When I teased Susan Parente about the eight designations behind her name - eight! - her response said a lot about her. She laughed and said she not only loves learning, but she teaches subjects which lead to certifications. So all the letters are a selling point for students who would think it fun to take a class from someone who loves certifications.

And that about sums it up. Astute. Insightful. Self-aware. Passionate. Susan's sees black and white with an engineer's mind, while helping students find their way through their own gray areas, with a lot of heart. She creates an environment for students to discover things about themselves, while teaching them the rights and wrongs of project management and cybersecurity to pass certification exams. She loves working independently to produce a deliverable, and loves extra time with students who seek her assistance.

I had a lot of fun talking to Susan, and I learned a lot. Here are some of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

1:00 - 4:00 - How I switched from "I don't want to be a teacher," to "teaching is my passion."

5:28 - When I started my business but before I made any money, I did pro bono work to literally speak my future into being.

9:53 - "Students say, "What I'd really like to do is…..but…." And it's the "but" that stops them.

17:05 - To teach is to create a safe space for learning not just a topic, but to learn about oneself.

19:54 - Maintaining a beginner's mind to facilitate learning

24:13 - We can't learn if we're afraid of failing

36:14 - I grade for class participation but never grade someone down for saying something wrong. Discussion is when we're supposed to figure things out.

40:14 - Project success means team success, and team success is a human endeavor, not a project management practice