Designing Schools

Part one of my conversation with Adam and Larissa, co-founders of MakeTeamWork, discusses why a culture of trust and psychological safety is critical for creating successful teams. A talk regarding masculine and feminine cultures was one of the most intriguing aspects of our chat.   In a feminine society, the emphasis is on the quality of life and the people. While in a male society, competitivene...

Trust is the most important factor in culture activation. It’s the cornerstone of education, and it’s what makes people want to do something. It’s how you get people to take that one step. Trust is the foundation if anything else is to thrive.   Larissa and Adam co-founded MakeTeamWork.com, a global company specialising in team development, culture change, and visual collaboration. MakeTeamWork, f...

In This Episode We Discuss: The challenges that arise when you don't take ownership of telling your story How leadership and social influence help build trust, encourage creativity, recognize accomplishments, and inspire a collective vision How leaders can nurture and grow talent within an organization How districts can leverage brand ambassador programs How different departments from construction...

In this episode we discuss: How Jerry uses his weekly Friday meetings with his leadership team of over 180 people How creating a culture of vulnerability influenced the conversations that were taking place at the different sites across the district Significant inflection points, both personal and professional, that have shaped Jerry into he leader he is today

In This Episode We Discuss: How Jerry defines innovation The framework Jerry uses to develop strategic foresight How being vulnerable led to deep and meaningful relationships with his leadership team The strategies Jerry uses to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world How he overcomes the fear of being vulnerable in public spaces, such as social media platforms Connect with Jerry on Twitter, Lin...

Today's episode is a reminder of how much potential today's young people have to create, collaborate and design solutions to areas they are interested in.  In this episode we discuss: The mindset and skills Seth believes young people need to have to thrive in today's world How he uncovered a need for creating LinkJoin The value of LinkedIn as a platform for young people Strategies for how students...

You may have noticed that people kind of say the same thing over and over. They have one message with different versions for different audiences, and that consistency is a big part of their influence. But being consistent on social media doesn’t have to mean coming up with brand new content every day. It could mean showing up consistently with repurposed content or going deeper into old content. I...

Just about everyone believes that the way we do education needs to change. We know the why, so I’m focusing on the how. In this episode, I talk about two different frameworks that can help educators get through the first step.    Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your st...

“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.“ This quote by William Gibson resonates with me so much. Most of the time when we talk about the future, we talk about things that are going to happen. But if you look around the world you may find that these things are already happening. There is so much opportunity in the world today but how do we empower others to fully take a...

The struggle never ends. You solve one problem, just to find a different one later one. But finding the right problem is a huge part of finding the right solution. So no matter what struggle I’m facing, I always remember that cultures of innovation begin with a culture of empathy. And I combat it by focusing on people’s fears and motivations. In this episode, I talk about this concept further. I a...

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably know that it started off as an extension of my dissertation, which was a deep dive into the work of Design39Campus. Design39Campus is a collaborative community focused on changing the way we do school. In this episode, I talk about how this idea started and why I chose podcasting as my medium.   Click here for the full episode! To c...

In this follow-up episode, Luke tells us where the idea for his curriculum came from. He also talks about his three steps to solving a problem: 1. Finding the problem, 2. Solving the problem, and 3. Creating a prototype.   Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths...

We can’t teach students how to solve every problem. We just can’t. We don’t even know what the major problems in the future will be. So instead, we need to teach students methods to solve problems by breaking them down! That is why today’s guest Luke Harris created the Design Engineering Curriculum for Young Adults, to help students learn empathy and other skills in a greater worldly context.    C...

Let’s face it. The American Education System could definitely use a makeover. We don’t teach students how to be leaders and problem-solve and think for themselves. Instead, they learn how to be a part of a whole, how to get hired by a corporation, how to fit in. In this episode, Nancy talks about how different skills like leadership and entrepreneurship can better benefit students.   Click here fo...

Nancy Bosnoian is a sleep activist and the founder and executive director of End No Sleep, Inc., a youth-led, nonprofit committed to providing sleep resources to vulnerable communities through education, awareness, and direct service. In this episode, she talks about why she recommends gap years and/or taking semesters off to help students find their passions and figure out what they want to pursu...

In this follow-up episode, Diana and Kandis share some advice with new graduates. They talk about finding opportunities to practice your passion, connecting with people from all over the world, building your network, and being creative.   Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcas...

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” This Japanese proverb explains that before you can act, you must plan, and before you can plan, you must have a vision. Diana Ying Liu and Kandis O'Brien agree. Diana and Kandis are co-founders of The Six, a consulting company working with leaders and their teams to help design better business operating models, processes,...

One thing that isn’t talked about enough is the importance of collaboration in an organization. The leaders, staff, interns, volunteers, must be able to talk, debate ideas, and share their hearts in a safe way, or they won’t share at all. And when the different parts of a company aren’t communicating, the issues just get bigger, and harder to deal with. In this follow-up episode, Bob gives us an e...

Alex Jamieson and Bob Gower have been helping leaders align their teams for the past two decades. They founded The Alignment Company and have worked with clients like Zoom, GE, and Foot Locker. One thing they see often in this line of work is imposter syndrome. And in this episode, Alex and Bob give us tips on how to manage it.   Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’v...

One of the biggest problems with our education system today is that it takes a very narrow approach to learning. We should be measuring students’ progress in typical subjects like math and language, but we should also be taking the time to pause and reflect on things like students’ mental health and relationship building. In this episode, I go further into this and talk about the possible benefits...

What does the future look like? The truth is no one knows. So, how do we prepare for the future, if we have no idea what it will be? The answer isn’t simple or easy, but it has to do with having the right mindset to thrive in the unknown. In this episode, I talk about how design thinking can develop and nurture that growth mindset.    Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer serie...

Today’s guest is Dan Faill, speaker, facilitator, and expert in failure and impostor syndrome. If there is one thing he would want everyone to take from his message, it would be to unlearn negative self-talk and comparison and to acknowledge our power! In this episode, Dan talks about the time he finally realized that he was standing in his own way, and what he did to move forward.   Click here fo...

This follow-up episode is all about Clubhouse, an audio-only social experience where communities from all over the world can come together to share ideas, experiences, and education. It is an inclusive space that allows everyone to have a voice and gives us accessibility to influential people. Listen now to learn more.   Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created...

I’ve been having a lot of conversions with people lately, and I’m discovering how many adults struggle with confidence, how many adults don’t think they’re good enough. And, I can’t help but wonder how much that has to do with our current grading system. If you’ve spent your whole life being told you’re not good at certain things, and you’re only good at other things, what does that do to our psyc...

When we hear the term “personal branding,” we tend to think it’s all about you, the person building the brand, right? But, it’s so much more than that. Good personal branding has a balance between the brand (who you are and the strengths that you possess) and the audience (who you are servicing). And those two things are always evolving. In this episode, Brittany Krystle talks about the 2 paths to...