Justin Johnson (JJ) is a small business owner and amateur boxer. He is the head trainer and owner at JET Fitness. JJ got started in the fitness field after working a number of jobs to keep his bills paid while he trained as a boxer. In this episode, we talk about the dedication it takes to be the best in combat sports, how JJ has worked through his own struggles with mental illness and how he's overcome the challenges that comes along with being bipolar, and how he's not afraid to work hard, grow his own business through dedication, creative marketing and branding, and his desire to be the best. Find JET Fitness on Instagram here: @JetFitnessOkemos

Seth Edgar has been in the security operations field for the past decade. He is an expert in technology leadership and is no stranger to the challenges of working in a technical environment. In this episode we talk about the value of having a plan in place should a data breach occur, a few simple reminders for employees to keep their data secure, and how to be efficient & effective when leading a technology department during remote work.

Todd Bloch is a successful middle school teacher who has spent 2 decades perfecting his craft. We talk about staying connected with students when away from the building, the importance of regular routines without the structure of a normal school day, and the value of distance learning. Find Todd on Twitter: @blocht574

Du joins Episode 7. We talk about educational technology best practices, how video games can support the learning process, and the excitement and surprise of eSports at the high school level. Find Du on Twitter: @DueyBui

Bio: Du Bui is an Educational Technology Consultant for the Jackson County Intermediate School District in Jackson, Michigan. His job is to plan educational technology training for teachers and to support them in any ed-tech needs they have. In addition, he also promotes and supports teachers with teaching practices such as project-based learning and blended learning. 

Jessyca Mathews joins Episode 6 on the Lead, Learn, Grow podcast. We talk about the importance of sharing your voice as an educator, how her practice has evolved over her career as a high school teacher, and how she inspires her students to find the perfect book. Find Jessyca on Twitter: @JessycaMathews

Bio: ​J​essyca Mathews is a high school teacher in Flint, Michigan who has used her voice and her story to inspire students and move them to action. Jessyca has written poetry and a play to bring community and national attention to the Flint water crisis. Her students have been moved to use creative expression to channel their responses to the crisis. They have also developed collaboration with students in Lansing, Michigan, finding the power of their collective voices to advocate for clean water.

She also is a blogger for Teaching Tolerance and has been nominated for 2017 Social Justice Activist of the Year with the National Education Association. She also is the 2018 Secondary English Teacher of the Year with Michigan Council of Teachers of English and received the 2018 Teacher of Excellence award from the National Council of Teachers of English. She currently is the Region 5 Teacher of the Year for the state of Michigan, and was a finalist for Teacher of the Year, MI, 2019-2020.

Adrianne Rose is the guest on Lead, Learn, Grow Episode 5. We talk about what it takes to get smart about assistive technology in the classroom, where to go for assistive technology help, and what inspires her practice. Find Adrianne on Twitter @Rose_Teach and find her website here.

Read more about Adrianne:

Bio: Utilizing educational technology to boost learner success is Adrianne’s passion as an educator. After graduating from Hope College with a degree in Special Education, she knew her role as an educator would include advocating for student needs and embedding assistive technology into student lessons. In 2015, Adrianne earned her Master’s Degree in Learning and Technology, where she studied the effects of blended video instruction. In addition, she has earned her Google Certified Educators Badge as a Level 1 and Level 2 educator. Adrianne has taken a lead role as a presenter at international, state and local conferences such as, ISTE, MACUL, GoogleFEST, Learning on The Lakeshore, Ottawa County “What Works!” and Grand Haven Area Public School Professional Development.

Nick LeTarte is the guest on Lead, Learn, Grow Episode 4. He highlights the importance of telling your story through vlogging and also shares insight to how he creates entertaining, humorous, and high quality content for his vlogs. Find Nick on Twitter @nletarte and find his vlog here.

Read more about Nick:

Bio: Nick LeTarte is in his 16th year serving as a French teacher at the high school level. He has taken groups of students to France in the past and will soon return to Paris, France with another group of high school students. He is also an experienced vlogger creating high quality and entertaining vlogs for the past two years. 

Episode 3 - Grow: Lissa Brunan

Lissa Brunan is the guest on Lead, Learn, Grow Episode 3. She shares her desire to keep growing as a learner, the importance of keeping your passion as a teacher, and her expertise teaching teachers how educational technology can support their classroom practices. Find Lissa on Twitter @LissaBrunan

Read more about Lissa:

Lissa Brunan is the owner and Chief Engagement Officer for Engaging TECHniques, an Ed Tech consulting company. She's a former MS Math teacher who transitioned to the world of professional development a little over a decade ago. Along with being a Google Certified Trainer, she has certifications from six additional ed tech companies. Her mission is to help educators improve instruction by integrating quality educational technology that can increase student engagement and learning.

Episode 2: Learn - Bill Albrecht

Bill is the guest on Lead, Learn, Grow Episode 2.  He shares how learning something new every day supports his practice serving as a principal in his first year in a K-4th grade building. He also shares why culture is important to his relationship with staff, students, and parents. Find Bill on Twitter @MisterAlbrecht

Read more about Bill: 

Bill Albrecht is the lead-learner and principal in a K-4 elementary school. Previously he was an assistant principal at a 4th - 8th grade middle school. He is a former 1st grade teacher who has experiences serving as a special education teacher, behavior interventionist, and a dean of students. Bill is also a former high school football coach and seasoned baseball umpire. He loves to read, train dogs, coach and play sports. Bill is an aspiring doctoral student.