The InPursuit Podcast: A Spherical Look at Today's Workplace

Steffi August is the founder of Your Mindset Challenge – The Action Blueprint dedicated to supporting women over 40 to fulfil their potential and achieve extraordinary results, both professionally and personally. Using 12 years coaching experience and 57 years life experience, cutting-edge tools, The Three Principles, and powerful Action Blueprint strategies, her clients start focusing on building new habits while challenging their Mindset. Creating winning strategies, her clients gain clarity, confidence and consistency to achieve self-mastery in their lives. They learn a new way how they think about themselves, how they think about their circumstances and change the way how they respond to challenges in life. Transforming challenges into opportunities are the norm, and results are guaranteed. Steffi is known for being an energetic, determined and highly motivated individual. Known as The German Pocket Rocket and Self-Leadership Coach. Steffi inspires and challenges individuals and teams to dig deep inside themselves to unfold the keys to their real potential and breakthrough solutions to breakout. Passion, Belief & Determination is in her DNA, and her philosophy is, ‘long-term success is achieved by taking consistent small steps,’ and her motto is, ‘Every challenge in life is another opportunity. Never, ever, ever give up on yourself.’ Immigrating from East to West Germany before the wall came down and moving to NZ have been very challenging. Leaving a challenging relationship literally overnight, finding the love of her life, her soulmate was a life safer. Experiencing her husband, man of her dreams as killed in a tragic truck accident. She just survived for the last 3 years, started thriving again and found her spark and purpose in life. Now she’s passionate to help women 40+ to find their spar, their ultimate you again. Contact her www.steffiaugust.com

We recorded this episode on Thanksgiving week, which had both Rachel and our guest, Brent Coley, in a mindset of gratitude. Tune in to hear how Brent is leading his school "back to better" after the pandemic and his perspective on why we remember our favorite teachers.  You won't want to miss this one!  Brent Coley began his career in education in 1996, teaching grades four and five for 15 years before transitioning into administration. He is currently in his ninth year as the principal of Alta Murrieta Elementary School in Murrieta, California. Passionate about educational technology, Brent is always looking for new ways tech can engage students and families while increasing student achievement. While in the classroom, he promoted 24/7 learning through his math review videos and iPod flash cards, and his students shared their learning with the world through their daily blog and classroom podcast. In his leadership role, Brent strives to support teachers as they pursue excellence by integrating technology and taking risks in their classrooms. A firm believer in the power of collaboration, Brent shares what he learns through Twitter (@brentcoley), his website at BrentColey.com, and at educational technology conferences. He is the author of the book Stories of EduInfluence and host of “Teaching Tales,” a podcast giving educators a platform to share their stories and experiences.

Take a trip around the world with Kristin Montgomery, as we explore education and the impact that international experiences bring to classroom teachers and their students. Kristin Montgomery is an international educator originally from Wisconsin.  She decided to get her teaching license after spending a year working as an English assistant in a bilingual school in Madrid.  License in hand, she jetted off to teach French and Spanish at a boarding school in Switzerland and later in Singapore.  Kristin came back to Wisconsin to teach Spanish Dual Language Immersion in public schools for six years and is currently on a year leave from that job to teach in Medellín, Colombia.  She is an advocate for language learning and language learners.  Kristin has visited all 50 states and over 50 countries and counting! Contact Kristin:  www.growingglobalcitizens.com Instagram: GrowingGlobalCitizens Facebook: Growing.Global.Citizens

Join our conversation with EdTech Expert Holly Owens as we talk all things technology and the learning experience.  Holly Owens is a Senior Instructional Designer with Academic Partnerships. She has over 15 years of experience in education in various roles, including high school educator, instructional technologist, and podcast host. Holly has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in education, and instructional design. She has a B.A. in American Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, two master's degrees, one in Instructional Technology, and another in Distance Learning from the University of Maryland, Global Campus. Holly is currently pursuing her doctorate in Education Administration and Leadership with Touro University Nevada and hopes to graduate in Spring 2022. She has a passion for online learning and the opportunities this modality brings to students around the world. Holly is also a small business owner & podcast host. Her business, Jolly Holly Ed Services, offers professional services for those that want to transition to a career in instructional design as well as providing higher education institutions with support in developing online courses and programs. Her podcast, EdUp EdTech is a go-to resource to stay updated with the latest and greatest Ed Tech tools that are disturbing (in a good way) education. Holly has interviewed CEOs, Founders, and EdTech innovators who are changing the landscape of education by making learning more accessible, fun, and engaging. She lives in Myrtle Beach, SC with her two furbabies, Kolton and Lola. Contact Holly:  LinkedIn Facebook Twitter: @ihollyo Instagram: @edup_edtech

Workforce development has continued to evolve to meet students where they are, wherever they are. Micaela shares how her team at Career Edge continuously refines their approach to ensure the students they serve are receiving the best possible guidance and coaching. Students are equipped with the essential skills, tools and practice they need to secure the careers of their dreams. #lifechanging  As Chief Business Officer of Career EDGE, LLC, Micaela brings a background in higher education, coaching, and career development to the workforce development industry. Micaela strongly believes that education is a gateway to empowerment, confidence, and most of all - choice! As a result, what excites her the most about her role is sharing Career Team’s 20 + years of Workforce Development experience with partner institutions and, ultimately, with graduates. Prior to CTL, she served as National Director of Sales for McGraw Hill Education. Micaela completed the Accomplishment Coaching leadership and coaches training program in 2013 and she is also a certified trainer in the Aha! Process, Bridges Out Of Poverty program. Micaela is a Cum Laude graduate from San Diego State University with a BA in International Business, and she lives in Denver CO. careerteam.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/492839 https://www.linkedin.com/in/micaelaalpers/

You won't want to miss this week's chat on EdTech and Human Connection with Dr. Sam Fecich, author of EduMagic.  Fueled by pumpkin spice lattes and a passion for raising up the next generation of teachers, Dr. Sam Fecich uses her EduMagic to train future  educators of excellence. Her goal is to help students become an excellent educator during college and beyond! She empower aspiring educators to take the lead in their learning through her books, podcast, speaking, and courses. Follow her at: Instagram & Twitter @SFecich Find her book EduMagic: A Guide for Preservice Teachers on Amazon 

We often use Professional Learning Communities to set collective goals, review data and support overall student growth and success. But what if we took PLC's a step further? Could we shift the way we approach student learning? In this episode, Rachel chats with Chad Dumas about his experience and expertise using PLC's to make significant changes.  Chad Dumas is a Solution Tree associate and international educational consultant, presenter, and award-winning researcher whose primary focus is collaborating to develop capacity for continuous improvement. With over two decades of successful leadership experience, Chad has led significant improvements for both students and staff.  He shares his research and knowledge in his new books, Let’s Put the C in PLC and An Action Guide to Put the C in PLC, and consulting that includes research, stories, hands-on tools, useful knowledge, and practical skills.  Contact Him: For more information, or to reach Chad, visit www.NextLearningSolutions.com

In this episode, Melanie and Rachel elicit Robert Andrew Wagner's perspective on education through his lens as a teacher and counselor for at-risk teens. He shares his views on providing students with self-directed experiences versus what a traditional classroom may look like.  Robert is a writer, teacher and performer, teaching through stories, telling stories through songs. As frontman and chief songwriter/lyricist for The Little Wretches, Wagner rode a wave of notoriety that led the band to the forefront of the underground music scene in Western Pennsylvania and current international success. Wagner is a survivor of cancer, holds a Master’s Degree in Instruction and Learning, and is an advocate for self-directed learning, democratic schooling, homeschooling and unschooling. Robert teaches and counsels at-risk teens in the Philadelphia-area. Contact him: www.littlewretches.com

In this episode, Dr. Katie Nall provides us with an insight into how she designed a career around helping people overcome their fears and trauma...and it all started with math.  Although Dr. Katie Nall's degrees are in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science and Mathematics Education, her passion is showing others how to dissolve their WAFFLES - worry, anxiety, fear, frustration, exhaustion and stress. She is a TEDx Speaker and has practiced Emotional Freedom Technique since 2010. She is also a Master Trainer and Advanced Certified Practitioner with training in trauma and Quantum Tapping.  Contact her at: www.NallEdgeCo.com hello@drnall.com IG: katienallphd FB: ktnall LinkedIn: Katie Nall PhD

In addition to her impressive nail polish collection and impeccable style, Nicole has a passion for public health and serving her community. In this episode, she describes the "always learning" mentality that has allowed her to step into spaces with an open mind and open heart, and she pays it forward by sharing her knowledge and expertise, as well as opening doors for others behind her.  Nicole Vick is a public health advocate, educator, civic leader, and fashion and beauty aficionado. For the last fifteen years, she has worked with stakeholders, community organizations, and residents to improve health and prevent disease in some of Los Angeles County’s most underserved communities. She is also a professor and loves to infuse her lived experience and work experience into her lectures. She is a proud resident of South Central Los Angeles! From the Board Room to her backyard, her love of community manifests in many ways. She has opened her home to the community by hosting pop-up shops to support local businesses owned by black women and create awareness of the benefits of shopping local. She also helps women embrace their bodies and find their sense of style without breaking the bank. Check out her books: Pushing Through: Finding the Light in Every Lesson (2020) Also, check out her workbook...coming soon!  Contact her: https://www.nicoledvick.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-d-vick/

In this week's episode, Brittany Hale shares how she applies her litigation background and unique experiences to make a positive impact on the students she serves as Board President of Rahway Board of Education. Brittany S. Hale is the founder and CEO of BND Consulting Group. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, Brittany worked as a Securities Litigation Analyst at Bloomberg LP and eventually began to develop legal marketing strategies for her clients. Her results-oriented approach led her into trial work representing a Fortune 500 company where she obtained a 100% trial success rate in superior and appellate courts. In 2016, Brittany used her skills as a former Obama Organizing Fellow to run for office and became one of the youngest black women to hold office in her state. She distilled her experience in litigation, politics, and marketing to develop BND Consulting Group, which helps companies codify, clarify, and elevate core values as an operational framework for decision making to establish a competitive advantage. She provides cultural assessments, equity, and board alignment strategies, and employee engagement workshops for enterprise, government, and startup clients alike. Brittany is the Vice-Chair of The Gem Project, a non-profit which provides leadership and educational workshops for students in economically depressed communities. She also serves as the youngest woman ever on the Rahway Redevelopment Agency, where she evaluates developers looking to launch development projects in the city. In August 2020, she developed the first municipal Social Justice Commission in New Jersey and currently serves as an Executive Director. She is a 2021 New Leaders Council Fellow, serves on the Rutgers University Dean’s Cabinet, and is one of the top 20 Millennials on InsiderNJ’s 2021 Top 100 Millennials List. Contact her:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyshale/ https://www.bndconsultinggroup.com/about-brittany-s-hale

It is not everyday that you engage with a person for the first time and realize you hold nearly identical shared values. It not only leads to great conversation but meaningful connection. Join me on that discovery in this week's episode with Michael Glazer.  Michael Glazer is a leadership coach, organizational development consultant and corporate trainer whose client work spans 15 countries across four continents. He speaks English and Japanese and has worked with leaders at companies including Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Dyson, Mitsubishi and Hitachi. Michael has also guest lectured at Kyoto University and at the United States Air Force Academy. Michael’s coaching focuses on working with next-generation senior leaders in Japan and Asia-Pacific. He has led leadership and coaching skills workshops for thousands of Fortune 500 professionals in the healthcare, IT, manufacturing, luxury brand, automotive, financial services, CPG and trading industries. People First is his mantra. It guides how he collaborates with others to help them create their own paths to success and growth – and to inspire them to help others to grow and succeed. Michael has broad experiences as a commercial and global functional head at leading firms including Morgan Stanley, public relations firm Burson-Marsteller (now BCW) and Dell. Michael earned a BA from the University of North Carolina, an MA from the University of Colorado and an external coaching certificate from the Teachers College Columbia University (C3P). He is a Coach AcceleratorTM Enhanced Practitioner and was trained by the former global head of executive coaching at Google. Michael holds Saville Consulting and Lumina Practitioner accreditations, and he is a Ken Blanchard Companies certified trainer in SLII and Leading People Through Change. Michael is also an active member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Conversation References: NYT Article on Languishing by Adam Grant: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html Contact him at:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/learningpro/ https://www.peoplefocusconsulting.com/en/ https://glazercoaching.com/podcast/

In this week's episode we find out how being an equestrian has influence in more than just the saddle.  Dr. Amanda Lynne Smith has 20 years of experience in curriculum and instruction, education management, and online program development in elementary, secondary and postsecondary settings.  Her work with Academic Partnerships as Chief Academic Officer has given her the opportunity to apply nearly two decades of best practices, subject matter expertise and professional passion to AP's mission of expanding access to high quality, affordable, workforce relevant education. Contact her: amanda.smith@academicpartnerships.com

What would it take to truly disrupt and change the future of education? We discuss this and other thoughtful questions on this week's episode with Dr. Walter Balsar.  Walter is a leadership instructor at the University of South Florida and the University of Denver. His scholarship seeks to help organizational leaders adapt to a rapidly evolving information ecosystem, specifically applying open source mindsets and systems to learning-based organizations. He is the founder of the Open Partnership Education Network (learnopen.org), a community-based learning platform, and Radschools.org, a collaborative supporting K-12 schools and agencies. His ideas have been featured in academic journals, popular media, and a recent book chapter in Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society: From Fake News, Datafication and Mass Surveillance to the Death of Trust. Contact Walter: wbalser@mail.usf.edu https://www.linkedin.com/in/wbalser/

How can the elephant in the room can be a valuable learning tool? Find out more in my conversation with Jessica Katz.  Jessica Katz is a trainer, mentor and coach through Liberated Elephant. Jessica is passionate about working with individuals, teams, leaders, and organizations to help people discover and nurture their authentic selves. With this new knowledge, Jessica helps them uncover solutions that move them forward on their journey. Her methodology is informed by Agile values, principles, and practices - creating a safe space for clients to be wholly themselves without judgement. 5 years of experience in Agile coaching including: teaching and mentoring a team or individual towards embracing agile mindsets, coaching individuals and teams to emerge on their own solutions, providing conflict mediation, and encouraging increased emotional intelligence with the intent to provide greater personal engagement and team cohesion. 9 years of experience implementing Agile methodologies with a focus on Scrum and Kanban. Skilled at breaking down complex high-level management goals into discrete steps to be integrated into the continuous improvement process while maintaining alignment with existing and new corporate goals. Ability to manage creative talent under evolving management demands to help deliver a quality product. Capable of identifying likely risks and trade-off decisions, communicating both to relevant stakeholders and working with them to define how those will be addressed. Contact Jessica: Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeskatz/ www.liberatedelephant.com

Join Rachel and I as we gain insights and inspirations from Dr. Amelia Parnell on the current state of Higher Education and the value of inclusivity with our teams.  Amelia Parnell is vice president for research and policy at NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, where she and leads many of the Association’s scholarly and advocacy-focused activities. Amelia’s policy and practitioner experiences include prior roles in association management, legislative policy analysis, internal audit, and TRIO programs. Amelia writes and speaks frequently about topics related to student affairs, college affordability, student learning outcomes, leadership in higher education, and institutions’ use of data and analytics. She is the author of the forthcoming book, You Are a Data Person: Strategies for Using Analytics on Campus and host of the new podcast, Speaking of College. Amelia currently serves on the board of directors for EDUCAUSE and is an advisor to several other higher education organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in higher education from Florida State University and masters and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from Florida A & M University. Contact her on Linked in at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-parnell-0913735b/

Dr. Otis Smallwood is the Superintendent of the Bertie County School District in North Carolina. Dr. Smallwood has personally experienced education from every angle. He began his career as a high school mathematics teacher in my former high school, taught a year of first grade (disastrous), drove a school bus, then taught on the middle school level. He later became District-wide lead teacher math/science and a Middle School Administrator. From there, Dr. Smallwood went on to serve at the district level in IT, Testing/Accountability then went on to serve as an Asst Superintendent in Human Resources/Auxiliary Services for 11 years in a district in southeast NC Dr. Smallwood is a servant leader who believes in democratic leadership practices and the power of positive relationships. Most importantly he believe educators practice heart work and not hard work! Contact him: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-otis-smallwood-b63809a3/

A deep dive into campus culture and the differences that generational intentions play in fundraising and our relationship to the college experience.  Greg Caprara is the Owner of Certantum Strategies, providing fractional work as a C-level executive at the intersection of technology, Medicine, and education. Greg uses his unique experience in higher ed, K-12 education, and technology entrepreneurship to help companies navigate the ecosystems of higher education accelerators and private enterprise. Certantum clients reside in the Fintech and Medtech spaces with a focus on building strategic and tactical plans for SaaS products to improve fundraising effectiveness and medical care efficiency. Greg also provides connectivity for seed stage and advanced round start up funding. Greg holds a Master of Strategic Leadership from the University Charleston. He frequently lectures and moderates discussions at Duquesne University, California University of Pennsylvania and West Virginia Universities Vantage Ventures program. Contact him at: Greg Caprara Certantum Strategies 724-987-8400 https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-caprara-mssl-8a53b354/

Join Brian and I as we dive into the way education can be affected by our social, emotional and mental health and felt in our physical bodies.  Brian Trzaskos PT LMT CSCS CMP MI-C is a somatic intelligence expert and co-creator of Sensation-Based Motivation coaching. He is a nationally recognized expert for his work in coaching, training, and mentoring leaders of health and wellness service organizations as well as human development professionals in holistic, somatic coaching practices and the science of trauma-informed motivation. Initially educated as a physical therapist at the State University of New York at Buffalo and the world-renowned Craig Hospital in Denver CO, Brian has experience in neurophysiology, somatic psychology, and energy medicine practices. Currently, Brian serves as both President of Motivation Beyond Measure and Director of the Institute for Rehabilitative Qigong & Tai Chi. Contact Brian on Linked in or at: https://motivationbeyondmeasure.com https://instituteforrehabilitativeqigongandtaichi.org

Claudia Miller is a sought-after Career Coach and she's helped her clients land fulfilling jobs in less than 90-days all while getting on average a 54% in salary increases ($30k-$140k). She also partners with companies and organizations in identifying rising stars within their organizations and providing strategic insights and support in developing a leadership and talent pipeline with a focus on Women and Women of Color. Due to her efforts, she's worked with Top Fortune 500 Clients and has been featured multiple times in Forbes, MSNBC, Thrive Global, and Business Insider put her in their top global list of Top Innovative Career Coaches. Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudiatmiller/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiatmiller/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@careercoachforwit?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Product & Services: Proven-Winning Resume 90-Day Job Offer Career Coaching Program Free Giveaway: $10k Salary Negotiation Script: https://keap.page/fxp705/10k-salary-negotiation-script.html