Stay ConnectedTed Neitzke brings you the ”The Smart Thinking Podcast.” Smart Thinking is for anyone and everyone — because we are all leaders. Join us weekly for reflective activities and strategies to grow yourself and others. Ted shares his leadership expertise with simple to apply tools.
You will grow in your ability to step into the storm’s life presents with energy and optimism. Just like the buffalo!
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This is an engaging conversation between Ted and Jonathan Reynolds who met in Kansas City after Jonathan had keynoted at the 2026 EOS conference. Jonathan is an enthusiastic leader and a creative problem-solver who has nearly 20 years of experience in recruiting and talent strategy. He is the CEO of Titus Talent Strategies, and he has helped over 1500 organizations build better workforces and cultures.
Jonathan is also the author of Right Seats, Right People: A Leader's Guide to Hiring and Developing Top Talent, where he introduced his Head, Heart, Briefcase approach to understanding the whole person when making hiring decisions.
He and Ted also share energy and mindset!
Are you coachable? Take a listen as we explore the behaviors of those who are and are not coachable. This episode identifies the four types of people in coaching and shares reflections and actions to make you more coachable and a better coach of others.
Fall is a season of change for many of us smart thinkers and as a result we need to be prepared. How about a sequence of texts to help you be perseverant, learn from mistakes, be more creative when facing constraints, help teams collaborate through it all, be a better writer/communicator and then reflect on how you are doing and who you are!
Well, below is a list of texts that Ted is recommending for this fall!
Song: Lost Cause, Louise, Lately
What if we could hear about the future? Well, you can on this episode as Ted discusses how Australian laws around cell phones and social media have positively impacted learning and student wellbeing. Australia is a great study of what “to do” in order to support the growth of young people.
Principal Lars Anderson from Thornbury High School near Melbourne, Australia gives us insight into what the positive consequences have been with cell phones bans for the last six years and how the social media prohibitions for children under 16 are impacting children at his school.
This is a great conversation about the ways in which technology can be successfully unraveled and how one school has shifted their methods in order to better support students.
Each of us is on an amazing journey each week. Regardless of age, every single one of us collects great moments in our day-to-day. Well, what if we took the time to support ourselves and others so that we could collect and reflect on the greatest moments of our day or support others to think about their day, their week, or their life.
Well, now you can through this fun and engaging process that is relevant for everyone at every stage of their life.
Buy Ted's book here: https://www.gotoyourstorm.org/
Do you have a purpose statement? If not why not? No purpose - no point!
What process do you use to ensure you are living your purpose and doing what you need to do in order to be the best you?
This episode is a great reflection opportunity for you to help you create a statement to guide you and the episode ends with a call to action and as well as the research to help you lead others to their purpose.
This summer Jared and Ted joined forces at the Smart Thinking Leadership retreat and presented to hundreds of educators. Jared was a smash hit and his research, strategies, and ideas were quickly taken back into educational systems to support learning and a movement away from "edutech"
We've done our children and teachers a disservice and it's time to admit it, fix it, and move forward!
Take a listen as these two chat about the impact of technology on learning and then - -go get the rerelease and updated copy of his book "The Digital Delusion."
Too often those of us in education forget one simple idea about ourselves: we matter. Join Ted as he explores the ways in which we matter and he reminds us how impactful we actually all are and how to put up guardrails to ensure we are engaged for ourselves and others.
The episode ends with advice he gathered from over 40 educational professionals to help us all remember our IMPACT!
What principle guides you when you lead others? From today forward it will be the RIDE principle. A keen recognition of your influence with others.
Listen as Ted take's the lessons from horseback riding and applies it to how we should manage our classrooms, staff rooms, and board rooms. Because humans and horses literally share a heartbeat when together and so do we when we are leading groups. How we act is how they'll react!
R: Resilient
I: Interdependent
D: Determination
E: Enthusiastic
Hey Hey! Ted has written another book and on this episode he describes why listening to a nudge helped him complete his first full leadership book. A book filled with practical and applicable ways to approach life.
Go To Your Storm is an inspirational, personal growth, and leadership development book written by veteran educator and coach Ted Neitzke. Dedicated to equipping young people, new leaders, and even experienced individuals with a resilient approach to life, the book blends authentic personal anecdotes from Neitzke’s decades-long career in education and coaching athletics and people. The six chapters serve as a life and leadership framework for everyone.
Pre-sale has already begun and pre-sale orders will be autographed and include a free gift.
Book can be pre-ordered here.
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