The Ohio State University Inspire

The Ohio State Inspire podcast trailer

The monthly Inspire Podcast asks Ohio State's Education and Human Ecology experts — and everyday heroes — about the issues that people encounter in life: mental and physical health, inequity, lifelong learning, raising and teaching children.  To discover why ... and why not? Because hidden in our dilemmas and most complex problems are exquisite solutions. 

Getting schooled using hip-hop

The provocative and high-powered music genre that turned 50 this year can be used to teach almost anything — if you first embrace its cultural relevance 
 
Listen to playlists of hip-hop songs recommended by Assistant Professor Jason Rawls and Professor Elaine Richardson, and those that appear in this episode: ⁠YouTube or Spotify
Credits: GloRilla, FSG Rell, Naz, Elaine Richardson, Kendrick Lamar, Skepta feat. JME, Megan Thee Stallion, feat. Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, Ray Wimley, Sa-Roc, Flau’Jae, Mumu Fresh, James Brown, Grandmaster Funk, C Psylince and Talib Kweli. 
Link to transcript

The book ban battleground

Young people need stories that reflect their lives, experts say. Using censorship to deny that representation can have dangerous consequences.
 
Link to transcript. Read a National Council of Teachers of English article about continuing efforts to preserve intellectual freedom.

Stories of overcoming

Noah and Asho scaled incredible obstacles just to make it to college. Somehow, they never gave up. How two students beat the odds, and the people who helped them believe in possibilities.
 
Link to transcript

Beautiful and terrifying, awe moves us outside ourselves

One elusive emotion reveals that individuals aren’t the center of the universe. Then, it makes us feel calmer, more connected and happier
Link to transcript
 
See a playlist of songs that Education and Human Ecology faculty and staff find awe-inspiring, or read why listeners like the selections and watch the music videos.
Photo by Marek Piwnicki

The science behind picky eating

Why do some people — especially kids — fiddle with, wince at and despise the very foods that science tells us are most healthful? Here's how to get finicky types to give meatloaf and other 'yucky' foods a chance
 
Link to transcript

Let’s talk about sex (education)

Students say they’re learning about sex from a variety of places — but not where they should be. There’s a better way to teach American youth, researchers say
Caution: This podcast episode mentions suicide. 
Read about Ohio State research detailing questions middle-schoolers asked about sex.
 
Link to episode transcript

Religious faith is diversity, too. Higher ed should embrace it

College students shape and strengthen their beliefs by interacting with peers from different faith backgrounds. That’s a very good thing, research shows. 
Click here to see a list of Ohio State University prayer and meditation spaces.
Link to transcript and notes

Student mental health: A crisis years in the making

Hope. School belongingness. More trained professionals. We know how to fix the mental health challenges facing American youth. So why aren't more schools putting those strategies to work?
Credits: CBS News; National Public Radio
Notes: Partnering with Families to Support Mental Health: Research-based Strategies for Educators by the College of Education and Human Ecology’s Center on Education and Training Employment. Click through to tables of evidence-based protective factors, proven to help youth navigate mental health challenges.   
Link to transcript

Gen Z’s thrifting ninjas save cash, help the planet

Young consumers mean serious business when they shop resale, and their eclectic, eco-minded style is anything but cliché. Ohio State students and Fashion Retail Studies faculty offer tips for scoring big in thrift stores. 
2023 Fashion Production Association Show 
 
Link to transcript