Math Therapy
Math Therapy explores the root causes of math trauma, and the empowering ways we can heal from it. Each week host Vanessa Vakharia, aka The Math Guru, dives into what we get right and wrong about math education, and chats with some of today’s most inspiring and visionary minds working to make math more accessible, diverse, and fun for students of all ages. Whether you think you’re a "math person" or not, you’re about to find out that math people don’t actually exist – but the scars that math class left on many of us, definitely do. And don’t worry, no calculators or actual math were involved in the making of this podcast ;)
Episodes
94 episodes
An unfiltered debate about "natural ability"
Sometimes an interview fires us up so much here at Math Therapy HQ, that we end up debriefing and debating it long after the guest has signed off - at which point producer David says to host Vanessa "we should have recorded THAT too!"So ...
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19:33
Why math sucks and how to fix it w/ Raj Shah
What is memory? Are different brains good at memorizing different things (like math vs music)? Is memorization even a good way to learn? Why don’t we teach math like we teach reading? Why do we love puzzles and escape rooms but hate math class?...
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53:58
Math ed needs more conversations like this w/ Pam Harris
Today's ep ended up in a different place than Vanessa expected when she first sat down to chat with Pam Harris, founder of Math Is Figureoutable. Their first real interaction was on the DebateMath Podcast; Pam insisted that learning algorithms/...
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46:23
The Comment Section w/ Mike Flynn
We're trying something new this week! Last week's ep with Mike Flynn dove into some very murky debate waters: do students need to know the "why" of what their learning in order to truly understand material, or is it fine for them to just ...
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37:13
How to find the "why" in math class w/ Mike Flynn
When Mike Flynn started teaching, math was just one of many subjects he had to guide his students through. The problem was, the way he was taught math made him hate it! But when a new career opportunity gave...
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49:04
Exclusive: Math Therapy audiobook sample for our listeners!
If you follow Vanessa on Instagram, you know the rollercoaster she went on to record the audiobook version of Math Therapy ... well, the hard work / literal sweat & tears paid off because it is now out! You can find it on
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30:19
Why 1 + 1 isn't always 2 w/ Eugenia Cheng
Have you ever felt like it's impossible to win an argument with someone, or even simply see eye to eye on anything? On today's episode, mathematician Eugenia Cheng joins Vanessa to challenge the black-and-white thinking that often defines...
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50:14
5 simple Math Therapy strategies for your classroom (weekly podcast launch!)
Today we celebrate back to school week with ... the official launch of Math Therapy as a weekly podcast! On today's episode, Vanessa catches you up on everything going on in Math Therapy-land, and shares 5 very simple and quick str...
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28:55
How Math Therapy changed my entire life w/ Charizma Laughton
As long as Charizma Laughton can remember, her entire life was defined by a singular identity: she's bad at math, because she's not smart. This self-image was rooted in deeply traumatic math class experiences that completely...
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57:20
How to trust your intuition w/ Rebecca MacLeod
First of all, big news: as of this fall, Math Therapy will be a weekly podcast! This has long been a goal, so after 6 glorious 10-episode seasons and a bunch of bonus eps along the way, we'll be hitting your feed every single Thursday sta...
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37:26
Bonus: What's your sign? (Vanessa has no clue)
Given how much Vanessa talks about astrology on the podcast, what do you think her success rate was for guessing the star signs of all the guests last season? Today's episode (guest "hosted" by producer David) reveals all ... and also dro...
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10:01
Get the politicians out of the classroom w/ David Kochberg
If you're a fan of the podcast, you've often heard Vanessa mention our producer "David" in reference to him getting mad at her for yelling into the mic or hitting the mic or generally doing things that impact the quality of this AUDIO medium.&n...
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Season 6
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35:07
We're not teaching content, we're teaching students w/ Kevin Dykema
Having attended and presented at the annual NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) conference, Vanessa reached out to "famously nice guy" Kevin Dykema, the organization's President, to learn more about his journey to the top. ...
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43:55
Math Therapy is now a book! Vanessa tells all ...
HUGE news - Math Therapy is now a book! Vanessa has taken everything she's learned in her career helping students overcome math trauma, and all the insights from the 6 seasons of this podcast, and formulated a 5-step process to bring math...
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36:36
We are born to love math w/ Dan Finkel
Dan Finkel is an author/educator who believes that humans are wired to be curious from birth, and that play is the secret to maintaining that joy of learning throughout childhood. On today’s season 6 finale, he and Vanessa discuss how tea...
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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42:44
Grit is your superpower w/ Dr. India White
Dr. India White learned grit and resilience the hard way: facing down obstacles throughout her life and deciding she wouldn’t back down. Now she coaches teachers and students on developing their own gritty superpowers, and she joins Vanes...
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Season 6
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Episode 9
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41:05
How to change someone's mind w/ Chris Luzniak
What if the secret to winning a debate was actually listening to your opponent? What if you could build confidence and overcome anxiety through the practice of public speaking? And HOW does someone go from dreams of Broadway fame to teach...
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Season 6
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Episode 8
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38:48
Math doesn't cause trauma, people do w/ Sean Nank
When Vanessa saw today’s guest deliver a deeply personal talk at a recent math conference, she was left with more questions than answers; all she knew for certain was she had to get him on the podcast. Sean Nank is a math educator who bel...
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Season 6
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Episode 7
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39:04
Turns out some folks hate math w/ Jon Orr & Kyle Pearce
Today’s another one for the teachers, featuring Jon Orr & Kyle Pearce of the Make Math Moments empire - they have a podcast, a framework, workshops & courses & virtual summits galore, and who knows probably even a cooking show at th...
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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40:37
Teachers have trauma too w/ Brittany Hege
We’re often talking about trauma from the student perspective: how it happens in the classroom, and how it follows them into adulthood. But one group is often overlooked in this discussion - teachers! Today Vanessa chats with ...
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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36:38
More clickbait in the classroom! w/ Howie Hua
Of the truly infinite things Vanessa likes to rant about, few top the list like math’s marketing problem - which is why she was elated to chat with social media mathstar Howie Hua! Today Howie shares how his own experiences with mat...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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26:52
The spiritual side of math w/ Francis Su
When you picture a mathematician, what comes to mind? Now … what about a “mathematical explorer”? Well, that’s what Francis Su calls himself, and when Vanessa picked up his book Mathem...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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37:49
Tell your students you trust them w/ Zak Champagne
Longtime listeners (like today’s guest, as you’ll discover…) will recall one name popping up in almost every interview last season, so Vanessa needed to find out for herself: who is Zak Champagne & why do people like him so much?! Through t...
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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42:14
The difference between equity & equality w/ Dr. Pamela Seda
On the Season 6 premiere of Math Therapy, Vanessa chats with Dr. Pamela Seda, an expert in all things education and inspiration! They dive deep into hot topics like how teachers can build trust in the classroom by modelling vulnerability,...
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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43:18