Educational Archeology: Thriving in the Middle

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Owen Costa, a 2026 GHS senior. We talked about being one of 6 siblings, being the student body president, acting on stage with the GHS drama department, finding "the thing", loving all things music, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Lily Kronk, a 2026 GHS senior. We talked about being the president of The National Honors Society, participating in the GES mentor program, helping with Women in STEM, running Cross Country, setting up the GRAD Grove, applying to The United States Naval Academy, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Sam Hannig, a 2026 GHS senior. We talked about shaving his head to raise money for pediatric cancer research, loving to read when much of the world isn't taking the time, playing in a punk metal band, dealing with loss, playing different characters on stage, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Anabelle Burt, a 2026 GHS senior. We talked about being adopted, juggling two different cultures, volunteering with Foster Forward, applying to college with a gap year in mind, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Miho Gillespie, a 2025 GHS graduate. We talked about dealing with trauma at a young age, building meaningful relationships, exploring theatre in her senior year, taking AP environmental and the take action project that came with it, working while in high school, choosing the right college, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Sarah Soliman, a 2025 GHS graduate. We talked about her traveling to Egypt, being the GHS stage manager, playing the viola, becoming a Zonta's Women Leadership Award finalist, navigating life with a bi-cultural background, discovering her interest in neuroscience, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Alex Organ, a 2025 GHS graduate. We talked about how a decision to join Lego Robotics in 5th grade started an interest and trajectory towards the sciences, his motivations for joining the golf and tennis teams, the independent study options at GHS, the new SDL English class, his choice to attend THE Ohio State University, and so much more. Enjoy! Shout Out to Hayes Browder for composing the music used in this episode. Also, a huge thank you to The Granville Education Foundation. Their hard work and grant opportunities, alongside my students' drive to apply for those grants, made the podcast space possible.

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Georgia Coffey, a 2025 GHS graduate. We talked about dealing with alopecia, joining Young Life, learning from a car crash, being a big sister to five siblings, having a job, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Carson Murphy, a 2025 GHS Senior and soon to be graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about what it was like growing up in a house full of sisters, the transition through COVID, his basketball journey, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Jordyn York, a 2025 GHS Senior and soon to be graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about her journey with competitive rock climbing, splitting time between two households, being an older sister, taking more challenging course work regardless of what the grade might be on the other side, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Chloe Thatcher, a 2025 GHS Senior and soon to be graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about finding your thing in a sea of options, taking advantage of independent study opportunities, navigating OCD, having incredible grandparents, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Beckett Long, a 2025 GHS Senior and soon to be graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about managing life utilizing three buckets, running his Ruff Cuff vintage clothing hustle, living with a foreign exchange student, using athletics as a tool to access a reach school, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Sophia Shinka, a 2025 GHS Senior and soon to be graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about adjusting to new situations, knowing when it is time to give up and when you should double down, working with a college counseling consultant to help manage applying and finding the right school, embracing discomfort, ways to manage anxiety, and so much more. Enjoy!

The show has reached the one year mark. To celebrate, I went back to each episode and pulled the responses to the question that asked each guest to identify the one thing they would go back and tell their middle school self that would have made navigating middle and high school a little bit easier. Thank you again to my ten guests, Bjorn, Audrey, Nora, Abby, Annabelle, Kara, Sydney, Dimi, Kate, and Noah. I appreciate you and am blown away by the introspection and thoughtfulness you offered inside each of your episodes. I also want to thank my listeners. I have enjoyed this journey and appreciate everyone who has come along for the ride. I hope you enjoy this season one mashup. Ready? Let’s thrive together.

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Noah Hausman, a 2024 GHS Graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about how Covid provided a pause and needed perspective, when to stick with something and when to let it go, the importance of teammates and partners, how to show up for friends when they need you the most, intentional course selection and scheduling, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Kate Miller, a 2024 GHS Graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about confronting imposter syndrome, taking on big things while maintaining realistic expectations, realizing that leadership and learning happen during the messy times, seeing the connection between leadership, listening, and advice giving, embracing your weird, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Dimi Martinez, a 2024 GHS Graduate. We had the opportunity to talk about moving schools in the middle of a pandemic, finding your people, considering ROI when selecting a college, mental health, the importance of building relationships, understanding that you have to be stressed to learn how to manage stress, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Sydney Ley, a 2024 GHS Senior. We had the opportunity to talk about selecting the right college, building strong relationships with teachers, the importance of communication, falling in love with the French culture, balancing school expectations while dealing with health issues, the power of student directed learning, making maple syrup, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Kara Bergeron, a 2024 GHS Senior. We had the opportunity to talk about the Global Scholars Program, all things running, selecting a college, prioritizing sleep, normalizing struggle, coming to terms with not having it all figured out, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with Annabelle Ott, a 2024 GHS Senior. We had the opportunity to talk about finding your place in the world, how moments in our life put us on our path, navigating life while splitting time between two homes, choosing C-TEC, and so much more. Enjoy!

On this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with 2023 GHS graduate, Abby Sanders. Abby was home for winter break following a successful first semester at the University of Maryland. In the episode, we talk about her trips to Israel, a high school study abroad opportunity, what sports teach us about real life, picking a college major, working in high school, battling home sickness, and so much more. Enjoy!

In this episode we talk about taking a year off traditional school to travel, building a strong sense of self, finding confidence, using your voice, getting a job, dealing with depression, and so much more. *Episode note: Neither of us are professionals in the space of mental health or dealing with depression. We share our personal journeys in hopes they help to remove the stigma around feeling depressed. If you are feeling depressed, please reach out to someone you love, a resource in your school, or call the 988 helpline.

On this episode, we had the opportunity to catch up with GHS senior, Audrey Stankunas. We talk about applying for college, managing a healthy extra-curricular life, embracing empathy, finding a voice, and a host of other topics. Enjoy!

In this episode, I of course cover our typical questions geared towards accessing great advice for thriving, not just surviving, in middles school. But, you will also get to hear our thoughts about Artificial Intelligence, herding sheep in New Zealand, and playing the violin. No matter where you might be in your journey, each of these experiences, in the hands of Bjorn, have incredibly powerful insights to offer. Enjoy.