The EdisonOS Podcast

In this episode, Rhea Wanchoo, co-founder of M&W Education, shares how her background in academic psychology shaped a company built at the intersection of test prep, college admissions, and student confidence. Drawing from her experience working with students through high school and into the college transition, Rhea explains why effort alone is never enough and why the biggest gap she sees is not hard work but the absence of structure, clear feedback, and a personalized system.She discusses how the computer adaptive format of the digital PSAT triggers a different psychological reaction than the old paper based test, why high GPA students still struggle on test day due to anxiety and poor simulation of real conditions, and shares why she considers the overwhelmed student the hardest to help, not the underprepared one, because stress blocks execution even when the ability is fully there.

In this episode, CJ Palma, founder of CJ101 Tutoring, shares how his unique background in marine science, computer science, and psychology shapes his approach to teaching AP Environmental Science, and how growing up as a second generation American informs the empathy driven strategies he brings to test prep. Drawing from his own academic and entrepreneurial journey, CJ explains why building resilience in students matters just as much as the score itself.He discusses common misconceptions students have about the digital and adaptive PSAT, including how to handle the emotional reaction to a tougher second module, the careless calculator errors he sees most often, and why he believes consistent quality study time matters more than cramming, while also reminding students that what they take away from this process goes far beyond the test score.

In this episode, Gabe Futrell, principal of Bill Metz Elementary in Monte Vista, Colorado, shares how over 15 years in one rural school community has shaped his approach to leadership. Drawing from more than two decades in education, Gabe explains how a love for small towns and the mountains first brought him to the San Luis Valley and why the people around him have kept him there.He discusses the IE Time intervention model his school adopted just before COVID, targeting every student with daily small group reading and math support, and shares how sticking with that approach through and after the pandemic drove significant academic growth. He also reflects on the challenges of high poverty, the importance of distributive leadership, and why saying no to good ideas is sometimes the only way to become great at the right ones.

In this episode, Don Sevcik, creator and founder of Math Celebrity with eight million users annually and zero paid marketing, reveals how watching a team in India struggle with a 300-page pension book led him to build Excel step-by-step calculators that became the blueprint for automating his math tutoring brain on a website. Drawing from 17 years building the platform, Don explains his pattern IQ philosophy teaching students to identify problem types before solving them, a skill missing when teachers label everything but critical when problems appear unlabeled on exams.He discusses his sixth-year breakthrough in 2013 when someone typed an actual equation instead of searching for concepts, forcing him to partner with a Czechoslovakian programmer to build pattern recognition that launched version 2.0 and exploded traffic. Don shares his inversion mental model borrowed from Charlie Munger, focusing on eliminating unforced errors rather than chasing perfect presentations, emphasizing he can control stupid mistakes but not whether customers say yes. He reveals his biggest belief reversal that good products don't sell themselves, admitting if he started over he'd build a sales team first and validate demand before writing code, and stresses his 80-20 rule and first principles thinking from homeschooling his kids, explaining if you can't teach it at fifth grade level you don't understand it.

In this episode, Cynthia Millhorn, founder of Tutor2Order with 20 years of experience blending journalism, performance, and creative writing, reveals how she left tutoring companies after noticing they matched tutors based on subject knowledge alone without pedagogy or ability to assess student needs. Drawing from her background in qualitative research and therapy, Cynthia explains how pandemic students elevated with individual attention now lack communication skills and self-advocacy, unable to work in teams or comfortably address needs with teachers.She discusses her anecdotal storytelling approach teaching students that asking questions means paying more attention rather than being unintelligent, and shares her holistic assessment philosophy connecting poor class performance to underlying issues parents might not know about. Cynthia reveals her strong AI resistance, staying far away because it feeds user information into databases and lacks integrity compared to wonderful existing resources, emphasizing human tutors provide non-negotiable rapport that bots cannot establish. She evolved from believing diagnoses were fixed limitations to discovering the brain can rewrite neuropathways, proving students with dyslexia can become excellent writers and those who can't spell aloud can overcome it, urging parents to give children freedom to fail because crushing perfectionism prevents the trying that leads to surprising success.

In this episode, Emily Axelrod, an English tutor with over a decade teaching teens for standardized tests, reveals how the digital SAT has become more challenging despite shorter passages because students have less material to grasp and form answers. Drawing from her experience working with neurotypical students and those with attention deficit disorder and on the spectrum, Emily explains her rapport-first approach that establishes compatibility and identifies special needs including undiagnosed ones before administering diagnostic tests.She discusses her pattern-focused strategy analyzing where students make errors, whether at the beginning when not paying attention or toward the end when running out of time, and emphasizes both academic skills and test-taking skills must be learned despite College Board not wanting students to think that way. Emily shares her cautious AI perspective, revealing one useful application where a student used AI to decode why he got something wrong better than College Board's explanation, while strongly discouraging AI-generated practice questions in favor of official Blue Book materials. She explains her pricing philosophy that experienced tutors charging $50 to $100-plus per hour may require fewer sessions than cheaper alternatives, and encourages families to get creative with small group discounts and sliding scales so financial burden doesn't block access to quality tutoring.

In this episode, Dr. Tiffany Bannworth, founder of Bannworth Academy voted best private school in Florida three years running, reveals how sitting in a rigid eight-hour meeting where she was starving and running campuses from her cell phone convinced her traditional education was fundamentally broken. Drawing from her background in archaeology and paleontology, Dr. Tiffany explains her Bannworth Education Method ™ combining global teaching and Chrono teaching to break free from the Rockefeller industrial age model designed to produce button-pushers rather than genius.She discusses her Maslow-based philosophy that students cannot engage in upper-level thought when basic needs like hunger or temperature discomfort are unmet, and shares why she believes one-size-fits-all education fails because there is no one-size-fits-all child. Dr. Tiffany reveals her three-part AI approach teaching literal prompt writing to help socially bashful and autistic students practice saying exactly what they want, correcting AI hallucinations to build vocabulary for standing up for themselves, and using AI to curate primary source lists while maintaining critical thinking. She emphasizes her three concrete home practices for families: staying involved in what children learn to avoid indoctrination, doing monthly warrior activities together as a family, and allowing children to be bored because boredom gives way to creativity rather than constant tap-dancing entertainment.

In this episode, Judith S Bass, founder of Bass Educational Services, LLC reveals how watching her brother diagnosed with minimal brain dysfunction in 1965 shaped her 25-year mission serving neurodivergent students. Drawing from personally visiting over 400 colleges nationwide, Judith explains her early-start philosophy of meeting students freshman year to teach life skills like taking medicine independently before discussing college in junior year.She discusses her three-tier support system from basic compliance to comprehensive programs, and shares how she evaluates whether staff genuinely enjoy this population because students sense when someone is just going through the motions. Judith reveals her new PRISM platform with a student quiz assessing readiness that sometimes recommends gap years. She explains her strengths-based counseling approach focusing on what students can do rather than limitations, and shares her ideal college redesign eliminating timed tests entirely, integrating disability services into main campus buildings, and educating professors on simple accommodations like giving five-minute transition warnings for autistic students.

In this episode, Judy Cinesi, founder of College Path Consultants with 20 years of high school counseling experience, reveals how she bridges the gap created by public school counselors managing 500-700 students each. Drawing from her work in both private college preparatory schools with 100 students and traditional public schools, Judy explains her best-fit philosophy—believing happiness on campus drives student success regardless of the institution's prestige.She discusses her anxiety-reduction approach that helps families understand not every student needs AP Calculus to succeed, and shares why pushing advanced coursework in middle school often backfires when children aren't ready. Judy reveals what University of Chicago admissions officers told her directly: they can identify parent interference in applications and set those aside without review. She emphasizes the most expensive mistake families make is not doing homework on in-state tuition incentives, and warns against AI-generated essays that use vocabulary 17-year-olds don't know, explaining how students should polish their own authentic voice rather than let parents or technology dehumanize their applications.

In this episode, Dan, Test Prep Director at Gallin Education, reveals how his company navigated the digital SAT transition while maintaining paper-pencil ACT prep in Wisconsin, where most testing centers haven't switched. Drawing from his journey starting as a graduate student recruited on LinkedIn who never left, Dan explains his diagnostic-first approach that helps families choose between ACT and SAT based on actual performance rather than regional myths about coastal versus Midwest preferences.He discusses his philosophy that having a test score is better than not—even in the test-optional era—because it provides flexibility for scholarships and specific programs that still require scores. Dan shares his perspective on AI in tutoring, acknowledging free tools like Khan Academy while emphasizing the human value-add of pattern recognition and dynamic adjustment that comes from knowing each student personally, especially when students struggle to identify what a mixed problem is asking them to do.

In this episode, CJ Palma, founder of CJ 101 Tutoring, reveals how his unique combination of degrees in Marine Science, Computer Science, and Psychology—plus his experience as a first-generation American—shaped his empathy-driven approach to test prep. Drawing from personal experience taking the SAT without preparation (thinking it was an IQ test), CJ explains his mission to democratize information about standardized testing for families without privileged access.He discusses his human-first philosophy where AI handles test bank generation while tutors focus on what technology can't replicate—gathering information about students faster than their underdeveloped frontal lobes can articulate. CJ shares his unconventional path from software engineering to tutoring after his father's illness, and explains why he prioritizes building a small business over scaling, advocating for accessible information without paywalls so parents can make informed decisions regardless of economic background.

In this episode, Lauren Price, founder of Academic Independence, reveals how her background in educational psychology and brain science shapes her unique approach to test prep. Working with around 500 students annually, Lauren explains her philosophy of empowering students to become academically independent rather than tutor-dependent, rooting her methods in self-regulated learning and executive function development.She discusses her diagnostic self-report surveys that assess students' self-regulation, motivation, and mindset before beginning work, and shares why she trains tutors to ensure students talk more than the tutor during sessions. Lauren explains her strategic timing recommendations based on math exposure, and emphasizes setting realistic goals in first sessions to align parent and student expectations before the work even begins.