SEL Cast: Insights for Teachers from Teachers
SEL Cast is a podcast for educators, featuring conversations with teachers from around the world about Social and Emotional Learning. Each episode explores practical strategies, authentic stories, and collaborative discussions to integrate SEL into classrooms and schools. Topics include whole-child education, restorative practices, equity, inclusion, and adult wellness. The podcast draws on the work of Nick Haisman-Smith and the Institute for Social & Emotional Learning.
Episodes
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
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
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
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
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 f
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
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 beyo
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
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
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
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