Project Amplify: Small Conversations about Big Ideas

Math. Did reading that word wake up your brain with excitement or make you mentally groan? Either way, keep reading, please! Hala Ghousseini (she/her), a math professor at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, works to help everyone find meaning and confidence in math. Hopefully, after listening to our conversation, her passion for the subject makes it a bit clearer how math can help us make sense of the world in ways you didn't expect. (And this is coming me who, as a kid, vowed to hate math for her entire life)! 

Darcy Armstrong (she/her) is an experienced bearded dragon owner. She's adopted four bearded dragons over the years. Darcy and Lauren talk about the joy animals can bring into our lives. Grab your favorite furry, scaly, spiky, or feathery friend and settle in for a heartwarming episode! Visit https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify for educator materials.

Lori Gustafson is a teacher with UW Madison's Health Mindfulness Program and works has a positive behavior coach in schools. In this episode she and I talk about mindfulness and what it means beyond the stereotypes people might have about the practice. I can admit that before I met Lori I had a lot of negative ideas about mindfulness. I hope this episode helps others open their minds to new ideas!  Visit https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify for educator materials.

In part II of the chat with Kweku Brewoo, we discuss the power and importance of asking "why?" It may be a small word, but it be mighty! Visit https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify for educator materials.

In the first part of a two part episode, guest Kweku Brewoo shares about people who inspire him. The first person he talks about is someone who enjoys traveling solo. This leads to a discussion about “alone” and “lonely.” Is there a difference? Does experiencing one have to automatically lead to the other? Listen to hear more! Educators, look click here or search https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify to find resources for episodes. 

Welcome to the first episode of Project Amplify's second season! In this episode, host (and teacher) Lauren Mobley sits down with her coworker, Tim Hoppe. Tim is what we might call a jack of all trades. He has a lot of passions that have led him to many different awesome opportunities. During our conversation he reflects on how each opportunity taught him something about himself.  Educators click here for more resources or search https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify 

Host Lauren Mobley was so excited to sit down with her older brother Sean Mobley for the final episode of Project Amplify's premier season to talk about... John Adams! Their chat starts with some history of our second president, but the conversation quickly turns to how Adams inspires Sean to have hard conversations to find the truth in retelling history. This episode is longer than usual! Sean has so much interesting ideas to share- we hope you enjoy listening! You can follow Sean on Instagram through his account for the Museum of Flight @museumofflight. Also, search for his Museum of Flight podcast The Flight Deck to hear diverse stories in aviation anywhere you listen to podcasts! Educators click here for more resources or search https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify

Sarah is an archaeologist and PhD student at Northwestern University. This time around, Sarah talks what many people think of as the opposite of success- failure. Sarah reflects on how she has heard 'no' wayyyy more often than she's heard 'yes'... and she's just fine with that! Her comfort with failure didn't just happen overnight. It took practice! Tune in to the episode to hear how Sarah practiced failure. Educators click here for more resources or search https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify

This week, Lauren (she/her) talks with her good friend, Sarah Breiter (she/her). Sarah is an archaeologist and PhD candidate in Anthropology and Archaeology at Northwestern University. Through archaeology, Sarah has lived, traveled, studied, and worked all over the world. In this first part of a two part episode, Sarah talks about her childhood and how she overcame other people's doubts in her future to define what success means for her own life.  Educators click here for more resources or search https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify

Musician, artist, and educator Artemis’s Arrow (she/her) opens up about her childhood and how her passions helped her navigate some of the most difficult times in her life. Content warning. Artemis’s Arrow and Lauren talk about abuse, substance abuse, and addiction. If you’re not in a space where these are topics you can listen to right now, save this episode for another time. Educators, click here or copy and paste https://lmobley13.wixsite.com/projectamplify to visit Project Amplify's website to explore classroom resources!