Be a Better Ally: Critical Conversations for K12 Educators
by Tricia Friedman
What does real allyship look like in a classroom, a staff room, a school community?Be a Better Ally helps K-12 teachers and school leaders build inclusive classrooms where every student feels they belong — without slogans, scripts, or shame. Host Tricia Friedman (Director of Shifting Schools) sits down with the authors, researchers, and educators shaping these conversations to explore student identity, belonging, school culture, media literacy, and the digital lives of young people.Each episode leaves you with something to try, question, or read next. 280+ episodes of critical conversations for anyone who believes schools should be places where everyone gets to become themselves.
Episodes
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Surviving Mars: What Astronaut Resilience Teaches Us About Human Limits (with Dr. Mark Shelhamer)
What happens to the human mind and body when Earth is reduced to a pale blue dot millions of miles away ? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mark Shelhamer, professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and former Chief Scientist for NASA's Human Research Program . Drawing from his...
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Sharon Cameron: The Hidden Musical Rhythm of Storytelling
Award-winning author Sharon Cameron joins the podcast to discuss her novel, Up from the Ashes . Sharon shares her meticulous process of creating "dramatized reality" by working closely with the family of her real-life subjects, Hyman and Selma, to honor their legacy with accuracy and respect .…
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Defending Creativity in Schools with Author A.S. King
How do we raise innovators, rebels, and revolutionaries? This week, award-winning author A.S. King joins the show to answer that question and discuss her latest middle-grade novel, It Came From the Creek. We explore the real-life youth activists fighting book bans, the heartbreaking decline of...
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Notice more with Christy Mandin
What can picture books teach us about helping children feel heard—and learning to ask for help ourselves? Author and illustrator Christy Mandin returns to explore Millie Fleur's Pumpkin Problem and Millie Fleur's Worst Day Ever. Through her imaginative characters, Christy opens up conversations...
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What Makes a Monster? Ending Witchlings with Claribel A. Ortega
What makes a monster? NYT bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega just finished the five-book Witchlings series, and she's got thoughts. We talk about The Sims as a storytelling engine, why curiosity about death and darkness is something to welcome, and how kids are finding their first real friends...
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Who Helps Us Become Creative? Friendship, YA, and Jasmine Guillory
What helps a young person believe their creative ideas are worth pursuing? New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory joins Tricia Friedman to discuss her first young adult novel, It's Only Dancing, inspired by Dirty Dancing. Together, they explore teenage friendship, artistic…
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Student voice, and meeting the moment
This short episode asks for your help. In anticipation of the upcoming AAIE Institute in Atlanta, might your students want to weigh in and share their feedback on questions we will be using for focus groups and surveys? If yes, share this link with them…
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When Someone Else's Curiosity Becomes Yours | Brian Boone
Does the world keep getting stranger, or are we hearing more about how strange it has always been? Returning guest Brian Boone joins Tricia to explore curiosity, creativity, and human behavior through the stories in Uncle John's All-Knowing Bathroom Reader. From the ways horses reshaped human...
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Be Bold, Be Humble: Rethinking Assessment with AI
What does it look like to be bold about AI in education while remaining humble enough to revise what does not work? In this episode, Tricia Friedman responds to recent guidance from MIT by sharing a practical way to experiment with AI, assessment, and curriculum design. The challenge invites...
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What Young People Notice: Tiffany D. Jackson on Grief, Ghosts, and Trust
What do young people understand that adults mistakenly believe they have hidden from them? Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson returns to the podcast to discuss Ghost in the Night, her haunting middle-grade novel set against the ghost tours, buried histories, and complicated beauty of…
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Our Voices Are Our Power | Dr. Camille Busette
What happens when we stop treating unaffordable healthcare as an individual problem—and recognize it as a shared crisis? In this episode of Be a Better Ally, Tricia Friedman speaks with Dr. Camille Busette about One Nation, Overcharged, a people-powered movement demanding a healthcare system that...
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Competence, Compassion, and Supporting Families in Crisis
Renata Castro on Supporting Immigrant Families, Choosing Competent Counsel, and Staying Resilient My guest today is immigration attorney Renata Castro,ESQ. founder of USA4All, a law firm focused on helping immigrants, survivors of domestic violence, and victims of human trafficking. We talk about...
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What Suspense Novels Teach Us About Empathy, Curiosity, and Creativity with Lisa Gardner
What can a suspense novelist teach educators about empathy, creativity, and the danger of reducing people to simple labels? In this episode of Be a Better Ally, Tricia Friedman speaks with bestselling author Lisa Gardner about the psychology behind her novels and her enduring fascination with the...
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From Catching Passes to Turning Pages with Malcolm Mitchell
What if readers and writers received the same attention, celebration, and investment as star athletes? In this episode, Tricia speaks with Super Bowl champion, children's author, and literacy advocate Malcolm Mitchell about his new picture book, My Super Duper Me. They discuss the lasting effect…
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The First Story We Tell a Child: You Belong | SANDRA MAGSAMEN
What can a book offer a child before they understand its words? For bestselling author, artist, and art therapist Sandra Magsamen, the answer begins with connection. Her new board book, Hello, Baby, was created for children from birth to age three as a bright, playful welcome into reading—and…
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Can Horror Teach Emotional Literacy? with Ryan La Sala
Horror is where some of today's boldest, most creative storytelling is happening — and author Ryan La Sala has a theory about why. In this conversation, the author of The Dead of Summer (now in paperback) unpacks how horror reveals what we value: who's worth saving, how we survive together, and…
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Years of Rejection to 39 Books: Jerry Spinelli's Long Game
Jerry Spinelli wrote four novels nobody wanted and spent twenty-five years getting rejected before his first book was published — he's now on book thirty-nine. The Newbery Medal-winning author joins Tricia Friedman to talk about perseverance, why kids never really change from one generation to…
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Alex Campbell on the Students Behind Murder 101
What happens when a teacher replaces textbook exercises with a real, unsolved problem? In this episode, Tricia speaks with Alex Campbell, the Tennessee high school teacher featured in Prime Video's limited documentary series Murder 101. The series follows Campbell and his sociology students at...
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What Happens When Kids Stop Inheriting Adult Assumptions?
Award-winning author Christina Diaz Gonzalez joins Tricia to discuss her new middle-grade graphic novel, Offside, a bilingual story about soccer, friendship, ambition, identity, and the power young people have to create change. Christina explains why she wanted the young characters in Offside to...
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Be Curious, Not Judgmental: Cristo Fernández on Joy, Teamwork, and Trying Again
You may know Cristo Fernandez as Danny Rojas from Ted Lasso, but this conversation reaches far beyond one beloved role. In this episode, Cristo talks with Tricia about dreaming big, trying again after failure, staying generous, and remembering that we all have something powerful to bring to the...
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A better understanding of who we are with Katie Kennedy
What does it mean to teach the Declaration of Independence as more than a document students memorize? In this episode, Tricia speaks with historian and author Katie Kennedy about her new book on the Declaration of Independence, the world that produced it, and why young people need more than…
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Beyond Polarization: Helping Students Make Sense of America with Colin Woodard
In this episode, we explore what it means to educate young people in a time of deep civic division. Students are growing up surrounded by polarization, yet schools remain one of the few places where people are still asked to learn and engage across differences. Joining the conversation is Colin...
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Why Trivia Isn't Trivial: Brian Boone on Curiosity, Connection, and a Great Father's Day Gift
If creativity, curiosity, and connection matter to you, this episode is a good one to queue up for Father's Day weekend. This week, we welcome back writer and researcher Brian Boone for a conversation about trivia, fandom, and why the facts we collect are often connected to the people, places,...
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Aida Salazar on Stream, Story as Technology, and the Self Beyond the Feed
Award-winning author Aida Salazar joins us to discuss Stream, her new middle grade novel in verse featuring Celi and Elio, two teens sent to rural Mexico after a viral catfishing incident exposes how much of their lives has been shaped by screens. Salazar describes Stream as part of an unintended...
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Meredith Walker on Identity, Friendship, Comedy, and Becoming Yourself
What does it really mean to "be yourself"? In this episode, Tricia speaks with Meredith Walker about her new book and the deeper work of self-discovery. Meredith's motto, "get your hair wet," becomes the perfect entry point for a conversation about joining the moment instead of protecting the...
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Keala Kendall on Horror, Hawaiian History, and Teaching Students to Question "Paradise"
Tricia Friedman speaks with Keala Kendall, author of That Which Feeds Us, a gothic novel that begins with a missing sister and opens into a larger conversation about Hawaii, diaspora, colonialism, memory, and the stories we are taught to accept about place. Keala describes her writing process as…
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What Mothers Teach Us: Dr. Brittney Cooper on Mama Says I'm Fine
This week, Tricia Friedman welcomes New York Times bestselling author Dr. Brittney Cooper to the podcast for a conversation about her new picture book, Mama Says I'm Fine. Based largely on Cooper's own childhood, Mama Says I'm Fine is a heartwarming story about family, resilience, and the…
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We will always need stories with Patricia Cornwell
Bestselling author Patricia Cornwell joins Tricia Friedman to discuss True Crime: A Memoir, her deeply personal account of the life behind the books. Cornwell is known around the world for the Kay Scarpetta series, which has sold millions of copies and helped shape the modern forensic thriller.…
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What the fun?
Join Tricia Friedman Monday, May 4th for a free Futures Literacy session exploring the future of fun: https://triciafriedman.com/futureoffun/
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What an Applied Linguist Sees in the Age of AI
In this episode, Tricia speaks with Dr. Kimberly Becker, an applied linguist and social scientist, about what shifts when AI enters the world of writing, research, and communication. Their conversation moves past the usual panic about cheating and detection and instead asks a deeper question…
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Get A People's Climate into first place!
Special call out, months back we were thrilled to host Shilpi Chhotray, of A People's Climate on the pod, and Shilpi's show is SO close to winning a WEBBY. This is a big big deal, so we need you to show your support. A People's Climate is a top 5 Webby nominee (out of 13,000+ entries) and…
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Sara Amini on Identity, Friendship, and the Power of Graphic Novels
What can a graphic novel teach educators about belonging, friendship, and the inner lives of young people? In this episode, Tricia speaks with actor and author Sara Amini about Mixed Feelings, her semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel. Together they explore how stories can help adults...
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Meet 'Jack and Me'
This week I am sharing my podcast feed with Matthew Savage's show Jack and Me. If you have not yet tuned in, I hope this introduction turns you into a fan. Learn more: https://jackandme.podbean.com/
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Why "What Do You Want to Be?" May Be the Wrong Question | Peter H. Reynolds
What if "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is not the best question to ask young people? In this episode, Tricia speaks with beloved author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds about creativity, identity, student voice, and his latest book, When You Dream Big. Together, they explore why...
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People, Passion, Professional Development: with Justin Hardman and Carlos Galvez
How can we rethink professional development for teachers so it feels energizing, relevant, and deeply human? In this episode, Tricia Friedman is joined by Justin Hardman and Carlos Galvez for a conversation about educator professional development, community building in education, teacher...
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Jasmine Warga on Children's Literature, Emotional Growth, and Unlikely Friendship
Jasmine Warga joins us to talk about trust, vulnerability, friendship, and the creative process behind writing children's books that resonate deeply with young readers. We explore how animal characters can help kids navigate big emotions, why experimentation matters in storytelling, and what…
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What Rowing Teaches Leaders: with Dana Specker Watts, Ph.D.
Dana Specker Watts began rowing and found an unexpected leadership lab: a sport where trust is built through timing, teamwork, and attention to small signals. In this educational interview, Dana shares how early mornings on the water became a practice for focus and calm, and how rowing reshaped…
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Family of Spies and the Work of Confronting the Truth
In this episode, Tricia sits down with Christine Kuehn and Mark Schiponi to discuss Family of Spies, a World War II story of Nazi espionage, betrayal, and family secrecy. Christine and Mark share what it was like to research and write a book that reads like a thriller but is rooted in their real...
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Table for One? The Ethics of AI Companionship
What do we owe each other in an age of artificial intimacy? This episode dives into Tricia Friedman's interactive ethics exercise, Table for One?, which uses the metaphor of an AI companion restaurant — a venue where diners are paired with a conversational AI — to surface hard questions about...
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Love is a Verb with Sandra Magsamen
In this conversation, Sandra Magsamen discusses her approach to creating children's literature that emphasizes connection, love, and emotional intelligence. She shares insights into her creative process, the importance of feedback from readers, and how her work aims to foster self-love and...
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Rethinking Love, Leadership, and Loneliness with Julie Menanno
This week, Tricia speaks with Julie Menanno about her new book, Secure Love, and what it actually takes to build emotionally safe, lasting relationships in a hyperconnected world. The conversation begins with an unexpected cultural lens: Jim and Pam from The Office. What makes their dynamic feel...
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Rise, Girl, Rise, with Gloria Steinem and Leymah Gbowee
In a bold anthem, Rise, Girl, Rise, feminist organizer Gloria Steinem and Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee share their parallel journeys as activists. This picture book for children is told through alternating points of view and culminating in a powerful collective "we," celebrating...
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Can we encourage a puzzler's mindset?
What do puzzles teach us about being human? In this episode, Tricia talks with Allison Kane, Head of Puzzle Innovation at Highlights, about why puzzling matters far beyond entertainment. From Hidden Pictures and Wordle to classroom design and family learning, this conversation explores how…
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Carrying a Timeless Story Forward: Charlotte Jones Voiklis on Legacy and Adaptation
In this conversation, Tricia and Charlotte Jones Voiklis explore the enduring impact of 'A Wrinkle in Time,' discussing its timeless themes, the significance of adaptations, and the cultural context surrounding the book. They delve into the personal connections to literature, the challenges of...
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Will we focus on the most human of our problems?
Tricia Friedman explores how AI can be used as a human-centered problem-solving partner rather than an automation shortcut. Through two deeply grounded real-world examples — one personal, one professional — Tricia demonstrates how AI can: Help people ask better questions, not just get faster...
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What Evidence-Based Health Actually Means with Dr. Michael Greger
This week we give you a conversation from Tricia's other show: Shifting Schools. In this episode, host Tricia Friedman sits down with Dr. Michael Greger, bestselling author and founder of NutritionFacts.org, to explore why non-commercial, evidence-based health guidance matters more than ever.…
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How to Talk to Young People About Substance Use (What Actually Helps)
Substance use prevention is often driven by fear-based messaging and one-off assemblies—but research and lived experience suggest these approaches fall short. In this episode, Tricia Friedman is joined by Katie Greeley, founder of PreventionEd, for a grounded conversation about what effective,...
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Can Scientists Succeed Where Politicians Fail? A Conversation with Nobel Laureate Peter Agre
What role can scientists play when politics reaches a standstill? In this episode, Tricia Friedman speaks with Nobel Prize–winning scientist Peter Agre about his extraordinary second career in science diplomacy—a path that took him from the laboratory into conversations with presidents, prime...
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Co-Creating Wonder: The Making of Interactive Stories with Sandra Magsamen
In this conversation, Sandra Magsamen discusses the importance of interactive storytelling in children's books, emphasizing how they foster emotional connections and self-esteem in young readers. She shares insights into her creative process, the significance of collaboration with publishers, and...
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Using Trivia to Inspire Writers: Lessons from Brian "Uncle John" Boone
In this warm and curiosity-packed conversation, Tricia Friedman sits down with Brian "Uncle John" Boone, longtime contributor to the iconic Uncle John's Know It All Bathroom Reader series—now celebrating its 38th edition. Brian shares why trivia continues to captivate millions, how collaborative...
About this show
What does real allyship look like in a classroom, a staff room, a school community?Be a Better Ally helps K-12 teachers and school leaders build inclusive classrooms where every student feels they belong — without slogans, scripts, or shame. Host Tricia Friedman (Director of Shifting Schools) sits down with the authors, researchers, and educators shaping these conversations to explore student identity, belonging, school culture, media literacy, and the digital lives of young people.Each episode leaves you with something to try, question, or read next. 280+ episodes of critical conversations for anyone who believes schools should be places where everyone gets to become themselves.
Hosted by
Tricia Friedman