Victoria Ransom, founder & CEO of Prisma, her middle school alternative to the antiquated education system. But don't call Prisma a school - she prefers a Connected Learning Network that aims to bring joy to learning today, and prepare millions of kids to thrive in the world of tomorrow. She's a highly successful entrepreneur from New Zealand, most known for Wildfire Interactive, a social marketing SaaS company, sold to Google in 2012 for $450 million. Ransom was listed as one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs as well as one of their 40 under 40 in 2012. In 2015, she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum Now a mom, her mission has become far more personal. How can she prepare her child to thrive in a tumultuous, ever-changing world where we can’t even begin to imagine the careers that will exist? Today we take a deep dive into this modern education model called Prisma.

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Meet Prisma - Bringing Joy and Relevance to Education with Victoria Ransom

Today we shine a light on youth taking action in education and in the world. Addie Lentzner is a 17 year old with a passion for social change. She is the founder of the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network. This group of students promotes anti-racism in schools through curriculum change. She’s involved in homelessness work, with an ambitious goal to house every person in her community. Addie is living proof that youth can and do make a difference, when given the opportunity. She’s joined by Richard Fransham, a former teacher and youth supporter to talk about Youth Rights Day, an event to promote the rights of youth and the issues they are fighting for so that we can build a better future for everyone. Graham joins me for this conversation, which we really enjoyed! Enjoy :)

Student Spotlight: Addie Lentzner is Changing the World

Technology dominates most of our lives. Do you remember what life was like without a smartphone? Cars are basically now computers with 4 wheels, and in the future we’ll all have self-driving vehicles. Every aspect of life is affected by technology in one way or another. That in turn means the demand for computing skills is exploding. My guest today saw an opportunity to help children find joy and skill in coding. Hansell Lynn founded theCoderSchool to provide children aged 7 to 18 years with a welcoming environment to develop computer programming skills. They’ve been at this for over 6 years, with over 50 locations, 4500 students, 750 staff, and lots of happy parents and kids. They’ve published 2 books on kids coding, and a self paced learning platform. But what sets them apart, and what they are most passionate about, is their Code Coaching approach. If your child has an interest in coding, or you’d like to give them that opportunity to explore this exciting space, today’s episode is for you.

Every Kid Can and Should Learn to Code (It's Not About The Code) with Hansell Lynn

David Caballero Pradas is hard to define in a few words. He’s done a lot of different things… genetic engineering of biological memories, negotiating deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars and building an adobe house. He has given lectures on leadership and has taken care of cleaning the bathrooms in a hostel. He has failed more times than he has tried at entrepreneurship; and has angered more people than he has inspired. He has lived in five countries and feels at home in many more. For the past two and a half years, he has been travelling with his partner Luz, researching innovative practices in education around the world. They’ve collected their discoveries in a new documentary called Killing Curiosity and in their online platform for parents and educators called Evolving Education. Today we’ll explore the discoveries they’ve made on the future of education.

Future of Education with David Caballero

Do you have a child interested in becoming a doctor? For those already in high school or post secondary, have you thought about what it takes for them to get into medical school? These days, getting into medical school is tougher than ever. There are so many variables to focus on - test scores, shadowing physicians, doing tons of extracurricular activities and getting great recommendation letters. And even with all that, it’s often not enough to get in. So how do you decide what to do? My guest today, Dr. Shirag Shemmassian faced a similar problem in his youth. He went to a small high school, and was determined to go to a top level school. He figured it out, and became the only Ivy League graduate in his high school’s nearly 60-year history. He’s now the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions, college admissions, and graduate school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school and top colleges. Over 90% of their students have gotten into at least one U.S med school - the first time they apply. He has figured out a method that works. Today, we’ll explore the ins and outs, the do’s and don’ts of your child getting into medical school to become the doctor they aspire to be. We’ll also explore ways to make med school more affordable. Today’s conversation will be full of valuable information you won’t want to miss.

How to Get Into Med School with Shirag Shemmassian

A lot of young people go to college or university because, well that’s what you are supposed to do. They spend a few years of their lives going through the motions of attending classes, and then hopefully on the other end, wind up with a degree that will serve them the rest of their lives. Oh, and accumulate a lot of debt in the process. Is that really serving young people? Too often the big choice offered to high schoolers is what college to pick, rather than what life to pick. My guest today is on a mission to change that narrative. Michelle Jones is doing her life's work right now, which is both exhilarating and terrifying. Her purpose in life is to help others figure out what they want to do with their lives and start doing it. She is the founder of Wayfinding Academy, which offers programs to do just that - help young people undercover what truly lights them up, and then prepare them for a career in that direction. Many graduates have gone straight from Wayfinding into fields that require no additional schooling but where having a strong network is essential, such as: event planning, carpentry, wildland firefighting, small business start-ups, teaching at alternative schools, and hospitality. Others have gone on to enroll in four-year colleges to make an impact in fields such as: education, biology, philosophy, and communications. And here’s an amazing statistic - 100% of Wayfinding students graduate debt-free. This is going to be an incredible conversation you won’t want to miss.

Find Your Way At Wayfinding Academy with Michelle Jones

Today's guest is one of the most unusual voices in education circles. His name is Matt Barnes and he believes that every role in education must shift, starting with the parent. His position is that the parent -- not the school -- must become the child's "Head Coach" and that good grades are no longer the aim. Instead, he coaches parents on how to build their kids into "independent learners." He has taught thousands of parents how to adopt a "Head Coach" mindset for their kids through workshops and educational podcasts. Today we’ll explore what parents need to do and most importantly, who they need to become, so your kids can thrive in the modern world.

The NEW and most important role parents must be for their child's success with Matt Barnes

So... what IS education for? We put in so much effort on education as parents and as students, so what is our WHY? Is it to ‘get kids into college’? To ‘get a good job’? Those common narratives from the educational establishment are weak at best. My guest today, Frank Forencich sees a real problem in that modern schooling lacks relevance. He sees the need for a narrative relevant to the future world students will inhabit. (climate change, ecological collapse, social ambiguity). Today we’ll talk about the ‘"original human education" that was universal through most of human history. We’ll explore the mismatch between our ancient human bodies, sculpted by evolution for success in wild, outdoor environments that now live in a radically different world, an alien, sometimes health-hostile environment. A To address these and other challenges, Frank will go over the "sapience curriculum." This is a list of subjects that he believes students need to study for survival/adaptation in the coming years. Frank is a writer, educator and movement teacher with a Paleo orientation. After studying human biology at Stanford, he traveled to Africa on several occasions to study human history and the ancestral environment. Frank has taught martial art for many years and is the author of several books about health and the human predicament. This is going to be a fascinating conversation, unlike any other we’ve had on this podcast.

The Original Human Education with Frank Forencich

Today we’re excited to chat with an amazing 15-year-old student. Praja Tickoo is on a mission to empower students through the process of Design Thinking. Two years ago, Praja had an experience that changed his life forever. At an event called Design the Future, he collaborated with other youth to help design a better ankle brace for a multiple sclerosis patient. This experience taught him the power young people have to reshape their world. It also reinforced his conviction that problems can only be solved by questioning assumptions and involving those directly affected. At the same time, Praja noticed a lack of attention in the education system to core skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. He then founded Impact The Future, an organization aimed at teaching the process of design thinking to middle and high school students. The goal is to equip students with the ability to approach any problem and understand how to adapt to the rapidly changing future. Prepare the students of today to solve tomorrow's problems. Today we’ll explore how Praja, at the young age of 15 is changing the world.

15 yr old Praja Tickoo Prepares Students of Today to Solve Tomorrow's Problems with Design Thinking

Bridgemont International School provides an alternative for secondary students who want to graduate from a Montessori high school, but do not have that option in their community. As more students discover that learning online at home and in the local community works, Bridgemont aims to offer so much more than the typical home school program. I’m delighted to have two guests with me today - Dr. Robin Howe, Director of Bridgemont and Danielle Parker, one of the lead teachers and developers of the program. We’re going to explore the world of Montessori education and Bridgemont, this exciting new initiative in the online education space, launching this fall.

Bridgemont - 1st Ever Online Montessori for Middle and High Schoolers with Robin Howe and Danielle Parker

My guest today is on a mission to bring creativity back to the classroom. He believes and I agree that in traditional classrooms, kids are not developing the critical motor, language, social, and decision-making skills required in today’s world. This, despite 72% of business leaders in a recent survey saying that creativity is the #1 skill they seek when hiring. He realized he had to do something, and Imagine Arts Academy was born. Imagine Arts Academy delivers programs that combine traditional art with real-world applications and creative problem solving. These programs have been proven to help kids foster the creativity required for today’s world. My guest today, Shafik Mina is the CEO of 2inspire Kids, the parent company of Mad Science® Group and Crayola® Imagine Arts Academy. Mad Science and Imagine Arts Academy franchises are located in more than 23 countries around the world, bringing educational entertainment to millions of children each year through after-school programs, preschool programs, in-class workshops, camps, birthday parties and special events Today we’ll explore the unique approach Shafik is using to foster creativity and collaboration skills in kids, through hands-on STEM learning and progressive arts education.

Tap Into the Arts for 21st Century Skills with Shafik Mina

Today you get to meet Luke Hohmann - one of the most energetic, thoughtful people I know on the planet. We first met and also worked together during my days in the software industry as an Agile coach. I also had the privilege to help facilitate one of his Budget Games for the city of San Jose - citizens engaged in prioritizing the multi-million dollar city budget by playing a game to spend limited funds on a range of budgetary options. He’s now the Founder and CEO of FirstRoot, Inc., a Benefit Corporation devoted to creating greater economic equality. That’s a very complex problem, and Luke recognizes that it can’t be solved individually - we have to work together to come up with ideas and solutions, and then work together to make them happen. FirstRoot’s approach is to give youth financial literacy in a unique, fun way, through something called Participatory Budgeting. His audacious goal: student groups in 1M schools globally to each budget $1k and watch what happens when youth control $1B in capital. And by the time this episode launches, Luke and his team will have a version of Participatory Budgeting for families so together they can work out plans for money decisions like vacations and charitable giving. Today we’re going to explore how your family and school can tap into the power of Participatory Budgeting to build financial literacy skills and get youth involved in solving problems that matter.

Give Kids $1 Billion To Solve World Issues With Luke Hohmann

Online learning options for students are exploding, especially over the last couple of years. There is more choice now than ever for families to choose from, which is a great thing. The problem is that word - online. We all need connection, and well, chatting through a Zoom screen just isn’t the same as face to face. And not everything can be done virtually either, like going outdoors. Many students like my son David are drawn to traditional school because they offer that in-person experience. Here-in lies an opportunity… What if… we could take the best of online learning, and marry it with a physical location where kids learned together? That’s exactly what my guest today is setting out to do. Lizz Quain is with Galileo, an innovative online school with a self-directed education model. It’s the school my son Graham attends. Lizz is leading an initiative to help students around the globe have the best of both online and in-person learning. She’s building a network of local dojos, or learning centres, and already has dozens of locations around the globe launching soon. If you would love the best of both worlds for your child, listen in and discover more about Galileo and what they are doing to revolutionize education. This is the future. You may decide you want to be a part of the solution, too, and start a dojo in your area. Let’s dive in.

Meet the best of both worlds: innovative online learning with in-person connection with Lizz Quain

Today we’re in for a fun ride. With me today is the self proclaimed Jay Z of youth education. The Kanye West of business and tech education for youth. The Lil Durk of youth instruction. Big Stew, Scott Steward, or Professor Steward (depending on how you know him) grew up loving school, but hating learning, because it wasn’t fun. He had few teachers he could identify with, or who took an interest in him, and with little motivation, he struggled, leading to mediocre results in the classroom. Fast forward to today, and Scott is changing things for the better through Genius Lab. Genius Lab is a young entrepreneur mentoring program, especially for Black and Latinex youth, focused on careers in IT. At Genius Lab, the goal is to make learning fun, exciting, and useful… where every student feels valued and appreciated. Today we’ll explore how Scott is changing the world of education through Genius Lab and other pursuits, and riff on where education is heading.

Genius Lab with Scott Steward

I’m really excited for today’s interview. Today we’re going to talk cryptocurrency, a topic I’m super passionate about for reasons that may surprise you and that we’ll get into on the show. My guest today and friend Alex S. Elliot is an early bitcoin and cryptocurrency investor, who started way back in 2013 with her first of many Bitcoin investments. I consider her one of the smartest people I know in the crypto space and someone I and many others turn to for guidance. These days, Alex helps regular folks like you and I earn Cryptocurrency Passively with her free, supportive FB Group, the Crypto Chill Lounge and her more advanced paid “Sat Stacker” Mastermind, where she dives deep into loads of passive crypto income strategies. I’ve been following and learning tons from Alex about crypto for quite some time now, so I asked her if she’d be willing to come on the show. Thankfully she agreed to come on to help you and your family unravel the incredible opportunity happening in the crypto space right now.

Cryptocurrency Made Safe and Easy with Alex Elliot

Practical, inspirational, no fluff conversations about how entrepreneurs can live a deeply connected, highly profitable and incredibly impactful life. Apply insights from top experts and entrepreneurs on the journey, including my own.

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