In this episode of Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning, host Seth Fleischauer welcomes Michael Davis, founder of Mindful Bytes and Merek Security Solutions, to explore how mindfulness and cybersecurity intersect in education. They dive into the transformative potential of teaching digital citizenship through mindfulness practices to young learners, focusing on how educators can help students develop a healthier relationship with technology. Michael shares insights from his innovative pilot program, which empowers students to build digital agency and emotional awareness while navigating the digital world.
Key Topics Discussed:
• Michael’s career journey from Navy cybersecurity expert to mindfulness educator.
• The importance of understanding the “space between you and the device.”
• Strategies for fostering mindfulness in children aged 6-10 to develop healthy tech habits.
• Role-playing exercises that help kids recognize and regulate emotions in digital spaces.
• The responsibility of schools in teaching digital citizenship and creating mindful technology users.
• Early results from the pilot program, including increased family discussions about technology use.
• How Mindful Bytes is addressing the emotional and psychological challenges of the digital age.
Guest Bio:
Michael Davis is the founder of Mindful Bytes, a platform that integrates mindfulness into digital citizenship education, and Merek Security Solutions, a cybersecurity consulting firm. A Navy veteran with over 20 years in cybersecurity, Michael’s passion for exploring the human side of technology has led him to pioneer innovative approaches to education. His work focuses on equipping young learners with the tools to navigate the digital world with awareness, courage, and emotional intelligence.
Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder of Banyan Global Learning, specializing in teaching digital, linguistic, and cultural competencies through live global learning experiences. A former classroom teacher, Seth brings a thoughtful approach to exploring how education can adapt to an ever-changing world.
Episode Links:
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.