Mike Palmer reconnects with old colleague Don Gregori, COO of First Factory, to unpack core insights from Don’s book, The Emergent Leader: A Guide to Brand Building, Leadership, and Self-Mastery. Drawing from a non-linear career path—ranging from theater major and aerial stunt coordinator to an 18-year tenure at Kaplan and scaling tech teams—Don shares practical strategies for authentic leadership, proactive stress management, and navigating AI workplace disruption.

Key Takeaways

🎭 Unconventional Paths Build Strong Leaders: Creative backgrounds like theater teach team vision, feedback loops, and real-time collaboration far better than standard business classrooms.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction & Reconnecting 30 Years Later

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What if everything we know about teaching reading is upside down?

In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer sits down with tech entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and innovator David Chalk to unpack a remarkable story of literacy, neurodiversity, trauma, and redemption.

Key Highlights & Discussion Points:

🧠 Trauma and the Literacy Crisis: David recounts his early school trauma starting on day one of first grade, highlighting how unrecognized dyslexia and ADHD left him functionally illiterate for decades.

✈️ Building Success Beyond Reading: Despite reading at a fourth-grade level, David built multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses and became an airline jet pilot by leaning into creativity and oral vocabulary.

📖 Unlocking Reading in 11 Hours: Featured in the documentary The Truth About Reading, David reversed standard instruction methods to jump from a 4th-grade reading level to post-university proficiency in just 11 hours at age 62.

🤖 AI as a Pattern-Based Learning Ally: AI language models process language through pattern training—mirroring how human brains naturally acquire spoken words—offering a powerful tool to tutor neurodiverse learners without cognitive strain.

🗣️ Vocabulary and the Future of Work: As technology evolves, rich oral communication skills, deep vocabulary, and expressive clarity will serve as critical differentiators in an AI-driven workforce.

❤️ The Role of Emotional Resilience: David emphasizes why unconditional parental support and self-esteem are essential safeguards for children struggling through academic friction.

About the Guest

David Chalk is a technology entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and neurodiversity advocate who has founded ten successful companies. After mastering fluid reading at age 62, David now applies his background in artificial intelligence and pattern recognition to transform reading instruction for struggling learners everywhere.

Subscribe & Connect

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How do we move beyond baseline AI literacy to true AI fluency, agency, and self-efficacy for the next generation? In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer sits down with Dr. Taniya Mishra, Founder and CEO of SureStart, to explore how hands-on, mentor-led AI education is empowering youth globally to shift from passive users to confident creators.

Drawing from her 12+ years as an industrial AI researcher, Dr. Mishra shares how SureStart demystifies technology through near-peer mentorship, modular curriculum, and a layered approach to AI learning—from middle school vocabulary to vibe coding and building small language models.

KEY INSIGHTS & DISCUSSION POINTS

💡 The Heart of SureStart—Near-Peer Mentorship: How pairing middle/high school students with near-peer mentors (graduate and undergraduate students) demystifies AI, creates psychological safety, and normalizes making mistakes as a core part of the coding process.

CHAPTERS & TIMESTAMPS

⏱️ 00:00 – Welcome & Introduction: Dr. Taniya Mishra and SureStart

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🌐 Website: https://trendingineducation.com

📩 Follow Mike Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelppalmer/

In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer is joined by Dr. Ozgur Bolat, associate professor of educational science and author of The Reward Trap: Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids. Dr. Bolat shares his journey from seeking external validation to decoding the science of intrinsic motivation, offering practical strategies for parents and educators looking to move away from quick-fix rewards and build lasting resilience and internal drive in children.

Key topics discussed include:

🧠 The Pitfalls of External Validation: How relying on rewards, praise, and criticism creates an external locus of control and undermines intrinsic motivation.

🕊️ The PEACE Model: A framework (Perspective, Emotion & Cognition, Need, Commitment, Engagement) to address behavior and resistance without relying on bribes or threats.

📱 Modern Parenting & Mental Health: How overprotective parenting and digital distractions prevent kids from learning how to handle hardship and negative emotions.

🤖 Assessment in the Age of AI: Why generative AI exposes the limits of memorization-based testing and forces a shift toward assessing critical thinking, original reasoning, and conceptual understanding.

👨‍🏫 Evolving the Role of the Educator: Shifting teachers away from being mere "information transmitters" and into roles as mentors, coaches, and learning architects.

🤝 Parent and Teacher Dynamics: Research-backed insights on why warm, respectful relationships far outperform control mechanisms, anxiety, and high-pressure tactics.

About the Guest:

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Visit https://www.trendingined.com for show notes and past episodes.

In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer sits down with Mike Peng, Founder and Managing Partner of Weatherstone Capital Partners, to explore the evolving intersection of education, technology, and capital markets. After missing a meeting at ASU+GSV in San Diego, Mike and Mike reconnect to unpack what it takes to scale educational ventures past the startup phase and navigate the broader macroeconomic shift from venture capital to private equity in EdTech.

Drawing from his unique career journey—from engineering at UT Austin and strategy consulting at McKinsey to leading rapid growth at Block Renovation and earning an MBA at Stanford—Peng shares why Weatherstone focuses on partnering with operators in the 1-to-10 scale stage ($1M to $10M EBITDA range). Together, they examine the real "moats" in the age of AI (data ownership and customer relationships over UI), why corporate L&D and continuing certification are outperforming traditional K-12/Higher Ed models for private equity, and how simulation tools and micro-learning are reshaping workforce upskilling. Peng also offers vital advice for founders assessing whether they are the "limiting factor" in their company's growth and how to navigate tight capital markets.

KEY INSIGHTS:

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Introduction & Connecting Post-ASU+GSV

01:00 – Mike Peng's Journey: UT Austin, McKinsey, Block Renovation, & Stanford MBA

02:30 – Inside Weatherstone Capital Partners: Long-Term Platform Investing

03:30 – 0-to-1 vs. 1-to-10: Passing the Founder "Mirror Test"

05:30 – Takeaways from ASU+GSV: AI Undercurrents & Modern Moats

07:30 – Career Readiness, CTE, & The 1,400-Tool EdTech Stack

09:30 – Data is the New Oil, AI is the New Electricity

11:30 – Managing Hallucination Risk & Trust in Classroom Tech

13:30 – Segmenting EdTech: Why Capital is Moving from VC to PE

18:00 – The Future of Work: LXP, Micro-Learning, & AI Simulations

23:30 – Personal AI Tutors, Spatial Hardware, & Final Advice for Founders

26:00 – Wrap Up & How to Connect with Weatherstone

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How can higher education equip Gen Z to navigate rapid AI disruption, political polarization, and shifting workplace expectations? In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer connects with Francesca Schuler, Executive Director of Dialogue Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt University. Drawing from her executive career as a COO and CEO in private-sector consumer and fitness industries, Francesca brings a fresh, operational lens to solving higher education's civil discourse challenge.

Together, Mike and Francesca explore why modern communication frequently breaks down and why developing constructive dialogue habits—such as listening with curiosity, managing emotional reactivity, and asking thoughtful questions—is critical for modern leadership and citizenship. From creating tech-free conversational spaces like the "Vandy Speakeasy" to building nationwide partnerships through the Dialogue CoLab, Francesca shares actionable strategies to cultivate emotional intelligence (EQ), foster psychological flexibility, and empower students to thrive in a complex world.

KEY INSIGHTS & DISCUSSION POINTS

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What if the safest career path in an era of rapid AI disruption is actually doing something entrepreneurial or mission-driven?

In this episode of Trending in Education, Mike Palmer is joined by Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach Foundation and author of The Mission Generation: Reclaim Your Purpose, Rewrite Success, Rebuild Our Future. Drawing from his background as a venture capitalist, Georgetown and Stanford instructor, and public service advocate, Arun breaks down why traditional stability is becoming the new risk and how emerging generations—and professionals at all career stages—can align personal ambition with civic purpose.

They discuss why fewer than 7% of government tech workers are under the age of 30, how to modernize public service pathways beyond outdated hiring portals, and why AI will elevate human-centric strengths like curiosity, judgment, and cross-domain experience. Arun also introduces a framework for rethinking individual net worth around five "hidden capitals"—trust, learning, experiential, mission, and health capital—that compound over a 60-year career horizon.

KEY INSIGHTS:

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Introduction: Arun Gupta and The Mission Generation

01:00 – From VC Bets to Public Service: Teaching "Valley Meets Mission" at Stanford & Georgetown

03:30 – The Tech Talent Gap: Why Under 7% of Government Tech Workers Are Under 30

06:00 – An Intergenerational Quest: Finding Purpose Across Every Stage of Life

07:00 – Purpose Markers vs. Prestige Markers: Why Stability is the New Risk

10:00 – Advice for Graduates: Service Stints, Entrepreneurial Mindsets, and Action-First Clarity

14:40 – The 4 Barriers to Mission Work & How AI Crosswalks Sector Silos

18:00 – Redefining Net Worth: Investing in the 5 Hidden Capitals

21:00 – Rebuilding Civic Pathways: Framing Public Service as a Career Enhancer

25:40 – Mid-Career Civic Sabbaticals & Purpose as a Longevity Driver

28:30 – From Independence to Interdependence: Designing Systems for Complex Problems

31:20 – The VC Risk Model: Reframing Decisions around "What If It Goes Right?"

38:00 – Silo Busting & Final Takeaways

Host Mike Palmer connects with Monica Marquez, founder of ⁠FlipWork⁠ and founding director of the ⁠TIDE Center at UNT Dallas⁠, to explore how humans can navigate the rapid disruption of AI in the workplace. Drawing from her deep background in human capital, diversity, and leadership development at industry giants like Goldman Sachs, Google, and Bank of America, Monica brings a deeply human-centered approach to the AI revolution. 

Mike and Monica skip the standard AI hype to discuss why simply rolling out AI tools isn't enough to drive real adoption. They dive into the psychology of AI integration, unpacking what Monica calls the "identity bottleneck" - the challenge workers face when shifting from a traditional mindset where "effort equals success" to a modern reality where "impact equals success." Monica also introduces her "long division" analogy for AI, explaining why we shouldn't ban the tool in classrooms or boardrooms, but instead require users to show their work and actively interrogate the AI's logic. 

Key Discussion Topics: 

* The Identity Bottleneck: Why our traditional conditioning to reward "grit and elbow grease" is causing resistance to AI's effortless outputs, and how to overcome the feeling of "cheating." 

* Measuring AI Fluency: A look at FlipWork's psychometric diagnostic, which assesses "agentic velocity" (individual adoption) and "enterprise symbiosis" (organizational support). 

* The Calculator Analogy: How educators and leaders can demand the "long division" of AI prompting to combat passive consumption ("work slop") and prevent cognitive atrophy. 

* Agentic Teams: Why AI isn't a one-size-fits-all solution and how to orchestrate specialized models (like Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini) just like human team members. 

* Democratizing Expertise: How everyday users can use AI as an accessible thinking partner to overcome biases, expand diversity of thought, and level the playing field. 

Whether you're an educator, an enterprise leader, or an individual trying to disrupt yourself before you get disrupted, this episode offers a practical blueprint for multiplying human genius in the AI age. Subscribe to Trending in Education on your preferred podcast platform, leave a review, and share this episode with your network. Visit ⁠TrendinginEd.com⁠ for more episodes and conversations on the future of learning and work.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:05 Monica’s Career Journey

03:57 Why FlipWork and AI

07:41 Enterprise Adoption Reality

13:45 Measuring AI Fluency

17:13 Identity Bottleneck Shift

21:56 Teaching Critical Thinking

26:08 Bias Trust and Agency

30:31 Guardrails and AI Teams

33:41 Final Takeaways

Host Mike Palmer connects with behavioral neuroscience expert and executive coach Dr. D. Ivan Young to discuss his book, Leading from the Heart. They analyze the balance between artificial intelligence and human emotion, detailing how self-empathy, compassion, and psychological safety impact leadership. Dr. Young also shares practical insights on managing emotional signals, navigating media-driven dopamine loops, and using metacognition to reset negative thought patterns.

Key Discussion Topics:

Self-Empathy First: Leaders cannot effectively provide empathy or compassion to others if they do not first possess it within themselves.

Thermostats vs. Thermometers: Effective leaders actively regulate the energy and psychological safety of an environment rather than merely reflecting the existing temperature.

Weaponized Empathy: Modern social media algorithms and political messaging exploit emotional triggers to divide populations, requiring individuals to consciously choose harmony instead.

The Thought Map: A tactile, metacognitive exercise using physical writing shifts activity across brain regions to halt an amygdala hijack.

Ethical AI & "Uriel": A clinical, patient-centered AI designed to eliminate programming bias and promote user self-efficacy and resilience.

Authentic Human Connection: Addressing the loneliness epidemic requires disconnecting from curated online personas and grounding oneself in nature.

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Visit TrendinginEd.com for more episodes. Learn more about Dr. D. Ivan Young and pick up Leading from the Heart: The Essential Guide to Self-Empathy and Self-Compassion in Coaching and Clinical Practice

How do we shift the role of teachers from passive curriculum implementers to active classroom architects?

This week on Trending in Ed, host Mike Palmer is joined by K-12 math teacher and author Jim Gaona Ellis on the day his new book drops: Educators as Designers: The Hidden Architecture of Learning. Drawing from his unique background transitioning from an architecture student to a global educator across Phoenix, Madrid, and Vienna, Jim brings a fresh, human-centered lens to Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

We dive deep into the real-world application of design thinking in the classroom, moving past rigid checklists to focus heavily on the actual problems students face.

Key Insights:

Deconstructing "Hostile Design" in Schools: Jim explains how hostile urban architecture (like park benches built to deter the unhoused) mirrors common school punishments—such as stripping away a student's lunch period for missing homework. We discuss how these reactions merely mask symptoms rather than addressing root causes like student confusion or forgetfulness.

High-Tech vs. No-Tech Classroom Tools: We look at how Jim pairs digital platforms like Desmos to illustrate the immense scale of scientific notation with his absolute favorite tool: a massive, double-page whiteboard that fosters democratic, collaborative learning.

AI and the "Illusion of Learning": Recording in 2026, we tackle the double-edged sword of the AI revolution. Jim envisions a massive upside where backend AI instantly identifies learning differences like dyslexia and dynamically adjusts workloads on a slider scale. However, we weigh this against the front-end risk of cognitive offloading, which can rob students of critical thinking and create a false sense of academic progress.

Rejecting "Solution Salesmanship": Rather than treating educators as a passive market for pre-packaged tech tools, we advocate for an industry-wide return to respecting teachers as creative thought partners who co-design learning experiences directly with their students.

Embracing the Constraints: From navigating shifting cultural norms to managing the industrial "cells and bells" physical structure of school buildings, Jim shares how treating systemic limitations as design puzzles is the ultimate key to teacher longevity and instructional growth.

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and welcoming Jim Gaona Ellis

01:30 - Jim's global journey: Transitioning from architecture to teaching in Phoenix, Madrid, and Vienna

03:30 - What inspired the book and expanding on traditional UDL frameworks

06:30 - Understanding "hostile design" in urban spaces and its parallels in modern classrooms

11:00 - The state of AI in 2026: Automatic backend accommodations vs. the front-end "illusion of learning"

16:30 - Moving past educational "solution salesmanship" to truly respect and empower teachers

20:00 - Classrooms in action: Visualizing data with Desmos vs. the democratic power of whiteboards

22:30 - Overcoming the industrial "cells and bells" model through thoughtful classroom experimentation

30:30 - Final takeaways: How to embrace systemic constraints as a learning designer