Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
345 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 26 ratingsCuriosity sits at the intersection of creativity, effective human interactions, problem-solving and purposeful change. Unfortunately, the pace of life — at home, work, and school — often sidetracks our natural curiosity. So, let’s see the familiar from a different angle or something new as a possibility to consider.
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Episodes
95: Creating the Heart-Centered Vision – Chris Mason and Dr Melissa Patschke
May 05, 2020 04:00 - 55 minutes - 44.3 MBAs authors Chris Mason and Dr. Melissa ("Missie") Patschke describe it in their new book, Visioning Onward, “visioning” is more than just another prescription for a lofty sounding Mission or Vision statement that we see adorning the walls of most schools. Instead, "visioning" is a step-by step process that helps schools and communities imagine in a heart-centered way what they want on behalf of their students. It’s a process that can lead to transformative change.
94: Leading with Gratitude - Chester Elton
April 28, 2020 04:00 - 50 minutes - 40.6 MBIt’s our pleasure to welcome Chester Elton back to Getting Unstuck. The thematic river that runs through Chester’s books, coaching and consulting is staff engagement and its impact. His research shows that performance and results improve when leaders authentically and purposefully engage their staff whether it’s in business or education. And the expression of authentic gratitude is one key way to engage staff.
93: Reclaiming Our Students
April 21, 2020 04:00 - 58 minutes - 47 MBWhy are children more anxious, aggressive and shut down than ever before? And what can be done to reverse this course? In this episode of Getting Unstuck, we'll get answers from educators Tamara Neufeld Strijack and Hannah Beach, authors of Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children are More Anxious, Aggressive and Shut Down Than Ever – And What We can Do About It.
93: Reclaiming Our Students – Hannah Beach and Tamara Neufeld Strijac
April 21, 2020 04:00 - 58 minutes - 47 MBWhy are children more anxious, aggressive and shut down than ever before? And what can be done to reverse this course? In this episode of Getting Unstuck, we'll get answers from educators Tamara Neufeld Strijack and Hannah Beach, authors of Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children are More Anxious, Aggressive and Shut Down Than Ever – And What We can Do About It.
92: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 13 - Education Transformation Advocate Richard Gerver
April 17, 2020 04:00 - 14 minutes - 11.5 MBWelcome to Part 13 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we probed how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I this interview, our final one in the series, we hear from education transformation advocate Richard Gerver on why schools need to take advantage of this period and not slip back into the old normal, and why local practitioners are best equipped to lead the transformation.
91: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 12 – Senior Director of Technology Michele Dawson
April 16, 2020 04:00 - 13 minutes - 11.1 MBWelcome to Part 12 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are very busy, we’ve limited these conversations to about 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Senior Director of Technology Michele Dawson, it's about meeting the technology needs of students, parents, and teachers.
90: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 11 - Dr. Jeff Hawkins and Steve Miletto
April 15, 2020 04:00 - 37 minutes - 29.8 MBWelcome to Part 11 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For educational service agency heads Dr. Jeff Hawkins and Steve Miletto, it's ultimately about helping schools answer the question: “What do we do next year?”
89: Taking Care of the Whole Child
April 14, 2020 04:05 - 56 minutes - 45.2 MBWith the huge focus on curriculum and testing, educator, consultant and author Jocelyne Chirnside cautions that we’re missing a critical part of a child’s holistic development.
88: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 10 – Principal Zaharah Valentine
April 14, 2020 04:00 - 16 minutes - 12.8 MBWelcome to Part 10 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are very busy, we’ve limited these conversations to about 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Principal Zaharah Valentine, it means addressing the needs of the entire school population – students and faculty.
87: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 9 - Educators Toni Faddis and Giulia Longo
April 13, 2020 04:00 - 34 minutes - 27.5 MBWelcome to Part 9 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are very busy, we’ve limited these conversations to about 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Chula Vista Elementary S.D. educators Toni Faddis Ed.D and Giulia Longo, it's all about nurturing relationships with students ...
86: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 8 - co-Principal Vic Goddard
April 10, 2020 04:00 - 13 minutes - 11.1 MBWelcome to Part 8 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are very busy, we’ve limited these conversations to about 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For UK-based co-Principal Vic Goddard, it’s safe-guarding the most vulnerable of his students.
85: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 7 - Principal Mike Oliver
April 09, 2020 04:00 - 19 minutes - 15.2 MBWelcome to Part 7 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are very busy, we’ve limited these conversations to about 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Principal Mike Oliver, it’s about providing students with opportunities to learn in authentic ways.
84: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 6 - Superintendent Dr. David Schuler
April 08, 2020 04:00 - 15 minutes - 12.5 MBWelcome to Part 6 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are very busy, we’ve limited these conversations to 15 to 20 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Superintendent Dr. David Schuler, it’s about supporting the social and emotional health of students, faculty and staff, and th...
83: Our Book Announcement!
April 07, 2020 04:10 - 14 minutes - 11.5 MBToday on “Getting Unstuck,” authors Kirsten Richert, Jeff Ikler, and Margaret Zacchei unabashedly talk about their new book, Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change, why they wrote it, the school leaders and thought leaders who influenced it, and how they feel it will help educators ask the right question about a potential change: “Is this change something that will help us achieve our “Why of Intended Impact” – the outcomes we seek on behalf of our unique students”?
82: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 5 – Educators Dr. Ken Wallace and Jill Geocaris
April 07, 2020 04:00 - 20 minutes - 16.2 MBWelcome to Part 5 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are extremely busy, we’ve limited these conversations to approximately 15 minutes. How do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For educators Dr. Ken Wallace and Jill Geocaris, it starts with taking care of everyone’s mental health.
81: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 4 - Principal Evan Robb
April 06, 2020 04:00 - 18 minutes - 14.7 MBWelcome to Part 4 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are extremely busy, we’ve limited these conversations to approximately 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Principal Evan Robb, t’s about prioritizing activities, taking small steps, learning, and making adjustments.
80: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 3 – Middle School Director Kim Pence
April 03, 2020 04:00 - 22 minutes - 17.7 MBWelcome to Part 3 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are extremely busy, we’ve limited these conversations to 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Director of Middle School Teaching and Learning Kim Pence, it’s about managing expectations, having patience, and trusting your...
79: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 2 – Principal Margaret Zacchei
April 02, 2020 04:00 - 15 minutes - 12.5 MBWelcome to Part 2 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities to pivot. Because these educators are extremely busy, we’ve intentionally limited these conversations to 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Principal Margaret Zacchei, it’s about giving people the opportunity to show up with their gifts.
78: Leading in a Time of Crisis: Part 1 – Principal Carol Kampa
April 01, 2020 04:00 - 16 minutes - 13.3 MBWelcome to Part 1 of a special series: "Leading Schools in a Time of Crisis." In these conversations, we will probe how educators are helping their schools and communities pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these educators are extremely busy, we’ve intentionally limited these conversations to 15 minutes. So, how do educators effectively lead change during a crisis? For Principal Carol Kampa, it starts with maintaining and strengthening relationships with students, faculty, and the...
77: Nourishing Believers for Sustained Organizational Success
March 31, 2020 04:00 - 48 minutes - 39 MBEnabling sustained organizational success today forces us to look at the leadership staff relationship differently. Mike Vacanti explains how we need to refocus our perspective.
76: Listening Carefully to Yourself
March 24, 2020 04:00 - 52 minutes - 42.2 MBOur lives are rarely linear. Most of us start out “here” and then make a series of twists and turns. Sometimes we’re the driver. Sometimes fate and opportunity take the wheel. And sometimes someone else says “I’ll drive.” In this "Transformation Story," we hear from Lorraine Flower – her journey from being on the corporate fast-track in her mid-thirties to an advisor for leaders and organizations on how to bring the power of spirituality and consciousness to their work.
75: Changing Schools to Better Support Students
March 17, 2020 04:00 - 52 minutes - 42.4 MBWhat changes can schools and school leaders make to better support students today as well as their future growth? Educator Steven Miletto offers three suggestions.
74: Leading with a Human-centered Focus
March 10, 2020 04:00 - 43 minutes - 34.5 MBWhat does human-centered leadership look like? And how does it impact effective change? We offer some answers with our friend and Value Through Vulnerability podcast host, Garry Turner. Today’s episode is extra special for us because it’s really the first time we get to talk a little bit about our new book – Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change.
73: Getting Diversity and Inclusion Right
March 03, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 54.4 MBThere are moral and business arguments behind any diversity and inclusiveness effort. Expert Jennifer Brown explains how to leverage both for organizational health and success.
72: Avoiding the Advice Trap
February 25, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 48.4 MBCoaching is now recognized as essential leadership behavior, but it can be challenging to practice. Leaders have to replace one set of behaviors and their rewards with another. Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap, explains how to stay curious a little bit longer.
71: Growing Oneself to Help Grow Others
February 18, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBWhat does someone do with their life if emotional and physical pain is all they have ever known? What happens when they hit "rock bottom"? In this "transformation story," Lisa Sargese explains how she drew on spiritual and personal strength, and the words from those around her, to pull herself up and move forward. Her journey isn't over, but she has experienced tremendous personal growth by helping to support others in need.
70: Awakening to Life's Purpose
February 11, 2020 05:00 - 45 minutes - 36.3 MBMany of us have experienced that nagging feeling that “There has to more to life than this.” But, what do we do about it? Some of us do nothing other than listen to our inner critic about our shortcomings. Garry Turner took a different approach. He decided that a lovely house, good salary, a nice car and other accoutrements of "success" weren't enough. He knew he was missing something – there was more to his life's purpose that he wasn't seeing. Listen in as he shares his story of awakening.
69: Leading with Language
February 04, 2020 05:00 - 42 minutes - 33.9 MBAs leaders, how is what we say and how we say it critical to staff growth and organizational success? In his new book, Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say – and What You Don’t, L. David Marquet (USS Navy ret) explains. Here, he digs deeper into how language can transform leadership and staff performance. Ultimately changing the language we use with each other helps us see the leader in ourselves.
68: Owning Our Own Mental Health
January 28, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBHow do you best manage life’s transitions, and the inevitable ups and downs of life? In this episode of Getting Unstuck, we’ll hear some interesting suggestions based on the concept of "Emotional Empowerment" from Dr. Carla Cooke: psychotherapist, speaker, radio host, and author.
67: Growing Out of Adversity
January 21, 2020 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBOur lives are rarely linear. Most of us start out “here” and then make a series of twists and turns. Sometimes we’re the driver. Sometimes fate and opportunity take the wheel. And sometimes someone else says “I’ll drive.” In this "Transformation Story," we hear from Randy Ginsburg – his journey from being bullied to entrepreneur to author sharing a path of potential growth for others.
66: Understanding Team Dynamics
January 14, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBIn this conversation, we are joined by Tara Nolan. Tara is a leadership coach, a team coach, a facilitator of leadership training programs, a keynote speaker and host of "The Game of Teams” podcast. As Tara shares her backstory, we learn about her seemingly easy ability to “reinvent” herself, but also her need to better understand what she was moving away from and the reasons why. Her recognition of the importance of self-reflection becomes a light she shines into teams to help improve their...
65: Connecting to Our Higher Purpose
January 07, 2020 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBOur lives are rarely linear. Most of us start out “here” and then make a series of twists and turns. In this series, we call “Transformation Stories,” we interview one individual about how they came to be where they are now – aligned with who they really are and where they want to be in life. In this episode, we talk with Rachel Druckenmiller. Rachel knew early on that she had a voice that could serve a higher purpose, but it was muted. She unleashed it by asking herself the question "Where ...
64: Making Incremental Change to Drive Big Results
December 31, 2019 05:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBThe New Year fast approaches, and that means ‘tis the season of “New Year’s resolutions.” It’s not surprising that we take on these goals. Most of us want something greater for ourselves – a different version of ourselves perhaps. But wanting and doing are two different enterprises. The sad fact is that most our best intentions fail as early as February. In this episode, we posit why this might be happening and how a different approach just might yield the results we want.
63: Facilitating Organizational Change
December 24, 2019 05:00 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBWhat does real organizational change look like in action? We’ve talked a lot about change here on our podcast, and we written extensively about the process in our forthcoming book, Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change. (Corwin Press) But writing about it and actually facilitating it are different. So today, we shift from our traditional interview format and have an informal discussion around a change initiative we're facilitating for a client where we are putting ideas...
62: Learning from Apollo
December 17, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.7 MB"The Eagle has landed!" The success story of the Apollo space program is well known. Less well known is how the Apollo team overcame hurdles and setbacks to achieve success. The effort required changes in computing, rocketry, organizational management, problem solving and attitudes. It required everyone to experiment to find out what worked, and to learn that just because something had never been done before didn’t mean it can’t be done. One Giant Leap author Charles Fishman explains.
61: Leading with Intentionality
December 10, 2019 05:00 - 53 minutes - 48.7 MBWhat are the hallmarks of an organization that relentlessly seeks to operate within a culture of continuous learning? And what does the leader look like who leads such an organization with intentionality? We dive deep into those intertwined topics with the help of Mark Ethier, Co-founder and CEO of iZotope, makers of intelligent audio technology.
60: Changing by Staying with What Works
December 03, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 68 MBOne of the problems that plague most organizations is when and how to change. For many, the process looks like fruit-of-the-month club: they try “this” until a new “this” comes along. Jim Collins wrote about this behavior in Good to Great. To avoid this phenomenon, great organizations employ something Collins called “the flywheel” process – a process involving 4-6 elements with each element impacting driving the next. One educator, Dr. Deb Gustafson, wondered if it would work in her school.
59: Understanding the Charismatic Persona
November 26, 2019 05:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBMost of us could likely identify someone we think is "charismatic." But when it comes to defining charismatic qualities, we're likely to fall silent or offer banalities such as "electric," "engaging," or "magnetic." Ever curious, Joe Kwon, "The Connection Counselor," set out to more carefully outline those qualities that make up the charismatic persona, and the result is his new book, Unlock Your Charisma. Interestingly, many of the qualities are the same ones that we would like to see in ou...
58: Improving Problem Solving Through Employee Engagement
November 19, 2019 05:00 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBOrganizations thrive and survive on the creativity of their employees. But what constitutes “creativity”? Are we born with it? Can it be drawn out of us by our teammates, manager, or the type of work we do? And what is the relationship between creativity and employee engagement, and how do both impact problem solving? Dr. Tracy Stanley, a social scientist and author of The Engagement Whisperer, and Barbara Wilson, an executive coach, and creativity facilitator and trainer provide some answ...
57: Rethinking How We Can Best Reach Students
November 12, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBThe performance of U.S. education is often the recipient of criticism – and much of it is justified. Despite mountains of research on what works and the strong effort of most educators, many of the students coming out of our K-12 system are only basically equipped to participate in and contribute to society. Why? Jay McTighe, a renowned educator, and Dr. Judy Willis, a neuroscientist and teacher make a cogent case for radically changing how we prepare teachers, develop curricula, and provide...
56: Connecting Through Effective Communication
November 05, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 45 MBWhy do some of our communications land as intended and others don't? Say “Hello!” to Lila Smith, a messaging consultant and “Communications Breakthrough Coach.” Lila has successfully leveraged her theatrical training to become one of the world’s most recognized and sought-after communications experts. Here, we’ll learn how to improve our messaging so that it's serving our purpose and the listener's.
55: Saying "No!" to Adversity
October 29, 2019 04:00 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBMost of us encounter adversity of some juncture during our lives. How we respond to it says a lot about who we are. Heather Younger certainly encountered adversity through a particular set of circumstances early in her life. We’ll learn how Heather responded through the remarks she made at the May 2019 Colorado Springs TEDx. The title of her talk was “Transform Adversity into Opportunity with One Simple Technique.”
54: Moving Away From Who You Were
October 22, 2019 04:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MBIn this "Transformation Story," we talk with Jessica Du Bois. Jessica is a consultant and leader in the employee benefit industry who helps organizations by creating people- and purpose-focused benefits programs. Jessica’s transformation story began when she was asked to join a small gathering of influential leaders. Listen to what two of the participants said to her and how that catalyst prompted her to begin a journey of self-discovery.
53: Providing Candid and Compassionate Feedback
October 15, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 60.3 MBWhat does it mean to provide candid and compassionate feedback? Why is this “ying” and “yang” of helping staff to improve so important to changing behavior? We’ll get answers to these questions and others from two seasoned educators and prolific authors, bloggers, and podcasters, Joe Jones and T.J. Vari.
52: Challenging Assumptions About Teaching and Learning
October 08, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBHow might you think differently about how your organization works and approaches change? Here, we’ll learn how Rona Wilensky, Ivette Visbal, and a team of educators wrestled with this question when they decided to break the mold of the traditional high school. Rona is the founding and former principal of New Vista, an alternative high school in Boulder, Colorado, and Ivette Visbal is currently the school’s Dean of Students.
51: Putting Humans First in the Workplace
October 01, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 47.2 MBHow human is your workplace? How can what works well at work, work even better? Whom do you rely on to initiate change at work: Yourself? Or “leadership” from above? We’ll discuss these and other questions with Mike Vacanti, an organizational change catalyst. Mike is also the inspiration behind the #Human First Club – an intimate conference that seeks to "address the future of work, personal and organizational development, wellness and strategies for success in today’s transformational busin...
50: Recognizing the Only Person's Approval a Woman Needs
September 24, 2019 04:00 - 57 minutes - 53.1 MBIn this episode of “Getting Unstuck – Shift for Impact,” we’re joined by Kris Macc. Kris is the founder and president of KMACC Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in emotional intelligence and leadership development in the workplace. She is also the author of the recently published and highly acclaimed #NOAPPROVALNEEDED, a book that brings together the consistency of voice of women in their 40s from all over the world. Women in their 20s, 30s, and 50s and beyond – and men – listen up!
49: Nurturing Your Inner Circle
September 17, 2019 04:00 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBKevin Strauss is the CEO of Uchi, an app for connecting with others authentically and privately. Kevin trained as a biomedical engineer and invented medical devices for improving people’s lives. Over time, he realized that a key element in whether individuals and teams could innovate successfully had more to do with soft-side human skills than their hard-side technical skills. Kevin turned this passion for connection into a consulting practice where he works with organizations to improve emo...
48: Changing How We Support Veterans and Communities
September 10, 2019 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44 MBIn this episode, we’re joined by Marvin Cadet, a Project Manager for The Mission Continues. The Mission Continues is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit that supports Armed Forces’ veterans to continue their service, and empower communities with their talent, skills and preparedness to generate visible impact. Marvin helps run critical community service projects in the Northeast – revitalizing neighborhoods, transforming public spaces, and improving educational resources.
47: Managing Projects Effectively for Change Success
September 03, 2019 04:00 - 53 minutes - 48.5 MBIn this episode, we're joined by Bill Ruggles, a true Zen-master of project management. Bill will help us demystify the role of PM as it pertains to complex change initiatives. He’ll talk extensively about three factors that organizations must consider when planning a major shift. Along the way we’ll learn how PM can help organizations avoid having their change initiatives become part of the 70% that fail.