Welcome to the Podcast
Empower Students Now
I’m a Meditation Teacher Who Still Eats Doritos When She’s Stressed: Nervous System Regulation for Real Life
You can't regulate a classroom from a dysregulated nervous system. And you can't regulate a nervous system you don't understand. In Part 1 of a...
I Moved to Uruguay: A Teacher’s Honest First Month as an American Expat
What happens when an American teacher who spent many years teaching English Language Development (ELD) students becomes an immigrant herself? In...
How Parent-Blaming and Compliance-Based Interventions Shaped Autism History
If Part 1 of this series was about what was lost in autism history, Part 2 is about what replaced it — and the damage it caused. In this episode of...
How a Broader Understanding of Autism Was Deliberately Buried
Why do so many misconceptions about autism still persist in our schools — even as we know more about autism than ever before? The answer is buried...
Consequences Are Just Punishments With a New Name: A Different Approach to Student Behavior
What if the next time a student lies, sneaks, or breaks a rule, instead of reaching for a consequence, you reached for a conversation? In this...
Self-Acceptance for Teachers: A Meditation Teacher’s Honest Guide to Surviving End-of-Year Chaos
What happens when a meditation teacher stops meditating — and decides that's okay? In this deeply personal episode of the Empower Students Now...
An Autistic Teacher Explains the Neurodiversity Movement (And Why It Matters for Your Students)
What is neurodiversity — and why should teachers care? In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Warner — a certified...
Paradoxical AuDHD: A Poem About Contradictions, Overwhelm, and Self Understanding
On the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Werner shares that she pursued an autism diagnosis at 43 after years of researching autism...
Why Diagnosis Matters: My Adhd and Autism Journey as a Parent and Teacher
Host Amanda Werner shares why she is discussing her family’s diagnostic journey, describing years of feeling overwhelmed and not understanding why...
Rethinking “Defiance”: When Students are Drowning, Not Disobeying
Host Amanda Werner discusses how schools often misinterpret student “defiance” as willful disobedience when it may reflect nervous system distress,...
How to Teach Collaborative Problem Solving Skills
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Werner dives into the essential skill of collaborative problem solving. This...
What Made Me Suspect I’m Autistic: A Teacher’s Adult Diagnosis Story and Classroom Takeaways
Amanda Werner hosts an off-the-cuff episode of the Empower Students Now podcast about what led her to suspect she was autistic and eventually seek a...
Teaching Emotional Regulation to Students
Amanda continues her Empower Students Now series with short classroom slideshow lessons available via email sign-up here by focusing on emotional...
How to Teach Conflict Resolution to Students
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda dives into the critical skill of conflict resolution. Amanda shares personal...
Teaching When the News is Breaking Your Heart
In this urgent and heartfelt episode, recorded on Sunday, January 25th, Amanda offers raw and real advice for teachers dealing with a recent tragedy...
How to Teach Active Listening: An Essential Skill for the Future
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Werner discusses the importance and challenges of teaching active listening to...
Navigating an Adult Diagnosis of Autism
Join Amanda Werner and her good friend Jessica Martin in this insightful episode as they dive deep into navigating life with autism and other...
I’m Autistic. Always Have Been. Always Will Be.
In this special New Year's episode Amanda shares some big news, that she's Autistic! To help Amanda reveal this difficult and amazing truth to the...
The Crucial Skill of Self Knowledge for Future Ready Students
In this new series about preparing students for an unknown future, Amanda Werner delves into the essential skill of self-knowledge. The episode...
Championing Kids’ Dreams: An Education Intervention in the Age of AI
In this final episode in a four part series, Amanda Werner talks with Adrian Martinca about the critical pivot period we are in because of AI...
The 80/20 Vision: What Education Could Become When AI Handles the Rest
Host, Amanda Werner, continues her interview with Adrian Martinca in this episode. Adrian is a technologist and activist working tirelessly on...
When AI Replaces Jobs: Pivoting Towards a Purpose Economy
In this episode, Amanda Werner and Adrian Martinca discuss the fundamental contradictions faced by educators and parents in preparing children for a...
AI Is An Alien Among Us–Not Good or Bad, It’s How We Use It That Matters
Part 1 of a 5-Part Series: Your Guide to Navigating AI's Impact on Kids, Education, and the Future Host Amanda Werner and guest Adrian Martinca dive...
I’m Not Okay with AI Anymore: The Hypervigilant Parent
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, the host Amanda Werner, delves into the heavy topics of suicide and self-harm in relation to AI...