What do you do when people are resisting your work to achieve goals? It's a thing called turning critics into cheerleaders. Not everyone will cheer, but if you give them voice they will be more willing to work with you than against. Have a listen, take the challenge, and tell me how it works for you! Don’t Forget to Review the Show! I appreciate you checking out the episodes. I would mean a lot to me if you took a minute right now to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes , Spotify , Amazon , or ...
Jul 11, 2024•7 min•Season 3Ep. 83
Tom Willis believes we are all born with unlimited potential. As a former classroom teacher, he also believes in the power of lifelong learning. These beliefs have shaped his primary goal in life: helping others move beyond their self-limiting beliefs so they can reach their God-given potential. Prior to co-founding Phoenix Partners, he had the great honor of serving as the CEO for Cornerstone, a school system in Detroit. He was fortunate to earn an engineering degree from the University of Mich...
Jul 08, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 82
What does me getting a new firepit have to do with building community and teamwork? How would a hazardous material removal day help me get to know my neighbors better? Have a listen to hear how and let me know your thoughts. Take the challenge and see how much you improve your surroundings! Don’t Forget to Review the Show! I appreciate you checking out the episodes. I would mean a lot to me if you took a minute right now to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes , Spotify , Amazon , or wherever y...
Jul 04, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 81
For as long as Danielle can remember, she has always wanted to be an educator. Danielle’s love for learning and sharing with others is a lifelong passion and crusade to which she devotes her heart and soul. Within her career path as an educator, she has engaged and inspired others as a Teacher, Learning Coach, Assessment and Data Consultant, Vice Principal, and now Principal. Her favorite and most important role, however, is as a mom. Born in Chemainus, British Columbia, and raised in Saskatchew...
Jul 01, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 80
We stand ready to get on the elevator to the upper floors. We are in a hurry because after all, we want to get to a higher level. Then the doors open and there isn't any room for us to get on. That is, until we let the others off to make room. All to often we lose focus under the temptation of wanting to try something new. Trying new things is a good thing. Trying to hang on to all of them is a bad thing. It keeps us from fitting on that elevator to a higher level. Ultimately, keeping us from fu...
Jun 27, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 79
Samantha is a Psychologist, Speaker, Best Selling Author, and Host of The Be Ruthless Show, a podcast dedicated to Making Noise and Breaking Stigmas. She helps people around the world turn their pain into their power by guiding them to be their true selves, not who they think they need to be, by embracing their differences and recognizing that their perceived weaknesses are their biggest strengths, and by living life on their own terms. Samantha’s mission is to change the way the world views bot...
Jun 24, 2024•38 min•Season 3Ep. 78
Ben Franklin said it best. "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." There are many times in life when we hit a roadblock or some difficulty arises that stops us short of our goal. I don't see that as a failure, but instead a need for more preparation. The great thing about making goals and improvement about a process rather than a destination is that we can always go as far as we have prepared for and rather than stopping, feeling defeated, just step back and prepare some more. Looking at the ...
Jun 20, 2024•7 min•Season 3Ep. 77
Cheryl Johnson is a multifaceted educator, entrepreneur, and visionary leader who has dedicated her life to empowering individuals with knowledge, understanding, and practical skills. In addition to her expertise in constitutional courses and historical tours, Cheryl is also the driving force behind The Fifth Principle Learning Cooperative, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at educating people about the local sustainability efforts and equipping them with the tools to build, support, and maintai...
Jun 17, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 76
The most difficult thing for us to do is be completely honest with ourselves about the extent of our abilities. For us to reach our highest level of success possible we need to know exactly when to ask for help and when we can push further. So how do we help ourselves come to an objective conclusion concerning our ability? Our family members often overestimate and our detractors often underestimate. We all need to find that group who is supportive, but realistic and interested in helping us. Go ...
Jun 13, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 75
Steve Ventura is the president and lead consultant at Advanced Collaborative Solutions. He is a highly motivational and knowledgeable speaker who approaches high-stakes professional development armed with practical, research-based strategies. Steve is a former elementary and secondary teacher as well as both a school and district-level administrator. Steve has published multiple books and articles, and regularly presents and keynotes at major global education events. Show Notes: In this episode,...
Jun 10, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 74
If you're more experienced, you remember it from a ketchup commercial. If not, I'm sure you've felt it. Whether it had to do with getting something you wanted or going somewhere new, there is always the feeling of time slowing down present. Fortunately, we finally get there. Unfortunately, it sometimes deters us from even getting started. It's in that moment when the decision to just start or take another step is crucial to us achieving our goal. After all, every ending had a beginning. It's imp...
Jun 06, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 73
David is a consultant and advisor, futurist, keynote speaker, and author. He is the Founder of Brainyus, a company that applies the principles of transformative purpose, lifelong learning, and servant leadership to guide Human-AI transformation. David is the award-winning author of “Soulful: You in the Future of Artificial Intelligence”; published in May of 2023, and “The Exponential Era: Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Curve in an Era of Chaotic Changes and Disruptive Forces”, published by IEEE...
Jun 03, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 72
Weather changes, sometimes rapidly. So does life. Both can have the same effect on us. It can cause us to feel run down, not up to our everyday activities, or even down or sorry for ourselves. The thing is, we have no control over the weather, but we do have control over how we react to the changes in our lives and the feelings that accompany them. I offer some small, simple but maybe not easy, steps in this message. Have a listen and let me know your thoughts. Don’t Forget to Review the Show! I...
May 30, 2024•7 min•Season 3Ep. 71
Miriam Campbell, a trained speech language pathologist, social worker, author, and teacher, discusses her approach to integrating social emotional learning skills in education. She emphasizes the importance of real-life conflicts as opportunities for growth, the need for ongoing teacher support and training, and the significance of cultivating compassion for oneself and others. Summary Miriam Campbell, a trained speech language pathologist, social worker, author, and teacher, discusses her appro...
May 27, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 70
When did it become cooler to sit back, play it safe, and criticize those who are trying to better themselves instead of putting ourselves out there to push our limits and improve ourselves? Doing that not only stunts our own personal growth, but makes it difficult for others around us to get involved and succeed. Getting better requires mistakes and failure. That is the main ingredient to ultimate success! Instead of being the crab in the bucket that pulls the other crabs who are close to reachi...
May 23, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 69
Mark is the creator of Brain Bump and author of The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. Mark has spent his career launching and developing new ventures at startups and Fortune 500s and in academia. He helped to start the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, dubbed MIT’s “career success accelerator,” where he teaches annually. He also works with many non-profits, currently serving on the board of Plant a Million Corals. Summary In this episode Mark Hirshb...
May 21, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 68
Yeah, I was pretty upset about that pass interference call the ref failed to make! All the way up until I saw the replay from a different angle showing how is was a great play instead of a bungled call. How often in our lives have we jumped to conclusions based on the narrow viewpoint of our own perspective only to find out later that we had it wrong? Did we cause too much damage to a relationship or someone else before we stepped back to look at the situation from a different viewpoint? We shou...
May 16, 2024•7 min•Season 3Ep. 67
Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author. She currently serves as a history professor and Innovation Fellow at Houston Community College. Her innovative teaching includes turning a classroom into an escape room, multidisciplinary projects showcasing personal food histories and environmental justice, and playing with experimental learning spaces. As an executive function coach, she has a holistic approach to school success, which includes a focus on essential skills, executi...
May 13, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 66
When is the last time you took out the trash? What if I asked you the same question, but I wasn't talking about the trash in your kitchen? Instead I was talking about all the negative trash in your life that holds you back from being the most successful version of yourself. What would your answer be then? How many times have you tried to stuff it down to fit a little more in it instead of just getting rid of it? How many times has that resulted in the trash overflowing and making a bigger mess o...
May 09, 2024•7 min•Season 3Ep. 65
At the tender age of 18, Zen Benefiel experienced a profound near-death experience (NDE) that became the gateway to a lifetime of profound transformation and exploration. During this remarkable event, Zen found himself on the threshold between life and death, experiencing a profound shift in consciousness and an intimate connection with the divine. Zen's NDE became the catalyst for his lifelong journey of self-discovery, leading him to explore diverse spiritual traditions, engage in scientific r...
May 06, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 64
How often do we ask that question with no interest in the answer? How often do we answer it knowing the person who asked doesn't really want to hear our answer? We can create more of an authentic focus on social emotional learning by taking small steps to increase empathy. Take the challenge in the video by taking a small step today. Remember that everyone is on their own journey that continues long after you have stopped seeing them. Make that time a bright, positive moment. You'll be amazed at...
May 02, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 63
Dave is a former schoolteacher with 16 years of classroom experience. Dave also has 20 years of teaching experience in untraditional settings. He has a bachelor's degree and two masters degrees in education. While in the classroom, he was certified as a music teacher. He taught Band, Orchestra, Choir, and general music at all levels, preschool through college. Other items he has taught include swimming, Microsoft Office, SAP, Contract Management, Soft Skills, Customer Relationship Management, Pr...
Apr 29, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 62
How often have we slowed down the pace of our lives enough to notice the small acts of service we can perform for others? Those small acts for us often have a larger impact on those who receive them. All we have to do is notice what we can do for others to make a large, positive impact on them and eventually our whole community. There is a challenge in the video. Start small and then build up to multiple acts. Whether they are small gifts or physical help they create small ripples that grow larg...
Apr 25, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Shari Pierce was born and raised in Yonkers, New York and was a special educator for the Yonkers Public Schools for thirty-three years. For twenty-three of those years, she worked with middle and high-schoolers with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Following her retirement, she wrote a book, "Life Skills: A Handbook for Parents & Teachers of the Intellectually Disabled" which gives gentle advice about educating this most special population and emphasizes collaboration among pare...
Apr 22, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Nobody is perfect. Situations, even less often. We will always run across stumbling blocks or barriers to our success. When we do we have three choices we can make instead of giving in and not reaching our goal. We can go around by finding another solution to the problem. We can go over by persevering until we can overcome by outlasting what is in our way. We can go through by learning from our mistakes and failures and improving the skill set we need to be successful. What we can't do is accept...
Apr 18, 2024•7 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Kathleen Weber is a former school counselor of 25 years and is a Certified, Accredited Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Practitioner. She is passionate about bringing tools to educators and students that help to regulate emotions and calm the nervous system. Prior to using these techniques, she felt like something was missing from her toolbox. Students would return with the same issue time and time again, or they would return with the same theme, but different players. It wasn't until she lear...
Apr 15, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 58
Three things that unfortunately, are sometimes overlooked when they can be helped with small steps. Have a listen for a "3 for 1" strategy, repeated 5 times for maximum positive impact. Don’t Forget to Review the Show! I appreciate you checking out the episodes. I would mean a lot to me if you took a minute right now to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes , Spotify , Amazon , or wherever you listen ! It helps the show out a lot! Who am I? I’ve been an educator in Massachusetts for 23 years. I’...
Apr 11, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Daniel Kelley is an Associate Teaching Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Rhode Island. He previously served as the principal of Smithfield High School in Smithfield, RI. During his tenure, he successfully implemented sustainable change initiatives that profoundly impacted the school’s learning culture. Dan’s contributions to education extend to national leadership roles as well. He served as the president of the National Association of Secondary School Principal...
Apr 08, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 56
We often get caught up in our schedules as we move through the day. Before we know it, days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. Suddenly we realize that there is a feeling of being unfulfilled. That feeling is an effect of not making time for ourselves as we stay busy making sure we are working to meet the needs and expectations of others. What we don't realize is that we can do all of that for others much better if we first make time for ourselves. By setting aside time to take care of ...
Apr 04, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Meet Mike, a passionate coach, mentor, and leader dedicated to fostering positive change through the principles of MIRA: Mindset, Intention, Right Action. With 17 years of experience in guiding, leading, and building national programs designed to teach, train, develop, and inspire, Mike brings a wealth of expertise. His goal is to instill positive psychology principles and inspire communities of all sizes to become organizations for good. Recently venturing into Social and Emotional Learning (SE...
Apr 01, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 54
