Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning

In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer chats with Sophie Smith, a recent college graduate who turned a viral TikTok into a thriving ed-tech startup. Sophie shares her journey from scrambling to fill her summer with internships during the pandemic to accidentally attracting hundreds of high schoolers to a leadership program overnight. This surprising turn of events led her to recognize the desperate need for accessible college admissions guidance. Sophie's enterprise now bridges the gap between students and university admissions by linking them with near-peer mentors who are current undergraduates. They discuss the evolving role of AI in education and how her platform maintains a crucial human element in the college preparation process. Sophie emphasizes the importance of starting the college admissions process early and encourages a mindful approach to understanding and navigating the landscape of higher education.

Guest Links:
1. College Contact: https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/
2. Sophie Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-smith273/


Co-Host Links:
Seth Fleischauer
Founder and President of Banyan Global Learning
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-fleischauer/
Website: https://banyangloballearning.com/

Lauren Pinto
Cofounder of Ambitious Ed, Educational Technology Specialist
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-s-pinto/
Website: https://www.ambitioused.com/

Creators and Guests

SF
Host
Seth Fleischauer

What is Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning?

Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning is a podcast for globally minded educators who want deep, long-form conversations about how teaching and learning are changing — and what to do about it.

Hosted by former classroom teacher and Banyan Global Learning founder Seth Fleischauer, the show explores how people, cultures, technologies, cognitive processes, and school systems shape what happens in classrooms around the world. Each long-form episode looks closely at the conditions that help students and educators thrive — from executive functioning and identity development to virtual learning, multilingual education, global competence, and the rise of AI.

Seth talks with teachers, researchers, psychologists, and school leaders who look closely at how students understand themselves, build relationships, and develop the capacities that underlie deep learning — skills like perspective-taking, communication, and global competence that are essential for navigating an interconnected world. These conversations surface the kinds of cross-cultural experiences and hard-to-measure abilities that shape real achievement. Together, they consider how to integrate new technologies in ways that strengthen—not replace—the human center of learning.

The result is a set of ideas, stories, and practical strategies educators can apply to help students succeed in a complex and fast-changing world.