Episode cover
175. One Teacher's Mission to Help 100 Million Kids Learn to Read: Interview with Malia Hollowell from Playdough to Plato
April 25, 2025 · 29 min

☀️ Join my email community here!

Today's interview is with Malia Hollowell from Playdough to Plato.

Malia is a Starbucks-loving, red-nail-polish-wearing, Sharpie-obsessed former teacher on a mission to make learning fun and easy!

Back in her classroom days, Malia spent way too much time searching for lessons that actually worked. She wanted activities that were simple, engaging, and—most importantly—effective. But finding them? Nearly impossible.

So she created Playdough to Plato to take the guesswork out of teaching. From phonics to math, STEM to science, Malia and her team offer science-backed, ready-to-go resources designed to save teachers time and help their students thrive!

Listen in on my conversation with Malia as she shares:

💜 How she takes the big body of research known as the "Science of Reading" and turns it into actionable steps for teachers

💙 Why she advocates for the mental health of teachers as well as the professional training they need to teach reading

🩷 How her company is working to equip 500,000 teachers with science-backed tools in order to help 100 million kids learn to read!

Prefer to watch this episode on YouTube? Click here to check it out!

You can also listen to my interview with Alex John from the Kindergarten Connection here!

_______________________________________________________

Connect with Malia:

Playdough to Plato Website (Grab her book here!)

Instagram: @playdough2plato

Facebook

YouTube

Podcast: The Science of Reading Formula

►Let's Connect:

>>> Join my email community here!

>>> Reach out on Instagram @littleslovelearningblog

Happy Learning!

-Erin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.