Elevate Empathy's Share Chair Podcast

Having just run the Chicago Marathon this weekend to raise money for Lurie’s Children Hospital, it’s no surprise that sophomore at Loyola University, Meg Rice, is very into volunteering. Growing up in a family that made giving back to their community a priority, listen to Meg’s genuine and kind voice as she talks about dealing with the loss of loved ones, becoming a leader, and loving to volunteer.

Listen to Karli Baldus as she explains her move away from education and into psychology--for various reasons. Karli has done wonderful work with her students, but it all just got exhausting. Now, Karli is able to make a difference to students and families through unique practice--all while being in a public school half the day. This is a wonderful woman with a unique story.

Get a small glimpse of what it is to be an elementary student in today's world by listening to these five from Mr. Trask's first grade classroom. We discuss playground rules, learning with iPads, kindness, and everything in between. More than anything, enjoy their laughter. Enjoy their joy!

*Please excuse the poor audio quality on this particular podcast. It is due to a new attempt in discussion. Still, the content is well work the listen. Jenny Anderson, a current education and parenting reporter for Quartz, recently wrote an article on Denmark's educational decision to make empathy a part of the curriculum. I was so interested in the article, I had to reach out. People care about empathy. And Jenny is reporting on them. See her article here: http://qz.com/763289/denmark-has-figured-out-how-to-teach-kids-empathy-and-make-them-happier-adults/

Need a pick-me-up for the day? Listen to new head coach for our local high school football team. He embraces challenges and encourages all of us to live in the moment. Don't miss this episode.

Witty humor, relatable personality, infectious energy. What do all of things have in common? They're all traits of Adam Buller, one of the very enthusiastic admissions counselors at Loyola University of Chicago. Hailing from Grand Rapids, listen to the Michigan native's story as he talks college details, joining an ultimate frisbee team, the divorce of his parents, and more. The Share Chair's very first Chicago episode! And certainly not the last.

Hear the passion of Isaac, Ian, and Jacob as they discuss the importance of music--creativity, in general--in their lives. The trio will be providing music for The Share Chair Podcast throughout Season 2.

Listen to the first episode of Season 2 of The Share Chair Podcast to get to know the new team and to understand the growth of the Elevate Empathy movement. We need your voice in more ways than just through the podcast. Starting now, we are opening up a way to submit art and written pieces through elevateempathy.com. Check it out. Join the movement. And share our work on your social media outlets.

During this summer episode, we catch up with Jennifer Craig Sorber, an early and memorable interviewee on The Share Chair Podcast. The Share Chair Podcast will be back weekly starting in September.

The end of Season 1.

Judi Devlin--a memorable teacher for thousands of students--is retiring. Listen to The Share Chair Podcast to see this moment through her eyes. Don't miss out on this memorable episode.

Elise sits down with the seniors on her cross country team. The interview occurred just days before graduation.

Well--due to Elise's insistence, I've ended up on The Share Chair Podcast. Through the interview, I hope I did a good job of honoring my parents and theatre and imagination and education.

From Madi's perspective, the transition from high school to college is just that--high school to college. It is NOT what others sense--high school to adulthood--because she's been an adult far too long already.

Sam Pranger is one young man you should know. This summer, he's heading to West Point Military Academy. Last fall, he lost his mother to ALS. Sam has leaned on his family to learn how to live life to its fullest.

This week, we took advantage of a unique opportunity by interviewing a student teacher the week after her placement in Mr. Theune's classroom. Here, Mrs. Caitria Przybylski shares the value of her experience. Through the interviews, we continue to learn about the wide variety of people who make a school function.

After her mother passed at a young age, Jennifer Gwinnup found herself in the mother role of many relationships: mother of her sisters, mother of Down Syndrome uncle, mother to her own children, and mother to her students. Listen to this outstanding educator's story--here on The Share Chair Podcast.

There's no sense in ranking creativity, but there is little doubt that senior, Sid Sabo, is one of the most creative minds in our community. Hear what spurs him on to be so wildly inventive.

With only a few more episodes before the first year of The Share Chair Podcast is done, we decided to go back to our first ever interview and see how much a year changes--or doesn't change--a person.

In an anticipation of the Boston Marathon on April 18, we talked to Robin Smith about her experience of being near the finish line when the bombs exploded at the race in 2013. This is an incredible story told by an incredible person.