Podcasts about Wayfinding Academy

This week we sit down at Wayfinding College (formerly Wayfinding Academy) in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, along with the institution's forward-thinking founder, Michelle Jones. Some of the topics covered include: • Her mission to revolutionize higher education. • Some of the challenges faced by the college, the students, and herself. • Nonsensical bureaucracy. • The value of mentoring and collaboration. • Tiny house living. Michelle's website Wayfinding College IgniterPod.com Support the podcast: https://anchor.fm/igniterpod/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/igniterpod/support

A lot of young people go to college or university because, well that's what you are supposed to do. They spend a few years of their lives going through the motions of attending classes, and then hopefully on the other end, wind up with a degree that will serve them the rest of their lives. Oh, and accumulate a lot of debt in the process. Is that really serving young people? Too often the big choice offered to high schoolers is what college to pick, rather than what life to pick. My guest today is on a mission to change that narrative. Michelle Jones is doing her life's work right now, which is both exhilarating and terrifying. Her purpose in life is to help others figure out what they want to do with their lives and start doing it. She is the founder of Wayfinding Academy, which offers programs to do just that - help young people undercover what truly lights them up, and then prepare them for a career in that direction. Many graduates have gone straight from Wayfinding into fields that require no additional schooling but where having a strong network is essential, such as: event planning, carpentry, wildland firefighting, small business start-ups, teaching at alternative schools, and hospitality. Others have gone on to enroll in four-year colleges to make an impact in fields such as: education, biology, philosophy, and communications. And here's an amazing statistic - 100% of Wayfinding students graduate debt-free. This is going to be an incredible conversation you won't want to miss.

A lot of young people go to college or university because, well that's what you are supposed to do. They spend a few years of their lives going through the motions of attending classes, and then hopefully on the other end, wind up with a degree that will serve them the rest of their lives. Oh, and accumulate a lot of debt in the process. Is that really serving young people? Too often the big choice offered to high schoolers is what college to pick, rather than what life to pick. My guest today is on a mission to change that narrative. Michelle Jones is doing her life's work right now, which is both exhilarating and terrifying. Her purpose in life is to help others figure out what they want to do with their lives and start doing it. She is the founder of Wayfinding Academy, which offers programs to do just that - help young people undercover what truly lights them up, and then prepare them for a career in that direction. Many graduates have gone straight from Wayfinding into fields that require no additional schooling but where having a strong network is essential, such as: event planning, carpentry, wildland firefighting, small business start-ups, teaching at alternative schools, and hospitality. Others have gone on to enroll in four-year colleges to make an impact in fields such as: education, biology, philosophy, and communications. And here's an amazing statistic - 100% of Wayfinding students graduate debt-free. This is going to be an incredible conversation you won't want to miss.

Michelle Jones discovered the tiny house movement well before most of us, struck up a friendship with Dee Williams, and had her 84sf tiny house built by Dee’s company PAD. She’s been quietly living tiny in Portland, OR backyards for 11 years now, and in a lot of ways, tiny living has helped to guide and inspire her unconventional career choices. In this interview, Michelle shares her reflections on living tiny for 11 years and some of the unexpected things she has learned along the way. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/154In This Episode:Living tiny before it was a thing: Michelle's instincts, journey, and "aha" momentsIs there room for a relationship in a tiny home?Getting to know your tiny house and preparing for the different outcomes of difficult situationsSetting up systems for your environment and the importance of redundancyHow living tiny helped Michelle realize and pursue her purposeBuilding your house out of materials that are meaningful to youStaying tiny for 11 years: how to keep from accumulating too muchWhen living tiny helps you connect with and depend on your communityWhat the Wayfinding Academy does differently than most institutions of higher learningMichelle's tips for finding tiny house parkingThis week's sponsor: Tiny TuesdaysDid you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.

The need for human-centered learning does not stop after high school. For many students, post-secondary learning revolves around a traditional four-year college program. But what about the students who don’t want or fit in the traditional paradigm? Where do they find the program and support needed to develop their own potential? This week’s guest is revolutionizing higher education with her creation of a two-year, nonprofit community college that seeks to support students in living a life of purpose, through a focus on practical life skills, mentorship programs, and paid internships. Listen in as we explore what’s not working in the higher education system and how to evolve education beyond a traditional four-year college. About Michelle Jones: Dr. Michelle D. Jones, founder and Chief Academic Officer of Wayfinding Academy,  is on a mission to revolutionize higher education. After years of volunteering with groups and nonprofits to organize for social impact (SuperThank, TEDxMtHood, World Domination Summit) Michelle took a huge leap and founded Wayfinding Academy in June 2014 with a group of like-minded friends and colleagues. With continual progress being made, Michelle and her team are starting to see some ripple effects of change throughout higher education and their community.  When not ruffling the feathers of traditional higher education, Michelle can be found walking the Camino de Santiago with fellow Wayfinders (this summer will be her seventh time!) or relaxing at her tiny home in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about Michelle or the higher education revolution, visit her website or follow her on LinkedIn. Jump in the Conversation: [5:16] Defining the Wayfinding Academy experience [6:16] The Self and Society Degree: Resilience and identity-based coursework [8:12] Self-knowledge and accountability through mentorship [10:42] Personalizing the post-graduate journey [16:12] Education through life skills and community focus  [17:15] Wayfinding’s commitment to anti-racist action [21:39] Free college tuition initiative [27:54] Get to know Michelle: rapid-fire questions [31:36] Michelle’s Magic Wand: creating the space for students to make informed, intentional choices about life’s next step [33:01] My reflections on anti-racism, mentoring, and the value of a “pause” Links and Resources: Wayfinding Academy Wayfinding Academy's Free Tuition Initiative Program How to Be An Antiracist by Ibrham X. Kendi Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? Gregory McKelvey: Why We Protest Follow Michelle on Medium Email Maureen Facebook: Follow Education Evolution Twitter: Follow Education Evolution LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids Micro-school feature on Good Morning America The Micro-School Coalition Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition LEADPrep

Many students, parents, and educators alike have pointed out the problems with the higher education system, but Michelle Jones decided to do something about it. She started her own college in Portland, OR called Wayfinding Academy. On this episode we talked about: how her years as a professor showed her the problems in higher education (1:01) getting rid of grades and tests in favor of a student-driven curriculum (4:20) the first steps in creating Wayfinding Academy (8:36) transparency in tuition costs (12:34) replacing "admissions" with "matchmaking" (14:42) Wayfinding's "self and society" major (16:39) replacing "academic advisers" with "guides" (19:17) how can students convince their parents of an alternative college? (23:44) what paths do students take after completing Wayfinding? (28:03) 3 steps students can take to make their college experience work for them (33:24) To find links to everything we mentioned, and to sign up for weekly podcast shownotes in your inbox, click here. If you'd like to contribute a comment, question, or suggestion, send me an email or audio file/voice note over at hello@theblissbean.com. ⭑ SUPPORT THE SHOW ⭑ If you've found value in the podcast, please consider leaving a tip! It helps me to continue producing episodes and sharing conversations with cool people, and I really appreciate it. https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-bliss-bean You can also help out by leaving a review on iTunes! It means the world to me :) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bliss-bean-show/id1533921702 ⭑ CONNECT WITH ME ⭑ Website | www.theblissbean.com YouTube | The Bliss Bean Instagram | @theblissbean ⭑ OTHER ⭑ Music from Epidemic Sound. Try a 30-day free trial of music for your content: http://share.epidemicsound.com/theblissbean

Elizabeth’s guest today is Michelle Jones, entrepreneur, founder, and Chief Academic Officer of Wayfinding Academy. In this intimate and personal conversation, Michelle shares how an exercise she created for her students ultimately led her to develop a ne

In this episode, I find all about Michelle Jones and how her Wayfinding Academy in Portland, OR is changing higher education for the better. A 2 year, accredited program, this academy takes into account the student from a whole-istic perspective and paves the way for success through non-traditional programming, guided mentorship, and internship programs. We talk about new initiatives for #blacklivesmatter and how dismantling systemic white supremacy can happen in higher education. This chat was really energizing and inspiring for me, and I hope it will be for you as well. For more about Wayfinding Academy: https://wayfindingacademy.org/home/Lifefinding Program at Wayfinding Academy: https://wayfindingacademy.org/lifefinding-programBecome a Luminary: https://wayfindingacademy.org/become-a-luminaryQuotes of the week: “There’s more than one way to do life. One definition of success is not enough.” “We find the freedom to choose when we quiet the voice of others’ expectations.” “When we each live life on purpose we can all thrive.” (All from Michelle’s TedX Talk: https://bit.ly/docollegebetter) Check out my course “Flipping Dreams” on Teachable! 15% off July: DREAM15https://flipping-dreams.teachable.com/Thank you for tuning into this episode of Flipping Dreams! I can’t wait to bring you more content next week, and please subscribe & share this with any of your network of friends and family whom you think may be interested! Web: https://heatherreneemay.comFB: @heatherreneemayIG: @_everydayismayT: @flippingdreamsShow theme song, “Run Again” by Heather Ré Music: https://heatherreneemay.com/musichttps://ratethispodcast.com/flippingdreams

After 15 years teaching Leadership and Organizational Behavior courses in the traditional college system, Michelle Jones set out to create a one-of-a-kind educational experience designed to help you find your way, stretch your mind and grow your skills so you can live life on purpose. With 5 years in operation, Wayfinding Academy has over 100 years in faculty experience leading students ranging from 17 to 46 years old through courses titled like “the good life”, through 100’s of community events and partnerships, and learn and explore trips to places like Spain, Hong Kong, & Portugal. Yet this college has no grades, no textbooks, and no english 101 course. Instead students weave classroom and applied learning together with their own interests in a portfolio-based program.  For more visit Evolvethe.World

In this episode Lars talks to Michelle Jones and November Pollack, respectively principal and founder, and a student at Wayfinding Academy in Portland, Oregon. Wayfinding Academy is an alternative, two year college that offers a different approach to higher education. Despite its small size, and short history (first cohort started in 2016), Wayfinding has already gotten some recognition, and recruits students from all over the US. We talk about how society is steering more and more young people towards college, what we hope to get out of school and studies, how curiosity often doesn’t survive the many years of formal schooling, and what the role of the teacher should be. Hear Michelle’s TEDx-talk from 2019, and read about Wayfinding in The Times Chronicle of Higher Education(Nov 2019) and The New York Times (June 2019). These are examples of the kinds of experiments and different ideas about learning we’ve been talking a lot about on the podcast. Books mentioned in the episode: John Holt, Instead of Education: Ways to Help People Do Things Better, Sentient 2003 [1976] Derrick Jensen, Walking on Water: Reading, Writing and Revolution, Chelsea Green Publising, 2005 If you want to hear more about these topics, here’s an episode from Blake Boles’ podcast Off-Trail Learning (recorded at Wayfinding Academy last year), where Blake, Bill Deresiewicz (author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life from 2015) and Dev Carey discusses what it means to be educated, and the power and peril of self-education.   We would love your feedback on this episode. What are your thoughts, experiences, counterarguments, and ideas about how to spread such ideas about education? Please contact us on the email address below.   ---------------------------- Our logo is by Sveinung Sudbø, see his works on originalkopi.com The music is by Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen, see the facebook page Nygrenda Vev og Dur for more info. ---------------------------- Thank you for listening. You can contact us on our facebook page or by email: larsogpaal@gmail.com There is no better way for the podcast to gain new interested listener than by you sharing it with friends, so if you find what we do interesting and useful, please consider doing just that. The podcast is still most in Norwegian, but we have a lot of episodes coming out in English. Our blogs: https://paljabekk.com/ https://larssandaker.blogspot.com/ Alt godt, hilsen Lars og Pål  

Esse é o primeiro episódio do Clast, um podcast focado em Educação e Aprendizagem Alternativa. Participantes: Gabriel Holmes (@gabrielholmes) Julia Gundlach (@jugundy) Pablo Del Rio (@pablodelriop) Thiago Mota (@thiago_mota) Escolas/Metodologias que citamos e que são referências para nós. - Autens https://www.autens.dk/english/ - Wayfinding Academy https://wayfindingacademy.org/ - TeamLabs https://www.teamlabs.es/en - Challenge Based Learning https://cbl.digitalpromise.org/ Dicas do final do episódio #01 Dica do Thiago: usar o trello para organizar os conteúdos que você acha relevante. Link para o Trello - https://trello.com/ Dica do Gabriel: explorar diferentes possibilidades educacionais. Link para o Reevo - http://mapa.reevo.org/?l=pt_PT Dica da Julia: Fazer um exercício de reflexão sobre suas curiosidades e interesses e criar um micro sistema de aprendizagem para esse tema que realmente te interessa. Dica do Pablo: Aceite a confusão e a incerteza porque elas fazer parte do processo. Texto lido pelo Pablo "Me doy cuenta de si fuera estable, prudente y estático, viverá en la muerte. Por consiguiente, acepto la confusión, la incertidumbre, el miedo y los altibajos emocionales, porque ése es el precio que estoy dispuesto a pagar por una vida fluida, perpleja y excitante." Carl Rogers

#005 - Imagine a college where students can discover their interests and explore their passions through a custom curriculum designed especially for them. Thanks to my guest, Michelle Jones, this revolutionary educational experience is a reality. In this episode, we'll learn about Wayfinding Academy, the college that Michelle started from scratch and the incredible learning opportunities available to students. Michelle will also share her "5 Whys" strategy that she uses to help young people think through the real reasons they want to pursue (or not pursue) a college degree. This is a game-changer for parents looking to help their teens think critically about their future.Don't miss a single episode...subscribe today!Show notes are available at: https://betsyjewell.com/hshw005

As the release date for the book draws nearer, Charlie reflects on the ups and downs of the journey of this book. Angela joins Charlie on the podcast to ask some questions about the book. In this episode, Charlie shares some of the ideas and dichotomies around productivity, and how his book seeks to help people understand productivity in a new light. This episode is sure to get you excited about reading the book yourself - there is something in it for everyone. Key Takeaways: [0:05] - Charlie’s new book, Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done will be released on September 24th, 2019. Productivity is how we become our best selves in the world. The book covers tools, practices, and mindsets that will help you finish the stuff your soul is yearning to do. There are contributions from Charlie’s friends, colleagues, and teachers. If you’d like to pre-order a copy, click the link below. [4:35] - Angela has played an active role in Charlie’s writing process. She inspires his writing and they both have been readers of each other’s work for a long time. After reading the completed manuscript, Angela was surprised at how much the book resonated with her, since she’s been engaged in Charlie’s work almost as long as he has. [8:10] - Part of the joy surrounding how the book develops is writing for some specific people. These early people support you and can also give you feedback as the book comes together. [9:20] - The book is much more than a productivity book; it seeks to guide our productivity from the heart and the soul. What sets this book apart is the scope of people it has been able to reach, even before its release. The productivity space hasn’t always been accessible to all people, especially those who are underdogs. [13:15] - We need to talk as much about the work of lives as we do about the life of our work. The talk in society often talks about economic work, which is the centerpoint of everyone’s life. Women are often left out of this conversation, due to sometimes having to prioritize others’ needs before their own. [14:50] - Productivity started as a means of increasing the amount of yield from workers. It has transformed to us figuring out how we are going to get everything done that we need to - relationships, ourselves, finances, health, and all the different things we have to take care of in addition to economic work. [16:15] - A project is anything that takes time, energy, and attention to see through. In that context, all the stuff in our life is a project. Once we can step away from that overwhelming feeling of all the projects we’re juggling, we can figure out how to work through and solve that overload. [19:05] - “Work” is a four-letter word that is sometimes associated with other words that we want to avoid and get away from. We’ve gotten to a point where we want to do less work, except for our “best work.” This is work that benefits us and others when we do it; we want to do more of this type of work. [21:15] - Talking about doing the work we are called to do can sometimes seem selfish. Charlie seeks to shift the conversation to highlight that other people tend to benefit from our best work. Our best work is uniquely ours - this is important to remember because it can keep you going when you’re in a low place. The projects that fuel our best work are easily displaced by other people’s projects - be careful when saying yes to short-term work from others, even when that can be scary. [24:45] - Sometimes your best work may not be in the same line as your economic work. There is honor in doing your economic work that serves you and your family (bills, well-being, etc), but this displaces the time we have to focus on our best work. We may not always be able to find an economic outlet for our best work, but that is okay. Just because you can’t get paid to do it, doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. [27:15] - We almost all have some wasted time that we can steal to work on our best work. For some this is recovery time, but we should think about whether it is serving us more than other things, like spending time with our families, playing music, etc. Once you determine your priorities, stop beating yourself up about the things you aren’t doing. [28:40] - Michelle Jones is the founder of the Wayfinding Academy. She is an example of someone who used their economic work to inspire a pivot into their best work. Look for ways you can shift aspects of your economic work to do it in a way that only you can, that transforms it from merely economic work to something that’s got your fingerprint on it. [31:35] - Another aspect of the book focuses on the support system around us that can help us create things in the world. It’s hard to do your best work alone. A success pack is a pack of people that you put around yourself specifically for projects, and for our lives in general. [34:50] - People you don’t want in your success pack: naysayers and derailers. Naysayers are the ones who hate on you, whether it’s about you or about your project or about a grudge they hold. We spend too much time trying to please our naysayers. Derailers are people who may be well-meaning, but their commentary about your work discourages you. They often are loved ones, but it can take too much energy to incorporate them into the success pack of your project. [38:15] - Focus on your yaysayers. These are the people who have your back, and when you talk about your project, they ask you about how you’re going to be successful, not whether you will be. They know and realize your potential, often before you do. There are four types of yaysayers: guides, peers, supporters, and beneficiaries. [43:25] - People usually want to get more guides on their projects, but Charlie encourages people to find more beneficiaries for their projects. When you get stuck, you can ask the person that you’re building it for. It can also help fuel you when you’re emotionally stuck because you remember that it’s not all about you. [46:25] - The more a project matters to you, the more you’re going to thrash with it. If it doesn’t call up longing and frustration, it’s probably not your best work. The reason this work matters so much is because we’ve most closely tied our identities to these projects. If we’re not successful, what does that mean about who we are? [49:25] - Many of us have internalized that if it’s our best work, it should be easy. This is a myth! We get good at something by doing it, and anything worth doing is worth doing badly at the beginning. [52:00] - Angela talks about some of the different roles and people Charlie has been in his past: growing up in the South in a poor biracial family, an Eagle Scout, a military leader, a philosopher, a spiritual person. As he was writing, whatever came up came out. Sometimes different aspects of his background came through in certain parts. [59:15] - This book is a productivity book, but it’s also a personal development book. It’s a book about family, and a book about spirituality. It’s a book about everything that makes us thrive as people. The process has been incredibly humbling for Charlie, especially with all the contributors. Through this book, Charlie hopes that people see that there is a lot of goodness and abundance around us, and that we have to do the work to harness it. Mentioned in This Episode: Productive Flourishing Start Finishing, by Charlie Gilkey What If Women Cared About Productivity Wayfinding Academy Michelle Jones on LinkedIn SaneBox Sounds True

What does it mean to “self-educate?” Are autodidacts made or born? Can one develop an intellect without formal higher education? In this special episode, Blake discusses these big questions (and many more) with Bill Deresiewicz (the author of Excellent Sheep) and guest facilitator Dev Carey. This event was recorded live in Portland, Oregon, on September 1, 2019, at the Wayfinding Academy. Learn more about Bill at billderesiewicz.com, Dev at highdesertcenter.org, and Wayfinding Academy at wayfindingacademy.org. (Note: My claim about the percentage of K-12 students in private schools in the US was wrong: it’s roughly 10%.)

Michelle Jones, founder of Wayfinding Academy, joins this weeks show to offer her thoughts on how Wayfinding is approaching college from a different perspective. We will also discuss this years changes to the Common App and talk about how you can prepare your college bound student for the financial challenges ahead.

Michelle Jones, founder of Wayfinding Academy, joins this weeks show to offer her thoughts on how Wayfinding is approaching college from a different perspective. We will also discuss this years changes to the Common App and talk about how you can prepare your college bound student for the financial challenges ahead.

Corey Pressman is an artist, writer, and imagination professional. He is passionate about providing others a means to realize their creative potential. He teaches the Lifefinding Program at Wayfinding Academy in Portland, OR. As a Principal at the consulting firm Intangible, he works with clients large and small to help them envision and enact human-centered innovation and nurture a vital organizational culture. Corey is also a fellow of Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination, where he runs innovation workshops and develops and teaches courses on imagination and ideation. He writes and publishes stories, poetry, and various academic works. Corey also creates and exhibits artworks on paper in graphite and pastel. He shares his passion for cooking by regularly teaching cooking classes for beginners and demonstrates his favorite recipes monthly on KATU’s "Afternoon Live" show. More information about the guest can be found at http://wayfindingacademy.org/lifefinding-program

Today on XRAY In The Morning: (1) Prerecorded interview with Eileen Reavey from National Popular Vote Inc. (2) Talk Media News with Bob Ney (3) News With My Dad with Jefferson and Joe Smith (4) Quick call in interview with Michelle Jones, from the Wayfinding Academy (5) Interview with Madeline Kovacs from Sightline Institute (6) Interview with Sara Nelson from the Association of Flight Attendants

In the traditional education landscape, it is not uncommon for a student to take general education requirements and then move onto more specialized courses where they can exert a bit more autonomy and freedom on the content. In this model, students are given task after task to overcome in the pursuit of meeting all of […]

Wayfinding Academy is the College that’s changing everything. Learn the importance of UNLEARNING and see how this new college is changing the status quo of education with a system that tailors the classes to every individual, helping students work in their groove and teaching them how to positively impact the world.   Find the guide, transcript, and more at https://happentoyourcareer.com/269   To binge-listen to more career happiness success stories, find all the podcasts at https://happentoyourcareer.com/podcast  

“I don't think we ask deep enough questions and give young people enough credit for being able to have those answer within themselves.”– Michelle Jones Michelle Jones is the founder of a higher education institution, Wayfinding Academy. It is a new 2-year college aiming to revolutionize higher education. They have been approved to offer Associate’s degrees by Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission. She has taught in traditional colleges for 15 years. Some of the institutions include (but not limited to) Boston University,  University of New Mexico and Concordia University of Portland. Michelle is also the organizer of TEDx Mt Hood for the last 8 years. Wayfinding Academy is currently having a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign from June 17th - July 27th to raise $60,000. Thier goals are to double their student body size, launch a second program, and impact twice as many lives. Donate here. In the podcast episode [02:40:00], you can listen to a conversation with a student (Meg Lamberger) of the Wayfinding Academy about her experiences. Enjoy this incredible conversation! It was very eye-opening for me. In this conversation, we spoke about How Michelle started Wayfinding Academy with a personal budget of $15,000 for 2 years Why Wayfinding Academy doesn't have grades The importance of guides in a student's growth and much more!

Michelle Jones, founder of The Wayfinding Academy, talks about the crazy process of starting her own college, who The Wayfinding Academy is for, and why she believes her model has worked so well so quickly.  

During her 15 years of teaching Leadership and Organizational Behavior courses in a traditional college system, Michelle Jones got a front row seat as to what is broken in that system. That’s when she decided to gather a group of like-minded badasses around a vision of what a revolution in higher education could look like.After years of helping groups and non-profits organize for social impact as a volunteer (SuperThank, TEDxMtHood, World Domination Summit), Michelle started her legacy project and the Wayfinding Academy was born.Join us as Michelle discusses her vision, what she’s doing with the academy, and why she feels it will not only impact students but help the world as well!

As the year comes to a close, we have a natural inclination to look back on what’s happened over the past year. Many of the Productive Flourishing readers and listeners have been asking questions about ways to do annual reviews or think about assessing the year. In today’s episode, Angela and Charlie talk through their new annual review worksheet, and share several tips on reviewing your year, as well as self-care during the holidays. Key Takeaways: [4:55] - A lot of time during the holidays, people have tension between being productive, spending time with family, and being in the season. Being with family and reflecting is a way of being productive, and it’s important to make time for those things. [7:10] - When you start thinking about the year in review, always start with the celebration of the things that you’ve done. Think about the top three things from the year that you want to remember. Charlie encourages people to separate their personal and professional lives into separate buckets to give both the credit they deserve. [10:47] - One of Angela’s biggest celebrations from this year in her professional was developing her new coaching practice, Clarity Coaching. This has gotten her back into the work that she loves the most, helping someone realize what they’re able to do. Her biggest personal celebration is the way she’s invited boundaries into her life in her relationships with people. [14:45] - Charlie’s biggest celebration in his professional life is his book deal! He’s under contract to write a book tentatively titled Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done. They’ve also experienced a lot of growth with Productive Flourishing. In his personal life, his biggest celebration also had to do with boundaries, and taking a step back from some things to avoid burnout. This allowed him to get clear about the expectations and intentions for himself, and he was able to reclaim a lot of time. [19:10] - Do this reflection not only for yourself, but think about whether there is someone else in your life that can do this reflection as well so you all can celebrate each other. If you’re doing this with a team, make sure you explain why those things are important to you, because that’s where the real strengthening will happen. [22:20] - The next question on the worksheet is what three things challenged you the most over the past year. People often see a tight relationship between the things that challenged you professionally and the things that challenged you personally. [24:54] - The next question evaluates the top three lessons learned or reaffirmed. This is really pushing you towards a growth mindset. The goal is to not have to keep learning the same lesson over and over again. Later on in life, you may be learning the same thing, but it’s usually at a higher level. [27:03] - Charlie talks about the four steps of the Wayfinding Academy. The first step is knowing where you are, the second step is knowing where you’re trying go, the third step is having a road map between where you are and where you’re trying to get, and the fourth step is knowing how to get back on track when you get off-course. [28:30] - When thinking about the top three goals for the coming year, there are two different types. One is quantitative goals, and the other is more milestone or baseline goals. As you are thinking about goals, it’s important to get to a place where you can be sure you did it or you did not do it. This is also true for personal goals, so try to avoid vague goals that won’t motivate you. [31:35] - The next question to think about is what needs to change to be able to achieve those goals. Sometimes nothing needs to change, but for most people, something has to change. You may have to change your day-to-day focus to achieve your overall goal, or you may have to drop some things to make the time for a new focus. [37:10] - The next question asks what sprints, strategic projects, or experiments you could run to help you achieve those goals. Charlie goes over what each of these look like, and how you can utilize them to starting working on your goals. Sprints keep you in the project long enough that you’re still interested, but doesn’t drag it on. [42:08] - Moving through the worksheet, the next question encourages you to identify someone who will support you through the sprints, projects, and experiments. Whenever you have a “how” problem, find a “who” solution - there’s probably someone who has been in your shoes or can help get you moving forward. It also helps build your success team. [44:15] - The last major question on the worksheet is ‘When will you reach out to the people who can support you?’ Giving people advance notice of when you will need their help will increase their willingness and ability to provide support, and it also gives you enough time to pay it forward for that particular person. Ask them what you can do to support them in the meantime. [48:00] - In real time, these questions take about 15 or 30 minutes to sit down and work through. Charlie shares some final reminders for working through the sheet. 1. Remember to start from a place of celebration before getting into the challenges. 2. Continue to think about what affects your personal life and professional life discreetly, while keeping in mind that they often overlap. Treat your life like your work - carry over what works in your job into your personal life. 3. Be thinking about what needs to change, and focus on the internal changes more than external changes. 4. Think about who you are going to reach out to, and reach out to them early. [51:10] - Self-care is tied into all of these, especially looking at your goals, victories, and challenges. For this specific time of year, be sure to take some time to slow down and allow yourself the opportunity to reflect. Mentioned in This Episode: Productive Flourishing Productive Flourishing Podcast Episode 121: How to be Intentional During the Holidays Productive Flourishing Podcast Episode 108: How to Align Your Goals and Projects with Your Seasonal Energy How to Set SMART Goals on Productive Flourishing

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Michelle Jones, founder of the Wayfinding Academy, joins Charlie on the show to talk about the college experience for students at the Wayfinding Academy. Instead of spending two to four years taking classes and then figuring out who they want to be in the world, students learn to live life on purpose and then use that knowledge to sculpt their learning experience. One of the members of the first group of students, Austin Goldberg, also joins Michelle and Charlie to share his experience. Key Takeaways: [3:40] - Michelle shares the story of Wayfinding. Michelle had been working as a professor for 16 years, and she began feeling that the way higher education worked was backwards. Generally, students were asked to make decisions and determine plans up front, without getting a chance to discover their purpose until they were already finished. About two and a half years ago, Michelle decided to quit her job as a professor and start her own college to flip that experience around. At Wayfinding, they start with the questions first and determine what students want to do in the world, and how students and faculty can work together to figure out the steps to achieve it. When they leave Wayfinding, students know what they’re doing and in most cases are already doing it. [7:40] - In higher education, there seems to be a front-loading of the question “What do you want to do?” Often times, this makes students have to choose an occupation rather than focusing on who they want to be in the world. At Wayfinding Academy, students receive their Associate’s Degree in “Self and Society.” Throughout their education, students explore who they are, as well as what is going on in the world, and the goal is to figure out how they can put those two things together in a meaningful way. From there, it is presumed that students will figure out a way to earn an income in a way that supports the life they want to have. [9:40] - While there may still be career pivots in the adult journey of those students, Wayfinding helps students learn how to ask the appropriate questions to figure out how to navigate those transitions. [12:23] - At Wayfinding, they focus on the six character traits outlined in their promise: Empowered to thrive throughout the rest of their lives 2. Embrace curiosity 3. Willing to stretch 4. Understand the importance of conscientiousness 5. Know how to create community and 6. Understand what it means to live life on purpose. [13:37] - Within those character traits, they identify 10 learning objectives, some of which are, how to ask good questions, how to be a good critical thinker, how to collaborate, why story matters, what it takes to do something epic, and how to make a plan for something hard that requires other people’s help. These skills are transferrable no matter what students choose to do. [15:53] - As the Chief Academic Officer, Michelle has been collecting data to gauge the effectiveness of the program and students. When they started looking to hire additional crew members, they began to examine what qualities they expect of their staff and how that overlaps with what they expect of their students. This helped to shape their promise. [19:20] - Austin shares his experience about discovering and getting started with Wayfinding Academy. When he was approaching high school graduation, he was on the traditional trajectory to graduate and go to a traditional college. He talks about the events of the first year of his college experience that made him start to question and evaluate his place there. [23:20] - Austin talks about how it was difficult to choose something other than the trajectory he was already on, but he knew the environment at the private business school wasn’t for him. He started to look for people and places that cared about the things he cared about, which is how he ended up in Portland and discovered Wayfinding. [25:52] - One of the great things about Wayfinding is there is a lot of freedom to do the things you want to do and discover the things that you’re interested in. For Austin, he has been able to discover how to express his creativity. He states that this vulnerability is also some of the hardest work they do at Wayfinding. The most important thing he’s learned about doing this type of work is that no matter what the outlet is, it’s going to bring to light the same issues and challenges Austin (and all students) faces in life, because it tests personality traits more than occupational traits. [31:00] - One of the fundamental aspects of Wayfinding is that when you live your life on purpose, and do work purposefully that matters to you, all your “stuff” does come up. Charlie talks about one of the labs he taught at Wayfinding, and Austin shares his experience working through the project of that lab, what he learned from it, and how it has carried over into other aspects of his life. [36:15] - One of the big projects Austin has been working on during his time at Wayfinding is figuring out what it means to do something epic or live an epic life. He speaks about what he has learned about this during his experience so far. [40:07] - Michelle talks about some other students’ journeys. Student cohorts are made up of a diverse age range, but they all focus on living life on purpose and being in a supportive learning community as they figure that out. The Wayfinding experience seems to work equally well for people who have a small idea of what they want to do with their lives and people who have no idea. [45:24] - Michelle discusses the guide program at Wayfinding. This was an aspect that couldn’t truly be tested until they actually had students, but they’ve done some experimenting to figure out what seems to work. Developing the guide program has also opened conversation with the students to help shape the role of the guides. [52:06] - Michelle and Charlie talk about some of the unique aspects of figuring out the systems within such a dynamic program. It has been a process for the faculty and students alike to determine what is going to work best for their program. [55:45] - Austin’s invitation for listeners: Look for areas in your life where you are doing things a certain way just because that’s how they’re done, and challenge that. You don’t always have to do things one way just because that’s how they’ve always been done. [57:01] - Michelle’s invitation to listeners: If after listening to today’s episode, you were inspired by or desire to be a part of this program, reach out and start a conversation! The next cohort starts on August 28th, and they are always looking for new friends, fans, and supporters. Mentioned in This Episode: Productive Flourishing Wayfinding Academy Leave a Review

In this episode, Angela joins Charlie to discuss how they are balancing service work and volunteerism within their personal and professional lives. Both Charlie and Angela have taken on new commitments with various organizations, and they’ve been examining how much time they’re giving to service and volunteerism, as well as making some important decisions about what those boundaries look like. Key Takeaways: [1:38] - Charlie and Angela talk about the new commitments they’ve taken on - in many cases within organizations they had already been previously involved in. Their boundaries for what they can take on are being tested as these new commitments displace other things. They have had many conversations about how much time they’re giving to service and volunteerism, as well as taking a hard look at those boundaries. [4:18] - At the Wayfinding Academy, they are flipping the college experience on its head - it starts by focusing on students first and who they want to be in the world, and helping them cultivate themselves and their next steps needed to be that person. Charlie has recently become the board Chairman within this organization. His work with Social Ventures Partners, where he is also on the board, focuses on bridging the gap in Pre-K education for minority populations. [6:45] - Angela has also taken on a new role within the Wayfinding Academy, as Chairperson of the Wisdom Council (Charlie’s old position). In addition to this work, she is involved with the board of a women’s spiritual community in Portland, serving as the right-hand person for the spiritual leaders of that community. This commitment is twofold; in addition to the administrative commitment, there is also a spiritual commitment. [9:15] - Angela talks about why they are involved in these acts of volunteerism. In addition to it just being part of who they are and what they do, there is a big focus at Productive Flourishing on community integration. It’s a great quality to have to jump all in with the things you’re involved in, but sometimes you may get into a situation where you jump in too fast. Charlie and Angela keep this under control by checking in with each other on boundaries and making sure these commitments are aligned with the work they want to do in the world, while continuing to take care of themselves. [12:43] - Charlie talks about value (both economic and otherwise) and how that can guide our decisions about what we’re involved in and continue to do. He also talks about Proactive Activism: a strong civic involvement to help bridge the gap between the public and private spheres. Instead of just preaching, they get involved because they want to model the message as well as sharing it. For them, a big focus is education, as it is a pathway to equality. [15:55] - Finding institutions that advance your political or social priorities is really important. Charlie and Angela talk about the personal reasons they have for choosing their particular organizations to be involved in, and what it means for them to be involved in those organizations now. [21:50] - Charlie talks about their involvement on the boards of their organizations - both Charlie and Angela don’t like to be passive in an organization, and being on the board allows them to be in a high-leverage scenario to make the the most impact. These positions also fit their specific skill sets. Additionally, they both prefer greater involvement in a few organizations rather than spreading themselves too thin across several organizations. [25:55] - Integrating volunteerism and service into business: How do these organizations further Charlie’s professional and personal development? For Charlie, these organizations are a natural outgrowth of the people he’s involved with in the community and embody who he is as a person. It has been challenging to incorporate the results of his involvement professionally, because the leadership is more committee-based rather than the type of leadership he would use for a small business. Although it has challenged him, it’s been a good learning period. [28:53] - Your business can’t fuel all parts of you - volunteerism and service provide another context for leadership and taking on big goals. [31:25] - In addition, having these extra involvements has made Charlie more intentional with his business work with Productive Flourishing. It has also made him more intentional about spending his extra time to further Wayfinding Academy and Social Venture Partners (SVP), rather than killing time on Facebook or something that is not as fulfilling. Charlie has experienced a lot of personal growth. [36:00] - Angela shares her experience of how volunteerism and service have influenced her personal and professional growth. She feels that her leadership skills have been tested and challenged, and have gotten better in the past few years. She has also gotten more comfortable speaking up and using her voice to make her perspective clear. Being able to use her past experiences in her new contexts has allowed her to better show up with her work with Productive Flourishing. Her work with Productive Flourishing, Fourteenth Moon, and Wayfinding Academy seem to feed each other. [39:11] - In Angela’s work, she has been challenged by engaging in and facilitating hard questions and conversations. It has been an interesting development for Angela, but she’s been able to take the ability to facilitate tough conversations in her personal life into other areas, like Productive Flourishing and her council and board work. This is an excellent example of the benefits of being involved in civic organizations; they can help you develop skills you may not have otherwise developed. In addition, it gives you an additional avenue to cultivate and practice these skills. [44:10] - Being involved in outside organizations also allows you to keep your growing pains and strife outside of your personal relationships. Keeping those aspects in outside organizations that are in service to your community is a good way to build synergy and a good life where you are able to grow and develop in service to other people. [45:17] - There can be some downsides. Investing your emotional energy into external or volunteer organizations can decrease it in other areas. It is important to find a balance and make sure you have ways to “fill your cup” as it becomes depleted. Angela and Charlie both speak to the fact that working through these challenges themselves has allowed them to help other people with them as well. [49:44] - Charlie describes the effects of their involvement in these organizations as catalytic, both in business and in personal life. It has allowed for new growth and awareness. We don’t always realize what we can do and who we are in a lot of ways until we have the external situations that reflect those things back to us and give us a mission, trial, or opportunity to play out what we can do. [50:55] - If you’re looking for ways to thrive and flourish in the world, find places to volunteer or be of service in your local community, and align those things with the ways that you want to grow. Mentioned in This Episode: Productive Flourishing Wayfinding Academy Social Venture Partners Women of the Fourteenth Moon Democracy on Trial, by Jean Bethke Elshtain Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam Leave a Review

Sean Aiken is the creator of The One Week Job Project – an inspiring journey across North America in which he worked 52 jobs in 52 weeks to find his passion. He trekked more than 46,000 miles, slept on 55 couches, raised over $20,000 for charity, and tried every job he could: Bungee Instructor, Dairy Farmer, Advertising Executive, Baker, NHL Mascot, Stock Trader, Firefighter, and more.  Sean’s been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME, Globe & Mail, on CNN, 20/20, The Rachael Ray Show, Good Morning America, MTV, and countless other media outlets around the world. His book, The One Week Job Project, is published by Penguin Random House, while the feature length award-winning documentary premiered on CBC. Due to fan interest around the world, Sean has since developed One Week Job projects in the UK, USA, Australia, India, and Vietnam. He graduated with a Business Administration degree from Capilano University with a 4.0 GPA and Class Valedictorian and he recently helped open the Wayfinding Academy - an alternative college in Portland, Oregon designed to support others in exploring what they want to do with their life. www.WayfindingAcademy.org www.SeanAiken.com www.OneWeekJob.com WAYFINDER CURRICULUM Here is a sample - Lesson #4: Passion & Purpose https://gumroad.com/l/wayfinder-sample#

In this episode, Michelle Jones discusses opening a new college, the Wayfinding Academy, and the related crowdfunding campaign plus how to find and follow your life purpose.  “It's hard to feel like you can explore in college anymore. Every time you're exploring or taking a class that's interesting to you, you feel like it's a waste of money that will add additional time or debt.”– Michelle Jones About Michelle Jones Michelle D. Jones, Ph.D. Organizational Psychology & Leadership, Claremont Graduate University is a former traditional model college professor who is starting her own college, The Wayfinding Academy. Her 15 years teaching leadership and organizational behavior courses at colleges and universities across the country has prepared her well to re-imagine what higher education can be with this new endeavor. She is also drawing on her experience organizing events and communities with TEDxMtHood and the World Domination Summit and founding non-profit organizations such as SuperThank. ....In this show…. Michelle Jones' Life Purpose To make the world a better place by helping people find their way as early as possible in life. Life Purpose Ah-Ha Moments Around the end of her undergraduate career, Michelle Jones realized she wanted to be a teacher. As soon as she got into her role at the age of 24, Michelle Jones realized the teaching system was not what she thought it would be, therefore she committed herself to changing the educational institution. Major Life Events that Hinted at Your Life Purpose Meeting a mentor after finishing her undergraduate studies helped Michelle select the most efficient process of becoming a teacher. Being a professor at a traditional university allowed her to understand the institution and how she could build her own. Michelle Jones has collected people from her experiences working at the World Domination Summit, Ted Talks and more to build a community of minds that makes up the Wayfinding Academy. Spiritual Belief The energy of the Universe helps us accomplish what we are meant to be doing. Recommended Personal Growth Resource or Practice Walk Have a day with nothing scheduled at least once a week Michelle Jones' Wisdom on Igniting Life Purpose and Personal Growth "Finding courage to make difficult decisions.  If  that means quitting something to follow your purpose, it is always worth it and it always works out." Interview Links and Special Offers from this Episode Wayfinding Academy website Visit this website to donate to the crowd funding campaign and to sign up for the email list Wayfinding Academy Facebook page Recommended Reads and Movies "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coehlo 'The Way" directed by Emilio Estevez  Subscribe to the Life Purpose Advisor Podcast To subscribe and review the Life Purpose Advisor podcast on iTunes.  Click here.  (Your reviews keep us growing so you'll hear more great stories from difference makers.)

For Life on Purpose Episode #28, my guest is Michelle Jones, a former traditional-model college professor who is starting her own college called the Wayfinding Academy in Portland, Oregon. Michelle joins me to discuss higher education re-imagined for the 21st Century, the importance of asking questions, passion-based leadership, and the crucial importance of real-world skills and experience. Many listeners also know Michelle as "Michelle the Magician", the behind-the-scenes guru at the annual World Domination Summit (WDS), that was the inspiration behind my first podcast Radio Enso. We talk about that experience and how she's applying what she learned there to her new venture. About: Michelle Jones is a former traditional model college professor who is starting her own college, the Wayfinding Academy. Her 15 years teaching leadership and organizational behavior courses at colleges and universities across the country has prepared her well to re-imagine what higher education can be with this new endeavor. She is also drawing on her experience organizing events and communities with TEDxMtHood and the World Domination Summit and founding non-profit organizations such as SuperThank. About the Wayfinding Academy: We're a group of professors, students, higher education professionals, non-profit and community leaders, and everyday citizens with over 100 years of experience in higher education who know college can be the incredible experience it promises to be. Right now too many students can't afford college, drop out, or even finish college without finding direction or purposes in their lives. We believe there is a better way. We are starting our own college. A new model for higher education. The Wayfinding Academy will be an affordable, 2-year college based in Portland, Oregon focused on what matters most in education: real world experience, community support and individual passion. Students won’t be asked to choose a major from a list, they’ll be supported in discovering their own personal mission. They’ll take core classes building skills that will serve them on any path. And they’ll work with advisors to create handcrafted experiences meaningful to them and build a portfolio through real experiences. To learn more about the Wayfinding Academy, visit: http://www.wayfindingacademy.org/.

Michelle Jones, associate professor of Organizational Behavior and Leadership at Concordia University and founder of the Wayfinding Academy (wayfindingacademy.org), talks with host Blake Boles about the need for radical and affordable alternatives in higher education, her experiences as a business professor, and the new 2-year program she’s starting in Portland, Oregon.