Education EPISODES
Feb. 3, 2026
Guidance Counselors and College Bound High School Seniors
Having a high school senior can be an overwhelming process, and our hosts have three of them between them. How do you pay for college? How do you apply to college? How do you choose a college? How can we balance the stress of parenting senior students through this process? Questions parents ask the…
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Jan. 27, 2026
Learned Helplessness with “The Well Seasoned Teacher”, Melissa Antinoff
As a classroom teacher for nearly 30 years, Melissa Antinoff has experience and boots on the ground with every type of student, and she has a brilliant point of view on education and learned helplessness. Questioning her experience and background was thrilling and beyond eye opening for the hosts a…
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Jan. 20, 2026
Gambling, Mental Health Awareness, and Seasonal Affective Disorder
Jamie and Joe discuss their personal experience with S.A.D or seasonal affective disorder and mental health issues that arise in the winter months and how to combat them. Both long time teachers try to rely on their humorous levity to get through some tough times together. Join them to celebrate Jo…
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Jan. 13, 2026
Educator, Author, Speaker, NJ Teacher of the Year 2025, Stefanie Lachenauer
Stand up and clap for the amazing New Jersey educator, Stefanie Lachenauer. Winner of the 2025 NJ State Teacher of the Year award, mindfulness expert, passionate published author of Let the Glitter Settle, and current middle school teacher Lachenauer joins the pod to share her wisdom, experience, a…
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Jan. 6, 2026
Choosing Intention: Our Word of the Year
For the first episode of 2026, our hosts will explore their podcasting year in review as they look back on all the highlights from the past year, like interviews with Nick Ferroni, Tyler Tarver, Noelle Santorelli, Mo Lapus, Courtney Varner and Courtney White. Listen for their 2026 word of the year …
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Dec. 16, 2025
Executive Functioning tips for Teens and Adults with Dr. Lethco
Join our hosts as they talk all things executive functioning with Dr. Lethco, an expert in the field. She shares research and daily applications of researched tools that can improve executive functioning for neurodivergent individuals and so many others who are just trying to make their way through…
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Dec. 9, 2025
Proper Holiday Greetings and Some Happy Meetings
Joe and Jamie talk about the current holiday season and all the trimmings to boot! Listen as they talk about what it means to teach during this hyper-busy season and how much stress can come your way in and out of the classroom. These two veteran educators discuss their tips on holiday greetings an…
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Dec. 2, 2025
On the Road at the 2025 NJEA Convention
Hosts Joe and Jamie hit the road all the way to Atlantic City, New Jersey to the 2025 New Jersey Educators Association Convention. Speakers, teachers, leaders, companies and the one and only Malala Yousafzai were highlights of this year's NJEA convention and Joe and Jamie were there to cover all of…
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Nov. 25, 2025
We are Grateful, but not for Learned Helplessness in Students
Leaning into the gratitude of the season, our hosts play a fun game of Thanksgiving: Would you Rather. The hilarity of that is just a twist and turn onto the street of the newest learning challenge for teachers everywhere: learned helplessness in students.
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Nov. 18, 2025
Hey Jealousy - Four Day School Work Week with Courtney White
Listen as our hosts speak to four day school work week teacher Courtney White. Straight from the Dallas Fort Worth area of Texas, teacher sensation Courtney White shares all the benefits and positive outcomes she has encountered in her four day work week school district as a teacher and as a parent.
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Nov. 11, 2025
Parenting High School Seniors; Fall Update
Join Joe and Jamie as they talk about parenting high school seniors through the steps of visiting, applying, waiting and stressing. When our hosts went to college way back in the 1900’s paper and pen was the only option, but now there are codes and apps and portals too. Listen as they update their…
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Nov. 4, 2025
2024 New Jersey Teacher of the Year, Joe Nappi
Joe and Jamie talk to NJ Teacher of the Year, Joe Nappi. Between these three teachers they have nearly 70 years of collective teaching experience. Tune in to their “shop talk” about the changes in education and their up to the minute response to those changes. Mr. Nappi has an incredible back story…
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Oct. 28, 2025
3rd Annual Halloween Party Hosted by the Petty Patrol
Let’s celebrate this very special time of year, especially one for all of the teachers, Halloween. We are posing the question to the teacher, what is your Teacher Haunted House? Kids bring the extra energy, the trick and the treats and all the excitement that comes along with Halloween season.
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Oct. 21, 2025
Policies that Relate to Teachers with @TeacherpaywithK
Sit down and listen to Kristen, aka social media influencer @teacherpaywithK as she informs and updates hosts Joseph and Jamie about hot education topics like pension reform, the NJ Gubernatorial Race, and more pressing issues facing teachers across the country.
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Oct. 14, 2025
Lesson Planning: Outdated and Unnecessary or an Important Part of Teaching?
We want to hear from you! Shoot over an email and say hi: podthebalancingact@gmail.com Don’t forget to subscribe! Leave us a comment! Follow Facebook - podbalact JoeandJamie Instagram - @podthebalancingact TikTok - @thebalanc...
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Oct. 7, 2025
Educate and Rejuvenate with Kelsey Sorenson
Life coach, author, app creator, Club Creator, Kelsey Sorenson is flooding the conversation with hope, tools, smiles, stickers and all the brilliant things each teacher needs to not only be able to educate, but also remember to rejuvenate. Her monthly themes and teacher tips are brilliant as commu…
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Sept. 23, 2025
College Counselor Jen Foldvary
Our hosts Joe and Jamie both have Class of 2026 seniors this year, so they are all ears for any pieces of information on how to aid in the process of college acceptance and decision making, and college counselor Jen Foldvary has so much to share.
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Sept. 16, 2025
Is Social Media Ruining the Classroom?
Opening the school year can be a challenge even for the most seasoned teachers. Join our hosts as they discuss social media, handling daily schedule changes, classroom decorating, and interacting with their students each day.
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Sept. 2, 2025
Welcome Back to the Party, Season Three is Here
Join our hosts as they recap their summers and share with us all the sunny weather and rain filled storms they had to endure over the past two months while on summer hiatus. Big plans are in the works for season three, so grab a cup of coffee and join us for a welcome to the new school year, summer…
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June 24, 2025
Major Monumental Moments from Season 2
Join Joe and Jamie as they review and reminisce on Season 2 episodes of the Balancing Act Podcast. They will reveal their top three moments of the season, guests that left a lasting impression, and all the ways they plan to continue this journey in September with Season 3 of the podcast that has he…
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June 17, 2025
Part II with Dr. Noelle Santorelli, Relational Aggression and Mean Girl Moms
One session with doctor Noelle Santorelli was simply not enough, we needed a part II. Join our hosts Joe and Jamie as they talk to Dr. Noelle Santorelli about her research and work into the topic of relational aggression, and what it means for parenting styles, relationships, and systems within fam…
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June 10, 2025
Part I with Dr. Noelle Santorelli, Relational Aggression and Mean Girl Moms
Join our hosts Joe and Jamie as they talk to Dr. Noelle Santorelli about her research and work into the topic of relational aggression, and what it means for parenting styles, relationships, and systems within families and schools as people earnestly try to navigate this new way of dealing with eve…
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June 3, 2025
What is exhausting the teachers?
Teachers in this country are perpetually exhausted. But why?? Join our veteran host teachers with over 50 years of teaching experience between them to explore the reasons behind why teachers are so tired. Both in and out of the classroom, teachers are more tired than ever, but why? Our hosts have s…
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May 27, 2025
How much tech is too much? With Merve Lapus from Common Sense Media
Is this a tech “eat” tech world? Just how much tech is too much?Listen to our hosts discuss Ed Tech, social media and cell phones in schools, with Common Sense Media’s voice of reason, Merve Lapus. Lapus has a next level approach to how to parent and teach using tech, and some strong words of advic…
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