In this energizing episode of The Gaslight Effect Podcast, Dr. Robin Stern is joined by Dr. Christina Cipriano—associate professor at the Yale Child Study Center, Director of the Education Collaboratory at Yale, award-winning psychologist, and one of the leading voices in social and emotional learning (SEL) and the science of how children learn and thrive.

Chris's work centers on making schools and systems places where every person is seen, served, and safe. She and Dr. Stern explore the powerful intersection of emotional intelligence, gaslighting, and "the way we do things" in classrooms, clinics, workplaces, and families. Together, they look at what happens when feelings are dismissed or distorted by the adults and systems around us—and how emotionally intelligent, justice-oriented environments can offer a very different reality.

They dig into:

How SEL, done well, can protect against everyday gaslighting experiences—like being told "you're overreacting," "that didn't happen," or "it's all in your head."

Why centering students' and families' intersecting identities is essential for truly inclusive, emotionally safe learning environments.

The emotional impact on children when institutions minimize their pain, their stories, or their needs.

Practical tools for educators, parents, and providers to listen, validate, and respond in ways that build trust instead of doubt.

Chris also shares insights from her new book, Be Unapologetically Impatient: The Mindset Required to Change the Way We Do Things, where she shows how learning science, emotional intelligence, intrinsic motivation, and gratitude can help us challenge harmful "this is just how it's done" norms—at kitchen tables, in classrooms, in doctors' offices, boardrooms, and even in the halls of power. Anchored in her oldest son's rare disease journey, she weaves together decades of research and deeply human stories to help us recognize when systems are gaslighting us—and how to advocate for change with both courage and compassion.

Whether you're an educator, parent, provider, or simply someone who cares about how children and families are treated in our institutions, this conversation offers language, strategies, and hope for creating environments where people don't have to question their reality to be believed.