Anger feels fast. Powerful. Loud. But what’s really underneath it?

In this special, kid-requested episode, Suzanne M. Swain, EDS, LMSW — child therapist, educational specialist, and veteran middle school teacher — talks directly to tweens and teens about anger in a world that feels a little… charged.

Why does anger rise so quickly? What’s actually happening in your brain when you react? And how can choosing calm make you stronger — not weaker?

Suzanne breaks down:

• Why anger is often a “cover emotion” hiding fear, embarrassment, hurt, or feeling out of control
• Why you are not responsible for adult stress
• How to stop reactivity before it takes over
• What it means to regulate instead of react
• Simple, science-backed tools to reset your nervous system (hello, Lemonheads and the 90-second rule)

This episode is especially supportive for neurodivergent kids and sensitive hearts who feel overwhelmed by loud energy. Suzanne reminds listeners that peace isn’t flashy — it’s steady. And steady is powerful.

You don’t have to match someone else’s storm.
 You can be the anchor.

Perfect for middle schoolers, teens, and the grown-ups who love them.

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: [email protected] Website: msmarypoppins.com

Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Productions

Special thanks to our producer, StellaMix podcast productions, another Palm Beach County School of the Art collaboration. Need a podcast? Stellamix.com

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

• quiet bravery
• kids who feel different
• teams that thrive on joy and belonging
• and the truth that you fall down nine times, but you get up ten

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: [email protected] Website: msmarypoppins.com

Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Productions

Special thanks to our producer, StellaMix podcast productions, another Palm Beach County School of the Art collaboration. Need a podcast? Stellamix.com

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

Bullying in middle school isn’t always loud or obvious—and that’s what makes it so confusing and harmful. In this episode of Middle School Mary Poppins, child therapist and educational specialist Suzanne M. Swain, EDS, LMSW explores the subtle, strategic, and emotionally manipulative forms of bullying that often get overlooked by adults but deeply affect kids’ confidence and sense of safety.

You’ll learn how power, group dynamics, humor, and digital spaces fuel bullying, why neurodivergent kids are often targeted, and how calm, smart responses can disrupt the cycle without escalating conflict. This episode offers practical, compassionate tools for kids, families, and educators who want to recognize bullying, support kids effectively, and help them feel safe and understood.

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: [email protected]

Website: msmarypoppins.com

Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Productions

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

Ever wonder why your child completely melts down the second they walk through the door after school? In this episode, veteran middle school teacher and child therapist Suzanne M. Swain, EdS LMSW breaks down what’s really going on in neurodivergent brains—and why it’s not defiance, manipulation, or “bad behavior.” It’s exhaustion.

Suzanne connects the dots between ADHD, autism, sensory overload, food struggles, anxiety, and emotional regulation, all while explaining why routines feel calming (not rigid), why the safest parent often gets the biggest emotional release, and how the senses—especially smell and taste—play a powerful role in comfort and memory. With relatable stories, brain science you don’t need a degree to understand, and plenty of “ohhh… that makes sense” moments, this episode helps parents reframe meltdowns, reduce stress, and build more calm, predictable days at home.

If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child—or suspect you might be neurodivergent yourself—this one’s for you.

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: [email protected]

Website: msmarypoppins.com

Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Productions

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

In Part II of the Food for Mood series, Suzanne explores how the Inside Out socially-based emotions like anxiety, embarrassment, envy, boredom, & ultimately motivation quietly influence behavior, mood, and emotional regulation.  Kids, teens, and neurodivergent individuals all can benefit from knowing triggers in the body and ways to re-regulate through nutrition. 

Building on the foundation from Part One, this episode blends accessible brain science, school-based therapy experience, and practical, real-life strategies to explain how food, flavor, texture, and even scent can support emotional balance. Suzanne breaks down why anxiety and excitement share the same brain chemistry, how comfort foods and crunchy textures can calm or energize the nervous system, why boredom is often a signal for creativity rather than laziness, and how proper nourishment—not caffeine—fuels motivation. This educational episode focuses on nourishment over restriction, offering compassionate insight for parents, educators, and caregivers looking to better understand the connection between emotions, food, and behavior. For additional family and educational resources, visit msmaryoppins.com. 

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: [email protected]

Website: msmarypoppins.com

Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Productions

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

It’s a new year, so let’s talk about food and feelings—because they’re way more connected than we realize. In this episode, we break down how what you eat can either calm you down or completely throw you off, without diet rules or restriction.

This episode dives into the four core emotions—joy, sadness, anger, and fear—and how each one shows up in your body. From why joy just wants to be savored, to why sadness loves soup, why anger needs cooling foods, and why fear sometimes just needs you to eat something, we keep it real and practical.

This is an honest, compassionate conversation about emotional eating, stress, and learning how to support your nervous system instead of fighting it.

If you’ve ever eaten your feelings, felt overwhelmed, or wondered why certain foods make you feel better (or worse), this episode is for you. Grab a snack, get comfy, and let’s start the year a little more regulated—together.

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: [email protected]

Website: msmarypoppins.com

Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Productions

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

Happy holidays from Middle School Mary Poppins! In this heart-centered episode, Suzanne M. Swain, EdS, LMSW—your friendly neighborhood kid therapist—dives into a powerful holiday homophone: presents vs. presence. One is wrapped. The other is felt.

Suzanne explores why time, attention, and shared experiences often mean more to kids than expensive gifts—and how families can use the holiday season to build gratitude, empathy, and real connection. From low-cost, high-impact traditions (like handmade gifts, wishing stars, love-heart ornaments, and family service projects) to practical ways kids can give back, learn life skills, and feel genuinely valued, this episode is packed with meaningful ideas you can actually use.

You’ll also hear personal updates, including a shout-out from Lieutenant Steve and Suzanne’s very real (and very cool) journey into cyborg territory with a robot-assisted, 3D-printed knee replacement—happening the day this episode drops.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by holiday pressure, this episode is your reminder that kids want presence over presents—and that the simplest moments often become the most lasting memories.

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Suzanne Swain
Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Production

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

Sharing a little bit of holiday cheer with you by creating a poem about life in middle school during the holiday season. Hope you enjoy it and happy holidays andMerry Christmas to you all.

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

A little poem to you, the listeners, as a special gift for this holiday season. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast and I hope that you’ll continue to share and participate in 2026!

www.msmarypoppins.com

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

Joy isn’t a reward — it’s a skill.

In this episode, Suzanne explores why joy matters for middle schoolers navigating big feelings, growing brains, and constant pressure. Not toxic positivity — real, grounding joy that supports regulation, resilience, and connection.

A warm, practical conversation for parents, educators, and families learning how to make space for joy during the messiest years of growing up.

Send Suzanne a Question or Comment:

Support the show

If this episode helped your family or your classroom, you can support the work behind Middle School Mary Poppins by visiting msmarypoppins.com and clicking Support the Show.

Your support helps keep the podcast free, research-based, and focused on emotional health for kids—especially neurodivergent tweens and teens.

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛