The Grow Kinder Podcast

On this episode of Grow Kinder, host Andrea Lovanhill talks with Scarlett Lewis, chief movement officer of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement. Inspired by a note left by her son Jesse shortly before he was murdered in the Sandy Hook tragedy, Scarlett founded the organization, which advocates teaching kids social-emotional skills to help them make positive choices in challenging situations, have courageous conversations, and respond to difficult situations by “choosing love.” Scarlett talks with us about her courageous ability to overcome the unthinkable and why social-emotional learning is the answer to preventing future tragedies. Visit jesselewischooselove.org to learn more about Scarlett’s work.

On this episode of Grow Kinder, we talk with Dr. Mitch Prinstein, whose research on popularity and peer relations has established him as a thought leader in adolescent psychology. As director of clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mitch leads the Peer Relations Lab, which, for nearly twenty years, has studied why popularity plays a key role in childhood development and how it influences our lives as adults. We talk with Mitch about popularity in terms of likeability and status, its positive and negative impacts, and how parents can help kids navigate social dynamics in the twenty-first century. Learn more about Mitch’s work and his book Popular: Finding Happiness and Success in a World That Cares Too Much About the Wrong Kinds of Relationships, at www.mitchprinstein.com.

On this episode of Grow Kinder, we talk with Karen Pittman, an award-winning sociologist who has dedicated her career to starting organizations and initiatives that promote youth development. Co-founder, president, and CEO at the Forum for Youth Investment, Karen is a recognized leader in her field whose work with the Children’s Defense Fund, the Clinton administration, and America’s Promise has influenced US policy in youth development and education. Karen shares with us how she became interested in youth development, what creates an optimal learning environment for children, and the power that educators have to shape how young people learn. Learn about Karen and the Forum for Youth Investment at forumfyi.org

On this episode of Grow Kinder, host Andrea Lovanhill is joined by special guest host Joan Cole Duffell, executive director at Committee for Children. Together they chat with Dr. Maurice Elias, professor of psychology at Rutgers University, about his work in social-emotional learning (SEL), which spans over four decades. As director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, Dr. Elias has made SEL the foundation of his research, clinical studies, and advocacy work, all of which support students’ emotional intelligence, school success, and social-emotional and character development. Learn more about the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab at secdlab.org and read Dr. Elias’s blog posts on the George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia website at edutopia.org.

On this episode of Grow Kinder, we talk with General Craig McKinley, commissioner of the Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development and former president of the Air Force Association. A four-star general with a record of youth advocacy, McKinley discusses how he became involved in social-emotional development, SEL’s role in the military, and A Nation at Hope, the Institute’s latest report on how a growing movement dedicated to the social, emotional, and academic well-being of children is changing lives across the nation. Learn more about the Aspen Institute’s work at aspeninstitute.org and A Nation at Hope at nationathope.org.

On this episode of Grow Kinder, we talk with 2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning, an English language learning educator for immigrant and refugee students at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, WA. Both frank and inspiring, Manning shares her thoughts on being an ambassador for U.S. culture, building community in the classroom, and how small acts of kindness influence her approach to teaching. Learn more about Mandy’s work at mandymanning.com or follow along on social media.

On this episode of Grow Kinder, we sit down with Maya Enista Smith, executive director of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, for a conversation about improving the mental well-being of young people through evidence-based programming. Smith gets candid about what drew her to a career in community-building, her first meeting with Lady Gaga, and the power of young people to make change.

The Grow Kinder podcast is live! To kick off our 40th anniversary, Committee for Children has launched a first-of-its-kind, SEL-centric podcast hosted by Mia Doces and Andrea Lovanhill. Grow Kinder features conversations with thought leaders in education, business, tech, and the arts who all have one thing in common: a dedication to growing kinder and helping others do the same.