Napcast

Michael S Browne
  • 5.0 (12)
  • EDUCATION

Napcast is a podcast designed to help you learn on the go, hear another perspective, spark debate, agree incessantly, and honestly, remind you that you’re not alone. We live in a complex world, so allow us to challenge your orientation with words, thoughts, advice, and the perspective of two male early childhood educators of color.

  1. MAR 10

    Napcast Ep70: Guided by Plants: Strawberry, Growth, and a Safe Learning Space

    What do strawberries and toddlers have in common?More than you think.In this episode of #Napcast, Nick and Mike head to the strawberry patch and come back with more than just fruit.Listening to the farmers talk about sun, soil, timing, and patience sparked a bigger question for us: What if children, like strawberries, can’t be rushed into ripeness?Using plant wisdom as a guide, we unpack the exhaustion of the go-go-go classroom pace. The pressure to produce outcomes. The way environments shape development. And what it might mean to focus less on pushing children forward and more on protecting the conditions they grow in.Because this episode isn’t really about strawberries.It’s about:• process over product• cultivation over compliance• and creating classrooms that don’t bruise children in the name of achievementIf you’ve ever felt the pace is too fast…If you’ve ever questioned whether “school readiness” is always healthy…If you’re craving a more humane way to do this work…This one’s for you.🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for a future episode or something you want to reflect on with us? Email us at napcast206@gmail.com and let’s talk. Follow along on Instagram @napcast206 for more reflections and behind-the-scenes moments. As mentioned in our episode, check out these two reflections Mike and Nick made on Strawberries: Mike: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNgcSMgpSZd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Nick: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNoIPW8hYR7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    40 min

  2. FEB 10

    Napcast Ep69: Guided by Plants: Alder, Belonging, and Holding What’s Possible

    Season 5 opens with a return to the land. In this debut episode of our Guided by Plants series, early childhood educators Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him) center alder and big leaf maple as living teachers of nourishment, protection, and interdependence in early childhood spaces. Through shared reflection and conversation, we explore how these plants sustain the ecosystems around them and what that can teach us about nourishing children in our programs. We riff on alder’s role in restoring and supporting others, big leaf maple’s capacity to offer shelter and space, and how these lessons can guide our interactions with children, families, and colleagues. This hour-long episode is rooted in observation, story, and practice. Listeners will walk away with ideas for how to thoughtfully introduce alder and big leaf maple into classroom experiences, leadership and management approaches, and relationship-building with families—grounded in care, curiosity, and connection rather than compliance. Join us as we slow down, notice, and invite the plant world to help shape how we show up for children and for one another. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for a future episode or something you want to reflect on with us? Email us at napcast206@gmail.com and let’s talk.Follow along on Instagram @napcast206 for more reflections and behind-the-scenes moments.

    48 min

  3. 10/14/2025

    Napcast Ep68 - A Learning Story for Bucky

    What happens when a learning story isn’t written about a child — but for another educator? In this conversation, Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him) explore what it means to write across difference and through relationship. We talk about the power of story as a way of seeing, the tension between objectivity and subjectivity, and the shift from checking boxes to telling truths. Anchored in a learning story written by Nick for his white colleague about a sign that reads “You’re on Indigenous Land,” this episode invites us to think about what it means to write to someone, not about them. To treat story as a form of care, reflection, and accountability. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @napcast206 or https://www.instagram.com/napcast206/

    52 min

  4. 09/02/2025

    Napcast Ep67 - AI and the ABCs

    Is artificial intelligence reshaping childhood — for better or worse? Hosted by two passionate male educators of color, Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him), today's episode "AI and the ABCs " dives into the crossroads of artificial intelligence and early learning through a culturally conscious lens. In this episode, we unpack three key questions: What does AI mean to you? What hesitations do you have about AI, especially in early learning spaces, and how might those reflect broader concerns? How do race, ethnicity, and cultural identity shape our understanding of AI’s role in the lives of young children? Plus one fun bonus question at the end! Join us for a thoughtful, real, and grounded conversation that centers culture, community, and curiosity as we explore the future of education. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @napcast206 or https://www.instagram.com/napcast206/

    40 min

  5. 08/13/2025

    Napcast Ep66 - Land, Memory, and the Early Years

    Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) are joined once again by special guest Toi Sing-Woo (she/her) for a conversation about what it means to plant seeds of liberation in the earliest years of learning. We talk about the daily work of unlearning white comfort in the classroom, the survival strategies BIPOC educators carry, and how we can reclaim the play we were meant to have—in our classrooms, community spaces, and kitchens. Rooted in Chumash, Afro-Caribbean, and Hong Kong lineages, we imagine early learning grounded in land, cultural memory, and collective freedom. Why? Because the future of early learning depends on how bravely we remember, and how boldly we reimagine. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @napcast206 or https://www.instagram.com/napcast206/

    57 min

  6. 07/23/2025

    Napcast Ep65: From Control to Care Part 4

    In the final episode of this 4 part micro-learning series, we’re rejoined by Napcast co-host, educator, and author Nick Terrones to reflect on what it truly means to move beyond white supremacy culture in early learning and nonprofit spaces. Building on the conversations from earlier episodes, Nick helps us explore the emotional, relational, and embodied aspects of organizational change. Together, we ask: What does healing look like in our roles? How do we interrupt white supremacy not just in theory or policy, but in our daily habits, interactions, and systems of care? This episode invites us to move from awareness to practice, from performative DEI to a deeper, ongoing commitment to liberation and collective well-being. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @napcast206 or https://www.instagram.com/napcast206/

    45 min

  7. 06/16/2025

    Napcast Ep64: From Control to Care Part 3

    What does white supremacy culture look like in everyday organizational life — and how do we move beyond surface-level DEI efforts to create real change? In this 4 part micro-learning series, we invite back in anti-racist facilitator and previous Napcast guest, Toi Sing-Woo (she/her) to discuss white supremacy culture and ways it shows up in nonprofits and early learning spaces. In part 3 we discuss what happens when our words don't align with our actions. How so many organizations use values like “equity” or “inclusion” on their website and how they never translate off of paper. This episode looks at how values can be used to mask white-centered culture, and how to tell when inclusion efforts are real versus performative. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @napcast206 or https://www.instagram.com/napcast206/

    28 min

  8. 06/09/2025

    Napcast Ep63: From Control to Care Part 2

    What does white supremacy culture look like in everyday organizational life — and how do we move beyond surface-level DEI efforts to create real change? In this 4 part micro-learning series, we invite back in anti-racist facilitator and previous Napcast guest, Toi Sing-Woo (she/her) to discuss white supremacy culture and ways it shows up in nonprofits and early learning spaces. In part 2 we trace how anti-Blackness, anti-Indigeneity, and anti-Asian racism show up in early childhood spaces and how they’re all connected under the larger system of white supremacy culture. We talk about the importance of naming these patterns and why it matters in our classrooms, policies, and leadership decisions. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @napcast206 or https://www.instagram.com/napcast206/

    27 min
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5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Napcast is a podcast designed to help you learn on the go, hear another perspective, spark debate, agree incessantly, and honestly, remind you that you’re not alone. We live in a complex world, so allow us to challenge your orientation with words, thoughts, advice, and the perspective of two male early childhood educators of color.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael S Browne
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Michael S Browne
  • Show Website
    Napcast

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