Sara Amini: The Stories We Carry and the Friends Who See Them

Sara Amini: The Stories We Carry and the Friends Who See Them

Author: Jeff Utecht & Tricia Friedman April 13, 2026 Duration: 24:26

What can a graphic novel teach educators about belonging, friendship, and the inner lives of young people?

Sara Amini is an actor and author whose semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel Mixed Feelings started as a collection of essays before finding its real form. In this conversation, she and Tricia dig into why the graphic novel gave her a sharper way to tell a story about not fitting neatly into any one category, and what that means for the kids (and adults) who read it.

They talk about humor as a way into hard topics like racism, xenophobia, puberty, and loneliness. Sara explains how she thinks like a director when writing visually, and why graphic novels open up something different in classrooms that text alone doesn't reach. The conversation keeps circling back to a question worth sitting with: what are students carrying that we're not seeing, and what kinds of stories help us notice?

Want a free copy of Mixed Feelings? Email tricia@shiftingschools.com a screenshot of your podcast rating by April 15th to enter.


Ever feel like the conversation around education moves faster than a school day? Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators is here to slow things down just enough for a meaningful dialogue. Hosted by practicing educators Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman, this podcast creates a necessary space for teachers and administrators to dig into the real work of modern teaching. Instead of just theory, you’ll hear from fellow practitioners and thought leaders who are navigating the same challenges you face daily. The discussions move beyond surface-level trends to unpack practical strategies and tools that can be adapted for your own classroom or school. Whether it’s rethinking assessment, integrating technology with purpose, or fostering a more inclusive learning environment, each episode is grounded in the shared goal of improving outcomes for every student. Tuning in feels less like another professional development requirement and more like a candid staff room conversation with colleagues who get it. This is where the abstract ideas about educational change meet the concrete reality of the K-12 world, offering actionable insights for anyone committed to the craft of teaching. Find Shifting Schools wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts for a regular dose of perspective and practical ideas.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Podcast Episodes
How Nolan's Odyssey and Cover Songs Help Us Talk About AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:27
Christopher Nolan's Odyssey just earned nearly $300 million retelling a 3,000-year-old story — so what actually separates imitation from transformative interpretation? In this episode, Tricia makes the case that cover so…
When Students Go After Real Problems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:28
When Alex Campbell set out to teach sociology through true crime, he wasn't trying to catch a murderer. He was trying to make the stakes real. Nine years later, his high school students in Appalachia have restored names…
Do you want to better understand your team? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:51
Every team has communication habits, but how many of those habits have ever been discussed out loud? In this episode, Tricia introduces The Shared Kitchen, a free reflection and facilitation tool designed to help teams u…
The perfect middle grade book for readers during The World Cup [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:45
Award-winning author Christina Diaz Gonzalez joins Tricia to discuss Offside, her new bilingual middle-grade graphic novel about soccer, friendship, ambition, identity, and finding the courage to use your voice. Although…
AI Literacy Is Problem-Solving Literacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:44
Tricia Friedman shares a real-life story about a flooded basement, an insurance claim, and what it revealed about AI literacy. After a major storm in Ottawa caused basement flooding, Tricia found herself facing the kind…
Jerry Spinelli: What Young Writers Need to Know About Stories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:56
Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Spinelli joins the podcast for a conversation about writing, perseverance, childhood, and the stories that stay with young readers. Known to many elementary and middle school teachers t…
Colin Woodard on Civic Identity, Trust, and the American Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:18
In this Fourth of July weekend episode, Tricia Friedman speaks with Colin Woodard, director of Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University's Pell Center, about national identity, civic trust, polarization, and the stories…
Teaching the Declaration Beyond the Fourth of July [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:12
In this Fourth of July weekend episode, Tricia Friedman speaks with historian and author Katie Kennedy about her new book, The Declaration Decoded, and the stories behind America's foundational documents. For history and…
What 600 Letters Can Teach Us About WWII [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:27
In this episode, Tricia speaks with Jan Cress Dondi about the years-long research journey behind her USA Today bestselling WWII book. What began with the discovery of hundreds of family letters became a much larger act o…