In this rewind episode of Make It Mindful, we revisit one of our most popular episodes. Host Seth Fleischauer welcomes Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan, a speech pathologist and educational consultant, to delve into supporting executive functioning. Building on the previous conversation with Mitch Weathers in episode #49, this episode explores how executive functioning challenges impact social, academic, and functional life skills and discusses practical strategies for supporting students beyond the classroom.
Dr. Karen will be returning to the show in a few episodes. If you'd like specific topics covered in that episode, please DM host Seth Fleischauer on LinkedIn.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Understanding executive functioning as a set of cognitive processes like time perception, self-talk, and future pacing.
- How Tier 1 interventions can support students across all tiers by creating a collaborative, scaffolded environment.
- The importance of visual supports, episodic memory, and modeling self-talk for building executive functioning skills.
- Balancing standardized assessments with dynamic, portfolio-based approaches to better diagnose and support students.
- Strategies for addressing common challenges, like resistance to new tasks, and teaching students to develop self-motivation and planning skills.
Guest Bio:Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan is a speech pathologist with over 14 years of experience in schools. She specializes in supporting related service providers, special education teams, and educators in fostering executive functioning, language, and literacy skills. She is the host of the
De Facto Leaders podcast and the creator of resources at
Dr. Karen Speech and
Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan.
Episode Links:
Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning, an international education company delivering experiential learning that builds global competency. A former classroom teacher, Seth is passionate about exploring how global learning and mindful innovation can transform education.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review and share it with a friend. As always, thank you to our editor, Lucas Salazar.
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.