Mental Health Meets AI: What Alongside Is Teaching Us About Students Today
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Release Date: 07/28/2025
How Puzzles Build Confidence, Community, and Curiosity
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
What do puzzles teach us about being human. In this episode, Tricia talks with Allison Kane, Head of Puzzle Innovation at Highlights, about why puzzling matters far beyond entertainment. From Hidden Pictures and Wordle to classroom design and family learning, this conversation explores how puzzles build confidence, perseverance, and joyful learning across ages. Learn more: Allison shares her origin story as a lifelong puzzler, explains the idea of the satisfaction of the solve, and offers practical advice for educators and families who want to integrate puzzles into learning spaces....
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What to Do When Teachers Are at Very Different Places With AI
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
How do you move forward with AI in schools when staff confidence is all over the place? Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman address one of the most persistent leadership challenges in AI literacy implementation. Within the same faculty, some educators are experimenting confidently with tools and workflows while others feel intimidated, skeptical, or frustrated by rapid change. Jeff and Tricia frame the issue through a mindset-first lens and introduce practical leadership moves grounded in BAKE: balance, adaptability, knowledge sharing, and empathy. The conversation begins with a simple leadership...
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What Skills Matter Most for AI Literacy?
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
AI literacy in the classroom looks like students practicing judgment, sense-making, and self-awareness while working alongside AI, not replacing thinking with tools. It emphasizes mindset before mechanics. In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman frame AI literacy through the BAKE Mindset: Balance – Knowing when AI helps and when it doesn’t Adaptability – Updating learning practices as tools change Knowledge Sharing – Making thinking visible and collective Empathy – Designing learning with student experience in mind How Does AI Change...
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The Mindset Shift You Need for AI Literacy in 2026
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode of Shifting Schools, hosts Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman discuss their personal experiences over the holidays, leading into a broader conversation about the importance of mindset in education, particularly in relation to AI literacy. They introduce the as a tool for educators to navigate AI discussions, emphasizing the need for adaptability, empathy, and open communication. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in educational settings, encouraging educators to embrace change and foster a culture of experimentation and learning. ...
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How do we help students be more critical of health advice?
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode, host Tricia Friedman sits down with Dr. Michael Greger, bestselling author and founder of NutritionFacts.org, to explore why non-commercial, evidence-based health guidance matters more than ever. They discuss lifestyle medicine, plant-based nutrition, scientific integrity, cannabis research, and how small, testable behavior changes can dramatically improve long-term health. What This Conversation Is Really About Health advice is everywhere — but trustworthy guidance is not. This conversation slows things down and examines how to make informed choices in a noisy,...
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Why Millions of Students Are Creating Together: Inside Crayola Creativity Week
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
What does it look like when creativity becomes a global learning movement—not an add-on, but a connector across every subject? In this episode of Shifting Schools, Tricia Friedman is joined by Cheri Sterman to explore Crayola Creativity Week, a free, cross-curricular program designed to help educators spark collaboration, confidence, and creative thinking in classrooms around the world. Together, they unpack how Creativity Week connects creativity to every subject and career, why celebrity partners—from the Property Brothers to NASA astronauts—volunteer their time to inspire students,...
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Holiday Gifting for Teachers: Tools for Wellness, Creativity, and Reflection
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
This special Shifting Schools holiday episode isn’t about trendy gadgets or generic gift lists. Instead, Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman share seven thoughtfully chosen gifts for educators—each matched to a specific kind of person and a specific kind of need. Some gifts are playful. Some are reflective. Some are deeply practical. All of them offer a meaningful boost during a season when educators are often running on empty. This episode asks a practical question: “What might actually support someone through their days?” Whether you’re shopping for a colleague, a school leader, a...
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What Makes a Family? Scott & Mark Hoying on Representation, Creativity, and Love
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
You know Pentatonix – the multi-platinum selling acapella group is the number one most listened to musical acct of the holiday season. Co-founder and Grammy winner Scott Hoying is currently starring in Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars. Scott Hoying and his husband Mark are now also authors of an innovative picture book which features text that doubles as lyrics to . FA LA LA FAMILY celebrates the spirit of Christmas with a look at nontraditional families. The reviews are loving their new book: "A fun and festive dive into...
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Why Interdisciplinary Learning Fuels Creativity: A Conversation with Alan Gratz
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode of Shifting Schools, bestselling author Alan Gratz joins Tricia Friedman to explore the craft of storytelling, the role of creativity in education, and why curiosity is the engine behind both great writing and great learning. Gratz shares how baseball has quietly shaped the structure of many of his novels, how he approaches character development with authenticity, and why understanding a character’s background is essential for emotional truth. The conversation also digs into the need for interdisciplinary learning in today’s classrooms and the value of teacher...
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Inside the Mind of a 4.1 Million-Follower Creator: AI, Internships, and the Future of Storytelling
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff Utecht reconnects with Marcus DiPaola, a successful content creator and documentary filmmaker. They discuss Marcus's journey from working in news to becoming a prominent influencer on platforms like TikTok, where he has amassed over 4 million followers. The conversation delves into the challenges of content creation, the importance of writing skills, and the role of AI in enhancing creative processes. Marcus shares insights on his documentary work, including a recent project on protests and his upcoming film about food insecurity. He emphasizes the...
info_outlineWhat if AI could help schools not just support educators as they work to manage student mental health needs, but prevent crises before they start? In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Elsa Friis, licensed clinical psychologist from Alongside, returns to discuss how her team is using clinician-built AI tools to support students, educators, and families. From building trust through anonymity to boosting classroom attendance, Elsa shares research, real stories, and the myths she’s constantly debunking.
🎧 You’ll hear about:
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Why mental health support doesn't need to be 55 minutes long to make an impact
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The surprising issue most students anonymously seek support for (hint: it's not test anxiety)
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The difference between ChatGPT and what Alongside is actually doing with AI
Learn more about our guest:
Dr. Elsa Friis, Ph.D., Msc-GH, is a licensed psychologist, researcher, and behavioral health advocate who specializes in utilizing technology to expand access to youth mental health support.
She received her MS in Global Health and PhD in Clinical psychology from Duke University where she leveraged human-centered design to develop an app to support the implementation of a family therapy intervention in Kenya.
Dr. Elsa Friis has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles on the co-development, adaptation, and implementation of culturally salient youth interventions in the US and globally.
Clinically, Elsa has worked and trained in a variety of settings in NC and GA including schools, primary-care clinics, academic medical centers, and hospitals. She is trained in a variety of third-wave cognitive behavioral treatments for youth including DBT-A, ACT, and TF-CBT. She specializes in family-based approaches to treating anxiety, severe behavior concerns, and suicidal ideation.
Elsa firmly believes in co-creating products in partnership with the youth and stakeholders who will utilize them.
Learn more about the ground-breaking resarch they are doing:
https://www.alongside.care/shifting?utm_campaign=Shifting
[02:15] – What Alongside Does
How Alongside supports students through tier one mental health interventions.
[05:30] – AI and Mental Health: What Makes Alongside Different
Why this isn't just another ChatGPT wrapper—and how clinician-built tools matter.
[10:45] – The Power of Single Session Interventions
How 5-minute check-ins can drive lasting change in student well-being.
[15:20] – What the Research Says About the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Surprising findings about stress, social pressure, and how even fourth graders are feeling overwhelmed.
[20:00] – How Alongside Supports Educators Too
Reducing burnout, building staff confidence, and offering private coaching tools for teachers.
[25:30] – What’s Next for Alongside
New research, upcoming findings, and how to bring Alongside into your school or district.