Change Starts Here

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis. It’s hard to believe, but another school year is approaching the finish line. There’s always a desire amongst teachers and students alike to coast to the final school bell. A word of advice: don’t. Those who finish strong could find those last days of the school year the most rewardin...

Being a teacher can be immensely rewarding just as much as it can be overwhelming. Some people who are inspired to teach later find other ways of utilizing the skills they learned in teaching to help out others outside just their classroom. So what kind of effect can children’s books aimed at classrooms have on a global scale? On this episode of Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham speaks with te...

The word trust is synonymous with many things. For some, trust means having confidence in something, believing in something, or having faith. For others, trust means having responsibility and accountability. No matter how you define trust, it remains an integral part of our everyday lives. Not only does trust help build connections and deepen relationships, but it supports a level of unparalleled...

Preparing for the future has always been a main tenet of education. As the future of the workplace continues to change with advancements in technology, community workforce development initiatives are becoming a key part of local infrastructure in staying with the times and ahead of the curve. While these initiatives spark change in local communities, how is bringing back education helping to chang...

We are creatures of habit, always have been and probably always will be. We are now also, thanks to the success and efficiency of technology, creatures of comfort. Unwinding after a hard day's work is something everyone deserves, yet it is this very unwinding that can lead to an uncoupling of our surroundings, our intentions, and ourselves. How do we fix that? In this short-feature episode of...

In a post-pandemic world, students are playing catchup with their education, with additional needs for those in underserved communities. Educational disparities exist in all areas of education, especially in the STEM curriculum, where gaps can hurt students looking to take their careers in those directions. How can educators get students back on track? Extended learning time (ELT) is one method sh...

The last few years of the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized how important community and togetherness are. While being alone and on your own has its upsides, so does being and engaging with others. It’s something that people who travel a lot might also recognize when they attend events that bring groups together. On this episode of Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham talks about this topic by talking...

Am I, or can I be the leader my people need? This is a serious question every leader needs to pose to themselves and be able to answer with the utmost humility. There are different definitions of leadership, which can be subjective, but two quite resonate: Adeoye Mayowa defines leadership as the ability to evaluate and/or forecast a long-term plan or policy and influence their followers toward the...

Amidst and after the pandemic, there is more pressure on teachers to produce more outputs than inputs; people call for more responsibility and standardization in teaching and learning. This pressure trauma is showcasing itself and putting immense pressure on teachers to perform effectively, leading to burnout, quitting, and losing great people in the field. According to a Wall Street Journal repor...

Being an educator is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs, and nobody knows that better than Olympia Della Flora. On this episode of Change Starts Here, host Dustin Oldham spoke with Della Flora about her experience as an educator, from teacher to principal to superintendent. They also discuss how you can best help students, including what to remember when in the classroom. Currently a s...

Mental stress and burnout are becoming increasingly common issues, characterized by feelings of exhaustion, loss of motivation, and decreased job satisfaction. This can result from prolonged and intense work demands, lack of control, and an imbalance between work and personal life. It's essential to recognize the signs and take steps to manage and prevent burnout for overall well-being. But ho...

When we make decisions in life, oftentimes they are decided by our inner thoughts. But not everyone has inner thoughts despite how common it is. Experts say some 30 to 50 percent of people have an inner monologue with themselves. In having this inner monologue, it helps some people figure out a lot of things and decisions they make in life because thoughts are very powerful. But figuring out thing...

The health of the human brain is of utmost importance considering it is responsible for how we move, the ways in which we give and interpret information, our memories, our moods and behavior and so much more. It is also why when the brain is dealing with disorders that affect normal activities it can be a detriment to how someone functions. One of those disorders is ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hype...

The world of business and workplaces continues to change, and no one knows that better than Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, along with being a New York Times bestselling author and host of the 5 Questions podcast. Dustin Oldham, host of Change Starts Here, spoke with Schawbel about workplace challenges in schools, such as staff retention and what to do about it. A self-de...

Host of Change Starts Here, Dustin Odham, encourages us all to take the much needed and deserved time to reflect and recharge over the next few weeks. We will see you back here in the new year!

One topic that frequently comes up on Change Starts Here concerns educator burnout and the residual effect of people choosing not to enter the education profession. According to a November 2022 Gallop poll, K-12 teachers report the highest burnout rate of all U.S. professions, with more than four out of every ten teachers noting they feel burned out “always” or “often” at work. That leads to a que...

2022 is a year for reflection, and at Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham wanted to devote a special episode to reflect on all of the great advice from the many guests that appeared on the podcast over that past year. Throughout this episode, Odham captures moments from ten inspiring interviews from 2022, including author and Assistant Principal Joshua Stamper, Revolutionary Principal’s Amen Rah...

Trust is the foundation, or building block, of many key innovations. Without trust, new, creative ideas born from collaboration would not exist. Trust plays a key role in the evolution of companies and their technologies, but most importantly, their people. But how exactly can trust change the future? On the latest episode of Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham chats with Mark Murphy, Senior Con...

Did you know that mentoring youth helps to increase their likelihood of graduating from high school while also decreasing the likelihood that youth will initiate abusing illegal drugs and alcohol use? Well, it's true. But building student success goes behind just mentoring. It's about creating an environment that evokes passion and curiosity. In doing this, where should you start? On this...

Monday, October 24th, 2022, a school shooter killed a teacher and a student in St. Louis, Missouri. After the shooting, a letter was found in the gunman's car. A few lines stood out to podcast host Dustin Odham. The writing describes a lonely life. Odham was impacted by the letter because it shows how the shooter had fallen through the cracks. This episode does not focus on the shooting itself...

Life throws many curveballs and at times people will have to work with what they know and have to get by. For educators, it's another ball game, and public school educators today are facing a lot of challenges, from budget cuts, low or stagnant salaries, and a pandemic. That also means the stakes are even higher for leadership at these schools, and principals have to be committed and dedicated...

Do you ever think about all the minute twists and turns that led you to the exact position you sit in life? For some, that journey has more twists and turns than it does for others. Joshua Stamper, Author, Podcaster, and Assistant Principal, joined Host Dustin Odham to describe how he went from graphic design to administration in the education realm. Stamper started as graphic designer, but when t...

Evolution is gradual, but revolution is about changing things quickly. Change is what Amen Rahh, the Revolutionary Principal and author, aims to do within his school and ultimately, the world. Change Starts Here host Dustin Odham chatted with Rahh about his background and his goals to inspire revolution across educational culture. Rahh was straight forward, “I’m happy to…talk about how we are goin...

In the latest episode of “Change Starts Here,” podcast host Dustin Odham discussed being in a leadership position in the field of education with educator and author Jill Siler. The two talked about the profession of a superintendent, and all that it entails in being one, including successes and failures. Siler is the author of “Thrive through the Five,” a book she wrote about the challenges that c...

Great things can happen under the direction of great leadership. But how does one become a great leader? Host Dustin Odham chatted with Dr. Mathew Ohlson, the Director of the Taylor Leadership Institute at the University of North Florida, about the habits of a great leader and how to jumpstart that career pathway. When Dr. Ohlson first started, he was sure he would get his PhD and go back into K-1...