In this episode, Lori reminds listeners of the typical changes children go through during puberty. She also suggests two standards to guide the development of a skill-based unit that incorporates functional health knowledge about puberty, along with resources to support planning these units and lessons.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Children and youth need many conversations regarding growing up, including talking about their bodies and how they change. In this episode, Lauren Barinaeu, the person behind Talk More, discusses the importance of these early conversations. She shares specific strategies and resources to get you started. To contact Lauren, go to her website at: www.talk-more.org

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Thinking of attending a national conference or summit in the future? Listen to this episode to hear about Lori’s positive experience at the National Academy Health and Physical Literacy Summit this month, March 2026. From attending keynote and health/physical literacy presentations to professionally connecting with colleagues at breakfast and dinner, she shares an overview of how things went. Lori is also the inaugural recipient of the National Health Literacy Award, an honor she truly cherishes.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Being a passionate health educator helps us be more impactful teachers. Sandee Ortiz, SHAPE America’s 2025 Health Education Teacher of the Year, shares some of her passion, as well as why she cares so much about young people, in this episode. Sandee also reminds us how to maintain that passion (or how to re-ignite it).

Contact Sandee Ortiz at: sandeeortiz221@gmail.com

You can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Resiliency is a skill set that helps students of all ages with adaptability, creative problem-solving, and positive interpersonal relationships. In this episode, Dr. Donna Volpitta describes the Resilient Mindset Model™, an applied neuroscience framework that helps you build resilience in yourself and those around you.

Contact Dr. Donna Volpitta at: donna@pathwaystoempower.com

Pathways to Empower https://www.pathwwaystoempower.com

You can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

In this episode, Lori, the host of the School Health Educators podcast, chats with the inspirational Jess Lawrence to discuss her wellness philosophy of “walking the talk.” The woman behind Cairn Guidance, Jess shares the three focuses of Cairn Guidance as well as how choosing to be purposeful within all aspects of health supports everyone’s success, including one’s personal and professional life.

Contact Jess at: jess@cairnguidance.com

Cairn Guidance website: https://cairnguidance.com/

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

In this episode, Lori, the host of the School Health Educators’ podcast, shares a simple matching activity she created to help students distinguish the difference between emotional health and mental health. This activity was developed because these aspects/dimensions of wellness are connected yet represent different concepts.

Click here for the Emotional Health vs Mental Health Matching Sheet

Please remember that you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

The Vagus Nerve has gotten more attention over the past years, including how to tone it to improve one’s overall health and wellness. As explained by Dr. Paula Youmell, this episode’s guest, this parasympathetic nerve supports us to relax, recover, and self-heal. We need to, and can, teach young people habits to help this nerve be healthy.

Email Dr. Paula Youmell at pyoumell@gmail.com and check out her website at: https://www.paulayoumellrn.com/

The document she shared at the NYS AHPERD 2025 Conference is found here: 5 Spinal Movements for Vagus Nerve Health

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

To be a guest on the School Health Educators’ Podcast or to contact Lori about other things, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.