In this episode, NuMinds co-founder Justin Vawter turns the tables and interviews BEN about his journey as an educator, entereprenuer, and coach focused on purpose. Enjoy the rich and meantingful banter of these long-time friends and creators and get a meta-view of the New Minds podcast journey. Lots of surprise gems here that even Ben didn't see coming!

Ben's Links: 

Ben's Website

Numinds Enrichment

Harmonic Hands

The Purpose Lab

Instagram

Today's guest, Michael Strong, is one of the most experienced designers of innovative school programs in the United States. His projects include a public school program in which minority female students gained four years’ worth of critical thinking gains in four months (on the Watson-Glaser). He later went into Montessori secondary school program design at The Judson Montessori School (San Antonio), The Emerson School, and Hacienda School. He created The Winston Academy, where middle school students passed AP exams, making it the most academically advanced school in the country at the time.

That's just the beginning! In this episode, Michael and Ben discuss his vision, motivation, and origin story as a school creator, as well as the state and future of education.

Michael is the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice and lead author of Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems.

Michael's Links:

Ben's Links:

In this episode, two experts in pedagogy and mindfulness present a two-fold path to healing and reinvigorating classrooms as we enter a new era of learning. The best of the progressive Finnish approaches meets the cutting edge of mindfulness and social & emotional learning to present a way forward focused on physiological and psychological safety, a pedagogy of collaboration, and a focus on self-determination. The result...classrooms that flourish!

Petteri's Links: 

Ben's Links:

Amber O’Neal Johnston is an established authority on including diverse voices in traditional curriculum and infusing culture and love for others into an intentional home environment. She shares her observations on education, living books, and worldschooling at HeritageMom.com, and connects with followers on Instagram @heritagemomblog. She is a regular contributor to the wildly successful Wild + Free homeschooling community, a frequent podcast guest on popular shows, and a coveted speaker at boutique conferences.

In this episode, Amber and Ben discuss her journey from a traditional "mainstream career" to fierce practitioner, advocate, and inspiration for diverse, representative, whole-child based home-based education. 

Check out her site: https://heritagemom.com/

Today's guest, Debbie Reber, is an author, podcaster, parenting advocate, and founder of Tilt Parenting, a community with the mission of changing the way difference is perceived and experienced in the world so that neurodiverse kids, and the parents raising them, can thrive in their schools, families, and lives.

In this rich conversation, Debbie and Ben unpack Debbie's term "differently wired" (the title of her book) and explore how it's an empowering metaphor to understand neurodivergence. We hear Debbie's personal story from challenged parent to thriving founder of a community of positive parenting activists. And stay tuned to the end for a bonus side-discussion on productivity hacks for busy creatives!

Debbie's Links:

Ben's Links:

Nereida Garcia-Prado is a Educator Scholar Advocate. She has worked with and advocated for underserved gifted students for over 20 years. Nereida is currently the K-12 GATE program specialist for the Santa Ana Unified School District and board president of the Orange County Council for the Gifted.

In this podcast we discuss the challenges of identifying giftedness in underserved populations.

Links for Nereida Garcia-Prado:

Links for Ben:

Consider a DONATION to our non-profit, Education Unbound--helping underserved students flourish in the future of work!

Daniel B. Peters, Ph.D. (“Dr. Dan”) is a psychologist, author, parenting expert, and host of Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan on Exactly Right. For over 20 years, Dr. Dan has been passionate about helping parents, children, and families realize and achieve their full potential while living with intention and purpose. He is the author of Make Your Worrier a Warrior, From Worrier to Warrior, The Warrior Workbook, and co-author of Raising Creative Kids. He is Co-Founder/Executive Director of the Summit Center, specializing in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and families with a special emphasis on gifted, talented, and creative individuals and families as well as anxiety, overcoming fear, learning differences, neurodiversity, and more.

Despite this extraordinary and accomplished resume, Dr. Dan is one of the warmest and inviting expert guests we could have asked for. He and Ben have a heartfelt conversation about his work, and about the joys and challenges of parenting at various stages and ages of a child's life.

Links for Dr. Dan:

Links for Ben:

Consider a DONATION to our non-profit, Education Unbound--helping underserved students flourish in the future of work!

In this episode, Ben chats with return guest (see episode 11) Marc Smolowitz for timely updates on The G-Word film and movement, including the Gifted, Talented, and Neurodiverse Awareness Week programming. They go deep on the connection between identity and giftedness, and grapple with the term "gifted" itself. Does the term "neurodiverse" solve many of the image problems associated with "gifted"? 

Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at the world's top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Jerusalem, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco-based boutique film and entertainment company (see: https://www.13thgenfilm.com/) that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. The company has successfully advanced Marc's career-long focus on powerful social issue filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious Gotham Media Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. In 2021, Marc is currently in post-production on THE G WORD -- a feature-length documentary that aims to be the most comprehensive film ever made on the topics of gifted, talented, and neurodiverse education across the United States. The film asks the urgent equity question -- In the 21st century, who gets to be Gifted in America and Why?, and is poised to premiere in 2022. Learn more at: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/

Marc's entertainment company 

The G Word Film Website

More From NuMinds and Ben

Ben's Website 

NuMinds Website

After trading in a super successful career (and 70-hour work week!) for a travel sabbatical in pursuit of a different life with more pleasure, Nate Postlethwait started writing and sharing his experience of addressing childhood trauma and mental health. That grew into Nate Writes, a beautiful community where Nate shares resources for those who struggle with past traumas. Nate hopes to play an effective role in helping survivors without financial means to find trauma-informed therapy at little to no cost. In the meantime, he shares the impacts of inner child work in the hopes of providing support to other survivors. Nate's upcoming course, Healing the Younger You, is now open for enrollees.

In this week's episode, Nate, Ben, and NuMinds leader Janet discuss the power of transformations and the value of finding life purpose. Nate's inspiring story of awakening, hope, and healing produce an insightful and thought-provoking conversation.

Links and Resources: 

Nate's Website

Nate's Instagram

More From NuMinds and Ben:

NuMinds Website

Ben's Website

From the age of 7, Dana-Maxx Pomerantz dreamed of being a successful fashion designer. It was a dream...until she achieved it. But when a dream achieved didn't equal happiness or fulfillment, she was forced into an awakening that gave birth to a new purpose and platform to inspire happiness, self-worth, and growth. It's called The Be Happy Project and its half a million followers are a community of light and optimism for those seeking wisdom on finding and experiencing happiness.

Ben and Dana-Maxx discuss the path to finding true happiness and the challenges that hinder fulfillment. Dana-Maxx's truthful, raw, and passionate insights create an authentic and wise conversation.

Link and Resources:

Dana-Maxx's Instagram

The Be Happy Project Instagram

Dana-Maxx's Linkedin

More From NuMinds and Ben

Ben's Website

NuMinds Website