Evolving with Gratitude

Get ready for heartfelt stories, empowering strategies, and the joyful attitude of Robert Dunlop! He inspires us to S.T.R.I.V.E for happiness in all aspects of our lives. This episode will nurture your heart and your mind! Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Robert Dunlop is a teacher, speaker and author who has a passion for helping other educators love their careers. His work with thousa...

Welcome to the Evolving with Gratitude Podcast. I’m your host Lainie Rowell and I’m thankful you are here!  In this podcast, we're exploring the incredible power of gratitude in improving our well-being, nurturing relationships, and making our world a better place. And those ideas are the foundation of this podcast. We will: discover ways to continuously improve ourselves and boost overall wel...

Get ready to be filled with joy, hope, and inspiration as you listen to highlights of Season 1 of the pod! There are so many takeaways from these #EvolvingWithGratitude guests! The hardest part of producing this episode was picking just one highlight per episode! I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting this together.   PS- My hubby, Lawrence, decided to join in the fun so ther...

Prepare to be delighted by an amazing human, Allyson Apsey! She shares her philosophy of life with hope and how her new role (which could be described as detective meets Iron Chef) is bringing energy, light, and focus to wherever she goes. Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Allyson Apsey has been an award-winning school leader for nearly 20 years, leading all levels from elementary to Hig...

Don't listen to this episode before bed because Josh Tovar will have you fired up and you'll never fall asleep! Instead, queue this episode up for a trip to the gym, some serious housecleaning, or wherever you need a boost in energy! With his signature passion and joy, Josh explains how he honors his past and empowers our future.  Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Josh Tovar is Prin...

It is a difficult needle to thread finding the perfect balance of neuroscience and instructional practices, but Allison Posey does this masterfully! With a deep understanding of the science of the brain as well as full appreciation for the art of learning, Allison helps us value our variability and the beautiful possibilities in our learning communities.  Transcript available here. About Our...

Are you ready for Mo gratitude??? We Zoom in Mike Mohammad to explain the many ways he sees and hears from all of his learners so they feel known and valued. He builds relationships and activates learning in his science classroom! Shoutouts to two women supporting him through a difficult time in his life and to a special education teacher who helped Mike make physics accessible to ALL learners! Tr...

It's time for an episode of Saved by the Beldin! Friends, Allie Beldin is a delightful educator and lifelong learner who is shining a spotlight on the greatness in kids, peers, and the world. Listen as Allie shares her ideas on gratitude in education as well as the thinking of her doctoral cohort members. A personal shoutout to her supportive husband, Daniel, a shoutout to the transformation leade...

Brian Martin's appreciation of life is infectious! In this uplifting episode, Brian helps us unpack how gratitude can bring us into the present to notice all the good. Brian also shares his perspective on one of my favorite Brother David Steindl-Rast quotes, "if you learn to respond as if it were the first day of your life, and the very last day, then you will have spent this day very well." ...

As learners, we all have our own "S.P.I.N." – Strengths, Preferences, Interests, and Needs! In this empowering episode, Andrew Easton walks us through practical and actionable ways to fill our learners' "experience backpack". He also talks about how he shifts reactive reflections into proactive practices.  Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Proud Dad, Nebraska's ESUCC Digital Learnin...

This week's guest, Dr. Matt Rhoads, joins us to explain how he puts his thoughts into actions to amplify others. We also discuss how gratitude impacts relationships in all the spaces and places.  Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Matthew Rhoads, Ed. D. is an expert and innovator in educational technology and instructional strategy integration within online, blended, and traditional...

What do forgiveness and gratitude have in common? Educator and children's book author, Melody McAllister, joins us to teach us this and much more! And, if hearing two people make each other giggle brings a smile to your face, get ready for some sore cheeks! Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Believer! Wife, Mother, Educator! Author! Blogger! Garland NAACP Educator of the Year 2017 Communi...

What do dinner parties have to do with staff meetings? Listen and learn! With a megadose of vulnerability and authenticity, Meghan explains how she, as a visible leader, stays closer to the heartbeat of education.    Transcript available here. About Our Guest: A lover of learning who believes in the goodness of people, Meghan works to cultivate necessary space that honors the humanity of...

Prepare to be motivated and empowered, my friends! In this episode, Dr. Hemphill reveals the heroes we've been waiting for and the power of the one-minute meeting. Mary has an inspiring way of making the invisible, visible and celebrating all the beauty in education, including the noise and the failures.  Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Dr. Mary Hemphill is a leadership expert and...

Jen shares how she implements St. Mother Teresa's wise words, "do little things with great love". She also offers a hot tip on the power of the post-it note (In case you wondered... This podcast is NOT sponsored by 3M!) Shoutouts to Mandy Froehlich, Tisha Richmond, Sarah Thomas, and more! Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Jennifer Casa-Todd is wife, mom, a Teacher-Librarian, a former Lit...

Dr. Neil Gupta is all about creating learning communities where everyone feels safe, welcomed, and invited. And, in this episode, you will be havin' all the feels hearing Neil share the critical role that gratitude plays in learning communities as well as his personal life. The "I Point to You" practice that Neil shares in this episode is a practice that was brought into his district by Assistant...

In this very brief bonus episode, celebrate World Gratitude Day with 2 inspiring quotes and a call to action that can nurture relationships! 2 Quotes: “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” –Albert Schweitzer “It is always better to share gratitude for others...

You don't want to miss this episode! Dennis wears many hats and at the center of it all is gratitude. Listen as he shares how gratitude helped him through the most difficult season of his life and how we can breathe oxygen into our relationships. Plus a shoutout to his lovely wife, Sini! Transcript available here. About Our Guest: Dennis Mathew is an elementary school speech pathologist going into...

Zoom in Rae Hughart and her adorable dogs! (Sorry we don't have video for you to see, but trust me- so precious!)  In this episode, Rae shares her thoughts on different practices for different phases of life and much more! Big shoutouts to Jeff Gargas and Chad Ostrowski! Mentioned in the show: Happyfeed App and TeachBetterConference.com (DM Rae for a discount code) Transcript available here....

We welcome a megadose of joy and gratitude to the pod with guest, Jillian DuBois. This repurposed educator teaches me a new word and shares lots of love for a community of gratitude that you may be a part of too. Plus a shoutout to her hubby, Tim! Transcript available here. About Our Guest: repurposed educator • author/illustrator • professional learning guide @edgeubadges • empathetic learner • o...

Have you been wonder how gratitude connects to each of the five core competencies of social emotional learning? Tune in as Dan explains this and much more! Including how we can use these five essential elements to guide us towards becoming our best selves. This listening adventure comes equipped with a compass to keep you moving in the right direction. Transcript available here. About Our Guest: D...

Does the word "evolve" resonate with you? Laura and I bonded over our love of this powerful, dynamic word! In this episode, Laura shares her strategy for testing ideas before bringing them into the classroom. She also explains how she is focused on going wide and deep to magnify the gratitude.   Shoutout to Tom Brenner, a coach that cares so much and gives his all to each of his runners. Tran...

Devin is a wealth of knowledge and a source of inspiration as he reveals the 4 C's that lead to high levels of trust. We also dive into the importance of relational trust and social capital as well as why connectedness is essential in our learning communities.   Shoutout to Learner-Centered Collaborative's Chief Impact Officer, Katie Martin, and the entire LCC team!  Transcript available...

Tara Martin joins us to share what profound gratitude means to her and she reveals the best advice that her dad gave her. T inspires us to overcome fear, inner-critic, outer-critics, all the barriers we face when we're trying to take a risk and do something new.  Shoutouts to her dad, Mrs. S, Dave Burgess, Dr. Devin, Dr. D., her husband, her son and, of course, her puppy. Transcript available...

Emotional contagion is real and you will be grateful for that during this episode because you are going to feel so much joy listening to Rachelle share the joy her learning community brings her. The way she talks about her learners is truly uplifting so jump on that treadmill, get out the cleaning supplies, or do whatever you like to do when you listen and be prepared to be inspired.  Transcr...