The Smart Thinking Podcast
Ted Neitzke brings you the ”The Smart Thinking Podcast.” Smart Thinking is for anyone and everyone -- because we are all leaders. Join us weekly for reflective activities and strategies to grow yourself and others. Ted shares his leadership expertise with simple to apply tools. You will grow in your ability to step into the storm’s life presents with energy and optimism. Just like the 🦬!
Episodes

4 days ago
4 days ago
What is a genius? What is the impact of AI on our learning? How is our memory being impacted by digital technology? Why are little kids becoming more challenging? Find out in this conversation with Ted and Dr. Jared Horvath: neuroscientist, professor, author, documentary filmmaker, dad, and entrepreneur.
https://www.lmeglobal.net

Sunday Apr 13, 2025
Episode 338: We Need To Talk: Online Gambling (Leadership and Reflection)
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
Did you know that 60% of male teens have online gambled at least once? Our children have too many opportunities to make bad choices, create addiction, and find themselves in accelerated anxiety loops. Ted tackles the newest research and findings on online and app-based gambling and the impact on teens. He ends with a simple suggestion: TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN!
Summer leadership retreat registration: https://store.cesa6.org/products/smart-thinking-summer-leadership-retreat-in-person

Sunday Apr 06, 2025
Episode 337: Optimism Needs Energy (Reflection & Leadership)
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
Tired of all of the negativity? It can be hard not to be and negativity is fueled by uncertainty and there is a lot of that lately.
Let's do something about it. Let's get optimistic (Think Olivia Newton-John)! Take a listen as we explore reflective questions to frame your day and bring renewed energy towards your mindset. Ted has a ton of energy on this episode and brings you a great way to frame your oncoming storms!
Stop by our store to purchase Ted's tools: https://store.cesa6.org/

Sunday Mar 30, 2025
Episode 336: Books to Grow Your Leadership and Life (Learning)
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
This week Ted continues to bring you texts to read and the theme this week is -- growing yourself. Leaders are readers and readers are leaders. This collection of texts will help you with your self-discipline, mindset, leadership behaviors, and reflections as a person for others. A great collection of texts to support you and allow you to grow.
The books:
Discipline is Destiny, Ryan Holiday
The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins
MindCraft, Aaron Sadoff
Radical Humility, Urs Koenig
Meditation for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman
Duke’s Storm, Ted Neitzke
Buy Ted's book and tools here: https://store.cesa6.org/

Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Episode 335: Please Stay (Tool and Leadership)
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
People are leaving their jobs and we need a proactive process that allows us to understand how to help. Ted explores the idea of stay interviews and explains the powerful impact that asking positively framed questions can have for leaders as they are seeking to retain staff. He then adds a twist at the end which will help students!

Sunday Mar 02, 2025
Episode 334: Unspoken Expectations (Process & Leadership)
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
55% of Americans (per GALLUP) indicate that they do not know what is expected of them at work. This is not good for stakeholders or leaders. This episode shares a process to help you help others seek clarity and become crystal clear of their expectations. The process begins with providing everyone choice and voice in their world so that they have permission to seek clarity and be engaged and empowered.

Sunday Feb 23, 2025
Sunday Feb 23, 2025
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are amazing and yet they are facing threats online that others generations could not have even imagined. Sextortion being one and this episode explores how to talk to young people about the threats they face in the 2020's. All of it by learning how to LEAN into difficult conversations with young people.
Learn together
Engage the topic
Announce expectations
Next steps

Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Episode 332: HR in the 20's (Reflection & Process)
Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Organizations create structure and people create culture. So how do we better support Gen Z in the workforce for a great culture? Take a listen as Ted breaks down strategies to support younger employees and colleagues - -oh heck -- these processes are actually good for everybody.
Describe how you set yourself up for the future.
List programs and supports you need in your current season of life.
Describe innovations you could support in your workplace to increase success.
Song: Better Days by Thomas LaVine

Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Episode 331: Colleagues to the RESCUE (Leadership & Process)
Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Sunday Feb 09, 2025
The RESCUE principle will help us increase the success of others as well as ourselves. Take a listen as Ted breaks down the behaviors of great friends and colleagues to support wellbeing, engagement, and the application of our strengths.
Resources
Empathy
Support their strengths
Challenge
Understand
Expectations
Buy Ted's book Duke's Storm here.

Sunday Jan 26, 2025
Episode 330: Using a Tabletop to Plan
Sunday Jan 26, 2025
Sunday Jan 26, 2025
How good are you or your organization at proactively anticipating what could happen? This episode shares a process borrowed from emergency management and discusses the positive impact of using the wisdom of the crowd to proactively plan for the future. This way everyone understands their role and can support the system in better ways.
Describe where you could apply this process to increase team ownership and understanding.
List people that need to always be in the room when proactively planning.
Describe a past experience that would have been more successful had you done a tabletop.
Buy Duke's Storm here: https://store.cesa6.org/products/dukes-storm