About How To Survive Teaching, The Zombie Apocalypse, And Other Natural Disasters
Teaching is basically the apocalypse—just with more emails.
How to Survive Teaching, the Zombie Apocalypse, and Other Natural Disasters is a funny, honest podcast about surviving modern education and life. Teacher, comedian, and speaker James Graves talks with teachers, comics, creators, parents, and other interesting humans about burnout, ridiculous students, relationships, big dreams, and everyday disasters. Come for the laughs. Leave feeling a little less alone.
Surviving Breast Cancer Through Comedy : Annie Elizabeth and James Graves
What happens when you're a Pilates instructor, a stand-up comedian, a business owner, and a breast cancer survivor
—and the one thing keeping you going is making people laugh?
On this episode of *How to Survive Teaching the Zombie Apocalypse and Other Natural Disasters**, host
**James Graves* welcomes comedian and longtime Pilates instructor *Annie Elizabeth* for a hilarious, surprisingly emotional conversation about teaching, surviving life's biggest challenges, overcoming difficult students, and finding the passion that makes everything worth it.
Annie has been teaching Pilates for 11 years, but her journey started in restaurants and bars, working late nights while pursuing her dream of becoming a comedian.
Looking for a healthier lifestyle, she discovered Pilates, oecame an instructor, and eventually opened her own studio.
- *SHARE* this episode with a teacher, parent, comedian, cancer survivor, or anyone who needs a reminder that there's still something worth fighting for.
And if you've ever had a teacher who made you believe in yourself, give them a shoutout in the comments!
30 Oct 2026
From Fatherhood to Standup Comedy: Jason Collings’ Survival Story
What does it really take to survive when life forces you to choose between your dreams, your family, and your responsibilities?
Host *James Graves* sits down with comedian, father, entrepreneur, and former martial arts instructor *Jason Collings* for an honest, hilarious, and inspiring conversation about **fatherhood, teaching, martial arts, comedy, discipline, hope, and survival**
After spending time around comedians like Jo Koy, Bill Burr, Dane Cook, and Daniel Tosh, Jason finally decided to try stand-up. His first comedy-club appearance involved telling the owner he'd been performing for five years.
Watch, laugh, reflect, and join the conversation about hope and survival.
23 Oct 2026
Teaching Isn't Designed to Be Sustainable | Liz Blanc on Burnout, Comedy & Hope
Liz Blanc: Teacher Burnout, Stand-Up Comedy & Surviving the Classroom
What happens when a teacher becomes a stand-up comedian? Turns out, surviving a classroom is pretty good preparation for handling hecklers.
This week, James sits down with comedian and former teacher Liz Blanc to talk classroom chaos, teacher burnout, and finding humor in the madness.
From growing up with two teachers as parents to bombing on stage, Liz shares hilarious stories and hard truths about education, what parents and administrators get wrong, and why overwhelmed teachers shouldn’t blame themselves.
Funny, honest, and surprisingly hopeful, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the best way to survive is to laugh.
#TeacherLife #LizBlanc #TeacherBurnout #StandUpComedy
16 Oct 2026
18 Years of Teaching: The Survival Advice Every Teacher Needs
What do *stand-up comedy and teaching middle school* have in common?
More than anyone should probably be comfortable admitting.
Chris originally became a substitute teacher because the schedule worked with stand-up comedy. Then a long-term teaching position unexpectedly changed the direction of his life. What started as a survival job became a career.
*Teachers are in the business of giving kids hope. So what happens when teachers themselves start feeling hopeless?*
Chris's answer isn't a motivational poster. Sometimes survival means letting go. Sometimes it means accepting that you're doing better than you think. And sometimes, if the environment is destroying you, it means finding a healthier place to teach.
Because surviving education isn't about pretending everything is fine.
It's about learning what you can change, accepting what you can't, getting better every year-and finding enough hope to walk back into the classroom tomorrow.
9 Oct 2026
Teaching, Parenting & Comedy: Surviving Without Losing Yourself
How do you survive being a **teacher, a parent AND a
comedian**？
According to Christie Campagna: very carefully.
There are substitute-teacher war stories. Students unexpectedly defending their teacher. Parenting exhaustion. Comedy struggles. Teacher burnout.
Meditation. Adult kids moving back home.
And, for reasons nobody could have predicted, *a whole lot of puppets.*
Seriously. Apparently there was a point when Christie was expected to use a puppet while teaching. We have questions. James has questions. America deserves answers.
Sometimes survival means putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes hope means giving yourself permission to take a break.
And sometimes you just need to put down the puppet.
2 Oct 2026
Parenting, Phones & Teacher Burnout: The Truth About Modern School
What happens when a comedian, TV writer, father of three, and former “teacher’s nightmare” sits down with an actual teacher to talk about modern education?
Vijal has written for television, including *black-ish*, created *The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh*, performs stand-up—and is currently raising three daughters in three different stages of school: high school, middle school, and elementary school. So yes, he is basically running his own tiny school district before breakfast.
But beneath all the jokes is a serious appreciation for educators.
Vijal remembers the teachers who understood him when he was the funny, disruptive kid. He talks about the teachers who encouraged curiosity, creativity, science, humor, and learning—and how those experiences still influence the way he thinks today.
*How do teachers keep going when they're losing hope?
If you're a teacher who's ever wondered whether you're actually reaching anybody, this episode is your reminder: *you don't have to reach everyone for your work to matter.*
👍 *LIKE*
💬 *COMMENT:*
🔔 *SUBSCRIBE*
📲 *SHARE*
And maybe thank a teacher while you're at it.
26 Sept 2026
Teachers Give Everyone Hope-But Who Gives Hope to Teachers?
What happens when the people responsible for giving everyone else hope start running out of it themselves?
Host *James Graves* sits down with comedian, musician, music teacher, and special education paraprofessional
*Carolyn Glaude* for a funny, vulnerable conversation about education, comedy, burnout, family, and finding enough hope to keep showing up.
If educators are in the business of giving students hope, what happens when teachers themselves feel hopeless?
Carolyn's answer is simple: *put your oxygen mask on first.*
Taking care of yourself isn't abandoning the people who need you. It's what allows you to keep showing up for them. You can't endlessly give when there's nothing left to give.
This is a conversation for teachers, parents, educators, creatives-and anybody who's ever loved what they do while simultaneously wondering how much longer they can keep doing it.
Sometimes survival means knowing when to rest.
17 Sept 2026
Just Keep Showing Up: A Teacher's Honest Guide to Hope & Survival
Host *James Graves* sits down with teacher and stand-up comedian *Bryan Burris* for an honest, hilarious, and surprisingly hopeful conversation about what it really takes to survive in education.
But underneath the jokes is the bigger theme of this series:
*hope and survival.*
Bryan’s message to struggling teachers is simple and powerful. Forget waiting for the Dead Poets Society moment. Success might be quieter than that. *Show up. Be consistent. Let your students know they can rely on you.
Do the best you can that day, then go home.* Sometimes survival is the victory. And sometimes simply being there for someone is how you give them hope.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Contact How To Survive Teaching, The Zombie Apocalypse, And Other Natural Disasters
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of How To Survive Teaching, The Zombie Apocalypse, And Other Natural Disasters?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
