Learning Can’t Wait Podcast
1) Youth mental health, AI companions & Ethical AI practice | Dr. Marina A. Badillo-Diaz
This episode explores how AI is reshaping school-based social work and youth mental health, through the lens of Dr. Marina Badillo-Diaz’s work as a professor and founder of The AI Social Worker. The c...Show More
2) AI parenting, Agentic AI & Present ready | Kunal Dalal
This episode of the Learning Can't Wait podcast features Kunal Dalal, Chief Parentologist at AI Parentology, exploring how generative AI can support parents emotionally and practically while reshaping...Show More
3) Game-based learning, Purposeful integration & Student agency | Arana Shapiro
The episode explores how games can transform learning when they are used intentionally, highlighting Games for Change’s work to help students and educators harness play, game design, and technology fo...Show More
4) Founder empathy, Global EdTech & Long-term vision | Alberto Arena and Michael Narea
This episode of Learning Can't Wait features Transcend Network co-founders Alberto Arena and Michael Narea in a deep, human-centered conversation about what it really means to build in EdTech for the ...Show More
5) AI learner profiles, Student data privacy & Human-centered technology | Roberto Vargas
This episode explores how Roberto Vargas, Managing Director of IT and Data Systems at Distinctive Schools, uses technology, data, and AI to better serve students while fiercely protecting their privac...Show More
6) Product‑market fit, Educator feedback marketplace & Edtech empathy | Hallie Smith
The episode follows Hallie Smith’s journey from two decades in reading intervention and speech pathology to becoming a fractional marketing leader and founder of Hey There Insights, a new marketplace ...Show More
Product‑market fit, Educator feedback marketplace & Edtech empathy | Hallie Smith
22:25 | Dec 16th, 2025
7) Science of reading, Three Sciences Framework & Explicit, systematic instruction | Paige Pullen
This episode centers on how the “science of reading” must expand beyond phonics to a broader “literacy science” that spans birth through adolescence, and how systems can better prepare and support tea...Show More
8) Behavior support capacity-building, Relationships and positive reinforcement & Data-driven, trauma-aware practice | Allie Nudelman, Vicki Trujillo & Allan Smith
This episode of the Learning Can’t Wait podcast features special education leaders Allie Nudelman and Vicki Trujillo, along with BCBA Allan Smith, sharing how their unlikely paths (from aspiring docto...Show More
9) Collaboration, Small group learning & EdTech innovation | Matt Miller
The episode of the Learning Can’t Wait podcast features Matt Miller, CEO and Co-founder of OKO Labs, discussing how his team is innovating in education technology with a focus on tools that genuinely ...Show More
10) Authentic leadership , Team culture & Feedback | Michael Lombardo
The episode features Michael Lombardo as he explores the core principles of authentic leadership, emphasizing trust, empathy, and open communication as essential foundations for building strong, effec...Show More