Claim OwnershipThe Engine of Matt Todd
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© 2025 The Engine of Matt Todd
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Community advocacy, social commentary, and educational resource, The Engine of Matt Todd brings it all together.
430 Episodes
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Karin Shumway is a mother of 5 in SRVUSD. She is running for a board seat in Area 2 against Shelley Clark. I offered Shelley an in person as well as remote interview, and as of the publishing of this interview, she has not accepted. Enjoy!
Deputy Gomez is a nationally recognized School Resource Officer with incredible knowledge and insights into the dark work of social media and the scams involved. In this show, we speak specifically about the nature of "sex-tortion" on SnapChat, how it plays out differently for boys and girls, why our young men are committing suicide, and what we as parents can do. If you'd like to see the YouTube video, here is the link https://youtu.be/npTNJjaieK0
Jerome Pandell is running for Board of Education in SRVUSD Area 1. He also has a very colorful history with public comments about teen sex, sex with teachers, oral sex, and more on Twitter. These are important considerations when assessing someone's character, especially when that person is running for school board.
Jesse vanZee is a candidate running for the Board of Education in the San Ramon Valley Unified School district. He was recently in a candidate debate that had poor technical setup, thereby cutting him off at various points. We had a great conversation about book restrictions and other issues the district is facing. Enjoy!
Demetrius Ball is the principal at California High School. He has been working in the district at the middle and high school levels for years and recently became the subject of much frustration regarding on campus policies. Hearing about how and why he made the calls he did and how he addressed the issues as the played out was great. Enjoy!
Jesse VanZee is running for the Board of Education for San Ramon Valley Unified School District. This is the second interview to cover a myriad of happening since the start of school, and Jesse's perspective and adaptability to the situations was really encouraging. He gives me hope for SRVUSD. Enjoy!
Jesse VanZee is running for the Board of Education in San Ramon Valley Unified School District. He is a father of 5, avid volunteer, executive, and a very insightful individual. I hope this will be the first of many. Enjoy!
Well, the saga continues! Dr. Malloy gets an extension, and the Cal Stunt team continues to be left in the cold.
Laura Gantt is the mother of one of the defamed Cal High stunt team athletes and is spear heading the legal defense to restore their names. This issue has taken an incredible toll on the girls and their families, and the restorative process must start with understanding what has happened to them.
The Stunt team at California High School has recently been accused of racism, but the facts of the situation make this one of the most disgusting, deplorable attacks on our youth I have ever seen. If any parents affected by this would like to speak on air, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Dr. Mike Murphy is an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor practicing in the Bay Area. He has been working with people to help all kinds of ailments stemming from restricted air flow as well as help educate parents and families about issues plaguing our youth. He was great. Enjoy!
You need to pat yourself on the back for this one and hug your neighbor.
Lisa Disbrow taught in Northern California school districts for almost 40 years and recently retired in response to the ever changing political landscape in public education. Her stories and experiences starting as far back as the 1970s paint a very clear picture of the public school system and the powers at work within it.
Kathleen DeLaney is a seasoned civil litigator and mother of past and present SRVUSD students. We spoke expressly about the consequences and details of the Senate and Assembly bills on the table that would mandate vaccines, allow young people to receive vaccinations without parental knowledge or consent, and more. I love her perspectives and greatly appreciate her taking the time to speak with me. Enjoy!
Len Schultz is a School Site Counsel member in the SRVUSD as well as a parent of several current students. His insights into the shifting nature of the job and the shifting curriculum was important to hear. Enjoy!
There have been enormous strides in the LGTBQ+ community since I was a kid. More people have been able to express themselves and find acceptance within their communities than ever before, but the PRISM clubs that are all over SRVUSD are, in my opinion, putting that progress at great risk. This is likely an unpopular opinion with many, but unless something is done, these clubs may well take us backwards and do more harm than good.
They take so long to make, and the clean up is atrocious, but the compounding benefits are like guiding lights into tomorrow.
Ross Hillesheim is a member of the Contra Costa County planning commission, a member of the Alamo Sherif Police Service, a commercial developer, and an all around gem in our community. I greatly appreciate his perspectives on county growth and community struggles and am so thankful that he had the time to speak with me. Enjoy!
This is part 2 of Hellen of DV and her comments from the January 18th BOE meeting. Enjoy!
Chris Koenig is an independent real estate developer and consultant. He has extensive knowledge of local pressures and issues playing into the housing crisis. For anyone wondering how to achieve the highest and best use for his/her property, Chris is the man to call. I love speaking with him. Enjoy! Chris Koenig 925-984-5683 Brought to you by... Krushwell - The premier Vodka Seltzer - Locally owned, Universally enjoyed. https://krushwell.com/ AJ Tutoring - The absolute best Bay Area resou...
Don't so quickly give away permission for someone else to give you permission. Brought to you by... Krushwell - The premier Vodka Seltzer - Locally owned, Universally enjoyed. https://krushwell.com/ AJ Tutoring - The absolute best Bay Area resource for not only K-12 general assistance and test prep but also college and professional test assistance. https://www.ajtutoring.com/
Dr. Kevin Ahern, the principal at MVHS, stepped up and requested a change of policy for the MVHS Junior Prom. He laid the foundation for equity in practice, not just in language. Well done, sir!
Renee Morgan is the current Danville mayor. She has been with the town council since 2012 and worked for years prior to that. There are unique aspects of being a mayor in Danville, and it's important to realize we play a part in supporting and getting the best talent for Danville. As Gofundme takes a large portion of donations, the family has switched to Venmo. Please put “Troy Stem Cell” in the memo. https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2556034962948096150&created=1643412367.764573&...
Most of us understand the draw towards heroism, but it would be wise to not let someone else's story fill your head too much. Brought to you by... Krushwell - The premier Vodka Seltzer - Locally owned, Universally enjoyed. https://krushwell.com/ AJ Tutoring - The absolute best Bay Area resource for not only K-12 general assistance and test prep but also college and professional test assistance. https://www.ajtutoring.com/
I have recently be chastised by certain parents who feel I should no longer speak about anything having to do with Danville because I no longer live there. This is an interesting perspective for someone to take and not one that I even disagree with completely. Enjoy! Brought to you by... Krushwell - The premier Vodka Seltzer - Locally owned, Universally enjoyed. https://krushwell.com/ AJ Tutoring - The absolute best Bay Area resource for not only K-12 general assistance and test prep but ...
Monte Vista High School has officially introduced the two tier student system comprised of those that will be valued and included and those who will be openly excluded (though they will say that they are sorry you're being excluded...). Enjoy! Brought to you by... Krushwell - The premier Vodka Seltzer - Locally owned, Universally enjoyed. https://krushwell.com/ AJ Tutoring - The absolute best Bay Area resource for not only K-12 general assistance and test prep but also college and profess...
Hellen of DV is one of the most active yet dismissed parents in all of SRVUSD. She speaks constantly at the Board of Education meetings, but she is very rarely understood fully. Enjoy! Brought to you by... Krushwell - The premier Vodka Seltzer - Locally owned, Universally enjoyed. https://krushwell.com/ AJ Tutoring - The absolute best Bay Area resource for not only K-12 general assistance and test prep but also college and professional test assistance. https://www.ajtutoring.com/
Courtney Drefahl is a mother of two in the Danville/San Ramon area. As many of us have, she has been trying to manage her family and work while dealing with the ever changing rules and restrictive measures around the pandemic. Although she and I do not agree on everything, we do absolutely agree that speaking up for your family and your needs are absolutely crucial. She is also named on and part of the law suit recently filed against SRVUSD as she truly believes that the masking restriction, ...
Tony Battilega is the former San Ramon Valley High School men's Baseball coach. He was unexpectedly fired on Friday the 14th of January. The messaging from the district has been cryptic at best, but there are a few things that are painfully clear and the community and athletes will have to deal with as a result of these actions.
Peter Scarpelli is the exiting Athletic Director for San Ramon Valley High school. He had the impossible job of navigating covid and the restrictions it put on our student athlete families, but his departure has deeper roots. I greatly appreciate him, and our community will have a big hole to fill. Enjoy!
DeeDee is a mother in the community working alongside others to organize educational pods for people do not want their children affected by vaccine mandates. She is an outspoken advocate for choice, and talks very candidly about her own experience with a child who was vaccine injured. Moments of this were heart breaking, and I can't thank her enough for sharing her position, experience, and time.
Jack and Nico Bianchi are Danville natives, twins, and the hosts of the Telepathy podcast. They have dynamite social commentary and are masters of highlighting odd social behavior that has become standard. They were great. Enjoy!
Brad Layous is a UCLA Bruin, Cal Bear, father of two, husband, former Google badass, and the heart and soul of Krushwell. It's not about the drink or the experience. It's about who this person is. Brad is next level. Enjoy!
Curious about every book your student has access to or is being assigned for your student to read? Well, that information classified, kind of. This is shocking. If you have been enjoying these podcasts and would like to support the continued production of them, please consider offering support at my Patreon page. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for listening. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64021982
Charlotte Wood Middle School in Danville and other schools in SRVUSD have some students reading George. Many parents were unaware of the book and its content and have been appalled when they learned about what was in it. Marianne Gutierrez was one of those parents. She very courageously agreed to not only read the book and detail what she felt was wrong with it, but also come on and speak with me about it. We play actual clips from the book, and when I put the warning in the title, I wasn't j...
Chris Koenig is a social commentator on many local media platforms. He's also a property rights advocate, real estate development expert, and marginal CrossFit athlete. This was the first of many. Enjoy! Enjoying the podcast? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64021982
#equality #equity #inclusion ONLY when it's not going to screw up tradition!!!! Enjoying the podcast? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64021982
It's for your protection, not for your ego.
The problem with a double lie is that it will eventually lead to a dead end.
Tiffany Stuart owns and operates Dynamic, a professional office and accounting recruiting firm. She is experiencing first hand the impossible nature of our national hiring/employment crisis as she struggles to help employers stay in business. Her insights into what people, especially young people, can do to improve their chances of long term career success were fantastic. Enjoy! Enjoying the podcast? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=64021982
The number of things that are not taught in schools should increase, because the things that are taught in schools is wrong.
They are packaged as games and experienced as such for observers, but the participants may be seeing it as anything but a game.
Jason Scherer is a world renowned prize truck driver. He has competed for over a decade in premier races such as the Baja 1000 and King of the Hammers. He’s also a Danville Native, De La Salle alumnus, and world class father. He was a joy to sit with.
Adam Schuman is the owner of Danville Music, legit international rockstar, and an incredibly unique guy. My appreciation for him spans many decades, and I always enjoy hearing his perspective on school, education, business, and life. Enjoy!
Courtney Drefahl is a Let Them Breath advocate. She has two younger children and has done an incredible amount of footwork to understand what the potential drivers are for our current masking situation. Enjoy!
Gina Veazey is a moderator on the NextDoor social media platform. She agreed to come in and speak about the nature of her job, where she sees NextDoor fitting into the social fabric, and how we can all improve out community. She was an absolute pleasure to host. Enjoy!
We want authenticity and authentic function, but to really need something is also potentially a dark reality.
Ari Nagy is a Hungarian immigrant, father of three, small business owner, and committed Christian. He brings an amazing perspective as an individual who has experienced real communism and also as a self made man raising a family in our community. He's a special kind of person. Enjoy!
Eliminating yourself should be honorable.
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