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Dr Victoria on UWC-USA, Crisis, and the Power of Humane Education | Impact Masters Podcast
Let us know how we are doing
What if school made us more alive instead of more numb? That question threads through our conversation with Victoria, President of UWC‑USA, as we journey from her Head Start memories in Albuquerque to crisis-tested leadership during COVID and the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. We unpack how a single moment in a pathology lab pushed her from pre‑med to philosophy of the body—and why reconnecting mind, heart, culture, and spirit is the real work of education and leadership.
We talk about the UWC‑USA model: a truly global campus of teens from 90+ countries, the rigor of the International Baccalaureate, and the lived curriculum of wilderness, arts and culture, and service. You’ll hear how second chances, shared accountability, and reciprocal community partnerships in San Miguel County turn service from saviorism into solidarity. Victoria also reframes fundraising as philanthropy in its original sense—love of humanity—arguing that scholarships and access can’t be reduced to return-on-investment spreadsheets, because the true impact unfolds across a lifetime.
There’s hard-won wisdom here on inclusive leadership in polarized times, on moving from “us and them” to “we,” and on designing schools where failure teaches, curiosity leads, and competence grows without erasing the person. We also explore climate innovation through her board role at Element Six Dynamics, where hemp-based pulp aims to replace softwood in paper and packaging—sequestering carbon, reducing deforestation, and proving that profit and planet can align.
If you’re an educator, parent, student, policymaker, or simply someone who believes learning should expand our humanity, this story will challenge and encourage you. Listen, share with a friend who cares about education and community, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what’s one change you want to see in how we teach, lead, or give?
Support the show
🔔 Subscribe, follow, and share. Check us out at www.impactmasters.io
Stay updated on transformative conversations with leaders, builders & changemakers.
https://www.youtube.com/@IMPACTMASTERSMEDIA
🎧 Listen on Your Favorite Platform
Apple Podcasts ► https://podcasts.apple.com/ke/podcast/impact-masters-podcast/id1652228341
Spotify ► https://t.co/zmQxOd6XwG
YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpRymy-NTwTzg98WpkLJXJbEs3eX_gT7z
Amazon Music ► https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/797ccc7b-d91b-4f09-9d0b-344a3d895692
Podcast Index ► https://podcastindex.org/podcast/5637888
Podchaser ► https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/impact-masters-podcast-4842099
Host: Michael Kimathi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkimathi/
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/m_k_global
Follow Impact Masters
X (Twitter): https://x.com/ImpactMastersco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-masters-inc/
View all episodes
By Impact Masters MediaLet us know how we are doing
What if school made us more alive instead of more numb? That question threads through our conversation with Victoria, President of UWC‑USA, as we journey from her Head Start memories in Albuquerque to crisis-tested leadership during COVID and the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. We unpack how a single moment in a pathology lab pushed her from pre‑med to philosophy of the body—and why reconnecting mind, heart, culture, and spirit is the real work of education and leadership.
We talk about the UWC‑USA model: a truly global campus of teens from 90+ countries, the rigor of the International Baccalaureate, and the lived curriculum of wilderness, arts and culture, and service. You’ll hear how second chances, shared accountability, and reciprocal community partnerships in San Miguel County turn service from saviorism into solidarity. Victoria also reframes fundraising as philanthropy in its original sense—love of humanity—arguing that scholarships and access can’t be reduced to return-on-investment spreadsheets, because the true impact unfolds across a lifetime.
There’s hard-won wisdom here on inclusive leadership in polarized times, on moving from “us and them” to “we,” and on designing schools where failure teaches, curiosity leads, and competence grows without erasing the person. We also explore climate innovation through her board role at Element Six Dynamics, where hemp-based pulp aims to replace softwood in paper and packaging—sequestering carbon, reducing deforestation, and proving that profit and planet can align.
If you’re an educator, parent, student, policymaker, or simply someone who believes learning should expand our humanity, this story will challenge and encourage you. Listen, share with a friend who cares about education and community, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what’s one change you want to see in how we teach, lead, or give?
Support the show
🔔 Subscribe, follow, and share. Check us out at www.impactmasters.io
Stay updated on transformative conversations with leaders, builders & changemakers.
https://www.youtube.com/@IMPACTMASTERSMEDIA
🎧 Listen on Your Favorite Platform
Apple Podcasts ► https://podcasts.apple.com/ke/podcast/impact-masters-podcast/id1652228341
Spotify ► https://t.co/zmQxOd6XwG
YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpRymy-NTwTzg98WpkLJXJbEs3eX_gT7z
Amazon Music ► https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/797ccc7b-d91b-4f09-9d0b-344a3d895692
Podcast Index ► https://podcastindex.org/podcast/5637888
Podchaser ► https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/impact-masters-podcast-4842099
Host: Michael Kimathi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkimathi/
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/m_k_global
Follow Impact Masters
X (Twitter): https://x.com/ImpactMastersco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-masters-inc/