Math Therapy

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)From the moment Vanessa met bestselling authors/podcasters Cat and Nat on Breakfast Television, where the 2 moms proudly professed to hate math ... she knew she had to have them on Math Therapy to dig deeper and find out why.  They are the definition of unfiltered, so they are a perfect fit!This interview may be uncomfortable for teachers to hear - honestly, it was difficult for Vanessa at times to not be defensive.  But the fact is, we need to know what students and parents are really going through; not just in the classroom but in their entire, completely chaotic modern lives.About Cat and Nat: (Website, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube)Between the two of them, bestselling authors & podcasters Cat & Nat have seven kids, zero down time, and an unshakable belief that motherhood shouldn’t feel like solitary confinement. 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)*call-out before we get into today's ep* - If you or a colleague/parent/student has a story about incorporating the absurd 6-7 phenomenon into actual learning, we need you!  Seriously, send us a brief text or a voicenote via Instagram DM or email.  We've heard some stories and want to do an episode about enhancing learning by reaching kids through their interests (no matter how ridiculous we think they are...)On today's episode w/ Rob Baier:Vanessa often goes into our interviews with a thorough plan, and then as soon as we hit record she instead asks the first random thing that pops into her mind and never looks at the outline again.  Well, today's episode with trailblazer Rob Baier is one of those rollercoasters!  Some of the rabbit holes they end up in include:how our assessment systems contribute to math anxiety/traumawhy we actually became so obsessed with getting every student into calculuswhat student learning has in common with binging an entire season of Ginny and Georgia (spoiler alert: we have it all backwards)About Rob: (LinkedIn)Rob is passionate about inspiring the next generation of math enthusiasts! As a Growth Lead at Innovamat, Rob is dedicated to bringing innovative math education solutions to schools across three states. With a diverse background in education, including roles as a math teacher, curriculum director, and professional development leader, he is committed to empowering educators and students. He is also a co-host of the #DebateMath podcast and a frequent presenter at national and regional conferences.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)This past weekend, hearts across North America shattered as the plucky underdog Toronto Blue Jays lost to the LA Dodgers in extra innings of the deciding Game 7 of the Major League Baseball World Series.  And if none of those words matter to you at all - then you and Vanessa have much in common!However, as a self-admitted bandwagon jumper, even though she was down in the US on a math ed conference tour, she was all in on this series and sucked a bunch of colleagues into her orbit along the way.  While this is obviously not a sports podcast, she and her teacher friends couldn't help observe parallels between what they saw on the field & went through together as new fans, compared with what they see day to day in their students' journeys through the education system.So Vanessa and David jumped on to discuss some of these parallels, share some voice memos from her teachers-turned-superfans group chat, and even call in a pinch hitter (a term she learned last week) to share the inside scoop on what might actually be going through these pro athletes' minds in the most high pressure situations imaginable and how a student can approach a math test the same way.The dream team: (aka teachers Vanessa literally forced to watch the games)Jenna Laib (Website, Bluesky)Alison Mello (Website, Instagram)Kim Montague (Instagram, Bluesky)Shelby Strong (Website, Bluesky)Guest "analyst": (aka ex-Olympic athlete / current math ed rock star)Peter Liljedahl (Website, Instagram)Past ep: Teaching students to ... think?! w/ Peter LiljedahlContact 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)Most episodes, Vanessa is chatting with colleagues about the root causes of math anxiety/trauma and exploring how math education can change to avoid causing them.But as long as math remains a 4-letter word for some, we need some practical coping strategies!  So today, Vanessa details 5 ways you can flip anxious math moments into empowering ones - for teachers, parents, and students.Learn how to:Trade control for curiosityAdmit what you don't knowNot be afraid to follow tangents in classCoregulate before you educateHeal your own math traumaOther episodes mentioned:How to find the "why" in math class w/ Mike FlynnWhy 1 + 1 isn't always 2 w/ Eugenia Cheng5 simple Math Therapy strategies for your classroomContact 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)Sometimes an interview fires us up so much here at Math Therapy HQ, that we end up debriefing and debating it long after the guest has signed off - at which point producer David says to host Vanessa "we should have recorded THAT too!"So today, we actually did!  We kept the mics rolling after interviewing last week's guest, Dr. Raj Shah, resulting in a discussion on the mechanics of memory & aptitude and a spirited debate as David pushed back against Vanessa's war on the words "natural ability".  We would LOVE to have an expert in this field on the podcast, so if you have any suggestions let us know!And we want to know what you think as well - are some people born better at some things than others?!  Let us know below!Episodes referenced:Why math sucks and how to fix it w/ Raj ShahMath ed needs more conversations like this w/ Pam HarrisContact 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)What is memory? Are different brains good at memorizing different things (like math vs music)? Is memorization even a good way to learn? Why don’t we teach math like we teach reading? Why do we love puzzles and escape rooms but hate math class? Is it possible to make math learning fun?? Will Vanessa ever learn how to explain how to text the podcast?!?! How does this all relate to math trauma?!?!?!Ok.  Deep breaths.  Today's ep with Dr. Raj Shah was a rollercoaster, as every question spawned 10 more!  Connecting the big thorny debates of math education with the humanity and complexity of what students are actually experiencing in their minds and bodies, Vanessa and Raj laughed, cried, and one of them even broke out into song (probably not the one you expected!)If you need a triple shot of inspiration, hope, and laughter today, this episode is for you.Show notes:Raj’s TED Talk "Using Video Game Principles to Improve Math Scores"Ted Lasso scene "Be curious, not judgmental"All of Me by John LegendGood Inside by Becky KennedyAnnie Fetter “Notice and Wonder”Math Therapy S5E06: Redefining Success Send us your 3 superpowers!About Raj: (Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook)Dr. Raj Shah is the founder of Math Plus Academy, a founding member of the Global Math Project, and a leading voice in making math irresistible. Raj is passionate about creating math experiences that feel joyful and accessible, drawing inspiration from everything from video game design to human psychology. Beyond math, Raj is deeply interested in spirituality and therapy, seeing connections between how we approach math, how we heal shame, and how we make sense of the world.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)Today's ep ended up in a different place than Vanessa expected when she first sat down to chat with Pam Harris, founder of Math Is Figureoutable. Their first real interaction was on the DebateMath Podcast; Pam insisted that learning algorithms/shortcuts can actually hold students back from true learning, while Vanessa advocated for kids to learn however works for them.Often, that's where it ends.  Worse, especially in the "everyone yell at each other" media landscape, the conversation never begins!  Which makes today's episode so refreshing - a debate that was more philosophical than ideological. Pam and Vanessa had the time to really go into depth about what they disagree on and where they see eye to eye ... spoiler alert, they're actually pretty aligned!Links discussed:Math Is Figureoutable PodcastFree resource download: mathisfigureoutable/big#MathStratChatVanessa & Pam debate algorithms on the DebateMath PodcastOutliers by Malcolm GladwellAbout Pam: (Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook)Pam Harris is a leading math educator, author, and speaker best known for her work on making math figure-out-able. Through her books, podcast, and teaching, she helps classrooms move away from rote memorization and answer-getting, and toward math as something students can sense-make, reason through, and truly understand. She’s passionate about showing that math isn’t about tricks or steps—it’s about thinking, starting with the knowledge students already bring to the table.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)We're trying something new this week!  Last week's ep with Mike Flynn dove into some very murky debate waters: do students need to know the "why" of what their learning in order to truly understand material, or is it fine for them to just memorize things as long as they get the answers?  (If you missed, scroll back in your feed or click here to catch up.)But the real drama took place over on TikTok, where Vanessa posted a clip from the ep and some viewers engaged in very polite and erudite discussion in the comments ... jk, people LOST THEIR MINDS.  But there were also a ton of great points that are often debated in math ed, so we invited Mike back on this week to respond to some comments real-time and clarify some of what he and Vanessa meant last week.  Enjoy - and either way, you know where to let us know what you think ;) Links discussed:How to find the "why" in math class w/ Mike Flynn (last week's ep)The TikTok that started it allLost S2E01 - *why* was Desmond typing the numbers?!Connect with Mike Flynn: Website, TikTok, InstagramContact 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

In this engaging discussion, Mike Flynn, an international math educator and founder of Flynn Education, shares his journey from hating math to advocating for deeper understanding. He emphasizes the importance of making mistakes and shifting focus from finding the right answer to fostering flexible thinking. Mike provides strategies to combat math anxiety and highlights how procedural teaching can create trauma. He encourages embracing math as a thinking process and suggests implementing Open Middle tasks to boost problem-solving skills.

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)If you follow Vanessa on Instagram, you know the rollercoaster she went on to record the audiobook version of Math Therapy ... well, the hard work / literal sweat & tears paid off because it is now out!  You can find it on Audible/Amazon right now, and if you have never used Audible you can likely get it for a free credit with their new trial offer. (It will be on Spotify soon as well, let us know if there's any other platform it should be added to.)We wanted to share an exclusive sample with our listeners, so this week's episode features the entire preface, which is also a great introduction to Vanessa's story and how she came up with Math Therapy in the first place!  And if you do end up getting the full audiobook please leave a rating/review and share it with a friend ❤️Shop the Math Therapy collection:paperback/ebookaudiobook (US, Can, UK, Aus, Germany, or global)merch storeContact 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