Changemaker ED“U”

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 like Point B to help them navigate their purpose, get the support, and feel uplifted and hopeful about their future. 

Check out Adam’s work in the following publications: 

the 74, EdSurge, EdWeek, and Edutopia.

You can learn more about Point B here: https://www.mypointb.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. 

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 [email protected] and check out the link here to learn more: 

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 review the podcast or share with a friend. 

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 review the podcast or share with a friend. 

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 - [email protected]

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. 

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 [email protected] if you want to join the movement. 

Websites:

https://www.davidkrichards.com/

https://www.growthps.org/

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 review the podcast or share with a friend. 

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 [email protected] to share your feedback. 

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 [email protected] if you want to join the movement. 

Websites:

https://www.davidkrichards.com/

https://www.growthps.org/

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.