It has been over two years since the start of the pandemic, and we are only just now beginning to see the repercussions. The impact of mental health is often an invisible one, and we may not always see it until later. The pandemic has affected not only the condition of our mental health, but also restricted many of our access to resources that could give us the help we need. This effect is compounded in kids and teenagers, whose access to mental health resources often comes from school, which...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Too often, people view leaders as those who are out front and in charge – they think in terms of power. But real leaders are those who have the ability to effect change in the lives of others. They are those who create a collaborative culture where everyone is supported, included, and set up to succeed. Join Russ Ewell’s conversation with educator and founder of Think Inclusive Tim Villegas as they discuss the necessity and importance of inclusion not just for those with disabilities, but for...
Feb 25, 2022•47 min
Rather than building an organization around an individual leader or one generation of leaders, the goal should be to build a sustainable organization, which requires developing multiple generations of leaders who share the vision of building the organization to last. Join Russ as he talks to Jim and Rick McCartney about the importance of leaders who raise up other leaders.References:Built to Last by Jim CollinsMichigan Football Jim HarbaughThe Get Back - Beatles DocumentaryThe Road Less Trave...
Dec 04, 2021•1 hr 18 min
As leaders, each of us needs to become self-aware, so we can develop the relationships necessary to cultivate an effective team. While a solo leader puts out objectives, a team leader puts out a mission. Russ Is joined by friend Dr. Gregg Marutzky, a minister, counselor, engineer, and professor in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, as they discuss what makes up effective leadership.References:Inclusive LeadershipMilton RokeachDavid A. SeamandsDr. Meredith BelbinManagement Teams: Why they succ...
Oct 23, 2021•58 min
Sensory Friendly Vaccine Clinic sign upIn today’s podcast, Russ talks with Dr. Dave Traver and Dr. Dieter Bruno about the importance of understanding and inclusivity in the conversation surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations. On May 15 and June 12, Hope Technology School is partnering with the Bay Area Christian Church and Sequoia Hospital to provide COVID-19 vaccines for people 12+ who may require a more sensory-friendly environment.This clinic was developed by medical professionals, special...
May 12, 2021•40 min
Artists communicate and articulate emotionally what we are unable to do ourselves. When we don’t value and support artists, society as a whole misses out on truth, introspection, and depth. An Urban Institute study found that “96 percent of respondents said they were greatly inspired and moved by various kinds of art…[and] only 27 percent of respondents said that artists contribute "a lot" to the good of society.” If so many of us value and are moved by art, why don’t we support the artists t...
May 07, 2021•23 min
Students are people, first and foremost. When we treat them as products or resources for the job market, we deprive both them and the world of the creativity and depth necessary to develop holistic leaders. In this second episode of three, Russ continues his conversation with William Deresiewicz about rethinking and redefining education and the importance of seeing students as human beings.Deresiewicz has published more than 280 essays and reviews, won the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, the N...
Apr 30, 2021•15 min
In this first episode of three, Russ talks with award-winning essayist and best-selling author William Deresiewicz about a varying number of topics, including friendship, mentorship, and learning from those who are different from you. Deresiewicz has published more than 280 essays and reviews, won the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, the National Book Critics Circle’s Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, as well as a Sydney Award. He is a three-time National Magazine Award nomine...
Apr 23, 2021•28 min
When thinking about effective leadership, it can be easy to focus on the tangible: what needs to be done and how quickly can it be accomplished? While this is important, it is just as important to develop self-awareness and team-building skills as leaders. Leaders should ask questions, be accessible, be vulnerable, and create an environment that allows people to feel safe to give feedback, and this requires emotional intelligence.Join Russ Ewell as he talks with Dr. Patricia Thompson, a corpo...
Mar 22, 2021•55 min
Powerful emotions can derail, disrupt, distract, and disorient us. If we don’t learn how to handle strong emotions, they will begin to lead us and our company, department, or family. Join Russ Ewell on this episode as he gives us a spiritual and emotional antidote to emotionalism so we can reinvent our leadership.Subscribe to the Lead Different Newsletter
Oct 02, 2020•7 min
As we are in the middle of a pandemic, it is easy to get negative. But this time of crisis opens the door to not just danger, but opportunity. Those who have accomplished extraordinary things in the past faced crises just like us, but were able to look past the danger to see the opportunities. We are in need of such leaders today: leaders who rise up in their communities, creating solutions the governments and corporations of the world cannot solve. Leaders who might feel too afraid or too sm...
Sep 25, 2020•17 min
“Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.”Robert Kennedy Much like artists, leaders are visionary. They see things that no one else sees, and break the mold of what is considered normal. Not bound by the shackles of conformity, leaders are original in their thinking and in what they produce, whether it is art, technology, athletics, etc. Silicon Valley is unique for many reasons, and arguably the most compelling reason is that it i...
Jun 14, 2019•51 min
“If we lingered on the past play perhaps we would miss an opportunity...Essentially, by not moving on to the next play immediately, we would be compounding that mistake, either by making another or by missing an opportunity to make a great play. Failing to move onto the next play was itself a mistake because it took focus and concentration off the current moment, the only point in time we could do something positive to impact the game.”Jay Bilas, Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off...
May 30, 2019•11 min
“However tough people face their fears and doubts head-on, and they overcome them so they can function at the highest level without that fear and doubt inhibiting their ability to perform at their best. Embracing fear and using it to push yourself to get better, takes courage” Jay Bilas (Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court) Russ continues his conversation with Stone Eleazer and Coach Braumon Creighton to discuss how to teach and develop real leaders. Rather than sett...
May 16, 2019•35 min
“We may be born into a great family situation or a difficult family situation that forces or conditions you to be tough, but we aren’t born that way. Toughness comes from how you handle your experiences, what you learn from them, and how you’re guided through them by others in your life.”Mike Krzyzewski (Jay Bilas, Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court) “Mental toughness” is a term frequently used by coaches and players alike, but is often misunderstood as a concept. R...
May 02, 2019•37 min
Finishing the second part of our Military Leadership podcast, Russ continues his conversation with Lee and Ric on who were the military leaders that inspire them. One of the key take-aways is how helpful it is for everyone on the team to have a clear mission and purpose to what they are trying to accomplish. Once everyone knows their role and what they specifically bring to the team then they become bought into the bigger picture. Harry S Truman, the 33rd President of the United States ...
Nov 09, 2018•30 min
The military is one of the most successful institutions that builds and develops leaders. Over half of the United States Presidents have served in the military. Russ sits down with Lee Delony and Ric McClain, both retired Military service members to talk about their time in the service and what they have learned about leadership and how that can translate to help anyone who wants to be a leader in whatever capacity.“THE DAY THE SOLDIERS STOP BRINGING YOU THEIR PROBLEMS IS THE DAY YOU STOPPED ...
Nov 01, 2018•22 min
Continuing the conversation started in Part 1, Russ, Caleb and Matt share the overwhelming influence sports had on their lives and discuss how much it can develop the qualities of a leader. Northwestern University’s football team and their quest to unionize in an attempt to expand the rights and benefits of the student-athletes showed to contain many lessons on leadership. Team sports culture instills in those involved and ethos of, “we either succeed together, or not at all.” A collecti...
Oct 25, 2018•52 min
"My ego demands— for myself— the success of my team."BILL RUSSELL Everyone should be involved in team sports. Someway, somehow everyone should grow up in or around sports culture because it teaches you so many valuable lessons. How to work with others, leading a small group of individuals towards a common goal, working hard to achieve something and social skills can all be learned playing sports. Not everyone will grow up to become a professional athlete, or even a collegiate athlete, bu...
Sep 20, 2018•39 min
Russ Ewell sits down with Dave Banks and Todd Singleton to discuss if it is worth the time and effort to build and train leaders, allowing them the opportunity to fail and learn through their mistakes. Mark Zuckerberg, according to Kara Swisher’s opinion piece in the New York Times, has cost many people their privacy while he learns “on the job” how to lead in a digital space that has never been explored before. Is our unwillingness to be patient as leaders grow through the process placing us...
Aug 08, 2018•53 min
What can you learn from past Presidents on how to lead good? Russ Ewell and Nathan Schaffernoth sit down to discuss the 2017 Presidential Historians Survey conducted by C-SPAN, which polled 91 historians on presidential leadership, including economic management, international relations, crisis leadership, public persuasion skills and whether they pursued equal justice for all. Join in as they talk about why it is important for every leader to have vision for what you are leading and being abl...
Jul 30, 2018•29 min
Steve Jobs was one of the primary creative forces behind Apple and their success at becoming one of the most important companies in the world. There is something to learn from how he impassioned his coworkers to buy into the vision of what Apple could be. He was never afraid to fail and learned to change in the process. Check out Nathan and Russ on the second episode of Leading Good as they discuss why politics needs a Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evoluti...
Jul 20, 2018•37 min
How does a leader do more by doing less? In the inaugural episode of the Leading Good podcast; Russ, Nathan and Greg sit down to talk about LeBron, the Lakers and Leadership. They dive deep on surrounding yourself with the right people to get the job done and discuss the real life leadership lessons we can learn from sports.
Jul 05, 2018•53 min
