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
141 episodes
What neuroscience tells us about who can & can’t do math w/ Hillary Mastarciyan
What happens in the brain when we're learning math? What makes some students struggle more than others with it? Can someone study brain science if they're scared of math?! These are some of the questions that took today's gues...
How to treat math like a team sport & help every kid find their role w/ Kallen Currie
We talk about math trauma all the time on this podcast, but sometimes the feelings around it can be hard to articulate. There's one confidence-crusher we can all easily picture from school though - the feeling of being picked last for the...
How to support teachers the way we expect them to support students w/ Courtney Flessner
Ever drive down a familiar road, hit the same old pothole, and think "Didn't they patch that up last summer? And it's already back?!" Well buckle your seatbelt, because today's guest is going to show you how the same is true in math educa...
How to follow the curriculum without selling your soul
Over the summer, Vanessa recorded our first interview with an actual real life audience when she sat down at a conference with Chase Orton for an unfiltered and tense ...
Before & After Pt. 2: How Math Therapy changed Lauren Keeling's life (4 months later)
Last week we shared a full Math Therapy session with lifelong "not-a-math-person" Lauren Keeling, which was recorded as part of Imagine Learning's "Heart Work" podcast series on math anxiety. And as promised, today Vanessa follows ...
Before & After Pt. 1: How Math Therapy changed Lauren Keeling's life (May 2026)
Today we bring you part 1 of 2 of our first ever Math Therapy Makeover "Before & After"!When Vanessa first met Lauren Keeling earlier this year, being "not a math person" defined her entire life. Visiting Vanessa's tutoring cen...
What to do when your math class needs an intervention w/ Juliana Tapper
Have you ever felt like math education needs to take a good long look at itself in the mirror and make some major changes before everything goes off the rails? Like one of those Hollywood interventions - but for math class?Well tod...
3 things every math teacher should do from day one
Some of you have already started school, while the rest are just counting down the days ... so Vanessa is back this week with 3 easy & actionable strategies you can bring to your math class RIGHT now, to set the tone that each of your stude...
Taking my own advice
Things have been a little crazy over here so Math Therapy is going to take a couple weeks off to catch our breath, but we will be back later this month to get you fired up for back to school!In the meantime, here are a few ways you can g...
Fluency & Flexibility aren't the math F-bombs you think they are w/ Christina Tondevold
One of the most misunderstood words in math ed right now is "fluency", so Vanessa invited an expert on the podcast to demystify it: educator Christina Tondevold. Christina calls herself a "recovering traditionalist" - she committed to sto...
Math Therapy Masterclass Part 2: How to start next year with confidence
Today we bring you part 2 in Vanessa's two part Math Therapy Masterclass on how to start the coming school year with renewed confidence - for yourself and for your students!In part 1 she shared 4 exercises/experiences you can try this su...
Math Therapy Masterclass Part 1: How to start next year with confidence
Summer is a great time for some much needed rest after the school year, but it also provides some rare quiet time for reflection and personal projects. For many of us, that includes preparing for an even better year ahead - and that often...
Why math class might be more stressful than air travel w/ Cathy Marks Krpan
Prior to spontaneously recording this convo between sessions at CAMT in Fort Worth, TX recently, Vanessa and today's guest Cathy Marks Krpan had only really spent time together while frantically travelling through airports trying to make their ...
What 3 viral trends tell us about math trauma in 2026
As her Screen Time app will confirm, Vanessa spends way too much time online - so when trends involving math pop up, you can be sure she has commented, shared, ranted, and made her own version.Sadly, most of these “trends” involve negati...
Math in prison, chaotic podcast energy, and the legend of Sister Beth (summer mailbag)
Summer is officially ON, so it's a great time to hear from YOU in another mailbag episode where Vanessa reads the texts you've sent us! This batch pulls together a few threads from episodes we've released over the last few months - ...
Math anxiety, vulnerability, and the secrets to building student confidence w/ Amy Johnston
Today's episode truly puts the "therapy" in Math Therapy! Vanessa chats with her friend Amy Johnston, a psychotherapist and empathic deep thinker, to discuss how trauma takes root in us, how it transfers through generations, and how being...
How to get fired up about teaching (even if the system has crushed your spirit) w/ Chase Orton
Vanessa recently took one step closer to her dream of hosting a Netflix show, recording the first ever live Math Therapy interview! For her session last week at Leander ISD's annual Math Joy Conference in Texas, she interviewed sel...
3 essential study skills to make exams less stressful for everyone w/ Deena Kara Shaffer
Exam season is upon us, but NOBODY PANIC! Today's guest, learning strategist Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer, joined Vanessa to share some simple but game-changing study tips to help you get through exams without breaking a sweat.They discu...
The unexpected text that turned my day around (and may turn yours around too)
Last week Vanessa ended her episode saying the podcast would be taking this week off while she was on vacation, but it might not surprise you that she is not exactly "good" at vacation .. so while she's definitely taking some much needed time o...
How I talked my way out of an anxiety spiral
Vanessa reflects on her recent self-described "meltdown episode" in which she talked herself down from...
Anxious about math? You may be the best person to teach it w/ Heidi Sabnani
Everyone's finally talking about math anxiety - in students, parents, and anyone that goes into a panic at the mere mention of the word "math". But one group is often overlooked: math teachers!Many teachers find themselves having t...
Why smart people still feel out of control (and what to do about it)
Ever feel like you don't know how to take your own advice? Like you've learned all the strategies but can't seem to actually use them? Like no matter how hard you try to get your life in order, it just seems to get more complicated?...
Math is a spiritual practice & here's the proof w/ Edward Doolittle
500 BC: Pythagoras may not have even existed, but a number-worshipping / bean-hating (yet vegetarian?!) cult definitely did.1600 AD:
It’s never too late to change your relationship with math
Ever since we introduced the above link to text the podcast, Vanessa has been obsessed with getting listeners to do so. And guess what - tons of you have! So today she reads a bunch of them on a range of topics like:the ...
This will change the way you think about calculators w/ Curtis Brown
We cover many hot button topics in math education, but today we're taking on the most literal one ... calculators! Why are they so controversial? When are they helpful and when should we use other tools?On today's episode, Vanessa chats ...