This episode, I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Alison Lee—a friend, a former colleague, and someone whose influence on my own leadership is deeper than she probably knows.

Some of the work I’m most proud of in my career—work focused on belonging, justice, and what it actually means to help young people thrive—came from collaboration, action, and studied reflection alongside Alison. She brings together a researcher’s mind, a brilliant intellect, and a heart anchored like granite in equity and human development. If you’ve ever had the chance to connect with her, you know both the megawatts of her thinking and the depth of her care.

Full disclosure: Alison also volunteers a few hours each year on the advisory council of my tiny-but-mighty LLC focused on leadership for good. How lucky am I?

Today Alison serves as Chief R&D Officer at The Rithm Project, where she leads cutting-edge work exploring human connection in the age of AI. Her path winds through a BS and BA from Rutgers, a master’s degree from Teachers College, and a PhD in Cognitive Science from Columbia University. Along the way she has spent years studying belonging and student agency at EL Education, and has worked at Instagram and Meta exploring the intersection of AI, wellbeing, and safety.

She is one of the sharpest people I know when it comes to understanding the psychological, social, and ethical terrain our kids—and frankly all of us—are now navigating.

If you’ve read Alison’s writing through The Rithm Project, you’ve likely seen how she describes the moment we’re in: a digital forest—full of possibility and full of danger. A place where “two wolves” live inside our technologies. One that pulls us toward autopilot—toward distraction, isolation, and destruction. And another that can deepen curiosity, connection, and agency—if we learn how to feed it.

And that’s really the heart of Alison’s work:

How do we help young people stay grounded in their humanity in a world increasingly designed to pull them away from authentic connection?

What will it mean to remain connected—to each other, to our communities, to purpose—at a time when the computer in your pocket can pretend to be your most loyal companion: always available, never unkind, keeping all your secrets?

At a moment when the AI revolution is evolving faster than any of us can keep up with, Alison is one of the rare voices — using her many many talents and skills for good — and asking the right questions… not about technology first, but about people.

I’m thrilled—and it’s a personal joy—to have her on the show.

So with that, dive in!

Learn more about Alison’s work:

The Rithm Project: 

https://www.rithmproject.org/

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Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

This episode, I’m joined by Kirstin Lund — mediator, changemaker, and fierce advocate for safer, stronger communities in Stratford, Prince Edward Island.

Kirstin began her career practicing law, but soon discovered that true transformation often happens not in courtrooms, but in conversation. In 1996, she founded Collaboration School, dedicating her work to mediation, facilitation, and helping people navigate conflict with empathy and clarity.

Her leadership has shaped PEI in profound ways. She founded the PEI Coalition for Women’s Leadership, chaired the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, and co-founded Justice Options for Women — helping create the Circles of Safety and Support model for those at high risk of intimate partner violence, now used beyond the Island.

In recognition of her impact, she received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada in 2022 and was named to the Order of Prince Edward Island in 2025 — one of the highest honors an islander can receive.

She’s also founded PEI’s first roller-derby league, organized grassroots campaigns like “Stocking Angels,” and consistently shows that leadership can be creative, courageous, and community-rooted.

Full disclosure: Kirstin is my wife’s cousin. But trust me — that’s not why she’s here. (If I invited all of my wife’s cousins onto the show, it would take like five seasons — hello, Macdonalds!) Kirstin is here because she uses her many many talents and skills for good — and because her journey offers real wisdom for leaders navigating conflict, community, and change.

In this episode, we explore:

 - Why a lawyer chose mediation over litigation

 - What roller derby can teach us about conflict resolution

 - How to build coalitions that actually move the needle

 - The courage it takes to part ways well

 - And why collaboration is not weakness — it’s strength with discipline

In this conversation, we explore mediation over litigation, roller-derby conflict lessons, partnerships and parting ways, and why collaboration — done well — is one of the most powerful leadership tools we have.

So dive in!

Kirstin on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstin-lund/

Collaboration School - Mediation and More

https://collaborationschool.com/

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

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Follow us:

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https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

At a time when the world needs men of character, it is my delight to host a conversation with a leader who is working to foster spaces for them.

Luke Di Sessa — a powerful leader in Australia whose life’s work centers on developing men of character and helping them step into authentic, emotionally intelligent leadership.

Luke is the CEO and Co-Founder of Good Better Best Men, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating safe, courageous spaces where men can face their internal challenges, build resilience, and grow into grounded, heart-led leaders. In a cultural moment saturated with confused and often unhealthy models of masculinity — including some in power who confuse bullying and brutality with power and at a time when suicide rates for men remain roughly four times higher than for women — this work is not optional. It’s essential.

Through Good Better Best Men and his broader facilitation work, Luke guides men into deeper belonging, emotional intelligence, and self-responsibility. He is also a key contributor to the Southern Men’s Gathering, where he mentors men in self-transformation and embodied leadership.

Currently pursuing a Diploma in Counseling, Luke integrates somatic practice, psychology, nature-based wisdom, and lived experience. His approach blends heart, body, and mind — inviting men not into performance, but into presence. Not into dominance, but into the courage to be real.

This isn’t Luke’s first podcast conversation. He’s been immersed in men’s work for years, facilitating spaces across Australia and beyond. But as a host who cares deeply about rallying men of character to do exceptionally good in the world — especially in a time that holds uncertainty and too many counter-examples for healthy masculinity — I was grateful to sit down with Luke for some real talk.

In this conversation, we explore:

•   What it means to build character rather than just competence
•   Why emotional intelligence is strength, not softness
•   The role of community and ritual in male transformation
•   How embodied practices help men metabolize pain instead of projecting it
•   What healthy leadership looks like in families, workplaces, and society

Luke reminds us that growth doesn’t happen through shame. It happens through courageous self-inquiry, honest brotherhood, and the willingness to look within.

And with that, dive in.

Good Better Best Men

https://www.goodbetterbestmen.com.au/

What's a bandicoot?

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

This episode's guest is Lina Jean Fritz, a Chicago-based, C-suite nonprofit leader in strategy and innovation whose work sits at the intersection of equity and moral courage in access to the work force and higher education.

Lina is a first-generation college graduate, the daughter of restaurant workers, and someone whose early life was shaped by movement—growing up across Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi before graduating from a public high school in Mississippi and heading north to attend the University of Chicago.

From there, Lina’s career took her through teaching, instructional leadership, and senior nonprofit leadership—most recently as an Executive Director at OneGoal, a national organization grounded in a powerful belief: every young person deserves an equitable opportunity to get to and through college.

Lina has consistently pushed leaders to rethink what readiness really means. In a widely shared piece for Chalkbeat, she asked a question that still challenges the field:

What if highly selective colleges focused on being student-ready instead of placing the burden on students to be college-ready?

She goes further—pressing higher-education institutions to confront uncomfortable truths about moral courage, risk, and sacrifice:

What risks should we ask institutions to take—risks that may require reputational and financial sacrifice—in service of equity?

In this episode, we talk about the real meaning of opportunity and how we can build systems that honor the truth that talent is equally distributed—even when opportunity is not. We also explore leadership lessons Lina has learned along the way, including accepting feedback as an act of love, and recognizing that what got you where you are may not get you where you want to go.

Lina reflects on her evolution as a leader—from being the person who figures it out when it seems impossible to becoming someone who leads through discernment, influence, and trust. Drawing on wisdom often attributed to Lao Tzu, she shares a lesson that reshaped her leadership:

“To lead the people, walk behind them.”

Because when you do, you can finally see.

This is a conversation about feedback, humility, and moral courage ...and about using your talents, fully and honestly, in service of exceptional social good.

And with that… let’s dive in.

••••••••••

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

In this episode of Exceptionally Good, I’m joined by Scott Seider, a professor, former public school teacher, and one of the most thoughtful voices I know on what it means to educate young people for a just and democratic society.

Scott is a Professor of Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, where his research centers on how schools can support young people in developing a sense of purpose, critical consciousness, moral courage, and civic responsibility. Before entering academia, Scott taught high school in Boston Public Schools …experience that continues to ground his scholarship in the lived realities of classrooms and communities.

He is the author of Character Compass and co-author of Schooling for Critical Consciousness, works that have shaped how educators across the country think about character development, equity, and the role of school culture in young people’s lives. Across his writing, research, and teaching, Scott consistently asks a deeper question: 

What kinds of human beings—and citizens—are our schools helping to cultivate?

In this conversation, we explore:

• What “critical consciousness” actually looks like in practice
• How schools can nurture purpose and moral courage without slipping into ideology
• The role of identity, power, and belonging in adolescent development
• What it means to prepare young people not just for college and careers—but for democracy itself

If you’re an educator, school leader, or anyone wrestling with how to raise and teach young people in uncertain times, this episode offers both grounding and hope.

Links & Resources Mentioned

Character Compass 

— https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570302/character-compass-second-edition/

Schooling for Critical Consciousness 

— https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781682534298/schooling-for-critical-consciousness/

More on Scott

www.scottseider.com

Info on a project in which we collaborated, Critical Consciousness in Crew, is available at www.bc.edu/4cs

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

In this episode of Exceptionally Good: Leaders for a Better World, I’m joined by two remarkable humans—Sheeba Jacob and Anay Shah—for a conversation about purpose, partnership, and the clarity that can emerge through challenge and loss.

Two compelling and humble leaders for good… who just happen to be married to each other!

Sheeba is the Director of Middle School Design at Citizen of the World Charter Schools, a researcher, educator, and musical artist whose work explores how teachers—and all of us—can cultivate hope in uncertain times. Her recent article in the Journal for Multicultural Education examines how contemporary teacher preparation often neglects hope and healing justice, the deeply human frameworks needed to build empathy, community, and connection. When she’s not writing or leading, Sheeba composes music that tells stories of parenthood, identity, and solidarity across communities.

Anay is an investor, storyteller, and systems thinker. As co-founder of Stepchange Fund, he works at the intersection of capital and justice, reimagining how financial systems can fuel more equitable and sustainable futures. His work reflects a deep curiosity about how complex systems—from data centers to markets—shape our lives and possibilities.

In our conversation, Sheeba and Anay talk candidly about how periods of transition and loss helped them clarify what truly matters—both in their work and in their life together. We explore how they’ve learned to name priorities, let go of what no longer serves them, and protect the relationships that make meaningful work possible.

They also share the small but powerful rituals that help them stay connected amid demanding roles and ambitious social-good goals—including Tequiza: a Friday-night ritual involving pizza, tequila, and intentional time together as partners.

This episode is an invitation to reflect on what it looks like to build a life of purpose not just as an individual, but alongside someone else—to do good work, tend to love, and keep choosing connection, even when the work is hard.

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
  https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”
  - Dr. King

This year, I’m doing something a bit different.  One in what I hope is a yearly series.  Instead of our usual conversation with powerful, human and reflective leaders for social good, I’m sharing a reading from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” speech — a voice grounded in courage, nonviolence, and moral clarity that still speaks to our work for justice and social good.

Dr. King delivered this speech in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the night before his assassination. In it he lifted up the struggle for human dignity, rooted justice in nonviolent moral force, and reminded us that the arc of history bends toward justice …when and because we choose to push it there.

It does not bend itself. It does not bend when we doomscroll or lament.  Those might inform us or motivate us.  But it is action that bends that arc.

For all of us working for social good, Dr. King’s words offer two leadership lessons that still matter:

• Justice is pursued through nonviolence and the moral high ground — true power is grounded in love for the humanity of every person: allies and detractors.
• Courage is built in solidarity and community — even when the path is steep and the mountain high, we are not alone.

This reading is offered in the spirit of exceptional good — honoring the courage of all who stand for justice and human rights through non-violent action and civil courage.

Listen to Dr. King’s original speech here:
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

To all leaders who carry both hope and heaviness, who stand for dignity in the face of fear, who hold fast to justice when the world tests your resolve:

Link arms. 

Keep going. 

Your work matters. 

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

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Follow us:

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More from Exceptionally Good:

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••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

In this episode - Brad Barrett, CPA and co-founder of the ChooseFI Podcast, one of the most influential platforms in the Financial Independence (FI) movement. While Brad’s career began in accounting, it’s his work making FI accessible to everyone that makes him a leader worth learning from.

The FI movement, as Vicki Robin framed it, asks a simple but profound question: your money or your life? At its core, FI isn’t about hoarding wealth... it’s about using intentional financial choices to reclaim your time, create freedom, and build resilience. 

Or, as Sister Irene Kraus, leader of a hospital for those in need, once said: “No margin, no mission.”   Money is not the mission — but it is a necessary and enabling condition to have the impact you dream about.

And Brad’s work shines light on how to make margin for good. 

In this conversation, Brad and I explore:

• How margin (or savings rate) empowers people and organizations to stay on mission.
• The traps of traditional financial services — and why Brad shares freely instead of selling.
• Practical FI principles that help anyone in service, leadership, or social good sustain impact over the long run.
• The importance of aligning financial choices with values and mission.

Margin isn’t just a personal concept—it’s essential for organizations dedicated to social good. Nonprofits, schools, and community groups need breathing room in their budgets to weather crises, survive policy shifts, and keep serving when a grant runs dry. The same holds true for individuals: without margin, mission falters. Financial independence tools provide a framework to create that margin, ensuring both people and organizations can endure and thrive in pursuit of their highest purpose.

Brad could easily have stepped away after reaching FI. Instead, he uses his talents and skills to lead for exceptional good — helping others see through the noise and build a life of intention, impact, and joy.

So dive in and learn how having margin for the mission helps you soar above. 

Links:

ChooseFI Podcast 

- a wealth of accessible conversations about financial independence

JL Collins’ Blog – The Simple Path to Wealth 

- a brilliant grounding in the principles, the how and why of FI

The Monk and the Minister -  a parable about freedom and the trappings of high salary

The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement 

••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

Ron Rapatalo is a connector, coach, and culture-shifter. A proud New Yorker and the son of Filipino immigrants, Ron brings over two decades of experience in K-12 education, nonprofit leadership, and executive search. He's dedicated his career to cultivating equity and empowering and mission driven organizations. His experiences include leadership roles at Teach for America, New Leaders, Edgility Consulting, Stronger Consulting, and as an advisory board member at Harvard Business Review. 

As the host of the RONderings podcast, Ron delves into conversations around leadership, Identity wellness, exploring the superpowers that drive personal and professional transformation beyond his professional endeavors. Ron, like all of us, contains multitudes: serving as a career coach, an author, a public speaker, and the founder of the Rapatalo Group LLC, alongside his wife Shanita. 

Ron’s mission? To dismantle systemic inequities and help leaders and organizations thrive with purpose and integrity. Whether he’s coaching senior leaders or chatting with an Uber driver, Ron’s superpower is building trust—fast.

This episode is full of wisdom for anyone navigating leadership, identity, career pivots, or simply trying to live with more alignment. Ron shares openly about what it means to choose purpose over prestige, the power of relationships, and how even professional setbacks (like getting fired) can become transformational growth moments.

If you’re a mission-driven leader, this conversation is for you.

Ron’s got some great lessons for leaders: 

• Building trust is a Superpower
• You Are Not Your Job
• Ask Better Questions in Your Career
• Your Network Is Your Safety Net

...........

Connect with Ron!

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo/

Ron’s Newsletter - RONservations

https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/ronservations-7192945637582086144/

Ronderings Podcast 

https://open.spotify.com/show/4Pimm7Z4j7FO3EiQRxralb

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••••••••••

About Exceptionally Good:

https://www.exceptionallygood.org/about

Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
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Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.

What does it look like to reflect deeply on education systems—after you’ve learned across the ocean and back again 

…and before you’ve even graduated high school?

In this  episode, Ryan sits down with Isamu Thung, a recent graduate of High Tech High and one of the most thoughtful young leaders discussing learning, equity, and systems transformation. Despite just finishing high school, Isamu brings a level of wisdom, humility, and systems-thinking that challenges adults in the field to go deeper.

We explore:

• The hard lessons of leadership and the tension between control and compassion
• What Isamu learned by moving between the U.S. and Japan’s educational systems
• How a single semester of empowered teaching transformed his trajectory
• Why good structure creates freedom—and too much freedom can paralyze
• What it means to walk with someone through their learning journey

Whether he’s designing professional development tools, mentoring middle schoolers, or rethinking how systems shape outcomes, Isamu shows us what’s possible when curiosity meets deep reflection.

This episode is full of insights about identity, courage, and the kind of leadership that grows through humility and struggle. 

Connect with Isamu Thung:

Website:

https://isamuthung.com

LinkedIn: Isamu Thung

https://www.linkedin.com/in/isamu-thung-55429b288/

Email: [email protected]

Ron Berger’s Unboxed episode (featuring Isamu):

“Schools Can Get Better at Unleashing Student Potential”

https://hthgse.edu/podcasts/schools-can-get-better-at-unleashing-student-potential/

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About Exceptionally Good:

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Follow us:

@e.g.exceptionallygood

More from Exceptionally Good:

📧 [email protected]

Work with Ryan:
https://www.exceptionallygood.org/services

Exceptionally Good on Substack:

https://substack.com/@exceptionallygood

Producer, editor and host: Ryan Maxwell

Theme music: Ryan Raddatz

Guitar music: Adeline’s Guitar

Credits/Outro Read by: Adeline, Advice and Jess

The views shared on this podcast are those of my guests and the host and do not necessarily reflect those of any employer past or present.