I’m thankful for my SEVENTY minute commute to school (NINETY on the journey home), because it’s ‘me’ time. This time in my car, away from the demands of my family, is where I do my best thinking, my best lesson planning and get some of my best free professional development through podcast listening. I’m always on the look out for new episodes to listen to, and have even used podcasts in the classroom, or with students on a walk & talk listen.

Here are 5 episodes that I have recently enjoyed and think that you will too.

Talk to Your Boys. Christopher Pepper on the This Is So Awkward podcast

Dr. Cara Natterson, and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, are here to remove the cringe not only for teenagers going through puberty, but also the adults in their lives who are there to understand and guide them through this awkward period of their lives. The presenters recently wrote the highly acclaimed (by many of my friends) This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained, and they are joined by the awesome Christopher Pepper in this episode as he offers valuable insights into the lives of boys. Christopher has his own (future #slowchathealth Book of the Month) book coming out in 2025, entitled Talk To Your Boys.

Sign up here for Chris’ book updates, and sign up here for Chris’ Substack newsletter.

What To Look For In A School Sex Ed Curriculum. Dr. Rachael Gibson on the Edit Your Life podcast.

Christine Koh discusses with Dr. Rachael Gibson the ideal age to start sex education, red and green terminology flags, key topics to include in a comprehensive sex education curriculum, advocacy, and more. What I love about this podcast is that Rachael clearly makes the case for equitable, student-centered, age-appropriate conversations that serve to put our young folks in the best, fully informed position to make decisions about their own relationships. Rachael is no stranger to podcasts as she hosts her own, Sex Ed. In The City with Drew Miller. You might want to check that one out also!

Meaningful PE In Action. Grace Cardiff on the PE Insights podcast.

One of the best new podcasts to serve our community started in October with this episode featuring Grace Cardiff.  Grace has 7 years of teaching experience in both Ireland and the US and is currently pursuing a PhD. Her research focuses on Meaningful PE and how student voice pedagogies can enhance experiences. With two years of data collection from 10-11-year-old students, Grace is in Year 3 of her PhD journey, and shares valuable insights, including her #meaningfulPE journey with the listeners. This is episode 1, and all future episodes have attained the same level of awesomeness.

Can You Live Without Your Phone? Catherine Price on the House Calls podcast.

House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy is a podcast hosted by the 21st U.S. Surgeon General. In each episode, Dr. Murthy and his guests explore how they navigate the messiness and uncertainties of life to find meaning and joy. In this episode, Catherine Price, the author of How to Break Up With Your Phone (my latest book of the month) discusses ways in which we can better manage our relationships with our phones. She doesn’t tell us to quit cold turkey, rather find ways in which we can prioritize our family and friends, our work or school and have more fun. I want a more balanced relationship with my phone, so do my students….and I’m guessing you do too. You can sign up for Catherine’s Substack newsletter here AND she has a new podcast. Check out the How to Feel Alive podcast.

Sleep and Athletes. Dr. Michael Grandner on the Matt Walker podcast.

It takes courage to start your TED talk with “Well, I would like to start with testicles” but that’s what put sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker on our radars, along with his equally, phenomenally successful, book Why We Sleep. Since then the research has continued and Dr. Walker has a new podcast (and hair style). This episode, the first in a series of two, discusses the many ways in which sleep can improve the physical and mental performance of athletes. Sometimes when I teach about sleep in health class, my student athletes can be the hardest to win over. They’re too busy to sleep. After listening to this podcast episode I took a few quotes and created some new slides to add to my slide deck. Everything you do, you do better on a full night of sleep. Your students will thank you for reminding them of that fact.

This microblog post was a featured post in #slowchathealth’s #microblogmonth event. You can search for all of the featured posts here. Please do follow each of the outstanding contributors on social media (including Andy Milne, the author of this post) and consider writing a microblog post of your own to be shared with the global audience of slowchathealth.com

Pair this blog post with the following:

Multicultural Appreciation Through Music by Dom Servini

Creating Classroom Playlists by Andy Milne

Moved by Music by Andy Milne

Have you read the latest Book of the Month recommendation?