Earlier this year, I was invited to do a TEDx Talk at Grand Canyon University. I stumbled across the interview questions for the preview event today, and thought I would share them with you here.
1) What has been your most meaningful accomplishment to date?
That actually happened this week, Nancy Duarte quoted me on Twitter (Whaaaaaatttttt!!!!) and liked a couple of tweets that I was tagged in. Now if she follows me on twitter, I will have arrived in life!!!
*Note: These responses were crafted in January, and to date, no follow by Nancy… sigh….
2) Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
I would tell the 18-year-old version of me that although you do not know what it means now, but when you hear of Bitcoin, invest! And sale it in November of 2017! I would also tell the younger version to lighten up a little and to not take everything so seriously, everything will be as it is meant to be.
3) When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
Lately, any free time has been occupied with tennis, Orange Theory, writing, and activities related to boards that I serve on. Ideally, I would like to spend more time with family and outdoors. I’m also anxious to get started on our home remodel which is long overdue.
4) If you had to choose three adjectives to describe yourself, what would they be?
Resilient, Creative, Determined
5) Why do you want to tell this story/talk? Where does that passion come from?
Education has always been my calling in life and I have seen how it’s transformed lives and provides opportunities. It’s apart of my DNA!
6) What gets you excited/fired up?
In addition to a good tennis match, the future is mind blowing. I love learning about the projected advances in technology and the world around us. It’s simultaneously exciting and terrifying! I also geek out about the human brain and how we are wired. That takes me back to question two, I would tell my 18-year old self to learn more about the brain and how we are wired at an earlier age, this would have been so advantageous as a teacher in understanding how students learn.
7) What’s the best and worst piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Best advice- always leave things just as good or better than you found them, that applies to places you visit, jobs, and most importantly, relationships
Worst advice – drink red bull before a presentation or interview- terrible advice
8) What impact do you hope your TEDx talk will have?
My hope is that this talk will cause people to think differently about the future and how we “do” education. We have come along way already, but we are not keeping up with the changes that are happening in business and industry.
9) What started you on this journey (pertaining to your topic)?
Traveling can sometimes lead to new found connections, yet I never expected to have one of those connections come through on an in-flight magazine. In January 2017, after coming to terms with the news that the plane was not equipped with wifi and remorse for that Starbucks latte that made it impossible to sleep, I decided to thumb through the Southwest mag and read an article that ultimately has changed the way that I view the world around me. That lead to reading the book, The Gravity Well, that the article referenced, meeting the author, and then coauthoring a book, The Martians in Your Classroom, together. This talk is inspired by the book.
If asked to do a TED Talk, what is your idea worth spreading and why? What are your responses to the questions above? Keep the conversation going and include #MartianClassroom!
