Send us a textMy guest today is Kath Murdoch. In today's show, we’ll explore leading and learning through the lens of inquiry and how taking on an inquiry stance, both internally and externally, can greatly shape what we learn about ourselves, others, and the world around usFrom the TED X stage to countless conferences, to lecture halls and schools around the globe, Kath has had a huge impact on the field of teaching and learning. She’s written 15 books and numerous articles for teachers – including her best-seller ‘The Power of Inquiry’ (2015) and two of her latest books Getting Personal With Inquiry Learning and The Wonder of Winsome. If you haven’t seen her TED X talk, you should check it out, because it was in this talk that she had the chance to speak so eloquently about The Power of Umm and share how silence allows young people to pick up lose threads of knowledge and reflection that open their minds to the most beautiful moments of curiosity that come alive through the questions that they come up with.  Kath emphasizes that it’s not the answers that enlighten but rather powerful questions instead which are responsible for sparking deep learning in young people. So in today’s episode, Kath and I are going to pull back the curtain on how she has continued to evolve her own learning related to the work she does inspiring teachers and students around the world to do their best work possible. As well, how curiosity, genuine reflection and asking the right questions all play a critical role in helping leaders be the best they can be for the organizations they lead. What was revealed to me through this discussion today was the impact that taking on an inquiry stance has on helping to build such a strong culture of genuine learning across the board in educational organizations. Hope you enjoy this discussion and share it with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening. Connect With Kath: Website: https://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/Twitter: https://twitter.com/kjinquiryInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kjinquiry/Credits for this Podcast Go To: Kath Murdoch and Her TED X Talk: The Power of UmmSir Ken Robinson and His Talk on How Schools Killed CreativityRun Your Life Podcast With Andy VasilyCheck out my podcast with the amazing Cal Fussman which was mentioned in this episode. 

Send us a textIn today's episode, Olli-Pekka Heinonen and I have a conversation about his journey of learning as the Director-General of the International Baccalaureate Organization. In this discussion, Ollie-Pekka shares what his vision of education is and what he has committed himself to in order to bring out the best in those who he leads. With that in mind, we chat about the conditions necessary to help educational leaders and teachers best prepare young learners for the uncertain world they will one day face.  If you are on Twitter, you can connect with Ollie-Pekka and the IBO. I've included their Twitter handles below. Please share this episode with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening to it. Olli-Pekka Heinonen Bio: Mr Olli-Pekka Heinonen became the 8th Director General of the International Baccalaureate Organization on 1 May 2021. Prior to joining the IB, Mr Heinonen was Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education where he worked from January 2017. Mr Heinonen had an active career in politics in Finland between 1994 and 2002: he was Minister of Education and Science from 1994-1999; Minister of Transport and Communication from 1999-2002 and a Member of Parliament from 1995-2002. From 2002 to 2012, Mr Heinonen was Director of Yle, the Finnish national public broadcasting company, before joining the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office in March 2012 as State Secretary, responsible for organizing and leading the office. He has also been responsible, as State Secretary, for the portfolios of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development and then as State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance of Finland. Mr Heinonen holds a Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki in Finland and has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. He is married and has three children.Connect With Ollie-Pekka: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Heino1OlliConnect with the IBO: Twitter: https://twitter.com/iborganizationWebsite: https://www.ibo.org/

Send us a textTop-down leadership is not only outdated, it’s also incredibly counterproductive in this day and age. It simply doesn’t work as it once did, yet many leaders still feel the need to direct and command from above. Perhaps it’s self-imposed pressure, fear of looking incompetent, or the need to appear in complete control that causes these types of leaders to undervalue and push aside the importance of prioritizing people and relationships in their organization.This short podcast takes a quick look at what it means to lead with humility and gratitude. Hope you enjoy it.Connect with AndyTwitter: https://twitter.com/andyvasilyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-vasily-07b551157/Special credit to the amazing Jordi Savall for the background music

Send us a textDyslexia can be difficult for educational leaders, teachers, parents, and communities to oftentimes deal with as there is no universal understanding of how to recognize and identify it, screen for it and/or aid students who struggle to read because of it. The fact is that many young people can face enormous hardship as they journey through school due to diagnosing issues. Many of these students never even find out that they do in fact have a learning difference. October 3rd-9th of this month is World Dyslexia Week, with a particular focused theme of ‘Breaking Through Barriers’, therefore, I have decided to devote this episode to raising awareness around the issue of dyslexia by interviewing three special guests on today’s show in order to share three very different, yet deeply interwoven perspectives on the issue of dyslexia (Dr. Paul O'Callaghan, Marie Keçecioğlu & Megan Jeffries)In today’s episode, we will look at what dyslexia is, the obstacles that get in the way of addressing dyslexia on a deeper level, how dyslexia reveals itself at home and in school, and we will also share valuable resources that any teacher, parent, or school leader can access right away to help better support students who have dyslexia or dyslexic tendencies. To a dyslexic child, their world can oftentimes be filled with words and phrases such as ‘he or she is stubborn’ or ‘not working to their potential, or even ‘lazy and unintelligent’. Many young people who struggle to read and write often hear themselves described in this manner and sadly oftentimes have learned to label themselves in the same way as well. As I interviewed each guest that you will hear today, I couldn’t help but think of  quote that I once heard by Soren Kierkegaard: “Once you label me, you negate me".  A powerful quote that sums up how labels can make us feel at times. As a young person myself, I was labelled as a poor reader. Although not dyslexic, I do remember the impact that this had on my own self-esteem and how I felt about myself….the shame and embarrassment from being forced to read in front of the class was awful for me when I was young. The reading comprehension tests that were projected on the wall forced all the students to read at the same pace. I remember the anxiety it caused me not being able to keep up with my peers. This led to a total disengagement of reading which continued through my high school years. It wasn’t until well after high school that I found my own passion for reading. I’ve learned to develop a deep love of reading over the years which has made such a huge difference in my own life. Resources mentioned in this episode: Paul's Recommendations: Margaret Goldburg’s BlogTimothy Shanahan’s Blog Amplify’s Brain Builder Series for Children Explaining the Science of Reading and the BrainMeasured Mom Website  Marie's Recommendations:Positive DisciplineUniversity of Florida Literacy InstituteMegan's Recommendations:https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/Steps Web

Send us a textHi everyone, thanks for tuning into another episode of my Run Your Life podcast. I just wanted to do a quick introduction into the new podcast series SPARKS OF REFLECTION that I am starting up to give you a bit of background into why I am choosing to do this new series. The purpose of this series is to do a number of very short episodes devoted to sharing my thinking around some important themes that consistently come up in the work that I do as a coach, an educator, a consultant, and a podcast host. Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to work with many different people across a number of different fields. Although most of this work was initially done in the field of education, I find that, regardless of profession, there are many commonalities when it comes to what high performance means and what obstacles stand in the way of people becoming the best version of themselves possible in order to be deeply impactful in their personal and professional life. The themes of mental, social, emotional and physical well-being, resilience, joy and fulfillment, vulnerability, motivation, staying inspired, and leading with authenticity are consistently woven into the discussions that I have with many high performers. What separates the great from the good or average is the willingness that certain people have to better understand their own life context and to consistently reflect on what it is they need to do to continually grow, evolve and improve themselves on a daily basis. This podcast series will be devoted to sharing what I’ve learned and the things I reflect on myself as I pursue my own deeper learning. My hope is that this podcast series challenges you to think differently about your own life and what may be possible. Each episode will probably be only 5-7 minutes, but it is my goal and intention to leave you thinking and reflecting on your own performance. Some episodes may resonate, some may not. What matters most to me is that you stay open and receptive to change and growth in your life. As the saying goes, ‘Sometimes change may not be what we want, but it is exactly what we need in order to keep growing.”Thanks for listening. Connect With Andy:Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyvasilyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-vasily-07b551157/Quotes from this Episode: "When inner conflict ends, peace begins." ~Tich Nhat Hanh"Every single human has a violent civil war raging within”. ~Martin Luther King

Send us a textI’m joined today by Jennifer Abrams, an international educational and communications consultant for public and independent schools, universities and non-profits. Jennifer’s publications include Having Hard Conversations, The Multigenerational Workplace: Communicating, Collaborating & Creating Community and Hard Conversations Unpacked – the Whos, the Whens and the What Ifs, Swimming in the Deep End: Four Foundational Skills for Leading Successful School Initiatives, and her newest book, Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work.My original intention for having this conversation with Jen was to discuss her particular latest book, Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing Up at Work. My hope was to take a dive into her work through the lens of her writing but to also discuss her role as a consultant and the work she does training leaders to bring out the best in their organizationsAs we started this conversation off, we discussed early experiences in Jenn’s life and the major lessons learned that ultimately propelled her on to doing the work she now does in the world. We took a few unexpected turns in this conversation that helped to better frame up Jen’s life and work.As we moved deeper into our discussion, the themes of well-being, authenticity, self-reflection, and vulnerability came alive which helped to provide even more context for the journey Jen has been on and why the work she does matters so much to her. I appreciate the honest nature of this conversation and the way Jen models what it means to stand in her own truth. We agreed that this is really a part 1 to our conversation and have committed ourselves to recording part 2 in later October. We will dive deeply into her latest book: Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing Up at Work in our next conversation which will no doubt strongly connect to the previous books she has written as well. It was an honor to have this conversation with Jen. I hope you find value in our discussion today and share this episode with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening to it.Connect With JenWebsite: https://jenniferabrams.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferabramsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferbethabrams/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-abrams-439176Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.abrams.50

Send us a textCharles Feltman joins me on my podcast today for a second time. Our first conversation in March 2022 took a deep dive into his book The Thin Book® of Trust: An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work. In that conversation we unpacked the 4 assessment domains that he outlines in his book and why understanding these domains is necessary for leaders to increase team cohesion and effectiveness. The four assessment domains revolve deeply around the themes of care, sincerity, reliability and competence. Our conversation today can be looked at as a part 2 to that original chat back in March, but much more hands on as Charles provides us with real examples of what great leadership looks like in action and how the best leaders learn to navigate important discussions to not only build deep trust, but also create the conditions for high performance in their organization. Charles provides deep insight through his life lessons learned having worked in the arena of trust-building for more than three decades. Through the years Charles has partnered with client companies to design and deliver custom leadership development programs that are unique to each client’s needs, culture and goals. These programs are all designed around the fundamental idea that organizations are networks of conversations, and the more effective leaders are at having the right conversations with the right people, at the right times, and in the right ways, the more successful their organizations will be.The inspiring author and speaker, Brene Brown, has had Charles on her own podcast and widely shares the fact that she has used his definitions of trust and distrust in every book she has written because these definitions are practical and actionable while at the same time deep and meaningful. It was an honor to have Charles back on my podcast. Wherever you are in the world listening to this, I hope you find lots of value in my discussion with Charles today.  About CharlesCharles Feltman has over 25 years of professional experience coaching, facilitating, consulting to, and training people who lead others. An overarching goal in all of his work is that his clients experience both success and wellbeing at work and in all areas of their lives. Prior to starting his coaching and consulting business he spent a decade in leadership roles in technology industry companies. Today Charles’ work is concentrated in two main areas: Coaching Individual Leaders and Leadership Teams.Clients include executives, managers and teams from Aerospace Corp., Calstar Air Ambulance, CareMore Health Plan, Cognizant, Comfort Systems, Designit, Genpact, Intel, Siemens, ST Microelectronics, SealedAir, Teichert Construction, UCSF, NASA, US National Park Service, USDA, Heifer Project International and The Nature Conservancy.  Charles is the author of The Thin Book® of Trust: An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work, based on three decades of experience working with individuals and teams to build,maintain, and when necessary restore trust.Connect With Charles:Website: https://insightcoaching.com/business-coaching/Buy Charles' Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thin-Trust-Essential-Primer-Building/dp/0966537394

Send us a textIn today’s episode, I feel lucky to have Dr. Helen Street back on my show for a second time. The first time Helen was on was in March of 2020. In that episode, Helen and I spoke in depth about her book Contextual Well-Being. I’ve included a link to that podcast in the show notes of today’s episode for anyone wanting to have a listen. To frame up today’s episode, I want to share with you all the deep respect that I have for Helen and the work she does in the field of education. She has devoted her life to advocating for school contextual reform and the revolutionizing of traditional education systems. Helen is currently an honorary associate professor in the graduate school of education at The University of Western Australia and the chair of Positive Schools along with her partner Neil Portman. Helen firmly believes that, “Our role as educators is not to tell someone how to be well, or to reward them for behaving well. We have to provide young people with a context in which they can flourish”I love my conversations with Helen and I hope you all find the same value in the insight and life lessons that she shares in today’s episode. Connect With Dr. Helen StreetWebsite: Positive Schools, Helen's WebsiteTwitter: @drhelenstreetHelen's Book: Contextual Well-BeingPrevious Episode Recorded with Helen

Send us a textMy guest today, Dr. Brent Hogarth is a sport and clinical psychologist whose journey toward excellence began in 2010 when he traveled to India to live and learn in a Buddhist Monastery. In Brent’s own words, “I learned how to live in the present moment for the first time in my life.”Since his experience in India, he has seen how this one ability - to be fully here and now -  enables professionals to truly fulfill their own potential and make their most desired impact on the world. Brent is an expert in training flow-state, mindfulness, and self-control for both sport and corporate athletes. has significant training and experience providing performance enhancement and mental health counseling. This includes, but is not limited to, working with Olympic and professional athletes, serial entrepreneurs, members of the USA military, computer engineers, authors, hedge fund managers, and more. Brent's clinical counseling experience is vast, and he sees everyone as having the ability to be a high-performer.  It was a pleasure to have him on the podcast to share his life journey and the work that he does helping people to become the best version of themselves possible. Connect With Brent:Website: https://www.brenthogarth.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrentHogarthLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenthogarth/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brent.t.hogarth/Upcoming Workshops/Retreats: Vancouver Flow Festival (July 2022)

Send us a textAlan Dunstan and Lewis Keens join me on the show for a discussion about the role that fear plays in our lives in regards to our growth and learning. As Alan and Lewis co-host their own podcast called Infinite Leaders, we decided that we would release our conversation on both of our podcasts. Both Lewis and Alan have leadership roles in education and have a combined 33 years of experience between them. They are passionate about leadership development and have devoted themselves to not only learning as much as they can about what great leaders do, they regularly share this knowledge on their Infinite Leaders podcast which now has more than 60 episodes. Great story here…..Alan was Lewis’s physical education teaching in high school many years back. After graduating from high school, Lewis and Alan developed a deep friendship which led to them working together for many years in Asia at a top international school. We decided to connect and do this podcast as we have many similar values and beliefs when it comes to leadership development. In our conversation today, we unpack what fear is and why it is so important in our life. We not only look at it from an evolutionary perspective, but also strategies to grapple with fear when faced with uncertainty, challenge, and hardship. Alan and Lewis bring a load of experience and knowledge into this conversation today. It was a pleasure to connect with them and I look forward to further collaboration.About Alan Dunstan and Lewis KeensAlan DunstanAlan is an accomplished, values-driven educator with over 20 years’ experience in a number of schools across the world. He takes great pride in building successful departments and coaching teams while promoting physical literacy to all students. Alan is an avid reader and an advocate of research-based practice. He values good old fashioned 'graft', humility and working in a happy, safe environment.Alan leads the PE team and is a member of the Primary Leadership team at the Diplomatic Quarter Campus of British International School, Riyadh. He is currently working towards a Master's degree in Educational Leadership.Lewis KeensLewis is a committed learner with over 13 years’ teaching experience in England and British International schools in Southeast Asia. Lewis leads hard-working teams with a focus on shared values, professional behaviours and a clear vision. He admires humility, honesty and kindness in others.Lewis is the current Chair of The Federation of British Schools In Asia (FOBISIA) PE & Sport Executive Committee, working to support the development of PE and Sport across over eighty member schools in the region. Lewis is the Director of Sport and a member of the Senior Leadership Team at The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur. He is currently working on finding out more about his own roots by researching his family tree.Connect with Alan and Lewis:Alan Dunstan: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARJDunstan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-dunstan/Lewis Keens: Twitter: https://twitter.com/lewisjkeensLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-keens-709a26a8/The Infinite Leaders Podcast can be found here: https://theinfinitelearners.com/