Shows
The Optimalist PodcastCreativity as Personal Growth w/ Rich KirkpatrickIn this episode of The Optimalist podcast, we delve into the topic of creativity with Rich Kirkpatrick. Throughout this conversation, Rich shares the elements of his life, experience, and research that have led him to speak and write about the “bridge” - where we find our creative process. Creativity, he believes, is a core human quality that everyone possesses, although not everyone taps into it. Throughout the conversation, we explore various perspectives on creativity in education, leadership, and personal growth. And Rich shares insights from his research on focus and flow, highlighting the importance of widening our scope of atte...2023-10-2541 minThe Optimalist PodcastThe Impact of Habits: Food, Agency, & Avoidant Behaviors w/ Sheila CarrollIn this episode of The Optimalist podcast, we meet Sheila Carroll, who helps parents support their children in finding confidence and mental clarity when it comes to their eating habits. We explore the connection between unhealthy snacking, excessive phone use, and the need for self-awareness in a distracting society. Sheila shares her own journey of overcoming overeating, and the importance of understanding thoughts, feelings, and actions altogether. Listen and Sheila and Sara wonder about avoidant behaviors in middle school and the interconnectivity of habits like screen use and seeking validation on social media. They highlight the significance o...2023-10-1842 min
Evolving with GratitudeEpisode 76 - Human Flourishing in a Digital World with Guest Sara CandelaIn this episode, I get to chat with a guest whose last name literally means "intense focused light" - how brilliant is that? Sara Candela and I delve into the realms of attention, mindfulness, and the ways humans need to adapt and learn to flourish in the age of AI. We also explore how cultivating gratitude can be our guiding light, just like a burst of radiant sunshine brightens up a room. From daily joys to facing the challenges of an evolving world, this episode will inspire you to wield gratitude as a powerful tool for navigating the complexities...2023-10-1737 minThe Optimalist PodcastWhat is Professional Growth by Design?In this second solo episode of the Optimalist Podcast, Sara discusses the future of professional development and the impact of AI. Let’s talk more seriously about the need to embrace new technology and trends while emphasizing the importance of adaptability. Traditional training methods are becoming quite outdated, and we believe that leaders must now foster a community-driven approach to continuous learning. With that in mind, in this episode we explore the role of design thinking and learning-by-doing experiences, as well as stress the significance of creating a supportive culture for professional growth. Rather than succumbing to dis...2023-10-1108 minThe Optimalist PodcastDoes Innovation Evolve? (and Other Musings on Adaptability) w/ George CourosThis week we are incredibly lucky to have George Couros with us for a conversation! George is currently an Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Consultant and speaker and the author of “The Innovator’s Mindset” and “Innovate Inside the Box”. He is also co-owner of IMPress Books. He has worked at all school levels, from K-12 as a teacher, technology facilitator, and school and district administrator, and he’s currently an Adjunct Instructor with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Among his beliefs is that creating a collaborative environment with all stakeholders will help to ensure that...2023-10-0459 minThe Optimalist PodcastSavoring the Present & a Future of Flourishing w/ Lainie RowellIn this episode of the Optimalist Podcast, Sara speaks with Lainie Rowell, a bestselling author, educator, and speaker, about the importance of changing our behavior to influence others. Lainie shares her background in psychology and education, highlighting her focus on creating positive learning environments and providing authentic praise. She discusses how the pandemic affected her as a consultant and led her to pivot her focus towards supporting educators during challenging times. Lainie also emphasizes the importance of gratitude and mindfulness in our daily lives - something that is built into all of the work that she does today. 2023-09-2753 minThe Optimalist PodcastWhat is 'Scope Creep' in Education?In this episode of the Optimalist Podcast, we delve into the topic of ‘scope creep’ in education and the potential impact of AI in relieving teacher overwhelm. We acknowledge the evolving nature of the teaching profession, marked by increasing standards, testing, grading, and behavioral challenges. We also acknowledge that AI presents a promising solution to automate certain aspects of the job, thereby saving teachers valuable time and energy. However, AI brings its own version of scope creep as its capabilities continue to evolve and influence the teaching profession. This is why teacher adaptability is so crucial, and the development of t...2023-09-2016 minThe Optimalist PodcastMindful Listening: Guest Spot on The Principal Liner Notes PodcastThis week on The Optimalist Podcast, we are showcasing a recent episode of Sean Galliard’s The Principal Liner Notes Podcast.Sean is a great friend of the community, and stellar educator & author. Sara is Sean’s guest on this episode, where they discuss mindfulness in music and literature, including personal engagement with art, intentional connections in a tech-driven world, the impact of paying full attention, and immersive listening. If you know Sean’s work or presence on social media at all, you know that he does not do anything without infusing his love of music and metaphor. So we did...2023-09-131h 09The Optimalist PodcastBack to School: Doing Better All the TimeWelcome to the 20th episode of The Optimalist Podcast! On this show, we have set out to examine the higher order capabilities we need to build an optimal future with AI. And we are doing that alongside the community we’ve fostered for the last year and a half, as well as the product team working to build Engageable, AND in collaboration with the wonderful people who become our guests. Without their experiences, knowledge, ideas, and energy, we’d be unable to guide this exploration. So today, we celebrate their voices and our vision for the future by answering the...2023-09-0617 minThe Optimalist PodcastEmpathy, Innovation, & Designing for a Future Out of Focus w/ Sabba QuidwaiThis week, Sara talks with Sabba Quidwai, the CEO of Designing Schools. Sabba believes that fostering a culture of empathy is crucial for innovation. This conversation explores topics such as the importance of questioning as a skill, the misconceptions about collaboration, and what it means to be human in the age of AI. Through her work, Sabba aims to design schools that equip young people with the mindset and skills necessary for success in a rapidly changing world. Sara and Sabba discuss the tendency for people to offer their opinions and solutions without understanding the reasons behind...2023-08-3044 minThe Optimalist PodcastResistance, Self-Discovery, & Rethinking ‘Soft Skills’ w/ Athea DavisAthea Davis is the Director of Social and Emotional Learning for a K-8 charter school district in Houston, Texas. She's a mindfulness educator, author of Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents, and Families, and she’s the creator + host of the podcast, Mindful Living with Athea Davis. Today, Athea shares her personal journey of discovering mindfulness during a challenging time in her life. She explains how she became curious about teaching these tools to children and went on to become a certified yoga teacher. Her book and podcast serve to share her teachings and sup...2023-08-0952 min
The Principal Liner Notes PodcastMindful Listening with Sara CandelaSara Candela, Community Manager for Engageable, joins me for a deep dive into the essence of Mindfulness. She also shares many insights on building community, staying in tune with world through Music, and beautifully reads a passage from The Great Gatsby.
This is volume 2 of our conversation that began on "The Optimalist Podcast." That podcast is also hosted by Sara.
Follow Sara: https://twitter.com/Scandela9
Learn more about Engageable and follow "The Optimalist Podcast" here: https://t.co/pFfZo3mbni2023-08-091h 05
The Optimalist PodcastResistance, Self-Discovery, & Rethinking ‘Soft Skills’ w/ Athea DavisAthea Davis is the Director of Social and Emotional Learning for a K-8 charter school district in Houston, Texas. She's a mindfulness educator, author of Today's Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents, and Families, and she’s the creator + host of the podcast, Mindful Living with Athea Davis. Today, Athea shares her personal journey of discovering mindfulness during a challenging time in her life. She explains how she became curious about teaching these tools to children and went on to become a certified yoga teacher. Her book and podcast serve to share her teachings and sup...2023-08-0952 minThe Optimalist PodcastWaking Up to the Quiet Part of Ourselves w/ Andrea TrudeauThis week, I’m joined by Andrea Trudeau. Andrea Trudeau, M.S.Ed., NBCT is a library information specialist with 25 years of teaching experience at Alan B. Shepard Middle School in Deerfield District 109, which is located in the northern suburbs of Chicago. She's also a 2022 Fulbright-Hays Scholar and AASL's 2020 Frances Henne Award Winner who is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Northern Illinois University in Instructional Technology with a research focus on virtual reality and its impact on adolescent students' empathic responses. Since becoming a no-"shh" librarian eight years ago, she has transformed the space into a vibrant, we...2023-07-0546 minThe Optimalist PodcastThe First 10 Episodes: Celebrating the Start of The Optimalist PodcastThis week, we celebrate the first ten episodes of The Optimalist Podcast! To do that, we are taking a short break from regular episodes to look at where we’ve been so far since we launched the podcast in April. We are also celebrating the renaming and rebranding of the product that inspires all of this work. As of this Monday, Focusable is now known as Engageable. We decided to make this big change because we thought a lot about the core and heart of our mission, and what we want to help people do on their own. And wh...2023-06-2834 min