The Authority Podcast — Expert Insights and Fresh Ideas for Education Leaders

Dr. Mario Acosta spent 20 years of his educational career as a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, academic director, and principal leading schools with diverse profiles. 

He was named the 2022 Principal of the Year in the state of Texas while he was the principal at Westwood High School, a U.S. News & World Report top-50 campus and member of the High Reliability Schools (HRS) Network.

His latest book is The Schools Our Students Deserve: A Comprehensive Framework for Shaping Exceptional School Culture.

We discuss:

• What are the schools our students deserve? Are we asking this question enough?
• The current state of schools and identifying the gaps
• Outcomes students deserve…
• The values to center in a school’s culture
• Many schools saw temporary bursts of innovation after the pandemic, but struggled to sustain them. How can leaders build on the urgency of that moment and create lasting change?
• How does a leader take charge of the culture? 
• Building support from the community
• Attracting high-quality educators and retaining them long-term

Ranan Lachman is a transformation expert with a BA in Computer Science and an MBA who has reinvented himself across radically different worlds — jet-fighter co-pilot, management consultant, Wall Street investment banker, and CEO of multiple technology companies.

He lives what he teaches, having relocated to four countries across four continents and even circled the globe for a year with his family while managing a startup.

Ranan is currently founder and CEO of Better Speech. We discuss his work with Better Speech and his book, Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World.

Topics include:

• How AI can help schools address special education goals
• Principles for implementing AI responsibly in special education
• How can professionals proactively prepare for AI disruption in their industry?
• Daily practices to develop the adaptability “muscle”
• Evolving intentionally as an individual and an organization

Learn more about today’s guest:

As a Walt Disney Imagineer, Brian helped create the stories and magic for some of the world’s most beloved attractions. Over the past 35 years, he has produced work for a who’s who list of corporations, as well as small entrepreneurial ventures. 

Now, as a sought-after Innovation Consultant through his practice known as The Brainstorm Institute, he works with both large and small companies to help them gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Currently, he is a full-time instructor at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College, where he teaches a variety of courses related to themed entertainment, immersive design, event production, and advanced technologies. 

His book is Creative Cross-Pollination: A Former Imagineer's Take on the Innovation Process.

We discuss:

• Brian’s background as a Walt Disney Imagineer and his work writing for some of the world’s most beloved theme parks — and how this work influenced his approach to education
• His definition of innovation
• The 4 techniques of Creative Cross-Pollination
• How educators can integrate this technique into their work
• Driving innovation and creativity in education
• Emerging trends in technology (AR/VR, Telematics, Military, etc.)...and how to cross-pollinate
• Brian’s take on the future of work

James I. Bond is one of America’s leading behavioral management specialists. He joins the show to talk about his book Brain Glue, which was named a 2023 Best Business Book finalist by Publishers Weekly.

We discuss:

• How selling becomes much easier by making your ideas “sticky” 
• The desire to connect with others and make your ideas connect
• The science of persuasion
• Understanding the way people learn about ideas
• The power of humor

About the host

Mitch Weathers is an educator, author of the bestselling book, Executive Functions for Every Classroom, and the founder of Organized Binder. He returns to the show to share tips for authors, especially how to launch and promote your book. 

We talk about:

• Starting to plan for a book launch
• Knowing why you want to write
• It doesn’t matter how valuable your book is if nobody knows it exists
• The book as a marketing vessel: how does it open doors?
• Use your network to your advantage
• What makes promoting a book different from promoting your business?
• How to define success