Let's Get Personal : the Learning Lab Podcast
Through our work at Learning Lab Wichita, we get a front-row seat to innovation in personalized, kindergarten-through-12th-grade learning. On this podcast, we share stories of how educators and parents are helping kids discover their passions—so you can do the same for a child you love.
Episodes
43 episodes
Flashback: Our High School Teaching Days
It’s a blast from the past this week as Lydia and Kristin revisit their days as high school classroom teachers and the experiences that shaped how they think about education today.Lydia shares how she made the leap from investment bankin...
Playing the Long Game: 25+ Years of Teaching Teenagers
After more than 25 years in the high school English classroom, Mike Bogner has watched the way students learn and communicate change dramatically.And he’s had to evolve along with them.On this week’s episode, Mike — who also happe...
The Importance of Community When Homeschooling
Brianna Gilliland wasn’t homeschooled herself, and neither was her husband. But as their oldest child approached kindergarten, she knew she wanted something different for her own family.Gilliland decided to homeschool her two children, b...
The Role of Mindset in Youth Sports
Tamara Petrin learned firsthand how important mindset can be for young athletes when she struggled to show her potential as a bowler at Wichita State University.That experience helped inspire her to create Mindset Gear, an organization t...
Redefining How We Teach Reading
Dyslexia affects one in five people, and READ Redefined co-founders Jane Hayes and Amy Taylor are committed to expanding access to effective literacy services.When the duo founded READ Redefined in 2022, one of their goals was to reach p...
The Right Learning Environment Changes Everything: A Parent's Story
Finding the right environment for your children can transform them.When Sarah Collins’ delightful 5-year-old son unexpectedly struggled to adjust to kindergarten, she was flabbergasted. At home, she knew him as intelligent, curious and h...
Balancing Act: A Division I Athlete's Journey to Becoming a Teacher
Student teaching is a rite of passage for most aspiring teachers, but for Wichita State University high jumper Matte Swartz, it looked a little different.Swartz completed her student teaching alongside Olivia Sumner at Creative Minds, Wi...
Never Stop Innovating: A Conversation with USD 259's Rob Dickson
As chief information officer for Wichita Public Schools, Rob Dickson oversees technology decisions that impact nearly 50,000 students. In more than 25 years in public education, he's witnessed and helped lead some of education's biggest technol...
5 Myths About Innovative Education
Choosing a school used to be simple. For most families, the options were public school, homeschooling or private school.Today, the education landscape is changing. Microschools, hybrid programs and other innovative learning models are gi...
Growing Up Online, Hosted by Learning Lab Kids
Think kids are glued to their phones with no understanding of the risks of being online? Think again.As part of our Creators and Changemakers Week, Aleeya, Piper, Gunnar, Reagan and Rhys share their favorite creators, debate the pros and...
Engineering a Different Dream, with STEMusic LLC's Roy Moye III
A career pivot sometimes helps you toward your destiny.Roy Moye III achieved his dream of becoming an aerospace engineer, but once he got there, he realized his true passion was music. Instead of ignoring his calling, he took a leap of f...
The Confidence to Lead, with Audra Dinell, Founder of The Thread
Self compassion is at the root of growing into the best version of ourselves, says Audra Dinell, founder of The Thread and host of A LOT with Audra.In this episode of Let’s Get Personal, Audra reflects on the teacher who first recognized...
FutureReady: Connecting Students to Careers
How are schools tangibly preparing students for the future workforce?Four years ago, Wichita Public Schools partnered with WSU Tech to launch its first FutureReady Center, giving students hands-on experience in manufacturing. Today, the ...
More Than Books: Inside Wichita Public Library with Savannah Ball
As the literacy services librarian at the Wichita Public Library, Savannah Ball combines her deep commitment to helping people access the resources they need to thrive with her love for books.Driven by a passion for helping others, Ball ...
When Isabel Peine Coaches, Every Kid Belongs
Isabel Peine's background is impressive. She earned degrees in biomedical engineering and mathematics while competing as an NCAA Division I cheerleader.But at NTegrity Athletics in Goddard, Peine uses those talents in a different way. Sh...
Finding the Right Fit: Lauren and Learning Lab
Lauren Mason is often the first face families see when they walk into Learning Lab Wichita, and her warmth, organization and care help set the tone for a positive experience.Behind the scenes, Lauren plays a vital role in keeping Learnin...
The Power of Child Entrepreneurship
Leah Ellis believes the only thing standing in the way of kids achieving extraordinary success is limitations placed on them by adults. Ellis is the founder of the Society of Child Entrepreneurs, which provides hands-on learning, bu...
Building Community Through Education and Culture with Shane Carter
When Shane Carter came to Wichita in 2025 to start his role as executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, he was no stranger to educational programming. While leading the Lincoln Community Center in Troy, Ohio, Shane ...
Teaching High School Students to Lead Now
Everyone can lead, and high school students are no exception.That idea is at the heart of Lead Now, a new curriculum from Kansas Leadership Center designed to empower high school students to lead in their own lives and communities. In th...
What It Takes to Start a School – And How Learning Lab Helps
Ever think about starting your own school?At its core, Learning Lab Wichita is designed to support educators and founders starting new K-12 education models, providing families with more options for their children's education. <...
From Division I Basketball Coach to Family & Community Impact
Conner Hampton is a former Division I basketball coach, a fundraising consultant, a national speaker – and he is Learning Lab Executive Director Lydia's husband.On this episode of Let's Get Personal, Conner delves into what school was li...
The Power of Community-Driven Change
Joe Woodward, Director of Wichita Operations for Stand Together Foundation, leads local efforts to advance bottom-up solutions for economic mobility. His work focuses on strengthening families and neighborhoods, fostering innovation in educatio...
Why All the Kids Love Molly
Molly Brown came to Wichita to become a zookeeper, but she stayed because she loved the city. Today, Molly serves as the events and program manager at Learning Lab Wichita, where she designs hands-on, engaging learning activities for kids and a...
The Bug Lady's Journey to Building the Unimaginable
Glass cases filled with cockroaches. Birds that speak English. Tortoises and ferrets roaming free.This is not your typical kindergarten classroom.In fact, it’s a learning environment unlike almost anything you’ve seen — and it sta...
Why This Former Teacher Chose to Homeschool
Melissa Lair's son knew his alphabet by the time he was 18 months old. As a former kindergarten teacher, Melissa knew he would be ahead of the curve in a traditional school classroom.So Melissa made the bold decision to homeschool her ch...