Change Starts Here

Farouk Dey teaches life design for a living which he said is the opposite of career planning. “It’s trying to create a culture where we no longer ask people, ‘what do you want to do with your life,’” said Dey. “We’re essentially asking them, ‘what are you curious about?’ and getting them to act on that curiosity.” There can be a natural tendency to adjust their narrative based on presented opportu...

Garcia’s journey began unconventionally. Raised by a single grandmother who didn’t drive, Garcia grew up in an environment of love. Garcia’s Grandmother’s kindness shaped her and instilled a passion for doing great things , and making a difference in the lives of others. “I am who I am in my professional life because of that experience,” Garcia said. A little more on the conventional side, Garcia’...

A wise old Jedi once said, ‘size matters not,’ and Covey takes that advice to heart. At 5'8" and 165-pounds, Covey’s size does not instantly scream NFL wide receiver, where the average size of most professional WR’s tip the scales at over six feet and 200-pounds. “I realized early on people were going to view my height and my size pretty much one of two ways: It was going to be the detrime...

Odham is clearly a fan of Reyes whom he refers to as Danny throughout the episode. Highlighting everything from his exceptional teaching skills that engaged 5th-grade students in solving community problems to creating a safe place with high expectations that improved overall student performance. This podcast is for any educator, school administrator, school employee, or anyone for that matter who...

Heath’s journey began with studies in engineering, then a Ph. D. in psychology from Stanford University. Today he teaches organizational behavior at the Stanford School of Business and co-authored four bestselling books with his brother Dan. “I’d been teaching a course at Stanford on the marketplace of ideas,” Heath said. “I had done a talk with a Silicon Valley group, and the theme was what we ca...

High school students Jenaya Wilder, Jorge Sanchez and Mary Katherine Archer joined host of Change Starts Here, Dustin Odham, to discuss how to overcome the issues facing today’s schools. A common theme the three students mentioned as a struggle for the modern-day high schooler was the tendency for cliques to form, which discourages individualism and increases groupthink, and time management, like...

“For me, education was something my mother always told me, ‘Once you have it, they can never take it away from you and that could be your golden ticket,’” he explained. Jackson found out the hard way how a lack of funds can impact a student’s ability to pursue their career of choice. While studying to be an astronaut, he was forced to make the hard decision of finding a different major, which is w...

Portell wasn’t initially on the educator path. “I was into forestry, but people kept saying kids gravitate toward you. I didn’t receive my educational degree until 29.” Now, his days are filled with impacting the lives of children and unapologetically disrupting the education field. Portell’s days as a principal weren’t trauma-informed. It was a lecture he attended on ACES (adverse childhood exper...

Now let's all take some time to hit pause and reflect on this previous year. See you in 2022!

Safety and trust are developed in a child at just 18 months old, which is derived from the somatic nervous system (or the sensory nerves that relay sensation from the body to the central nervous system). Traumatized children usually have a faulty neuroception system – or they perceive danger when there is none. Author of “Brain Changing Strategies to Trauma-Proof Our Schools,” Maggie Kline is a fo...

In describing who he is and what he does, Marshall said, “I love helping people in new ways and inspiring the uninspired. EdTech is a great vehicle to do this, and education has always been a passion of mine.” Marshall considered becoming an educator but instead used his business degree to impact education, joining one of the first online learning programs, Study Island. The company grew and took...

“I love seeing growth and change in humans and organizations by an extension of that,” said Thompson. “There is a confidence that is kind of palpable when someone is making progress.” Thompson came to the rapidly growing FranklinCovey Education division after a varied career, starting in the field of clinical psychology, focused on child abuse prevention. She then transitioned into organization de...

In her role, Dr. Miller breaks down research to deliver practical ways to apply it to the classroom. Her journey with gratitude was no different. “I looked at the science of gratitude, and it opened my mind. For one, gratitude, unlike other emotions, you can self-induce. You also don’t need something good to happen to feel grateful.” Dr. Miller shared multiple studies on the topic with gratitude i...

7 years ago, Dr. Desautels left Marion University after feeling as though she had lost touch with teaching. “It was not enough for me to go in to observe first and second-year teachers,” Dr. Desautels explained. She left there knowing that if she was really going to continue this work she needed to go back into the classroom. “I am a learner, that is who I am. I love to learn and this work has evo...

Anne Chow describes herself as a mom, daughter, wife, second-generation American, servant leader and agent of change. She believes that everyone can be a change agent and often thinks back to Gandhi’s quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” With the future more uncertain than ever due to the pandemic, leadership must be dynamic and realize the power of human connection —the type of le...

“I’m really interested in changing the conversation from mental illness to brain health,” said Amen. “We want to end mental illness, and the only way to do that is a revolution in brain health.” Amen provided affirming advice, instructing listeners to ask themselves this question before everything they do: “Is this good or bad for my brain?” Amen went on to describe the importance of loving their...

Dr. Lee places importance on setting boundaries and voicing personal needs to leaders. She explained, “You want that trust to be built in a way where if you know that they’re struggling you can empower them with the resources, with tools, so that you can get to where you want to go together.” Key self-awareness strategies for minimizing burnout include establishing a soul-filling morning routine a...

“People don’t want to see you being super wishy-washy,” Burckle said. “When you’re a leader, they want to know you have the fortitude and strength to lead.” But, leadership is more than strength. It also includes accountability and fairness. Leaders need to be friendly while also being strong. Fairness is critical, as while a decision might be hard, it’s essential to maintain fairness. “The fair p...

Dr. Domenech is the Executive Director of AASA(The Superintendent’s Association). He also spent 27 years as a superintendent. “We were founded in 1865 after the end of the Civil War by seven superintendents concerned about how to integrate black students into the public school system. Equity was the foundation and is still our mission,” Dr. Domenech said. Dr. Domenech described the current landsca...

“We help people break through barriers in their lives and tap into the human spirit,” Weihenmayer said, “and figuring out ways to reclaim their lives and elevating the world.” As an educator, Erik Weihenmayer is focused on the “No Barriers” mindset, which focuses on believing that what’s within you is stronger than what’s in your way. As a blind person, he gets a lot of physical satisfaction from...

At JCPS, Eddleman finds creative and unique ways to use federal and state grant funds to positively impact students. She often looks for ways to impact children that might not otherwise have opportunities. One of the ways she did this was through the Summer Leadership Institute for Teens. The idea for the program started in the fall of 2020 when JCPS educators realized how much their students were...

Change and transformation at the K12 level are stalling, even though many see its flaws. So, how does real change happen in this public education that will support all learners? Sharing his wealth of knowledge with Change Starts Here host Dustin Odham, author and speaker Michael B. Horn, Senior Strategist at Guild Education, shared his experiences and thoughts. Horn labeled himself as a change age...

The duo dug into why Michael does what she does and the impact of residential schools on students in Canada. “It just comes down to the kids,” Michael said. “I can’t even begin to capture what that means for me. I love the kids, and it’s always been about the kids. I think working with teachers, other principals, working with the parents, it’s all of that. When we’re all working toward doing the s...

Check out this exclusive webinar where host, Dustin Odham talks to the three authors of our latest book, "The 4 Disciplines of Execution for Educators: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals."

Leaders in the education space often have similar philosophies and strategies around connection. Without this, it’s hard to develop effective school districts. Sharing her wisdom on cultivating leadership in schools, Dr. Candace Singh joined host Dustin Odham. Dr. Singh currently serves as the Superintendent of Fallbrook Union Elementary School District. She’s also a speaker, consultant, and leade...