One Step Ahead with Tom Czyz

In this episode, I speak with two of my good friends and hosts of the Multiply Podcast, Pastor David Hertweck and Pastor Jared Berry. We explore what it means to live a life of purpose and the impact of good leadership. Join us for this positive conversation.David Hertweck has served as the lead pastor at Trinity Assembly of God in Clay, NY, since January 2018. Previously he served the New York Ministry Network (AG) for 7 years as the director of youth ministry and Chi Alpha. David is passionate about helping local church leaders create and sustain disciple-making environments marked by Gospel Fluency, Spirit Dependency and Biblical Community. David travels the country speaking at leadership and youth ministry conferences. David is the author of three books, Good Kids, Big Events and Matching T-Shirts (My Healthy Church), The Word and the Spirit (GPH) and Better Talks (NYMN). David is also the editor of A Gospel Catechism (NYMN). He has his MA in Transformational Leadership from Northeastern Seminary. David is married to Erin and they have three daughters: Lilia, Caraline and Madelaine.Jared Berry currently serves as the New York AG youth and Chi Alpha director. Before that, he served for 12 years as a youth, college, and discipleship pastor in Long Island NY. Jared is the co-host of The Multiply Podcast and Better Student Ministry Podcast. He's been married to his wife Jen for 15 years and they have two children, Judah and Charlotte.Listen to The Multiply Podcast on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-multiply-podcast/id1399001636To learn more about Trinity Assembly of God Church, visit: https://www.trinityagchurch.orgTo learn more about the New York Ministry Network, visit: https://www.nymn.org

Join me for a great conversation with Dr. Michael Barbera, founder and Chief Behavioral Officer of Clicksuasion Labs. In this episode, we talk about the challenges and decisions that entrepreneurs face as they build and grow their businesses.Dr. Michael Barbera is an award-winning consumer psychologist and business strategist. Michael is the chief behavioral officer at Clicksuasion Labs, and his clients have appeared on the Fortune 500 list, as well as on ABC’s Shark Tank, Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Michael is a trusted thought leader and expert in consumer perceptions, emotions, and experiences that drive consumer decision-making both online and in person. His practice areas include social psychology, brand management, marketing, behavioral economics, behavioral finance, and long-term business growth strategies. In 2015, the White House recognized Michael for his contributions to entrepreneurship. He shares his evidence-based insights and experiences as a celebrated keynote speaker, dynamic TEDx presenter, published academic researcher, and host of the thoughtfully curated Clicksuasion podcast. More than 200,000 people have seen Michael speak on four continents, and he has also earned more than 350,000 views online. To learn more about Clicksuasion Labs, visit here: https://www.clicksuasion.comTo learn more about Armoured One, visit here: https://armouredone.com

In this episode I speak with author and former school administrator, John Sardella, about the changes he witnessed over his career around school safety, leading staff and students through a tragedy, as well as overcoming personal grief. John highlights the importance of proactive steps taken by school districts to ensure the safety and security of their staff and students as well as the value of connections in overcoming grief. John Sardella is the author of A Journey Without a Map, How to Start a Successful YouthLacrosse Program, L is for Lacrosse: An ABC Book, and Quick Stick Harry and The Ball Hog. John’s professional career was spent in the Liverpool Central School District where he was a teacher for sixteen years and a principal for fifteen years. He is now retired and enjoys spending his time writing, golfing, and being with family and friends.After twenty-seven years of marriage, John lost the love of his life when his wife, Margaret, passed away following a seven-year battle with cancer. John looked for a book that would give him space for his pain and inspire him to move forward, but all he found were clinical books written by psychologists. That was John’s motivation to write this book and share how heworked through the grieving process in the hopes of reminding others not only that they are not alone, but also that they will be okay. A Journey Without a Map gives you permission to not only feel those real and true feelings you have, but also permission to move forward. Sharing stories that span from Margaret’s battle with cancer to her funeral and John’s life since, John demonstrates the power of connection and shows that with the proper perspective, you can still live life to its fullest extent. You can get back to being the person you’re capable of being—John wants to help you get there.Connect with John: Twitter @sardella_john or www.johnsardella.comLearn more about Armoured One here: https://armouredone.comLearn more about ONE Training here: https://trainingone.org

In this episode I talk with school administrator Joe DeLucca about the importance of connections and solutions for impactful school safety. Joe shares his experience as an administrator to discuss how various relationships and connections over his 25 year career has led to invaluable partnerships and solutions for the schools in his region. Joe and I also have a candid conversation about losing a loved one who was in law enforcement and the impact that it had on his life and career.Joe DeLucca is the Director of Federal, State & Nonpublic Programs for his region and its school districts in the State of Pennsylvania. He also serves as President of his County's Safe Schools Committee. Joe has over 25 years of experience in education where he has served as a teacher, school counselor, school administrator and coach. Joe earned his Master’s Degree in School Counseling along with his School Leadership & Superintendent Certificates from Marywood University. He is currently enrolled in the Wilkes University Doctoral of Education program.Joe holds several trainer certifications in Crisis Prevention and School Safety. He is the co-chairman of the Prevention Sub-Committee for the Luzerne County STOP Opioid Overdose Coalition and is also a member of the Luzerne County Suicide Prevention Committee. Joe has taught graduate courses in School Counseling at Marywood University and is currently an adjunct professor at King’s College where he teaches graduate courses in Crisis Response and School Safety.To learn more about Armoured One and our solutions, visit us here: https://armouredone.com

Pastor Randy Czyz is the Senior Pastor at Word of Life (WoL) Assembly of God in Baldwinsville, New York. He's also my dad. In this episode, we take a deep-dive into his journey to God and the various challenges he's faced along the way. From his early years as a Christian to his time as a Chaplain at West Point, we talk about the personal and professional experiences that shaped his life, his career, and his family. I am excited to share this special conversation with a man I've looked up to my whole life.Pastor Randy has been credentialed with the Assemblies of God since 1984 and served as youth pastor at Word of Life for four years. He then served as Chaplain with the AG at West Point USMA and at the same time planted a Church in Highland Falls, NY, which is at the gate of West Point. He moved back to Baldwinsville on June 1, 1992 to serve as senior pastor at Word of Life. Randy and his wife Mary Anne have been married over 40 years and have 13 grandchildren.To learn more about Word of Life Assembly of God or become involved in the church, visit their website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org.To learn more about Armoured One's products and services, visit their website at https://armouredone.com.

In this episode, I talk with a first-grade teacher who saved the lives of her fifteen students during the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, 2012. Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis is now an author of the book Choosing Hope and the Founder & Executive Director of Classes 4 Classes, Inc. In the attack, twenty 6 and 7-year-olds and six staff members were murdered. Kaitlin shares her story from that day as well as how she has decided to push through the trauma and grief to create a program that empowers students and teachers around the country.Kaitlin attended UCONN and was accepted to the NEAG School of Education, where she completed her Masters of Education with honors in 2006. She was a member of Order of Omega honor society, The Historical honor society and the NEAG honor society, and was named a New England Scholar in 2005. She taught at Sandy Hook Elementary for several years before leaving to start Classes 4 Classes, Inc. In addition to her leadership role at Classes 4 Classes, Inc., Kaitlin teaches the Level III active shooter prevention course, The Power of Choice, for ONE Training.Classes 4 Classes, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to teach children the power of kindness and compassion through their ability to create positive change for others. The platform provided by our website actively engages students in learning a social curriculum through the exchange of gifts with other K-8 classrooms, which fulfill a need or educational objective. These gifts are crowd-funded by visitors and donors to our site. The gift is given to the teacher and the students in the receiving classroom only once the project goal is reached, and the receiving classroom has started their own project to “pay it 4ward” to another classroom.Learn more about Kaitlin and her many accolades, here: https://kaitlinroigdebellis.org/about/Learn more about Classes 4 Classes, Inc. here: http://www.classes4classes.org/Learn more about ONE Training here: www.trainingone.org.Purchase Kaitlin's book, Choosing Hope, here.

"If you know you need help you have to go and seek it and it's very hard to be vulnerable. I don't like being vulnerable, I don't know anybody who likes being vulnerable. But, being vulnerable is so hugely important in taking that first step to ask for help." - Elissa GibbsIn this episode, I talk with Elissa Gibbs who struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety at the height of her career. While we often hear stories of women who risked it all for career success, Elissa took what she experienced to find her purpose: to help other new moms who are experiencing postpartum struggles. Join us for a conversation around career progression, depression and anxiety, and finding purpose in life.Elissa earned her Master of Social Science degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She has an extensive background in research and writing for both higher education and business. Elissa is the author of Through The Waters: Moments of Comfort for the Postpartum Mom. Prior to her career as a writer, Elissa served as the Chief of Staff at my company, Armoured One, a safety and security firm whose mission is focused on protecting children, faculty, and staff in schools. She remains involved with our company by producing this podcast and writing our blogs. Prior to Armoured One, she worked at a national veteran service organization where she helped veterans and military spouses with their post-service lives and businesses.Purchase Elissa's book, Through The Waters here: https://www.elissagibbs.com/book/Learn more about Armoured One's products and services here: https://armouredone.comInterested in Active Shooter Prevention Training for your school or business? Learn more at www.trainingone.org.Other Resources Recommended by Elissa:Postpartum Support InternationalOffice of Women's HealthACOG

"You can't explain something that's extraordinarily rare, by pointing to something that's extraordinarily common." - Dr. Peter LangmanIn this episode, I talk with Dr. Peter Langman who has spent more than 20 years studying the underlying causes of school shootings. While the media portrays bullying as the primary cause, Dr. Langman argues that there are generally much deeper issues behind kids killing their peers. Join us for an honest conversation about active shooters in schools, what parents can do to pay more attention to their kids, and what steps schools can take to better protect their students, faculty, and staff.Dr. Langman is a psychologist whose research on school shooters has received international recognition, with 500 media interviews in 31 countries. He has conducted trainings on school safety for Homeland Security, the FBI National Academy in Quantico, and FBI Headquarters, as well as organizations and school districts around the country. He is a researcher with Police Foundation and the National Threat Assessment Center of the United States Secret Service. His work has been cited in congressional testimony on Capitol Hill and his recommendations on school safety were presented to President Obama by the CEO of American Psychological Association.Purchase Dr. Langman's Book, Why Kids Kill, here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0230608027/Learn more about active shooter incidents through Dr. Langman's Library & Database here: https://schoolshooters.infoLearn more about campus safety security solutions through Drift Net Securities here: https://www.driftnetsecurities.comInterested in Active Shooter Prevention Training for your school or business? Learn more at www.trainingone.org.Other Resources Recommended by Dr. Langman:SchoolSafety.govPrevention Resources