The Gifted Ed Podcast

In this episode, we welcome Michelle Hirschy to continue our digital wellness series and explore how social-emotional learning and digital wellness intersect in the lives of children and adolescents today.
Michelle serves as the Director of Wellness at La Jolla Country Day School, where she leads a comprehensive PreK–12 wellness program focused on preventive mental health, student development, and whole-child well-being. With more than 17 years of experience as a school counselor across three states, Michelle specializes in adolescent development and helping students build the mindsets, skills, and supports they need to thrive both online and offline.
Throughout the conversation, Michelle shares practical insights on:
Helping students develop healthy relationships with technology

Creating balance in a digitally connected world

The role SEL plays in digital decision-making

Preventive mental health practices for schools and families

Supporting parents as they navigate screen time, social media, and adolescent development

Michelle is also a sought-after speaker on topics including digital wellness, youth risk assessment, health and advisory curriculum, and preventative mental health initiatives. In addition, she co-hosts the parenting podcast Growing Through It alongside Dr. Nicholas Chan, where they discuss research-based strategies for raising children in today’s complex digital landscape.
As both an educator and mother of two daughters, Michelle brings a thoughtful blend of professional expertise and personal perspective to this important conversation about helping young people cultivate wellness, resilience, and balance in a technology-driven world.

Host: Meghan McCarthy
Co-Producers: Adam Metcalf and Jeff Westbrook
Original Music by Adam G-F
How you can be involved:
Subscribe to The Gifted Ed Podcast
Email us at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegiftededpodcast@averycoonley.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the podcast team to let us know of any topics that you would like discussed. Additionally, you can use this form to let us know that you would like to appear on an episode as a guest and what topic(s) you would like to discuss.

In this episode, we welcome Yonty Friesem and returning guest Luke Jacob to continue the series on digital wellness. Together, they unpack the concept of empathy—what it is, how it has evolved, and why it’s more complex than we often assume. The conversation explores empathy as a multi-dimensional skill and examines its critical role in supporting gifted students, especially within today’s digital environments.

Yonty Friesem is the executive director of the Media Education Lab and the founding director of the MA in Media for Social Impact at Columbia College Chicago as part of an effort to shape more equitable and trauma-informed practices of media and community engagement. Yonty’s publications include the theory of inclusive dialogs via youth media they call digital empathy. In 2022, Yonty co-founded the Illinois Media Literacy Coalition and co-edited the Routledge Handbook of Media Education Futures Post-Pandemic. Yonty serves as a member of the international global board of UNESCO Information and Media Literacy Alliance.

Lucas Jacob is an educator with more than 30 years of experience across PreK–12 settings, a published writer and poet, former Fulbright Scholar, and former co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Media Literacy Education. His work focuses on the intersections of media, learning, and human development.

Host: Meghan McCarthy
Co-Producers: Adam Metcalf and Jeff Westbrook
Original Music by Adam G-F
How you can be involved:
Subscribe to The Gifted Ed Podcast
Email us at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegiftededpodcast@averycoonley.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the podcast team to let us know of any topics that you would like discussed. Additionally, you can use this form to let us know that you would like to appear on an episode as a guest and what topic(s) you would like to discuss.

In this second installment of a series on digital wellness and media literacy, we continue our conversation with educator, writer, and scholar Lucas Jacob to explore how these evolving fields intersect with gifted education. Together, we unpack foundational definitions, discuss how rapidly changing digital environments impact learners, and emphasize the importance of cultivating mindsets—not just skillsets—to help students thrive.
Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how media literacy and digital wellness shape social, emotional, and cognitive development, and why these conversations are especially relevant for supporting gifted students in a fast-changing world.

Lucas Jacob is an educator with more than 30 years of experience across PreK–12 settings, a published writer and poet, former Fulbright Scholar, and former co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Media Literacy Education. His work focuses on the intersections of media, learning, and human development.
Host: Meghan McCarthy
Co-Producers: Adam Metcalf and Jeff Westbrook
Original Music by Adam G-F
How you can be involved:
Subscribe to The Gifted Ed Podcast
Email us at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegiftededpodcast@averycoonley.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the podcast team to let us know of any topics that you would like discussed. Additionally, you can use this form to let us know that you would like to appear on an episode as a guest and what topic(s) you would like to discuss.

In this first installment of a series on digital wellness and media literacy, we welcome educator, writer, and scholar Lucas Jacob to explore how these evolving fields intersect with gifted education. Together, we unpack foundational definitions, discuss how rapidly changing digital environments impact learners, and emphasize the importance of cultivating mindsets — not just skillsets — to help students thrive.
Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how media literacy and digital wellness shape social, emotional, and cognitive development, and why these conversations are especially relevant for supporting gifted students in a fast-changing world.

Lucas Jacob is an educator with more than 30 years of experience across PreK–12 settings, a published writer and poet, former Fulbright Scholar, and former co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Media Literacy Education. His work focuses on the intersections of media, learning, and human development.

Host: Meghan McCarthy
Co-Producers: Adam Metcalf and Jeff Westbrook
Original Music by Adam G-F
How you can be involved:
Subscribe to The Gifted Ed Podcast
Email us at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegiftededpodcast@averycoonley.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the podcast team to let us know of any topics that you would like discussed. Additionally, you can use this form to let us know that you would like to appear on an episode as a guest and what topic(s) you would like to discuss.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Gwen Cooper, Middle School Head and Secondary Placement Director at Avery Coonley School, to unpack the process of evaluating secondary school options for gifted students.

We explore how families can thoughtfully navigate public, private, parochial, and boarding school choices—while keeping the individual needs, passions, and social-emotional development of gifted learners at the center of the conversation.

Dr. Gwen Cooper holds a doctorate in education and serves as the Middle School Head and Secondary Placement Director at Avery Coonley School. She works closely with families to guide them through the high school selection, application, and registration process, helping identify environments where gifted students can truly thrive.

Host: Meghan McCarthy
Co-Producers: Adam Metcalf and Jeff Westbrook
Original Music by Adam G-F
How you can be involved:
Subscribe to The Gifted Ed Podcast
Email us at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegiftededpodcast@averycoonley.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Submit a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the podcast team to let us know of any topics that you would like discussed. Additionally, you can use this form to let us know that you would like to appear on an episode as a guest and what topic(s) you would like to discuss.