The Innovator’s Mindset Podcast

February 2021 Highlights from the #InnovatorsMindset Podcast!

Another month of amazing educators and amazing ideas shared during #TheInnovatorsMindset Podcast! In this month’s highlights, you will hear some great insights from Dr. Mary Hemphill-Joseph, Steve Bollar, Naomi Toland, Dr. Sarah Thomas, Dr. Derrick Love, Amber Teamann, Kim Strobel, and Vernon Wright! Hear their highlight clips and then check out their full episode by clicking the links below. Don’t forget to also share your thoughts in the comments below - what advice would you give yourself in your first year teaching?
Dr. Mary Hemphill-Joseph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCeDdEjcHac
Dr. Mary Hemphill-Joseph reflects on the impact that her third-grade teacher, Mrs. Melvin, made on her by creating amazing learning opportunities and helping all learners develop a sense of belonging as she connected academics to the power of kindness and integrity.
Steve Bollar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgBnKaFEqXw
Steve Bollar shares his definition of integrity and reflects on the importance of integrity. Bollar shares that part of having integrity is connected to what other people can depend on.
Naomi Toland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK7EEgxZbz0
Naomi Toland shares how she continues to learn about our brains as she explains how our brain can “catastrophize everything.” Toland also shares a way to evaluate the conclusions that our brain jumps to.
Dr. Sarah Thomas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrVsPaOUiA4&t=2s
Dr. Sarah Thomas has been incredibly open with her learning - both related to education and in her personal life. In this clip, Dr. Thomas shares how Saved By the Bell inspired her to get into investing! She opens up about how her blog has grown and shown her learning over time.
Dr. Derrick Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoBGvqQpanc
Dr. Derrick Love reflects on communicating and hearing diversity in thought in order to work towards the best outcome for all learners. Dr. Love expands on how this looks in his professional life in this shorter clip of The Innovator’s Mindset Podcast!
Amber Teamann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL4u64bO9wQ
Amber Teamann discusses the high expectations she has for her learners and how “that is (her) floor and never, ever (her) ceiling.” Teamann reflects on how she shares content with other learners and how that can connect with the expectations we have.
Kim Strobel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHyBT2dzGeQ
Kim Strobel shares some of the research from Shawn Achor. In this clip, Strobel reflects on the notion of the conventional happiness formula and how it is wrong. She shares research from Achor and reflects on how this formula, in part because of Achor’s work, has been proven to be backwards and we should be putting our wellbeing at the forefront.
Vernon Wright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zQh0jOOnZk
Vernon Wright shares a few of his daily routines that have made a positive difference in his professional and personal life. Through these daily practices, Wright shares how he is finding more balance and positivity in his daily life.
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

The Whole Educator & Saved by the Bell - A Convo with Dr. Sarah Thomas - Season 2 Ep 9

Dr. Sarah Thomas is an amazing and inspiring educator who brings such a powerful energy to this episode of The Innovator’s Mindset podcast!
As the founder/CEO of #EduMatch, Dr. Thomas shares what she has learned during her time in education as well as what inspired her to start #EduMatch. Hear the surprising story behind how the 80’s/90’s TV show, Saved by the Bell, inspired Dr. Thomas to become more financially literate. For more awesome content from Dr. Sarah Thomas, follow her on Twitter @sarahdateechur.
Links:
Dr. Sarah Thomas, PhD on Twitter - https://twitter.com/sarahdateechur
#EduMatch - https://twitter.com/search?q=%23EduMatch&src=hashtag_click
Alanis Morissette Pop Songs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7afdfBHj4
Dr. Sarah Thomas First Blog Post - https://medium.com/sarahdateechur/i-keep-forgettin-3348ebd67550
Dr. Sarah Thomas Blog Post as Retweeted by George Couros - https://twitter.com/gcouros/status/1158199447387590656
Dr. Sarah Thomas Website - https://www.sarahjanethomas.com/
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

3 Questions on Educators that Inspire with Amber Teamann - The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast

“The position precedes the person.” Amber explains one of her sayings as she answers the same three questions that George is asking each guest to answer:
Who is a teacher that has inspired you and why?
Who is an administrator that has inspired you and why?
What advice would you give your first-year teacher self?
Hear Amber’s answer to each of these questions and the advice that she shares about focusing more on the moment.
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

Leading with Empathy - A Convo with Naomi Toland - The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast, Season 2 Ep 8

George Couros starts off this conversation with Naomi Toland by asking the question: “Would you want to be a learner in your own classroom?” This episode of The Innovator’s Mindset Podcast discusses empathy in education and the life experiences of a traveling educator, Naomi Toland. George also shares one of his most embarrassing moments in this episode. Naomi shares her experiences working in different countries as an educator. Naomi goes in-depth to her experiences as an empath and explains more about what she has learned about the mental and physical impact that has had on her. Naomi also shares her knowledge on neuroscience and more in this episode of The Innovator’s Mindset Podcast.
Clip Description:
Naomi Toland and George Couros talk about this quote: "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." - Stephen Hawking. The two continue the conversation and Naomi shares some of her learning on neuroscience and ends with this idea: “What we can do in our own thinking is catch the thought we have, challenge it...and then create a new thought, or we can say that thought is something I want to hold on to. It is okay to have those initial thoughts but what we do with them is really important.”
Three Main Points:
Felling empathy as an educator
Traveling educator
Neuroscience
Links:
Empathetic Educators Live Q&A with George Couros - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJhYfPxu2ok
Empathetic Educators on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv6tX_ugENm0xVZDj-oEFAg
Naomi Toland Website - https://www.createeducate.com/
Naomi Toland on Twitter - twitter.com/@naomi_toland
Naomi Toland on Instagram - instagram.com/naomi.m.t
Quotes:
“Would you want to be a learner in your own classroom?” - George Couros
"...empathy not at the expense of ourselves..."
"The more that we can understand ourselves and understand those in front of us, the more that we can help those in front of us."
"I want people to look inside and see why...put up the mirror and see what is going on."
"Our choices have an impact."
"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

3 Questions on Educators that Inspire with Naomi Toland - The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast

Right from the start, Naomi Toland shares how she is finding balance in her life and an educator/parent/leader who helped that balance. Toland also shares more about her first year in education and what advice she would have appreciated earlier on.
Who is a teacher that has inspired you and why?
Who is an administrator that has inspired you and why?
What advice would you give your first-year teacher self?
Links:
Empathetic Educators Live Q&A with George Couros - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJhYfPxu2ok
Empathetic Educators on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv6tX_ugENm0xVZDj-oEFAg
Naomi Toland Website - https://www.createeducate.com/
Naomi Toland on Twitter - twitter.com/@naomi_toland
Naomi Toland on Instagram - instagram.com/@naomi.m.t
Quote:
"Be kind...be kind to each other and be kind to yourself ."

Standing Tall in Leadership - A Convo with Steve Bollar - The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast, S2, Ep7

This episode shares an inspiring conversation with Steve Bollar, author of the Stand Tall Leadership! George Couros and Steve Bollar talk about the powerful impact of all teachers and reflect on Bollar’s past as an art teacher and how he ended up in a leadership position. Bollar also explains the two types of school culture that can impact the school climate - behavioral culture and operational culture. Towards the end, Bollar shares his powerful ideas on integrity and what that looks like in a position of leadership. Watch this episode to be left inspired by the answers Bollar shares in response to Couros’ questions and thoughts.
Three Main Points:
From art teacher to admin
Behavioral culture and operational culture and in the middle is the climate (how people feel on a regular basis)
Integrity - 4 points
Links:
Stand Tall Steve - https://www.standtallsteve.com/
Stand Tall Leadership on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Tall-Leadership-Differently-Successfully-ebook/dp/B086Q7BG28
Steve Bollar on Twitter - https://twitter.com/StandTallSteve?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Quotes:
"In between the behavioral culture and the operational culture is the climate..."
"...the goal is to make sure that the behavioral culture and the operational culture are in alignment with what you respect and value..."
"Are your values consistent?" - George Couros
"The number one thing for leaders to do is to maintain a high level of integrity."
"My definition of integrity is a set of beliefs, values, and actions that others can depend on."
"...when you stick by what you say, that means something..."
"When you stand TALL you don't think small."
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

3 Questions on Educators that Inspire with Dr. Brandon Beck - The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast

Dr. Brandon Beck joins George Couros on another episode of Three Questions on Educators that Inspire. Some very thought-provoking ideas are discussed including this one: "When we base things just on the textbook, we are not honoring the kid's curiosity.” Hear what led up to this idea and how Dr. Brandon Beck answers the following questions:
Who is a teacher that has inspired you and why?
Who is an administrator that has inspired you and why?
What advice would you give your first-year teacher self?
Links:
Michelle Grier - https://twitter.com/roosprincipal4?lang=en
Unlocking Unlimited Potential (book on Amazon) - https://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Unlimited-Potential-Brandon-Beck/dp/1777473284/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

The Leadership Journey - A Convo with Amber Teamann - The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast, S2, Ep6

Amber Teamann is an amazing educator and a very close friend of George Couros. Right away, Amber hits viewers and listeners with a few of her “Amberisms” that work to inspire and provoke thought. The two talk in-depth about being thoughtful of the roles of teachers and how that impacts the relationships that are built at a school site. Amber shares a few of the jokes that George’s daughter, Kallea, absolutely loves! Amber also reflects on her first year as a principal and school leader. Very openly, Amber shares some of the feedback that she got from her staff during her first year as an administrator. Amber also gets very real about the struggles and what she did to be there and be present and to ultimately be what her staff needed.
Three Main Points:
Learning from and connecting with others that have skills in different areas.
The values that we share.
Being the reason incredible things happen with our students.
Links:
Amber Teamann Blog (The First Year) - https://technicallyteamann.com/category/thefirstyear/
4 Guiding Questions for Your IT Department - https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3702
Quotes:
“I have got to surround myself with people who are smarter than me but also people who are smarter ‘differently’ than me.” -Amber Teamann
“It is always going to be different any time you have a leadership change; what is important is maintaining the things that have been held up as values.” - Amber Teamann
“My role and goal is to be the people who are giving them the tools or the resources to make incredible things happen with their students.” - Amber Teamann
“If it doesn’t work within the system, then we need to change the system.” -George Couros
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

3 Questions on Educators that Inspire with Dr. Mary Hemphill-Joseph - The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast

“When students are positioned to experience, discuss, and analyze their experiences as learners, thinkers, and stakeholders in the school, change happens from the inside out.” - Dr. Mary Hemphill-Joseph
Right away, this episode kicks off with George playing DJ using Dr. Mary Hemphill-Joseph’s theme song! Dr. Mary Hemphill-Joseph reflects on an educator that taught about the power of kindness and integrity. She also reflects on administrators and advice that she would have appreciated earlier on in her career as she answers these questions:
Who is a teacher that has inspired you and why?
Who is an administrator that has inspired you and why?
What advice would you give your first-year teacher self?
This episode is a great reminder that people may forget our words or what we teach, but they will never forget how we made them feel!
Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset.
More at georgecouros.ca
George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros
George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros
George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/
George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519
For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros
The Innovator's Mindset:https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=zg_bs_69830_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ARY8KZTA242NVFMHF9X0
Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Inside-Box-Empowering-Innovators/dp/1948334127/ref=zg_bs_69830_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75E0ZS6R2J330FAM9Y0A
Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

The #InnovatorsMindset Podcast Highlights from January 2021!

We have had so many great guests on the #InnovatorsMindset podcast in January and we wanted to capture some of the highlights from what they shared. Enjoy the highlights of the month from an awesome group of educators!
Timecodes:
00:00 Intro from George Couros
00:55 Intro Music
01:04 Stephanie Rothstein
04:00 Dr. Brandon Beck
06:55 Dr. Katie Novak
10:35 Dwight Carter
11:32 Dave Burgess
13:37 Annick Rauch
15:27 Closing
Highlight Descriptions -
Stephanie Rothstein:
Stephanie Rothstein talks about using the True Colors Survey to put a purpose to the opening activities that we do with our learners. Rothstein talks about how she uses the data from the True Colors Survey to build groups in her classroom and how to connect it to the curriculum in your classroom.
Dr. Brandon Beck:
Dr. Brandon Beck and George Couros talk about what it means to have a growth mindset and how to go beyond simply having a growth mindset to believing that we can cultivate abilities and give learners an opportunity to explore their interests as we include social-emotional learning into our day.
Dr. Katie Novak:
Dr. Katie Novak shares the three core principles of UDL as she discusses the strategies and how those strategies have evolved:
-engagement
-representation
-action & expression
Dr. Novak talks about designing a collection of resources for any type of learning environment - hybrid, face to face, virtual...
Dwight Carter:
In the episode of Three Questions on Educators that Inspire, Dwight Carter gives the important reminder to “chill out.” Hear how he reflects on his first year teaching and shares an important reminder that we can all benefit from hearing over and over!
Dave Burgess:
Dave Burgess talks about what he shares with his potential authors and discusses how writers do not need to go “over the top.” Instead of being formal and serious, Burgess shares the advice that authors should take the best content from their speaking and their writing to share their legacy!
Annick Rauch:
Reflecting on the very first blog post that Annick Rauch wrote, George Couros pulls up a quote from her very first blog post and asks how her thinking has shifted. Rauch talks about how her thoughts on blogging and her blogging process have evolved.