Downright Mindful

Episode 81 of Downright Mindful dives into local politics, civic engagement, and the impact of decisions made closer to home than most people realize. Matt and Paul talk through the reality of low voter turnout in local elections and what that says about engagement at the community level. The conversation explores how local policy decisions affect everyday life and why those decisions often receiv...

Episode 80 of Downright Mindful focuses on the skills that matter beyond the classroom. Matt shares a recent project he designed for his Criminal Justice students — a scavenger hunt with a breakout-style format that challenged students to work together, solve problems, and think on their feet. The activity was built around the SkillsUSA framework, emphasizing workplace-ready skills like teamwork,...

Episode 79 of Downright Mindful is a look back at the people who have helped shape the podcast. Matt and Paul take a stroll down memory lane, revisiting the guests they’ve had on the show and reflecting on the conversations that have stood out along the way. From community leaders to educators, law enforcement, and everyday people doing meaningful work, the episode highlights how those relationshi...

Episode 78 of Downright Mindful is a conversation about local history, community, and the people who have helped shape Cleveland and Bradley County over the years. Matt and Paul talk through stories, speculation, and the lasting impact of individuals who have made a difference in the area. The discussion includes local philanthropists like Lynn Jones, the Tarvers, and Steve Wright, as well as curr...

Episode 77 of Downright Mindful is a catch-up conversation between Matt and Paul after a busy and eventful couple of weeks. Paul talks about his son and the Walker Valley basketball team making a run all the way to the Tennessee State Championship game, including a big Final Four win over Whitehaven. Along the way, there was a tense moment when his son went down with what they thought could be a c...

Episode 76 of Downright Mindful is a simple catch-up conversation between Matt and Paul. There wasn’t a strict plan for this one. The two sit down and talk about life lately, what’s been happening behind the scenes, and some of the things that have been on their minds recently. Like many episodes of the podcast, the conversation moves naturally from one idea to the next as they reflect on work, fa...

Episode 75 of Downright Mindful features a conversation with Aaron Hayes , a coach and mentor who has spent much of his life helping people grow into leadership. Aaron’s story begins in some tough environments. He started his career teaching in an alternative school in California working with students who had already faced serious challenges in life. That experience eventually led him into youth m...

In Episode 74 of Downright Mindful , Matt and Paul cover a surprising range of topics that somehow all circle back to one central idea — structure helps us think better. The conversation begins with Paul explaining how he recently renewed his MasterClass subscription and has been experimenting with AI to improve the quality of his doctor visits. By organizing symptoms using the medical framework T...

In Episode 73 of Downright Mindful , Matt and Paul sit down with Robb Blackaby — Lee University faculty member, online curriculum builder, tech thinker, and longtime friend of Paul dating back to their Lee College days. Robb isn’t just a tech guy. He’s a husband to a Walker Valley High School counselor and a father with kids walking those same halls. His world overlaps education, technology, commu...

In Episode 72 of Downright Mindful , things did not go according to plan. About 20 minutes into recording, the power went out — and with it, the video. The first portion of this episode is audio only, while the final 25 minutes returns to full audio and video after everything came back online. It turned into an unexpected throwback to how the show used to be — two guys talking, no frills, no polis...

In Episode 71 of Downright Mindful , Paul and Matt start in an unexpected place… ink pens. From there, Paul asks Matt about taking a team from Walker Valley High School to compete in the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division High School Mock Trial for the first time. The conversation explores how mock trial sharpens thinking, builds confidence, and changes what happens inside the classr...

In Episode 70, Matt interviews Paul as a continuation of an earlier conversation about life and basketball . Paul and his wife Sarah met while playing college basketball, and the game has shaped much of their family’s story. All three of their sons have had successful high school basketball careers, with the youngest now entering his senior year. Matt asks the question that’s quietly been sitting...

In Episode 69, Paul leads the conversation by introducing the Diderot Effect —the idea that one new thing often creates a chain reaction of wants, upgrades, and expectations we never planned for. From there, the conversation unfolds naturally. Paul asks questions that invite Matt to share personal stories and lived experiences, and together they explore how desire, identity, and contentment are of...

In Episode 68, Matt and Paul talk books. Matt shares how he has been thrift shopping for books and building his reading stack in a more intentional way. From there, the conversation moves through favorite reads, reading habits, and the kinds of books that tend to stick with us over time. Paul then leads Matt into a more imaginative question. If you could interview fictional characters, who would y...

In this episode of Downright Mindful , Matt and Paul talk journaling. Paul is a daily writer, which makes him the right person to have this conversation with. Writing has long been one of the ways he processes ideas, reflects, and thinks clearly. Matt catches Paul up on how his own journaling has changed in 2026. Instead of scattered notes and half-filled notebooks, Matt now follows daily routines...

In Episode 66, Paul and Matt slow things down and take a wide look at time. Paul walks Matt through three simple questions. What was life like a year ago? What does the present look like right now? And what might January of 2027 hold? The conversation is reflective without being heavy and honest without trying to solve anything. It’s about noticing growth, naming change, and admitting what still f...

In Episode 65, Paul and Matt sit down with Richard Jackson and Katie DelBonis , two educators whose work often happens quietly but makes a lasting impact. Richard, a former school counselor turned career coach for Bradley County Schools , shares how he now helps students explore career paths as early as middle school and even fifth grade. His work opens doors to CTE opportunities, workforce traini...

In Episode 64 of Downright Mindful , Paul and Matt sit down with Valanna White, a teacher at Walker Valley High School, for a fun, lighthearted conversation. Paul leads the episode with a series of “Would You Rather” questions that spark laughter, stories, and a few unexpected moments—including Valanna sharing her beautiful singing voice. The conversation offers a relaxed preview of Valanna as a f...

In Episode 63, Paul and Matt compare notes from two recent conferences. Paul shares highlights from a social studies conference in Washington, D.C. , while Matt reflects on his time at the ACTE conference in Nashville . They talk about what stood out, what felt familiar, and what’s clearly changing in education right now. AI comes up — not because it’s the only topic, but because it’s hard to avoi...

In Episode 62, Paul and Matt are back with Christian Mann , but this time he brings along two fellow members of his band, Monday Night Social . The conversation centers on creativity, collaboration, and what it looks like for three highly capable adults to navigate artistry with intention and professionalism. They talk openly about their creative process , how decisions are made as both individual...

In Episode 61 of Downright Mindful , Matt sits down with Josh Morris —innovation specialist for Bradley County Schools, co-creator and former producer of Downright Mindful , and host of the EdTech podcast The Tech Flush . They open with a look back at the early days of Downright Mindful : how a simple idea turned into a growing creative outlet, the lessons learned in the first recordings, and how...

In Episode 60, Paul and Matt bounce through a series of questions that turn out to be more connected than they first appear. Paul starts by asking ChatGPT the same question about Thanksgiving —but to two different accounts. The answers? Surprisingly different, raising a fresh conversation about AI, interpretation, and bias . Then he shares the results of a survey of high-level college athletes , w...

In this episode of Downright Mindful , Matt and Paul break down a single word they’re hearing everywhere — tired . Not just “I didn’t sleep well.” But tired in the physical , mental , and emotional sense. They dig into recent data showing how burnout has become one of the biggest issues in America in 2025, including stats from the U.S. Surgeon General and mental-health surveys in Tennessee. Matt s...

In Episode 58, Matt and Paul dive into the fast-changing world of AI in the classroom . Matt walks Paul through a few of the tools he’s already using with students, and together they ask a bigger question: Are there parallels between the rise of AI and the other technology shifts we’ve already lived through? As the conversation unfolds, Paul sits down for a surprisingly honest back-and-forth with...

In this episode, Paul and Matt talk about longevity ... what really makes people live longer, or at least what they think might. Neither of them are experts, just two guys tossing around thoughts about exercise, food, and genetics and laughing their way through it. It’s one of those talks that starts light but gets you thinking about your own habits and how short life can feel when you’re not payi...