Beneath the Transaction

Chad Ford was in town as a guest speaker in our leadership institute and joined our show for the second time. Chad masterfully dives into the theory behind his book "Dangerous Love," specifically how it impacts leadership and community transformation. We also discuss the fallacy of the term "touchy feely" and perhaps why people are afraid of it. This is a must-listen episode; Chad is one of a kind.

Seth Elliott--leader ally, consultant, and author--joins us for this episode. He drops loads of knowledge regarding leadership development and what it means to be human. Seth clearly knows his stuff and was an amazing guest to engage in conversation with. No matter who you are or what you do, this episode will leave you with plenty of incredible takeaways.

Special guest and community leader Kim Lemman will be the boost of energy you need. She starts this episode by saying that the work she engages in is "cool"--not a descriptor most would use for her important but hard role in the community. It is challenging, emotional, and heavy. Kim is a great example of someone who actively applied the Rooted Framework to her own leadership and work. You will not want to miss learning how she did it.

A high school basketball coach and teacher of 42 years joined the show--and my goodness, was it enriching! Tom Johnson has been positively influencing people for several decades; in this episode, he shares 8 lessons learned over the years and so much more. You will want to listen from start to finish.

Special guest Mark Speckman, author of Figure It Out, joins the show. Mark has coached football from the high school level all the way up to the professional level. He is currently a coach at UC Davis. Mark has spoken all over the country and has a simple yet powerful story. "Figuring it out" became a motto for Mark as he was born without hands and for his entire life, has had to figure out how to do what most of us never even think about. Listen to this stimulating conversation on how we can be better people and leaders by adopting this mentality and--you guessed it--figure it out.

From being homeless to now serving as one of the youngest school board members ever in the Salem/Keizer School District, Jesse Lippold Peone has an amazing story to share. Jesse has had nothing short of a challenging life; if you want to be inspired and reminded of what's important, then this episode is worth your time. What Jesse has learned the hard way has helped him become the type of person who strives daily to "walk the walk" in his leadership. 

Local Principal Jessica Brenden joins the show to discuss the unique community collaboration going on in her school's neighborhood. Although we covered all manner of topics--innovative practices, community engagement, and various other leadership subjects--humility was the dominant message. Jessica would never say this, but she exudes humility. It is a pleasure to learn from her and see how her leadership is vital in transforming an important pocket of our community.

Our show welcomes a Groundwork alumna, Alison Kelley. Alison is a well-known leader and influencer in our community. She is incredibly intelligent and thoughtful. Although the discussion leads to several topics such as safety, trauma-informed leadership, humility, and problem solving, the highlight was accountability. How do we reconcile the differences between personal accountability and the systems of accountability we have in our organizations and communities? What is the difference? Is there a difference? Listen to where that conversation took us.

A long-awaited episode is finally here! We welcomed Dallas High School Principal and our friend, Steve Spencer, to the show. Steve has spurred some amazing work in his community and school. Under Steve's leadership, his staff and administration completely altered their vision as a high school. As a team, they created "The Promise" that every child in their school will be known by name, strength, and need. What they saw happen as a school after that change has been remarkable.