Although it’s been a challenging year in multiple ways, the Natural Pod team has been constantly uplifted by the inspiring work and perseverance of our community. Earlier this year to amplify the voices of those committed to creating better learning environments, experiences and outcomes we started Natural Pod™ LIVE: an online streaming talk show where we interview the education leaders making change happen.
We’re sharing all eight episodes as an opportunity for you to learn from their personal stories. You get to hear directly about the challenges and opportunities they faced and their approaches for what’s possible in the future of education.
Listen: Empowering Education – Bridgitte Alomes Talks Sustainable Design
Bridgitte Alomes, founder of Natural Pod learning furniture, joins the ONEder podcast to advocate for creating healthy, sustainable and intentional learning environments for children. Inspired by her son's allergic reaction to toxic chemicals in a toy, Bridgitte envisioned, founded and leads a company to deliver beautiful, functional, and eco-friendly learning spaces that foster creativity and well-being. Encouraging...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 12 – Designing cohesive environments to support whole-child learning
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE, Episode twelve is available to watch! About This Episode: In this episode, our host, Bridgitte Alomes, CEO of Natural Pod, was in conversation with Suzy Potts and Amanda Barrett of Creekside Creative Academy; looking at how they’ve designed functional spaces for individual learning; creating a cohesive environment where children can thrive. The conversation began by looking at how both Suzy...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 11 – Making sustainable choices for an impact that matters
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE, Episode Eleven is available to watch! About This Episode Each choice we make leads to an outcome, whether intended or not. That statement was the catalyst for this episode’s discussion: how we can make sustainable choices now, that have a long-term positive impact. Don’t underestimate the title, this conversation went much deeper than how to grow vegetables and recycle better. Our returning,...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 10 – Creating cultural change through student co-authorship of their learning environments
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE, Episode ten is available to watch! About this Episode: Since the beginning days of the industrial model, learning environments have been anchored to direct instruction and information-giving models. A place where students, or pupils, show up to a building to learn because that location was the only place for it to occur. Fast forward more than 100 years to today, we are stuck in a game of tug...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 09 – Becoming a trailblazer for whole school transformation
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE Episode Nine is available to watch! About This Episode Educating for a sustainable future is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. In this episode, our host, Bridgitte Alomes, CEO of Natural Pod is in discussion with Jennifer Seydel, Executive Director for Green Schools National Network, and Keith Reeves, EdD CSML CETL, Senior Instructional Technology Coordinator at Discovery Elementary...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 08 – Pursuing passion to make an impact on learning
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE Episode Eight is available to watch! About This Episode In this uplifting edition of Natural Pod LIVE, our CEO, Bridgitte Alomes, chats with the wonderful Jerzell Pierre-Louis. Jerzell, the Owner and Founder of Sprout and Bloom Early Education Centers in Columbus, Ohio, shares about her journey as an educator, the passion it took to get there, and how staying true to her values is at the core...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 07 – Creating a Culture of Care + Connection
Natural Pod™ LIVE Episode Seven is available to watch! The idea of a Culture of Care + Connection is ever evolving, but at the core it’s simple: to care for ourselves and those around us, by connecting with our communities and the natural environment. Verena Gibbs, Educational Consultant and former Principal, and Bridgitte Alomes, CEO and Founder of Natural Pod, will explore how to create space that fosters cultural values...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 06 – Designing an Integrated and Holistic Sustainability Journey
Natural Pod™ LIVE Episode Six is available to watch! If you are in any way connected to educational architecture, design or planning, this episode with Kate Mraw, Design Director at LPA Design Studios (LPA), is an absolute must watch! Kate shares so much insight around how to keep whole school sustainability at the forefront of the design journey, why it matters and how to keep stakeholders engaged in the process. LPA has...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 05 – How open ended learning environments deepen learning
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE Episode Five is available to watch! This was a really uplifting episode; full of discussions of what’s possible when you think big and aim big while leaving lots of room for trying out new things and seeing what happens. This week Bridgitte had the joy of speaking with Alana Gelnick, the Associate Principal at SAR Academy’s Early Learning Center in New York, and Shari Kanovsky, one of the...
Natural Pod™ LIVE – Episode 04 – Changing engagement for Indigenous learners
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE Episode Four is available to watch! About This Episode This episode offers such an inspiring and eye-opening conversation between Maureen Dockendorf, Early Care and Learning Strategic Consultant at the British Columbia Ministry of Education and Denise Augustine, Director of Aboriginal Education and Learner Engagement at BC School District 79, and our host Bridgitte Alomes, CEO and founder of...