The Brighter Side of Education: Research, Innovation & Resources
Hosted by Dr. Lisa Hassler, The Brighter Side of Education: Research, Innovation, & Resources a podcast that offers innovative solutions for education challenges. We bring together research, expert insights, and practical resources to help teachers and parents tackle everything from classroom management to learning differences. Every episode focuses on turning common education challenges into opportunities for growth. Whether you're a teacher looking for fresh ideas or a parents wanting to better support your child's learning, we've got actionable strategies you can use right away.
The podcast's music was created by Brandon Picciolini, her son, from The Lonesome Family Band. You can explore more of his work on Instagram.
The Brighter Side of Education: Research, Innovation & Resources
Peer Mentorship in Action: How a 9-Year-Old Podcaster Is Opening Doors to Literacy and Science
"Books are the key to unlocking your soul's true potential." These aren't the words of a veteran educator or bestselling author – they come from nine-year-old Ishara, host of Ishara's Reading Podcast, literacy advocate, and aspiring astronaut who dreams of leading a mission to Mars.
In this inspiring episode, Ishara is at her skating rink (YouTube video of this episode!) She shares how her reading podcast is helping children around the world access literature, explore big ideas, and discover the joy of learning. From environmental stewardship to space exploration, Ishara connects storytelling with action—proving that age is no barrier to leadership.
Listeners will hear how she’s using her voice to empower others, promote equity in reading access, and inspire curiosity in STEM. This episode is a heartwarming look at youth leadership, peer mentoring, and the limitless power of books.
Subscribe to Ishara's Reading Podcast to witness this inspiring young voice in action and discover how storytelling can spark curiosity, activism, and positive change in listeners of all ages.
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Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Head to the show notes to find if this episode is CPD eligible and details on how to claim your CPD certification!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, email me at lisa@drlisahassler.com or visit www.drlisahassler.com. Subscribe, tell a friend, and consider becoming a supporter by clicking the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support.
The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.
What if books could do more than just tell stories? What if they could launch new ideas, fueling big dreams, and even inspire kids to change their world? Well, today we're talking to nine-year-old podcaster, figure skater and aspiring astronaut, ishara, who is using storytelling to spark a love for reading and empower kids to help protect the planet. And since we're recording at her ice rink, we'll even get to see her in action on the ice. So get ready. We're about to launch into a conversation full of big ideas and possibilities. Welcome to the brighter side of education, research, innovation and resources. I'm your host, Dr Lisa Hassler, here to enlighten and brighten the classrooms in America through focused conversation on important topics in education. In each episode, I discuss problems we as teachers and parents are facing and what people are doing in their communities to fix it. What are the variables and how can we duplicate it to maximize student outcomes? Today, we're talking about the power of storytelling, not just for literacy, but for inspiring real world change. We all know that reading is important and it strengthens minds, builds vocabulary and supports academic success. But what if reading could do more? What if books could empower kids to become leaders, change makers and even protectors of our planet? Well, that's exactly what we're exploring today. Research shows that when children engage with stories that connect to real world challenges, they develop deeper empathy, problem solving skills and a stronger sense of purpose. When kids see themselves in the stories they hear, they start believing that they, too, can make a difference. A study in the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy found that storytelling increases children's engagement, motivation and ability to retain information, especially when tied to subjects that they care about. And when it comes to issues like protecting the planet, young voices are more important than ever. A 2022 UNICEF report revealed that kids today are more aware of climate and sustainability issues than previous generations, and when given the right platform, they want to take action.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Today's guest is proof that young voices can make big impact. At just nine years old, ashara is already soaring to new heights as the host of Ashara's Reading Podcast, where she brings books to life for young listeners and inspires them to think beyond the page. But Ashara's podcast isn't just about storytelling. It's about taking action. She uses her platform to spark curiosity, encourage kids to love reading and inspire them to protect the environment. Now, in its fourth season, her podcast has reached listeners around the world, connecting books with big ideas. And beyond podcasting. Ashara is a competitive figure skater, as we can see, and a future astronaut in the making. She dreams of one day making a mission to Mars and leading that mission. But today she is leading a different kind of mission helping kids discover power of storytelling. So let's lace up and glide into today's conversation. Ashara, welcome to the Brighter Side of Education. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Ishara:Thank you for inviting me to the brighter side of education, dr Lisa. So I have a reading podcast. It's called the Shara's Reading Podcast. When we were creating the name, we weren't the most creative, but it gets the point across because it is a reading podcast. I do read books. I interview authors and illustrators and I talk about the book at the end as part of the commentary. The thing is for adults and also as kids. We get told no so many times. It's like a little, teeny, tiny, atom-sized box keeping you inside. Atoms are very small, so I decided to use an atom. The thing is for me, in my opinion, is that books are the key to unlocking your soul's true potential. Far that, yes. The thing that interested me into becoming an astronaut is a book, and when I was four, I was interested in ice skating because of a book. A book got me on a start on all the things I am doing now in my life and here you are.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:you're a figure skater and we get to be with you as you are on the ice. What are your favorite skills?
Ishara:Well, my favorite it's a single one into a double D slide and doing a pose. It's really fun.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:So do we get to see you do one today? Yes, and there she goes. That was amazing. How long did it take you to get that skill down?
Ishara:I created it my single lets I learned from my coaches and the knee slide thing at the end. Yeah, that's just me wanting to do a knee slide because it's my one of my favorite skills.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Well, you pulled it off beautifully, so thank you for sharing that with us. So books got you inspired to take to the ice. They inspired you to want to become an astronaut and even to do the reading podcast. How did the beginnings of your podcast start?
Ishara:It started when 2020 hit the worst years of my life. I used to do the podcast with my best friend, kennedy, and it was called the Kids Reading Podcast and the way it started was actually a joke that our parents said we used to read books together, pretend to be the characters and make the story so fun. And our parents said to each other, as a joke, they should do a podcast together. And we were like, what's a podcast? Let's do it. It sounds cool and that's how the kids reading podcast started. But by the first episode, my friend Kennedy had to move to Japan because her mom got a job. So Japan. So we couldn't do the kids reading podcast anymore because they were going through stress of moving to Japan. I've always wanted to know what Japan's like. Curiosity.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:So it was first called the kids reading podcast and now it's a Showers Reading Podcast.
Ishara:When we stopped the Kids Reading Podcast, I told my mom I really, really enjoyed doing the podcast. So I decided to continue and I did and I started the Showers Reading Podcast. It makes me chuckle whenever I hear season one's audio, because I didn't always have a mic in the past, so every now and then you'd hear my grandmother, my nana in the background cooking. It's always funny whenever you hear like the past and then you compare it to now and it's like wow, always growing right, always getting better.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:I love how something that you naturally loved to do turned into wanting to inspire others. So why did you go to the direction of wanting to help inspire kids with storytelling and reading and the environment? How did that connection come together? I?
Ishara:always loved books but I was a baby. We used to live in Africa. I love this book called Look, and I really enjoyed hearing my parents and my great aunt read it to me and there's this funny story where I kept asking her read, read, read and she had to read this one book all the time to me. I really enjoyed hearing it in the past me, I really enjoyed hearing it in the past and we actually found the book after a long time and not finding it. So I get to see what I used to really really like.
Ishara:The book was about how my face was different from someone else's face and if you got interest me in space, it was a book. The book was called no Place for Pluto. Pluto gets the biggest shock of his life when he discovers he's not a planet anymore. Reading it aloud, brung so much joy to me reading that book but still gets the biggest shock of his life he's not a planet anymore and he tries to find his place in the universe because not a's not a planet. So what is he? So that's what he found out and we've all kind of felt like Cluno once in a while in that book Because we've all wondered every now and then. Well then, what do I do? That got me interested into becoming an astronaut?
Dr. Lisa Hassler:And you met someone from NASA recently. Am I correct in that? Yes, I got to go to NASA and meet my second favorite astronaut.
Ishara:And you met someone from NASA recently. Am I correct in that? Yes, I got to go to NASA and meet my second favorite astronaut, jose Hernandez. He has a lot of tenacity because he had to apply to NASA 12 times and on the 12th time he actually got accepted. 11 rejection letters. Yes, 11 rejection letters. I wanted to use books to bring the joy of reading to kids around the world, and ice skating brought me so much joy. But I never knew about like ice skating can be a competitive sport until I read the book called Icebreaker, how Mabel Fairbanks broke the icy barriers of figure skating and allowed women of color to do figure skating. I never knew you could do it for a living, and that's how I discovered being a competitive figure skater.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Is that what you want to do? Do you want to do this for a living?
Ishara:Yes, but my really big dream is the astronaut, the astronaut.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Do you think your podcast is having the impact that you want it to have with helping kids be environmental change agents?
Ishara:Yes, because the environment is something we all share in, because we live on planet Earth. So far, planet Earth is the only planet we know of right now that has life on it. So until we can figure out how to live on Mars, there's no planet 2. At least that's what I hope. That gets to happen. We get to be on Mars, but until we figure out how to do something, this is the only planet we ever get to live on. So we have to take care of it, because this planet helps us. And if we don't take care of this planet, how will the next generation have a planet that they can live on? How will we figure out where we will go? And just taking care of this planet almost ensures a better future for the next generation.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Very true, wise words. So I can see how, then, the connection between your inspiration and what motivated you to want to have big dreams like being an astronaut and all of those things have to do with taking care of our planet and then exploring other opportunities, and I can see how your podcast is bridging that to try to help other kids be inspired to do the same. And so your parents are scientists. Is that what got you interested in science?
Ishara:Yes, my mom is the executive director of a nonprofit organization. She's also a scientist. She studied the virus HIV in Africa, saved millions of lives. Okay, sorry, I always get very excited whenever I talk.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:I can tell she's a hero to you. She's done some great things, and your dad, he's done some great things with science as well, right, yes, he studies the parasitic disease lush mania or lush radiasis. It's no wonder that you're excited about science and the curiosities of the world. What kind of challenges in education or reading do you want to address in your podcast?
Ishara:I know this we are not getting rid of computers, tablets, iphones, and that's here to stay. Computers, tablets, iphones, and that's here to stay. So kids are being more drawn to those things and not, technically, books. So one of the things I think my podcast can bring is it is digital, so that addresses the thing of technology, and I also read books on it. It's that somewhere in between thing that appeals to both parties.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Yeah, I like that it can be anywhere also. So if I wanted to hear you read a story, I could be taking a walk, I could just listen to it, and sometimes just listening and not having to hold something and watch it necessarily is a bit of a freedom too.
Ishara:Speaking of books, I'm actually writing a kid's book. It's a graphic novel. It's fictional, but the things that happen in the book are somewhat non-fictional. It's about the immune system. It's called the Immune Heroes. Sorry, it is not out yet. I am barely finishing every chapter every year. It's not going to come out in a while. Check out my podcast for more information, please. What's the storyline on it? It's about the immune system and when all the pathogens in the world actually team up and try to beat the immune system. It's like a superhero book, but combination with something that actually happens in your body when you get sick.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:My gosh, are you doing the comics too? Are you drawing?
Ishara:Yes, I am also illustrating it myself. I enjoyed hearing about the immune system so much I started writing. And then I thought, hey, I should illustrate the book myself too. And there's this thing that my mom said well, to illustrate the book, you have to know how to draw, and that's why I keep practicing drawing and sketching characters. I already started resketching most of the characters in the book from my pre-design on a notebook that I lost. That's why my book is taking such a long, long, long time to write. I lost a book for about a year.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:How great it's going to feel when it's all done, especially since you're illustrating it and you've met so many authors. How is that experience being able to talk to the people who write these books that you really love?
Ishara:The experience is so mind-blowing. Imagine this you get to meet your childhood hero and you get to interview them. I actually have done that. One of the personal stories of meeting a childhood hero is when I met my favorite astronaut, Mae Jemison. She is the first African-American woman to go into space and to become an astronaut, and the way I heard about her is through a book. Interviewing authors and illustrators is like hearing what made them wanting to share that book with the world. One of my currently favorite books right now is the Wild Robot. It was turned into a movie, as you might have seen, and it is a really good book about how a robot went above and beyond her own programming to try to take care of her orphaned gosling.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:I've read that story to my classroom and I loved it. There's like three books in that series. Right, Did they come up with more?
Ishara:No trilogy series and I got to meet the offer. I haven't read it on my podcast yet, but I might. I might read it on my podcast and I also got my book autographed.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Have you gotten feedback about what your listeners think about all of the things that you're doing?
Ishara:Hmm, I have to think about that. My season two opener back then that was like the longest episode and it was the book about the environment no world Too Big and it was about how kids, kids, became environmental ambassadors to try to protect the environment. And the second book, this one was a little newer. This one was in season three and it was called you Are my Friend, the story of Freddie Rogers and his neighborhood, and showed how kindness can help us discover how there are neighbors all around us.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Do you have a favorite story that that you've shared with your audience?
Ishara:I really think it was actually Freddie Rogers, because I really enjoyed reading that book, because it was about being kind to others, and in the world right now it needs a lot of kindness to heal some things. So I say that was my favorite.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:How has your podcast evolved since you first started it, and were there any major turning points or surprises along the way?
Ishara:One better audio because I actually have a microphone now. Two, I actually have started interviewing podcasters and also being on other people's podcasts too, Like yours, Like now, yes.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Did you start off in video?
Ishara:I started on Just On you, but in Season 2, for the first episode, I actually started doing video and audio. And Season 2 was also when I started interviewing authors and illustrators.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:What kind of feedback have you gotten from parents and teachers?
Ishara:Well, I've discovered that most of the people who listen to my podcast have enjoyed hearing my commentary. The part at the end of all parts, the beginning, the middle it was the end Part, when I talk about why I love this book and why I picked this book, and one of the notes I got from a lot of them is to start doing that reading tip that I do when I don't get to interview the author or the illustrator.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Why do you think they like that the best?
Ishara:Because it helps kids learn how to read more. That's why I did a reading tip and also they also enjoy hearing what I talk about the book and share what my personal stories that help connect me to the book.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Do you think that they're? They're helping.
Ishara:I really hope down to the bottom of my heart that it is helping. But the one problem is not a lot of kids have access to books. They can't just go to their local library and pick up a random book. So that's why I really think my podcast is helping, because they get to hear a book and they might be able to discover it for themselves. I got kids in Australia listening to my podcast, Japan, some places that I haven't even been to myself. So that's why I really really love doing my podcast, because it helps kids discover the joy of reading especially in today's digital landscape.
Ishara:Yes, like I said before, my podcast is trying to help kids who do not have access to the books we have access to. Sometimes we never really understand how much we should be thankful because we have access to so much as kids. It's so mind blowing. So that's why I think my podcast is helping. Also, I'm sorry if I randomly do that. I'm a little stuffy. I'm recovering from a cold.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:We definitely understand what is next for your reading podcast. Are there any sort of exciting projects or plans in the works? Where are you going next?
Ishara:The book festival in September. Very excited because I really want to do it. It's like the heaven for book lovers.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:excited because I really want to do it. It's like the heaven for book lovers. What kind of things are you going to do this season?
Ishara:Well, I'm doing the reading tip. I'm also doing something called live reads, where I ask some of my friends, and sometimes even just random kids, to read a section of the book with me on my podcast. So it's not just authors and illustrators this season it's going to be also kids.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:I love that. Yes, that's wonderful. Is that going to be like on Instagram, on Facebook? Is there a day that you're doing it or is it still in the works?
Ishara:It's going to be on YouTube and I haven't done the first episode with it yet, but I'm hoping, really hoping strongly, that it's going to be soon.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:How would listeners be able to find out about that? Would you announce that on Instagram when it's going to happen?
Ishara:Yes, and it's also going to be on my YouTube channel, so you're going to be able to watch what happens too.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:I'm so excited about that. So, as we wrap up, what kind of advice can you give to adults who want to encourage kids to explore their passions, whether it's reading or podcasting, skating, dreaming of going to space or even helping save the planet?
Ishara:Say yes more, because just saying yes makes a kid think they can do it, and just making them think they can do it makes them want to do it even more. So saying yes more doesn't limit what they're thinking. It just makes them want to reach for the stars as high as they can Sometimes not literally, and sometimes literally. So say yes more so the kid's inspirations could go beyond the world sometimes.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:I love that. That is great advice.
Ishara:And also actually sometimes they do want to go to other planets.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Like you, to Mars.
Ishara:I want to lead the mission to Mars because I really, just, really really want to be an astronaut. I want to see what other worlds are like, because it's just you get to be in space, no gravity, so you get to jump as high as you can too. You get to explore not just your planet, you get to explore the whole solar system, the universe, galaxies, nebula.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Look at your passion comes through. You have so many big dreams and I just I'm so excited that you were able to share them with us today, and your passion for books and storytelling and the environment. Honestly, it's truly inspiring. So, and it's not just for kids, but for all of us. So it has been such a pleasure to have you on the show today and, I have to say, getting to watch you perform on the ice was a true treat. Whether you're behind the mic, on the ice or even looking towards the stars, you are proving that young voices and big dreams can take us anywhere.
Ishara:Thank you so much for inviting me. I really enjoyed being here.
Dr. Lisa Hassler:Well, if today's conversation inspired you, be sure to check out Ashara's reading podcast and explore how books can spark imagination, action and change. And if you're a parent or educator, consider storytelling as a way to connect reading with real world learning. Whether through podcasts, audio books or even writing their own stories, you can give kids a voice and a powerful way to help them grow by just saying yes, yes, if you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, you can email me at lisa at drlisahasslercom, or visit my website at wwwdrlisahasslercom and send me a message. If you like this podcast, subscribe and tell a friend. The more people that know, the bigger impact it will have. And if you find value to the content in this podcast, consider becoming a supporter by clicking on the supporter link in the show notes. It is the mission of this podcast to shine light on the good in education so that it spreads, affecting positive change. So let's keep working together to find solutions that focus on our children's success.
