In this rewind episode of Make It Mindful, we revisit one of our most popular episodes. Host Seth Fleischauer welcomes Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan, a speech pathologist and educational consultant, to delve into supporting executive functioning. Building on the previous conversation with Mitch Weathers in episode #49, this episode explores how executive functioning challenges impact social, academic, and functional life skills and discusses practical strategies for supporting students beyond the classroom.

Dr. Karen will be returning to the show in a few episodes. If you'd like specific topics covered in that episode, please DM host Seth Fleischauer on LinkedIn.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Understanding executive functioning as a set of cognitive processes like time perception, self-talk, and future pacing.
• How Tier 1 interventions can support students across all tiers by creating a collaborative, scaffolded environment.
• The importance of visual supports, episodic memory, and modeling self-talk for building executive functioning skills.
• Balancing standardized assessments with dynamic, portfolio-based approaches to better diagnose and support students.
• Strategies for addressing common challenges, like resistance to new tasks, and teaching students to develop self-motivation and planning skills.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan is a speech pathologist with over 14 years of experience in schools. She specializes in supporting related service providers, special education teams, and educators in fostering executive functioning, language, and literacy skills. She is the host of the De Facto Leaders podcast and the creator of resources at Dr. Karen Speech and Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan.

Episode Links:

• Explore resources on executive functioning at Dr. Karen Speech.
• Listen to Dr. Karen’s podcast, De Facto Leaders, at drkarendudekbrannan.com/de-facto-leaders-podcast/
• Sign up for the Executive Functioning training at drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership
• Download Dr. Karen's Executive Functioning Implementation Guide for School Teams at drkarendudekbrannan.com/efguide

Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning, an international education company delivering experiential learning that builds global competency. A former classroom teacher, Seth is passionate about exploring how global learning and mindful innovation can transform education.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review and share it with a friend. As always, thank you to our editor, Lucas Salazar.

In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer welcomes Greg Kessler, Professor of Innovative Learning Design and Technology at Ohio University, to explore the evolving intersection of language education, technology, and cultural context. Drawing on more than two decades of international consulting—with the U.S. Department of State among many partners, alongside universities, ministries of education, and NGOs worldwide—Greg shares how teachers can integrate new tools without losing the human and cultural heart of learning.

They trace the evolution of educational technology—from pre-internet classrooms and early chatbots like ELIZA to today’s AI-driven tools—revealing how innovation often cycles back with new accessibility and scale. The conversation centers on teacher and learner autonomy, authentic technology use, and how educators worldwide can adapt tools to fit their cultural contexts. Greg’s reflections highlight a timeless principle: technology should amplify learning, not replace it.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The early roots of AI in language education and what’s truly new about today’s tools
• How to identify technology that adds authentic value versus “digital noise”
• Using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for meaningful language practice
• Teacher and learner autonomy across different cultural settings
• Avoiding “cognitive bypass” when using AI in EFL and language learning
• The promise of virtual and augmented reality for global collaboration
• Innovation as a mindset: turning educational challenges into opportunities

Guest Bio:
Greg Kessler is Professor of Innovative Learning Design and Technology at Ohio University. He has worked with educators across more than 40 countries to promote meaningful technology integration in English language teaching. His research focuses on teacher autonomy, AI, and the evolution of computer-assisted language learning.

Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning, an international education company delivering experiential learning that builds global competency. A former classroom teacher, Seth is passionate about exploring how global learning and mindful innovation can transform education.

Episode Links:

• Greg Kessler on LinkedIn

• Greg Kessler’s Google Site

• Our Next Reality: How the AI-powered Metaverse Will Reshape the World by Alvin Wang Graylin and Louis Rosenberg

Guest: Chris Brida, District Administrator, Career & Technical Education (CTE), Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate at Portland (OR) Public Schools.

A returning guest, Chris is building systems-level, boundary-spanning partnerships that tie K–12 CTE to real pathways in higher ed, industry, and community—while bringing AI into both the classroom and the collaboration process.

Episode Summary:
CTE isn’t “shop class” anymore. Chris Brida returns to map how AI is reshaping CTE on two fronts: AI in CTE (a cross-cutting skill every pathway needs) and AI for CTE (a co-pilot for partnership design and management). He explains “boundary spanning leadership”—innovation that happens in the gray space between systems—and shows it in action through the Albina D-Lab, a seven-year pipeline linking Portland Public Schools and Portland State Engineering to community partners serving Black student excellence. We also dig into student aptitudes, why literacy looks different in CTE (think schematics and blueprints), and why deeper, interdisciplinary learning is the antidote to anxiety about a fast-changing world.

Key Topics:

• AI in CTE vs. AI for CTE—and why both matter now
• Boundary spanning leadership as a template for real partnerships
• The Albina D-Lab: a systems-level model for equity and engineering pathways
• Student aptitudes, durable skills, and invention education
• Deeper learning and the end of siloed “90 minutes of math”

Resources Mentioned:

• Advance CTE (national career clusters; AI as cross-cutting)
• Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition (statewide clean energy pathway)
• Albina Vision Trust
• Portland State University — College of Engineering
• MESA (engineering, human-centered design)
• The Lemelson Foundation (invention education)
• PPS Center for Black Student Excellence

Connect with Chris Brida:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Banyan Global Learning:

• banyangloballearning.com

If this conversation sparked a new way of thinking, share it with a colleague or leave a review—more educators will find what’s possible when learning goes global.