The Ohio State University Inspire

How to maximize college then land a job you love (on repeat)

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:01:00 -0400

Finding your best career begins in childhood and doesn’t end until retirement, experts say. For first-year college students, new grads and transitioning professionals, career success starts with knowing yourself.

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Read the transcript.

Read more expert tips in our companion story.

Fending off high prices and panic in the check-out aisle

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:01:00 -0400

Nutritionists offer their tips on slashing your grocery bill — simple ways that will make you healthier and might just trim your waistline

Link to transcript.

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Read tips from experts, and see their grocery list.

Seeking truth in an era of misinformation

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:01:00 -0500

Online scams. Influence campaigns. AI: How to be skeptical, but not cynical, about the information you consume. Plus, advice for teachers.

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See the transcript.

Read educators' tips on teaching students to verify truth.

Buying a house: American dream or pipedream?

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:01:00 -0500

First-time homebuying really is more difficult than it used to be. Experts share advice on how to overcome the hurdles and make buying your home-sweet-home a reality

Link to the transcript.
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Learn about resources available to first-time homebuyers, veterans and teachers.

Digital disruption: Distracted learning affects more than just schoolkids

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 05:18:56 -0400

Schools are banning phones. But college students, workers also get pulled off task by digital devices. Here’s how smartphones can impact anyone’s thinking and learning.

Link to transcript.
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Read tips on how to overcome digital distractions.

Pride and pedagogy: Reality for LGBTQ+ teachers

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 23:59:00 -0400

Teaching students and experienced educators talk about being queer in a shifting landscape.

Read episode transcript.

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She started at a school where no one wanted to work

Tue, 20 May 2025 23:59:00 -0400

Education leader Antoinette Miranda built a career of advocacy by making her own challenges, and others’, her personal mission. She’s not about to stop now.

Transcript available.

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Read more about the career of Antoinette Miranda.

Parenting teens: Navigating the untidy, unplugged and unpredictable

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:01:00 -0400

In a fast-paced, complex world, has the rulebook for raising adolescents been rewritten?

Link to transcript.

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Finding joy when you don’t feel it

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 08:58:08 -0500

You know this elusive emotion when you feel it, and especially when you don’t. Learn ways to rethink and cultivate joy, even in the tough times

Link to transcript

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Screen time for young kids: What are growing minds missing?

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:01:00 -0500

Overuse of media devices might impact white matter in developing brains, research shows. But it’s less about screens and more about the interactions that young children aren’t receiving.

Link to transcript

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American history: Having another déjà vu moment

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:01:00 -0400

Repeating cycles in the United States could serve as lessons for a better future, if we first recognize them.

Link to transcript

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Americans are having fewer babies. Research points to why

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:01:00 -0400

Birth rates are declining. Ohio State researchers study possible reasons, economic solutions and discuss the scrutiny of another aspect of reproductive choice

Link to transcript

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Can educators warm up to AI? Experts weigh in

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:01:00 -0400

Chatbot technology can boost learning motivation and student engagement. But first, educators must put parameters in place.

Link to transcript

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Hidden harm: Investigating elder abuse around us

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:01:00 -0400

America is aging. How does mistreatment of our oldest members reflect our ageist attitudes? Research indicates how to fight the least-recognized form of abuse.

Link to transcript

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Better Latine education starts with the right books

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:01:00 -0400

In America’s schools, Latine children make up nearly a third of students. Are we teaching them in ways that ensure their future, and ours? Latine literature shows a path forward.

Link to transcript

See our experts' top picks for Latine children's and young adult books.

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The psychology of scamming: How fraudsters hijack your brain

Wed, 15 May 2024 00:01:00 -0400

If you think you can’t be duped by internet and phone scammers, you’re the victim they’re looking for. Here’s how fraudsters get inside your head and swindle people who think they can’t be “had.” Link to transcript Read our tips for how to protect yourself, and what to know to stay on guard.

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Debunking myths about reading science

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:01:00 -0400

Three “science of reading” researchers push back on the idea that teaching phonics alone will cure America’s literacy problems. Comprehension is the next big hurdle.

Link to transcript here

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The power of curiosity in learning

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:01:00 -0400

Driven by curiosity, young children recall details that adults miss. Discover why exploration is critical for learning and innovation, but in excess could lead to social turmoil

Credits: YouTube, Stanford; YouTube, DC Public Library; WXIA-TV; Woody Guthrie; video by Lindsay Rice

Link to transcript

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Turning back the tide on Black youth suicide

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:01:00 -0500

Once rare, Black youth suicide spiked in recent years. Indigenous youth have struggled with the trend for decades. Can instilling community and culture reverse a heartbreaking phenomenon for us all?

Link to transcript

Read Theory into Practice: Homeplace and Black Joy in K-12 Education. Also, see tips on suicide prevention.

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A new you: How exercise impacts mental health

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 00:01:00 -0500

Science is now uncovering the myriad ways that exercise impacts the brain. For less stress, improved cognition and a “feel-better” effect, there’s nothing quite like movement to boost mental health.

Link to transcript

Read expert tips on how best to stick with your exercise routine.

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The Ohio State Inspire podcast trailer

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:32:45 -0500

The monthly Inspire Podcast asks Ohio State's Education and Human Ecology experts — and everyday heroes — about the issues that people encounter in life: mental and physical health, inequity, lifelong learning, raising and teaching children. To discover why ... and why not? Because hidden in our dilemmas and most complex problems are exquisite solutions.

Getting schooled using hip-hop

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:01:00 -0500

The provocative and high-powered music genre that turned 50 this year can be used to teach almost anything — if you first embrace its cultural relevance

Listen to playlists of hip-hop songs recommended by Assistant Professor Jason Rawls and Professor Elaine Richardson, and those that appear in this episode: ⁠YouTube or Spotify

Credits: GloRilla, FSG Rell, Naz, Elaine Richardson, Kendrick Lamar, Skepta feat. JME, Megan Thee Stallion, feat. Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, Ray Wimley, Sa-Roc, Flau’Jae, Mumu Fresh, James Brown, Grandmaster Funk, C Psylince and Talib Kweli.

Link to transcript
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The book ban battleground

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 23:59:00 -0400

Young people need stories that reflect their lives, experts say. Using censorship to deny that representation can have dangerous consequences.

Link to transcript. Read a National Council of Teachers of English article about continuing efforts to preserve intellectual freedom.

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Stories of overcoming

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:01:00 -0400

Noah and Asho scaled incredible obstacles just to make it to college. Somehow, they never gave up. How two students beat the odds, and the people who helped them believe in possibilities.

Link to transcript

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Beautiful and terrifying, awe moves us outside ourselves

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 00:01:00 -0400

One elusive emotion reveals that individuals aren’t the center of the universe. Then, it makes us feel calmer, more connected and happier

Link to transcript

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See a playlist of songs that Education and Human Ecology faculty and staff find awe-inspiring, or read why listeners like the selections and watch the music videos.

Photo by Marek Piwnicki

The science behind picky eating

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 00:01:00 -0400

Why do some people — especially kids — fiddle with, wince at and despise the very foods that science tells us are most healthful? Here's how to get finicky types to give meatloaf and other 'yucky' foods a chance

Link to transcript

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Let’s talk about sex (education)

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 00:01:00 -0400

Students say they’re learning about sex from a variety of places — but not where they should be. There’s a better way to teach American youth, researchers say

Caution: This podcast episode mentions suicide.

Read about Ohio State research detailing questions middle-schoolers asked about sex.

Link to episode transcript

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Religious faith is diversity, too. Higher ed should embrace it

Wed, 17 May 2023 00:01:00 -0400

College students shape and strengthen their beliefs by interacting with peers from different faith backgrounds. That’s a very good thing, research shows.

Click here to see a list of Ohio State University prayer and meditation spaces.

Link to transcript and notes

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Student mental health: A crisis years in the making

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:01:00 -0400

Hope. School belongingness. More trained professionals. We know how to fix the mental health challenges facing American youth. So why aren't more schools putting those strategies to work?

Credits: CBS News; National Public Radio

Notes: Partnering with Families to Support Mental Health: Research-based Strategies for Educators by the College of Education and Human Ecology’s Center on Education and Training Employment. Click through to tables of evidence-based protective factors, proven to help youth navigate mental health challenges.

Link to transcript

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Gen Z’s thrifting ninjas save cash, help the planet

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 00:01:00 -0400

Young consumers mean serious business when they shop resale, and their eclectic, eco-minded style is anything but cliché. Ohio State students and Fashion Retail Studies faculty offer tips for scoring big in thrift stores.

2023 Fashion Production Association Show

Link to transcript

Love matters: Kindness, belonging might just save us

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:01:00 -0500

Science quantifies the need for love, caring relationships and belonging. It could be the cure to a hurting world. But who knew that giving a little kindness could also heal the giver? Link to transcript

Athletes who lead the charge for civil rights

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:01:00 -0500

Sports have for decades been a platform for social activism. Today, athletes from the WNBA to college campuses are speaking out more than ever against the injustice they and others face. Link to transcript Credits: BBC TV, NBA on TNT, CNN, TIME, 12News KPNX-TV, Ohio State football, History, Democracy Now!, NBC, ABC, Gatorade, USA Today, NPR.

When the school bus stops coming: Young adults with IDDs

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:01:00 -0500

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities face an uncertain future when they graduate from high school. How can families and individuals navigate the next steps? Experts and adults with IDDs weigh in.
Materials contained within this podcast are copyrighted property of The Ohio State University.

Link to transcript

Going deep — and wide — into lifelong learning

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 09:29:04 -0500

What Jeopardy championships and educational psychologists say about smart thinking, and how almost anyone can achieve deep and meaningful learning

Link to transcript

Smart boards and handguns: Ohio teachers gear up for class

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:01:00 -0400

A revised Ohio gun law arms teachers after 24 hours of training. Education researchers see unintended consequences and better ways to stop school shootings.

Intro music by Cooper Caffrey

Link to transcript

Why we put off dealing with procrastination

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 00:01:00 -0400

You tell yourself it can wait until tomorrow — that you work best under pressure. That’s a lie. Procrastination is self-sabotage, researchers say, and it’s easier to correct than you think.

Link to transcript

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Cutting edge: Changing ideas about sustainable fashion

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:01:00 -0400

The clothing we buy is putting a strain on the environment. Can innovators restyle an industry to remake and redo, rather than do more harm? A researcher and a forward-thinking designer share their vision.

Link to Transcript

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Dying to learn: Anxiety in aftermath of Uvalde shooting

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:01:00 -0400

The day after a gunman killed 21 in Texas, millions of parents nervously returned kids to school. How will adults — and kids — deal with their fear when summer break ends?

Transcript of Dying to Learn

Stolen from her tribe, now she’s fighting back

Wed, 18 May 2022 00:01:00 -0400

Adopted by a white family at 18 months, Sandy White Hawk lost her family, her heritage and her compass. Now she’s partnering with an Ohio State researcher to show the impact of adoption on Native children and to save the law that could have saved her. Warning: This episode contains mentions of sexual abuse and suicide. Link to transcript here.

Teachers are calling it quits. It’s time for a reset

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 00:01:00 -0400

Surveys indicate record numbers of teachers will quit their jobs. But COVID didn’t create the crisis, they say. It’s been building for some time.

Link to transcript available here.

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Parenting students: The ‘invisible’ population on campus

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:01:00 -0400

More than one in five American college students are also parents. They struggle to find belonging, flexibility and resources in higher education. But they are not giving up.

Link to transcript here.

The making of an academic phenom

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 00:01:00 -0500

Her research centers Black women and girls in education. But few people expected a girl from East Saint Louis to become what Lori Patton Davis has.

Link to transcript here

When kids come out: How parents and schools tip the balance

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0500

The response families, teachers and friends give to LBGTQ+ youth follows them throughout their lives. The consequences couldn’t be higher. View transcript Get news and guest insights by subscribing to the Inspire Podcast Newsletter.

NEWS SOUNDBITES SOURCE: WBNS 10TV, News&Observer, NBCWashington, FOX43, NYPOST - FOX NEWS, Fox News, KDSK News

LGBTQ students: Authentic and daring to be free

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 01:01:00 -0500

Students who identify as LGBTQ want the same things their classmates enjoy. The space to learn. Not to be “othered.” How can higher education take allyship to the next level?

Link to transcript

Materials contained within this podcast are copyrighted property of The Ohio State University.

International students: ‘The worst year but the best year’

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 00:01:00 -0400

Ohio State students from China to Syria navigate education, isolation and fear during a pandemic that impacts them in different ways

Link to Transcript

Black English is fire, even in class

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:01:00 -0400

Too fly. Fire. Dope. So much of American expression comes straight from Black English, a.k.a. African American Vernacular English. But you won't find this colorful and dynamic language taught in schools. Ohio State education researchers say Black students need their language heritage to finally be validated. View transcript X - 2018 Kendrick Lamar (featuring ScHoolboy Q, 2 Chainz & Saudi); TikTok audio - cstreetblvd; Wade in the Water - 2002, Blind Boys of Alabama; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) at Grand Rapids Community College; We Must Learn - 1989 KRS-One/Boogie Down Productions 'Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop'; Thieves in the Night - 1998, Mos Def & Talib Kweli, Black Star

Grappling with the Land Grant truth

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:01:00 -0400

Ohio State Professor Stephen Gavazzi learned a painful truth about Land Grant Universities — just after his book on the subject went to press. Now he’s working with a team of Ohio State researchers to find a path to healing harm done to indigenous tribes when they lost lands to fund the university through the Morrill Act of 1862. Link to transcript

Why history repeats itself

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:01:00 -0400

Haven't we been here before? From racial protests to children separated from parents to political polarization, America has faced it before. Faculty who prepare social studies teachers weigh in on the way we learn history and how we don't need to be destined to repeat it. View transcript Image credit "2017.03.07 #MuslimBan 2.0 Protest, Washington, DC USA 00772" by tedeytan is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Onward: Building diversity on American campuses

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 00:01:00 -0400

As college students, they struggled against a system that often made them feel inadequate. Now Ohio State leaders, Ayanna Howard, James Moore and Don Pope-Davis are creating change and showing how everyone benefits from diversity on campus.

Click here for transcript

Missed genius: When gifted students are overlooked

Wed, 19 May 2021 00:01:00 -0400

A Black boy from Brooklyn flew under the radar in American schools. Now he’s a professor and researcher of underrepresentation in gifted education. How many others are left behind? Find transcript here Get news and guest insights by subscribing to the Inspire Podcast Newsletter.

Not your model minority: Asian students speak out

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:01:00 -0400

Attacks on Asians and Asian Americans have escalated, but students at Ohio State University are not taking it sitting down. Asian American and Pacific Islander students and faculty speak up, shedding light on 150 years of oppression. Click here for a transcript of this podcast.

Schooled in racial bias: Unraveling harm in K-12 education

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:01:00 -0400

Disparities in discipline and academics have for decades hurt students of color. Now communities are ending the silence about racism in K-12 education. We talk to scholars and educators about addressing a history of wrongdoing toward marginalized students. Click here for transcript

A couture dress in a thrift store, a promise unfulfilled

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 00:01:00 -0500

A thrift store debutante gown turns out to be a creation by Ann Lowe, the first Black designer and maker of Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress. Behind the exquisite stitchery, a tale of race and daunting odds.

Click here for transcript. See the dress in our YouTube Premier event.

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Racial Reckoning: Black students tell their stories

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 00:01:00 -0500

Five Black Ohio State students tell the shocking stories of racism they've endured, and how "emotionally exhausting" being young and Black in America can be. How educators can help, and how these students intend to turn the tide through education. Transcript available here. Get news and guest insights by subscribing to the Inspire Podcast Newsletter.

Fighting hunger through science

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 00:01:00 -0500

She grew up sheltered from poverty in her comfortable home in Ghana. But when Irene Hatsu came face-to-face with extreme hunger, she decided to do something about it. At Ohio State, the associate professor of nutrition teams up with a top researcher to help a vulnerable population in novel ways.

Year of upheaval and innovation: 1968

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:46:32 -0400

Michael Allen came to Ohio State in the late ’60s expecting to study under leading experts in human engineering. Instead, he pioneered computer-based educational technology at the university, commanding the attention of IBM, Apple and other technology heavy-weights.

Throwing the shackles off mathematics

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 00:01:00 -0400

Mathematics works to hold some people back: Children fitting a stereotype are encouraged to think; others are told to follow. 9/11 changed Associate Professor Theodore Chao’s purpose. He’s out to prevent math trauma by helping children engage in mathematics in “amazing and deep ways.” Get news and guest insights by subscribing to the Inspire Podcast Newsletter.

Awakened to privilege: ‘Rich, white guy’ finds the sweet spot

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 00:01:00 -0400

Higher education expert and Flesher Professor Matthew Mayhew believes that college is "the great intervention" that motivates students to understand difference — in race, religion and world view. How did an evangelical Christian who grew up with packaged privilege come to that conclusion? Get news and guest insights by subscribing to the Inspire Podcast Newsletter.

Black and gifted: A trailblazer's backstory

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 00:01:00 -0400

Nationally recognized expert Donna Ford tells her backstory on being gifted, black and poor in East Cleveland, and how it motivated her to create change for gifted children of color.

-Robin Chenoweth is a writer for The Ohio State University's College of Education and Human Ecology. She spoke to Dr. Donna Ford, a professor of special education.

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The Ohio State University Inspire trailer

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 12:10:03 -0400

Where does the spark to innovate come from? Faculty, alumni and students at Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology tell how they discovered their calling sometimes against incredible odds. Despite the curve balls thrown at them, these pioneers are led to improve lives and create change for those outside privilege. Our monthly Inspire podcast tells their stories.