When Meditation Replaces Detention, with Atman Smith
Release Date: 06/10/2025
Reflecting on Season 2: Centering Our Humanity in Education
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In Season 2 of Educating to Be Human, we asked questions about education: who controls what we learn? Who benefits? Who gets left out? What would it take to democratize education? And simply, why do we learn? Lisa spoke with people across disciplines - community organizers, faith leaders, educators challenging traditional systems, civil servants, and business leaders - to chip away at these questions from different angles. In this special episode, we revisit key moments from our conversations in Season 2, highlighting how our guests challenged us to think of what becomes possible...
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Rural Education and the Power of Community with Kassi Talbot
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In the season finale of Educating to Be Human, we turn our attention to rural education and the transformative power of community-centered learning. Host Lisa Petrides is joined by Kassi Talbot, educator, social justice advocate, and principal of Pescadero Elementary School, a small rural school on California’s coastside. Born and raised in the same community she now leads, Kassi shares how participatory and community-based education, and a deep commitment to equitable, open education can drive lasting positive outcomes — not just in remote or non-urban schools, but across all systems of...
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RERUN: The Power of Place with Ruth Mostern
Educating to Be Human Podcast
Today, we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations from Educating to Be Human — and much has changed since we first recorded it. Back in September 2024, Lisa sat down with Ruth Mostern, Professor of History and founder of the World Historical Gazetteer, to explore how our sense of place influences the way we understand our past and our identities. Through her groundbreaking project, the World Historical Gazetteer, Ruth enables historians and the public alike to visualize and contextualize historical events and relationships geographically, transforming static history into...
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On Faith, Community Organizing and Belonging with Fr. Jon Pedigo
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In this episode of Educating to be Human, Lisa is joined by Jon Pedigo, known by some as Father Jon. He is a longtime social justice advocate and activist, faith leader within the Catholic diocese of San Jose, and the new executive director of People Acting in Community Together, or PACT. In conversation, they explore what it means to rebuild connection in a time of deep division, how faith communities can act as ancient technologies for compassion and healing, and the power of grassroots organizing to help people claim their own agency and voice, particularly in difficult times. Fr. Jon...
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The Promise of Public Diplomacy with Paul Kruchoski
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In this episode of Educating to Be Human, Lisa Petrides is joined by Paul Kruchoski, a former senior diplomat at the U.S. State Department and often described as a changemaker within the institution, about the human side of public diplomacy and its deep ties to education. Far from being abstract negotiations behind closed doors, public diplomacy is about learning across borders, listening across cultures, and building the kinds of relationships that make peace possible. Paul shares insights from his work leading initiatives like the Open Book project, which brought openly licensed educational...
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RERUN: Monsters with Erin O'Connell
Educating to Be Human Podcast
We're bringing back the show that started it all - Monsters! In this rerun of our premiere episode of Educating to be Human, Lisa Petrides speaks with Erin O'Connell, a university classics professor, who has used her expertise over the years as a teacher of Ancient Greek and Ancient Greek culture to delve into the world of Monsters, how we define them, where we can find them, not just under our beds, and the perspective they bring us in thinking about being human in today's world. Erin O’Connell’s academic background is in Classics and Comparative Literature, teaching Greek and Latin...
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AI in the Classroom: Power, Bias and Opportunity with Maha Bali
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In this episode of Educating to Be Human, Lisa Petrides is joined by Maha Bali, a leading voice in digital pedagogy and open education. Maha invites us to see digital literacy not just as learning how to use tools, but as something deeply tied to identity, power, and relationships. As AI increasingly becomes part of the fabric of our daily lives, Maha challenges us to ask: what values are built into the tools we use, and how do they shape the way we connect with one another? Maha Bali is a professor of practice at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the American University in Cairo and...
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Why Community Colleges Matter More Than Ever with Keith Curry
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In this episode of Educating to Be Human, Lisa dives into education that is truly rooted in the community, with Dr. Keith Curry, President of Compton College. His efforts to address the real-life challenges that students face at community college are remarkable: meeting basic needs (such as food, housing, textbooks), achieving academic success, and finding job opportunities after completion of certificates and degrees. Lisa and Keith also talk about leadership in times of uncertainty—how to lead in an environment of fluctuating budgets, and federal and state policy shifts, and in a terrain...
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Libraries at Risk: Access, Preservation, and Cultural Memory with Chris Freeland
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In this episode of Educating to be Human, Lisa speaks with Chris Freeland, Director of Library Services at the Internet Archive, about the evolving role of libraries in society and their critical function in preserving equitable access to knowledge and serving as a memory institution. They explore the challenges libraries face today—from book bans and cyber threats to restrictive digital licensing—and how these issues affect our collective memory, democracy, and ability to learn. Chris shares how the Internet Archive has been protecting public access to digital content, government data,...
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Taking the Mystery Out of Menopause: Educating for Better Care with Joanna Strober
Educating to Be Human Podcast
In this episode of Educating to be Human, Lisa speaks with Joanna Strober, seasoned entrepreneur and founder of MidiHealth—a virtual clinic providing personalized care for women navigating midlife changes like perimenopause and menopause. Together, Lisa and Joanna discuss why this stage of life remains one of the most under-researched, underfunded, and underserved areas in medicine, and what can and is being done about it. Digging into the success of MidiHealth, this conversation is a powerful reminder that we need new models of healthcare—ones that not only provide care but also...
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In this episode of Educating to be Human, Lisa speaks with Atman Smith, founder of the Holistic Life Foundation, about the transformative power of bringing mindfulness, yoga, and meditation into not just schools, but also rehab centers and senior living centers. What began as a personal journey in search of deeper meaning evolved into a community-led program in West Baltimore—one of the most underserved and over-policed neighborhoods in the U.S.—focused on healing and self-regulation.
Atman shares how early interventions with students frequently sent to detention led to the creation of the Mindful Moment program, a trauma-informed model that replaces punishment with presence. Over time, their work has grown from a single after-school offering to a nationwide movement rooted in the belief that real learning happens from the inside out.
Together, they explore what it means to center emotional well-being in education, the resistance and rewards of shifting school culture, and why teaching students to breathe might be one of the most radical things we can do.
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Atman Smith is a co-founder of the Holistic Life Foundation, a Baltimore-based organization that has brought yoga and mindfulness to underserved communities since 2001. His work spans drug treatment centers, mental health facilities, schools, and corporations around the world, with a focus on supporting high-risk youth. A former University of Maryland basketball player, he holds a B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Atman's impact has been widely recognized, with features on Good Morning America, CNN, The Oprah Magazine, and Steven Spielberg’s Why We Hate. He co-authored Let Your Light Shine, contributed to academic research on the effects of mindfulness on urban youth, and was named a 2024 "Game Changer" by Baltimore Magazine.
Resources:
Holistic Life Foundation, https://holisticlifefoundation.org/
Let Your Light Shine: How Mindfulness Can Empower Children and Rebuild Communities, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-Your-Light-Shine-Mindfulness/dp/0593332288
On Instagram @holisticlifefoundation and @atmansmith
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Educating to be Human is hosted by Lisa Petrides, produced by Helene Theros, recorded by Nathan Sherman, edited by Ty Mayer, with music by Orestis Koletsos.
Please subscribe and listen to Educating to Be Human on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts, leave a review, tell your friends and share our episodes on social media. And don’t forget to follow @edutobehuman on Instagram and on Bluesky @edutobehuman