In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Alaina Szlachta to discuss one of my 12 favorite problems: how might we close the research-practice gap (or the knowing-doing gap) across sectors like education and community work?

Dr. Szlachta, a Measurement Architect, is deeply passionate about making data literacy more accessible, especially for professionals in education. During our conversation, we dive into the world of data-driven learning, exploring the importance of bridging that gap and creating a culture where learning and feedback thrive.

Alaina shares powerful insights on how we can build a strong learning culture, why feedback matters, and how both qualitative and quantitative data can be used to improve performance across various domains. We also talk about how personal problem-solving and experimentation are key to developing data literacy, not just at work, but in everyday life as well.

If you’re looking to improve how you or your organization uses data to drive smarter decisions, Alaina’s expertise is sure to provide some practical guidance and fresh perspective.

Key Takeaways:

Resources Mentioned:

Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring, by Dr. Alaina Szlachta https://amzn.to/4ePySgT

Partner for Performance, by Ingrid Guerra-Lopez https://amzn.to/4eKB6hu

Show the Value of What You Do, by Patricia Pulliam Phillips https://amzn.to/47V1Jye

2 Bobs: https://2bobs.com/

Clark Howard: https://clark.com/podcasts/

Creator Science: https://podcast.creatorscience.com/

Connect with Alaina: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drszlachta/

Website: https://dralainaszlachta.com/ 

Newsletter: https://dralainaszlachta.substack.com/

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

Have you ever felt like you're stuck on repeat, with the same negative thoughts running through your mind?

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Stephanie Silver to explore one of my 12 favorite problems: how might we rewrite broken soundtracks? These "broken soundtracks" are those limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns that often keep us from moving forward.

Stephanie’s life story is an inspiring example of resilience. She’s overcome deep trauma and heartache, rewriting her own soundtracks to build a life that’s even better than she could have imagined. In our conversation, we dive into the power of recognizing these limiting beliefs and how we can challenge them to create a more empowering narrative for ourselves.

Steph and I share our personal journeys with broken soundtracks, how we noticed them, faced them, and ultimately rewrote them to find freedom and joy. If you’re ready to break free from the negative thoughts that may be holding you back, this episode will offer you the tools and insights to start rewriting your own story.

Key Takeaways:

Recognizing and challenging negative thoughts is the first step in rewriting broken soundtracks.

Neuroplasticity allows us to rewire our brains and create new, positive neural pathways.

Rewriting broken soundtracks requires self-reflection, honesty, and a willingness to challenge our own beliefs. 

Perceptions of success and failure vary among individuals. Stephanie challenges the notion that one must hit "rock bottom" to initiate change, arguing that personal definitions of bottom differ widely.

By embodying positive beliefs about oneself, individuals can shift their energy and influence how they are perceived by others.

Resources Mentioned:

Anywhere, USA by Stephanie Silver https://amzn.to/4d8E6TH

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza https://amzn.to/3Xzqf3e

Existential Kink by Dr. Carolyn Elliott https://amzn.to/3Xvb37i

Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton https://amzn.to/3zqEpeO 

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein https://amzn.to/4dbsHTm

Connect with Stephanie: 

https://www.vine-collective.com/

Podcast: https://www.vine-collective.com/mvp-business/

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

Ever looked around your workplace and wondered, "Why does joy feel so rare here?"

In this episode of Building Thinkers, I dive into that question with someone who’s been on both sides of the leadership spectrum: Gretchen Fox Palmer. We unpack one of my twelve favorite problems: how might we increase flow and creativity to bring joy to work?

Gretchen’s story is incredibly personal and powerful. She opens up about her journey from being a self-described “toxic executive” to becoming a conscious leader. Her transformation began when she started to untangle the patterns of hypervigilance she had internalized at work. What followed was a ripple effect of positive change within her team, real shifts in culture that came from her doing the inner work first.

Now, through her EQ @ Work program, Gretchen equips performance-driven teams and leaders with emotional intelligence skills that actually rescue people from burnout. We talk about how these five core EQ skills, centered on emotional regulation and resilience, can take someone from just surviving to truly thriving.

This conversation goes deep. We explore the role of vulnerability in leadership, and why it has to be approached with intention, not as a buzzword, but as a true tool for connection. And we talk about how prioritizing flow and creativity isn’t just good for business, it’s what makes work joyful and sustainable.

If you’ve ever felt the tension between high performance and emotional well-being (or you’re leading a team and want to build something more human), this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways: 

Resources Mentioned:

Books: 

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: https://tinyurl.com/zvrwp6jk

The Presence Process by Michael Brown: https://tinyurl.com/3ya9ke2a

Podcasts: 

Satsang with Mooji: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/satsang-with-mooji/id1134425259

Connect with Gretchen: 

MTO Agency: https://mtoagency.com/

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

What if you could literally see the way your mind works?

In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, I’m diving into one of my 12 favorite problems: How might we make thinking visible? And I couldn’t think of a better person to explore this with than Kevin Alster.

Kevin is a strategic advisor at Synthesia, an AI video platform that turns text into instructional videos, and his perspective on learning, tech, and design is incredibly insightful. We talk about how using visual, concrete, and even abstract representations can help learners better grasp complex ideas.

We also dig into what it means to have a product design mindset in education, and how an experimental approach (especially when integrating AI) can lead to more meaningful learning experiences. Plus, we explore how storytelling might just be one of the most powerful tools we have for making our thinking visible.

Key Takeaways:

Resources Mentioned:

Books:

Podcasts:

Connect with Kevin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

What if the real challenge in learning isn’t what we teach, but how we think about access and behavior?

In this episode, I’m joined by design researcher Nick Petch to dig into one of my twelve favorite problems: “How might we close the research-practice gap across social impact sectors?” Or as I like to call it, bridging the knowing–doing gap.

Nick and I cover a lot of ground. From redefining what learning really means to rethinking the environments we create for people to grow and thrive. We talk about why human-centered design isn't just a buzzword, it’s a responsibility. Nick shares thoughtful insights on the power of self-reflection, why it matters to understand yourself as a designer, and how developing an ethnographic practice can lead to better, more inclusive outcomes.

Key Takeaways: 

Human-centered design transfers power to the people being impacted by the design process.

Design plays a crucial role in the field of learning and development.

Design is about de-risking and understanding the problem space and context in order to solve the right problem.

Empowering the people being designed for and involving them in the design process leads to better outcomes.

Design leadership is about influencing how design is seen and valued in organizations.

Resources Mentioned:

Being Ecological by Timothy Morton: https://amzn.to/4dujZ3D

This Human: How to Be the Person Designing for Other People by ⁠Melis Senova⁠: ⁠https://amzn.to/3YIwPGy⁠

Doing Sensory Ethnography by ⁠Sarah Pink⁠: ⁠https://amzn.to/3Ap9MGI

Connect with Nick:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickpetch

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

Ever feel like you're living in chaos and just trying to make something meaningful out of it?

Today, I sit down with Melissa Pickering - someone who knows a thing or two about creating impactful order out of complexity. Melissa has led product at places like LEGO, Willow, and now Bose, and she’s been in the thick of launching her own EdTech startup. She’s the real deal when it comes to solving messy problems with smart, human-centered thinking.

We dig into how we can create impactful order out of chaos, and Melissa brings such clarity to that idea. We talk about the push and pull between structure and flexibility, especially in innovation and leadership, and how to know when to move fast and when to pause and reflect.

Key Takeaways:

Resources Mentioned:

Switch by Chip & Dan Heath: https://amzn.to/4caFvZL

Powerful by Patty McCord: https://amzn.to/3Sl0RMF

The Power of Moments by Chip & Dan Heath: https://amzn.to/4dbCcCf

Connect with Melissa: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjpickering/

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

What if the key to working with AI isn’t becoming an expert, but learning how to think more simply?

In this episode, I sit down with Eli Wood to dig into how we can consistently replace complexity with insight. Eli leads Black Flag Design, a collective of creative technologists, designers, and product strategists tackling some of the most complex AI challenges out there.

We talk about what it really means to build durable skills in AI, not just coding or technical mastery, but how to stay relevant and curious as this space evolves. Eli brings a refreshing perspective on the power of being a generalist and why simplicity isn’t a lack of depth; it’s a sign of real understanding.

We also explore participatory design, the messy process of getting real user feedback (especially in high-stakes environments), and the often misunderstood relationship between creativity and AI. Spoiler: AI doesn’t kill creativity, it can actually amplify it.

Key takeaways:

Resources Mentioned:

The Creative Pragmatist by Amy Smilovic - https://tibi.com/products/the-creative-pragmatist-navy-green-multi

Testing Business Ideas by David J Bland - https://amzn.to/3XW1joc

Sprint by Jake Knapp - https://amzn.to/3zCgLMc

Building by Mark Ellison - https://amzn.to/3XZtrqM

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin - https://amzn.to/4f0DTEf

Lex Fridman: https://lexfridman.com/podcast/

The Daily: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736

Connect with Eli: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/notthatactor/

[email protected]

Pop Tech Conference: https://poptech.org/

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

If your team feels overwhelmed or disconnected, the problem might be cultural, not operational.

I sit down with Alma Quiroga to unpack how we might bring impactful order out of chaos. And wow, this conversation is one that made me completely rethink how stories shape the way we lead.

Alma shares her journey of challenging traditional business norms and building people-first organizational cultures. We talk about the quiet power of storytelling, not just as a leadership skill, but as the foundation of how culture is created and how behavior is shaped from the inside out.

We explore what it means to recognize and work with the stories that already exist within your team, and how to create environments where people can thrive, not in spite of chaos, but through it.

If you’re a leader navigating change, culture shifts, or just craving more meaning in the way your organization operates, this one’s for you.

Key Takeaways:

Storytelling is deeply ingrained in human nature and is how we relate to each other.

Our brains are wired to make sense of the world through storytelling, and humans naturally order the chaos of the world and their own internal world in a story format.

Understanding how humans make sense through story is essential for effective communication and change management in organizations.

By recognizing the power of storytelling and creating spaces for collective storytelling, organizations can co-create their culture and navigate transitions more successfully.

Resources Mentioned:

Books:

Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins by Annette Simmons: https://amzn.to/4cqFq56

The Story Factor by Annette Simmons: https://amzn.to/4eGiwrQ

The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gotsschall https://amzn.to/3xrXCvT

Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar Schein: https://amzn.to/4bE0NPb

Humble Leadership, Second Edition: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust by Edgar Schein: ⁠https://amzn.to/3VMfWb0

Managing Transitions by: William Bridges & Susan Bridges https://amzn.to/3znNPaN

Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used by Peter Block: https://amzn.to/4cCf8MI

Podcasts:

Beautiful Questions Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@TuliandAlma

Work Life Podcast: https://adamgrant.net/podcasts/work-life/

Radio Ambulante: https://radioambulante.org/en

Invisibilia: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia

Connect with Alma: 

Website: www.almaquiroga.com

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, distracted, or like you’re just going through the motions, this episode is for you.

I’m chatting with Shani Persson, co-founder of Wonder, about what it means to "be where your feet are.” We unpack what being truly present looks like, not just as a buzzword, but as a way of living and working that honors us as whole human beings with brains, bodies, and lives.

We dive into why it’s so hard to stay connected to ourselves in today’s nonstop world, and how self-awareness and self-inquiry can help us create work and life experiences that actually feel meaningful. We also talk about the power and challenge of saying no, and why listening to ourselves is a radical act of care.

Key Takeaways: 

Recognize the importance of being present and enjoying the process, rather than constantly striving for the next thing.

Learn to say no and set boundaries to maintain energy and focus. The facade of control can lead to addictive behaviors and a constant need for dopamine hits.

The awareness of mortality can awaken us to what truly matters in life and help us reevaluate our priorities.

Being present and letting go of urgency can bring more joy and clarity to our lives.

Resources Mentioned: 

Essentialism by Greg McKeown https://amzn.to/4bhrk4F

Connect with Shani: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanipersson/

Wonder: https://www.justwonder.co/ 

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

What if the voice in your head that’s holding you back isn’t actually you?

In this episode of Building Thinkers, I’m talking with Sara Huang about how to rewrite those limiting beliefs that keep us stuck.

Sara is an expert facilitator and designer who works with creative conflict resolution and collaboration. We dive into practical ways to identify and change those mental patterns, including concepts like “edge figures” and why creating safe spaces for growth is so essential.

If you’ve ever felt trapped by self-doubt or stuck in old stories, this conversation offers fresh tools and hope to help you rewrite your inner narrative and open up new possibilities.

Key Takeaways: 

Create space for self-reflection and connection to rewrite limiting beliefs and build a brighter future.

Shift limiting beliefs by understanding their energy and using it to propel yourself towards new possibilities.

Starting with what resonates (sparks interest), moving to imitation (practicing and experimenting), and finally reaching creation (applying and innovating in one's unique context).

Resources Mentioned:

Finding Your Way: https://www.findingourwaypodcast.com/individual-episodes/s2e3

On Being: https://onbeing.org/series/podcast/

Lessons from Courageous Child by Sara Huang - https://buymeacoffee.com/sarahuang/e/71071

The Power Manual by Cindy Suarez - https://amzn.to/4bSoWC8

Holding Change by Adrienne Maree Brown - https://amzn.to/3R3Mmwk

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - https://amzn.to/3R8F2j3 

Beyond the Wall of Resistance by Rick Maurer - https://amzn.to/3KoJjLh

Other Resources:

https://app.7taps.com/av9kFaO3IR

https://www.conflicttransformationsummit.org/www.conflicttransformationsummit.org/stage-2.html 

https://communityresourcehub.org/resources/turning-towards-each-other-a-conflict-workbook/

https://ariseembodiment.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/So-youre-ready-to-choose-love-workbook-19.pdf

Connect with Sara:

Website: ⁠www.bento.me/sarahuang⁠

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huangsara

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bureautwist

More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.