pREPARING FOR THE iNTERVIEW
HOW TO BE A GREAT GUEST
Welcome to the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast! We’re so excited to have you join us for a conversation that’s designed to inspire, educate, and inform. To help you prepare for a fantastic experience, we’ve created 10 tips for being a great guest on the show. On this page you will also find information about Co-Hosts Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett, and a collection of example episodes for your review.
1. Be Part of a Conversation
This is a friendly, relaxed discussion—not a formal interview or presentation. Think of it as three or four colleagues sitting down to enjoy a cup of coffee and talking about the things they are most passionate about. If you find yourself talking for a long time, feel free to pause and take a breath—this leaves room for a natural back-and-forth that makes the conversation more engaging for everyone.
2. Mistakes Are Totally Okay
Don’t worry if you fumble a word, lose your train of thought, or go down a rabbit hole that doesn’t lead anywhere—we’ve all been there! Matt and Cyndi, your hosts, are known for their humor and lightheartedness (or so their kids say), so just roll with it, and the episode will be all the better for it. We also have a professional editor who works to make
3. Speak to the Audience
Our listeners include intellectually curious educators, emerging scholars, and administrators who are eager to make meaningful changes in education. Speak to their challenges, aspirations, and curiosity—they’re here to learn from your expertise and be inspired..
4. Limit the Self-Promotion
We’ll introduce you and your accomplishments at the beginning of the episode, so there’s no need to over-promote yourself during the conversation. Mentioning your book or project occasionally is fine, but our audience connects best with authentic, idea-driven dialogue.
5. Speak to Your Passions
The best episodes come from guests who talk about what excites them most. Let your enthusiasm shine through as you share your stories, ideas, and experiences. Our goal is to inspire and inform, and your passion will help us do just that.
6. Be Flexible
We’ll craft questions based on the form you completed, but our conversations often evolve organically. If there’s a specific topic you’d love to highlight, let us know on the form, and we’ll do our best to weave it into the discussion.
7. Have Fun!
We’re here to celebrate your insights and we want you to enjoy the experience. Feel free to share stories, laugh, and make the conversation your own.
8. Prepare Your Space
Ensure you’re in a quiet, distraction-free space with a good microphone or headset for clear audio. If you need help with your setup, just let us know, and we’ll be happy to assist.
9. Know the Show
If you haven’t already, get to know the show by listening to some episodes below and exploring our website. You are contributing to a collection of amazing interviews with creativity researchers, passionate educators, and amazing practitioners.
10. Be Yourself
Our audience loves genuine, heartfelt conversations. Bring your authentic self, share openly, and let your personality shine. That’s what makes each episode memorable and impactful.
Meet the Co-Hosts
Dr. Matthew Worwood
Co-Host & Producer
Matthew Worwood is an education consultant and full-time faculty member at the University of Connecticut’s Digital Media and Design Department. He is also the director of Digital Media CT, a consortium of Connecticut-based higher education institutions working in collaboration to promote digital media careers in Connecticut. His research interests focus on Teacher Creativity, Co-Creativity with Generative AI, and Design Thinking.
Matthew has produced a collection of low-budget documentary films exploring education issues. He also writes about various education and creativity topics and shares his ideas for teacher creativity and how it supports long-term professional growth on his website, WorwoodClassroom.com. Matthew’s current projects include TeacherRoundtables.com, the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, and research on a new proposed model for creativity called the CAUSE model. Matthew also continues to work with local school districts on his framework for teacher creativity, which utilizes different aspects of design thinking, creativity theory, and research into teacher transformation.
Dr. Cyndi Burnett
Co-Host & Producer
Dr. Cyndi Burnett is the Director of Possibilities at Creativity and Education. She is a creativity in education scholar, educator, and practitioner whose work focuses on empowering educators to infuse creative thinking into the classroom. She spent 20 years as an academic teaching deliberate creative thinking and creativity problem-solving in the Department of Creativity and Change Leadership at SUNY Buffalo State University. She ran a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Igniting Your Everyday Creativity with over 70K participants worldwide. She is the recipient of the President’s Medal for Excellence in Teaching by SUNY Buffalo State University, was Buffalo Business First, Woman of Influence for her work in creativity, and was featured in the NY Times article titled “Creativity Becomes an Academic Discipline.”
Dr. Burnett co-hosts the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, where she interviews leading researchers, practitioners, and educators on creative thinking in education. She is the co-author of the books Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum, 20 Lessons for Weaving Creativity into Your Curriculum, My Sandwich is a Spaceship: Creative Thinking for Parents and Young Children and Infusing Creative Thinking into Higher Education.
Example Episodes
Building a Playful Classroom: Learning through Improvisation and Humor with Izzy Gesell
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood welcome Izzy Gesell, an organizational alchemist and expert in humor, creativity, improv, and education. Izzy shares his insights on the connections and differences between improvisation, creativity, and humor.
Teaching Teachers about Creativity with Lisa Saunders
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Lisa Saunders, a 4th grade teacher based in Connecticut. Listen in to gain insight into Lisa’s experience at the Teacher Innovation Studio (a program facilitated by Matt) and how it transformed her thinking as an educator.
The Thinking Teacher is a Creative Teacher with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome back Dr. Kulvarn Atwal, an educator, principal, and author of The Thinking School and The Thinking Teacher. The Thinking Teacher was written to share the findings of Kulvarn’s doctoral research, which highlights how educators can create a more expansive learning environment through quality teaching.
Multi-Passionate and Reluctant Creatives with Caroline Brookfield
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Caroline Brookfield, a veterinarian, researcher, and stand-up comedian who delights in using humor and immersive experiences, backed up with research, to sway the most reluctant creative. Today, the dynamic trio delves into Caroline’s experience melding the worlds of veterinary medicine, comedy, and creativity. They also talk about the relationship between multi-passionate creatives and reluctant creatives.
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