Written by
Topics
How do we teach, learn, and lead when navigating the combined pressures of a student mental health epidemic, widespread teacher burnout, and the rise of AI changing everything students access and create?
In this episode of A Work of Heart, Dr. Ilana Nankin, Michael Fenchel, and Sam Levine introduce Breathe for Change’s Human Intelligence framework as a response to three pressures educators are navigating right now: teacher burnout, student mental health, and the rise of AI in every classroom. Rather than treating those challenges as separate problems, this conversation names a deeper truth: education was not built to develop the full potential of the humans inside it.
Together, they walk through the five layers of Human Intelligence: somatic, emotional, cognitive, relational, and universal. Each layer helps educators reconnect with the capacities students need most in a changing world: vitality, wholeness, creativity, connection, and purpose.
This is a practical and visionary conversation for educators, school leaders, coaches, and anyone asking how schools can prepare educators and young people for a future without losing what makes us human.
Here are some of the best moments from the episode:
- The Three Symptoms of Systemic Failure
- Overview of the Human Intelligence Framework
- Layer 1: Somatic Intelligence & Vitality
- Layer 2: Emotional Intelligence & Wholeness
- Layer 3: Cognitive Intelligence & Creativity
- Layer 4: Relational Intelligence & Connection
- Layer 5: Universal Intelligence & Purpose
- Conclusion: Defining the Future of Education
Follow “A Work of Heart” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if it resonated, take 30 seconds to rate and review. It helps more educators find these conversations and reminds the algorithm that teachers matter.
