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PODCAST

Math Therapy

Vanessa Vakharia, aka The Math Guru

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 class

education self-improvement

All Episodes

42:44

Hard truths teachers need to hear from parents w/ Cat...

Math Therapy ·

2025/11/20

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 proudly professed to hate math ... she knew she had to have them on Math Therapy to dig deeper and find out why. They are the definition of unfiltered, so they are a perfect fit! This interview may be uncomfortable for teachers to hear - honestly, it was difficult for Vanessa at times to not be defensive. But the fact is, we ne...

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48:53

Why we can’t binge-learn math like Netflix w/ Rob Baier

Math Therapy ·

2025/11/13

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 absurd 6-7 phenomenon into actual learning, we need you! Seriously, send us a brief text or a voicenote via Instagram DM or email. We've heard some stories and want to do an episode about enhancing learning by reaching kids through their interests (no matter how ridiculous we think they are...) On today's episode w/ Rob Baie...

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69:19

What the Blue Jays taught us about math education

Math Therapy ·

2025/11/06

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 Dodgers in extra innings of the deciding Game 7 of the Major League Baseball World Series. And if none of those words matter to you at all - then you and Vanessa have much in common! However, as a self-admitted bandwagon jumper, even though she was down in the US on a math ed conference tour, she was all in on this series and sucked ...

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27:25

How to turn anxiety into empowerment

Math Therapy ·

2025/10/30

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 education can change to avoid causing them. But as long as math remains a 4-letter word for some, we need some practical coping strategies! So today, Vanessa details 5 ways you can flip anxious math moments into empowering ones - for teachers, parents, and students. Learn how to: Trade control for curiosityAdmit what you don't ...

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19:33

An unfiltered debate about "natural ability"

Math Therapy ·

2025/10/23

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 after the guest has signed off - at which point producer David says to host Vanessa "we should have recorded THAT too!" So today, we actually did! We kept the mics rolling after interviewing last week's guest, Dr. Raj Shah, resulting in a discussion on the mechanics of memory & aptitude and a spirited debate as David pushed bac...

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53:58

Why math sucks and how to fix it w/ Raj Shah

Math Therapy ·

2025/10/16

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 a good way to learn? Why don’t we teach math like we teach reading? Why do we love puzzles and escape rooms but hate math class? Is it possible to make math learning fun?? Will Vanessa ever learn how to explain how to text the podcast?!?! How does this all relate to math trauma?!?!?! Ok. Deep breaths. Today's ep with Dr. Raj...

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46:23

Math ed needs more conversations like this w/ Pam Harris

Math Therapy ·

2025/10/09

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, founder of Math Is Figureoutable. Their first real interaction was on the DebateMath Podcast; Pam insisted that learning algorithms/shortcuts can actually hold students back from true learning, while Vanessa advocated for kids to learn however works for them. Often, that's where it ends. Worse, especially in the "everyone yell at each...

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37:13

The Comment Section w/ Mike Flynn

Math Therapy ·

2025/10/02

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 students need to know the "why" of what their learning in order to truly understand material, or is it fine for them to just memorize things as long as they get the answers? (If you missed, scroll back in your feed or click here to catch up.) But the real drama took place over on TikTok, where Vanessa posted a clip from the ep ...

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49:04

How to find the "why" in math class w/ Mike Flynn

Math Therapy ·

2025/09/25

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 problem was, the way he was taught math made him hate it! But when a new career opportunity gave him the chance at a much deeper understanding of the concepts and a reason "why" they mattered in the real world, Mike realized that he wasn't confined to just teaching the way he was taught - he could give students and teachers the ...

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30:19

Exclusive: Math Therapy audiobook sample for our...

Math Therapy ·

2025/09/18

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 Therapy ... well, the hard work / literal sweat & tears paid off because it is now out! You can find it on Audible/Amazon right now, and if you have never used Audible you can likely get it for a free credit with their new trial offer. (It will be on Spotify soon as well, let us know if there's any other platform it should be a...

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50:14

Why 1 + 1 isn't always 2 w/ Eugenia Cheng

Math Therapy ·

2025/09/11

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? On today's episode, mathematician Eugenia Cheng joins Vanessa to challenge the black-and-white thinking that often defines our world - especially in math class. 3 Key Topics Discussed: Why seemingly silly questions like "is math real?" or "when does 1 + 1 not equal 2?" are both valid and valuableHow Eugenia works to help people ov...

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28:55

5 simple Math Therapy strategies for your classroom...

Math Therapy ·

2025/09/04

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 episode, Vanessa catches you up on everything going on in Math Therapy-land, and shares 5 very simple and quick strategies that teachers can employ to make this year's classroom more empowering - both for students and themselves. 5 low-lift Math Therapy strategies for the new school year: Watch your facial expressionsWatch your l...

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57:20

How Math Therapy changed my entire life w/ Charizma...

Math Therapy ·

2025/06/26

Text us about this episode! As long as Charizma Laughton can remember, her entire life was defined by a singular identity: she's bad at math, because she's not smart. This self-image was rooted in deeply traumatic math class experiences that completely dismantled her self-confidence and made her feel like she was simply not capable of ... anything. BUT THEN: she and Vanessa met after a yoga class in Bali recently, and after a mere two weeks of math therapy sessions together, Charizma ha...

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37:26

How to trust your intuition w/ Rebecca MacLeod

Math Therapy ·

2025/06/19

First of all, big news: as of this fall, Math Therapy will be a weekly podcast! This has long been a goal, so after 6 glorious 10-episode seasons and a bunch of bonus eps along the way, we'll be hitting your feed every single Thursday starting September. For now, we are back this month with 2 special interviews we recorded earlier in the year with some friends we made in Bali, Indonesia. (Next week's episode will legit blow your mind!!) Today, Vanessa explores the power of intuiti...

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10:01

Bonus: What's your sign? (Vanessa has no clue)

Math Therapy ·

2025/06/05

Given how much Vanessa talks about astrology on the podcast, what do you think her success rate was for guessing the star signs of all the guests last season? Today's episode (guest "hosted" by producer David) reveals all ... and also drops some hints about what to expect from this podcast in the coming months! Show notes: Math Therapy the book - buy from Corwin Press or AmazonS5 outtakes: The Awkward GoodbyeConnect with Vanessa: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)

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35:07

Get the politicians out of the classroom w/ David...

Math Therapy ·

2024/11/14

If you're a fan of the podcast, you've often heard Vanessa mention our producer "David" in reference to him getting mad at her for yelling into the mic or hitting the mic or generally doing things that impact the quality of this AUDIO medium. And if it isn't apparent, this is actually David typing, because I also handle publishing the episodes, so I'll stop referring to myself in the 3rd person because it's weird!In September we released an episode in which I interviewed Vanessa about h...

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43:55

We're not teaching content, we're teaching students...

Math Therapy ·

2024/09/12

Having attended and presented at the annual NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) conference, Vanessa reached out to "famously nice guy" Kevin Dykema, the organization's President, to learn more about his journey to the top. Along the way she was surprised to learn that even he battles imposter syndrome, and the way he's learned to deal with it is by "learning what he doesn't know" and not being afraid to reach out for help.Today's conversation covered the pros and cons of ...

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36:36

Math Therapy is now a book! Vanessa tells all ...

Math Therapy ·

2024/09/05

HUGE news - Math Therapy is now a book! Vanessa has taken everything she's learned in her career helping students overcome math trauma, and all the insights from the 6 seasons of this podcast, and formulated a 5-step process to bring math therapy into classrooms and help all students develop a better relationship with math.To celebrate, Math Therapy producer David Kochberg turned the mic around and interviewed Vanessa about how Math Therapy started in the first place, what gives her hop...

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42:44

We are born to love math w/ Dan Finkel

Math Therapy ·

2024/05/30

Dan Finkel is an author/educator who believes that humans are wired to be curious from birth, and that play is the secret to maintaining that joy of learning throughout childhood. On today’s season 6 finale, he and Vanessa discuss how teaching kids about math can be so much more fun than we think; it can mean playing board games, counting on their fingers, anything that helps them develop an intuitive sense that there are patterns and structures in the world for them to discover. They a...

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41:05

Grit is your superpower w/ Dr. India White

Math Therapy ·

2024/05/23

Dr. India White learned grit and resilience the hard way: facing down obstacles throughout her life and deciding she wouldn’t back down. Now she coaches teachers and students on developing their own gritty superpowers, and she joins Vanessa today for wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. They discuss her journey from a homeless shelter to a college dorm, how equity is about so much more than just race, and the power of lifting each other up as an antidote to fear.About India(Website,...

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