Life is an Adventure. Let’s Explore the Journey Together!
In education and expanded learning, we often take the path less traveled – the unpaved trail that leads to exploration and adventure! The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is excited to spotlight the journeys of the BOOST Leadership and BOOST Ambassador teams in the Fall 2025 Collaborative Blog Series – Share Your Career Journey: Explore the Path We’ve Traveled. Thank you to these important BOOST partners for adventuring into the unknown for the betterment of our youth and communities.
From forest paths to mountain peaks, adventure awaits with Nathan Houston (He/Him/His). Let’s go! Thank you, Nathan, for inviting us to join your journey! We appreciate you!
Explore the Path We’ve Traveled with BOOST Ambassador, Nathan Houston (He/Him/His)
Nathan is the Founder/CEO for IAMIMPACT in Sacramento, CA, and is a proud BOOST Ambassador.
What is your career path journey? How did you get involved in the out-of-school time, expanded learning, and/or educational fields?
I got involved in Expanded Learning as a participant in an afterschool program.
What part of your career path has surprised you most?
What surprised me most was leaving my previous organization, where I spent 18 years. I had never seen myself leaving until I was gone.
Who has supported you on your journey as a mentor, colleague, or friend?
There have been so many people who have supported me on my journey. But I will say my Pastor and mentor Mark Meeks, because he believed in my initial vision so much that he invested in my first ever #iAmImpact shirts. He saw what beyond my initial vision.
What keeps you in the field?
God and my passion to serve the people in the field. I truly believe it is a calling. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Expanded Learning field. I want to continue to share as much as I can with as many as I can.
As you continue on the journey, what areas of leadership are you developing in yourself?
I am developing in the areas of delegation and collaboration. I am realizing more and more that we can accomplish so much more together. A great leader builds the capacity of the people around them. As much as it’s about me, it’s not about me.
What skills are the most crucial to succeeding in this field?
Social emotional intelligence. I believe if a person works on these areas, success is a guarantee.
What would you recommend others pack in their “career backpack”? Why are those items important?
In a career backpack, I would recommend others pack their core values.
I believe values are the compass that lead us when we are ever in doubt or unsure.
Tell us about your BOOST adventure? When did you get started?
BOOST 2015 – it was an 8-hour drive from Sacramento, and I could only see out of one eye. But I was determined to experience this conference that I had never heard of. If you’re curious about what went down, you have to come to one of my workshops because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Let’s just say I’ve attended every year since. BOOST BABY!
What is the best mistake you have made in your career? What did you learn from it?
Findings during FPM. It taught me the importance of paperwork and organization. Auditing three schools, site by site and student by student, is a lesson I will never forget. Take care of your attendance, people.
Today, for breakfast, I had…
Turkey Bacon and Avocado Sandwich with Chips. It was so yum.
Nathan, from all of us here at TEAMBOOST, thank you for inviting us to explore the path you’ve traveled and journey alongside you. We are excited to see where the adventure will lead as you INSPIRE YOUTH, INSPIRE LEARNING, and INSPIRE CHANGE.
Meredith White
We are grateful for you, Nathan. Thank you for your leadership and for your IMPACT in the field – you make a difference! The skills most critical to the field that you mentioned – social emotional intelligence – got me thinking about developing that area further in my life, particularly since our field is so relationally-driven… how best can we move from transactional to transformational? And how can we take care of the transactional things well (attendance!) in order to be transformational? Appreciate your blog post! Meredith