The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast
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Practical magic for real middle school life. Regulate. Connect. Thrive. đ
New here? Start with âRidiculous Joy: Itâs a Beautiful Life.â
It captures the heart of the showâhelping middle schoolers (and the adults who love them) navigate emotions, pressure, and growing up with warmth, humor, and honesty.
Middle School Mary Poppins⢠is for the kids who donât fit the moldâand the adults who care about them. Maybe even still are.
What if middle school wasnât something to survive⌠but something to unlock?
Welcome to a smart, playful, research-informed podcast reimagining the most misunderstood years of human development.
Think a little everyday magic meets emotional intelligenceâ
with a dash of 80sâ90s nostalgia, a spark of divergent thinking, and a whole lot of heart.
âď¸ Hey yâall! Iâm Suzanne M. Swainâveteran middle school teacher, child therapist, educational sociologist, and proud advocate for kids who think differently here in the hills of Tennessee.
Iâve spent over two decades teaching & training inside of classrooms, counseling offices, and school systems watching one truth play out again and again:
Everything important starts in the middle.
Middle school is where identity forms, emotions intensify, creativity explodesâand where far too many kids are misunderstood, mislabeled, or managed instead of taught.
This podcast exists to change that.
Each episode blends real classroom stories, clinical insight, and pop-culture joy to explore how creativity, emotional regulation, neurodiversity, and mental health intersect during the tween and teen years.
We talk autism, ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning, and emotional overloadânot as deficits, but as signals of untapped potential.
đŽ Expect:
⢠Gamified thinking, imaginative worlds, and creative metaphors kids actually remember
⢠Practical strategies for parents and educators supporting divergent learners
⢠Honest conversations about post-pandemic brains, emotional overload, and school culture
⢠Humor, warmth, and a retro remix that makes learning feel human again
At its core, Middle School Mary Poppins⢠is about flipping the script.
What if the traits weâre trying to suppress are actually superpowers in disguise?
What if arts-based education and emotional literacy were foundational, not optional?
What if preventing school violence, burnout, and disconnection really does begin here?
Iâm here to prove it does.
So grab your metaphorical quarters, hop in the arcade, and join us on a multiverse ride through the messy, magical middle years.
Weâre the Goonies at heart. Now we have kiddos. Time for adventure!
đ§ Itâs time for a retro remix of middle school.
Ready, player one?
If this show helps your family or classroom, you can support it at msmarypoppins.com â Support the Show
Hosted by Suzanne M. Swain, EdS, LMSW. Email Steve or Suz: suzanneswain@gmail.com
The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast
Latest Episodes
S2 EP 26 - Internet Culture & Emotional Health: The Safety Dance
Internet Culture & Emotional Health: The Safety Dancefeat. Adam Brooks, Program Coordinator from BARK Technologies adamb@bark.usSpecial MSMP listener offer:Use code POPPINS25 for $25 off any ...
S2 EP 25 - Dogs, Cats, and the Neurodivergent Brain: Youâve Got a Friend in Me
Plain Talk: Dogs, Cats, & the Neurodivergent Brain (Unscripted & Unedited) đśđđąđĽšThis episode is a different one, yâall!No outline.No âcheat sheet.âNo editing out the pauses or the âyou knows.â đ¤đ¤ŤJust a re...
S2 EP 24 - Leveling Up Self-Regulation: The Final Countdown
Screen time is not going anywhere, so instead of arguing about whether it is âgoodâ or âbad,â letâs get specific about what it doing positively for our kids. My EDS is in Education Technology, bring it! This is episode two in our ex...
S2 EP 23 - The Screen Time Clash: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Screens: the ultimate villain⌠or your kidâs emotional support sidekick? In this playful (and eye-opening) episode, Suzanne dives into the nightly showdown every parent knows too wellâthe âput the phone downâ battleâand flips the script in a wa...
S2 EP 22 - Growing Up Neurodivergent: Karma Chameleon
You can be smart, creative, and deeply caring and still walk through life feeling like youâre getting âthrown to the curb.â That ache hits a lot of neurodivergent adults, especially when old childhood labels keep playing on loop: too sensitive,...
