Change Starts Here

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...

This is the kickoff to the second season of Change Starts Here. In order to look forward, we’re going to take a look backward by talking to a guest that Host Dustin Odham has had at the top of his list since the podcast’s inception. Dan Pink is the author of several books about creativity, business, behavior, and work, such as When: The Scientific Secrets to Perfect Timing. Odham and Pink talk abo...

Get ready for Season 2 of Change Starts Here, LIVE on August 25th! Register now: https://marketscale.com/live/the-persistence-to-create-change-with-debbie-michael/

Educators have the power to change the lives of the students they work with – but they also work within a system. That means there are also opportunities to change that system to make it work better for the educators and students it serves. That’s the mission of Geoffrey Canada, renowned thought leader, activist and advocate for education reform. Three decades ago, Canada founded the Harlem Childr...

It might be an understatement to call today’s guest for the latest episode of Change Starts Here’s You First Summer Series impactful. In fact, host Dustin Odham said, a meeting a full decade ago produced notes that he still has and refers to. That’s some powerful longevity. The guest-in-question was none other than Muriel Summers, recently retired principal of the award-winning A.B. Combs Leadersh...

The Change Starts Here You First Summer Series rolls on, this time with a world-renowned speaker, thought leader and educator with a unique “skin on the wall” – transforming a floundering school into an institution of learning known the world over. Of course, we’re speaking of Richard Gerver, whose work as headmaster of Grange Primary School over the course of just two years drew praise from the l...

The past year brought an educational landscape and challenges the likes of which educators have never encountered. That means that, in addition to the normal wear and tear of a year spent at the front of a classroom of head of a district, many educators are more worn down than usual as summer draws on. However, there’s no slowing down now. The fall semester promises even more firsts and another un...

The Change Starts Here podcast and host Dustin Odham, FranklinCovey Education thought leader, have already heard from one son of the esteemed Stephen R. Covey – but, on this episode, another joins the educational fray. Stephen M.R. Covey, Covey’s eldest son, New York Times bestselling author, thought leader and key agent in the growth of FranklinCovey into a truly global agent of change, joined Od...

There isn’t a child on the planet incapable of achieving their dreams, according to Salome Thomas-EL – they just need someone “crazy about them.” On this episode of FranklinCovey Education’s Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham welcomed “Principal EL” to the program to share his core beliefs about love, belief, perseverance, courage, overcoming adversity and more. In addressing over 100,000 educa...

The Change Starts Here podcast and host Dustin Odham went right to the source for this episode, the first to feature a superintendent, inviting Dr. John Jungmann of Springfield Public Schools to the program to share his wealth of insights. Jungmann has served Missouri school districts for decades, including seven years at SPS, and has dedicated that time to helping engineer what he calls a “studen...

On this episode of FranklinCovey Education’s Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham was joined by Franklin Covey Education President Sean Covey for an introspective look at Covey’s career and the organization’s mission to “[transform] education around the globe by bringing leadership principles and skills to as many kids, educators and schools as possible.” As usual, the podcast began with the Brad...

Dr. Britt Andreatta has a unique approach to personal growth, meeting your biggest challenges head on and more – and it involves your brain. A lengthy career in leadership and neuroscience has made Andreatta an expert on the science behind how our brains work, and that information can be used to elevate the way you approach your life, career, leadership potential and more. On this episode of Frank...

Dr. Madeline Levine has spent almost four decades working as a clinician, consultant, educator and author. But, for all that experience, she knows there’s one unassailable, universal truth – change is always on the horizon. That’s especially true in today’s world, where, like as not, you may wake up each day facing a totally new set of circumstances. That can be exciting, but it can also be overwh...

In 2011, Angela Maiers gave a TED Talk that sparked a career. It derived its power and influence from two words – you matter. Now a self-described leader, visionary, entrepreneur, disruptor and change-maker, educator and author Maiers is continuing to spread the importance of mattering. “At my absolute core, I am an educator,” she said. “In the purest sense, the root word of ‘educate’ means ‘to le...

Dr. Jody Carrington is a self-described “clinical psychologist, speaker, author and game changer,” as well as the author of “Kids These Days: A Game Plan for (Re)Connecting With Those We Teach, Lead, and Love” – and that connection has become the focus of her substantial professional efforts. Though she’s achieved her doctorate in Clinical Psychology and educates and speaks on topics ranging from...