About SEL Cast: Insights for Teachers from Teachers
Hear from educators from around the world to explore Social and Emotional Learning through practical strategies, authentic stories, and collaborative conversations. Drawing on the Whole-Community Approach from the Institute for Social and Emotional Learning and Nick Haisman-Smith, each episode focuses on:
If you’re passionate about restorative practices, adult wellness, community care, diversity, and whole-child education - you’re in the right place! We’re so glad you’re here.
Learn more: https://www.instituteforsel.net (https://www.instituteforsel.net/)
Starting the Year Strong: Insights for Thriving Schools (Season 1 Highlights)
We’re bringing together the standout insights, practical strategies, and memorable moments from Season 1 - all in one episode designed to help educators start the year feeling inspired.
From Advisory and SEL to Restorative Practices, Behavior Support, DEI, and Parent-Teacher Conferences, this collection features ideas and perspectives from educators who are doing the work every day.
Hear from Emma Dunbar, Motoko Maegawa, Ruth Poulsen, Tricia Friedman, Colette McWilliams, Twanna Monds, Josette Huntress, Stephen Taylor, Julie Lemley, and Lauren Howard as they share insights you can bring into your classroom, advisory, and school community.
Start the year with the ideas, inspiration, and practical strategies you need to make a meaningful impact.
View all podcast episodes: https://www.instituteforsel.net/sel-resources/podcasts
1 Jul 2026
Building a School Code of Ethics with Student Voice
What happens when a school stops telling students how to behave — and starts asking them to write the rules themselves?
In this episode, we sit down with Lauren Howard, Wellbeing and PSE Lead at Stour Valley Community School, to explore how a student-led Code of Ethics became the backbone of their entire school culture. What started as a response to a difficult moment in their community grew into something far bigger — a whole-school commitment to respect, accountability, and genuine belonging.
You'll hear why student voice isn't just a nice-to-have, it's the reason the Code actually sticks. When young people are the authors of their own values, they become the champions of them too.
In this episode:
How a Code of Ethics is built authentically with students, not for them
Why restorative practices need a cultural foundation to be sustainable
The peer mentoring program empowering students to lead from within
Lauren's top 3 tips for schools ready to start their restorative journey
Download this Episode's Shownotes: https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-building-a-school-code-of-ethics-with-student-voice---with-lauren-howard
3 Jun 2026
Belonging in Schools: Onboarding, Data, and Culture with Julie Lemley
Join Julie Lemley, Head of Upper School at Savannah Country Day School, for a thoughtful conversation on what it takes to create a true sense of belonging in school communities. Julie shares practical strategies for supporting students, families, and educators through transitions, designing meaningful onboarding experiences, and building cultures where people feel seen, heard, and valued. Together, we explore how social-emotional learning can be woven into everyday practices, from hiring and leadership to relationship-building and values-driven decision-making. Whether you’re a school leader, educator, or counselor, this episode offers actionable insights for fostering connection, strengthening community, and leading with empathy, curiosity, and purpose.
Download the Show Notes for this episode: https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-belonging-in-schools-onboarding-data-and-culture---with-julie-lemley
Check out all of IFSEL's Programs, Workshops, and Professional Development opportunities: https://www.instituteforsel.net/
29 Apr 2026
Building a Culture of Thinking: A School Leadership Lens for the Digital Age - Western Academy of Beijing Stephen Taylor
What does it mean to build a human-centered school in the age of a tech-driven world?
In this episode, Stephen Taylor, Director of Innovation in Learning & Teaching at Western Academy of Beijing, explores a simple but powerful idea: people before program. Through practices like box breathing and daily student-mentor connections, he shows how schools can create cultures where students feel safe, seen, and supported.
Stephen challenges the notion that SEL is an “add-on,” arguing it should live within systems like advisory and counseling—woven into the everyday experience of school. The result? A community where belonging isn’t optional, it’s felt.
Looking ahead, he also rethinks learning in an AI-driven world. Instead of focusing on tools that may soon be obsolete, schools should prioritize what endures: critical thinking, curiosity, and human judgment. From AI-supported career exploration to future-focused job fairs, this episode highlights how schools can prepare students without losing what makes us human.
Download this episodes Show Notes: https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-building-a-culture-of-thinking-a-school-leadership-lens-for-the-digital-age---with-stephen-taylor
Explore all of IFSEL's upcoming events: https://www.instituteforsel.net/sel-workshops/event-listing
2 Apr 2026
Meaningful Advisory and Student Engagement: Driving Academic Success With Cary Academy's Twanna Monds & Josette Huntress
In this month's episode, we talk with Twanna Monds and Josette Huntress from Cary Academy! From protecting advisory time across all teachers to creating consistent, structured experiences, we discuss why advisory can’t be treated as expendable and how starting strong in middle and high school can lead to school-wide impact.
We also dive into the importance of knowing every student, their interests, strengths, and challenges, and how that foundation leads to stronger relationships, better peer connections, and more meaningful conversations with families.
You’ll hear how schools can clearly communicate their mission, especially around social-emotional learning (SEL), and bring parents along by connecting these skills to real-world success. Plus, we unpack how to support teachers through uncertainty with intentional training, collaboration, and protected professional development time.
Download this Episode ShowNotes
Check out IFSEL's Workshops and PD Events, including our Advisory Workshop
4 Mar 2026
Culture and Belonging as a Strategy in International Schools - with Colette McWilliams
Explore how school leaders can cultivate thriving cultures where every identity is honored, every voice matters, and wellbeing drives performance. Designed for educators in independent and international settings, IFSEL’s Executive Director Nick Haisman-Smith and Founding Head of Hiba Academy Bay Area Colette McWilliams as we dive into practical, relational strategies that make values visible and felt across your entire community.
You’ll learn how to:
Start with connection — using simple check-ins to lead with emotional awareness and authenticity.
Build relationships first — because academic excellence follows human connection.
Model SEL daily — creating shared language and systems before high-stakes moments arise.
Pause and prioritize relationships — strengthening trust before diving into curriculum.
Center student wellbeing as the foundation — not an add-on — to school success.
We also explore what it truly means to lead in bilingual and multicultural environments:
Seeing multilingualism as multiple windows into the world.
Leading with grace across cultural nuance.
Normalizing curiosity and repair.
Reflecting and revisiting when misunderstandings occur because trust grows through repair.
Think of SEL like the staff room coffee machine: technically, school can run without it… but no one is at their best.
If you believe strong school cultures are built through connection, cultural humility, and whole-community leadership, this podcast is for you.
Check out IFSEL’s Whole Community SEL Audit to understand your school’s landscape: https://www.instituteforsel.net/what-we-offer/sel-audit
Download the Shownotes here: https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-culture-and-belonging-as-a-strategy-in-international-schools-with-colette-mcwilliams
4 Feb 2026
AI, Cell Phones, and Educators Navigating Change - with Tricia Friedman
Check out our upcoming Summer Institute: Staying Human in the Age of AI: https://www.instituteforsel.net/sel-workshops/staying-human-in-the-age-of-ai
Download the Show Notes for this episode: https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-ai-cell-phones-and-educators-navigating-change---with-tricia-friedman
Episode Description:
As educators and students navigate constant change, expectations often shift faster than systems can keep up. Teachers feel pressure to have all the answers, while students experience inconsistency across classrooms. Tricia reminds us that while the goalposts may keep moving, belonging, empathy, and compassion remain constant, making SEL foundational in this moment.
We discuss the importance of slowing down and creating space for meaning-making in schools, asking deeper questions about perspective, humanity, and how learning connects to real life. Tricia also challenges common fears about AI, arguing that rigid assessment practices, not technology, are often the biggest barrier to creativity.
The conversation extends to SEL for adults, emphasizing that schools thrive when educators are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences. We also unpack the nuance around cell phone bans and screen time, highlighting equity, context, and the importance of modeling healthy digital habits.
7 Jan 2026
Reimagining Schools: Addressing Teacher Burnout Through Wellbeing and Regenerative Systems - with Ruth Poulsen
Care is central to the teaching profession—but many school systems aren’t designed to sustain it.
In this episode, we explore Adult SEL and what a true culture of care looks like in the everyday reality of schools. As student needs rise, educators are being stretched thin by systems that deplete rather than restore. Drawing on the idea of regenerative cultures, we discuss how schools can move beyond the “give, give, give” model to support educator wellbeing without sacrificing excellence. We challenge the martyr mindset, examine why rest can feel uncomfortable, and reflect on the idea that we never heal in isolation.
The conversation also highlights why leaders must be regulated themselves to create healthy, sustainable school cultures. You’ll leave with practical ideas for setting boundaries, creating supportive norms, and building care within your zone of influence.
Download this episode's ShowNotes: https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-podcast-reimagining-schools-addressing-teacher-burnout-through-wellbeing-and-regenerative-systems---ruth-poulsen
Read Ruth's Substack for more insights! https://regenerativeschools.substack.com
8 Dec 2025
Restorative Practices in Schools: Building Equity and Belonging - with Motoko Maegawa
In this episode, we explore how Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) are not short-term programs — they are ongoing commitments that shape the heart of a school community.
Motoka Maegawa shares how consistent SEL practices, responsive systems, and restorative practices can strengthen belonging, trust, and accountability in every corner of a school, from staff meetings to classroom conversations.
Key Insights Include:
Moving beyond identity awareness: True inclusion means not just knowing someone’s identity but understanding the emotional weight and lived experiences that come with it.
Modeling authenticity: When adults openly reflect and model empathy, they create a unified, emotionally intelligent culture that students naturally emulate.
Repeat and reinforce: Inviting these conversations regularly builds comfort and depth over time.
Listen to the full episode for more insights! For Shownotes, visit our webpage: https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-restorative-practices-in-schools-building-equity-and-belonging---with-motoko-maegawa
10 Nov 2025
Engaging Advisory Classes and Sustainable SEL - with Emma Dunbar
We’re joined by Emma Dunbar, Supervisor of Deeper Learning at San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), to explore how schools can embed SEL into daily routines, relationships, and curriculum design.
Together, we discuss practical ways educators can build inclusive classrooms, nurture diversity, and strengthen well-being for both students and adults. Emma shares insights on creating Advisory structures that align with deeper learning, elevate student leadership, and sustain a culture of care across the whole school community.
For Free Resources and Events: https://www.instituteforsel.net
For downloadable Podcast Shownotes (recaps): https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-shownotes---emma-dunbar
10 Nov 2025
What is Social and Emotional Learning? - With Trinity Thompson
In this episode, we explore Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and how IFSEL’s Whole-Community Approach strengthens wellbeing, belonging, and safeguarding across schools.
Discover how SEL cultivates both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, supports restorative practices, and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion through authentic connection.
Join Nick Haisman-Smith and Trinity Thompson as we explore how intentional SEL builds communities of care where diversity is valued, wellbeing is prioritized, and every voice belongs.
Visit our website for free resources and events: https://www.instituteforsel.net
Free Shownotes (PDF recap of episode): https://www.instituteforsel.net/posts/sel-cast-shownotes---trinity-thompson
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