Some leaders climb out of a system and never look back. Dr. Patrick Fagan climbed out of New York City Public Schools and came back to lead it.In this episode of Ronderings, Ron sits down with Dr. Patrick Fagan, Chief Talent and Human Resources Officer for New York City Public Schools, the largest school system in the nation, for a conversation about what it takes to lead people at a scale most of us will never touch.Born in London to Jamaican parents and raised in East Flatbush, Patrick is a K-12 product of the very schools he now serves. He walks Ron through the full arc: playing trumpet at JHS 285, learning a trade at William E. Grady, and the doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology that taught him to read workplace behavior like a scientist.Then he gets into the leadership. Why he traded "leadership" for "teamship" across his 10 executive directors. Why he refuses to be the bottleneck every decision runs through. Why he says you have to love people, not just like them, to last in HR. And how faith and a 5:30 AM gym routine keep him grounded while he oversees HR for 150,000 employees inside a $44 billion system.There is also the line he tries to live by: every day is an interview. Not for the next job, but for trust.Tune in to hear how Patrick brings the human back into human resources, and why he calls leading 150,000 people a privilege, not a burden.🎙️ 00:16 Welcome to Ronderings, and a full-circle homecoming📚 01:59 Want to publish a book that matters? Check out www.leveragepublishinggroup.com🎺 06:38 From JHS 285 to a trade school, the path was never straight🏢 17:19 The real scale: 150,000 employees and a $44 billion system🛞 21:21 Teamship over titles, and why he refuses to be the bottleneck🥧 30:12 The PIE framework, and bringing the human back to HR💡 36:38 Got something worth saying? Talk to Dr. Kent at www.talktokent.com🙏 37:18 Faith, wellness, and every day is an interview❤️ 45:37 The Ronderings question: leave it stronger for the next generation🎧 48:52 Podcasts That Matter, and a Stronger Podcast shout-outLinks:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/patrick-d-fagan-ph-d-mbaReach out to Dr. Patrick Fagan to talk teamship, building talent pipelines inside the nation's largest school system, and the many careers in New York City Public Schools that don't require a classroom.Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapataloCheck Out Ron's Book: www.amazon.com/dp/1613431473Leverage Publishing Group: www.leveragepublishinggroup.comPublish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.orgFor more great podcasts like this one, visit: https://podcaststhatmatter.org

Ethan Ashley got handcuffed at a police precinct at age six for stealing a pack of gum. He went on to finish high school at sixteen, earn a law degree from Howard by twenty-two, win an elected school board seat, and build a national organization that trains the people deciding what happens in your kid's classroom. His throughline: his story should have been the rule, not the exception.In this episode of The Stronger Podcast, Mike Montoya sits down with Ethan, former school board member and CEO of School Board Partners, to talk about why elected school boards are one of the most powerful and least understood levers in American public education.Ethan traces an unlikely arc: born in Lakewood, raised in Compton, sleeping on the couch of a Hispanic family in East LA so he could stay dual-enrolled in community college as a high school freshman. A college recruiter who paid attention to an eighth grader, and a mentor who picked up the phone to Howard the day before a missed deadline, are the kind of people he credits for everything that followed. He started his legal career representing kids sentenced to die in prison, working the Louisiana arm of Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative, before deciding he wanted to work at the front end of the school-to-prison pipeline instead.Ethan and Mike get into why most school board members have no idea what they signed up for, what Brown v. Board actually turned on, and the three things leaders almost never say: I'm sorry, I don't know, and I need help.Listen in for a conversation about opportunity, the people who open doors, and building systems so the next kid does not have to be the exception.🎙️ 00:53 Want a podcast just like this one? Check out www.podcastsmatter.com🛫 01:32 Meet Ethan Ashley: from row 14F to leading school boards across the country🏠 02:07 Born in Lakewood, raised in Compton, and a grandmother who went west🎓 05:08 The recruiter and the mentor who opened the door to Howard🛋️ 07:10 The East LA family whose couch made dual enrollment possible📚 13:54 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org⚖️ 15:09 A pack of gum, handcuffs at six, and why he chose the law🏛️ 19:00 What Brown v. Board actually turned on: the school board nobody names🗳️ 25:25 Good people get elected, then learn being an advocate is not the same as governing🙏 31:29 The three things leaders never say: I'm sorry, I don't know, and I need help🌟 31:58 If you are a leader or changemaker looking for support, check out www.geniusdiscovery.org🤝 34:24 Meeting the moment: ICE, school closures, and AI inside School Board Partners🧭 43:26 Advice to his younger self: stay curious and connect deeply🎧 47:49 Find more podcasts that matter at www.podcaststhatmatter.orgLinks:LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/ethanashley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethancashley/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ethancashley School Board Partners: https://www.schoolboardpartners.org/ School Board Partners on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-board-partners/Connect with Ethan Ashley on LinkedIn or explore School Board Partners to learn more about how it supports elected school board members across the country to lead with courage, competence, and impact, including the Our Collective Power national conference.Connect with Mike: www.linkedin.com/in/mmscStronger Consulting: strongerconsulting.comPublish a Book That Matters:  booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters:  podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: geniusdiscovery.org For more great podcasts like this one, visit https://podcaststhatmatter.orgStay strong. 

Most people think legacy is about dying. Shawna Wells builds her whole life around the opposite idea: legacy is about living, and you are leaving one with every choice you make right now.In this episode of Ronderings, Ron sits down with Shawna Wells, CEO of 7Gen Legacy Group, executive coach, and self-described generationalist, for a conversation about leadership, generational thinking, and what it actually means to live a legacy instead of leaving one.Shawna traces it back to a moment at age 10. She fell off her bike in Northeast Philadelphia, two grown men drove past without stopping to ask if she was okay, and she walked home and told her mom that when she grew up, she would make sure the people coming behind her were alright. That instinct became a career: teacher, school leader, and now a coach who helps CEOs, nonprofit leaders, and changemakers across the country align their daily decisions with the impact they say they want to make.The conversation moves from the running track, where Shawna anchored relays and learned never to drop the baton, to the grandmother who left Wetumpka, Alabama and opened her home to hundreds heading north. Ron and Shawna dig into why social impact leaders feel under siege right now, why collective legacy beats clawing for funding alone, and the Las Vegas fellowship turning rival nonprofits into partners.Tune in to hear Shawna's Rondering on generational health and the one question that cuts through everything: are you making it easier or harder for the people coming after you?📚 01:38 Publish your book at www.leveragepublishinggroup.com🪑 02:02 Meet Shawna Wells: educator, coach, and self-described generationalist🚲 04:29 The bike fall at 10 and the promise that shaped a life🏃🏽‍♀️ 09:36 Anchoring the relay and the grandmother who housed hundreds🍎 12:14 Can you be a generationalist inside a system not built for it✍️ 20:38 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org⏳ 21:44 Legacy is about living, not dying: the question that changes everything🚕 25:01 Hamilton, Whitney, and the Uber drivers who tell you their life story🧭 28:34 How to shift an organization to think in generations✊🏽 31:22 Leading social impact work when you fear you may not survive the year🤝 36:06 Intertwining legacies: the Align Fellowship and turning rivals into partners🌟 39:24 If you are a leader or changemaker looking for support, check out www.geniusdiscovery.org🔁 44:18 Shawna's Rondering: generational health and not dropping the baton🎧 50:00 Want a podcast just like this one? Check out www.podcastsmatter.comLinks:Website: https://7genlegacy.comConnect with Shawna Wells and the 7Gen Legacy Group team to explore executive coaching, leadership development, and the Living Your Legacy experience, and to find the new Legacy Switch program launching in January 2026.Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapataloCheck Out Ron's Book: www.amazon.com/dp/1613431473Leverage Publishing Group: www.leveragepublishinggroup.comPublish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.orgFor more great podcasts like this one, visit: https://podcaststhatmatter.org

Catherine Suitor has spent two decades proving that schools can get better at scale, and she has the data to back it up. As Executive Director of the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools Foundation, Catherine has helped Alliance grow into one of the largest and most successful nonprofit charter networks in the country, serving 13,000 scholars across 26 schools in Los Angeles. When Alliance opened in 2004, LAUSD was graduating 49% of its students. Alliance has graduated nearly 100% from the start, and LAUSD's rate is now 82%.In this episode of The Stronger Podcast, Mike Montoya sits down with Catherine Suitor to talk about what it takes to build schools that meet kids where they actually are, not where the system assumes they should be. Catherine breaks down Alliance's schedule redesign pilot, which has doubled teacher planning time without cutting scholar instruction, and explains why teacher retention and scholar outcomes both went up.She also shares why Alliance has taken a deliberate pro-Black stance inside a 90% Latino network, and how the foundation is approaching AI as a tool to support educators rather than replace them. On fundraising, Catherine is clear: people basically want to do good, and the job is to give them the chance. Her line on serving students: equity is not equality, and people show up to the door with different needs.Tune in to hear why Catherine believes the original promise of charters was never to take over public education, but to prove what was possible and bring everyone else along.Chapters:🎙️ 00:57 Want a podcast just like this one? Check out www.podcastsmatter.com🌅 01:23 Meet Catherine Suitor: Alliance Foundation Executive Director and lifelong California fundraiser🎒 01:48 From parochial school to The Breakfast Club: growing up across every kind of K-12🌎 09:42 Why a history major was the best preparation for the work she does today✊🏽 12:22 Central American solidarity in the eighties and the roots of her advocacy career💬 15:13 Learning to fundraise on the job: press releases, phone banks, and the first ask📚 21:11 Find support for your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org🤝 22:10 Why fundraising is matchmaking, and what makes a great donor visit⚖️ 25:39 Going pro-Black inside a 90 percent Latino network: what Alliance learned from its scholars🏫 30:25 The original promise of charters: prove what works and bring everyone along📊 33:01 Defensive advocacy and proactive advocacy: how Alliance is sharing what it knows🌟 40:10 If you are a leader or changemaker, check out www.geniusdiscovery.org🚪 42:21 Closing a school the right way: a year of community engagement and an LAUSD board member's request⏱️ 45:36 Doubling teacher planning time: the schedule redesign that is keeping educators in the profession🤖 46:26 AI as a tool for educators, with multilingual and special ed scholars at the center🧭 49:23 What younger leaders should take from the cycles she has seen across forty years of social change🎧 57:51 Find more podcasts that matter at www.podcaststhatmatter.orgLinks:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-suitor-70218613/Alliance Foundation: https://laalliancefoundation.org/ERS case study on Alliance's schedule redesign: https://www.erstrategies.org/tap/alliance-teacher-schedules/Connect with Catherine Suitor on LinkedIn or explore the Alliance Foundation's work to learn more about what it takes to build and sustain great public schools at scale. Connect with Mike: www.linkedin.com/in/mmscStronger Consulting: strongerconsulting.comPublish a Book That Matters:  booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters:  podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: geniusdiscovery.org For more great podcasts like this one, visit https://podcaststhatmatter.orgStay strong. 

Board-certified psychotherapist Jessica Muñoz calls herself a visible survivor of gender-based violence and an expert in re-traumatizing systems designed to help. She built The Business of Healing™ to train the rooms most likely to encounter a survivor first: hotels, gyms, courts, workplaces.In this episode of Ronderings, Ron sits down with Jessica, founder of The Business of Healing™ and a survivor leader with Sanctuary for Families, for a conversation about why early intervention blocks lethality and what trauma literacy actually looks like at a hotel front desk.Jessica grew up in Scotland with a Hispanic last name, moved to West Harlem just before 9/11, and went through domestic violence, sexual assault, criminal court, family court, and the New York City shelter system as a first-generation immigrant. She points to the Diddy and Cassie hotel video as a textbook case of what her training is designed to interrupt. A staff member took a $100,000 payment to keep quiet. That, she argues, is the second wave of harm survivors meet after the first.Ron and Jessica get into what trauma-informed hospitality looks like inside hotels, restaurants, and gyms, why the relationship is the vehicle to healing, and why the courts pay forensic evaluators rates so low that no trained professional will take the work. They also talk about Sanctuary for Families, The Bride's March, Kyra's Law, and why patriarchy is not about men versus women but about unearned power that hurts everyone, men included.Tune in to hear why Jessica believes your story is necessary, not just for healing, but because it is the cultural expertise the system keeps refusing to pay for. Chapters:📚 01:13 Ron's call for voices: Leadership in a Time of Chaos, a book about saying something real🛡️ 02:10 Meet Jessica Muñoz: board-certified psychotherapist and founder of The Business of Healing🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 04:20 Visible survivor of gender-based violence and expert in re-traumatizing systems⚖️ 09:06 Patriarchy on steroids in the courts: judges and attorneys not literate in trauma📜 15:31 Kyra's Law and the fight still on Governor Hochul's desk🏨 17:14 Trauma-informed hospitality: what the Diddy and Cassie hotel video should have stopped🌹 18:12 The Bride's March: a grassroots movement run by families who lost women💪 23:00 The barbell section is therapy: inviting the mind back to the body🎤 24:57 Hit a referral-only mastermind for impact-driven leaders at speakersthatmatter.com🤝 27:12 Why the relationship is the vehicle to healing, from front desk to gym floor💡 40:03 Got an idea that needs to get out into the world? Check out talktokent.com🗣️ 43:51 Jessica's Rondering: your story is necessary, not just for healing👥 45:42 Patriarchy is about unearned power, not men versus women🎧 52:36 Podcasts That Matter makes Ronderings happen, check them out at podcaststhatmatter.orgLinks:Instagram: @jmunozpsychotherapyInstagram (The Business of Healing): @businessofhealingSanctuary for Families: sanctuaryforfamilies.orgThe Bride's March: @bridesmarchFollow Jessica Muñoz and The Business of Healing™ to learn more about trauma-informed hospitality training and the clinical work behind early intervention in gender-based violence. Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapataloCheck Out Ron's Book: www.amazon.com/dp/1613431473Leverage Publishing Group: www.leveragepublishinggroup.comPublish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.orgFor more great podcasts like this one, visit: https://podcaststhatmatter.org