The CharacterStrong Podcast

Alicia Jensen is the Principal at Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary in Orting WA. She was a cast member at Disney World in the college internship program and she also is an incredibly passionate administrator who is always looking for different ways to serve her students and staff. We talk with Alicia about the Staff Chips, a simple and creative tool that she uses to intentionally connect with her staff.

Robert Hand teaches at Mount Vernon High School. His subjects are Family and Consumer Sciences and Leadership. He is currently teaching Careers in Education - Recruiting Washington Teachers, Leadership, Nutrition, and Life After High School. Robert is the 2019 Washington State Teacher of the Year. We talk with Robert about what it means to be an authentic teacher, and he shares about how important it is to model authenticity for our students everyday.

Youth motivational speaker Scott Backovich has dedicated his life to doing one thing: inspiring teens through speaking at their level. He's been a featured speaker at conferences and schools across North America, appeared regularly on both television and radio as a teen help advocate, and established himself as a worldwide youth speaker that students can trust. His stories connect. His lessons inspire. Best of all — Scott's advice sticks.We talk to Scott about climate mapping, looking at the highs and lows of an entire school year, and he shares about some ways that schools can be intentional in the more stressful times for students.

Youth motivational speaker Scott Backovich has dedicated his life to doing one thing: inspiring teens through speaking at their level. He's been a featured speaker at conferences and schools across North America, appeared regularly on both television and radio as a teen help advocate, and established himself as a worldwide youth speaker that students can trust. His stories connect. His lessons inspire. Best of all — Scott's advice sticks. We talk to Scott about Ask to Give, a practical tool that can change the way we think about the way in which students are being reached.

Marc Gallaway who is the Principal of Selah Middle School in Washington State and has been in the same district for 21 years. He was the 2018 Washington State Middle-Level Principal of the Year and is a force for change in his state and beyond. We talk with Marc about the intentional things that his school is doing to help get new 6th grade students off to a great start as they begin middle school.

Don Bartel has been a teacher and coach in Washington state for 22 years. He has coached and/or taught at the middle school, high school, and collegiate level. He has served as a head coach at three different high schools for a combined 15 years; and has been the head football coach, leadership teacher, ASB adviser, and activities coordinator at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Washington for the past six years. We talk with Coach Bartel about the branding campaign they have created at Eastlake High School, how that has positively influenced the school's culture, and some helpful steps to help get a branding campaign started.

Dr. Jennifer Macaulay has a PhD in Organizational Psychology from the University of Washington. She has over 30 years experience coaching, teaching, researching and consulting in organizational and leadership effectiveness. Her clients have ranged from school districts to governmental agencies, Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, small start-ups and not-for profits. We talk with Dr. Macaulay on the importance of leaders helping others around them, and she gives some tips on how to understand and develop others.

Bryan Slater is an experienced classroom teacher and has spent the last 15 years teaching high school Social Studies in Tacoma, WA, Lagos, Nigeria, and Sumner, WA. He currently teaches IB 20th Century Topics and Theory of Knowledge to 9-12th graders at Sumner High School. We talk with Bryan about the paradigm shift that he has had surrounding the strategy of, " It's Your Character Not Mine." He shares how it can change the way that we see fault, take responsibility, and respond better in different situations as we go through the day.

Scott Westering is the son of Hall of Fame Coach Frosty Westering. He had the privilege of coaching with and being mentored by his father for 23 years as an assistant at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma Washington. Scott was the Head Coach at PLU for 14 seasons, taking over the position from his father who retired after 32 years. Over the last 20+ years Scott has been a highly sought after speaker, having presented to hundreds of teams, coaches, and athletes. His talks have spanned corporations, conferences, and clinics - including USA Football and two Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony speeches. We finish up this five part series with the final piece of the Attitude Games: the Caring Game. Scott talks about: the importance of character when it comes to our attitude, strength in serving, and the secret ingredient of great teams - they care about the success of each other.

Scott Westering is the son of Hall of Fame Coach Frosty Westering. He had the privilege of coaching with and being mentored by his father for 23 years as an assistant at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma Washington. Scott was the Head Coach at PLU for 14 seasons, taking over the position from his father who retired after 32 years. Over the last 20+ years Scott has been a highly sought after speaker, having presented to hundreds of teams, coaches, and athletes. His talks have spanned corporations, conferences, and clinics - including USA Football and two Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony speeches. We talk with Scott about the Confidence Game, the third part in the Attitude Games. We chat about the power of choice, the most powerful thing that we possess, and how in challenging situations we can help our athletes choose to focus on the process, not the results