SUZANNE M.SWAIN EDS LMSW
YOUR HOST:
Suzanne M. Swain, EdS LMSW is the creator and host of The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast™, a chart-topping parenting and education podcast with more than 675,000 downloads, listeners in 126 countries, and over 6,100 five-star Spotify reviews.
An Educational Specialist, Licensed Master Social Worker, former Teacher of the Year, professo
Suzanne M. Swain, EdS LMSW is the creator and host of The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast™, a chart-topping parenting and education podcast with more than 675,000 downloads, listeners in 126 countries, and over 6,100 five-star Spotify reviews.
An Educational Specialist, Licensed Master Social Worker, former Teacher of the Year, professor, school librarian, administrator, and middle school teacher with more than 20 years of experience, Suzanne helps families and educators understand the science behind the middle school years—and why behavior is communication.
Known for blending research, humor, and practical strategies, Suzanne makes complex brain science easy to understand while giving parents, teachers, and caregivers tools they can begin using immediately. Her work focuses on emotional regulation, executive functioning, anxiety, ADHD, autism, friendship, school success, family communication, and helping adults better understand the adolescent brain.
Often called the "Middle School Mary Poppins," Suzanne believes middle school isn't something children simply survive—it’s a unique stage of development that deserves understanding, empathy, and a little ridiculous joy.
WHO THIS IS FOR
💜 Parents of tweens and teens
🍎 Teachers
🎓 School counselors, therapists, and psychologists
🏫 Administrators and school leaders
❤️ Anyone raising or supporting a middle schooler
Whether you're navigating anxiety, emotional outbursts, executive functioning challenges, friendships, motivation, neurodiversity, or everyday middle school life, you'll find practical strategies grounded in research and delivered with warmth, humor, and hope.
Every podcast episode, printable, lesson, and resource is built around one simple mission:
Helping middle school make sense.
TEACHER • THERAPIST • RESEARCHER
Suzanne's unique background as a classroom teacher, school librarian, administrator, professor, therapist, and educational sociologist allows her to bridge the gap between research and real life. She translates the latest brain science into practical, easy-to-use strategies that help families and educators build stronger relationships with middle schoolers.
Her work emphasizes:
• Emotional Regulation
• Executive Functioning
• ADHD & Autism
• Anxiety & Mental Health
• Friendship & Social Skills
• Family Communication
• School Success
• Brain Science Made Practical
Everything she creates is designed to replace shame with understanding, punishment with connection, and confusion with confidence.
Middle school matters.
Stop. Regulate. Listen.
TEACHER & THERAPIST
Emotional Learning for Middle School
I help schools and families teach emotional skills alongside academics — including emotional regulation, self-awareness, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Support for Teachers and Parents
My work supports adults who are burned out, stuck, or searching for better ways to reach middle school kids without shame-based discipline or one-size-fits-all programs.