Ep 24: Val Iannitti: "Throw your heart before you, and run after and catch it."

Photo from the Ottawa Citizen (http://ottawacitizen.com/life/food/adding-zest-and-ease-to-daily-family-dinners)

Val Iannitti is the founder of Zestible, an Ottawa based company that makes nutritious and delicious home cooking easy and convenient. "Growing up in an Italian-Canadian family, she was taught that the family dinner was the most important part of the day. And now, as she raises her own young family, she strives to uphold that tradition. Soon after her kids were born she realized what a struggle it is to plan, cook and eat healthy meals every night. Zestible was her solution. Val has always had a personal mission to contribute to making the world a better place. Val spent years working in human rights and international development before going back to school to study business. With this new tool belt of skills, but the same personal mission, she built Zestible to help families have convenient access to healthy, local food every day." (https://zestible.ca/about/)

Listen in to hear what Val has to say about how things worked at her house when her parents cooked meals, what she is doing right now (her company - Zestible), what brought her to start her own business and some history to provide context, the importance of having a supportive partner and how her her needs are being met by running her own business, challenges she faced based on her gender, what motivates/inspires her to do what she is currently doing, how she landed on "food" for her business, reactions to her idea of starting a business, what helped prepare her for what she is experiences today, and what she would say to help someone find motivation/inspiration.

You can listen to the podcast here.

You can connect with Val on Twitter (@ZestibleInc) and or at Zestible.ca.

Ep 23 Amy Fadeji: "You need to be where the people are."

Amy Fadeji is an Elementary School Principal in Penngrove, California. She was a teacher for 7 years and then moved to Alabama and taught ESL and grade 3. She moved back to California to teach primary for a bit and then jumped into Administration.

Listen in and hear what Amy has to say about the confusion around connecting with people digitally and then meeting them face to face, her journey to becoming a Principal, the relationship between Principals and Teachers, the teaching she did in Alabama, what motivates and inspires her, her time at the school she is currently at, challenges with being a young female in the role of Principal, where she gets her "thick skin" from, her use of Social Media in her work, her work as a presenter, what she would tell someone to help them find motivation,

You can hear the podcast here.

You can connect with Amy through her Twitter account (@mrsfadeji), her school account (@pennpanthers), her Blog, and through email.

Ep 22 - Chris Cluff: "Do you accept or believe that you can change the course of history by doing your job?"

Chris Cluff is currently an educator in an alternative program called Access in York Region - he works with students who have been suspended or expelled. Before becoming an educator, he worked in the Hospitality industry where he started at the bottom and worked his way to the top (Chef/Restaurant Manager). He earned a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Guelph and then found himself in Teacher's College where he earned his teaching credentials.

Listen in and hear what Chris has to say about his use of social media and face to face meetings, the path that led him to becoming an educator ("this is me"), the students he works with and the program he is part of, his attraction to looking at the fringes and bringing what's out there back to center, questioning to understand (flip your view), his experiences and how they fit in nicely to what he is doing as a teacher, what motivates and inspires him, how he became a chef, what he would say to someone to help motivate them, and the importance of saying more "yes".

You can listen to the podcast here.

You can connect with Chris on Twitter (@beyondbinders). Also, make sure to check out his VLOG on YouTube and his blog.

Ep 21 - Dee Lanier: "Start with questions, hear their story, build context"

In this episode I connect with Dee Lanier (Lin-ee-er). Dee is a STEM specialist (Technology 2nd-5th grade) with a team called QUEST at Charlotte Lab School, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Listen in to what Dee has to say about his work in education, what a QUEST class is, his start in High School (and a special guest appearance by Ken Shelton!!) and how it led to some great opportunities, how he became a teacher (deep interest in College), his work with UNCOMMEN, and what he would say to someone to help them find motivation. 

You can see Dee's TEDx Talk:

You can listen to the Podcast here.

You can connect with Dee via Twitter - @deelanier 

Ep 20 - Dave Guymon: "Talk about their concerns and find their wins"

In this episode I chat with Dave Guymon, an Instructional Technology Coach in Idaho. Dave started his teaching career as a 3rd and 6th grade teacher, moved into the role of an online middle school teacher, then became a Digital Innovation Coordinator, and now is an instructional tech coach role. He has written a book called "If You Can't Fail, It Doesn't Count", holds a Master's Degree in Educational/Instructional Technology, and has a little family that keeps him busy and upbeat. 

Listen in to what Dave had to say about Idaho potatoes, how he got into education, what he is currently doing as an educator, the role of tech in the classroom, taking risks, how he got into his current role as a technology coach, the book he wrote years ago, thinking about writing another book (about the changes he has recently made in his life), his journey to becoming healthier (eating and running), what kept him going as he changed his lifestyle, his growing family, and what he would say to someone to help them find their motivation.  

You can listen to the Podcast here.

You can connect with Dave via Twitter - @DaveGuymon. 

Ep19 - Rusul Alrubail: "Find out why you feel that way and take a step back"

In this episode I chat with Rusul Alrubail. Rusul is an education writer, consultant, and blogger who is currently working on The Writing Project, a platform that fosters and nurtures student literacy and voice. Prior to her work with the Writing Project Rusul was a Professor at Seneca College who taught English and literature courses to first year college and undergraduate students. Rusul is a big believer in the power of student voice to create positive changes in people's lives. 

Listen in to what Rusul had to say about her current work - going from being a college Professor to working with #Educolour and Edutopia (building communities at the Writing Project), pronouncing her name properly and the importance of addressing people by their proper names, her story and the motivation/inspiration to do a TED talk, #EduColor (inclusive collective that focuses on issues of race and culture in education), the positives and negatives of her work with EduColor, her experiences/perspectives with racism (via gender), the importance of hearing diverse stories (getting to know different cultures and who people really are), her blog site, and what she would say to someone to help them get motivated/inspired (become aware of why you don't feel motivated and then take a step back). 

You can listen to the Podcast here. 

You can connect with Rusul via Twitter (@RusulAlrubail) and her blog site. 

Ep18 - John Spencer: "Carve out time to do something creative"

Episode 18 is all about John Spencer. John is a Professor at George Fox University in Oregon. John has a simple goal - to make something everyday. Some days he makes things, other days he makes a difference, but on really good days he get to do both. John recently co authored a book entitled "LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring out the Maker in Every Student". 

Listen to what John had to say about his current work as a Professor and what he does when he is not "working", the power of asking (a TED talk by Amanda Palmer), his work as a classroom teacher, his "making something" perspective (creative work), projects and the various stages they are in (revision and planning are his favourite), his book - LAUNCH (design thinking, launch cycle), his TEDx talk, his motivation/inspiration, what it's like to work with +Dave Burgess, and what he would tell people to help them become motivated/inspired ("find the outlet that makes you feel alive and then go do that").   


You can listen to the Podcast here.

You can connect with John on Twitter (@spencerideas) and/or via email.