A unique coming of age story, Aggressive Optimism explores the complex landscape of mental health, the importance of solidarity, and the power of perseverance.

'Nif is a talented singer trapped in a small hometown. Though she thrives in her choir, she longs for a life in Hollywood. After a breakthrough solo performance, her talents are recognized by a popular media personality and her hopes for her big break soar. Until a devastating accident derails her dreams and confronts her with new and unexpected challenges.

With the help of her family and dear friends, Nif must reassemble the pieces of her life and discover a wellspring of inner strength. In the process, her aggressive optimism becomes a source of inspiration, not only for herself but for those around her.'

Bio - Jenna Edwards

Growing up in the middle of Minnesota's cornfields, Jenna had some big dreams. She wanted to make people laugh on TV, inspire change, and travel the world. Life wasn't easy, though. Born to teenage parents who split when she was three, Jenna faced poverty and abuse until her mom took a stand, and they escaped.

In her early twenties, Jenna set off for Los Angeles, to make her dreams come true. She even landed a role on the legendary "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" show. Imagine inheriting Buffy's powers! But then, a terrible accident shook her world. She struggled with debilitating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but learned that asking for help is a sign of strength, just like Buffy asking her friends for help.

Website

www.jennaedwards.com

Social Media Information

IG @jennaedwardsofficial

Resources Mentioned

Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) www.nape.org.uk

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In Freedom Teaching, educator and distinguished anti-racism practitioner Matthew Kincaid delivers a one-stop resource for educators and educational leaders seeking to improve equity and increase the cultural responsiveness of their school. In this book, you'll discover the meaning and fundamentals of anti-racist education and find a roadmap to reducing the impact of systemic racism in your classroom.

A recognized leader in anti-racism advocacy, Matthew Kincaid's impactful work has earned him accolades, including a 2018 Louisiana SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Entrepreneur of the Year, been named a Gambit 40 Under 40, and been honored as a visionary leader by Real Leaders Magazine.

His work has been featured in the Washington Post, Forbes, Mashable, Medium, Huffington Post, Now This, and Black Enterprise, among others. Kincaid is an essential voice in revolutionizing American education, and his vision for a more inclusive education system is a beacon of hope, inspiring educators, and advocates nationwide.

Website

www.overcomeracism.com

www.overcomeracism.com/freedomteaching

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) www.nape.org.uk

Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/support

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Mentioned in this episode:

NAPE Al Kingsley Summit Promo

Watch Mark Taylor interview Al Kingsley about 'Creating Digital Strategies for Schools' as part of the Primary Education Summit 2023 - Visions for the Future - presented by National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) https://www.educationonfire.com/creating-digital-strategies-for-schools/

Failure Free Reading is an effective reading intervention for our students who have been resistant to phonics-based reading instruction.

Dr. Joe Lockavitch, a former classroom teacher, school psychologist, university professor, special education director, applied reading researcher, is the author and developer of: The Failure Free Reading Program, Don’t Close the Book on Your Not-Yet Readers, Joseph’s Readers Talking Software for Non-Readers, Verbal Master-An Accelerated Vocabulary Program, Life Skills – A School to Career Language Literacy Intervention and The Test of Lateral Awareness and Directionality.

A noted speaker who is listed in Outstanding Teachers in Exceptional Education, Who’s Who in American Education and Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, Dr. Joe has spent the past thirty years training tens of thousands of teachers, parents, and administrators across the nation on how to meet the unique needs of students with chronic reading failure – nonreaders included.

Dr. Joe has been featured on the PBS NewsHour and mentioned on national radio shows such as: Tom Joyner, Dr. Laura, Mike Gallegher and Michael Medvid. Dr. Lockavitch holds a Doctor of Education from Boston University and a Master of Science in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. He is currently the President of Failure Free Reading - an educational publishing and software development firm housed in Concord North Carolina.

Failure Free Reading which has over two million hours of direct student instruction – both inperson and through distance learning – has been used by thousands of teachers to serve tens of thousands of students in schools across the nation. His current client list includes New York City, Washington DC, Broward County, Florida, Niagara Falls, NY, Laredo, Tx, Bristol, TN and many more.

For over 30 years, Dr. Joe has been helping school districts and parents across the nation turn their nonreaders into readers - quickly, easily and within budget. Dr. Joe specializes in training teachers, parents, and volunteers in accelerating the vocabulary, comprehension, expressive fluency, and confidence of chronically failing students of all ages.

Dr. Joe’s philosophy is quite simple: we are underestimating the reading potential of chronically failing students. The enemy is not the student, parent, teacher, or administrator. The real enemy is the instructional approach and accompanying materials. Change that approach and you will change the performance outcomes.

Website

www.failurefreereadingonline.com

Social Media Information

@FFRHome

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) www.nape.org.uk

Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/support

Have you seen our live shows on YouTube? www.EducationOnFire.com/youtube

Mentioned in this episode:

London School of Public Relations - Podcasting Course with Mark Taylor

The 1-day Essentials of Podcasting Certificated short course is highly practical and packed full of useful information to get you on the road to producing your own professional podcasts. The Podcasting course will help you to create, edit, deliver and promote your podcast. The course also provides useful tips and tricks from industry experts on producing professional and effective results.

Curt is the Director of the educational consulting practice at Resultant, a modern consulting firm focused on data analytics, tech, and digital transformation. With a background as a youth worker, educator, and key contributor to several education organizations, Curt leads his team in delivering solutions for K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions.

'Education holds tremendous influence and touches nearly every life, throughout childhood and well into adulthood. The dizzying complexity that challenges schools, teachers, and systems deserves a partner that has not just data and technology expertise but experience within schools—the former teachers, researchers, and administrators who’ve always had a passion for education.'

Website

www.resultant.com

Social Media Information

www.linkedin.com/in/curtmerlau/

Resources Mentioned

Chop Wood Carry Water - Joshua Medcalf

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) www.nape.org.uk

Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/support

Have you seen our live shows on YouTube? www.EducationOnFire.com/youtube

Mentioned in this episode:

NAPE Al Kingsley Summit Promo

Watch Mark Taylor interview Al Kingsley about 'Creating Digital Strategies for Schools' as part of the Primary Education Summit 2023 - Visions for the Future - presented by National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) https://www.educationonfire.com/creating-digital-strategies-for-schools/

Dr. Hemphill’s research focuses on teaching personal and social responsibility through sport, physical activity, and physical education with specific applications to urban communities and professional development programs for physical activity providers. His research is grounded in community-engaged scholarship, which features reciprocal community partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations to address community-identified needs.

This research has been situated in local contexts in Charleston, SC and Greensboro, NC as well as international applications in New Zealand and Sri Lanka. He has published several research articles in refereed journals including the Journal of Youth Development, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, European Physical Education Review, Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, and Sport, Education, and Society.

Additionally, he has delivered research presentations to international, national, and regional conferences including the American Educational Research Association, SHAPE America, the International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education, and the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement. He is a recipient of the community-engaged scholar award from the School of Health and Human Sciences and of the Charles D. Henry Award, honoring significant contributions to ethnic minorities in SHAPE America.

Website

www.kin.uncg.edu

Resources Mentioned

Little Book of Restorative Justice

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) www.nape.org.uk

Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/support

Have you seen our live shows on YouTube? www.EducationOnFire.com/youtube

Want help to start a podcast? www.educationonfire.com/lspr

Mentioned in this episode:

NAPE Al Kingsley Summit Promo

Watch Mark Taylor interview Al Kingsley about 'Creating Digital Strategies for Schools' as part of the Primary Education Summit 2023 - Visions for the Future - presented by National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) https://www.educationonfire.com/creating-digital-strategies-for-schools/

Spencer Russell is the Founder of Toddlers Can Read, a groundbreaking program that helps thousands of parents across the world teach their children to read. His fierce conviction that every child deserves the best start in life inspired him to walk away from a comfortable 100K salary job after teaching his son to read at just two years old.

With a background as a former award-winning kindergarten and first-grade teacher, Spencer has received widespread recognition as one of the most outstanding educators in his city, state, and national charter network. He has become a trailblazer in literacy innovation with his unique approach to education, leading him to amass over 2 million followers on social media.

Spencer's incredible work has even earned him a feature in the TikTok Sparks Good docuseries, which highlights small businesses that have found success on the platform. He has also been featured on FOX, Parents.com, FamilyEducation and Popsugar Parenting. Through his unwavering dedication to providing children with the best start in life, Spencer is changing the face of education and empowering parents to help their toddlers achieve incredible feats of literacy.

Website

www.toddlersread.com

Social Media Information

@toddlerscanread

Resources Mentioned

Phonics from A-Z Wiley Blevins

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) www.nape.org.uk

Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/support

Have you seen our live shows on YouTube? www.EducationOnFire.com/youtube

Want help to start a podcast? www.educationonfire.com/lspr

Mentioned in this episode:

NAPE Al Kingsley Summit Promo

Watch Mark Taylor interview Al Kingsley about 'Creating Digital Strategies for Schools' as part of the Primary Education Summit 2023 - Visions for the Future - presented by National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) https://www.educationonfire.com/creating-digital-strategies-for-schools/

London School of Public Relations - Podcasting Course with Mark Taylor

The 1-day Essentials of Podcasting Certificated short course is highly practical and packed full of useful information to get you on the road to producing your own professional podcasts. The Podcasting course will help you to create, edit, deliver and promote your podcast. The course also provides useful tips and tricks from industry experts on producing professional and effective results.

LSPR

Dr. Tim Dasey has a long history in AI and learning science, and recently published the book “Wisdom Factories: AI, Games, and the Education of a Modern Worker.” After thirty years at MIT leading AI development for diverse government needs, Tim leapt into education due to concern that minds won’t be ready for the jobs that remain human.

He has a smidge of teaching experience at corporate, higher ed, and K-12 levels. Dr. Dasey has atypical perspectives on the future of schooling built from a blend of AI expertise, experience with many industries, depth in the science of learning and judgment, and more than a decade leading development of game-based learning tools.

Website

www.timdasey.com

Social Media Information

linkedin.com/in/timdasey

Resources Mentioned

Use the paid version of AI to really see what it can do.

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)

SEND Conference Friday 26th April – Hybrid event https://nape.org.uk/conference-2024

Welcome to the NAPE Conference 2024, which is focusing on SEND: challenges and strategies! Join us at the University of Bedfordshire for a day filled with insightful discussions, workshops and networking opportunities. This event is designed to address the unique challenges faced by individuals with special educational needs and disabilities; we hope you come away at the end of the day fired with ideas and knowledge about SEND.

Learn from experts specifically chosen to talk to you, some of whom are practitioners who have come away from their school to be at the conference. We have an excellent keynote speaker, and you can choose two of the workshops, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to collaborate and learn together! https://nape.org.uk/conference-2024

Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/support

Have you seen our live shows on YouTube? www.EducationOnFire.com/youtube

Setting and Scoring Financial Goals is a basic guide for any soccer fan who wants to understand personal finance better. The consistent sports metaphor explains intimidating concepts such as "small cap stocks" with ease for anyone who understands "the beautiful game." Although it may seem complex, finance is simply a game like any other with players, strategies, and results. In order to win the game, it's necessary first to understand it and this book is a great first step!

Fill Your Boots was Pete Huryk’s first book. Intended for high school-age soccer players, it is filled with life lessons that overlap with the game of soccer. The book can be read as a whole or read section by section depending on the needs of the individual.

In his sophomore work, Soccer Life Balance, Pete took a more methodical approach to individual achievement. Using facets of the game as metaphors for different aspects of life and their systematic improvement, Soccer Life Balance is a resource manual for taking steps toward being a better version of one’s self.

Chris Schaefer is a senior advisor at a boutique wealth management firm based outside of Washington, D.C. with over 20 years of experience. As a senior advisor, Chris manages all aspects of his client relationships and works closely with the firm's investment management, portfolio operations and client services divisions.

Previously, Chris spent five years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the audit and assurance services group. His specialization was in financial services, with expertise in the banking and mortgage banking industries. While there, he also gained experience in investment management, real estate and insurance.

Chris holds a B.B.A degree, cum laude, from Loyola University Maryland, where he was a member of the Beta Alpha Psi (Accounting), and Beta Gamma Sigma (Business) honor societies.

Website

www.sportsfinancellc.com

Social Media Information

Instagram - @sportsfinancellc

Resources Mentioned

Impact Theory Podcast

Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)

SEND Conference Friday 26th April – Hybrid event https://nape.org.uk/conference-2024

Welcome to the NAPE Conference 2024, which is focusing on SEND: challenges and strategies! Join us at the University of Bedfordshire for a day filled with insightful discussions, workshops and networking opportunities. This event is designed to address the unique challenges faced by individuals with special educational needs and disabilities; we hope you come away at the end of the day fired with ideas and knowledge about SEND.

Learn from experts specifically chosen to talk to you, some of whom are practitioners who have come away from their school to be at the conference. We have an excellent keynote speaker, and you can choose two of the workshops, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to collaborate and learn together! https://nape.org.uk/conference-2024

Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/support

Have you seen our live shows on YouTube? www.EducationOnFire.com/youtube