Breakfast Club Blog
The Power Of Children
Last month, I asked Marlowe (my 11-year old) to write another post for me. She’s written here before, on everything from the importance of being yourself to summer planning. This time, I told her that Women’s History Month was coming up so I wanted to showcase a young woman’s voice. And I casually added, “maybe talk something about how powerful young people are, and how they are underestimated.” This was “before.” This was back when the coronavirus was t...Read More
Shift: From Helplessness to Hope & the Power of Humanity
Amidst the news of a virus that feels eerily apocalyptic, I feel the need for us to take a collective breath. While it is important to stay calm, it is also important to use good judgment in realizing that we each have the power as individuals to slow the spread and be socially responsible for the potential impact. Through a phrase that is quickly being elevated in response to COVID-19, “social distancing” from others will help slow the spread of the virus that could negatively impact those we l...Read More
In Praise of #Lovingdad
This blog was originally posted on the website Readsand.com and with permission from Breakfast Club Blogger, Marcus Struther. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I hope my son still kisses me when he’s 13!” These were the words said to me by a friend whose son was 2 at the time. I had just recently shared a story about my twin sons, who were about to turn 14 and currently being bullied at school because they kiss their dad. They we...Read More
Mindset: An After-School Legacy from Kobe Bryant
Kobe “Bean” Bryant was one of the youngest players to enter the National Basketball Association (NBA), at 18 years of age. He played 20 years for one of the greatest sports franchises in the history of professional sports, the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a five-time NBA World Champion, two-time Men’s Basketball Gold Medalist, twice the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals. He was voted the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2008. He became one of Nike’s greatest ambassadors, next only to...Read More
New Year…New What?
This blog was originally posted in 2014, we think it is timeless. Happy New Year from BOOST Collaborative. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ It is one day before the end of the year and most people are trying to figure out how to improve themselves for next year. We are working on resolutions that are usually long forgotten by the second week of the New Year. Yet, we still do it! Before we all go mad trying to convince oursel...Read More
Do You Believe In The Power Of Music?
“Do you believe in the power of music?” is a question continually asked on the band BER’s Facebook page. Who is BER? What…you aren’t familiar with the world of Teen Titans GO!? Well, a quick backstory for you. BER is a little-known studio band that charted atop the Billboard Hot Rock with “The Night Begins to Shine,” an 80’s-style song that was sitting in a music library until it will be plucked up, used in an episode of the cartoon, and then kept growing into its own 4-part cartoon special abou...Read More
Leaders Who Inspire Us: Jabez LeBret
Editor’s Note: Continuing with our Leaders Who Inspire Us campaign, check out today’s featured leader Jabez LeBret! Keep an eye out for more inspirational people in our field who are change-makers. If you want to recommend someone, please send a note to breakfastclub@boostcollaborative.org. Jabez LeBret has been homeless, is a high school dropout, and was on a path to nowhere. After getting his GED, Jabez studied finance and marketing at Gonzaga University. He went on to become a financial analy...Read More
All You Need Is Love
A couple of years ago I bought a new car. It came with a 6-month free trial for a satellite radio service. I don’t typically listen to the radio. I actually enjoy the moments of peace and quiet I can have when I’m driving. It’s an opportunity to think. But when my son Oliver is in the car with me, he always insists on having something to listen to. He is 11 years old, so his first choice is hip hop, but the language is a bit uncomfortable for me, so we tried the comedy channel, which was worse. ...Read More
When The Earthquake Hits…Navigating Personal Trauma
As professionals in the field of education and youth development, we are often faced monthly, weekly, and even daily, with helping support and manage other people’s trauma. We hear the horrible stories, watch in live-action the day to day responses and behaviors of kids who have been traumatized, and often spend our days and nights urging others to seek out guidance and help for managing these almost unimaginable experiences. But, what happens when the tables turn and that trauma is our own? Thr...Read More
The Lost Places
“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” Rosalía de Castro I love quotes—they inspire me, they encourage me, they guide me, they offer words when I can find none. I collect them like one might collect coins or shells, and surround myself with them when I feel lost. I’m in a lost place right now. I think so many of us hide that feeling, that lost place, shielding ourselves instead with an “I’m fine!” for the rest o...Read More
How Gratitude Changed My Life…A Very Deep Dive And Personal Reflection
10 years ago my gratitude list most likely looked similar to the lists of those reading this blog. Here’s how it went: Thank you for my good health Thank you for my family Thank you for the good health of my children Thank you for my prospering business Thank you for my beautiful house Thank you for my friends Thank you to my mom It seems easier to find gratitude for things when your life is filled with blessings and gifts. Around 2010, my life started to go sideways and I became confused,...Read More
The Student and The Teacher
For the past year and half, our team has been working to transform the organizational culture of large educational systems. Though deep and profound as a sentence, we have found that this transformation essentially begins with oneself. Simple to say and write. A lifetime to do and practice. And yet many times we are often asked, “This is great stuff…. But when are we going to get to the real work?” The Personal Mastery needed to lead and transform large educational systems (especially instit...Read More