Changemaker ED“U”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: [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.

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, painting, or another creative pursuit that gets you in a calm observer mode. He asks you to inquire with curiosity: what activity keeps your mind still and helps you feel the peace of your soul’s knowing? He closes with a story of his mountaintop intuitive moment of clear knowing that led him to start his school.

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.

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 review the podcast or share with a friend.

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 review the podcast or share with a friend.

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.