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PODCAST

Upgrade My Classroom

Kevin Mecchella

Thank you for listening to the Upgrade My Classroom Podcast! Kevin Mecchella, youth speaker and behavior change specialist uncovers the social and emotional strategies that help teenage students make great decisions and mitigate bad ones. On this show, you’ll learn from experts in the field of education, youth leadership and behavioral psychology how to create positive, lasting change for your teens. Our kids are faced with so many challenges and we have a responsibility to guide through the choices

education mental health

All Episodes

36:22

Ep: 153 - Helping Teen Performing Artists Navigate...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/07/31

Teenagers all share the same stress and anxiety but teen performing artists (musicians, dancers, singers, etc) have an extra layer on top. They often connect their self worth to their craft and when they encounter a poor audition or recital, the negative self talk becomes deafening. It's hard to navigate consdiering they put themselves in a vulnerable place; on display for the world to see! Today, I brought on dancer, educator, and mental health professional Erin Pompa. Erin shares her personal

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12:04

Ep: 152 - Why Teens Are So Afraid To Make A Mistake...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/07/17

I've had so many conversations lately with both teens and adults where I've realized the fear of failure is alive and well no matter your age! People are so scared of making mistakes and it unfortunately keeps them stuck from moving fast. Moving fast is the only way we learn and grow. So today I'm going to share my 2 cents on fear of failure... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Don't forget to subscribe to the show! If you'd be so kind as to leave a rating and review,

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15:35

Ep: 151 - Freshman Year Of College: How To Redefine...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/07/10

Do you remember that time that everyone laughed at you because you had toilet paper stuck to your shoe? Or that nick name that stuck with you in 4th grade? You may remember but you know who doesn't...everyone at college! Students are about to embark on a entirely new chapter in their life. For many of them, a new state with a completely new set of friends. This is a chance to embrace a fresh start! They can become who they want and view the world through a new lens. They don't have to be held down

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14:48

Ep: 150 - Acknowledging the Six Human Needs in...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/07/03

Today I'd like to reflect on a personal story from my childhood—a deep-seated obsession with Superman and the significance it held for me. I was a product of the Christopher Reeves Superman (ahhemm....the best one) and it was a few things. Sure it was the way he carried himself but at the age of 6 it was more about his ability to fly! Even more so it was how everyone was in so much shock and awe around him. The power and significance he had was intoxicating. I was a child who wanted significance..

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19:29

Ep: 149 - Essential Tips for Students Moving from...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/06/12

Most of us can remember the first few months of our undergraduate experience. It was not easy! It's a big shift for many different reasons so when we talk about our student's mental health, this is a very pivotal point and an important transition. Today we'll chat about the challenges students face as they navigate the increased autonomy, adult responsibilities, and cultural shock in a university setting. Time, energy and money management are all important for a college freshman, as well as finding

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11:39

Ep: 148 - How To Break Down Social Cliques In High...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/06/05

Do you remember the last few months of your senior year?! All of a sudden everyone started talking to each other, everyone became friendly, and all social cliques began to to break down! We realized that our future has arrived. There was no more next steps and for most part, you were not going to see a vast majority of these people ever again. Everyone was going to go on to do different things with their lives and no matter how cool you were, what sports you played or how good your grades were,

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14:28

Ep: 147 - A Mental Health Morning Routine...For Teens!

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/05/29

The saying goes "if you win the morning, you win the day". And morning routines are not just for adults! There are many great benefits from a teen implementing some personal development tactics before they head out to school. Today I'll share some practical strategies to help teenagers enhance their well-being by focusing on their body, mind, and emotions in the morning. From exercise to meditation, journaling, and acts of kindness, I'll break down simple yet impactful routines that can make a

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13:53

Ep: 146 - Unpacking the CASEL Framework: Strategies...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/05/02

May is Mental Health Awareness Month so today we'll be unpacking the CASTLE SEL framework which is a key component of social and emotional learning. I'll provide an in-depth breakdown of the framework's five core competencies, along with discussing the settings that SEL can be taught which are classrooms, schools, families, and communities. There are some hidden gems to this framework that might go overlook at first. I'll be asking some interesting questions to challenge how we approach SEL from

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13:51

Ep: 145 - Beyond the Surface: How To Invest Time in...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/04/24

I recently had a student come up to me after a talk and said "I want to be like you"... I assumed that he meant he wanted to be a speaker. I was wrong. He continued to say "I want to speak and I want people to finally hear me". I realized that this student has so much to say and so much to share but he doesn't have an outlet to do so. I then thought about my experiences working with students either in the classroom or from the stage and I realized that there are so many students who go unnoticed

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17:43

Ep: 144 - Picking The Right Major To Avoid The Rat...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/04/17

When I was in high school I KNEW that I was going to be a high school band director.... Clearly I was mistaken. When 16 and 17 year old children are asked what they want to do with the rest of their lives (AKA picking a major), there are a lot of variables and situations to think about. Whether your teen is having trouble picking their major or is on the opposite end of that spectrum and is completely sold, there are a few questions that are crucial to ask in this process. - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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14:00

Ep: 143 - The Student Loan Decision And The Monthly...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/04/10

When a student is thinking of taking a student loan, what does $50,000 really mean to them. Well if they're anything like me, nothing! I had no personal finance education and the number seemed so vague. Plus you've probably also heard things like... Everyone has to take them I won't have to pay them back for a long time I'll just get a decent job that makes enough money to pay them back quickly We know the issues with the above statements but our kids don't. That's why we need to break down what

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10:41

Ep: 142 - Help Change A Teen's Subconscious Beliefs...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/04/03

If we tell ourselves a certain story, we're going to make certain decision. If we change that story, our decisions will change as well. Today we're going to break down the Story Cycle. This simple yet extremely powerful concept has been taught by many personal development and productivity gurus. Ultimately our story influences our actions, our actions influence our results, and our results reinforce our story. This is how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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18:05

Ep: 141 - Preventing Teen Substance Abuse: The Power...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/03/27

Today I start with a story. It's actually one of the earliest memories I have. It was a contract that my mother and my teacher made me sign... As someone who is NOT an expert on addiction, drugs and alcohol or substance abuse, this is simply one man's experience with early prevention. Take a listen to today's episode as I discuss a few ways we can instill a strong identity and help set personal boundaries for teens as they navigate the dangers of drugs and alcohol. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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12:15

Ep: 140 - Confronting Regret: Empowering Teens to...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/03/20

Today we're going to try a slightly different format. I will be playing a short clip from one of my recent talks at Dobbs Ferry High School in Westchester, NY. This clip highlights some of the selfish choices a teen can make when they tell themselves a limiting story. Today I'll discuss 3 effective strategies for educators to help students navigate regret, urging them to consider the limited time they have and how their actions will shape their lives. From visualizing a 90-year life calendar to

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20:09

Ep: 139 - Decoding The 3 Truths Behind Our Decisions

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/02/28

Throughout my time as a teacher, coach and speaker, I've learned quite a bit about how teens make decisions. One major realiztion I've had is that our decisions are governed by three fundamental truths. No matter what age and what circumstance, these principles are what guide and shape our decisions. When it comes to teens, they are much more vulnerable due to the lack of life experience, as well as their timeline of cognitive growth. So today, I will break down what these three truths are and how

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54:37

Ep: 138 - Self-Confidence, Personal Growth, And...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/02/14

When it comes to high amounts of energy, there are no better people that Matt and Phil from M&P Presentations. This dynamic youth speaking duo has been working with teens for over a decade. They have a truly unique perspective considering both Matt and Phil work professionally in the field of education. In this episode, we discuss a wide range of topics such as self-care, personal growth, and overcoming challenges that teachers face on a day to day. We also dive into their journey in professional

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12:28

Ep: 137 - When Students Fail: The Evaluation And...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/01/25

At some point every teen will fail at something. The issue is that students are facing this idea of perfectionism that is engineered from social media and the constant connection to all their peers. So how can we help them and what strategies can we give them to work through their failures? Today we'll dig into the importance of evaluating and revising goals, celebrating wins along the way, gaining perspective, and discovering the real motivation behind a goal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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22:02

Ep: 136 - What Are Your Teen's Actions To Achieve...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2024/01/04

The SMART or SMARTER goal framework is fairly common among professionals and executives but how about teens? Has you student ever formally tried to sit down and create a detailed goal? Considering it's the first episode of the year, the conversation on everyone's minds is always New Year's resolutions and this also could be on the mind of a high school student. If so, today I'll give you a few examples of some of the pitfalls and things to watch out for as you work with your teen to craft their

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12:41

Ep: 135 - How Students Can Find Their Purpose By...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2023/12/21

It's a hard question...what do I do for the rest of my life? Even harder when you have to make that decision at 16 when applying for colleges. I have embarked on a few different entrepreneurial pursuits in my life. While I believe they all kind of stemmed from the same purpose, they were definitely different in the day to day. After deciding to pursue speaking full time, I asked myself the most important question... If money was no longer an issue, would I still do what I'm doing today?! Check

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08:30

Ep: 134 - Find The Root Of Your Problem By Asking...

Upgrade My Classroom ·

2023/12/15

I was recently watching a video from Ali Abdaal, one of the most successful productivity Youtubers. He was going through a lot of higher level thinking and figuring out what direction to take his business next. This is where he dropped a gem! If you're having trouble with achieving a goal or not sure what to do next in your life, ask yourself why...5 times! This is a really effective exercise that I think might bring more clarity than you even intended! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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