founder of the Boost Program, a comprehensive personal development curriculum designed to equip teens and young adults with the essential life, social, and mental health skills that traditional education overlooks. Drawing from a century of personal development wisdom—distilling the teachings of Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, and other thought leaders into accessible, actionable lessons—Rob developed Boost as the "missing course" for today's youth.

In this episode, Lily and Rob dive into the creation of the Boost Program and why he thought children needed it. We also get into what makes Boost work and his plans for expansion.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode192.

Julianna Burmesch is a former principal, speech pathologist, brain development trainer, and parent educator. She is also the author of Life with Less of Me, a memoir about the connection between trauma and long-term physical and mental health.

Julianna and I discuss her education journey and her studies in communication disorders. We also go through her book, talking about the long terms effects of childhood trauma and her work pushing for educators to address it in schools. Get ready to dive deep into social emotional learning!

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode191.

Kurtis Hewson is an author and the co-founder of Jigsaw Learning, a consultancy that teaches educators its Collaborative Response frameworks. With over a decade of experience as an administrator, Kurtis has championed the call for collaborative structures in schools to ensure success for all students.

In this episode, Kurtis and I discuss the creation of the Collaborative Response frameworks and how they’re used. We get deep into the four layers of team collaboration and the importance of letting teachers address the needs of their students.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode190.

Dr. Abby Emerson is a former fifth-grade teacher and now an assistant professor of childhood education at Hunter College at the City University of New York. She is the author of the book, From Anti-Racism to Abolition: Professional Learning for Liberating Schools, which is a book coming out this fall for educators who are curious about how to better use professional development to work towards racial justice in schools.

Abby and I take this episode to discuss seeing structural racism in our education system, among many other deep topics. If you want to see racial justice in education, you’ll want to tune in.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode189.

Matt Wilkins is a former middle school teacher, scientist, and founder of Galactic Polymath Education Studio. He has spent the last 10 years trying to translate cutting-edge research into engaging videos, and fun, standards-aligned lessons that a non-specialist can teach.

In our discussion, Wilkins notes his work focuses on translating cutting-edge research into accessible lessons for K-12 classrooms. He highlights the disconnect between scientific knowledge and public understanding, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary education.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode188.

Dr. Niki Elliott is a clinical professor and director of the Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity at the University of San Diego. A leading voice in neurodiversity and trauma-informed education, she has trained thousands of teachers, school counselors, and helping professionals worldwide to better support children with learning differences, mental health diagnoses, trauma histories, and behavioral challenges.

In this episode, Dr. Niki and I discuss the importance of embodied equity and the impact of the physical environment on neurodiverse children's nervous systems. We also get into her Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity and how she prepares teachers for working with neurodiverse children.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode187.