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.

Josh Davidson is the creator and co-founder of Night Zookeeper, an award-winning online learning program that helps children fall in love with reading, writing, and creativity through games and storytelling. Josh is passionate about giving kids the confidence to see themselves as writers and creators, and he speaks regularly about the power of play, stories, and co-created worlds in education.

Josh and I have a great time talking about inspiring creativity and a love of learning in kids. We get into the challenges he faced creating his show and he provides a lot of great tips for budding content producers. You’ll want to tune in!

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode186.

I have spent decades — decades — studying how people learn. I've read the research, I've built the frameworks, I'm literally getting a graduate degree in learning design from Johns Hopkins right now. And I still catch myself thinking: I need to know more before I'm ready to start.

Ironic, right? Someone who studies learning... afraid to learn out loud.

But here's what's wild: that fear? That "not ready yet" feeling? It turns out it's not a personal flaw. It's just... how learning actually works. And once I understood that, everything changed.

So today I want to take you inside the framework we've built at Educator Forever — our approach to learning — and specifically, I want to talk about three ideas that I think will shift the way you think about learning anything.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode185.

If you've been thinking about starting an education business, it can feel really overwhelming knowing how to start, and most people really only see businesses when they're polished and successful. And it can feel intimidating, because we see these really well put together businesses that feel streamlined, and we don't see the messiness that goes into creating them. And so today I want to normalize the messiness that's how we learn.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode184.

Monika Robinson is an Educator Wellbeing Coach with 17 years of experience across school systems. Her career includes roles as an elementary teacher, instructional coach, nonprofit director, and consultant giving her a deep understanding of the challenges educators face and what it takes to thrive in demanding environments.

In our conversation, Monika and I talk about educator wellness and how she started her consultancy Reparations Ed in 2020, which initially focused on educational equity for black students but later shifting to educator wellness. We get into so many important issues teachers face, including teacher retention and the need for teachers to prioritize their well-being.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode183.

Will Staton began his career as a high school history teacher, and has worked as a teacher, Dean and administrator in Memphis, New York City and Washington, DC. Most recently, Will worked as an independent nonprofit consultant.

Now he is now running for Congress as an independent in central New York, where he lives in Syracuse with his wife and two daughters. In our talk, Will and I discuss his journey from education to politics, and how he wants to improve the public school system. If you care about our education system, you’ll want to tune in.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode182.

Brett "Mr. Eco" Edwards is the founder and Chief Eco Officer of the Eco Hero show. He created Mr. Eco in college and has brought the brand to life since 2014. He is an environmentalist, an educator, an entrepreneur, a Grammy-voting member, a YouTuber and a philanthropist.

Brett and I talk about how he created the Eco Hero show and his climate change activism. He talks about the shows’s growing success and also gives some fantastic tips on how to build a show’s momentum.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode181.