There are incredible people who commit their time, energy and efforts to serve such an military connected students. I was beyond thrilled to share space with Kristina Crane Muñoz, an Instructional Systems Specialist. In our time together we discuss adjusting to life in America, her heart for teaching and learning, and shifts in education. 

Each day feels like heart break. As a finish reading Diary of Anne Frank, there are unnerving parallels of our current global affairs although written many decades ago. With the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, hearts are broken, lives lost, families separated, and devastation is observed. This is hard for myself and many others to comprehend especially with 1.5 million people estimated to have left Ukraine. However, it is our stories which give hope and forge connections. Lyuba was born in Ukraine. At the age of 14 years old, she relocated to Italy with her family. This is where we met. In my brief interview with Luba, we focused on her faith, hopes, and her love for her country. In this interview you hear her heart.

Serenissima Ukrainian Relief Fund: https://smgi.org/give

For #BlackHistoryMonth, I was beyond thrilled to share time and space with Serena Lewis! Our conversation revolved around giving back, her critical work as the Academy Director of Words Beats & Life, and what brings her joy! 

On a visit to Lucerne, Switzerland in 2020, I interviewed Alex Messerli. Alex is a Swiss Educator (PreK-4) and joined my friend and I for dinner at a Thai restaurant. I was curious about his journey and how he navigated the challenges presented during the pandemic especially in the classroom. I found our conversation to be enlightening. At this very moment this interview provides perspective as many schools still strive to figure out how to navigate the pandemic.

Happy New Year and Welcome to Episode 6 of Season 3 of The Joy of Learning Podcast. As we prepare to observe the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his impact across the globe, it was a privilege and delight to speak with Mary C. Curtis. Mary is an award-winning journalist and educator based in Charlotte, N.C., and Washington, D.C. Mary is also a columnist at Roll Call and host of its ‘Equal Time’ podcast. Our conversation focused on passing the baton to the next generation and what this looks. I hope you enjoy this episode.

Biography of Mary C. Curtis: Mary C. Curtis, columnist at Roll Call and host of its ‘Equal Time with Mary C. Curtis’ podcast, is an award-winning journalist and educator based in Charlotte, N.C., and Washington, D.C. A former Nieman Fellow at Harvard, Curtis, who covers the intersection of politics, culture and race, contributes to WFAE, an NPR affiliate in Charlotte and is a senior facilitator with The OpEd Project, which increases the range of voices in opinion writing. She has contributed to MSNBC, NPR, ESPN’s The Undefeated and The Washington Post, covered presidential campaigns since 2008, and has worked at The New York Times, Charlotte Observer, Baltimore Sun and the Associated Press.

She was chosen for The HistoryMakers, the single largest collection -- archived in the Library of Congress -- which promotes successes and documents events important to the African American community and American society.

Honors include the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ 2022 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award, Clarion Awards from the Association for Women in Communications, awards from the National Headliners and the Society of Professional Journalists, three first-place awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Thomas Wolfe Award for an examination of Confederate heritage groups.

Curtis has contributed to several books, including an essay in “Covering Politics in the Age of Trump” (LSU Press; 2021) and “Now What?” The Voters Have Spoken -- Essays on Life After Trump.” www.maryccurtis.com

It was a pleasure to interview Author Janice Cottingham, in the summer of 2020 while she enjoyed delicious sushi in Pordenone. During this time she shared insights three of her published books which include  and the inspiration behind them. Janice has wanted to be a children’s author since she was 8 years old. Janice was raised and born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and it’s surrounding suburbs where she graduated from Lower Merion High School. After high school Janice attended college in Virginia. Then, she set off to explore the world! Over the past 19 years Janice has lived and worked in Italy, Germany, and Korea along with her 10 children.

Link to her publications: https://www.amazon.com/Janice-Cottingham/e/B082VD6QG5%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

I was thrilled to speak with Julian Wright, the Chief Operating Officer of Your Outsourced CFO. Our conversation focused on fatherhood, serving as an executive, Agile and Lean methodologies, Lean Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) and finding joy! A great conversation to end the year!

Julian Wright earned a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry from Ursinus College and spent 6 years in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in a technical and managerial capacity. He then earned an MBA from Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and co-founded and worked with startups.Five years after completing his MBA, Julian's experience is rooted in professional services via management consulting and executive outsourcing. Currently, Julian is the Chief Operating Officer of Your Outsourced CFO, leading a fundamental business model “pivot” that now making the company a startup.

In continuing to highlight leaders in technology, it was a pleasure to interview Alana Karen! Alana is an award-winning tech leader, author, and speaker whose work impacts many of our everyday lives. From Google Search to Ads, Fiber to Google Grants and beyond, Alana has been leading the charge to develop, scale, build and drive team and product development that has seen a rippling industry impact. Alana has spoken at conferences and summits on technology, leadership, DEI, talent and innovation. Her book, "Adventures of Women in Tech: How We Got Here and Why We Stay," aggregates hundreds of stories on these topics as well. A follow-up workbook comes out in May 2022. I am thrilled to share our time together in this episode!

Helen Adeosun, CEO and Founder of CareAcademy, has built a career driving outcomes for adult learners and finding meaningful ways for them to engage in learning. She launched CareAcademy to unite cutting-edge education strategies with the unique needs of the historically underserved caregiver community. To date, more than 200,000 direct care workers have completed over 1 million CareAcademy classes, and the company is aiming to re-skill more than 1 million new home-care workers by 2023. 

The company has been named one of the 100 most innovative Edtech Companies in North America by HolonIQ and was a prior global winner of the MIT Future of Work Challenge. In 2021, CareAcademy was ranked as an Inc. 5000 company, a recognition of America's fastest-growing private companies. 

Adeosun has previously worked with Pearson Education, Teach for America, and the Boston Public Schools. She was named to the 2020 Fortune 40 Under for 40 list and serves on the board of the Caregiver Action Network. She is a frequent industry speaker and a fierce champion of home care and an advocate for the Direct Care Worker. Adeosun earned a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in Politics and Arabic Studies and holds an EdM. in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University.

It is also important to elevate the voices of women who are survivors of Breast Cancer. I am excited to share Tabitha Huewitt's journey! Her story provides hope and inspiration to weather a difficult journey.  Her fortitude during an unprecedented time is an example of resilience, grit, transparency, determination, and hope!

Tabitha Huewitt is an Assistant Principal in Aviano, Italy and enjoys supporting students and her broader community. In 2019, Tabitha began her tenure at Aviano Elementary School; but due to the pandemic she had the honor of serving as Assistant Principal of Middle Grades with DoDEA Virtual School. Her leadership in education is exemplified in her desire to affect change at various levels in education.