This week, Tricia Friedman welcomes Dr. Brittney Cooper to the podcast to talk about her new picture book, Mama Says I’m Fine, illustrated by Tamisha Anthony. The conversation explores the story behind the book, the emotional weight of the phrase “you’re fine,” and how children’s literature can hold care, resilience, identity, and family love.

Dr. Cooper also reflects on what it means to write with intention and to collaborate with artists, editors, and readers in mind. Known for her work as a New York Times bestselling author, cultural critic, professor, and public thinker, Dr. Cooper brings a layered perspective to writing for young readers and the adults who read alongside them.

Mentioned in this episode

Mama Says I’m Fine by Brittney Cooper, illustrated by Tamisha Anthony.
Dr. Brittney Cooper’s Rutgers faculty profile.
Dr. Brittney Cooper’s TED Talk, “The racial politics of time.”

New Episode

Patricia Cornwell joins Tricia Friedman for a conversation about memory, writing, curiosity, forensic science, and the memoir she never expected to write.

In this episode, Cornwell reflects on the childhood experiences that shaped her imagination, including the early encouragement that helped her begin to see herself as a writer. She talks about learning to “populate the world with imagined characters,” the role of journaling and archival memory in writing memoir, and why finding the opening hook still begins with one question: what am I seeing in my head?

The conversation also turns to the ethical weight of writing about violence. Cornwell explains why crime is not abstract to her, why she refuses to treat death as entertainment, and how her work through Kay Scarpetta has influenced readers, forensic science, law enforcement, and public awareness.

This is also a conversation about curiosity. Cornwell discusses her need to see, study, and understand things for herself, from forensic settings to archaeology, mummies, research trips, and the physical details that help stories come alive.

The episode closes with a reminder that feels especially timely: even as the forms of storytelling change, humans will always need stories.

In this episode

Patricia Cornwell discusses:

How childhood imagination became a survival tool and a writing foundation

Why a fourth-grade teacher’s encouragement still matters decades later

How she finds the “hook” for a book, including her memoir

The journals and early autobiographical writing that helped her reconstruct memory

Why writing about crime requires moral care, not exploitation

How Kay Scarpetta influenced forensic science, law enforcement, and reader behavior

Why curiosity keeps driving her research and creative life

The story behind the Annie Leibovitz photograph used for the memoir cover

Why stories will continue to matter, even as formats change

New Episode

Tricia and Jeff talk about what AI literacy actually looks like in K-12 — past the policy memos, past the vendor pitches, past the “ban it or adopt it” debate that keeps stalling schools out.

They were very excited to receive questions from a student, and they used those as the structure for this conversation.

The conversation uses the Shifting Schools BAKE framework as a loose map: Balance, Adaptability, Knowledge-sharing, Empathy. A mindset-first approach for leaders who want to think clearly instead of react fast.

What Jeff and Tricia get into:

• How to explain AI to a 10-year-old without overcomplicating it (and why metaphors help)
• Where kids still need to struggle on their own — and why productive friction is identity-forming work
• The first habits to teach when a child gets AI access: check it, don’t trust it; notice when your thinking shuts down
• Whether AI can actually make education more inclusive, and what has to be in place before it does
• The mistakes schools and parents are making right now: banning instead of teaching, adopting without training, treating AI like an IT rollout instead of a relationship shift

Check out the free one-pager:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17ny-mD1QY450NdG5J4gVZzZE01qyFfOM/view?usp=sharing

New Episode

This week Jeff and Tricia share their five top gifts to celebrate the special educator in your life.

They take you through why these five gifts celebrate creativity, learning, wellness, and show personal recognition during Teacher Appreciation Week.

Featured on the show:

New Episode

What happens when you stop talking about students and start talking with them?

In this episode, Jeff Utecht sits down with high schoolers and asks a question most adults skip: what do you actually need from school right now? Not what teachers think they need. Not what the policy documents say. What the students themselves would name if someone gave them the mic.

What they share is honest, specific, and worth slowing down for. Some of it will confirm what you already suspected. Some of it will catch you off guard. All of it is a reminder that the people closest to the experience of learning have been telling us things we haven’t always made room to hear.

If you’re a school leader, classroom teacher, or anyone shaping the conditions students learn inside, this is a conversation worth bringing into your next team meeting.

What would shift in your school if student perspective wasn’t a survey question, but the starting point?

New Episode

This week Jeff talks with Nick and Marnie about why we want to help students stop waiting for permission and start building a bridge to a career on your their own terms.

In this episode, Jeff Utecht is joined by Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, authors of The Business of You, a book that reframes career growth, personal branding, and leadership through a simple but demanding idea: you are already running a business, and that business is you.

Using the story of Sydney, a young professional trying to stand out in a crowded job market, Marnie and Nick explore what it means to move from passive applicant to active architect of your future. We talk about why so many people do everything “right” and still feel invisible, and what it looks like to become more intentional about the way you tell your story, build relationships, and create opportunities.

This conversation will be useful for college students, early-career professionals, career changers, and anyone who has ever felt stuck between doing what’s expected and figuring out how to actually get noticed.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What it means to think like a CEO of your own life and work
• How to tell your story in a way people remember
• The difference between networking and building real relationships
• Why personal branding is really about clarity, not self-promotion
• How to stay visible, strategic, and ready for what comes next

A few questions at the center of this episode:

• Why do so many capable people struggle to stand out?
• What makes someone memorable in a crowded field?
• How can students and professionals build a network that actually matters?
• What does “personal branding” look like when it’s done with honesty and substance?
• How do you stop chasing the next role and start attracting the right fit?

About the book:
The Business of You follows Sydney as she begins to see that career success is not just about credentials or checking the right boxes. It is about ownership. Through her story, Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio offer a practical framework for building a career with more intention, more confidence, and more agency.

Why listen:
This is a conversation about career strategy, but it is also about identity, voice, and self-direction. If you have ever wondered how to make your experience matter more, how to build a network without feeling transactional, or how to stop blending into the pile, this episode gives you a strong place to start.

Find the BAKE eBook: https://www.shiftingschools.com/

Learn more about our guests:

https://blueapp.ai

https://thebusinessofyou.ai

social media: @bluethebusinessofyou

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4sFfpWI

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marniestockman/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-coniglio-5b62153/

New Episode

What can a graphic novel teach educators about belonging, friendship, and the inner lives of young people?

Sara Amini is an actor and author whose semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel Mixed Feelings started as a collection of essays before finding its real form. In this conversation, she and Tricia dig into why the graphic novel gave her a sharper way to tell a story about not fitting neatly into any one category, and what that means for the kids (and adults) who read it.

They talk about humor as a way into hard topics like racism, xenophobia, puberty, and loneliness. Sara explains how she thinks like a director when writing visually, and why graphic novels open up something different in classrooms that text alone doesn’t reach. The conversation keeps circling back to a question worth sitting with: what are students carrying that we’re not seeing, and what kinds of stories help us notice?

Want a free copy of Mixed Feelings? Email tricia@shiftingschools.com a screenshot of your podcast rating by April 15th to enter.

New Episode

Alyson Gerber joins Tricia Friedman to talk about The Liar Society, why friendship is serious business, and what mystery stories can teach young readers and adults about belonging, trust, competition, and connection. In this conversation, Alyson shares why friendship sits at the center of her work, how middle grade fiction can help readers think more deeply about loneliness and identity, and why the best friends are the ones who cheer for your growth.

They also go behind the scenes of writing a mystery series. Alyson explains how she outlines her novels, why she uses the Save the Cat beat sheet, how she thinks about first scenes, pacing, chapter length, and twists, and what it takes to build a story that keeps readers turning pages. For teachers, librarians, and student writers, this episode also includes a practical prompt for helping young people start thinking like mystery writers.

This episode is a strong listen for anyone interested in middle grade books, children’s literature, YA-adjacent reading culture, literacy, creative writing, mystery writing, friendship skills, belonging, and how stories help readers take themselves more seriously. Alyson also reflects on the people who encouraged her early in life, the role creativity can play in self-restoration, and why books can help readers step outside the boxes they have been placed in.

In this episode:

• Alyson Gerber on why friendship is foundational
• The Liar Society and the appeal of mystery for middle grade readers
• Belonging, competition, and power dynamics in youth friendships
• The loneliness epidemic and what fiction can teach us about connection
• Why adults and kids are co-reading this series
• How Alyson Gerber plots a mystery novel
• Save the Cat, outlining, pacing, and suspense
• A simple exercise for teaching students to think like mystery writers
• Audiobooks, reading habits, and the creative life of a working author

Who this episode is for:
Teachers, literacy leaders, school librarians, middle grade readers, parents, writers, and anyone thinking about friendship, belonging, and the kinds of stories that help young people feel seen.

New Episode

What happens when we stop asking AI to do everything faster and start asking how it might help us understand people better?

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Andy Sissons, CTO of Share More Stories, for a conversation about empathetic AI, story collection, and why trust may be the real differentiator in the next phase of technology. Andy shares how his work uses AI not just as a productivity tool, but as a way to surface patterns in human experience by gathering and analyzing stories from real people.

Together, they explore what gets lost when efficiency becomes the main goal, why intent matters so much in AI use, and what educators can learn from the way thoughtful organizations listen to communities. Andy explains how story-based analysis can reveal not only answers, but better questions, helping leaders move beyond surveys and toward a deeper understanding of what people are actually feeling and needing.

The conversation also turns to schools. Jeff and Andy discuss why educators are often well positioned to use AI well, especially when the goal is support rather than replacement. From drafting difficult parent emails to making sense of complex data sets, Andy argues that AI works best when it helps humans communicate more clearly, think more creatively, and act with more care.

There is also a clear caution running through the episode: not every use of AI is a good one. Jeff and Andy push on the difference between meaningful application and empty automation, questioning whether some so-called AI advances are really just profit-driven systems wrapped in new language. It is a useful discussion for school leaders trying to separate signal from noise.

This episode is a thoughtful listen for anyone trying to hold onto human connection while navigating rapid technological change.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Andy means by “empathetic AI”
• How Share More Stories collects and analyzes human stories at scale
• Why stories can reveal questions leaders did not know to ask
• What gets lost when efficiency matters more than empathy
• Why trust and intent matter in AI adoption
• Skills educators may need to help students live well with emerging technology
• Practical, human-centered uses of AI in schools
• Why better questions may matter more than faster answers
• The difference between useful AI and AI added for its own sake

Memorable ideas from the episode:

• “Trust is the next big X factor.”
• AI can help humans connect better when it is applied with care.
• Story collection can be therapeutic for the storyteller and revealing for the organization.
• The real power of AI may be in helping us handle complexity, then validate what matters most.
• Schools need more than tools. They need thoughtfulness, context, and purpose.

New Episode

Jeff Utecht is back with a brand new book for schools looking to understand what to prioritize in the era of AI.

Human Still Required is available for purchase, and you can get chapter one free:

https://humanstillrequired.com/

Learn all about it in this special bonus episode.

New Episode