My second conversation with Jared Angaza was recorded almost a year ago, just after launching the podcast. It’s more conversational, less directed than I’ve done more recently. I think I’ve come a long way on focusing more but I’d love to hear listeners’  ÑŽreactions. It’s also my old microphone. So the quality isn’t quite as good. Jared has acted a lot more than most to live by his environmental values.[…] Keep reading →

Have you noticed how many of today’s most successful people chose to leave our educational system–Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg, Erin Brockovich, Elon Musk, Sean Combs, Lauren Hill, Michael Dell, Whoopi Goldberg, Larry Page, and Sergei Brin, to name a few. Ever wonder why people who chose to leave mainstream education became so successful? Why did breaking the once-standard advice “stay in school” not work[…] Keep reading →

My series answering the New York Times’ Ethicist column with an active, leadership approach instead of an analytical, philosophical perspective continues with “Can We Disinherit Our Addicted Son?”. Our son has been a heroin addict for 10 years. He has drifted in and out of homelessness and prison. We have spent a fortune on rehab, counseling, legal fees and more, which changed nothing. We love our son, but we have[…] Keep reading →

Michael brings over fifteen years experience as an advocate, fundraiser and consultant to his role as Executive Director. As the Project’s lead program developer and fundraiser, Michael focuses on providing the over 500,000 members of the Story of Stuff community with the tailored content and tools they need to engage in collective learning and social change efforts. Prior to joining The Story of Stuff Project, Michael developed fundraising and communications[…] Keep reading →

Jethro Jones contacted me to make a challenge that he wanted to do public and that part of this challenge and conversation gets very personal. We started talking about education. He’s a principal. The past few years have transformed my understanding of education and how critical it is for culture, society and democracy. It is not just something that happens in schools. For this podcast we’ll also talk about how[…] Keep reading →

My series answering the New York Times’ Ethicist column with an active, leadership approach instead of an analytical, philosophical perspective continues with “Can I Trick My Brain-Damaged Brother Into Taking His Meds?”. My older brother suffered a serious brain injury about 10 years ago. His communication skills were hard-hit. He understands some of what people say as long as they speak slowly, but even then concepts are hard and reasoning[…] Keep reading →

My series answering the New York Times’ Ethicist column with an active, leadership approach instead of an analytical, philosophical perspective continues with “What Should I Do About My Cheating Classmate?”. I am a senior at a competitive high school. My best friend is known for being a top student and the president of the student body. Over the last year, I caught him cheating on tests and plagiarizing work several[…] Keep reading →