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© 2026 Exceptionally Good: Leaders for a Better World
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We bring you in-depth interviews with exceptional leaders who drive toward a different bottom line — leaders from health care, philanthropy, non-profits, education and rescue services who are doing exceptional work for the good of the world. Exploring their origin stories, their leadership journey and the lessons they learned on their path -- sometimes the hard way -- we bring you close to understand how exceptional leaders tick.
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30 Episodes
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Becca Katz — educator, writer, & co-founder of Good Natured Learning. For more than twenty years, Becca has taught in classrooms both walled and wild — from modular units in strip malls to expeditions in the Arctic and the Andes. She’s spent 300+ days leading wilderness expeditions, experiences that led her to ask a powerful question: How can nearly 8 billion people build heart-level connections with nature if most of us aren’t going on multi-day wilderness treks? That question became the...
This episode, I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Alison Lee—a friend, a former colleague, and someone whose influence on my own leadership is deeper than she probably knows. Some of the work I’m most proud of in my career—work focused on belonging, justice, and what it actually means to help young people thrive—came from collaboration, action, and studied reflection alongside Alison. She brings together a researcher’s mind, a brilliant intellect, and a heart anchored like granite in equity and huma...
This episode, I’m joined by Kirstin Lund — mediator, changemaker, and fierce advocate for safer, stronger communities in Stratford, Prince Edward Island. Kirstin began her career practicing law, but soon discovered that true transformation often happens not in courtrooms, but in conversation. In 1996, she founded Collaboration School, dedicating her work to mediation, facilitation, and helping people navigate conflict with empathy and clarity. Her leadership has shaped PEI in profound way...
At a time when the world needs men of character, it is my delight to host a conversation with a leader who is working to foster spaces for them. Luke Di Sessa — a powerful leader in Australia whose life’s work centers on developing men of character and helping them step into authentic, emotionally intelligent leadership. Luke is the CEO and Co-Founder of Good Better Best Men, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating safe, courageous spaces where men can face their internal challeng...
This episode's guest is Lina Jean Fritz, a Chicago-based, C-suite nonprofit leader in strategy and innovation whose work sits at the intersection of equity and moral courage in access to the work force and higher education. Lina is a first-generation college graduate, the daughter of restaurant workers, and someone whose early life was shaped by movement—growing up across Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi before graduating from a public high school in Mississippi and heading north to attend t...
In this episode of Exceptionally Good, I’m joined by Scott Seider, a professor, former public school teacher, and one of the most thoughtful voices I know on what it means to educate young people for a just and democratic society. Scott is a Professor of Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, where his research centers on how schools can support young people in developing a sense of purpose, critical consciousness, m...
In this episode of Exceptionally Good: Leaders for a Better World, I’m joined by two remarkable humans—Sheeba Jacob and Anay Shah—for a conversation about purpose, partnership, and the clarity that can emerge through challenge and loss. Two compelling and humble leaders for good… who just happen to be married to each other! Sheeba is the Director of Middle School Design at Citizen of the World Charter Schools, a researcher, educator, and musical artist whose work explores how teachers—and...
“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.” - Dr. King This year, I’m doing something a bit different. One in what I hope is a yearly series. Instead of our usual conversation with powerful, human and reflective leaders for social good, I’m sharing a reading from Dr....
In this episode - Brad Barrett, CPA and co-founder of the ChooseFI Podcast, one of the most influential platforms in the Financial Independence (FI) movement. While Brad’s career began in accounting, it’s his work making FI accessible to everyone that makes him a leader worth learning from. The FI movement, as Vicki Robin framed it, asks a simple but profound question: your money or your life? At its core, FI isn’t about hoarding wealth... it’s about using intentional financial choices to rec...
Ron Rapatalo is a connector, coach, and culture-shifter. A proud New Yorker and the son of Filipino immigrants, Ron brings over two decades of experience in K-12 education, nonprofit leadership, and executive search. He's dedicated his career to cultivating equity and empowering and mission driven organizations. His experiences include leadership roles at Teach for America, New Leaders, Edgility Consulting, Stronger Consulting, and as an advisory board member at Harvard Business Review. ...
What does it look like to reflect deeply on education systems—after you’ve learned across the ocean and back again …and before you’ve even graduated high school? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Isamu Thung, a recent graduate of High Tech High and one of the most thoughtful young leaders discussing learning, equity, and systems transformation. Despite just finishing high school, Isamu brings a level of wisdom, humility, and systems-thinking that challenges adults in the field ...
In this episode, we hear stories — an ancient form of wisdom — as I get to talk with the incomparable Dr. César Cruz. A Mexican-born, Compton-raised educator, César has spent over three decades walking alongside young people who the system has marginalized—not to fix them, but to help them remember their worth. He is the co-founder of Homies Empowerment, a grassroots organization in East Oakland that began as a leadership class for gang-impacted youth and has grown into a full ecosystem for g...
Dr. Arria Coburn - Your Team is Not a Family — It’s a Partnership for Impact What happens when a new leader inherits a tight-knit “school family”—then faces budget cuts? Or when you’re asked to define your leadership style before you even know how to lead? In this episode, Dr. Arria Coburn opens up about her evolution as an educational leader: from criminal justice major to special education teacher to award-winning principal and now district executive. Dr. Arria Coburn brings nearly two deca...
Chris Widmaier is the Founder & Executive Director of Rochester Ecology Partners (REP), a nonprofit that “serves people in Greater Rochester through nature-based learning and community-building.” A former award-winning classroom teacher and instructional coach, Chris left a secure career, earned an MBA-equivalent at RIT, and launched REP on January 1, 2022. His work now centres on helping young people—and the adults who guide them—find nature where they live, work and play....
Tierionna Pinkston is a dynamic school leader, educator, and community advocate currently serving as the principal of The Noble Academy in Chicago. Tierionna brings both fierce intellect and deep heart to her work. Known for her commitment to antiracist education and restorative practices, she leads with vision, vulnerability, and a relentless belief in the brilliance of young people. Her leadership is shaped by experience in the classroom, lessons from her own family, and a growing network o...
Courtenaye Jackson: - From Prosecutor to Purpose: A Journey to Justice What does it mean to lead with purpose, principle, and power? This episode features Courtenaye Jackson—currently General Counsel for the Children’s Aid Society in New York City. With a $300M endowment and a wide portfolio of schools and social services, Courtenaye brings legal expertise and deep conviction to systems in service of children and justice. But her path wasn’t linear. From growing up in Queens with dreams o...
Bernie Shakeshaft is the founder of Backtrack Youth Works, a nonprofit based in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. For nearly 20 years, Bernie and his pack of working dogs have helped young people who’ve been kicked out of everything—school, home, the justice system—find purpose, responsibility, and healing. In this episode, Bernie shares how his own troubled youth, time as a jackaroo, and lessons from Aboriginal elders shaped the radical, relationship-driven model of Backtrack. From con...
Ever had your barn burn down and then see the moon? What happens when you realize those you put in place to lead are the wrong people? How should you use critique to make you and your org stronger? All the way from Doncaster, England, Andy Sprakes and Gwyn Ap Hari detail their journey as co-founders of XP Trust, a group of innovative and successful “free schools” in the UK. We discuss their unique approach to education, their personal leadership styles, the significance of culture in school...
Hey, good people, happy new year! As we look ahead into 2025, I am recruiting a new batch of exceptionally good leaders to host on the show. In particular, I'm looking for leaders in the realm of healthcare, rescue services, social services and more. We have a solid batch of education leaders in the first season because I started with friends who I knew were brilliant, admirable, and willing to take a chance on some podcast that didn't even exist yet with someone who had never hosted on...
How do you go from a town hall lashing, go up for a vote of no confidence and turn it around? What’s a leader to do when faced with a moment of crisis? Have you ever wondered how to know it is the right time to step down? In this transcript, Derek Pierce, the founding leader of Casco Bay High School, shares his extensive journey in educational leadership. Derek discusses his early influences, experience in the film industry, and the emotional challenges of starting a new sch...
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