Middle School Mary Poppins
New here? Start with “Ridiculous Joy: It’s a Beautiful Life.”
It captures the heart of the show — helping middle schoolers (and the adults who love them) navigate emotions, pressure, and growing up with warmth, humor, & honesty.
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A podcast for the kids who don’t fit the mold—and the adults who care about them. Maybe even ARE them still.
What if middle school wasn’t something to survive… but something to unlock?
Welcome to Middle School Mary Poppins—a smart, playful, research-informed podcast reimagining the most misunderstood years of human development. Think Mary Poppins 2.0 meets Mr. Rogers, with a splash of 80s–90s nostalgia, a dash of divergent thinking, and a whole lot of heart for kids navigating adolescence in 2026.
Hi! I’m Suzanne M. Swain, EDS LMSW—veteran middle school teacher, child therapist, educational sociologist, and proud advocate for kids who think differently. I live and work near rural, rapidly growing Tennessee, where I’ve spent over two decades inside classrooms, counseling offices, and school systems watching one truth play out again and again:
Everything important starts in the middle.
Middle school is where identity forms, emotions intensify, creativity explodes—and where far too many kids are misunderstood, mislabeled, or managed instead of taught. This podcast exists to change that.
Each episode blends real classroom stories, clinical insight, and pop-culture joy to explore how creativity, emotional regulation, neurodiversity, and mental health intersect during the tween and teen years. We talk autism, ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning, and emotional overload—not as deficits, but as signals of untapped potential.
My work is deeply influenced by thinkers like Howard Gardner, Carol Dweck, Jean Piaget, and Erik Erikson—but this is not an ivory-tower podcast. This is theory translated into real-life tools for families, educators, and kids who are tired of being told they’re “too much” or “not enough.”
🎮 Expect:
- Gamified thinking, imaginative worlds, and creative metaphors kids actually remember
- Practical strategies for parents and educators supporting divergent learners
- Honest conversations about post-pandemic brains, emotional overload, and school culture
- Humor, warmth, and a retro remix that makes learning feel human a gain
At its core, Middle School Mary Poppins is about flipping the script.
What if the traits we’re trying to suppress are actually superpowers in disguise?
What if arts-based education and emotional literacy were foundational, not optional?
What if preventing school violence, burnout, and disconnection really does begin here?
We’re here to prove it does.
So grab your metaphorical quarters, hop in the arcade, and join us on a multiverse ride through the messy, magical middle years.
We can do this. We’re the Goonies, after all.
🎧 It’s time for a retro remix of middle school. Ready, player one.
🎉💕🐶🤩🩷🥳⭐️👍☕️
If this episode helped your family or classroom, you can support the show at msmarypoppins.com → Support the Show.
Middle School Mary Poppins
S2 EP 1 - Test Anxiety: This One's For the Children
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Welcome back, clever little foxes! Season 2 of The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast is officially here, and Suzanne M. Swain—your go-to guide for all things educational, emotional, and real—is kicking things off with a deep dive into test anxiety. This episode is packed with practical tips, thoughtful encouragement, and just the right amount of sass to help students (and their grown-ups) face testing season with confidence.
Suzanne reflects on a whirlwind school year filled with everything from pre-K energy to fourth-grade insights, sharing what she's learned from her students and how we can all rethink the way we support mental health in schools. She introduces her shaggy sidekick, Lieutenant Steve, and previews the bite-sized, real-life topics coming this season—from neurodivergence to emotional intelligence to COVID kids.
Whether you're a parent, a teacher, or just someone who wants to understand how to better support the kiddos in your life, this season is all about doing the work together. So let’s boom, bounce, and breathe our way into a season full of learning, growing, and maybe even a little magic.
Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: suzanneswain@gmail.com
Facebook: Suzanne Swain
Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Production
Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:
If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.
Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.
Thank you for being part of this community. 💛
