Run Your Life Show With Andy Vasily

Join Professor Kevin Marks, a seasoned educator and sports psychology consultant from Solano College, as he delves into optimizing performance through mental strategies. He discusses the transformative power of mindfulness, breath work, and goal-setting. With fascinating insights from his experiences in both sports coaching and teaching in a prison, Kevin emphasizes the importance of resilience, social learning, and mental focus. Listeners will discover practical tools to enhance personal and professional success, as well as the quest for authenticity in challenging times.

Send us a textIn this episode, I sit down with my friend and colleague, Donovan Hall, to have a discussion about his background playing professional rugby and how this led to his trajectory into educational leadership. Donovan is the Director of Educational Technology at The KAUST School in Saudi Arabia and, as you can imagine, was faced with the challenging task of getting the entire organization ready for distance learning during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Once distance learning was up and running, he and his team had to make sure that all stakeholders in the school had the support they needed to do their best work possible. Donovan shares this experience, what he has learned about himself as a leader, and how he and his team continue to think about the next steps needed to keep the school moving in the right direction. Thank you Donovan for your time and willingness to share your journey. Donovan Hall's Bio:Born in the phenomenal South Island of NZ and I have been in education since 1999, and International Education in Africa & The Middle East for 12 years. In August 2019, I moved into the role of Educational Technology Director at a K12 International School in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.​On a personal note, I am married with two young children who are growing too fast for our liking! As a family we enjoy reading, beaches, biking and board games together. Core values that are important to me are commitment, humility & relationships.​Growing up in NZ, I was always outdoors with brothers, whether playing sport or following outdoor pursuits. This remains a big part of my life and I try and stay on top of my fitness and well being by running, through team sports and connecting with the environment.​Personal growth is a big part of my life as I look to iterate on myself in all areas. In July 2018 I gained a Certificate of International Education through The PTC. By connecting me with outstanding international educators and current research, these courses helped broaden my mind by asking me to examine my thinking around education. Currently, I am working my way towards a Masters In Education through Massey University, NZ which I am thoroughly enjoying. Getting back into the rigours of academic studies and balancing this with my new role as an Ed Tech Director and family life has certainly, and will continue to prove challenging. Connect With Donovan: Twitter: https://twitter.com/donovanhallnzSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/

Send us a textHappy to release part 2 of my interview with professional adventure skier and filmmaker, Brody Leven. In this episode, Brody and I discuss the obstacles that he faces on an ongoing basis in the work that he does and how he has learned to manage the fear that can arise from the danger that he is constantly up against. He shares his insight around avalanche risk management, the role of fear, and the powerful impact that preparation, learning, and intuition play in keeping him and his partners safe during their expeditions. Despite having over ten years experience climbing up and skiing down some of the most challenging mountains in the world, Brody constantly takes on a beginner's mindset in order to stay open to new learning, so that he can continue to thrive, both personally and professionally in his field of work. Brody is an inspiring person who has a strong passion for the outdoors, educating others about the impact of climate change, and filmmaking. It was a delight to have him on my podcast. Brody's Bio:Brody Leven is best known as a professional skier and climber, as well as for being a climate change activist and conservationist. His photos and stories have been published in several magazines and press outlets. As a professional athlete, he has collaborated with a variety of brands and companies including Toyota, Utah State Tourism, and Urban Outfitters and he shares photos from his skiing and climbing with his over 50,000 Instagram followers. He was born on October 5, 1987 in Ohio. With a passion for the outdoors early on, he graduated from Westminster College and then chose to pursue his career in climbing and skiing. Traveling to a wide range of mountains and volcanoes, he began sharing photos from his journeys to Instagram in April of 2012.Connect With Brody:Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/brodyleven/?hl=enTwitter- https://twitter.com/brodylevenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/brodylevenWebsite: http://www.brodyleven.com/Brody's Documentary 'Lost'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC5wu_uF4GwSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/

Send us a textAs a professional adventure skier and filmmaker, Brody Leven travels the world to climb up and ski down some of the most challenging mountain peaks in the world. Through these adventures, Brody not only learns deeply about the physical and mental skills required to climb up and ski down these mountains, but also learns many important lessons that transcend his craft that he regularly applies in his personal and professional life. Brody is an activist for climate change and brings his message to countless people through the talks and presentations that he gives.In this episode, Brody also shares a life-changing adventure that he completed in 2018 which he made into his documentary 'Lost'. I encourage you to check out the short documentary by clicking the link below. It truly puts into perspective how incredible this feat was and shines light on the mental skills he needed to take on this enormous challenge. Part 2 of this interview will be released next week. I hope you enjoy this discussion with Brody Leven. Brody's Bio:Brody Leven is best known as a professional skier and climber, as well as for being a climate change activist and conservationist. His photos and stories have been published in several magazines and press outlets. As a professional athlete, he has collaborated with a variety of brands and companies including Toyota, Utah State Tourism, and Urban Outfitters and he shares photos from his skiing and climbing with his over 50,000 Instagram followers. He was born on October 5, 1987 in Ohio. With a passion for the outdoors early on, he graduated from Westminster College and then chose to pursue his career in climbing and skiing. Traveling to a wide range of mountains and volcanoes, he began sharing photos from his journeys to Instagram in April of 2012.Connect With Brody:Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/brodyleven/?hl=enTwitter- https://twitter.com/brodylevenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/brodylevenWebsite: http://www.brodyleven.com/Brody's Documentary 'Lost'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC5wu_uF4GwSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/

Send us a textEwan McIntosh, the CEO and Founder of NoTosh, joins me on my podcast to share how the COVID19 public health crisis has impacted the work that he and his team have been doing around the world. In this episode, Ewan discusses what he has learned about himself, his global company, and how he and his team of innovative colleagues have managed to navigate the tricky waters caused by this pandemic. Ewan also share a few of the many successes that NoTosh has had over the years and the specific work that he and his team have done helping to transform schools in a way that gives them greater clarity and purpose. Ewan is inspired to keep reflecting on ways that he and his NoTosh team can refine the work that they do in order to keep making a difference in the lives of the people and organizations that they feel so lucky to serve. About EwanLeading projects around the world for clients in education and industry, Ewan is the passionate and energising tour de force behind NoTosh. A highly-regarded keynote speaker at events around the world, he’s also the author of How To Come Up With Great Ideas and Actually Make Them Happen and regularly writes about learning on our NoTosh Medium Blog."As a French and German high school teacher in Scotland back in the 1990s, I wanted to find new ways to help students engage with my subjects – I felt strongly that technology was both critical to achieving this and remained underused in the classroom, so my classes were among the first in Europe to podcast and blog as part of their daily learning."From here, it was a reasonably logical step to become National Advisor on Learning and Technology Futures for the Scottish Government... although joining Channel 4 as their Digital Commissioner in 2008 was a step in a different direction. But it was while I was with Channel 4 that I became fascinated by the strategies and tactics that my creative colleagues used to create imaginative and truly engaging digital services for young people. Could I take this insight and make it work in an education setting? Yes, I reckoned I could... and that’s how NoTosh came about."Connect With EwanWebsite: https://notosh.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewanmcintoshBlog: https://medium.com/notoshFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoToshLearningSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/

Send us a textZack Smith is one of the very best early years educators that I have come across in my career. He puts a tremendous amount of time and energy into creating the very best learning experiences possible for his young learners in physical education. Through the use of story-telling and very purposeful environmental design, Zack focuses on engaging every single student in relevant movement experiences that deepen their learning and their motor competence. Zack and I collaborated deeply this year around a research project that helped him better understand the impact that his program and teaching was having on his young learners. In this episode we discuss this research project, what he learned, and how he has used this information to further his thinking around what is possible in his program and next steps he would like to take. If you are an early years teacher or coordinator, I think you will find great value in this discussion. About ZackZack Smith has been an international early childhood educator since 2005. In 1998, he graduated from Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, CO, USA, with an International Baccalaureate diploma. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Culture, Text, and Language, from The Evergreen State College in 2001. In 2007, he received an MA.Ed from the University of Phoenix Online. Zack taught preschool, elementary ESOL, technology, and early years PE at Shanghai Community International School between 2005 and 2014. Since 2014, he has been a K1 PE teacher at the KAUST School in Saudi Arabia. As an educator, Zack is interested in foundation skill development and student empowerment through innovative and continuously evolving pedagogical strategies. In addition to sport, Zack is also passionate about music and poetry. He is an avid drummer and songwriter, as well as a husband and father of one son.Connect with Zack:Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrzackpeSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/

Send us a textIn this episode, Julian Edwards, the Primary Principal of the Inter-Community School Zurich shares his organization's journey over the past couple of months dealing with the current COVID-19 public health crisis. Julian speaks in-depth about how the leadership team has worked closely together with the teachers to help provide the very best distance learning experiences possible for their students. Through critical reflection and gathering feedback, his team was able to be agile and flexible and to pivot as needed during this difficult time in order to best support their teachers, students and parents. Julian also discusses how the school got back to a blended mix of face-to-face teaching and distance learning and what they have learned through this entire process. It was a pleasure to have Julian on the show and even a greater pleasure that he is headed over to The KAUST School next academic year. Julian's BioJulian Edwards has been lucky enough to work in roles across most sectors of education including Elementary, Secondary and Special Education, as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, workshop leader, presenter, and school leader. Julian started his teaching career in the UK and for the last twenty years has held leadership roles in international schools including the International School of Tanganyika, Western Academy of Beijing and NIST International School in Bangkok. Julian is currently Primary Principal at the Inter Community School in Zurich and in August 2020 will join the The KAUST School as Director of Learning and Innovation. Julian’s professional passion lies in understanding how creative teaching and leadership can develop the fullest capacity of individuals, whatever their age. Having worked extensively with the IBO through workshop leading and involvement in developments across the three programmes, Julian has a somewhat unique understanding of the curriculum continuum in international education. In addition to his ongoing work of school-based leadership, Julian continues to lead workshops and professional learning opportunities in areas including Project Based Learning, Inquiry, Creative and Personalized Leadership, Agency, Innovation and Coaching and Mentoring.Connect With JulianTwitter: https://twitter.com/cornishju?lang=enSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/

Send us a textDr. Nicole LePera, The Holistic Psychologist, has built a community of over 2.4 million on Instagram through her commitment to help people around the world better understand and deepen their own learning about the power of the mind and body connection. She teaches people to create more empowering personal narratives by giving them the tools and skills needed to break free from subconscious habitual patterns of behavior and thought that hold them back from living more fulfilled and meaningful lives. In this episode, Nicole not only shares her own journey of ups and downs and challenges that she has had to overcome in her life, but also very applicable and practical strategies that anyone can use to improve their own mental health and wellness. It was an honor to interview Nicole and to learn more about her work and the impact she is having. About Nicole: Dr. Nicole LePera is a Holistic Psychologist who believes that mental wellness is for everyone. She evolved her more traditional training from Cornell University and The New School to one that acknowledges the connection between the mind and body.Dr. LePera views mental and physical struggles from a whole person perspective and works to identify the underlying physical and emotional causes. She understands that balance is an integral part of wellness and empowers individuals to heal themselves, supporting them on their wellness journeys.Dr. LePera founded the Mindful Healing Center in Center City Philadelphia.  She recently expanded her work online creating a platform for teaching these often overlooked components of mental wellness to individuals and practitioners around the world.Connect With Nicole:Website: https://yourholisticpsychologist.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.holistic.psychologist/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.holistic.psychologist/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtEWTaMjqOH8J1Gy06Ey0YgSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/ 

Send us a textIn this episode, Kasson Bratton, the Deputy Director of Nanjing International School in China, shares the impact that the COVID-19 public health crisis has had on his organization and how they have dealt with the ongoing uncertainty caused by this pandemic. Kasson takes us through the first days of distance learning and the difficult challenges that they faced and speaks in-depth about the endless work done by the leadership team to get the school back to face-to-face teaching and learning. Thank you to Kasson for sharing your school's journey and what they have gone through over the past few months. Great learning for all schools going through the same thing. Kasson's Bio:Kasson is in his seventeenth year as an educator, sixteenth as a husband, ninth as a father, and seventh in a formal leadership role, serving as Deputy Director-Learning at Nanjing International School. Passionate about Hip-Hop, coffee, and, cycling, Kasson appreciates the strength of community, the spirit of innovation, and the power of positivity. He is working on his coaching skills, becoming a better listener, and empowering agile cultures of learning, in addition to his freestyle rap dexterity and eternal search for the perfect cold brew.Connect with Kasson:Twitter: https://twitter.com/KB_IntlConnect with Nanjing International School:Twitter: https://twitter.com/NISChinaRecent articles written: https://bit.ly/NISStrathttp://bit.ly/nisearcosSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/

Send us a textIn this episode, Ted Hill, the Director of Chadwick International School, in South Korea, shares his school's experience trying to navigate the tricky waters caused by the current public health crisis, COVID-19, and the impact that it has had on his organization. He speaks deeply about the process that the school has gone through to collectively come together to meaningfully collaborate in order to deliver a distance learning program that best meets the needs of their students. As well, in this episode, Ted shares his own journey in education, his trajectory into leadership and what he has learned about himself throughout the years as an educator. If you are an administrator or a teacher listening to this episode and would like to know more about how Chadwick International School has delivered their distance learning program, feel free to contact them. The contact details can be found below. Thanks for listening to this episode with Ted Hill. Ted's Bio:Frederick T. "Ted" Hill is currently Head of School at Chadwick International School (CI) in Songdo (Incheon), South Korea. He also serves as President of the Roessler-Chadwick Foundation Group, which operates both CI and Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, California. Previously, he served for 18 years as Headmaster of Chadwick School. Hill oversaw the founding of CI in 2010 and its growth over the past 10 years from a student body of 270 to its current enrollment of 1,300 students, pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade. Hill led this expansion of Chadwick into East Asia in fulfillment of founder Margaret Chadwick's vision of bringing the progressive Chadwick education model to another country. Hill has previously served as a teacher, coach, and/or administrator at Williston-Northampton School, Graham-Eckes Palm Beach Academy, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, Louisville Collegiate School, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Harvard University. A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Hill holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, a master’s degree in French language and literature from Middlebury College, and a bachelor’s degree in French and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has served in the past on the boards of the California Association of Independent Schools, the Independent School Experiential Education Network (ISEEN), and the Harbor Interfaith Council.   Connect with Chadwick International SchoolWebsite: https://www.chadwickinternational.org/Email: songdo-admissions@chadwickschool.orgSpecial thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/