The Optimalist Podcast

This week, I’m joined by Andrea Trudeau. Andrea Trudeau, M.S.Ed., NBCT is a library information specialist with 25 years of teaching experience at Alan B. Shepard Middle School in Deerfield District 109, which is located in the northern suburbs of Chicago. She's also a 2022 Fulbright-Hays Scholar and AASL's 2020 Frances Henne Award Winner who is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Northern Illinois University in Instructional Technology with a research focus on virtual reality and its impact on adolescent students' empathic responses. Since becoming a no-"shh" librarian eight years ago, she has transformed the space into a vibrant, welcoming, student-centered learning commons that emphasizes community, creativity, collaboration, risk-taking, and fun. Andrea is a human-centered librarian who is passionate about social-emotional learning, literacy, innovative digital tools and resources, as well as the Maker Movement. Most importantly, Andrea believes firmly that a school library is the heart of the school, and she works diligently to help all those in her school community feel welcome, valued, and connected. 

Listen as Andrea and I discuss how society is on the brink of a great awakening - and it all starts with us as individuals. 

Links Mentioned

Listening to: School Librarians United 

Follow Andrea on Twitter: @Andrea_Trudeau

Learn more about Andrea at noshhlibrarian.com

Andrea’s Attention Method - Belly breathing! When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I stop, put my hand on my stomach, and take three deep breaths. Then I can focus my attention where it needs to be.

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Find us & join us

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Engageable, the only app that gives you the pulse of energy you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getengageable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Engageable on Twitter at @getengageable

Credits

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu) 

This week, we celebrate the first ten episodes of The Optimalist Podcast! To do that, we are taking a short break from regular episodes to look at where we’ve been so far since we launched the podcast in April. We are also celebrating the renaming and rebranding of the product that inspires all of this work. As of this Monday, Focusable is now known as Engageable. We decided to make this big change because we thought a lot about the core and heart of our mission, and what we want to help people do on their own. And what that comes down to is engageability. Focus is only part of that. Attention is a huge part of it. But how well do you engage with the world around you? The life in front of you? What’s keeping you from better attention in work, school, home - and as an extension, better participation in it? Engageable is, just as Focusable was, the pulse you need for better attention. But now, we are asking you to hold yourself more accountable by being mindful of the way you feel, and live every day. Visit getengageable.com and follow getengageable on Twitter, Instagram, & YouTube. 

Have a listen to some of the highlights from the guests of our first 9 episodes. I hope they inspire you to go back and listen to anything you may have missed. Thanks for being with us so far!

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Engageable, the only app that gives you the pulse of energy you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getengageable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Engageable on Twitter at @getengageable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)

This week, Anne Kasa joins me to talk about ways to embed mindfulness-based SEL experiences into the day, as well as building student awareness of their involvement in the classroom environment.

Anne Kasa (she/her) is a veteran of the education field who previously served as a PK-4th grade instructional coach, a PK-5th grade literacy coach & reading specialist, and a classroom teacher at multiple grade levels. Anne is a Google Certified Instructional Technology Coach with the Learning Technology Center serving Burnham School District 154.5 and Sauk Village School District 168. She is also a facilitator for North Central College’s Character Education Certification program and a yoga teacher at Yoga 360. She believes strongly in supporting educators and students through hands-on practice and embedded mindfulness-based SEL activities. Anne graduated from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL (BA in Education) and Benedictine University in Lisle, IL (Masters in Reading and Literacy). She is a certified SEL facilitator and yoga teacher through Breathe for Change, certified SEL educator through Mindful Practices, and SEL trained at the artistry level through Tribes TLC. 

Listen as Anne and I discuss ways to embed mindfulness-based SEL experiences into the day, as well as how to build student awareness of their involvement in the classroom environment. 

Links Mentioned

Reading: The Bridges of Madison County

Watching: Firefly Lane

Listening: The One You Feed, & Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning

Follow Anne on Twitter: @kasaan05

Anne's Focus Method - Live as mindfully as possible, stay as present as possible, and that makes you as available as possible.

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)

Much like Tim Belmont, who was our guest last week, Don Sturm is also a member of the Optimalist community. If you’re on Twitter, you may know Don as the one amongst us who’s always asking questions. Don just completed his 32nd year in education. He spent the first 23 years as a social studies teacher and the last 9 as a technology integration specialist. His interest in podcasting has allowed him to co-host a show meant for teachers. This show led to an interest in focusing specifically on caregivers with the district Wellness Coordinator. The goals of CareU are to walk alongside caregivers in a non-judgmental way, and help them to be more intentional in their caregiving. 

Listen as Don and I discuss intentionality when it comes to using technology, and the importance of teachers and parents working together to understand how to self-regulate and manage their own tech and social media habits, so we can then model the best practices for our youngest generations. Basically, we’re all in the together as we prepare to face the biggest challenge to our attention: AI.

Links Mentioned

According to Don, he has become more interested in the idea of complexity, which is likely reflected in the media he consumes.

Reading: The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan

Watching: Shiny Happy People

Listening: Smart People Podcast 

Follow Don on Twitter: @SturmDon 

Web: schoolscanbebetter.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/through-the-educational-looking-glass/id1609443112

Don's Focus Method - Practicing mindfulness regularly. It teaches you so much about yourself because it’s about recognizing when you lose focus, not about clearing your mind completely. Making it part of your daily routine really reduces stress and anxiety that causes other issues to emerge. 

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)

Tim Belmont is a special guest because he is a long-standing member of our Optimalist community, and he’s also the editor of this podcast.  Tim is a High School English Teacher & Technology Specialist based in New Jersey. Over the past ten years, he has explored how technology can enhance instruction through projects such as student podcasting, and has shared his experiences at various conferences. His own personal interest in mindfulness and meditation continues to affect his teaching practice, encouraging students to be present.

Listen as Tim and I discuss his own journey through mindfulness, how he now applies that experience to his teaching, and why it’s so important right now for us to help students find sustainable ways to have better attention in all areas of their lives. We also discuss how we need to developing your attention on something before you're interested in it. This is a great discussion where we really want to challenge you all to talk to us about this stuff!

Links Mentioned

Reading: The Secret Life of Programs 

Italian Folktales 

Watching: Twitch - GDQ (Games Done Quick), a 24/7 week-long fundraiser in which participants try to beat games as fast as possible

Listening: Bird names - Lifted by Bright Eyes on vinyl 

Follow Tim on Twitter: @tbelmontedu

Web: timbelmont.com

Tim's Focus Method - Remind yourself to be present throughout your day - either with an object or something on your phone. And don’t be too hard on yourself if you find yourself wondering. Just recognize it.

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu) 

This week we are proud to welcome Jonathon Medeiros to the show. Jonathon has been teaching and learning about Language Arts and rhetoric for 17 years with students on Kauaʻi, where he was born and raised on a farm. He and his students learn about curiosity, community, and place. They build deeper connections to each other and the places they live by being curious about where they live, the stories of those places, and then following those curiosities. Jonathon is the former director of the Kauaʻi Teacher Fellowship, a poet, essayist, and writes frequently about education, equity, and the power of curiosity. He believes that curiosity kills boredom and that if you change all of your mistakes or regrets, you’d erase yourself. He walks, paddles, surfs, and builds and enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters.

Listen as Jon and I discuss curiosity, boredom, intentionality, and the idea of reciprocal responsibility. 

Links Mentioned

Reading: Also a Poet by Ada Calhoun

Watching: Acapulco

Listening: Swet Shop Boys 

Follow Jon on Twitter: @jonmedeiros

Web: jonathonmedeiros.com

Jon's Focus Method - Go somewhere where you can’t accidentally spend your attention on other things. Ex: being in the water. The environment begs your attention. 

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)

This week we are proud to welcome Jen Shirley - The Uncommon Principal Entrepreneur. 

Jen coaches kids, parents & educators about social, emotional, and learning skills strategies. Her expertise is in ADHD, behavior, & self-regulation. And Personal Development for kids is at the heart of what she teaches. One thing that stands out about Jen is her strong sense of mission and awareness of the world we live in. On her website, she explains, “The needs of our kids have become more abundant & more extreme. This observation has led me to ask myself some tough questions about how ‘we’ are currently doing things.” Her mission is to build an ecosystem focused on developing kids who stand out, stand up, and make an impact on the world because of what they create or contribute - not what they consume. According to Jen, “There's no place for complacency here.” 

Listen as Jen and I start by discussing the difference between self regulation and self control, and then continue to explore everything from attention to perfectionism to loneliness. 

Links Mentioned

Reading: Principles by Ray Dalio 

Watching: The Diplomat

Listening: The Diary of a CEO w/ Steven Bartlett

Follow Jen on Twitter: @jen_shirley

Instagram: @jenshirleyconsult

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenshirley

Web: www.jenshirley.com

Jen's Focus Method - Jen had a list of great things to say about this question, but the one that we will leave you with is this: Sometimes better attention comes from just being in solitude. 

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)

Kailyn Fullerton is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher who holds a master's degree in Mindfulness for Educators. She is a current doctoral student at Antioch University, studying Educational and Professional Practice, with a specialization in social-emotional learning.

Kailyn has a background as a teacher in international schools in three different countries. As an educational consultant, she works with schools, teachers, and families to support the development of mindfulness-based social-emotional learning for adults and children. Specifically, she provides professional development and change management support for systemic integration of mindfulness-based SEL into the school community.Kailyn lives in Jakarta with her partner and four "bonus" children.

Listen as Kailyn and I talk about the importance of knowing ourselves, what elements go into nourishing a sense of belonging, and of course, mindfulness as the foundation for SEL. 

…And stick around for a special mindful meditation at the end of the episode! 

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Kailyn's Focus Method - Mindfulness meditation. A daily habit helps to pay more attention in the moment when things feel crazy. Paying attention is a skill.  

Follow Kailyn on Twitter: @kaifull

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaifull

Web: https://upstream-collaborative.org/ 

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

• Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)

Dr. Krista Leh is the founder of Resonance Educational Consulting, which supports educators in building meaningful, engaging, and sustainable cultures that enhance social emotional learning and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her 24-year career in education includes being a high school social studies teacher, instructional tech coach, curriculum coach, and student leadership advocate. Krista was also an adjunct professor for a Master’s in Education program specializing in SEL. She designed and facilitated Methods of Research, Curriculum Design and Development, and Culturally Responsive Teaching. 

In 2012, Krista was one of 26 educators in the country selected as an ASCD Emerging Leader. Since then, she has worked with educators in nearly 30 states to feel more confident and competent in integrating SEL into learning communities.

Listen in as Krista and I talk about the five competencies of SEL, why it’s important to not think of SEL as just a program, and what it looks like when we take steps towards better integration. 

Links Mentioned

Reading: Lesson in Chemistry, The Measure, Never Split the Difference, The Four Frames

Krista's Focus Method - I don’t hop from project to project. I make sure to pay attention to one thing at a time, instead of working on things in pieces. Also - taking true breaks is so important.

Follow Krista on Twitter: @Resonance_Ed

Instagram: @Resonance_Ed

Web: www.ResonanceEd.com

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Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)

Jillian DuBois is a self-professed ’redesigned’ educator who has been in the elementary classroom for 20+ years and is a Professional Learning Specialist with Forward Edge/Edge•U. Her distinct passion is to infuse joy in educational leadership by focusing efforts on serving + using her voice to foster hope by celebrating diversity. She is also a published author and illustrator of several children’s books with themes around SEL. She is the Chief Optimistic Originator of Imparted Joy LLC, in Clearwater, FL, and guides others to spark their stories with heart + confidence.

Jillian is also a beloved member of our community, and it was a pleasure to welcome her to The Optimalist. Listen in as Jillian and I talk about self-regulation and self-awareness as a parent, plus how her individual story with her son has led her down the path of appreciating emotions and moments as they come - the ultimate chance to be present in your attention.

Links Mentioned

Read: Spare 

Watch: All reality TV! :) 

Listen: It's Not a Glass Ceiling, It's a Sticky Floor

Jillian's Focus Method - Don't lose sight of small wins. Be more open to not getting stuck on obstacles and perfection. 

www.linkedin.com/in/jill-dubois

Find us & join us:

• Follow Sara Candela on Twitter at @Scandela9

• Subscribe to The Optimalist Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your favorite podcast player - or right here, on Substack - to get each episode as soon as it’s released.

• Join our Community Discord server at https://discord.gg/SWhQ76mEZD

The Optimalist Podcast is brought to you by Focusable, the only app that gives you the pulse you need to find better attention. Sign up for free today at getfocusable.com or by downloading on any iOs or Android device.

• Follow Focusable on Twitter at @getfocusable

Credits:

• Music: “Goodnight, Shapeshifter” by MusicForNothing, used under Creative Commons BY-ND 3.0.

• Audio Editing & Production: Tim Belmont (@tbelmontedu)