The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast

Epizodes

• S2 EP 27 - Plain-Talk ~ Showing Grace: Don’t You Forget About Me 26.05.2026 21min

  Middle school can feel like a daily showdown… until you realize the kid isn’t always the problem. Sometimes the kid is the signal. In this episode of The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast, Suzanne Swain, EDS LMSW explores the moments that make adults throw their hands in the air and ask, “Seriously?!” — and why that reaction is understandable, but often aimed at the wrong target. When behavior goes sideways, we tend to place the full weight of the situation on a 12- or 13-year-old navigating...
• S2 EP 26 - Internet Culture & Emotional Health: The Safety Dance 12.05.2026 35min

  Internet Culture & Emotional Health: The Safety Dance feat. Adam Brooks, Program Coordinator from BARK Technologies adamb@bark.us Special MSMP listener offer: Use code POPPINS25 for $25 off any Bark phone model or watch (limit 2). Learn more at: www.bark.us Part 3 of our “Reimagining Screen Time” technology series focuses on one of the biggest modern parenting challenges of all: keeping kids safe online while still building trust, communication, and healthy independence. Balancing s...
• S2 EP 25 - Dogs, Cats, and the Neurodivergent Brain: You’ve Got a Friend in Me 05.05.2026 31min

  Plain Talk: Dogs, Cats, & the Neurodivergent Brain (Unscripted & Unedited) 🐶💕🐱🥹 This episode is a different one, y’all! No outline. No “cheat sheet.” No editing out the pauses or the “you knows.” 🤓🤫 Just a real “plain” conversation. I thought it would be fun to see what happens without my safe bullet points. 💜 Give me about two minutes on this one—it settles in and gets really good. Besides, it’s all about FURRY FAMILY! 🤩 Animals are everything. Stepping out of your comfort zone...
• S2 EP 24 - Leveling Up Self-Regulation: The Final Countdown 28.04.2026 35min

  Screen time is not going anywhere, so instead of arguing about whether it is “good” or “bad,” let’s get specific about what it doing positively for our kids. My EDS is in Education Technology, bring it! This is episode two in our exploring screen time series, where we discuss how digital tools can be used in more intentional, supportive ways for kids and families. I found Mightier! I think Mightier is doing something truly innovative, affordable, & educationally way ahead of t...
• S2 EP 23 - The Screen Time Clash: Should I Stay or Should I Go? 20.04.2026 17min

  Screens: the ultimate villain… or your kid’s emotional support sidekick? In this playful (and eye-opening) episode, Suzanne dives into the nightly showdown every parent knows too well—the “put the phone down” battle—and flips the script in a way you probably didn’t see coming. What looks like defiance might actually be overwhelm. What feels like obsession might be regulation. From dopamine hits and digital comparison to cyberbullying and late-night scrolling, we unpack what’s really going on ...
• S2 EP 22 - Growing Up Neurodivergent: Karma Chameleon 10.04.2026 16min

  You can be smart, creative, and deeply caring and still walk through life feeling like you’re getting “thrown to the curb.” That ache hits a lot of neurodivergent adults, especially when old childhood labels keep playing on loop: too sensitive, too emotional, too intense, too distracted, so much potential if you could just… I’m busting those cognitive distortions and telling a truer story about neurodiversity, ADHD, autism, giftedness, and what it’s like when your brain takes in more than the...
• S2 EP 21 - Cancer Changes Everything: Listen to Your Heart 16.03.2026 18min

  What I thought was a routine appointment turned into an 11-hour stretch in the ER—and then the words no one is ever ready to hear: stage four metastatic cervical cancer. I’m sharing this with a shaky voice but a steady purpose, because my best friend Tanya is fighting for her life, and right now, I’m one of her primary caregivers. This has made me really think about what chosen family actually means when the crisis isn’t abstract. Tanya is my person—the friend who crossed countries, built a l...
• S2 EP 20 - Unpacking Neurodivergence: She Blinded Me With Science 10.03.2026 10min

  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 together—and why that combination makes biological sense. Recent research suggests that thousands of small genetic variations shape overlapping pathways linked to ADHD, autism, and mood regulation, pointing to a more connected “systems view” of the brain....
• S2 EP 19 - Anger & Reactivity: Under Pressure 24.02.2026 15min

  Anger feels fast. Powerful. Loud. But what’s really underneath it? In this special, kid-requested episode, Suzanne M. Swain, EDS, LMSW — child therapist, educational specialist, and veteran middle school teacher — talks directly to tweens and teens about anger in a world that feels a little… charged. Why does anger rise so quickly? What’s actually happening in your brain when you react? And how can choosing calm make you stronger — not weaker? Suzanne breaks down: Why anger is often a “cover ...
• S2 EP 18 - Neurodivergent Perseverance: I Need a Hero 12.02.2026 14min

  Heroes aren’t always loud—and they don’t 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—even when it’s hard.Inspired by the Winter Olympics, beloved pop-culture heroes, a surprising animal rescue, and the power of team culture, Suzanne reframes heroism for kids, parents, and educators—especially those supporting neurodivergent learners.This episod...
• S2 EP 17 - Outsmarting Bullies: Tainted Love 27.01.2026 19min

  Bullying in middle school isn’t always loud or obvious—and that’s 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, strategic, and emotionally manipulative forms of bullying that often get overlooked by adults but deeply affect kids’ confidence and sense of safety. You’ll learn how power, group dynamics, humor, and digital spaces fuel bullying, why neurodivergent ki...
• S2 EP 16 - Emotional Safety: Time After Time 20.01.2026 18min

  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 what’s really going on in neurodivergent brains—and why it’s not defiance, manipulation, or “bad behavior.” It’s exhaustion. Suzanne connects the dots between ADHD, autism, sensory overload, food struggles, anxiety, and emotional regulation, all while explaining why routines feel calming (...
• S2 EP 15 - Food for Mood 2: Sweet Dreams are Made of This 13.01.2026 20min

  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. Kids, teens, and neurodivergent individuals all can benefit from knowing triggers in the body and ways to re-regulate through nutrition. Building on the foundation from Part One, this episode blends accessible brain science, school-based therapy experie...
• S2 EP 14 - Food for Mood: Hungry like a Wolf 06.01.2026 20min

  It’s a new year, so let’s talk about food and feelings—because they’re 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. This episode dives into the four core emotions—joy, sadness, anger, and fear—and how each one shows up in your body. From why joy just wants to be savored, to why sadness loves soup, why anger needs cooling foods, and why fear sometimes just needs you t...
• S2 EP 13 - Holiday Joy & Eustress: Run Run Rudolph 16.12.2025 22min

  Happy holidays from Middle School Mary Poppins! In this heart-centered episode, Suzanne M. Swain, EdS, LMSW—your friendly neighborhood kid therapist—dives into a powerful holiday homophone: presents vs. presence. One is wrapped. The other is felt. Suzanne explores why time, attention, and shared experiences often mean more to kids than expensive gifts—and how families can use the holiday season to build gratitude, empathy, and real connection. From low-cost, high-impact traditions (like handm...
• Poetry Special: Twas the Night Before Middle School Break 15.12.2025 2min

  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. Send Suzanne a Question or Comment: Support the show
• S2 EP 11 - Ridiculous Joy: It's a Beautiful Life 09.12.2025 23min

  Middle school can feel weird, overwhelming, awkward, emotional, and completely ridiculous sometimes… so maybe the answer is learning how to hold onto a little “Ridiculous Joy” to help us cope with the difficulty. In this episode of The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast, Suzanne M. Swain, EdS, LMSW introduces the heart behind the show and the mission driving these conversations: helping kids, families, and educators better understand each other through neuroscience, emotional critical thinkin...
• S2 EP 10 - Thanksgiving Social Skills Special: We Are Family 27.11.2025 13min

  Hey y’all & 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 you could bring up at the dinner table that would help to encourage conversations to get to know the kids and each a lot better.Hope you enjoy the episode and all the best for a blessed Thanksgiving.- Suz FYI: If you are in need of mental health service...
• S2 EP 9 - Learning Empathy: Right Here Waiting 19.11.2025 18min

  In this thoughtful and essential episode of Middle School Mary Poppins, Suzanne M. Swain, EDS, LMSW—Education Master & Specialist as well as working school-based Child Therapist introduces a new concept she believes every family, teacher, and community needs right now: Elementary Empathy-Based Learning (EEBL). Suzanne dives into why today’s youngest learners—especially those who experienced early childhood during the pandemic—need intentional support in developing empathy, emotional aware...
• S2 EP 8 - Tweens & Money: The Secret of My Success 11.11.2025 14min

  In this episode, child therapist and master teacher Suzanne M. Swain, EDS LMSW, dives into a topic that makes many of us squirm—money management for neurodivergent kids. Whether your child has ADHD, autism, or another form of neurodiversity, Suzanne shares practical ways to help them build a healthy relationship with money, understand value, and learn how effort connects to reward. From creating chore charts and setting short- and long-term financial goals to exploring kid-friendly...