Be a Better Ally: Critical Conversations for K12 Educators

Renata Castro on Supporting Immigrant Families, Choosing Competent Counsel, and Staying Resilient
My guest today is immigration attorney Renata Castro,ESQ. founder of USA4All, a law firm focused on helping immigrants, survivors of domestic violence, and victims of human trafficking. We talk about the role educators can play when families are facing immigration stress, how to recognize real professional competence, and why empathy matters most when it is paired with expertise.
Renata also shares the personal story behind her work, the emotional toll of immigration law, and the habits that help her keep going through difficult cases. The conversation widens into a bigger lesson about learning, resilience, and refusing to let other people define your potential.
Key topics
In this episode, Renata shares how her own experience as an immigrant and survivor of abuse shaped the creation of USA for All.
She explains that the firm has 5 working attorneys and a total staff of 90 across several countries, with about 3,200 active cases and roughly 2,000 new calls each month.
We discuss why educators are often the first people families turn to, and how the best support is to listen, show empathy, and avoid giving legal advice.
Renata suggests educators can help by referring families to more than one attorney when possible and by offering practical handouts from trusted nonprofit or pro bono sources.
She makes a strong case that empathy alone is not enough in legal work - clients should prioritize competence, clear strategy, and honest communication over chemistry.
We talk about why immigration law is demanding, multidisciplinary, and often emotionally draining, yet also deeply rewarding.
Renata describes the importance of resilience, detachment from personal criticism, and not letting one loss define a whole mission.
She shares the routines and supports that keep her grounded, including family, a partner who helps her stay objective, exercise, mentors, therapists, and a mindset of not spiraling.
She encourages young people to stay intellectually curious, read widely, and treat learning as a privilege rather than a chore.
The conversation closes with a reminder that success takes time, effort, and a willingness to sit with adversity.
Timestamps
00:00 - Why educators are often the first support line for immigrant families
00:34 - Renata's personal immigrant story and the origin of USA for All
01:58 - Serving survivors of domestic violence and trafficking
03:31 - What educators should do instead of giving legal advice
04:27 - Why listening and school counseling matter in crisis situations
07:25 - Competence versus empathy when choosing a lawyer
11:24 - Why the best legal work comes from challenge, not cookie-cutter cases
13:45 - Not taking client or public criticism personally
15:07 - Active caseloads, new inquiries, and the reality of immigration practice
18:16 - How family, exercise, mentors, and therapy help Renata stay grounded
21:49 - Why immigration law stays intellectually exciting
23:16 - Learning as a privilege, not a chore
26:01 - Kim Kardashian, persistence, and the myth of instant success
28:48 - A final reminder to keep going and trust your own path
 

 

Action items
If you work with immigrant families, listen first and avoid offering legal advice.
Refer people to qualified attorneys instead of trying to solve the legal issue yourself.
Encourage access to school counselors or psychological support when families are overwhelmed.
When choosing professional help, look for competence, clarity, and honesty.
For your own resilience, build support outside of work and protect time for recovery.

What can a suspense novelist teach educators about empathy, creativity, and the danger of reducing people to simple labels?
In this episode of Be a Better Ally, Tricia Friedman speaks with bestselling author Lisa Gardner about the psychology behind her novels and her enduring fascination with the nature of evil. After 35 years of researching crime and human behaviour, Lisa no longer sees good and evil as an either-or question. People are layered, shaped by experience, relationships, choices, and generational trauma.
That understanding guides her approach to character development. Lisa begins writing without knowing who the villain will be. Instead, she allows each character to reveal more of themselves as the story develops. Even a villain, she argues, needs a moral code.
Their conversation moves beyond writing to consider the conditions that make creative thinking possible. Lisa discusses hiking with her dogs, letting her mind wander, cold-calling experts, learning through games and puzzles, and giving characters enough room to surprise her. She also explains why publishing is a team sport and why accomplished writers benefit from supporting one another rather than treating creativity as a competition.
For educators, this conversation raises questions about the space students are given to wonder, investigate, revise their assumptions, and create without already knowing the answer.
In this episode:
Why suspense helps readers explore fear and human behaviour

What fiction can teach us about empathy and moral complexity

Why Lisa does not decide who the villain is before she begins writing

How walking and unstructured time support creative thought

What careful research adds to imaginative work

Why games, puzzles, and reading mattered during Lisa's childhood

How collaboration supports even highly accomplished artists

What educators can learn from Lisa's distinction between individual craft and collective support

The real-life research and creative process behind You'll Be Sorry

Lisa Gardner's latest novel, You'll Be Sorry, brings together a missing family, a decades-old mystery, small-town secrets, a witchy rhyme, complicated characters, and one especially important dog.
Learn more:
https://www.lisagardner.com/

What if readers and writers received the same attention, celebration, and investment as star athletes?
In this episode, Tricia speaks with Super Bowl champion, children's author, and literacy advocate Malcolm Mitchell about his new picture book, My Super Duper Me. They discuss the lasting effect of a few encouraging words, the role librarians can play in helping children see their own possibilities, and why adults should never underestimate the power of simply showing up with a positive message.
Malcolm shares his own journey from struggling reader to member of the Silverleaf Book Club, published author, and founder of Share the Magic Foundation. He explains why reading is not only an academic skill, but also a source of confidence, community, opportunity, and belonging.
The conversation also considers what schools and communities could learn from the cultural power of sports. If young people see athletes celebrated everywhere, how might their aspirations change if readers, writers, books, and libraries were made just as visible?
Malcolm also offers a candid look at his writing practice and the connection between athletic and creative training: show up, make the most of each repetition, and be willing to try again tomorrow.
In this episode:
• Why brief words of encouragement can stay with a young person
• The librarian at the heart of My Super Duper Me
• Malcolm's journey from struggling reader to passionate literacy advocate
• How a welcoming book club helped change his life
• Why reading can build confidence, connection, and belonging
• What it would mean to celebrate literacy as loudly as sports
• How educators can participate in free Share the Magic reading challenges
• What football taught Malcolm about writing, practice, and persistence
Learn more about Malcolm Mitchell, Share the Magic Foundation, and its free reading programs at readwithmalcolm.com.

What can a book offer a child before they understand its words?
For bestselling author, artist, and art therapist Sandra Magsamen, the answer begins with connection. Her new board book, Hello, Baby, was created for children from birth to age three as a bright, playful welcome into reading—and into the family awaiting them.
Sandra joins Tricia to discuss how large illustrations, expressive faces, melodic language, and an embedded mirror help babies engage with a book. They explore why reading with a young child is about much more than building vocabulary. It is also a chance to snuggle, play, bond, and communicate one of the earliest messages a child can receive: you are loved, you are seen, and you belong here.
The conversation also makes room for chewed books, spilled milk, crowded bookshelves, and the occasional "uh-oh." Sandra explains why children need permission to touch, explore, and make mistakes—and why treating books as untouchable objects can get in the way of curiosity.
Sandra also reflects on collaborating with her daughter, preparing to become a grandmother, and continuing to experiment after decades as a successful artist. She shares why creative growth requires us to loosen our grip on what has worked before and remain open to who we are becoming.
In this episode:
How early reading supports connection and belonging

Designing words and illustrations for babies

Making books playful, sensory, and inviting

Allowing children to explore without demanding perfection

How stories become part of a family's shared language

Why artists—and people—need to keep changing

 
SANDRA MAGSAMEN is the author and illustrator of many books for young children, including the picture book When I Grow Up I Want to Be Me, as well as a number of bestselling novelty titles, including Everybody Goes Nighty-Night, named a Best Board Book of 2018 by The Children's Book Review; Baby Love; I Love You, Little Pumpkin; and Peek-a-Boo, I Love You. As an artist, an art therapist, and a mom, she uses her creativity to remind people to express themselves and connect with others. Her lifestyle brands, products, and books are sold worldwide. Visit her at sandramagsamen.com

Horror is where some of today's boldest, most creative storytelling is happening — and author Ryan La Sala has a theory about why. In this conversation, the author of The Dead of Summer (now in paperback) unpacks how horror reveals what we value: who's worth saving, how we survive together, and why the queer community keeps showing up in stories of resilience. You'll hear how Ryan writes multi-dimensional queer characters "beyond the closet," why friendship — not romance — sits at the heart of his zombie story, and how grief, from anticipatory dread to long-term loss, threads through all of his horror novels. Plus: what it's like to watch The Honeys head toward the big screen as an executive producer. Whether you teach teens, love YA horror, or are simply curious about emotional literacy through fiction, this one will stay with you — in the best way.
About the Guest
Ryan La Sala is the author of queer YA horror and fantasy novels including Reverie, Be Dazzled, The Honeys, Beholder, and The Dead of Summer, now out in paperback. The Honeys is in development as a major motion picture, with Ryan attached as executive producer. His work passes familiar horror tropes "through the prism of the queer experience" — and somehow makes grief, survival, and friendship feel luminous.
Resources Mentioned
Ryan La Sala's website: https://ryanlasala.com — all books, news, and film updates
The Dead of Summer: https://ryanlasala.com/the-dead-of-summer — now in paperback, with purchase links
The Honeys: https://ryanlasala.com/the-honeys — soon to be a major motion picture
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome back, Ryan
00:55 Why horror is where creativity thrives
03:24 Friendship through horror
05:55 Queer characters beyond the closet
08:53 How Ryan's writing process evolves
10:52 Horror writer, joyful human
13:20 Grief and emotional literacy
17:29 The Honeys heads to film
19:41 The Dead of Summer in paperback