The Smart Thinking Podcast

In this episode Ted explores how differing perspectives—"one person’s heaven is another person’s hell"—create friction in teams and families. He uses a crowded Glacier National Park hike to introduce four behavioral profiles: naturalists, enthusiasts, wannabes, and hostages.

Ted connects the hiking story to leadership and change management, explaining how to match approaches to people's skill and will, restore agency, and use empathy, pacing, and clear roles to move initiatives forward.

Listeners will get practical strategies for facilitating conversations, assigning meaningful roles, and bridging gaps so groups can work together toward shared outcomes.

This is an engaging conversation between Ted and Jonathan Reynolds who met in Kansas City after Jonathan had keynoted at the 2026 EOS conference. Jonathan is an enthusiastic leader and a creative problem-solver who has nearly 20 years of experience in recruiting and talent strategy. He is the CEO of Titus Talent Strategies, and he has helped over 1500 organizations build better workforces and cultures.

Jonathan is also the author of Right Seats, Right People: A Leader's Guide to Hiring and Developing Top Talent, where he introduced his Head, Heart, Briefcase approach to understanding the whole person when making hiring decisions.

He and Ted also share energy and mindset!

Are you coachable? Take a listen as we explore the behaviors of those who are and are not coachable. This episode identifies the four types of people in coaching and shares reflections and actions to make you more coachable and a better coach of others.

• The Rookies
Rookies are the fresh faces who walk in with wide eyes and open notebooks. They’re new to the organization, and they know it, which makes them wonderfully hungry to learn. When you work with a Rookie, expect lots of questions, quick enthusiasm, and a genuine willingness to try things your way. They may stumble as they find their footing, but they bounce back fast because they see every correction as a gift rather than a criticism. The magic of coaching a Rookie is watching growth happen in real time. Give them clear direction, celebrate their small wins, and be patient with the learning curve, and you’ll find they often become some of your most loyal and dedicated teammates.
• The Know Betters
Know Betters greet feedback with a polite “Thanks, but...” and then explain why their way works just fine. They’re confident, experienced, and often genuinely skilled, which is exactly why change can feel unnecessary to them. When you work with a Know Better, expect some pushback, a healthy dose of debate, and the occasional “I’ve already tried that.” Here’s the bright side: that confidence comes from somewhere real, and when a Know Better finally buys in, they become powerful champions of the idea. The key is to coach through curiosity rather than correction. Ask them questions, invite their expertise into the solution, and let them discover the new path themselves. When they feel respected, the “but” slowly softens into an “and.”
• The Considers
Considers are the thoughtful processors who need a little room to breathe before they commit. Hand them feedback on the spot and you might get a quiet nod, but give them a day and they’ll come back with insight you never expected. When you work with a Considerer, expect pauses, follow-up conversations, and decisions that are deliberate rather than impulsive. They thrive when they’re offered options instead of orders, because choosing their own path helps them own it fully. Don’t mistake their silence for resistance; it’s reflection in action. Give them time, offer a few clear choices, and check back in, and you’ll see thoughtful, lasting change that sticks.
• The Gratitududers
Gratitududers are the energizers who hear feedback and immediately respond with “Thanks, and... can you show me more? Can I try this? Can we take it further?” They don’t just accept coaching, they run with it and ask for the next level. When you work with a Gratitududer, expect enthusiasm, momentum, and a steady stream of ideas and requests. They see every piece of feedback as a doorway to new possibilities, and their excitement is contagious for everyone around them. The only thing to watch for is keeping pace with their energy, so help them prioritize and focus their many “can we” ideas into meaningful action. Coaching a Gratitududer is like adding fuel to a fire that’s already burning bright, and it’s one of the most rewarding experiences a leader can have.

Fall is a season of change for many of us smart thinkers and as a result we need to be prepared. How about a sequence of texts to help you be perseverant, learn from mistakes, be more creative when facing constraints, help teams collaborate through it all, be a better writer/communicator and then reflect on how you are doing and who you are!

Well, below is a list of texts that Ted is recommending for this fall!

• Get Back Up, Heather Wilson and Dave Goldfein
• From Mistakes to Meaning, Michael Lynton & Joshua Steiner
• Inside the Box, David Epstein
• Begin with We, Kyle McDowell
• Good Writing, Neal Allen & Anne Lamott
• Home Body, Rupi Kaur

Song: Lost Cause, Louise, Lately

What if we could hear about the future? Well, you can on this episode as Ted discusses how Australian laws around cell phones and social media have positively impacted learning and student wellbeing. Australia is a great study of what “to do” in order to support the growth of young people.

Principal Lars Anderson from Thornbury High School near Melbourne, Australia gives us insight into what the positive consequences have been with cell phones bans for the last six years and how the social media prohibitions for children under 16 are impacting children at his school.

This is a great conversation about the ways in which technology can be successfully unraveled and how one school has shifted their methods in order to better support students.

Each of us is on an amazing journey each week. Regardless of age, every single one of us collects great moments in our day-to-day. Well, what if we took the time to support ourselves and others so that we could collect and reflect on the greatest moments of our day or support others to think about their day, their week, or their life.

Well, now you can through this fun and engaging process that is relevant for everyone at every stage of their life.

Buy Ted's book here: https://www.gotoyourstorm.org/

Do you have a purpose statement? If not why not? No purpose - no point!

What process do you use to ensure you are living your purpose and doing what you need to do in order to be the best you?

This episode is a great reflection opportunity for you to help you create a statement to guide you and the episode ends with a call to action and as well as the research to help you lead others to their purpose.

• What moves you forward in life?
• When do you lose track of time?
• What do other people count on you for?

This summer Jared and Ted joined forces at the Smart Thinking Leadership retreat and presented to hundreds of educators. Jared was a smash hit and his research, strategies, and ideas were quickly taken back into educational systems to support learning and a movement away from "edutech"

We've done our children and teachers a disservice and it's time to admit it, fix it, and move forward!

Take a listen as these two chat about the impact of technology on learning and then - -go get the rerelease and updated copy of his book "The Digital Delusion."

Too often those of us in education forget one simple idea about ourselves: we matter. Join Ted as he explores the ways in which we matter and he reminds us how impactful we actually all are and how to put up guardrails to ensure we are engaged for ourselves and others.

The episode ends with advice he gathered from over 40 educational professionals to help us all remember our IMPACT!

What principle guides you when you lead others? From today forward it will be the RIDE principle. A keen recognition of your influence with others.

Listen as Ted take's the lessons from horseback riding and applies it to how we should manage our classrooms, staff rooms, and board rooms. Because humans and horses literally share a heartbeat when together and so do we when we are leading groups. How we act is how they'll react!

R: Resilient

I: Interdependent

D: Determination

E: Enthusiastic

Hey Hey! Ted has written another book and on this episode he describes why listening to a nudge helped him complete his first full leadership book. A book filled with practical and applicable ways to approach life.

Go To Your Storm is an inspirational, personal growth, and leadership development book written by veteran educator and coach Ted Neitzke. Dedicated to equipping young people, new leaders, and even experienced individuals with a resilient approach to life, the book blends authentic personal anecdotes from Neitzke’s decades-long career in education and coaching athletics and people. The six chapters serve as a life and leadership framework for everyone.

Pre-sale has already begun and pre-sale orders will be autographed and include a free gift.

Book can be pre-ordered here.

Why do so many people struggle on teams and working together? Well, there is no simple answer -- but there is a process.

Join Ted on this episode as he brings you a practice to help elevate your teams and support your leadership while either leading or participating on a collaborative team.

Collaboration is not compliance and too often we ignore all the social ways teams can fail. Clarity, clear expectations, and telling the team what we "do" and "don't" do -- will increase outcomes and engagement.

Summer is an amazing time. How can we utilize this summer to reinforce and recognize the efforts of educators? Ted shares with us the research on everything teachers - from hours worked to the money they spend in their classroom. The call to action on this episode is to utilize the summer months to increase staff engagement with a few simple tools that will elevate educators!

Get yourself a pen, some notecards and Forever stamps - -cause we're going to intentionally impact those we serve alongside!

Ted had crafted a list of texts to read so that you can invest in yourself this summer as a person and leader. These texts will bring you opportunities to practice self-empathy, mindfulness, well-being, and seek meaning. As he explains in this episode - reading matters for all elements of your life and once in a while we need to step away from reading books about our field or content and focus on ourselves.

These texts will help you grow, inspire you, empower you and entertain you!

• Poetry Changes Lives, Christopher Burns
• On Th e Shortness of Life, Seneca
• The Mental Health Playbook, Amy Morin
• Eat Like A Sardinian, Francesco Mattana
• It Wasn’t Meant To Be Perfect, Gaelynn Lea
• Unplugged, Tom Freston
• The Meaning of Life, Robert Brooks

Why do we ignore the wisdom of different generations? Likely because we don't understand the contributions that we are all capable of making. We look past people with lot's of experience and we look past people we think have no experience. But, we all have unique experiences, wisdom, and skills that when combined together, offer the solutions to almost all problems.

Take a listen as Ted explores the use of a game to get people to build an understanding of the ways in which each generation can work together to increase all outcomes.

Click here for the Game.

This is a very powerful conversation with a psychotherapist and author who provides some serious smart thinking on how to approach your own mental wellness as well as how to support others. This conversation will leave you wanting her books and everything produced by Amy.

Amy Morin and Ted have a wonderful conversation that is applicable to all!

These common sense -- best practices - -allow you to understand how to approach the issues you face for yourself and others.

Book: The Mental Strength Playbook, Amy Morin

Too often we miss the opportunity to grow together at the end of a journey or school year. Don't let the ending screw up your next beginning.

Take a listen as we describe a campfire process to support growing together, increasing engagement as well as recognition and acknowledging effort in order to elevate teams and shared culture.

This process will increase collective wisdom and support individual understanding of their part in the collective accomplishments of the team.

Smart Thinking Retreat Registration

Here are the referenced prompts:

• What was our single biggest "aha!" or breakthrough moment, and what triggered it?
• Think back to a moment when things weren't going according as planned. How did we handle that pivot, and what does that say about our team dynamics?
• What was the most unexpected challenge we encountered that wasn't on our radar, and how did we overcome it?
• If you could magically go back and rewrite one specific decision or day on this project, what would it be and why?
• What is one thing a teammate did—no matter how small—that completely saved the day or made your job significantly easier?
• Explain how well did we respect each other’s time, expertise, and boundaries during high-stress periods of the year or journey?
• Looking back over the journey - -describe something you grew through that will make you stronger next year or next time.
• List the areas you need to get development in so that you can tackle the next year or project with more confidence.
• If you were in charge what is one thing you’d make sure, we never had to do or experience again.
• What was your very first job—no matter how small—and what is the one lesson from it you still use today?
• If we visited your hometown for 24 hours, where would you take me to help me understand who you were at seventeen?
• Is there a story your family tells about you that perfectly captures your personality as a kid?
• What is a "sliding doors" moment in your life—a time you almost took a completely different path?
• What is a subject you’re an "expert" in that has absolutely nothing to do with your current job?
• What’s the biggest difference between how you solved problems in your 20s versus how you solve them now?

Join us a for a great and in-depth conversation on the latest research around employee engagement and the application of your strengths in life and leadership.

Tim and Emily are colleagues at Gallup and are friends of the podcast. Both Tim and Emily share strong insight into our current state of life at work and how to use our strengths to navigate through these "interesting" times.

Walton research link: https://www.gallup.com/analytics/659819/k-12-teacher-research.aspx

On this episode Ted revisits his favorite conversation with Greg Harden. Greg Harden was a legendary motivational figure and peak performance coach, best known for his influential work as an administrator and counselor at the University of Michigan. Often described as a "secret weapon" for elite athletes, he played a pivotal role in the mental development of stars like Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, and Desmond Howard. Through his coaching, Harden specialized in teaching individuals how to master their own emotions and build the mental resilience necessary to succeed both in sports and in life.

Greg's book: Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive - is one of the ten reads for Smart Thinkers!

We are living in an age where people are believing the headlines (gossip) and not reading the story. As a result, people are making assumptions about the circumstances in their world and commenting before acquiring the facts. This leads us to a need to ask “what?” and follow the WHAT principle.

This episode will help you frame and recognize the need to once again focus on the facts and not the comments as well as be the leader to close the gap between headlines and comments by using "truths."

• Wonder about the headline and intent
• Help yourself by being curious and asking questions
• Acquire the facts
• Truth focused communications