Shows / Math Therapy
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…
Episodes
- Math Therapy
We're not teaching content, we're teaching students w/ Kevin Dykema (NCTM re-air)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) We're coming to you from DENVER this week for NCTM 2026, bringing Math Therapy LIVE to the conference for the very…
- Math Therapy
Why telling someone they're a math person can backfire w/ Teresa Brown
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) What if telling someone they're a math person is actually making things ... worse?! We say it to encourage people…
- Math Therapy
Your students have a math identity bank account. Are you making deposits? w/ Tammy McMorrow
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) What happens when you give a bunch of 6-year-olds a challenging math problem and they CAN’T figure it out? Well, in…
- Math Therapy
What neuroscience tells us about who can & can’t do math w/ Hillary Mastarciyan
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) What happens in the brain when we're learning math? What makes some students struggle more than others with it? Can…
- Math Therapy
How to treat math like a team sport & help every kid find their role w/ Kallen Currie
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) We talk about math trauma all the time on this podcast, but sometimes the feelings around it can be hard to…
- Math Therapy
How to support teachers the way we expect them to support students w/ Courtney Flessner
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Ever drive down a familiar road, hit the same old pothole, and think "Didn't they patch that up last summer? And…
- Math Therapy
How to follow the curriculum without selling your soul
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Over the summer, Vanessa recorded our first interview with an actual real life audience when she sat down at a…
- Math Therapy
Before & After Pt. 2: How Math Therapy changed Lauren Keeling's life (4 months later)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Last week we shared a full Math Therapy session with lifelong "not-a-math-person" Lauren Keeling, which was recorded…
- Math Therapy
Before & After Pt. 1: How Math Therapy changed Lauren Keeling's life (May 2026)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Today we bring you part 1 of 2 of our first ever Math Therapy Makeover "Before & After"! When Vanessa first met…
- Math Therapy
What to do when your math class needs an intervention w/ Juliana Tapper
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Have you ever felt like math education needs to take a good long look at itself in the mirror and make some major…
- Math Therapy
3 things every math teacher should do from day one
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Some of you have already started school, while the rest are just counting down the days ... so Vanessa is back this…
- Math Therapy
Taking my own advice
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Things have been a little crazy over here so Math Therapy is going to take a couple weeks off to catch our breath…
- Math Therapy
Fluency & Flexibility aren't the math F-bombs you think they are w/ Christina Tondevold
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) One of the most misunderstood words in math ed right now is "fluency", so Vanessa invited an expert on the podcast…
- Math Therapy
Math Therapy Masterclass Part 2: How to start next year with confidence
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Today we bring you part 2 in Vanessa's two part Math Therapy Masterclass on how to start the coming school year with…
- Math Therapy
Math Therapy Masterclass Part 1: How to start next year with confidence
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Summer is a great time for some much needed rest after the school year, but it also provides some rare quiet time…
- Math Therapy
Why math class might be more stressful than air travel w/ Cathy Marks Krpan
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Prior to spontaneously recording this convo between sessions at CAMT in Fort Worth, TX recently, Vanessa and today's…
- Math Therapy
What 3 viral trends tell us about math trauma in 2026
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) As her Screen Time app will confirm, Vanessa spends way too much time online - so when trends involving math pop up…
- Math Therapy
Math in prison, chaotic podcast energy, and the legend of Sister Beth (summer mailbag)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Summer is officially ON, so it's a great time to hear from YOU in another mailbag episode where Vanessa reads the…
- Math Therapy
Math anxiety, vulnerability, and the secrets to building student confidence w/ Amy Johnston
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Today's episode truly puts the "therapy" in Math Therapy! Vanessa chats with her friend Amy Johnston, a…
- Math Therapy
How to get fired up about teaching (even if the system has crushed your spirit) w/ Chase Orton
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Vanessa recently took one step closer to her dream of hosting a Netflix show, recording the first ever live Math…
- Math Therapy
3 essential study skills to make exams less stressful for everyone w/ Deena Kara Shaffer
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Exam season is upon us, but NOBODY PANIC! Today's guest, learning strategist Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer, joined Vanessa…
- Math Therapy
The unexpected text that turned my day around (and may turn yours around too)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Last week Vanessa ended her episode saying the podcast would be taking this week off while she was on vacation, but…
- Math Therapy
How I talked my way out of an anxiety spiral
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Vanessa reflects on her recent self-described "meltdown episode" in which she talked herself down from a panic…
- Math Therapy
Anxious about math? You may be the best person to teach it w/ Heidi Sabnani
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Everyone's finally talking about math anxiety - in students, parents, and anyone that goes into a panic at the mere…
- Math Therapy
Why smart people still feel out of control (and what to do about it)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) 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…
- Math Therapy
Math is a spiritual practice & here's the proof w/ Edward Doolittle
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) 500 BC: Pythagoras may not have even existed, but a number-worshipping / bean-hating (yet vegetarian?!) cult…
- Math Therapy
It’s never too late to change your relationship with math
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Ever since we introduced the above link to text the podcast, Vanessa has been obsessed with getting listeners to do…
- Math Therapy
This will change the way you think about calculators w/ Curtis Brown
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) We cover many hot button topics in math education, but today we're taking on the most literal one ... calculators!…
- Math Therapy
Why we haven't fixed math education (even though we know how) w/ Steve Leinwand
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) If you listen to this podcast, chances are you believe not only that we can fix math education but that we know how…
- Math Therapy
This will change how you show up as a leader w/ Alison Mello
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Leadership. Feedback. Professional Development. Terms that get thrown around a lot - but what do they actually mean?…
- Math Therapy
The way you talk about math matters, even if you don’t teach it w/ Kylie Fraser
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Back in 2020, math teacher (with math trauma) Kylie Fraser found herself in Vanessa's Math Therapy session at the…
- Math Therapy
Refresher: Predicting the Oscars with math w/ Ben Zauzmer (Oscarmetrics)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) The Oscars are this Sunday, and to be completely transparent, Vanessa hasn't seen any of the nominations. BUT, she…
- Math Therapy
The best scientists follow the data AND their hearts w/ Imogen Coe
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Vanessa's mentor and friend, Dr. Imogen Coe, holds many distinctions: Professor of Critical Thinking in Biomedical…
- Math Therapy
How a music studio is just like math class w/ Devon Lougheed
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) For the last month, Vanessa and Math Therapy producer David have been in the studio working on their band's next…
- Math Therapy
How to change your life by changing your story w/ Gorav Menon
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Today's episode is about storytelling. So much of our self-worth and perceived ability come from internal narratives…
- Math Therapy
9 surprising reasons math scores are dropping
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Everyone’s always ranting and raving about why student math scores are dropping, but are they focusing on the wrong…
- Math Therapy
How math can help prison inmates turn their lives around w/ Christopher Havens
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Christopher Havens is a mathematician with published research in number theory, but what makes him unique among…
- Math Therapy
What neuroscience actually says about gender & math w/ Sarah McKay
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) A lot of brain-related questions often come up on this podcast, like: Is there a difference in math ability between…
- Math Therapy
How believing in someone can change their life w/ Jo Boaler’s first student Sue Besant
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Have you ever been so convinced you were bad at something that you didn’t even question it anymore? Not just as an…
- Math Therapy
Don’t let math define your entire self-worth w/ Shelby Strong
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Whenever Vanessa talks to math educator and coach Shelby Strong, they end up saying "why didn't we record that, it…
- Math Therapy
Can asking for help backfire?
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) As you may know, Vanessa and producer David are in a band together, and they're currently writing songs for a new…
- Math Therapy
2026: The Year of Student Engagement!
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Happy new year! To get in the mindset for a great 2026, here's a motivating episode about one of last year's hottest…
- Math Therapy
How Netflix saved both Christmas and math
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Five years ago, Vanessa fell head over heels in love with a Christmas movie. The plot twist? This wasn't one of the…
- Math Therapy
How to make "show your thinking" less anxiety-inducing
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Getting students to think is a hot topic - but what does it actually mean? When kids are asked to "show their…
- Math Therapy
Math Therapy's 100th (& most manic) episode!
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Since our humble (and as you'll find out, quite disorganized) start in 2019, Math Therapy has come a long way …
- Math Therapy
How to believe in yourself when nobody else will w/ Taylor Telfer-Thompson
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Today we follow-up last week's episode with unfiltered celeb moms Cat and Nat (listen here) by interviewing Nat's…
- Math Therapy
Hard truths teachers need to hear from parents w/ Cat and Nat
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) From the moment Vanessa met bestselling authors/podcasters Cat and Nat on Breakfast Television, where the 2 moms…
- Math Therapy
Why we can’t binge-learn math like Netflix w/ Rob Baier
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) *call-out before we get into today's ep* - If you or a colleague/parent/student has a story about incorporating the…
- Math Therapy
What the Blue Jays taught us about math education
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) This past weekend, hearts across North America shattered as the plucky underdog Toronto Blue Jays lost to the LA…
- Math Therapy
How to turn anxiety into empowerment
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Most episodes, Vanessa is chatting with colleagues about the root causes of math anxiety/trauma and exploring how…
- Math Therapy
An unfiltered debate about "natural ability"
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Sometimes an interview fires us up so much here at Math Therapy HQ, that we end up debriefing and debating it long…
- Math Therapy
Why math sucks and how to fix it w/ Raj Shah
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) What is memory? Are different brains good at memorizing different things (like math vs music)? Is memorization even…
- Math Therapy
Math ed needs more conversations like this w/ Pam Harris
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Today's ep ended up in a different place than Vanessa expected when she first sat down to chat with Pam Harris…
- Math Therapy
The Comment Section w/ Mike Flynn
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) We're trying something new this week! Last week's ep with Mike Flynn dove into some very murky debate waters: do…
- Math Therapy
How to find the "why" in math class w/ Mike Flynn
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) When Mike Flynn started teaching, math was just one of many subjects he had to guide his students through. The…
- Math Therapy
Exclusive: Math Therapy audiobook sample for our listeners!
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) If you follow Vanessa on Instagram, you know the rollercoaster she went on to record the audiobook version of Math…
- Math Therapy
Why 1 + 1 isn't always 2 w/ Eugenia Cheng
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Have you ever felt like it's impossible to win an argument with someone, or even simply see eye to eye on anything?…
- Math Therapy
5 simple Math Therapy strategies for your classroom (weekly podcast launch!)
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) Today we celebrate back to school week with ... the official launch of Math Therapy as a weekly podcast! On today's…
- Math Therapy
How Math Therapy changed my entire life w/ Charizma Laughton
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) As long as Charizma Laughton can remember, her entire life was defined by a singular identity: she's bad at math…
- Math Therapy
How to trust your intuition w/ Rebecca MacLeod
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply) First of all, big news: as of this fall, Math Therapy will be a weekly podcast! This has long been a goal, so after…