Math Therapy

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)Have you ever had the feeling that you might have peaked too early? Meet Mike: a math-dropout-turned-software-cloud-architect. He chats with Vanessa about faking it til’ you make it, learning that it’s ok to admit you don’t know everything, and that #selflove can sometimes be way harder than #SOHCAHTOA.About MikeMike is a big phony who is somehow able to achieve all of his dreams and is waiting for it all to come crashing down.  Is it luck?  Is he just so innocently charming that you can't help but give him a shot?  Is the bar for his dreams shockingly low?  All of the above.  He didn't pass grade 12 math and yet he can still afford to pay his rent.  Mike is a Cloud Consultant working at one of the coolest tech companies in the world.  How is that even possible?!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)Welcome to our most intense (and successful!) math therapy session yet!  Has your inability to fit into that mythical “math person” category haunted you for your entire life?  Today Vanessa talks to Tamica Marcano about how being labelled ADHD led to mega feelings of inadequacy, especially when it comes to math, and they discover what’s truly possible when we leap out of the boxes we once forced ourselves into. Ready to hear math therapy legit transform Tamica’s life? Let’s do this!About TamicaFollow Tamica on Instagram @tamicatoutlemonde and Twitter @TamicaMarcanoContact 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)Ever dream of quitting your job and starting over again? Today Vanessa talks to Jill Waddell, a nutritionist who decided to finally face her fear of math to become a friggin POWER ENGINEER! AT 40!! Crazy, right?! From crying in the bathroom, to melting down in front of her husband, to doing everything in her power to keep her eye on the prize - this episode has it all so BUCKLE UP KIDS.About Jill: (Instagram)At the age of 40, with three children at home and following a lengthy career in the fitness and nutrition field, Jill did a complete 180. She dove in head first to the world of Power Engineering, spending countless hours practicing math, seeking out her daughters high school math tutor for help, watching YouTube videos, and shedding more than a few tears!  With her newfound confidence in math and herself, Jill wants to play a big role in the power generation industry in New Brunswick.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)What would you do if your high school math teacher told you that the only thing you were capable of doing was flipping burgers? Ummm ... become the king of the kitchen, of course! Today Vanessa talks to Miguel about how he went from killing it in the restaurant industry to a career 180 as a stats analyst rockstar with the Ontario government, all while battling some deep math trauma and persistent imposter syndrome. If you’re ready to turn your fear of failure into your greatest motivator, then this episode is for you!About MiguelMiguel Escobar is a Senior Business Analyst with the Government of Ontario and is a graduate of George Brown College where he completed the Hospitality Management program with honours. Miguel has had a love/hate relationship with math going all the way back to high school. From failing many, many times to being told he’d never get it, he struggled with numbers and avoided them at all costs. Now, some 20+ years later, he has embraced math and uses it almost every single day in his job.  The fear and anxiety that came with being labeled “not a math person” is in the past and he now looks for every opportunity to help others who might struggle through the same things he did.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 we brought you a discussion about the need for greater diversity in math education, and today we have a conversation about how to lift up marginalized voices if you are in a position of privilege.  Vanessa talks to Canadian thought leader Dr. Imogen Coe about what it’s like to advocate for equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), fields traditionally dominated by white men, and what it actually means to use your privilege for good.About Imogen (Website, Instagram, LinkedIn)Dr. Imogen R. Coe was the founding dean of the Faculty of Science from 2012 to 2018 at Ryerson University in Toronto. She is currently a professor of Chemistry and Biology at Ryerson. She is also an affiliate scientist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, where her research group studies the proteins responsible for the import of anti-cancer drugs.  In addition to her work as a research scientist, Dr. Coe is internationally recognized as a Canadian thought leader in the area of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).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)A couple months ago we had picked today as the launch date for Season 2, but we've been glued to the news as I'm sure you've been and we know that math is not exactly the topic on everyone's mind this week.  We considered delaying the launch, but we realized that an episode we had planned to release later in the season, a conversation with Michole Washington, was actually very topical.Michole is currently working on a PhD at the University of Michigan researching common experiences of Black people in math education, and she spoke with Vanessa back in February about diversity (or lack thereof) in math and what it felt like to be only the 9th Black woman to have EVER earned a B.S. from Atlanta’s Georgia Tech University in 2016.  This was a fascinating and at times challenging conversation and we hope you enjoy it.About Michole:Michole Washington is an expert on equitable and interactive design for K-16 STEM enrichment programs. She critically examines how undergraduate math courses can better support students, especially Black students. In particular, she focuses on relationship building in the math classroom as a method to increase STEM engagement.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)Season 2 starts June 4th but today we're sharing some of the inspiring stories that listeners have sent us!  From math traumas to math triumphs, we were SO inspired by the courage in these submissions.  Follow Vanessa on all socials @themathguru for updates and get pumped for Season 2!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)Not sure what to do with all the COVID-conspiracy theories flying around? Finding yourself arguing on social media while your blood pressure rises and your friend/follower count drops?!?!  Um, I FEEL YA.  So I called up my dear friend and legit science super-star, Dr. Samantha Yammine (aka Science Sam on Instagram and YouTube), to break down exactly why #fakenews spreads so easily and what we can do to constructively and compassionately champion facts based in real math and science - something we have the power and responsibility to fight for.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)The last few weeks I have been freaking out about how, in a math-anxious society, the secret to understanding the spread of COVID and the importance of physical distancing is ... MATH?!  Like honestly, I'm a (self-described) math therapist and even I have been confused at times exactly what curve needs to be f*cking flattened.In this episode I break down some of the key math-related COVID issues I've been thinking about, and I hope this gives you a bit of clarity or perhaps some help when arguing with your math-anxious and conspiracy-theory-loving friend about why physical distancing works and will save lives :)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)While we're working on Season 2, we want to hear from you!  Send us your math stories/questions - the good, the bad, and the ugly :)  How do you feel about the term "math person"?  Do YOU have math trauma?!  Share your story with us and we'll pick some to play/read on our 1st ever mailbag episode!  Ways to share:Send your written story via email to vanessa at themathguru dot caRecord a voice note on your phone & send via email or dm on instaText the podcast at the link aboveContact 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