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Vanessa recently took one step closer to her dream of hosting a Netflix show, recording the first ever live Math Therapy interview!

For her session last week at Leander ISD's annual Math Joy Conference in Texas, she interviewed self-proclaimed "chaos-driven non-compliant educator" Chase Orton - and you can now hear their extremely unfiltered conversation in front of a room full of teachers whose gasps are VERY audible throughout!

Chase and Vanessa share a fearlessness in calling out the education as it is, and in this convo they cover hot topics like:

• how teachers can stay motivated in a broken system
• who standardized testing benefits (hint: not students or teachers!)
• how to follow the rules while rebelling against the status quo

About Chase: (Website, YouTube)

As an accomplished facilitator of lesson study for K-12 math teachers, Chase Orton partners with districts who are interested in taking a teacher-centered, teacher-directed approach to professional development. Chase is also the author of The Imperfect and Unfinished Teacher of Mathematics.

Contact us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: Instagram, TikTok, Email
• Math Therapy: Text the Podcast

More Math Therapy:

• Get the book: Corwin, Amazon
• Audiobook: Audible, Spotify
• Merch store: Shop here

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)

Exam season is upon us, but NOBODY PANIC! Today's guest, learning strategist Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer, joined Vanessa to share some simple but game-changing study tips to help you get through exams without breaking a sweat.

They discuss:

• what actually is learning, and what does and does not count as studying
• why we get trapped trying to perfect to-do lists & how to prioritize better
• how we can all use AI tools ethically to support our learning (not replace it)

This episode is for anyone (students, teachers, parents) who find exam season stressful and need a pep talk about practical & effective ways to learn better!

About Deena: (Website, Instagram, Facebook)

For over 20 years, Dr. Deena has dedicated her career to promoting more equity and justice in learning and enabling the success of more than 5,000 students, educators, and business leaders through learning strategies. As a keynote speaker, mentor, training facilitator, and founder of Awakened Learning Inc., she looks forward to any opportunity to connect with individuals and organizations who are ready to feel happier, healthier, and more at peace.

Contact us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: Instagram, TikTok, Email
• Math Therapy: Text the Podcast

More Math Therapy:

• Get the book: Corwin, Amazon
• Audiobook: Audible, Spotify
• Merch store: Shop here

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)

Last week Vanessa ended her episode saying the podcast would be taking this week off while she was on vacation, but it might not surprise you that she is not exactly "good" at vacation .. so while she's definitely taking some much needed time off, she also could not resist recording this short episode after receiving a very unexpected and beautiful text from Timothy Jones, an inmate with the Prison Mathematics Project.

Our podcast is available through prisons across the US, and Timothy was moved to write in to Vanessa through their messaging system after listening to her recent "tax season meltdown" episode. He shared some beautiful words of affirmation that we can all tell ourselves daily, which stem from his own journey getting to know his true self and rewriting the false stories he was told about himself in childhood.

Links mentioned:

• Ep: Why smart people still feel out of control (and what to do about it)
• Ep: How math can help prison inmates turn their lives around w/ Christopher Havens
• Listen to new mini-series Heart Work by Imagine Learning, featuring Vanessa on episode 2!
• Learn more about the Prison Mathematics Project and ways to get involved

Contact us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: Instagram, TikTok, Email
• Math Therapy: Text the Podcast

More Math Therapy:

• Get the book: Corwin, Amazon
• Audiobook: Audible, Spotify
• Merch store: Shop here