Math Therapy
Math Therapy explores the root causes of math trauma, and the empowering ways we can heal from it. Each week host Vanessa Vakharia, aka The Math Guru, dives into what we get right and wrong about math education, and chats with some of today’s most inspiring and visionary minds working to make math more accessible, diverse, and fun for students of all ages. Whether you think you’re a "math person" or not, you’re about to find out that math people don’t actually exist – but the scars that math class left on many of us, definitely do. And don’t w...
How Math Therapy changed my entire life w/ Charizma Laughton
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As long as Charizma Laughton can remember, her entire life was defined by a singular identity: she's bad at math, because she's not smart. This self-image was rooted in deeply traumatic math class experiences that completely dismantled her self-confidence and made her feel like she was simply not capable of ... anything.
BUT THEN: she and Vanessa met after a yoga class in Bali recently, and after a mere two weeks of math therapy sessions together, Charizma had done a complete 180 (see what we did there?) and n...
How to trust your intuition w/ Rebecca MacLeod
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First of all, big news: as of this fall, Math Therapy will be a weekly podcast! This has long been a goal, so after 6 glorious 10-episode seasons and a bunch of bonus eps along the way, we'll be hitting your feed every single Thursday starting September.
For now, we are back this month with 2 special interviews we recorded earlier in the year with some friends we made in Bali, Indonesia. (Next week's episode will legit blow your mind!!)
Today, Vanessa explores the power of intuition and its role in...
Bonus: What's your sign? (Vanessa has no clue)
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Given how much Vanessa talks about astrology on the podcast, what do you think her success rate was for guessing the star signs of all the guests last season? Today's episode (guest "hosted" by producer David) reveals all ... and also drops some hints about what to expect from this podcast in the coming months!
Show notes:
Math Therapy the book - buy from Corwin Press or AmazonS5 outtakes: The Awkward GoodbyeConnect with Vanessa:
@themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Get the politicians out of the classroom w/ David Kochberg
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If you're a fan of the podcast, you've often heard Vanessa mention our producer "David" in reference to him getting mad at her for yelling into the mic or hitting the mic or generally doing things that impact the quality of this AUDIO medium. And if it isn't apparent, this is actually David typing, because I also handle publishing the episodes, so I'll stop referring to myself in the 3rd person because it's weird!
In September we released an episode in which I interviewed Vanessa about her career and about h...
We're not teaching content, we're teaching students w/ Kevin Dykema
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Having attended and presented at the annual NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) conference, Vanessa reached out to "famously nice guy" Kevin Dykema, the organization's President, to learn more about his journey to the top. Along the way she was surprised to learn that even he battles imposter syndrome, and the way he's learned to deal with it is by "learning what he doesn't know" and not being afraid to reach out for help.
Today's conversation covered the pros and cons of professional development, advice on how teachers can a...
Math Therapy is now a book! Vanessa tells all ...
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HUGE news - Math Therapy is now a book! Vanessa has taken everything she's learned in her career helping students overcome math trauma, and all the insights from the 6 seasons of this podcast, and formulated a 5-step process to bring math therapy into classrooms and help all students develop a better relationship with math.
To celebrate, Math Therapy producer David Kochberg turned the mic around and interviewed Vanessa about how Math Therapy started in the first place, what gives her hope about the future of math education, and how she r...
We are born to love math w/ Dan Finkel
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Dan Finkel is an author/educator who believes that humans are wired to be curious from birth, and that play is the secret to maintaining that joy of learning throughout childhood. On today’s season 6 finale, he and Vanessa discuss how teaching kids about math can be so much more fun than we think; it can mean playing board games, counting on their fingers, anything that helps them develop an intuitive sense that there are patterns and structures in the world for them to discover. They also discuss how play-based approaches can eve...
Grit is your superpower w/ Dr. India White
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Dr. India White learned grit and resilience the hard way: facing down obstacles throughout her life and deciding she wouldn’t back down. Now she coaches teachers and students on developing their own gritty superpowers, and she joins Vanessa today for wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. They discuss her journey from a homeless shelter to a college dorm, how equity is about so much more than just race, and the power of lifting each other up as an antidote to fear.
About India
(Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik...
How to change someone's mind w/ Chris Luzniak
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What if the secret to winning a debate was actually listening to your opponent? What if you could build confidence and overcome anxiety through the practice of public speaking? And HOW does someone go from dreams of Broadway fame to teaching debate in math class?! Find out today as Vanessa chats with math educator/coach Chris Luzniak, host of The DebateMath Podcast!
About Chris (Website, Twitter, Instagram)
Chris Luzniak is an international math consultant and instructional coach. While teaching in New York City public schools he founded th...
Math doesn't cause trauma, people do w/ Sean Nank
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When Vanessa saw today’s guest deliver a deeply personal talk at a recent math conference, she was left with more questions than answers; all she knew for certain was she had to get him on the podcast. Sean Nank is a math educator who believes that the power of our students' stories is the most valuable tool we can harness in our math classrooms, and he illustrates this by sharing his own journey of growing up in an abusive environment, learning to understand and embrace his OCD, and the fateful day tha...
Turns out some folks hate math w/ Jon Orr & Kyle Pearce
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Today’s another one for the teachers, featuring Jon Orr & Kyle Pearce of the Make Math Moments empire - they have a podcast, a framework, workshops & courses & virtual summits galore, and who knows probably even a cooking show at this point?! They join Vanessa today to discuss the SHOCKING realization early in their career that not all students would be as excited about math as they were … which propelled them to adapt their teaching methods to fuel curiosity in kids so they don’t just get the right answers, but rather develop a true...
Teachers have trauma too w/ Brittany Hege
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We’re often talking about trauma from the student perspective: how it happens in the classroom, and how it follows them into adulthood. But one group is often overlooked in this discussion - teachers! Today Vanessa chats with educator Brittany Hege about the challenges teachers often face in keeping up with changing pedagogies, while already being strapped for time and often struggling with math traumas of their own! This is an honest and heartfelt discussion about how education can evolve without leaving either students or teachers behind, how shame in the c...
More clickbait in the classroom! w/ Howie Hua
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Of the truly infinite things Vanessa likes to rant about, few top the list like math’s marketing problem - which is why she was elated to chat with social media mathstar Howie Hua! Today Howie shares how his own experiences with math anxiety sucked the joy out of math when he was a student, and how he started to bring it back for both himself and his students when he became a teacher. He’s built a massive following on TikTok and beyond by sharing quick and fun explainer videos and math m...
The spiritual side of math w/ Francis Su
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When you picture a mathematician, what comes to mind? Now … what about a “mathematical explorer”? Well, that’s what Francis Su calls himself, and when Vanessa picked up his book Mathematics for Human Flourishing, she couldn’t put it down. On today's episode they explore how mathematical discovery can unleash the wonder and curiosity innate within us all. They also discuss some deep questions, like why do people have different emotional reactions to math compared to other fields? How can humans cultivate the virtues we'll need to keep AI in check? And why is change s...
Tell your students you trust them w/ Zak Champagne
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Longtime listeners (like today’s guest, as you’ll discover…) will recall one name popping up in almost every interview last season, so Vanessa needed to find out for herself: who is Zak Champagne & why do people like him so much?! Through today’s rollercoaster episode she discovered a teacher with boundless enthusiasm for the joys of teaching, grounded in a deep respect for his students.
They unpack what we really mean by terms like “student voice” and “building trust”, offer practical advice on how to actually integrate those ideas into the classroo...
The difference between equity & equality w/ Dr. Pamela Seda
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On the Season 6 premiere of Math Therapy, Vanessa chats with Dr. Pamela Seda, an expert in all things education and inspiration! They dive deep into hot topics like how teachers can build trust in the classroom by modelling vulnerability, the benefits of cultivating community over competition, and a fascinating metaphor that illustrates what equity and accommodations truly mean in our schools.
About Pam (Website, Insta, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Dr. Pamela Seda, Founder and CEO of Seda Educational Consulting, is the creator of the V...
Season 6 Trailer
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Season 6 drops March 28th - here’s a sample of who and what you’ll hear!
Refresher: Pi Day in Prison
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It's March 14th, aka 3.14 ... so Happy Pi Day! To help you get in the zone, we're re-airing an episode from last year recounting the Math Therapy team's Pi Day 2023 trip to Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Michigan. This stemmed from Vanessa's Season 3, Episode 10 interview with Christopher Havens, an inmate serving a 25-year sentence for murder who has rehabilitated himself with math and founded the Prison Mathematics Project.
Find out more about PMP at prisonmathproject.org where you can:
The Awkward Return?! (S6 is coming)
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The rumours are true! (The rumours that Vanessa has been spreading herself.) Season 6 of Math Therapy launches March 28th!
To get you hyped while we get this batch of episodes ready for you, here are some brief thoughts she recorded immediately after we finished a marathon 10 interviews over 4 days. What themes did she cover? Will she or her guests get cancelled this season? How much did she annoy her producer David? You be the judge ...
Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast feed, and tell a friend about Math...
The Awkward Goodbye
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Don't worry, Math Therapy isn't going anywhere ... but here's a fun bonus episode as we look back on an incredible 5th season! It was a total success in every possible way, except one: for whatever reason, Vanessa lost the ability to simply say "goodbye" at the end of the interviews.
This hadn't been an issue in previous seasons but she somehow got very in her head about it, and when her producer David recently listened back to them he thought they were hilarious and had to be shared our listeners.
Embracing your limitless mind w/ Jo Boaler
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In Vanessa's masters thesis titled "Imagining a World Where Paris Hilton Loves Math", there was nobody quoted more frequently than today's guest, Stanford professor Dr. Jo Boaler. On the season 5 finale of Math Therapy, Vanessa sits down with her math ed hero to discuss how limiting beliefs vs a growth mindset impact the brain, how struggle and mistake-making benefit learning, and the extremely personal resistance she's faced in a career dedicated to making math more equitable and accessible.
About Jo: (Website, Twitter)
Stanford Professor Dr Jo Boaler i...
Teaching students to ... think?! w/ Peter Liljedahl
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Peter Liljedahl is literally changing the math classroom. His book "Building Thinking Classrooms" has taken the educational world by storm with a simple message: instead of teaching students to memorize, we have to teach them to think. Sounds trite, but if you ... think about it, traditional classrooms are not designed that way!
Today, Peter explains to Vanessa how a "thinking classroom" swaps out tables for vertical whiteboards to reduce barriers for student interaction in problem-solving, and how small randomized groups foster collaboration that lifts the whole class. He also shares wha...
Mistakes: Villains or Heroes?
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Should mistake-making be encouraged in math class? Or should mistakes be shamed because “in the real world” you can get fired from your job from making a mistake? You can probably guess how Vanessa feels, but a fellow educator recently disagreed … so of course she took to Twitter and a spirited convo ensued!
On today’s episode she further outer-processes her thoughts on this topic, and shares two classroom exercises that encourage constructive mistake-making and help normalize growth from failure.
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Centering student voice in math class w/ Crystal Watson
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Today's guest literally entered the chat wearing a t-shirt that read "TRUTH MATTERS”, and that sure set the tone for this wide-ranging episode! Crystal M. Watson is an educator who firmly believes in centering student voices in the classroom, and she also advocates for empowering students by making math practical and meaningful to their life experience. Throw in some discussion on defining success, different approaches to grading, and a simple but thorough explanation of what "critical race theory" is and what it definitely isn't, and we've got an astonishingly jam-packed episode that left...
Redefining "Success"
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In today's episode, Vanessa explores the dangers of narrowly defining success and argues that contrary to popular belief, failure and success are actually BFF, not opposites (looking at you, Merriam-Webster!). She also shares a practical classroom tool for teachers and students to collaborate on shared definitions of success to support everyone's learning.
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Refresher: Drag queens & math class w/ Kyne Santos
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In honour of Pride Month, we're taking a mid-season 5 break to re-air one of our all-time fave episodes featuring mathematician / drag queen Kyne Santos. Drag has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons, so we wanted to share Kyne's inspiring story of breaking stereotypes and defying the haters.
If you're new to the podcast we also highly recommend going back and listening to the season 4 finale with Dr. Anthony Bonato which dove further into the fraught relationship between academia and the queer community and the trailblazers working t...
How struggle leads to growth w/ Robert Kaplinsky
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Think of this week's episode as a kind of reverse palate cleanser ... Vanessa and today's guest Robert Kaplinsky more than make up for the lack of swearing last week! What got them fired up? Oh, just the systemic barriers to educational reform and the lack of support for both teachers and students when it comes to working through math anxiety ... But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom; Robert is certain that if we make math more practical to daily life and more welcoming to a diversity of learners, we still ha...
How trauma affects the brain w/ Liesl McConchie
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Last week's episode featured a deep dive with Vanessa into math trauma: what it is and how to avoid it. Today, brain expert Liesl McConchie joins her to explain the neurological science of trauma, debunk the myth of the "math gene", and discuss the hopeful promise of neuroplasticity. And not to be all clickbaity, but Vanessa ends up sharing some pretty intense math trauma of her own...
About Liesl: (Twitter, Website)
Liesl McConchie is an international expert on how the brain learns, and co-author of bes...
What even is math trauma?
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Each episode, Vanessa discusses the impacts that math trauma can have on our collective relationship with math. But she realized she's never explained what it is! In this episode she defines what math trauma actually is, unpacks why traumatic educational experiences happen more often in math than in other subjects, and lists 8 common causes of math trauma for educators to be aware of.
The tweet that started it allFree webinar by Dr. Kasi Allen: Math Trauma: Healing Our Classrooms, Our Students, and Our DisciplineConnect with us:
...Mathers gonna math w/ Deborah Peart
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You know how readers read and writers write? Well one day Deborah Peart decided that math should also be a verb, so she created the Mather movement. She and Vanessa discuss the difference between a "mather" and a "mathematician", how numeracy and literacy are basically the same thing, and how bringing a mindfulness approach to her classrooms led to her being known by her students simply as "Peace Lady". Shake up your glitter jar (yep, that's a thing) and settle in for this hilarious and uplifting ep!
About Deborah: (<...
Teaching math as an act of protest w/ Dan Meyer
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When Vanessa crossed paths with Dan Meyer at a math conference, she sensed some pushback on her concept of math therapy. So naturally, she invited him on the podcast to get into it! The ensuing rollercoaster interview blurred lines between clearing the air and settling the score, as they hilariously debated hot topics ranging from the need for student-centred educational reform ... to which of them holds the most impressive Guinness World Record. You be the judge!
About Dan: (Twitter, Substack)
...
Season 5 trailer
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We have some serious A-list math celebs coming at your podcast feeds over the next 10 weeks - here's a little sample until season 5 launches this Thursday!
Exciting update w/ Jill from Season 2!
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Longtime listeners will remember Season 2's Jill Waddell who shared her inspiring decision to switch careers at age 40 and go back to school for power engineering - facing down her lifelong math anxiety along the way! Vanessa caught up with her after graduation to find out how things turned out (spoiler alert - she was class valedictorian!) and hear what advice she'd give her younger self.
Jill's epic story can show everyone that it's never too late in life to face your fears ... even if one of them is math!
Pi Day in Prison (Seriously)
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There's no other way to say this: we went to prison for Pi Day this year. Longtime listeners will remembers Vanessa's fascinating and inspiring interview with Christopher Havens, an inmate serving a 25-year sentence for murder who has rehabilitated himself with math and founded the Prison Mathematics Project (Season 3, Episode 10). Vanessa helped with the virtual Pi Day celebration last year, but this year was a first: PMP was able to host an in-person event at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Michigan, and Christopher asked Vanessa to MC!
She brought along th...
Math reform under attack w/ Jo Boaler
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Math Therapy is (briefly) back! We've been hard at work on a new season which I can't wait for you to hear soon, but I had to share an excerpt of one of the interviews I just did - you'll see why. Stanford professor Jo Boaler is one of my math heroes, I referenced her all through my master's thesis, and her work in trying to make math education more equitable has been an inspiration to literally millions of people.
But there are some who disagree with her vision so mu...
S4E10: Queering math w/ Dr. Anthony Bonato
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In our final episode of the season, Vanessa chats with math professor Dr. Anthony Bonato about what it means to be queer in - let’s face it - the historically snobby and closed-minded field that is math. But as soon as you hear Anthony in today’s episode, you’ll understand there will be no silencing his advocacy for diversity & inclusion in math … or for that matter his insistence that Adele’s album titles actually form a unique prime-numbers based mathematical sequence?! Anthony discusses how pop culture can be a tool to make mat...
S4E09: Giving students the voice they deserve w/ Rosalind Wiseman
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Did you know that the infamous math movie Mean Girls was actually inspired by Rosalind Wiseman’s non-fiction book called Queen Bees and Wannabes? Today Vanessa talks to Rosalind about why we need to change the media and messaging that girls get about how it’s not “cool” to be good at math. How can we teach students that they can be good at more than one thing? How can we help them embrace who they are individually in the face of the completely insane pressures of high school!?! Well, don’t despair; Ro...
S4E08: “Dude Walls” & the lost women of science w/ Katie Hafner
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You’re probably thinking “what the F*CK is a dude wall?!”, and today Vanessa talks to the incredible Katie Hafner to find out. Katie is an author, journalist, and host of the podcast “Lost Women of Science,” whose mission is to tell the stories of female scientists who history has inconveniently forgotten. But how do we prevent this from happening in the future? How do we encourage more girls and women to go into STEM, and how do we ensure their portraits aren’t left off the walls of our academic institutions...
S4E07: Defying Asian math stereotypes w/ Steven Tran
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One of the missions of this podcast is challenging stereotypes, and on today’s episode we tackle a big one: Asians and math. Steven Tran grew up with Asian parents, and the pressures and expectations from his family, community, and society as a whole affected his perception of his own math ability. Getting caught cheating in high school could have led him down a very different educational path if not for a teacher that treated him with genuine care and compassion, and, most importantly, believed in Steven and told him so. Steven tell...
S4E06: From mathochistic to mathcurious w/ A.K. Whitney
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This one’s for all the adults out there who are like “hmmm maybe it’s not too late to learn a little math…”! On today’s episode Vanessa talks to journalist A.K. Whitney, who went back to school at 38 to learn math and chronicled it in Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, and her own podcast/website delightfully titled “The Mathochism Project”. She is basically the definition of overcoming math trauma and making it less of a stigma - but how did she do it? Why don’t more people do it? And how can we mak...
