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
Episodes
34 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,...
S2 EP 21 - Cancer Changes Everything: Listen to Your Heart
What I thought was a routine appointment turned into an 11-hour stretch in the ERâand then the words no one is ever ready to hear: stage four metastatic cervical cancer. Iâm sharing this with a shaky voice but a steady purpose, because my best ...
S2 EP 20 - Unpacking Neurodivergence: She Blinded Me With Science
What if the behaviors we rush to fix are actually signals from a beautifully organized, differently wired brain? In this episode, we explore new neuroscience showing why attention differences, sensory intensity, and big emotions often appear to...
S2 EP 19 - Anger & Reactivity: Under Pressure
Anger feels fast. Powerful. Loud. But whatâs really underneath it?In this special, kid-requested episode, Suzanne M. Swain, EDS, LMSW â child therapist, educational specialist, and veteran middle school teacher â talks directly to tweens...
S2 EP 18 - Neurodivergent Perseverance: I Need a Hero
Heroes arenât always loudâand they donât always wear capes.In this episode of Middle School Mary Poppins, Suzanne M. Swain explores what heroism really looks like in the real world: persistence, joy, empathy, and showing up as yourself...
S2 EP 17 - Outsmarting Bullies: Tainted Love
Bullying in middle school isnât always loud or obviousâand thatâs what makes it so confusing and harmful. In this episode of Middle School Mary Poppins, child therapist and educational specialist Suzanne M. Swain, EDS, LMSW explores the subtle,...
S2 EP 16 - Emotional Safety: Time After Time
Ever wonder why your child completely melts down the second they walk through the door after school? In this episode, veteran middle school teacher and child therapist Suzanne M. Swain, EdS LMSW breaks down whatâs really going o...
S2 EP 15 - Food for Mood 2: Sweet Dreams are Made of This
In Part II of the Food for Mood series, Suzanne explores how the Inside Out socially-based emotions like anxiety, embarrassment, envy, boredom, & ultimately motivation quietly influence behavior, mood, and emotional regulation.&nbs...
S2 EP 14 - Food for Mood: Hungry like a Wolf
Itâs a new year, so letâs talk about food and feelingsâbecause theyâre way more connected than we realize. In this episode, we break down how what you eat can either calm you down or completely throw you off, without diet rules or restriction.<...
S2 EP 13 - Holiday Joy & Eustress: Run Run Rudolph
Happy holidays from Middle School Mary Poppins! In this heart-centered episode, Suzanne M. Swain, EdS, LMSWâyour friendly neighborhood kid therapistâdives into a powerful holiday homophone: presents vs. presence. One is wrapped....
Poetry Special: Twas the Night Before Middle School Break
Sharing a little bit of holiday cheer with you by creating a poem about life in middle school during the holiday season. Hope you enjoy it and happy holidays andMerry Christmas to you all.
S2 EP 11 - Ridiculous Joy: It's a Beautiful Life
Joy isnât a reward â itâs a skill.In this episode, Suzanne explores why joy matters for middle schoolers navigating big feelings, growing brains, and constant pressure. Not toxic positivity â real, grounding joy that supports regulation,...
S2 EP 10 - Thanksgiving Social Skills Special: We Are Family
Hey yâall & happy Thanksgiving, everyone! As we all know, this can be a stressful time of year for some individuals who may be struggling. I wanted to take a moment today to give you a list of some conversation, starters and questions that ...
S2 EP 9 - Learning Empathy: Right Here Waiting
In this thoughtful and essential episode of Middle School Mary Poppins, Suzanne M. Swain, EDS, LMSWâEducation Master & Specialist as well as working school-based Child Therapist introduces a new concept she believes every family, t...
S2 EP 8 - Tweens & Money: The Secret of My Success
In this episode, child therapist and master teacher Suzanne M. Swain, EDS LMSW, dives into a topic that makes many of us squirmâmoney management for neurodivergent kids. Whether your child has ADHD, autism, or another form of ...
S2 EP 7 - Masculinity: Letâs Hear It for the Boys
In this heartfelt and necessary episode, Suzanne dives into the topic of masculinity and emotional safety, exploring how adolescent boys communicate, why they struggle to open up, and how we can help them feel seen and supported. With wa...
S2 EP 6 - Educational Epic Fails: Insane in the Brain
What do Abraham Lincoln, a dead bird, and the local Fire Department have in common? Believe it or notâSuzanneâs teaching career. In this episode, kid therapist and master teacher Suzanne M. Swain spills her epic teaching fails
S2 EP 5 - ADHD Goes Back to School: Take on Me
Welcome back to the chaos and charm of back-to-school season! In this episode, therapist and former middle school teacher Suzanne M. Swain (EDS, LMSW) dives into one of her most requested topicsâADHD. Suzanne flips the script on the usual narra...
S2 EP 4 - Technology VR/ AI Killed the Radio Star
In this jam-packed, joy-filled episode, Suzanne Swain dives headfirst down the digital rabbit hole to share her lifelong love of techâand how itâs changing the game for kids and families alike. From her first VGA monitor to todayâs AI-powered t...
S2 EP 3 - Trauma: When Bad Things Happen - The Labyrinth
At 3:18 AM, Suzanne Swain found herself wide awake, anxious, and overwhelmed. In this heartfelt episode, she shares how a late-night rewatch of Labyrinth became the unexpected comfort she needed.Blending nostalgia, humor, and re...
S2 EP 2 - Grandparents: A Coat of Many Colors
Whatâs the grandest thing youâve ever done? Built a treehouse? Made a birthday cake from scratch? Raised a child⌠twice? In this heartwarming episode, Suzanne Swain (aka your favorite rural kid therapist) dives into the