🎤 Quotable Quote
“Be open and be positive.”
— Dr. Heather Handler
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🎧 This Week’s Guest: Dr. Heather Handler
Dr. Heather Handler knows what it's like to be handed a challenge with no roadmap.
When she was tasked with launching a youth apprenticeship program, there was no playbook. No templates. No step-by-step guide. Just a big opportunity and a lot of figuring it out as she went.
Now she's written the book she wishes someone had handed her on day one.
In this week's episode, Heather joins Marnie and Nick to discuss youth apprenticeships, career readiness, and why we need to stop thinking of career and technical education as the "other" path.
Because for many students, it may be the best path.
And in a world where AI is reshaping careers faster than schools can update curriculum, helping students discover who they are becoming may matter more than helping them choose a job title.
💥 Leadership Rule of the Week
Be open and be positive.
Heather's leadership philosophy is remarkably simple.
Stay open to new ideas.
Stay positive about possibilities.
You never know who you're talking to, what opportunity is around the corner, or which relationship might change your future.
The leaders who thrive are the ones who keep doors open instead of closing them.
💡 Other Topics We Loved
• Why modern CTE is not the vocational education many people remember
• How youth apprenticeships help students build confidence and purpose
• Why college and career readiness are not competing ideas
• The growing demand for skilled trades in an AI-driven economy
• How students transform when they discover work they genuinely love
• Why exposure and opportunity should start much earlier than high school
One of our favorite insights from Heather?
Stop asking students what they want to be.
Start asking them what they enjoy doing.
The jobs will change.
The technologies will change.
But understanding how you're wired, how you like to work, and what energizes you creates a foundation that lasts.
📺 Learn More
📘 The Educator's Guide to Youth Apprenticeships by Dr. Heather Handler. 🛒 Available on Amazon beginning June 19th
💼 Connect with Heather on LinkedIn
More leadership musings
🍪 Biscuits with the Boss:
Ask your team:
What did you love doing when you were seven years old?
Then ask:
How much of that still shows up in your life today?
You might be surprised how many clues about our future have been hiding in plain sight all along.
🌎 This week in Here - There - Every F’ing where
If you are in sales and don't know Stacia Skinner, you should grab a coffee with her (maybe Tuesday at 2:00 iykyk ;) ). We wrote the foreward of her upcoming book on Pipeline management (for sales folks AND sales managers!).
And if you prefer tea (sorry Ted!) like Marnie, you should ask the next time she and her daughter Josie (aka Ms. Stockman) are teaching etiquette lessons at a tea party for her students.
We would love to hear where you are out and about in the world - maybe we can run into you and have tea this summer! (Edfriends - be sure to check out the EduGrowth conference in San Joaquin, CA July 11th!)
Believe!
Nick & Marnie
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