What does it mean to live a life of meaning, service, and connection — especially in a world increasingly shaped by grades, screens, and artificial intelligence?

In this powerful episode, award-winning teacher Merle Black reflects on 41 years in the classroom. From engaging students with the wonders of history to navigating education in the digital age, Merle shares what it means to teach and to be transformed in return. This conversation is a love letter to education, connection, and the power of authentic relationships.

In this wide-ranging and heartfelt conversation, Merle and host Ben Walters explore:

Why human connection matters more than perfect grades
How to ignite students’ curiosity in the age of distraction
Why AI can’t replace authentic teaching
The dangers of digital isolation — and the magic of real conversation
Why school should never feel like a prison
The value of eccentricity, vulnerability, and humor in the classroom
How education helps us become more fully human
Why former professionals may be exactly who schools need right now

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

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Chapters:

00:00 — Ben’s Intro: Finding Meaning in Work
01:00 — Welcoming Merle and a Career of Impact
03:00 — Teaching History as Human Story
06:00 — Purpose Beyond the Paycheck
08:00 — Building Community Through Teaching
10:30 — Coaching, Connection, and Showing Up
13:00 — Being Present and Human in the Classroom
15:00 — Breaking Free from the “Prison” of School
18:00 — Embracing the Past to Live Better Futures
22:00 — Making History Fun, Personal, and Purposeful
25:00 — Students Helping Design Exams
27:00 — Reading, Writing, and the Role of AI
30:00 — Respecting Every Student’s Voice
34:00 — The Future of Teaching in the Age of AI
36:00 — Final Reflections: Meaningful Work and Hope for the Future
40:00 — What Merle’s SuperPumped About

#ai #teaching #educationmatters #classroomculture #edtech #AIconversation #teachingwithai #SuperPumpedPodcast

What do you do when the foundation of your identity begins to crack — or even collapse entirely? In this conversation, Glen Beasley opens up about navigating the complex intersections of work, purpose, and belonging after the September 11 attacks.

As a senior executive at Verizon at the time, Glen was at Boston’s Logan Airport when the first alarms about the network failures in New York City came through. He pivoted quickly — leaving the airport and heading back to lead response efforts — just as the scale of the national crisis began to unfold. What followed was a harrowing and transformative period in which Glen and his team worked to stabilize critical infrastructure, even as his personal identity and career trajectory began to shift beneath him.

In this moving conversation, Glen and host Ben Walters talk about:

• Glen’s role at Verizon during and after 9/11

• The challenges of staying calm and decisive when the world is in chaos

• How crisis can accelerate identity shifts

• The work of rebuilding when the ground under you has changed

• Finding new forms of connection, faith, and service in the aftermath of trauma

• What it felt like to be at Logan Airport on the morning of 9/11

• How Glen's team at Verizon responded to the unprecedented network disruption

• Why major life shifts often follow moments of personal or national upheaval

• What it means to “belong” after your job, title, or sense of self changes

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

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Chapters:
00:00 — Intro: Glen’s Life and Work Before 9/11
03:42 — At Logan Airport as the Crisis Unfolded
06:30 — Responding Inside Verizon: Restoring Communication
10:58 — Navigating Identity in the Wake of Crisis
16:25 — Career Success vs. Personal Calling
20:13 — What Faith and Service Taught Him Next
25:32 — Choosing Purpose Over Platform
30:47 — Rebuilding What Matters

Hashtags:
#september11 #911 #verizon #leadershipincrisis #corporateleadership #communications #crisismanagement #SuperPumpedPodcast

Do you feel immense pressure to grow up? Are you pressuring (subtly or overtly) a young person to get their stuff together? Did life force you to grow up before you were ready? Are you unsure if the path you chose as a younger version of yourself is still right for you? In this episode, Ben Walters explores the struggles of adulting — from the pressure to have it all figured out to the tension between childhood choices, adult aspirations, and is this really it.

Through stories, hard questions, and moments of reflection, he reminds us that it’s okay to:

• Give ourselves grace when the path is unclear
• Revisit decisions made with a “younger brain”
• Reclaim the exuberance and joy of youth

Watch or listen to learn:
• Why “adulting” doesn’t have to mean knowing it all
• How to support yourself (and the young adults in your life) when making hard decisions
• The permission to pivot, evolve, and pursue joy at any age

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

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Additional Resources:
Marian Arian, Maturation of the Adolescent Brain: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23579318/
For more from Dr. Katey Nicolai: https://www.joon.com/blog/late-adolescence | https://www.joon.com/blog/what-age-is-teenager

Chapters:
00:00 — Feeling Stuck? The Pressure to “Have It All Figured Out”
03:03 — When Do We Actually Become an Adult?
04:22 — Understanding the Brain and Developmental Milestones
06:38 — The Pressures Young Adults Face Today
08:30 — Helping Young Adults Discover What Brings Them Joy
12:17 — Making Space for Young Adults to Ask for Support
13:57 — Revisiting Old Decisions and Making New Choices
16:45 — Reclaiming the Exuberance of Youth
19:22 — Final Takeaways: Grace, Pivoting, and Finding Joy

#adulting #quarterlifecrisis #midlifecrisis #scrolling #pivot #reinvention #pursuejoy #SuperPumpedPodcast