Upgrade My Classroom

In today's ever-changing world, it's becoming increasingly important for us to understand how to help our students cope and manage anxiety. Anxiety is a real and very common issue among teens, and the fact is, we need to be better prepared to see early signs and offer coping mechanisms. In today's episode Brittany Richmond, a Youth Speaker and Anxiety Expert, shared her insights on teenage anxiety...

Transitioning students from high school to college is tough. In this episode, I interview a colleague and great friend Mr. Dan Wendelken, an elementary band director from Long Island, New York. We have a wide ranging conversation surrounding his career now having taught elementary through college students. We start by discussing the differences between the emotional displays of elementary students...

The choices we have, dictate the decisions we make which builds the patterns of our lives. In this episode I break down the CDP framework; an easy and digestible process for high school students to begin to see that responsible decision making is something completely achievable. When making choices, it is important to understand the difference between a choice and a decision. Choices are something...

Today on the show I got to sit down with my college euphonium teacher, Professor Michael Salzman. As a recently retired music coordinator of the Syosset School District, Professor Salzman was responsible for overseeing and coordinating the work of other music teachers. He shed some light on how to facilitate your staff in order to support and nurture vs. correct and reprimand. We also discussed th...

Teachers often have a lot on their plates, let alone being great teachers and guides to our students. Sometimes we get stuck in the trap of "I'll just do it myself" or "If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself". But did you know that we can take some inspiration and lessons from other fields, like entrepreneurship, to help us manage our time and resources better and be more effective...

Today I discuss  how to make a change in life...and a podcast! So what is actually changing with the podcast .... The title is  now officially " Upgrade My Class room ". The context of the podcast is  going to be all the things we had talked about previously  but through the lens of a teacher . I'm  going to be interviewing education experts , teachers , administrators , guidance counselors , yout...

Designing the worst day possible can sound strange but can be a great experiment. Imagine this...you accidentally sleep in, spill coffee on your suit, burn your breakfast and get stuck in traffic...and that's all before 9:00 AM! The day continues to get worse after you realize you didn't get the promotion, your kid comes home sick, and on and on and on. It literally is the day from hell. So how ca...

How do we best mitigate overwhelm and dropping the ball when we take on new projects? Many of us struggle with creating effective time management skills that often lead to an overflowing cup. We take on too many projects but we're still bound to the same 24 hours in a day. Recently I revamped my youth speaking side of the business. I started this back in 2018 but on a much smaller scale. Going all...

Are you trying to combine your passion and purpose? Would you love to get up in the morning knowing you get to do what you love and it's what you were put on this earth to be doing?! Of course you would! Let's be real...that sounds like a pipe dream. And the reality is that it may be. It may not be possible to have your line of work be the one thing that you're both passionate about and it be your...

Sticking to your daily schedule can be tricky. There can be many things out of your control and sometimes one of your daily routines may take a hit. Maybe one of your family members really need you or maybe your work schedule changed last minute. Or maybe it's a simple issue with will power?! That's ok! It's not about perfection, it's about progress. Moving forward the only thing we can do is simp...

I've been having some trouble meditating for a little while now. After going through a death in the family, my mind has been all over the place. For most people they start off having trouble meditating in the beginning of their journey. Am I doing it right? I can't clear my head! This is a waste of time! Just a few of the emotions that most beginner meditators might experience. For me it was a lit...

I've been committed to many things for many years. My family, my business, my health, etc. I can say that I've felt fairly passionate about these things because if I wasn't, it would be quite hard to stay focused. But what happens when something new catches your attention? The shiny new endeavor that you're so enthralled by! What happens is this new passion starts to take up "mental ram". You're t...

Just over 2 years ago, I lost my mom to Covid. While it feels like just yesterday, there has been, and still is, a long grieving process.  Today I'd like to share with you how routines have played a role in this entire process. From the complete crumble of my life, to waking up each and everyday, I've realized that there was only one question that was constant... "How am I going to live this day"?...

Today on the show, I explore just some of the things that can help develop a clear and calm mind. Mental health is a topic of discussion that is finally getting a lot more attention and beginning to lighten the stigma. From as light as needing a "mental health day", to as serious as seeing a therapist, developing activities within your routines is key to creating a more peaceful and relaxed inner...

If you've ever heard the term hustle culture... there are probably a few images (or people...ahem....Gary Vee) that come to mind. People flashing stacks of cash, showing off their sick rides and popping bottles at the club. You might also be thinking of the exact opposite. The rugged entrepreneur who is uber focused and determined to make it happen. You might think of the minimalist solopreneur wh...

When it comes to trying to achieve a goal, I've learned many things throughout my life. I've failed many times…. I've succeeded many times! Throughout these triumphs and defeats, I've picked up a few strategies that are instrumental if you want to ACTUALLY achieve a goal. Because let's face it. It's way easier to set a goal than it is to achieve it! For me, I'm setting my own goal of gaining 20 lb...

How do we develop an intentional daily routine? Not just something that we check the boxes because someone on instagram told us to do. But a routine that is carefully crafted to bring out the best version of yourself. Maybe you already have a specific routine and you woke up to realize...I have no idea why I'm even doing this?! Or maybe you've realized that you've been doing something daily for qu...

This DAY BY DESIGN cohort opens today and is closing Monday, June 27th. Sign up today and master your 24 hours!   Stop hitting the snooze button! If you woke up today and told yourself "that's it. I will never hit snooze again", then this is the episode for you. Maybe you were late to work... Maybe you slept through your morning routine you planned for... Or maybe you're just sick and tired of rus...

The morning routine that helps me thrive has been a staple in my success. It was the first thing that I ever started in this world of personal development and to this day has been the most powerful. There was something powerful about beating the battle of the bed and getting up a bit earlier in order to work on myself. I usually don't compare myself to people but it's true that people who practice...

Getting out of a rut can be tough. Sometimes we're not even sure exactly why we're feeling the way we do but we know something has to change. And further more, the process of actually getting out of a rut is very difficult. For me I've had numerous times in my life where I felt a little stuck but there was one pivotal point where it was a hardcore rut that lasted about 18 months. This included an...

Have you ever found yourself making some plans after work to get somethings done, partake in your hobby or a little self care and instead find yourself consistently binging 5 epsiodes on the couch? The first of possibly many more Q&A Tuesdays answers this question from kd2013 on Youtube... "It's happening every single day the last 2 months or so. How do I break the pattern?" You're in luck KD beca...

Do you ever find yourself jamming your day right full right up until the last minute and then all of a sudden it's time to go to bed? Or maybe it's simply that you're too stimulated by TV or food too close to bedtime and you have trouble falling asleep. Whatever the reason may be, today I'm going to walk you through how you can implement a night wind down routine so you can feel good about your ev...

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination... Picture this...you look at the clock and it's 10:30. You're pumped because you know after one episode of your favorite show, you'll be in bed at 11:00 which is perfect. It's exactly what you planned. One episode comes and goes...and the dreaded "next episode starting in 15 seconds" pops up on the screen. Without having to move a muscle, you get to give yourself t...

Hey! I just wanted to first say thank you so much for being a UMR subscriber! Without you I'd just be speaking into a microphone...and that would be weird.  A few things... First I'm going to be releasing new podcast episodes on Wednesday morning instead of Thursday morning. Not too important but something to take note of. Next I'm pretty excited about. Usually I've always created my podcast first...

It's easy to be consistent with bad things and hard to be consistent with the good things. It's easy to watch movies, smoke a cigar, or eat the ice cream. It's hard to put in the hours on your side hustle, practice the guitar and organize your office. So ultimately the question is... What problem with consistency do you have?  What are the things that are slipping by that are having a negative imp...