The Smart Thinking Podcast

Episode 323: A Carol for Reflecting (Leadership & Process)

As we close out 2025, there are opportunities to support reflection and planning. Take a listen on this spin of a classic Charles Dickens tale and how Ted created reflection prompts to support those that you lead. 
Here are the prompts:
Please share advice you would give yourself when visiting 14-year-old you.
Please share advice you would give yourself when visiting you your first-year teaching/in your career.
Please share something you successfully challenged and overcame this year.
Please share a way in which someone else on our team impacted you this year.
Please describe an area you want to learn more about, so your future self is more empowered.
In a single word - describe your career when you retire.

Episode 322: A Conversation about Recognition, Strengths, and Engagement with Dr. Emily Lorenz and Dr. Tim Hodges

This episode is a great conversation between Emily, Tim and Ted about all things recognition, engagement and how using your Clifton Strengths can amplify the world around you. Listen in for great new research, tips for coaching others and some new ways to support others. 
The research on great recognition practices. It must be:
Fulfilling
Authentic
Equitable
Embedded
Personalized 
 

Episode 321: Thank you For The Advice (Reflection and Tool)

Have you ever asked a kid for advice? If not, you should start. Take a listen as Ted shares the wisdom of nearly 200 middle school students. These young people gave great advice for the adults in their lives. Use his process to amplify your teams, friends and family this Thanksgiving. 
Describe the advice you’ll take from the students.
List who would benefit from getting this type of advice.
Describe how you could use this process to elevate others.
 

Episode 320: I Found Us Some AMAZING AI! (Tool & Reflection)

Join Ted and listen to him with what might be the most enthusiasm he's had yet on the podcast. He found a new Google tool called NotebookLM and he breaks down the power of this AI for use in leadership, organizations, and classrooms. There is a AI generated podcast within the podcast. Super smart thinking this week.
List application you have for NotebookLM.
Describe your wonderings around applying AI in your work.
List you worries about applying storm generating technologies.
Click here to take you to NotebookLM
Click here to take you to CESA 6 AI trainings
 

Episode 319: Your team. Your choice. (Leadership & Tool)

A behavior ignored, is a behavior reinforced. In your culture what are you expecting and what are you tolerating? Listen as Ted describes a mindset and tool to help you have the needed conversations so that your culture grows in a positive way and people are either coached up to the expectations or coached out of the situation.
 
List the people coming with you and who is not
Describe what you need to do in order to grow your invitation list
Describe what you need to do different within your culture
 
 

Episode 318: What to do about a stubborn buffalo? (Leadership & Process)

When people are stubborn it is usually for a good reason. Likely fear of change or of the unknown consequences of taking the "risk." Take a listen as Ted explore how to support good people who seem unwilling to change or move into the direction of the storm they are facing. 
List people who can help you move past a stubborn moment you are facing.
Describe how you can support others who have the wrong gear but right mindset.
List the ways in which you can support others in finding their way.

Episode 317: There Is No Score: 0-0 Mindset (Leadership & Reflection)

Transactional relationships and mindsets create disengagement, sadness, and resentment. Transactional thinking is the opposite of leadership and keeping score needs to stop.
Listen as Ted explores how to shift to a zero-zero mindset and support a positive narrative in your noggin and help you  -  help others grow.
Describe where in your life you are keeping score
List the people in your life that need to be modeled 0-0
Describe how you can lead with a 0-0 mindset
 
 
 
 

Episode 316: Recess is a Right (Leadership & Policy)

Recess might actually be the process to help children learn more, decrease classroom behavioral issues, and increase teacher retention.
Wait, how could that be? In this episode Ted shares research that shows how increasing recess -  decreases all the negative things occurring in school and increases all of the positive things. The answer for improvement has likely been in front of us the entire time (recess). However, we’re going to need to be buffaloes and charge into several storms to create the ideal conditions.

Episode 315: Two Studies, Four Books and Two Records for Fall (Resources)

Listen as Ted shares great resources to help you grow and support others. These resources are building off of themes presented this season on the podcast and will help you support parents, fuel your inner buffalo and frame your mindset.
 
Studies:
The Evolving Needs of Working Parent’s: Kindercare Study
Walton Family Foundation Voices of Gen Z Study: Gallup/Walton Family Foundation
Books:
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay Gibson
The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt
Twelve and A Half, Gary Vaynerchuk
The Happiest Man on Earth, Eddie Jaku
Albums:
Coldplay: Moon Music
Leon Bridges: Leon
 

Episode 314: Empower the Parents (Process and Leadership)

How does your system support parents? Too often we are casting blame on the parents and not recognizing the opportunities and responsibilities we have to empower parents.
Take a listen as Ted challenges us to create systems of support and empowerment while the children are on their educational journey. You can't meet unspoken expectations and parenting is an anxiety riddled journey and everyone has questions. That anxiety turns to defensiveness very quickly, so let's make navigating schools less worrisome and help parents support their children in new ways.