Changemaker ED“U”
Welcome to Changemaker ED“U”, a podcast about all things microschools. If you are a paradigm shifter who wants to create change in your community through microschooling, this is the podcast for you! We share the nuts and bolts of launching and running a successful microschool as well as important tips and tricks about leadership, business, and entrepreneurship. I am David K Richards, the Founder & CEO of Changemaker Education, an affiliate network of microschools. With 25+ years in education reform, leadership development, and entrepreneurship, I am excited to host this podcast!
S2 E1 · Wed, April 02, 2025
Empowering Communities Changing Lives and the Power of Microschools
David shared the relaunch of the podcast focusing on all things microschools and the vision going forward as follows. This is a podcast about all things microschools. It will share the nuts and bolts of opening and running a successful microschool. He will share leadership development tips and tricks. He will share how to embody an entrepreneurship mindset. He wants this podcast to help anyone in the process whether they join Changemaker Education officially or not. He then shared a little about what Changemaker Education does: It is a network of affiliate microschools that incubate paradigm shifting microschools across the country. It is unique because it is a network but founders have autonomy. Founders license the mind, body, soul curriculum, the brand, and the support and community in exchange for a revenue share once they open. Founders are provided with the support they need from budget to student recruitment to curriculum to facility procurement. Then David shared Changemaker Education was created: We believe that we are in a massive time of change and we need the people in the community that know and care about the kids to create real change on the ground. We believe that it is the grassroots and the people on the ground that will create lasting impact in education. We see the microschools movement as one key driver of this change and want to create the conditions to support founders with a vision for a life changing microschool to get it off the ground. Then he made a call to action for the changemakers listening and his calling to lead this effort: Part of the goal for this podcast is to reach the people that have this dream to launch a microschool, or be part of a founding team to get one off the ground. This is a call for the educators, care takers, parents, community members who see that we need change and are willing to commit to being part of the solution. If you are committed and all in to create the change and ready to follow your dream, we want you to be part of this movement. We are at the forefront of a massive transformation and paradigm shift. This is not for people that are looking to maintain the status quo or tweak around the edges. This is a call for radical change, and a call to reimagine the way we do school and create proof points all across the country and the world that this is possible. I have been in education reform for over 25 years and am super excited about the opportunities for change. I want to gather the people that will do it in the best way for kids. I have worked in all different types of schools: public charter, traditional public, and private schools and I have seen what happens when you create intimate learning e
S1 E53 · Wed, March 27, 2024
The Challenges of Changemaking and How to Navigate Naysayers
David shares his wisdom today about what happens when you feel inspired from the depths of your soul to create change and be the best version of yourself. He asks you to clarify the change you want to create, and see where fear is holding you back. David shares that when you are following your soul’s calling, it is typically those that are closest to you that project their fears onto you and unintentionally ask you to play small. David recommends that you use these opportunities to learn and grow. Their fears are a reflection of the fears within you. Use this as fuel to drive yourself toward the change you want to see and to comfort the part of you that is worried and nervous. David finalizes the episode by asking you to embrace the truth that you know within yourself and follow your heart.
S1 E52 · Wed, March 06, 2024
Great Schools in Action
David has a great conversation with Elana Feinberg. They discuss the current trends in education, what Elana is seeing in schools that she thinks more people should be doing, and reforming the inside or outside of the system. You will hear great advice from Elana about problems with implementation and some of the unique ways that great schools across the country are creating innovative change for all types of different kinds of learners. Elana has almost 25 years of experience in education, social enterprise, and technology. She has worked with district and charter schools, educational technology companies, and other social enterprise and educational organizations. Elana has designed and launched (or expanded) 10+ schools and coached 30+ teachers, school leaders, and entrepreneurs through her work for New Schools for New Orleans , Catalyst: Ed , Camelback Ventures , Leading Educators , Next Generation Learning Challenges (Mass IDEAS), Boston Schools Fund , Walton Family Foundation , and the Center for Women in Entrepreneurship . She works from an anti-racist and feminist lens, mostly supporting women and people of color who are working to innovate and disrupt. When project managing and leading launches or supporting leaders, she is involved in every aspect of the work, including design, operations, talent and hiring, governance, and programs. She has also designed and facilitated workshops on entrepreneurship and consulting for Catalyst:Ed, Camelback Ventures, and the Center for Women in Entrepreneurship, and created the Core Consulting Competencies program, detailing the information and strategies that new consultants and entrepreneurs need to know to be successful. Finally, Elana has built a nationwide network upon which she often calls upon for support, resources, input or connections. You can learn more about Elana here: @elanafeinberg Twitter/X https://www.linkedin.com/in/elana-feinberg/ www.elanafeinberg.com
S1 E51 · Wed, February 28, 2024
One Stone: Empowering Students Through Student-Driven Education
One Stone, co-founded by Teresa Poppen, revolutionizes education by empowering students to take charge of their learning journey. Initially focusing on experiential service, One Stone evolved into Lab 51, a student-driven school fostering real-world impact and self-discovery. At One Stone, students drive the organization's direction, with student-majority boards ensuring their voices shape its activities. Service projects, like Project Good, instill leadership and empathy, while the Hatch Studio offers entrepreneurial opportunities, nurturing risk-taking and innovation. Lab 51 operates on a competency-based model, emphasizing mindset growth and skill development aligned with students' passions. A college-like environment lets students craft schedules around their interests, engaging in design labs, community reads, and the Living in Beta program, fostering identity exploration. One Stone's approach challenges parental involvement, urging them to embrace student-driven learning alongside their children. Extracurricular activities, integrated seamlessly, extend learning beyond traditional bounds, aligning with students' interests. The organization shares its innovative practices through Idea 51 and professional development series, assisting other schools in adopting student-centric approaches. Challenges, like funding and resistance to change, are overcome by a steadfast commitment to core values, notably trust in students. Understanding the "why" behind educational initiatives is paramount, with One Stone's website providing insights into its programs. Visitors are encouraged to witness firsthand the transformative power of student-driven education. In summary, One Stone's dedication to empowering students and sharing its innovations epitomizes a new paradigm in education. By prioritizing student agency, fostering real-world impact, and staying true to core values, One Stone is redefining education and inspiring change in institutions worldwide. You can learn more about One Stone below: Website: onestone.org Facebook: facebook.com/onestoneidaho Instagram: instagram.com/onestoneidaho Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/one-stone-idaho/
S1 E50 · Fri, February 23, 2024
Let Life Show The Way
In this solo episode, David shares his own experiences with letting life show him the way. He talks about various experiences from his own life where he was in resistance to something that he knew to be true. Throughout the episode, David talks about ways you can be aware of the truth and take one step at a time to move toward it. This simple concept of listening to the truth that life is showing you day by day, can ultimately change your life. David shares the way it has changed his life.
S1 E49 · Thu, February 15, 2024
Finding The Magic in Middle School
Are you curious about finding magic in the Middle School experience? If so, join David and Chris as they discuss all the ups and downs, ins and outs, challenges and most importantly, the opportunities for parents and educators with these middle years! In this engaging episode, David delves into a thought-provoking conversation with Chris Balme, an esteemed education expert and the author of "Finding the Magic in Middle School." The dialogue unfolds with Chris sharing his personal journey as a once introverted and perplexed middle schooler, an experience that ignited his mission to understand and transform the middle school landscape. Drawing from neuroscience, Chris emphasizes the crucial developmental stages of early adolescence. He sheds light on the inadequacies of traditional middle schools, structured on a factory model that often contradicts the evolving needs of middle schoolers. Chris advocates for schools to prioritize adolescents' core drives: self-discovery, social connection, and contribution, asserting the need for an educational paradigm shift. Chris's transformative vision materialized with the co-founding of Millennium School in San Francisco. This innovative school is designed to foster a supportive environment where belonging, connection, and contribution take center stage. Chris underscores the importance of small school sizes, intentional advisory programs, and project-based learning in crafting an educational experience that transcends the norm. The conversation explores Chris's initiative in depth, shedding light on the challenges faced by middle school boys. He calls for a paradigm shift in the narrative surrounding middle school experiences, challenging the perception that it is an inherently challenging and traumatic phase. Instead, Chris encourages parents and educators to recognize the inherent magic in this crucial developmental period. Notably, the discussion touches on Chris's two-fold approach for parents in traditional schools. Firstly, he suggests parents embrace a personal reinvention during their child's adolescence, fostering open communication about the challenges and joys of this transformative phase. Secondly, he advocates for creating alternative spaces for students to exert control outside the constraints of traditional schooling. Activities such as apprenticeships, volunteering, or part-time jobs can provide a balance and contribute to a more holistic developmental experience. A significant aspect of the conversation revolves around the importance of an intentional advisory program. Drawing from his experience, Chris introduces Argonaut, his online program designed for middle schoolers globally. The program facilitates meaningful discussions on topics like personality, emotions, and relationships, providing a valuable platform for adolescents to navigate this pivotal phase. Throughout the episode, Chris encourages parents to embrace the quirkiness
S1 E48 · Wed, February 07, 2024
Let Love Guide The Way
David shares a simple message in today’s episode. After doing a short guided practice, David asks us to let love guide the way. He shares his own personal journey of believing that talking about love was “soft”, and how he now believes the opposite. You can hear more about how he debunks that myth. David also talks about how it all starts with loving yourself. Take the moments in your day to notice when you are being harsh with yourself and requalify those thoughts and that habit. And, finally, he asks that you spread love throughout your day as you encounter the various people you see in your life. Give it a try and see what happens! Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E47 · Wed, January 31, 2024
Revolutionizing Education: The Micro School Model
Amar Kumar, founder and CEO of Chipotle Learning, shared insights on the transformative potential of micro schools in a conversation with David. Having worked in online education, Kumar recognized the limitations of solitary online learning, acknowledging the importance of social interaction and support in education. This realization led to the creation of Kai Pod, a hybrid model combining online schooling with in-person learning hubs. The essence of micro schools lies in providing personalized attention and tailored curricula. Kumar envisions a future where passionate subject experts create engaging online courses, accessible to students across a region. Meanwhile, on-site learning coaches facilitate individualized support, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. Reflecting on the challenges of traditional education, Kumar emphasizes the need to break the mold. Micro schools, with their small class sizes and community-oriented approach, offer a solution to the impersonal nature of larger educational institutions. Kumar envisions this model as the future of education, emphasizing the importance of building strong connections between educators and students for a more effective and fulfilling learning experience. The conversation explores the concept of micro-schooling, specifically within the context of KaiPod Learning and its Catalyst program. The speaker discusses the challenges of traditional education systems and the need for more personalized, community-oriented approaches. They emphasize the importance of relationships, coaching, community, and childcare in education. The speaker shares personal experiences, including a story about a retired physician's judgment of educators, highlighting the crowd control aspect in large classrooms. They reflect on the limitations of traditional education, citing issues with content delivery, coaching, community building, and childcare. The conversation delves into the idea of micro-schools, defined as small learning environments. The speaker describes KaiPod as a supplement to existing online or homeschooling options, providing a community for social, emotional, and coaching needs. They discuss the diversity of micro-schools, with different models tailored to specific passions, needs, and community contexts. The Catalyst program is introduced as an initiative to empower educators who are considering leaving traditional classrooms. It aims to help them define their vision for education, navigate the process of starting a school, and align their passion with community needs. The speaker emphasizes the importance of educators' autonomy in shaping their micro-schools. The conversation touches on different educational models like Acton and Primer, highlighting the distinction between KaiPod's approach and those that prescribe a specific model. The speaker underscores their beli
S1 E46 · Wed, January 24, 2024
Be Playful and Free
David shares a simple message in today’s episode. Give yourself permission to be playful and childlike - not childish but be free and have fun like a child. Laugh a little. Don’t take everything so seriously. He asks you just to try it and see how your day goes! Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E45 · Wed, January 17, 2024
Pathfinder: The Road to Love Based Schools
In today’s episode, Mary Jo and David continue discussing their exciting announcement about launching Pathfinder, a program to support others who are inspired to open a school, program or learning center, and need the guidance and structure to achieve their dream. Listen to hear some tips and tricks from David and Mary Jo to move closer to your dream of opening a school or supporting others who are committed to creating change in this way. Specifically, they speak to the importance of values and beliefs as the critical first step in moving forward with your dream to open a school. Mary Jo Fairhead is the Founder of Onward Learning, a K-8 micro school in Martin, South Dakota near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She has been an educator and mentor of all ages as a coach, teacher, and most recently an elementary school principal. Throughout her career, she saw how a safe and healthy learning environment can inspire children to discover their unique gifts and find their purpose. She deeply believes that children are capable of changing the world around them in the most profound ways. Unfortunately, Mary Jo witnessed how an educational system can extinguish curiosity and confidence by forcing all children to fit into one box without reverence for each child’s unique talents, skills, interests, and needs. She has observed this as the norm in mainstream education and thus she believes there has never been a more vital time to prioritize our children's future than now! Based on her experience as a mother and an educator, Mary Jo envisioned a school where children would enter an environment of complete and absolute love every time they step into their school—a school where class sizes are small and teachers know each of their students on a deep level, where curiosity and creativity are not only appreciated, but encouraged and nurtured. She yearns for her children and the other children in her community to never be forced into the same box, but instead to be guided in finding their unique strengths, passions, and purpose in this world. Mary Jo met David when she was first crafting her vision, and he supported her in fulfilling her dream to open Onward Learning. The school was also inspired by Phillip Moore who is the author of The Future of Children and for 42 years, led a love-based, nature school in Michigan known as Upland Hills. Mary Jo shares how she took her dream to a reality in this episode and ultimately how Onward Learning emerged in her small but mighty community of Martin, South Dakota near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. You can learn more about Mary Jo and her school here: https://onwardlearning.org/ Be on the lookout for the Pathfinder website which is launching soon: www.pathfindered.com
S1 E44 · Wed, January 10, 2024
Become a Pathfinder for the Future of School
In today’s episode, Mary Jo and David share their exciting announcement about launching Pathfinder, a program to support others who are inspired to open a school, program or learning center, and need the guidance and structure to achieve their dream. Listen to hear some tips and tricks from David and Mary Jo to move closer to your dream of opening a school or supporting others who are committed to creating change in this way. Mary Jo Fairhead is the Founder of Onward Learning, a K-8 micro school in Martin, South Dakota near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She has been an educator and mentor of all ages as a coach, teacher, and most recently an elementary school principal. Throughout her career, she saw how a safe and healthy learning environment can inspire children to discover their unique gifts and find their purpose. She deeply believes that children are capable of changing the world around them in the most profound ways. Unfortunately, Mary Jo witnessed how an educational system can extinguish curiosity and confidence by forcing all children to fit into one box without reverence for each child’s unique talents, skills, interests, and needs. She has observed this as the norm in mainstream education and thus she believes there has never been a more vital time to prioritize our childrens’ future than now! Based on her experience as a mother and an educator, Mary Jo envisioned a school where children would enter an environment of complete and absolute love every time they step into their school—a school where class sizes are small and teachers know each of their students on a deep level, where curiosity and creativity are not only appreciated, but encouraged and nurtured. She yearns for her children and the other children in her community to never be forced into the same box, but instead to be guided in finding their unique strengths, passions, and purpose in this world. Mary Jo met David when she was first crafting her vision, and he supported her in fulfilling her dream to open Onward Learning. The school was also inspired by Phillip Moore who is the author of The Future of Children and for 42 years, led a love-based, nature school in Michigan known as Upland Hills. Mary Jo shares how she took her dream to a reality in this episode and ultimately how Onward Learning emerged in her small but mighty community of Martin, South Dakota near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. You can learn more about Mary Jo and her school here: https://onwardlearning.org/ Be on the lookout for the Pathfinder website which is launching soon!
S1 E43 · Wed, January 03, 2024
Following My Intuition Took Me from Pain to Being Fully Alive
We are all born with a strong intuition. But at around 7 years old, we begin to lose this and start becoming conditioned to the outside world telling us what is right or wrong, good or bad. Today, I discuss the basics of following your intuition as a leader. Launching this podcast brings me right back to being 8 years old and knowing I wanted to be some sort of host. At that time, I wanted to be a gameshow host, but as people around me said to choose something realistic, my dreams faded. I dug into my intuition and I am back, not as a gameshow host, but as a podcast host, to help leaders find their intuition. Listening to your intuition is like growing a muscle, all it takes is practice and determination. This week I ask you to think about a time you had an intuitive feeling and deconstruct what happened. Did you follow it? Why or why not? You already have intuition within you and if you slow things down, you can find the answers and the way to be. Highlights: We are all born with strong intuition. Your intuition may have faded as you got older, but we can relearn how to follow our intuition. Think about a time when you had an intuitive feeling. Did you act on it? Why or why not? Deconstruct what happened. To intentionally act and follow our intuition, we need to slow down. Life is busy. Begin by taking 1 minute of silence for yourself each day. Begin thinking about the messages you are missing by rushing from A to B. Create BE goals for yourself. What are you going to do that is a BE goal this week? Find the small ways to listen to your intuition. Try to listen to areas where you know the Truth and follow it. Trust yourself! Fear comes from the head, but intuition comes from the heart. Resources: Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck For more information, including show notes, check out our website at www.heartofthematter.io .
S1 E42 · Wed, December 27, 2023
End of Year Reflections
David shares his end of year reflections and his gratitude for all of you who have listened over the year. He also shares so recommendations for how to finish out the year including getting some rest during this time of year.
S1 E41 · Wed, December 20, 2023
The Oneness of Conscious Parenting and School
Meet Anita Lennon who was born and raised in Hungary. She came to the United States alone when she was 21. She went to college, then law school and she became a lawyer. Anita has been working on Wall Street since then as a compliance consultant to brokerage firms. Around 2016, she realized that she feels much more fulfilled when she is giving personal advice and helping people. Anita completed several life coaching training certifications including Dr. Shefali Tsabary’s Conscious Parenting Coaching Institute. Since then she has started her own coaching business and is working on transitioning to coaching full-time. Several years ago, while on her own healing journey Anita finally realized that her main goal and dream is to start her own school. She took her time clarifying her philosophy for the school and is currently working on planning the school. It is expected to open around 2024-2025. David and Anita have a great conversation about Anita’s motivation to start a school based on the experiences of her own two children who are now in their 20s. She could see the gaps for each of her boys who are very different and this inspired her to create her own school. In addition to the motivation of her own children’s experiences, she also works closely with other families as a Conscious Parent Coach and has an expertise around children and families. Tune in to hear her talk about how she plans to seamlessly integrate the Conscious Parenting philosophy into the school to allow for children to be sovereign beings who are charting their own path in a completely different system than what we know as traditional schooling. You can learn more about Anita here: www.pivotlifecoach.com Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E40 · Wed, December 13, 2023
Being a Rebel Educator
Tanya Sheckley is Founder and President of UP Academy, a TK-8 micro school which values innovation, empathy and strength. Tanya’s vision and mission show it’s possible to celebrate differences, challenge what’s broken in the American education system, and that all children can receive a rigorous, well rounded education. She is an “Edupreneur”, Author of Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where Imagination and Impact Meet and host of the Rebel Educator podcast. Tanya speaks frequently on the future of education and entrepreneurship. She is a rebel educator who works with new and existing schools to question the status quo and develop innovative student experiences through inclusion and project based learning. David and Tanya have an engaging conversation about her experience with her own daughter navigating a bureaucratic education system. This led her to launch UP Academy. Tanya shares about her own experience as a mother, “edupreneur” and author, while also sharing her view on pressing issues in education, and what you can do if you want to launch a program or microschool as a parent or an educator. David and Tanya discuss what they think are the biggest areas of opportunity for changemakers in education, advice they would give to others who are looking to launch programs, how schools can shift to be more student centered and build student engagement, and other important topics facing the challenge of educating young people in today’s tumultuous world. You can find more out about Tanya Scheckley and UP Academy at the following website: Upacademysf.com Rebeleducator.com Tanyasheckley.com Projectup.us Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E39 · Wed, December 06, 2023
A Conversation with Peter Gray: Play, Child Development & Education
Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn , for Psychology Today magazine and a Substack series entitled Play Makes Us Human . He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and of the nonprofit Let Grow , the mission of which is to renew children’s freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. David and Peter have a great conversation about some of these important questions: What is self directed learning? Why is it important for children to take responsibility for their learning? Why is play important in learning? Why don’t we see more play in schools? What is coercive schooling? How has the decline in play affected children’s mental health? What should the role of the teacher be in self directed learning? Why is multi-age learning important? Peter Gray has years of experience with the importance of play and how it supports the growth and development of children socially, emotionally, and academically. We hope you enjoy this episode that contains a wealth of information from a renowned expert in his field. You can find more out about Peter Gray here: https://www.petergray.org/ or on his Substack, Play Makes Us Human here: https://petergray.substack.com/ Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E38 · Wed, November 29, 2023
The Dire Need for Connection Community Meaning & Purpose in Our Schools
Meet Michael Strong who is one of the most experienced designers of innovative schools in the US. He has created a school for highly gifted children, a charter school in a low performing region in the US that was ranked in the 36th best public school in the US, and the Montessori high school model for the largest Montessori network in the US. He is currently leading The Socratic Experience, a virtual school grades 3-12. He is the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice and lead author of Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalism Can Solve All the World’s Problems. You can learn more about Michael here: www.socraticexperience.com and for a free pdf of Michael Strong’s book, The Habit of Thought, click here: https://socraticexperience.com/book/ David and Michael have a spirited conversation about the need for a radical reimagining of how we educate our young people. Michael’s deep experience working in various school settings and as a school founder, gives him a unique perspective. And, combined with his books he has written he brings a wealth of research to the conversation. Michael passionately shares how the adolescent mental health crisis preceded social media and posits that the root issue is the broken school system. This is why he launched his virtual school called the Socratic Experience to give young people a place to be connected, find their community, and bring meaning and purpose to their lives. He believes that this is the key to a strong school. When young people have community, connection, and find meaning and purpose in their lives, he sees great things happening for our youth. He shares that there are many different schools that are meeting these key criteria, but are typically smaller like the Micro school movement that you have heard about from other guests. What all of these schools with this key criteria have in common is that they are opposite than the industrial model school where kids are marching from class to class with little connection throughout the school experience. Michael finishes by sharing to trust yourself as a parent. If your child is not thriving, look for people like David & Michael that can help, or other programs like Prenda, Acton, or various other programs that could be in your neighborhood. Do not settle. If your child is not being loved abundantly, cared for, and flourishing in their educational environment, then create your own, or look for something else! We hope you enjoy today’s episode. Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E37 · Wed, November 22, 2023
Reimagining Pathways to Success for Youth
Meet Mia Howard who is a Managing Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund. In her role, she leads the Innovative Schools investment area, which supports educators with bold new visions for schools that embrace an expanded definition of success, equity, and innovation. Prior to joining NewSchools, Mia was the Founding Partner of Schools and Talent at The Opportunity Trust. Before that, Mia was Founder and CEO of Intrepid College Prep Schools, a growing network of public charter schools in Nashville, Tennessee. Mia has a Juris Doctor with a concentration in Business Economics and Public Policy from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Wharton School and her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Vanderbilt University. David and Mia discuss the types of schools and leaders that NewSchools has been funding and supporting for 25 years, the impact of bold and innovative ideas, and the elements that combined with academic rigor lead to excellent student outcomes . They also discuss an expanded definition of student success and how we need this type of innovation now more than ever. Mia also shares some awesome examples of schools across the country that are demonstrating innovative ideas. Finally, Mia shares the need for reimagining pathways to success for young people that is more broad and multi-faceted than the traditional paradigm of college as the only pathway. You can learn more about Mia here: Mia Howard - LinkedIn profile and New Schools Venture Fund here: http://newschools.org/ We hope you enjoy today’s episode. Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E36 · Wed, November 15, 2023
Modular Learning as a New Education System
Meet Manisha Snoyer, a “teacherpreneur” and the CEO and co-founder of Modulo, a curated online community for homeschooling families, facilitated by experienced educators and certified child life specialists. Over the last 20 years, Manisha has taught over 2,000 children in 3 countries in private school, public school and as a tutor. She’s passionate about making a more inclusive educational system that values the individuality and autonomy of each child and helps parents and communities play a more active role in their learning. In today’s episode, Manisha shares about Modulo, and why she created it out of her deep experience as a teacher and tutor in multiple contexts. Throughout her years as a teacher, she witnessed a massive disconnect in the system. Her vision started with a question: if she had $22,000 per student and 30 kids in a classroom like the New York City public schools does, what could it look like? This led her to connect with a group of parents that were doing a homeschooling co-op because their kids were either not doing well in traditional public school or they couldn’t afford private school. It was from here that she learned that she had massive misconceptions of homeschooling families, and she saw that the secular homeschooling movement was an example of a radical new education system. This helped her create the vision for a company that would support modular learning for homeschoolers. Then the pandemic hit, and she pivoted to create schoolclosures.org to support schools being closed. Through the myriad lessons during this difficult time, she learned deeply what parents need to homeschool their children, and this is now what Modulo does–support parents in all of their homeschool needs in one place. David and Manisha discuss the different barriers and opportunities with homeschooling and the various examples of how families are making it work. And, how parents are the experts and the best teachers for their children even though they have the most difficult job in the world. Manisha encourages parents to find the confidence within themselves to trust whatever decision they make about what they think is best for their children. Manisha shares tips and strategies to work through parental fears about homeschooling and being qualified to teach their children. They both share that most importantly, you get clear as a parent with what you really want and what would be best for your child. And, partner with your child to understand their desires too. This is a great conversation if you want to learn more about homeschooling and the latest trends and tips to try it out! You can learn more about Manisha here: https://www.modulo.app/ and check out her podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teach-your-kids/id1702759553 We hope you enjoy today’s episode. Stay tun
S1 E35 · Wed, November 08, 2023
Great Culture + Powerful Experiences = Thriving Kids
Meet Steve Buzzard, a passionate entrepreneur who loves to do many things. He is in his 27th year of teaching P.E. and being an athletic director. He is the Founder and Director of Buzzardball Youth Basketball which consists of a Summer Camp (27 years), Winter League (17 years), and Summer League (3 years). He is also a DJ and Auctioneer and has enjoyed that way of life for nearly 20 years. He also has his own podcast called Experience the Buzz. Steve’s passion started with Sports Broadcasting. He worked 14 years in the industry on 1240 KSAC and Sports 1140 KHTK. He also worked for the Sacramento Kings and had the honor of being the voice of UC Davis Football, Sacramento Knights Indoor Soccer, and the public address announcer for the Sacramento Capitals Tennis Team. He loves what he does! Steve talks about his journey from broadcasting to education, and how he never thought he would give up on his dream of broadcasting, until he felt the calling to work with kids. And, then he never looked back! He shares his story which points out what happens when your mind thinks one thing and your heart and your calling takes you in a different direction. He continued to follow his passion for helping kids. This led him to launch his entrepreneurial programs for kids across Sacramento that directly reflects his values and his passion. His courage to answer the call to live out his purpose, in addition to his committed work ethic, and amazing culture has led to amazing success over the years. He also shares some behind the scenes secrets he uses to create the culture of Buzzardball. David and Steve also discuss the importance of building strong environments and cultures for kids, and how this allows young people to reach their full potential and thrive. David hopes to inspire as many parents and educators as possible to create something from their heart where kids are seen for who they are and truly believed in. You will hear some great stories about success stories of kids who built their confidence through Buzzardball. There are so many great stories and tidbits from two veteran educators about all the small and big things you can do to set up young people for success. And, sharing how their core values drive all of their decisions and actions. You can learn more about Steve here: https://www.buzzardball.com/ We hope you enjoy today’s episode. Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E34 · Wed, November 01, 2023
The Inner Discipline of Changemaking
David starts with a guided practice to bring you to a state of peace and calm and he asks you to be open to hear what inner discipline means. David shares that he has a different way of thinking about discipline. He asks that you don’t think about it in the traditional sense of someone making you do something, but rather to look at it as the discipline you have within you to be the captain of your own ship. He breaks down what he means by inner discipline and shares examples such as knowing yourself and what motivates you, and what gives you confidence and makes you feel great. He recommends you follow that feeling and take small steps of inspired action from that place of truth. David asks, do you have the discipline to take time to check in with how you are feeling, to be aware of your inner state, to connect with the expansive and timeless version of your best self? He shares other questions that you can ask yourself to assess your inner discipline. We are taught to follow others and look for our worth and validation from others. David suggests that you use inner discipline to be the best version of yourself and not look for others to give you power. Most importantly, he shares how you hold the power to guide your life and follow your highest calling. He implores you to trust yourself and your deep inner knowing. Stay tuned for an announcement about David’s latest program and some new structures for the podcast!
S1 E33 · Wed, October 25, 2023
Microschools as a Powerful Grassroots Movement
Don Soifer is Chief Executive Officer of the National Microschooling Center, America’s comprehensive resource center, movement-builder and authority for the most exciting new education movement in a generation. He co-created and co-directed the Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy, the nation’s first public–private partnership microschool with the City of North Las Vegas, delivering unprecedented academic growth with a previously underserved population of families under pandemic operating conditions. Prior to opening the Center, Soifer has been President of Nevada Action for School Options, an award-winning nonpartisan “action tank” he founded in 2017 to support the growth of diverse choices of rich, high-quality and personalized educational opportunities for all students. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Lexington Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Arlington, VA that he co founded in 1998. He also served as a board member on the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority, appointed by the State Board of Education, from 2019-2021. David and Don discuss the exciting world of micro schools. Don has a unique and broad perspective on micro schools as he started one in Nevada and also supports the movement across the country. You will hear about how micro schools are funded, why this is an amazing and exciting moment for micro schools and how his Center is supporting parent and education changemakers across the country to launch and build micro schools in their communities. David shares his excitement and knows that you will learn a lot about a different way to do school in this episode. This supports David’s vision of a grassroots movement that comes together and reimagines the future of education one family and community at a time. You will love this episode!
S1 E32 · Wed, October 18, 2023
Disrupting with Love
David starts with a guided practice to bring you to a state of peace and calm and he asks you to take this opportunity to just be while you listen today. From this space of calm, he asks you to see from a more expansive perspective and get out of our narrow view of opinions and being right or wrong. David then shares the main part of the episode and the importance of disrupting with love instead of your ego. He shares that if you are trying to create change by trying to prove you are better or right then you will get more of that fighting and you lose the purpose of what you are trying to achieve for the young people who deserve better. David asks you to get really clear with where your changemaking is coming from. If you can find the spark and passion from the depths of your heart and lead from there, it is a game changer. People will follow you and you will see the ripple effect. As opposed to fighting and pushing and creating division. Get clear with the part of you that is wounded and love that part instead of projecting it out in your changemaking pursuit. Once you catch this energy within you that is ready to be the best version of yourself to create the change you want to see, the sky's the limit. But, you have to get clear within yourself about where this desire is coming from. David closes by asking what is one small step you can take today to move toward your changemaking goals. David is launching an intimate mastermind in mid October where he will go deep with a small group to clear blocks, live from truth, and focus on a mindset that will allow you to live a life of freedom and flow. Committing to personal growth and doing the work on themselves is an important step for changemakers in order to bring your dreams to life. Email David at david@davidkrichards.com and check out the link here to learn more:
S1 E31 · Wed, October 11, 2023
The Future of School Through Community and BIG Questions
Meet Serj, Founder & CEO of City as a School, pre-building infrastructure for a new education system fit for the 21st century. A technologist with an activist stance. Serj is fascinating to listen to and recently is working on City as a School which is similar to Outschool but with a great twist in that they help you build industry skills by creating a portfolio that gets you hired. They are also working on a microinternship model which allows youth to do a set of projects to help them practice their skills and build their resume. Serj shares big ideas about reimagining education and reinventing systems by using design principles to create new systems to promote wisdom. City as a School takes advantage of the resources in a city like London and New York and offers the community opportunities via a technology platform. Serj is someone who is disrupting the “operating system” of school by creating a different system. He shares some super creative ideas about reimagining school by empowering teachers to be co-owners for various services like teaching a class or recruiting their friends or opening a microschool, for example. David and Serj discuss the future opportunities with in person learning, online learning, hybrid learning, and ultimately with AI and what the future holds as a means to disrupt our operating system of traditional schools. How do we create a system that allows young people to be authors of their journey and find spaces that empower them to be the best version of themselves, and create communities that are vibrant and safe for their growth? How do we disrupt the traditional way of doing things in education to show that there are new and more effective systems to be educating our children? How does AI disrupt education in a positive way for young people? These are some of the big questions (and many more) that David and Serj talk through. Serj recommends this resource: https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/ You can learn more about Serj here: https://cityasaschool.com/ And on social: https://twitter.com/Serjhunt_ARK https://www.linkedin.com/in/serjhunt/ David is launching an intimate mastermind in mid October where he will go deep with a small group to clear blocks, live from truth, and focus on a mindset that will allow you to live a life of freedom and flow. Committing to personal growth and doing the work on themselves is an important step for changemakers in order to bring your dreams to life. Email David at david@davidkrichards.com and check out the link here to learn more:
S1 E30 · Wed, October 04, 2023
Change Your Mindset Change Your Life
In this solo episode, I share the story of how a flat tire on the highway with my young children on a 100+ degree summer day taught me to lean into the discomfort of building new belief systems and reminded me that sometimes our worst fears are an opportunity to discover infinite possibilities. I also remind my listeners that there really is no such thing as good and bad.
S1 E29 · Wed, September 27, 2023
Unlock Your Multiple Purposes
Adam is the co-founder of Point B, which is a startup tech platform that helps young people find purpose and exposure to post secondary options. He has spent his career building organizations that provide young people with life-changing opportunities. Adam founded and led Marshall Street Initiatives , which now serves over 100,000 students per year through teacher certification , leadership development , and technical assistance . Previously, Adam led the design and launch of Summit Public Schools’ learning model and the Summit Learning Program , which serves tens of thousands of families and hundreds of communities in nearly every state Adam and David talk about the need to help young people find purpose in their life as young adults to approach life after high school. After 20 years of working at Summit Public Schools, Adam discusses his vision for Point B which serves to solve this problem for young people. Adam explored this issue as part of his dissertation for his doctorate that he recently completed. David and Adam discuss the changing landscape of what choices young adults have after high school outside of college. We moved from college for the select few to college for all over the last 20 years in education reform. David shares his vision for giving students multiple options after high school based on their deepest passions, not just what they think they should do. Adam shares the troubling statistics of the issues with college loan debt and how it affects students of color most. This issue has led to more investment in community college and apprenticeship programs and industry certifications. Point B wants to help the students that have not found economic mobility through post secondary education. What are some of the tangible skills that young people can develop in a search for a purposeful life. David then discusses his own personal stories of searching for purpose throughout his life and how important it is to help young people discover in addition to people of all ages. And, purpose does not have to be one thing. There are multiple things in many areas of your life. Adams shares the 4 elements of purpose from the book The Path to Purpose: How Young People Find Their Calling in Life by William Damon. Adam shares his passion around helping young people find their multiple purposes and a pathway to happiness because he doesn’t want to talk to young people who feel shame around not following a path that is validated by society. David and Adam finish by sharing how they wish they had a service
S1 E28 · Wed, September 20, 2023
Use Your Voice to Speak Your Changemaking Truth
David speaks to the power of expressing your voice. He leads listeners in a guided process asking them to inquire about times when you feel that you are not fully expressing your voice. As we lean into our authentic changemaker selves, it is critical that we share our voice loud and proud! He recommends that once you become aware of the block that you have, then you can begin to take small steps to share your voice. Ask yourself why you are not speaking up and sharing your voice. David shares the realization he had that he wanted to people please and thus the worry that he would offend people held him back from not sharing his truth. You have something that wants to be shared. And, we need to hear you. This will bring momentum to your changemaking dreams. Your truth needs to be shared. It might feel scary to connect with your deep truth and to begin to share it out loud. David shares the healing work he did to uncover the root issues from his childhood that he did not feel safe to speak up. As he began to heal himself, he started to practice little by little speaking up the truth that he believed in his heart. Listen to your body. Where do you hold back out of fear and feel constricted when you want to share your voice? He believes that every single human being deserves to be heard and he shares a powerful story about one of his selectively mute students sharing in front of 100 kids that he wanted to thank David for giving him a space to share his voice. David hopes this space here will help you find your voice, share your voice, and authentically express your truth. Trust yourself to speak up! The world needs you to do this. Speak the truth that is coming through you, and trust that part of you that wants to speak, and trust they way you are going to say it, and then do it! David is launching an intimate mastermind in mid October where he will go deep with a small group to clear blocks, live from truth, and focus on a mindset that will allow you to live a life of freedom and flow. Committing to personal growth and doing the work on themselves is an important step for changemakers in order to bring your dreams to life. Email David at david@davidkrichards.com and check out the link here to learn more:
S1 E27 · Wed, September 13, 2023
Examining the Radical Difference Between School and Education
David speaks with Matt Beaudreau who is a Keynote Speaker, Consultant, and Coach to organizations around the world, Matt has a reputation as a provocative thought leader in educational and personal development practices. He is a two-time featured TEDx speaker having spoken to over 250,000 people across the world. In 2017, Matt founded Acton Academy Placer Schools; schools that utilize the Socratic method, with an emphasis on self-direction and cultivating confident, independent young people with a strong sense of character and personal responsibility. He has since helped to open multiple campuses around the world. Pulling from his experience in the Acton model, in January of 2021, Matt co-founded Apogee Strong with Tim Kennedy, a mentorship program designed for young men to take on challenges and to learn to lead. David and Matt spoke of the possibilities of changing education from a grassroots community perspective. Changing a big bureaucratic system is possible when communities come together and create change. Disenfranchised teachers, parents, community members and most importantly students are ready to rise up and challenge the status quo. Many people aren’t aware of the alternative options that are available to them. Or, they are scared to make a drastic change out of fear and lack of information. Matt speaks of his vision to open more microschools similar to Acton but different in their approach to true partnership around growth and development for parents, and also implementing strong physical fitness programs in Apogee schools. Matt also shares what he believes education should be for and how it is important we ask ourselves this question regularly. He talks about the conveyor belt of the factory model school system and how it was not set up to help kids be empowered and self directed in their lives and their learning. Matt also shares his approach to overcoming fear and the importance of pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and the limitations that we place on ourselves. David and Matt close the conversation by sharing the importance of being authentic and true to yourself and moving toward your dreams. As we more and more changemakers find the strength and courage to create change within their communities, we will begin to see the ripple effect. You can learn more about Matt here: https://apogeestrongprograms.com https://apogeestrongfoundation.org And on social @mattbeaudreau and @apogeeprogram David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and r
S1 E26 · Wed, September 06, 2023
How To Embody and Enact Your Unique Changemaking Expression
David speaks to the power of expressing your deepest truths through what you create in this world. His guests are reflections of a vision they held within themselves for a better education system, and the courage they had to go out and create it. He starts by asking the question: what makes you, you? What is your unique emanation that wants to express through you? What dream have you deferred or have been holding back on? David’s recent guests have made the connection between action and what is in their hearts. He guides listeners through a short guided practice and asks you to reflect and inquire on this question of what makes you uniquely you? David asks that as you ponder this question, you let it come from your heart first and then your head. We are all incredibly unique and have something that we want to share with the world. David shares his experience creating change in the world and how these ideas have started as a seed or a vision in his heart and over time he has taken this seed and planted a piece of it each and every day until his dream became a reality. Most importantly, what he has created has been a clear reflection of his uniqueness. It takes courage to put yourself out there, especially when you are going against the status quo. But, when it comes from your own deep truth and your heart, you find the courage to continue. He sees this in the guests that he has been speaking to also. He hopes you can see some of the guests as a reflection of your best self. David also breaks down how we are continually comparing ourselves to others and this can be detrimental to our dreams. Yet, if you can see someone who has accomplished something you desire, then you can see this person as an inspiration. Don’t let your mind create stories and excuses about why you can’t be the changemaker you want to be. David asks you to find the thread that guides your motivation. For him, it was a desire to teach, coach, and guide others. This has always been a motivator for him to follow through on his dreams. David asks you to get more clarity on what makes you unique and how you want to express that in the world. From there, if you are ready, begin to build a vision or a simple intention that you will put yourself in a position to express and be yourself in this unique way. Hold this intention and keep taking small steps toward it. Begin to create the circumstances to get you closer to what you desire in your heart. He finishes the episode by sharing his experience launching Growth Public School and how once he got clear on his mission and in flow, things started coming together seamlessly. He answered the call and he stayed on the path. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and <a
Wed, August 30, 2023
The Changemaking Call: Reimagining High School
Scott Bess is the Founder and former CEO of Purdue Polytechnic High Schools, which has quadrupled the annual number of underrepresented minority students from Indianapolis who attend Purdue University. Prior, Scott was President of Goodwill Education and developed the Excel Center to create opportunities for high school dropouts to attain a high school diploma, which now serves over 9,000 students across the US. He was appointed to the Indiana State Board of Education by Indiana’s Governor and serves on multiple boards related to education. Scott lives in Indiana with his wife, Robin, and enjoys time with his four adult children and five grandchildren. Scott shares his journey of launching Purdue Polytechnic and how he was asked by former Indiana governor and Purdue president Mitch Daniels to lead the charge. The shared concern was the issue with underrepresentation of students of color at Purdue University. Scott asked if he had the greenlight to fundamentally re-design the high school experience to achieve a radically different outcome, especially for students that are traditionally underrepresented. And, with this goal in mind, Scott set out to build Purdue Polytechnic. His thesis was rather than waiting for the K-12 system to change, that they would create a pipeline for Purdue. His vision was always to create a project-based learning environment for high school students with community involvement. He ran into many obstacles around the current system, but continued to navigate through these challenges with the vision in mind. Scott shares how the essence of the school has stayed the same over its 8 years. When graduates are asked what their biggest take away from their time at the school is that they learned to fail. They focus on the skills students will need rather than the dense content, while also maintaining the parts of school that kids love like the extracurricular activities. Scott is also advocating for policy change around diploma requirements in Indiana as a state board member. Throughout this episode you will learn about Scott’s school AND what is possible when you follow a vision and a belief that comes from the depths of your heart. Scott is the embodiment of service and keeping to a vision that is pulling him in spite of all of the challenges of going against the status quo. I hope you find him as inspiring as he is a model education changemaker! Where to find him on social media: Twitter (X) - https://twitter.com/scottbessindy Threads - scottbessindy@threads.net David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his
S1 E25 · Wed, August 30, 2023
The Changemaking Call: Reimagining High School
Scott Bess is the Founder and former CEO of Purdue Polytechnic High Schools, which has quadrupled the annual number of underrepresented minority students from Indianapolis who attend Purdue University. Prior, Scott was President of Goodwill Education and developed the Excel Center to create opportunities for high school dropouts to attain a high school diploma, which now serves over 9,000 students across the US. He was appointed to the Indiana State Board of Education by Indiana’s Governor and serves on multiple boards related to education. Scott lives in Indiana with his wife, Robin, and enjoys time with his four adult children and five grandchildren. Scott shares his journey of launching Purdue Polytechnic and how he was asked by former Indiana governor and Purdue president Mitch Daniels to lead the charge. The shared concern was the issue with underrepresentation of students of color at Purdue University. Scott asked if he had the greenlight to fundamentally re-design the high school experience to achieve a radically different outcome, especially for students that are traditionally underrepresented. And, with this goal in mind, Scott set out to build Purdue Polytechnic. His thesis was rather than waiting for the K-12 system to change, that they would create a pipeline for Purdue. His vision was always to create a project-based learning environment for high school students with community involvement. He ran into many obstacles around the current system, but continued to navigate through these challenges with the vision in mind. Scott shares how the essence of the school has stayed the same over its 8 years. When graduates are asked what their biggest take away from their time at the school is that they learned to fail. They focus on the skills students will need rather than the dense content, while also maintaining the parts of school that kids love like the extracurricular activities. Scott is also advocating for policy change around diploma requirements in Indiana as a state board member. Throughout this episode you will learn about Scott’s school AND what is possible when you follow a vision and a belief that comes from the depths of your heart. Scott is the embodiment of service and keeping to a vision that is pulling him in spite of all of the challenges of going against the status quo. I hope you find him as inspiring as he is a model education changemaker! Where to find him on social media: Twitter (X) - https://twitter.com/scottbessindy Threads - scottbessindy@threads.net David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E24 · Wed, August 23, 2023
Education Changemaking from the Heart
David begins today’s episode with a short guided practice to get you centered as he hopes that you can listen from your heart today. He shares his experience navigating change from the limitations of fear vs. the expansion of your heart. He speaks to the importance of locating where you are coming from with your changemaking goals. If you are coming from a place of fear, you will create more suffering. If you are coming from a place of love and from the desires of your heart to serve, you will see that things start to flow and come together seamlessly. Find time to slow yourself down and gain clarity about what your role is in creating change in education. We spend some much time in our lives in our survival mode that we can’t connect as clearly with the truth within us. Fear guides us subconsciously and it is not our fault as this is the way we are wired. You can look fear in the eye and stop fighting with it, and instead loving it. This will allow you to overcome the obstacles that are blocking you from your changemaking dreams. David shares the importance of getting to the root issues of your fears so that you can see the path clearly and navigate the challenges. He tells a personal story about his deep fears launching his school and how difficult it was to work through that. As you begin to follow your heart AND befriend your fear, you see the pathway open up to create the needed change you want to bring into the world to make education better. David closes by asking you to reflect on this question: what is your role to create the best experience for our kids? He invites you to join him in the grassroots movement! Email David today at david@davidkrichards.com if you want to join the movement. Websites: https://www.davidkrichards.com/ https://www.growthps.org/
S1 E23 · Wed, August 16, 2023
Positive Intelligence: Creating Change from the Sage Perspective
David speaks with Jethro Jones who is a national award-winning former school leader, podcaster, and author of the books How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for the people right in front of them! He is also founder of the BE Podcast Network, the best educational podcast network out there. Jethro currently consults school leaders on strategies to help them save time, lead more effectively, and overcome their own weaknesses. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K-12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher. This episode focuses on his work with positive intelligence. Jethro speaks to his own personal experience learning how to understand his saboteurs and how to use them to navigate his life as an education changemaker. You will learn how Jethro is hyper aware of when the saboteurs like the victim, the judge, and avoider (there are 10 total) show up in his daily life. He uses strategies from positive intelligence to shift from the victim mindset of the saboteurs into the sage perspective. From here, he can make clear and powerful choices. David discusses how his work with psychologist Dr. Shefali Tsabary and knowing your inner child is very similar to the positive intelligence approach. They both agree that being aware of your feelings and how to shift your mind from limitations to positive opportunities is a life changing experience. As an education changemaker, you will face many challenges and listening to Jethro speak of how he uses this approach to navigate the many obstacles of creating change can help you bring some of your ideas to fruition. You have the power to create change. As you begin to do the inner work and get clear on what is holding you back, you build your confidence to unleash the highest version of your changemaking self. Resources he shared: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/ Book: The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi Book: What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry You can learn more about Jethro on his website: https://jethrojones.com/coach Where to find him on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jethrojones Instagram: https://instagram.com/jethrojones David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and <a href="https://p
S1 E22 · Wed, August 09, 2023
The Moment I Surrendered and Found My Authentic Self
David took a courageous step to re-release an episode from his previous podcast. Please forgive the audio quality. The message is so raw and authentic that David is asking that you feel his words, despite the audio distractions. This was a powerful moment in David’s life where he publicly shared a traumatic experience from his childhood around abuse and abandonment. He held this shame and fear within his body for more than 32 years. Through his healing journey, he can work with this part of himself and live a life of flow and peace. David decided to release this again almost 3 years later because this was a really special unedited conversation with him about taking the quantum leap to surrender to something bigger than himself. For a long time, due to life challenges and a feeling of unworthiness, David lived life through his false self. He shares his experiences leading up to finding his authentic self and “jumping off the cliff” to find his calling and create a school. David shares his experience to help inspire others to pursue your passion. “If you’re willing to do the work, your life will never be the same.” I think this episode will touch your heart as you listen to David share his journey from living through his false sense to gaining clarity and learning to live authentically. He shares some memorable one liners that summarizes the episode well: “The universe will present signs that you are operating in your false self.” When you feel self doubt, go within and tell yourself that nobody holds the key to your worthiness. It’s all within you.” “When you get yourself on your authentic path, the universe delivers.” We hope you enjoy this episode that helps wake up part of you that wants to live authentically. David would like to hear how the episode landed for you. Email him at david@davidkrichards.com to share your feedback.
S1 E20 · Wed, August 02, 2023
Trust and Embody Your Calling as a Changemaker
In this solo episode, David shares his vision for Changemaker ED”U”. He describes his process for coming to this place of clarity around moving in the direction of building an education changemaker hub. In the process he shares powerful advice about how to find your calling for creating change in the education space. What wants to come through you? Don’t let the limitations of the egoic mind talk you out of your soul’s mission. We all have a purpose that wants to come to life. This episode is for those of you that want to catch what you already know to be true deep within your heart. David shares his own personal journey of launching Growth Public Schools and how he took a courageous leap to follow his truth even though it was not logical. He shares his vision for a grassroots movement of people just like you coming together to create change one person at a time, and doing it in community. You can feel David’s passion for change and his desire to take action. We all have this within us and we are learning how to trust that deep knowing. This episode will inspire you to connect with your changemaking flame and begin to see more clearly where you fit in all of this. Whatever your mission is, it is massively important because we all have our part. Whether it is homeschooling your own child, launching a micro school, or an after school program, it is time for you to trust that knowing and move forward even in a small way. This is David’s purpose - to help changemakers like you bring your dreams to reality. As he inspires more and more people to share their passion for education change, he dreams of a ripple effect that will create change for our kids across the world. He invites you to join him in the grassroots movement! Email David today at david@davidkrichards.com if you want to join the movement. Websites: https://www.davidkrichards.com/ https://www.growthps.org/
S1 E20 · Wed, July 26, 2023
The Path of the Mindful Teacher with Danielle Nuhfer
In today’s episode, David has a great conversation with Danielle Nuhfer who believes that “well schools will change the world.” And part of how this change will happen is through educators, school leaders, and school systems prioritizing mindfulness and self-care. We discuss what inspired her to start the Teaching Well which is dedicated to helping schools increase teacher retention and student outcomes by prioritizing wellness. Danielle shares her vision for how to help teachers and schools prioritize wellness. Danielle is the author of The Path of the Mindful Teacher which chronicles her own journey of burnout and how she found a mindfulness practice that transformed her from the inside out. In this episode, she speaks candidly and personally about her own journey as a teacher dealing with exhaustion and burnout, and how mindfulness and her own courage catapulted her forward. As a result, she is committed to sharing her story and helping others that are going through a similar situation. Danielle passionately partners with like-minded school districts and works with teachers and students through professional development facilitation, online courses, and one-on-one school wellness coaching. Danielle is a mindful education warrior with a powerful perspective on how we can create better schools for all. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E19 · Wed, July 19, 2023
Unequivocally Trust The Whispers of Your Heart
David starts this solo episode by inviting you to pause and take a breath with him and be in gratitude for your own growth journey. This episode focuses on trust within yourself. We have been taught to not trust ourselves, and trust things on the outside. We are not taught to trust that deep knowing within ourselves. We are constantly searching for external validation from our boss or coach, or partner, or others. We need to learn how to trust ourselves and our own feelings, senses, and intuition. That way, when someone shares your gifts and your strengths with you, it feels right because you are already fully aware of who you are. You don’t actually need their validation because you love yourself. Do you follow through on the feelings or intuition you have in certain areas of your life? Many of us don’t. Following through on the whispers of your heart will change your life. Be your own coach. See the greatness within you that David sees in you when he coaches you. And, act on it. This combination is powerfully effective. At times, we talk ourselves out of these intuitive feelings because we use the analytical mind. Try to trust the feeling and act on it, wherever it may lead you. Try not to let your logical mind override your knowing and trust the inner knowing of your soul. It is hard to trust ourselves, but you can do it with practice, just like any skill. When you start to practice this trust regularly and act on it, your life opens up and it is simply amazing! This practice will begin to let the part of you that wants to share the truth with you open up and you gain courage, confidence and clarity. Trust the feeling in your heart and the whispers in your soul. You deserve it. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E18 · Wed, July 12, 2023
Educators Thriving
David has a great conversation with Dr. Tyler Hester who is currently the founder of Educators Thriving and also a vice principal in Richmond, CA. Previously, Tyler worked for the U.S. Department of Education, the Obama presidential campaign, was a classroom teacher, and a leader at Teach for America. Tyler has an undergraduate degree from Stanford, a Masters from Cambridge, and a Doctorate from Harvard. They discuss Tyler’s educational journey and how he launched Educators Thriving and his belief and commitment to creating education change. Many of us can relate to his story of wanting to create lasting and transformative change and all the challenges that come along with this commitment as an education changemaker. His commitment to changemaking led him to work on the problem of educator burnout. He shares how he learned that there are predictable personal challenges that we face as educators, yet we don’t have systems and a culture that systematically works toward solving this. As such, Tyler created Educators Thriving. It started with a book he was working on that is provisionally titled Don’t Be Miserable in October. It was through his research project at Harvard that he was inspired to work towards creating change around this core issue. Educators Thriving works to supplant professional development with personal development. He quickly started to see that there is a hunger for personal development and well being in education. He believes that by applying the sound research around well being, we can create lasting change. After realizing that so many educators had teachers that were burning out, he committed to bringing this program to as many educators as possible. He has an inspiring story and an amazing vision that he shares during this episode. . To learn more about Tyler (and his doctoral capstone) as he mentioned or Educators Thriving check out this website: https://www.educatorsthriving.org/ David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E17 · Wed, July 05, 2023
Mindful Self Awareness as the Key to Masterful Self Leadership
David starts this solo episode by inviting you to pause and take a breath with him and envision your happy place to bring calm and peace to your day. This helps you calm your mind, body, and spirit. This episode focuses on self awareness from an emotional intelligence and mindfulness perspective. From a mindfulness lens, connect with that part of you that is limitless and boundless and live your life from there. Catch that feeling of expansiveness. When you can live in this place on a daily basis, you can begin to gain clarity about your life. Create the stillness within through whatever practices work best for you. As you master mindfulness, you begin to improve your overall emotional intelligence (EQ) skills, especially self awareness. David shares how mastering EQ is a key to excellent leadership from his experience as a leader. Get to know yourself incredibly well, get clear on your psychological self, and what makes you tick, AND also get to know the part of you that is bigger than yourself. When you can master both of these, you find the winning combination of the practicalities of EQ and the timeless and boundless connection to the flow of life and something much bigger than you. David closes by sharing about self awareness as a key to self leadership. The best leaders inspire. And it is important that you can inspire and lead yourself before you can lead others successfully. Mastering self awareness allows you to become a great leader because you lead yourself effectively. This translates to all other areas of your life. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E16 · Wed, June 28, 2023
Love Yourself to Release the Burdens and Pressures of Service
Lindsay Kobolt currently serves as the Director of Counseling and Community Well-Being at Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City Missouri. Lindsay is passionate about advocating for well-being initiatives in school systems. When the challenges of parenting, being an educator and striving for excellence became overwhelming, Lindsay found her way to mindfulness. David and Lindsay have a great conversation about doing your own work on yourself to be a better educator. Lindsay shares her first hand experience of getting counseling for herself to be a better counselor. She took this concept and applied it to all aspects of her life. She began to heal within herself and find mindfulness as a tool to show up more whole for her school community. In this episode you will learn: How you show up for yourself directly influences how you serve your community How to deconstruct the belief that taking care of yourself is selfish and bad The benefits of simple mindfulness practices in all aspects of your life Ways to release the burden and pressure on yourself to be perfect and always available for others How mindfulness practices take time and the need to stay consistent and patient Ways to let go of the “shoulds” Simple ways to embody self compassion practices Tips for dealing with your inner critic How to meet each day with love and curiosity You can find Lindsay on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-kobolt-310a6a238/ David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E15 · Wed, June 21, 2023
Multiply What Lights You Up
David starts this solo episode with an invitation to practice letting go of your worries, and being in the now moment for a few minutes. Then he shares the key message for today’s episode. Pay attention to what lights you up! Observe what makes you happy and try to get out of your head and into your heart. Get clear on what wants to come through you as an education changemaker. Listen to the whispers of your soul. Ask yourself what would you love to do if money weren’t an object? Try not to let the stories of the mind talk you out of taking small steps toward your dream. What do you talk about that gets you really excited? Pay attention to that and spend more time with it. Connect with your soul’s essence and see what happens! When you stay connected to your soul’s essence, the universe will play with you and things get super fun. Use this simple activity of observing what lights you up to get some clues about your changemaking purpose. As you spend time with what lights you up, you begin to multiply that part of you. Your energy becomes contagious and others feel uplifted by you. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E14 · Wed, June 14, 2023
Being a Brave Transformational and Authentic Change Maker
David has a great conversation with Craig C Martin who is an award-winning gay Black Male Educator with over 20+ years of service and leadership centered on building culturally rich and inclusive scholar-centered learning ecosystems. Craig serves as an Executive Director & Superintendent of Bridge Boston Charter School where he has implemented a competitive teacher compensation model; adopted SEL & restorative practices to champion student voice and reduce punitive disciplinary measures; as well as led diversity, equity, and inclusion work in his K-8 school community. They discuss what it means to be a transformational educational leader and what are the mindsets, habits, practices, and discipline needed to be the best version of yourself as an educator. Craig shares about the importance of authenticity, how he aspires to be in the world in a non-judgmental way, and how he uses the Braving framework from Brene Brown. Craig also shares how he prioritizes himself with the intention to be a loving space for all of the people he leads and encounters throughout his day and life. In this episode you will learn: How he uses Brene Brown’s Braving inventory How to create a spirit of resonance with others by doing your inner work Setting boundaries for yourself and others Strategies to deal with difficult conversations and people that cause a trigger within you The practices he uses to be loving, kind, and peaceful The MARCH acronym he uses to navigate through a myriad of situations as a leader How he holds space for negativity within himself and others while also being hopeful for the future You can learn more about Craig on his website: https://craigcmartinleads.com/ Where to find him on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Craigcmartin12 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craig.martin.984 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craig_da_mack/ David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E13 · Wed, June 07, 2023
Lead From Your Heart & Let Your Changemaking Dream Emerge Through You
In this solo episode, David starts with a short guided practice to help you get calm and connected. He then shares his feeling of how we are experiencing a tectonic shift in our world. The pandemic was a watershed moment in our history. How will you respond? Do you want to choose to co-create this new reality as we experience this great time of change or do you want to go back to the same old ways from the past? As an education changemaker, ask yourself these questions: what wants to come through you as an emanation of your highest light? What is blocking you from letting this come through? As you continue to do this inner work, you begin to see your true north want to emerge through you. Be open to what this is. You already know this deep down. David invites you to open up, let life flow through you, and listen deeply to get clear on what it is. David shares his story about taking his vision of starting his own school to making it a reality. And, how he continued to follow his heart regardless of how the scared part of him wanted to talk him out of it. As you begin to continue your inner work and stay open to the infinite possibilities, take small action steps toward your highest calling. Live in your heart and follow your own truth, and create something one moment at a time. Connect with your inner flame and your fire and go for it! David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E12 · Wed, May 31, 2023
Peace of Mind: Unleashing Compassion and Consciousness in Education with Linda Ryden
Linda Ryden shares her experience teaching mindfulness since 2003 and how this led her to launch her non-profit organization, Peace of Mind. Linda’s work helps children apply mindfulness and neuroscience to notice and manage their emotions, build positive relationships, and skillfully handle real-life challenges like conflict resolution, bullying, implicit bias and racial, gender and other sorts of discrimination. Linda believes in the transformative power of mindfulness to help children become happier, more successful human beings who care about themselves, about each other, and about making the world a more fair and just home for us all. In this conversation, we discuss how her time teaching mindfulness has allowed her to fully embody the practices in her daily life. In this episode you will learn: The brain science around the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex, and how this knowledge can help you understand how to manage your emotions How to use metacognition to recognize your state of being, emotions, and how to use these skills in your daily life to become a better educator and/or leader The importance of integrating brain science with mindfulness practices How love is a radical act that can change the world and how to use simple compassion practices to move in this direction How she teaches 700 kids a day and uses mindfulness practices throughout her day to remain calm and effective and greatly improves her practice as an educator The basics of meditation and how there is no right or wrong way to practice Linda also shares great resources for you to review further: https://drdansiegel.com/ https://jeffwarren.org/ https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Teachers-Productivity-Classroom-Neuroscience/dp/0393708071 a book by Tish Jennings How to find Linda https://teachpeaceofmind.org/ https://www.facebook.com/peaceofminddc , https://www.instagram.com/TeachPeaceofMind/ , https://twitter.com/peaceofmindorg David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E11 · Wed, May 24, 2023
Live In Your Why
In this episode, David speaks from his heart, and shares the need to heal ourselves after this tumultuous 3 year period of insanity. He discusses how he lives in his “why” each and every day. David implores you to feel your pain and commit to being the best version of you for your community. He reminds you that you have all of the power and reviews the simple process that each of his guests use to take care of themselves, live with less stress, and make their “why” the north star that keeps them focused and free. This is a powerful episode where David shares the importance of living in your “why” while also acknowledging the deep pain we have experienced over the last few years. Pain is the portal to powerful growth and evolution. Keep the “why” as the vision for your daily life and commit to healing in order to build the habits needed to love your work every day. This episode will make you feel inspired and reenergized as you finish up the busy school year. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E10 · Wed, May 17, 2023
How Mindfulness Transformed a Teacher’s Life
It was such a pleasure to speak with Lindsey Frank, M.Ed., who is the President of the Coalition of Schools Educating Mindfully (COSEM). She has been an educator for over 12 years working with students from early learning-8th grade, and has been a districtwide Climate & SEL Coach. She has dedicated her work to integrating wellness within education through mindfulness and social-emotional learning. Her master’s is in Educational Leadership, she is a Mindfulness-Based SEL children’s book author, a special educator, and developed her education well-being company (The Butterfly Within, LLC) to support schools on their resilience journeys. Lindsey is committed to being a changemaker within education. We have a wide ranging conversation from the state of education from a wellness perspective, the courage to change yourself even if just one turtle step at a time, and how we want to move forward individually and collectively to heal ourselves and our communities after an incredibly rough few years. In this episode you will learn: About the soda can analogy and how you can only take so much before you explode How to navigate your daily life with simple mindfulness practices by finding small moments throughout your day as an educator to practice What mindfulness superpowers you already have and how to use them About Lindsey’s personal transformation of using health issues to take back her life by using mindfulness practices to mitigate her anxiety and panic attacks Her simple H.E.A.R.T. practice to use throughout your busy day How to overcome resistance or fear around practicing wellness and mindfulness How to use mindfulness to live your life in flow with the natural order of life And so much more! Lindsey also shares great resources for you to review further: Website: www.TheButterflyWithin.Me You can find out more about her children’s books on her website and you can order books on Amazon. For podcast listeners, you can access a free download of her Teacher’s Guide to The Superpower of Your HEART (visit her website, add the guide to your cart, and put in the code: MINDFULPODCAST) Consider joining a community of mindful educators and leaders for continued growth, become a COSEM member and explore our MBSEL Micro-credential: Visit www.EducatingMindfully.org Where to find her on social media: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindsey-frank-m-ed-6452a6157 Instagram: @LindseyFrank88 https://www.instagram.com/lindseyfrank88 Twitter: @LindseyFra
S1 E9 · Wed, May 10, 2023
Healing the Wounded Inner Child
David speaks from his heart in this solo episode and shares how he overcame his painful past by committing to a deep healing journey of befriending his wounded inner child. David shares openly and honestly about his past sexual abuse and abandonment as a child and how this pain held him back for so many years until he had the courage to face it with love. As he committed to a path of mindfulness and meditation, he opened up a deep path for healing the wounded parts of him that were keeping him safe. He shares his specific practices that he teaches clients about how to heal with an open heart and take back your life. In this episode you will learn: David’s method for reparenting that he uses daily How triggers are tied back to your wounded child and are running your life without you even knowing How healing opens up your intuition, insights, and gives you a clear sense of purpose in your life How recognizing and being aware of the way you speak to yourself is important How life is the best teacher and will show you exactly what you are ready for David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E8 · Wed, May 03, 2023
Healing and the Path to Authenticity
In this solo episode, David shares the true purpose of mindfulness and meditation as taking back your life and getting to know the real and authentic you. You are journeying back home to yourself through these practices. One easy step on this journey is to connect with the playful and free inner child. In this episode you will learn: How self care and being in the present moment is part of a deeper game to being free and authentic That handing the “keys” to your playful inner child will set you free What happened to this playful and free version of you as you became an adult How this can help you be a more effective educator David asks you to take the simple step of doing something that you loved as a child for a short amount of time each day. Play, sing, dance, draw and just commit to being free each day for a bit. Don’t overthink it and get in your head. Follow your heart. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E7 · Wed, April 26, 2023
Reignite Your Flame and Heal Yourself
David has a powerful and healing conversation with Janet Philbin ( https://www.janetphilbin.com/ ) who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, a Certified Hypnotherapist, and a Certified Conscious Parenting Coach. Janet is the author of the best-selling book, Show Up For Yourself- A Guide to Inner Awareness and Growth. As a clinician with a successful practice for over 30 years, Janet’s passion is to help you show up for you and to help you develop strong connections with yourself. She is an expert in helping clients uncover and heal the issues of the inner child which are influencing their adult life. Janet has been on TV, a guest speaker on many summits, published in magazines and a guest on many podcasts as an expert in her field. In this episode, you will learn: How to develop and follow through on your non-negotiable for self care How to take immediate action to ensure you actually take care of yourself Simple and easy ways to implement self care in your daily life The potential root issue of why you have lost your spark, are overtired or disconnected from what brought you into education in the first place What inner child healing is and how it is affecting your daily life as an adult in many ways you may or may not know How the patterns and coping mechanisms you develop to keep you safe are running on autopilot and in charge of your life Tips on how to recognize a trigger, when you are dysregulated, breathing techniques to calm your nervous system, and how to get back into your body Why you have trouble forgiving and loving yourself That each and everyone of us is able to heal regardless of our childhood situation Resources mentioned: https://www.melrobbins.com/ https://www.janetphilbin.com/show-up-for-yourself/ Social Media Links for Janet Philbin: https://www.facebook.com/hypnosisforhope https://www.instagram.com/janet_philbin_lcsw/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-philbin-04101a29/ David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E6 · Wed, April 19, 2023
How To Create Lasting Change By Embodying The Flow State
David has a phenomenal conversation with Michael Fenchel who has started 4 successful companies and is currently the Co-Founder of Breathe for Change ( https://www.breatheforchange.com/ ) which is a movement enhancing the well-being of over 5,000,000 teachers, students, and school community members. In this episode, you will learn: The importance of mindful leadership for education changemakers regardless of whether you are a formal leader or not How to create lasting change from the inside out by following your deep calling and mission The importance of mindfulness strategies in your daily life as an education changemaker and specific ways to get into the flow state The flow cycle and the 4 stages of brain activity The secrets to a powerful meditation practice The importance of regulating your nervous system How collective well-being and individual wellness is important to the future of education The neuroscience around the flow state How nature-based wisdom and following the flow of life helps you create lasting impact Resources mentioned: https://www.theartofimpossible.com/ David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E5 · Wed, April 12, 2023
How Energy Management Can Save You From Exhaustion and Overwhelm
In this week’s solo episode, David shares the importance of managing your energy. Using energy as a framework for how you are navigating your life was a practice that completely changed David’s life and he wants to share it with you. He asks that listeners engage in finding the truth within themselves and to commit to the courageous act of being open to where your energy is blocked and free. In this episode you will learn: The importance of managing your energy from a spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental state How to open up to seeing the root of your issue with exhaustion and overwhelm The importance of getting to the root of the issue and not dancing around with tweaks and short fixes A framework for managing and observing your energy That you know the answers and can trust yourself Resources mentioned in podcast: The Book called The Power of Full Engagement The Energy Project - https://theenergyproject.com/ David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E4 · Wed, April 05, 2023
Manage Stress Take Care of Yourself and Be Healthy Selfish
Donnovan Somera Israel shares his wisdom as a wellness educator for over 30 years at Stanford University. David and Donnovan discuss the importance of self care, resource and recovery, burnout, stress management, boundaries, self love and compassion practices, perfectionism, and the teacher martyr. Throughout the conversation, Donnovan shares practical and useful tips to use in your daily life as a busy educator. In this episode you will learn: How to resource on the front end and recover on the back end How to be healthy and wise selfish with your self care Tangible micro practices to use throughout your busy life The concept that the most boundaried people are the most generous How your presence is the medicine The “no” sandwich How to fill your buckets How perfectionism is the opposite of self compassion The importance of self care and how to re-define it Donnovan also shares great resources for you to review further: Rick Hanson - The Practical Science of Happiness - https://www.rickhanson.net/ Brene Brown - https://brenebrown.com/ Adam Grant - The Book Give and Take - https://adamgrant.net/book/give-and-take/ Micro Practices - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VKMRIBk-uXAPp0He_CNTmhL0-iDLSJwM-qYNsh45xEA/edit Guy Winch - Emotional First Aid - https://www.guywinch.com/books/emotional-first-aid/ Roni Habib - EQ Schools - https://eqschools.com/ Kristin Neff - https://self-compassion.org/ Tara Brach - https://www.tarabrach.com/ If you are looking for ways to be excellent AND live a more peaceful sustainable life, listen to Donnovan. You can reach him by email at: donnovan@stanford.edu David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and review the podcast or share with a friend.
S1 E3 · Wed, March 15, 2023
How To Live in Peace and Flow as an Education Changemaker
Key bullet points: Listening today is a courageous act as this is warrior work that most are not willing to do. You are going within your own heart to seek the truth. You are a warrior. Observe where your energy goes in your life. Is this where you want it to be going? What patterns are you running on autopilot that you aren’t aware of? Bring awareness to these patterns. For now, just notice them without judgment. We have to challenge the belief that being busy is more important than slowing down and being present. As you focus on meditation and mindfulness, you begin to change your default from fight or flight to ease and calm. It takes focus and commitment over time. Take this week to find a meditative practice aside from sitting meditation to see what works best for you to move toward more inner peace in your life each day. Summary David starts with a short meditation and then shares his belief that this is warrior work you are doing. You are committing to looking within yourself and guiding your life in a different way than most people ever do. This is a courageous act to be honest with yourself and commit to growing. He asks you to contemplate asking yourself regularly: what am I feeling and what do I need, and what energy is driving me? Begin to notice your patterns and what you do when you are not aware but running on autopilot. He breaks down the belief that slowing down doesn’t actually help you or make you more productive and happy in life because we have been taught to go all the time and being busy is praised. He challenges you to take a few minutes each day to connect with stillness and get your mind quiet even if just for a short time. Ask yourself what are you prioritizing in your life? How does where you put your energy show you what is important in your life? Ask these questions with love. David shares a story of achievement being his drug and addiction until he realized this would never make him feel fulfilled and worthy. His experience with meditation and mindfulness showed him that life is a dance with contradictions and that life is just happening. Becoming aware of that life is a dance and there are ups and downs that you can’t control helps calm your mind. David spends time in nature to find the flow of life. He learned years ago that nature knows, flows, and goes without thinking or planning. It is the flow of life just happening. Meditation is a courageous act and it helps you get to know yourself and helps you change your default from constant fight or flight to a life of peace and calm as the norm. He now feels like he is in a meditative state regularly without trying. His challenge is for you to find at least one meditative practice that works for you that isn't sitting meditation. Play around with drawing, writing, walking, singing, listening to music, exercising, pain
S1 E2 · Wed, March 15, 2023
Keep Your Warrior Spirit Alive
Key bullet points: Learn to love yourself the way you love those you serve. Keep your warrior spirit alive while also slowing down and prioritizing your own well being. This is a core focus of this podcast. We need your creativity, love, energy, compassion, care, innovation, as we all work together to create a better education system for all of the people in it. Begin to trust your own inner wisdom. Begin to notice your energy, how you feel, your breath, and become aware of the times when you feel calm and peaceful. Take this turtle step today. Summary David begins the episode by sharing the importance of you doing the inner work to grow and learn in order to create change from the inside out. As you journey with him, he encourages you to work from your heart and not the wounded part of you. He asks you to make your well being a priority. He knows that you are a changemaker and a warrior, and he doesn’t want you to lose that, but he asks, can you keep your warrior spirit alive while also slowing down and prioritizing your own well being? His challenge to you is to turn the love toward yourself in the way you love your students, families, and community. He shares the need for a paradigm shift of educators as saviors that continue to give and give without regard for their own needs. This podcast intends to help you turn this around. Take care of your own needs AND give to your community. He asks you to begin with becoming aware of where in your daily life you are connecting with stillness and presence. Try to slow down even just a little bit each day. David started his journey by committing to 2 minutes of meditation each day. That led to more time meditating, and then walking, and eventually he began to find stillness and clarity throughout his daily life as he changed the default from rushing, doing, and achieving all of the time. His daily practices have connected him to the immensity of his soul, and he lives his life in flow. He wants to help you do this. He asks you to truly take care of yourself and follow your calling. You matter. We need your creativity, love, energy, compassion, care, innovation, as we all work together to create a better education system for all of the people in it. Most importantly, we need you to trust your own wisdom and trust the small still voice of intuition within you. He closes with a short 3 minute meditation, but before that he asks you to commit to some sort of daily practice right now. Begin to notice your energy, how you feel, your breath, and become aware of the times when you feel calm and peaceful. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindful-education-warri
S1 E1 · Wed, March 15, 2023
Is Education Changemaking Truly Worth It?
Key bullet points: After a serious health scare, David asks is changemaking truly worth it? He finds the answer through mindfulness and meditation. This podcast is all about helping you do the same. His commitment to mindfulness and meditation leads to liberation, truth, and inner peace and he desires to show you how to do this too. You can change education by radically changing yourself and doing the inner work. This is the first step. Join David in the journey to live your purpose to create the change you desire in education AND live a life of peace and flow. Summary David shares his story of having a serious health scare that changed his life forever. He began to ask questions about whether the way he lived his life was truly worth it. Up to this point in his life, he had committed his whole life to service and creating change in the education system. While he was sick for several months, he began to see that he had core wounds from childhood that were never healed. As his life was falling apart, he saw his patterns of giving everything to others and grappled with questions like can we serve others and hold ourselves together? What is driving me? What do I really believe? He committed to a path of self realization through mindfulness and meditation as a result of this scary time in his life. Through this disciplined commitment, he got clarity on this purpose in life and shared about this and why he is starting this podcast now. He believes that in order to create change in the education system, we have to begin to radically change ourselves and this begins with the deep inner work of being honest and open with yourself. He shares his belief that this radical and courageous commitment to your own well being and healing, leads not only to reigniting your spark but also living out your changemaking mission with peace and zest. You CAN create the life you dream of, the change you desire in education AND live in flow and peace. This podcast is to help changemakers like you do just that while embarking upon a journey of growth and transformation, in community. As you continue to practice mindfulness and meditation, you find more of the authentic version of you that wants to serve your community and others. You serve from a full cup instead of being drained and exhausted. You become more liberated, find the flow state often, and this begins to ripple out to all of the people you interact with in your life. David closes by sharing his vision and intention to do this courageous and invigorating work together, in unity and community. David’s mission is to reach as many education changemakers as possible to help them be the changemaker they have always desired to be. If you feel moved by his mission, please go and rate and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindfu
S1 E1 · Sun, March 05, 2023
The Mindful Education Warrior
This is a podcast for the education change makers. You see that the world is changing and feel deeply that education needs to change with it, and you are ready to be part of the solution. The Mindful Education Warrior podcast is your place to be inspired to pursue your dream of what you see as the potential for education and our young people. You know there is a better way. David K Richards is a career innovator, entrepreneur and educator who uses mindful leadership as a way to catapult others into creating the change on the outside from the clarity on the inside. He has opened several innovative schools and has always been on the cutting edge of education reform. David shares his journey with mindful leadership and interviews guests that have created real change in the education space. The purpose of this podcast is to be the hub for education changemakers to see what is possible when you get aligned with your deepest purpose and begin to eat, breathe, and sleep this purpose for change. I imagine a world where the visionaries and changemakers come together to catalyze the unmanifested ideas and work together to bring them to life. This podcast will help you find your inner education warrior and hopefully inspire you to make big or small change in the education space, whatever your role may be–teacher, administrator, staff, parent, or student. This is the place for you to go when you want to see the world as it could be and not as it is.
loading...