The Elemental Educator Podcast

Tyler Comeau

The Elemental Educator Podcast explores the defining moments behind exceptional leadership. Hosted by Tyler Comeau, school principal, doctoral researcher, author, and speaker, the show features in-depth conversations with educators, executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, and world class thinkers who have led through uncertainty, adversity, and change. Every episode is built around four elemental forces that shape every leader: 🌍 Earth: the values that ground us. 💨 Air: the adversity that strengthens us. 💧 Water: the change that transforms us. 🔥 Fire: the decisions that define us. This isn't a podcast about quick leadership tips or trendy management advice. It's about understanding how extraordinary people think, grow, and lead when the stakes are highest. Because every great leader is forged through the elements. Decide with Fire. Stand on Earth.

  1. 2d ago

    Why Great School Leaders Stop Solving Every Problem

    What happens when a school leader becomes the answer to every problem? Tyler Comeau sits down with Kurtis Hewson, co-founder of Jigsaw Learning and co-author of Collaborative Response, to explore the shift from solving problems for people to building a team that can work through them together. They discuss the relationship between trust and structure, how to make meetings more useful, what shared ownership looks like in practice, and why listening matters even when you have years of experience. Along the way, Kurtis reflects on family and resilience, ranks difficult leadership challenges, and makes the case for teachers working in teams. Take one question into your next meeting: What would help this team move forward without me taking over? Guest: Kurtis Hewson Host: Tyler Comeau Show: The Elemental Educator Explore Kurtis’s work: https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/who-we-are/our-team/kurtis-hewson Collaborative Response resources: https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/collaborative-response/overview Follow The Elemental Educator and share this episode with a colleague who is building a stronger team. 00:00 The leadership trap 00:18 Meet Kurtis Hewson 01:19 Grounded Moments: family, resilience and leadership 05:39 From solving problems to building systems 16:46 Headwinds & Tailwinds: ranking leadership challenges 38:48 Ripples of Change: how effective teams work 54:48 Spark or Burn: should teachers work in teams? 01:01:25 The Guest Vault 01:04:29 Listen, then listen more

    Why Great School Leaders Stop Solving Every Problem

  2. Oct 5

    You Got Their Attention | Now What

    Getting someone’s attention is only the beginning. David Babcock explains how humour, trust and the right next question can turn a passing interaction into a meaningful conversation. He arrives as Ron Burgundy—but the man behind the character has a much bigger story. A professional Will Ferrell impersonator and experiential marketing specialist, David joins Tyler on The Elemental Educator to explore what trade shows teach us about human behaviour, why a crowd is not the same as a business result, and what rebuilding after 2008 taught him about trust. We put his ideas to the test through Principle or Preference, a live rebuilding tier list, and a final choice between attention and trust. Along the way, David explains why confidence can follow action, how to welcome people without trapping them in a pitch, and why the next 60 seconds matter so much. IN THIS EPISODE • Turning attention into a useful introduction • Humour, hospitality and reading the room • Rebuilding after losing a business and a home • Confidence, expertise, adaptability and relationships • What a trade-show robot reveals about human connection • Why trust became David’s foundation CHAPTERS 00:00 Episode trailer 00:55 David arrives as Ron Burgundy 04:17 From costume contest to a business 11:01 Grounded Moments: attention versus impact 13:56 What trade shows teach you about people 18:21 The question that creates a warm introduction 24:13 Hospitality: make the other person the main character 30:15 Choosing the right character for the room 34:58 Principle or Preference 40:05 Headwinds & Tailwinds: starting over in 2008 44:20 Ranking what it takes to rebuild 53:26 Why confidence comes after action 55:41 Ripples of Change: selling an outcome 56:55 Turning curiosity into a real conversation 1:04:16 AI, human connection and the robot story 1:07:04 Spark or Burn: when gimmicks become strategy 1:10:00 Final Answer: attention or trust? 1:12:21 Why trust became non-negotiable 1:13:30 The previous guest asks about gratitude 1:15:38 What happens after the attention? EXPLORE DAVID’S WORK https://ronburgundyimpersonator.com/ Subscribe to The Elemental Educator for more conversations about values, adversity, change and decisions. What would you put in the “Necessary” tier when rebuilding? Tell us in the comments. #TheElementalEducator #DavidBabcock #HumanConnection

    You Got Their Attention | Now What

  3. Sep 28

    Jason Schilling on Alberta Teachers | The Weight of the Chair

    What does it cost to lead when teachers are under pressure—and everyone is watching? Alberta Teachers’ Association President Jason Schilling joins Dr. Tyler Comeau for The Weight of the Chair. In this episode of The Elemental Educator Podcast, Jason shares his perspective on Alberta education, classroom conditions, teacher advocacy, and the difficult decisions behind the ATA presidency. He also opens up about the moments the cameras don’t capture: frustration, grief, isolation, criticism, and the effort it takes to show up again. Through the show’s Earth, Air, Water, and Fire segments, Tyler and Jason explore the values that ground a leader, the pressure of representing a profession, the courage to ask for help, and why gratitude keeps coming out on top. There’s humour here, too—from Jason’s first job selling ice cream to the story behind “Shill dog.” This conversation is for teachers, school leaders, aspiring educators, and anyone who carries responsibility for other people. IN THIS EPISODE • Why Jason connects teacher working conditions with student needs • What happened before he faced the cameras following Bill 2 • His mother’s advice: don’t panic and don’t give up • The emotional toll of public leadership • Learning from criticism and keeping classroom needs in focus CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open: The weight of leadership 01:13 The Weight of the Chair — introduction 01:24 How did Alberta education get here? 05:08 Representing 51,000 teachers 07:23 Why Jason puts teachers first 08:18 EARTH: Values and grounded moments 09:21 The first-job challenge 13:21 Getting fired—and finding opportunity 16:01 The person behind the ATA presidency 16:55 Bill 2: The moment before the cameras 19:45 “Speak again”: A lesson from King Lear 24:00 Principle or preference? 28:02 AIR: Pressure and difficult moments 31:17 His mother’s advice: Don’t panic, don’t give up 34:16 What actually helps you reset? 42:22 Acting quickly without losing perspective 44:01 WATER: Asking for help and leadership isolation 47:58 Stage fright and preparing to perform 53:02 FIRE: Why gratitude wins 56:33 Decisions people judge without the full picture 58:23 When the criticism is right 59:47 Why leaders need people they can trust 1:00:37 Keeping the focus on classroom needs 1:03:15 The question passed from guest to guest 1:04:22 Closing reflections GUEST Jason Schilling — President, Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) Learn about the ATA: https://teachers.ab.ca/ HOST Dr. Tyler Comeau The Elemental Educator Podcast

    Jason Schilling on Alberta Teachers | The Weight of the Chair

  4. Sep 14

    When “Control What You Can” Becomes Bad Leadership

    Phil Januszewski returns to The Elemental Educator after making one of the biggest decisions of his career: leaving the classroom after 20 years to become a full-time speaker. This time, we go much further than the usual conversation about happiness, self-care, and avoiding burnout. Phil believes we have more control over our ability to flourish than we sometimes admit. So I put that belief under pressure. What if the workload keeps growing? What if your boundaries are quietly punished? What if leadership tells you to “protect your energy” while refusing to fix conditions within their control? And eventually, what happens when the environment begins affecting safety, health, or your ability to do work you can ethically stand behind? Phil’s new book, Too Damn Happy: Flourishing in a Tired and Uninspired World, explores how small, intentional choices can build a life with more joy, energy, connection, and purpose without pretending the difficult parts of life do not exist. Get Too Damn Happy: https://TooDamnHappy.com Connect with Phil Januszewski: Website: https://philjanuszewski.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilJanuszewskiSpeaks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philjanuszewski YouTube: https://youtube.com/@philjanuszewski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philjanuszewski TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@philjanuszewski X: https://x.com/philjanuszewski Positive Growth Clothing Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PositiveGrowthStore Join the Positive Growth Lounge email list: https://mailchi.mp/efbb1914fa7b/join-the-positive-growth-lounge-email-list Chapters: 00:00 Who owns your wellbeing? 00:30 Was leaving teaching actually worth it? 04:03 Phil returns and Too Damn Happy 06:30 Happiness when nobody is watching 08:40 When positivity feels fake 11:46 Why giving something matters 14:10 An Old Fashioned at 6 AM 24:17 What leaving the classroom actually cost 27:04 “What if I made the wrong decision?” 31:34 Learning to control the controllables 33:57 Acceptance vs resignation 36:28 Ranking the advice exhausted people hear 55:06 Ripples of Change 55:22 The tiny decisions that change a life 57:35 Are you busy or is your life full? 1:01:42 Why givers struggle to receive 1:03:10 The biggest lie about burnout 1:04:51 When personal responsibility goes too far 1:08:04 Who owns employee wellbeing? 1:09:07 The five-level stress test 1:13:18 Level Five: when the system crosses the line 1:13:55 What Phil still gets wrong 1:14:30 The question designed to ruin relationships 1:19:36 What flourishing actually means

    When “Control What You Can” Becomes Bad Leadership

  5. Sep 7

    When Does Commitment Become Rigidity?

    What happens when commitment becomes so strong that changing course feels like betrayal? Colin is pursuing an outcome nobody can guarantee: becoming an MMA champion after beginning the journey at 28. But this conversation isn't really about fighting. It's about what happens when something matters enough that you're willing to commit without being able to control the result. We explore the line between conviction and rigidity, instinct and evidence, dedication and self-destruction. Colin opens up about fatherhood, faith, ambition, pain, sacrifice, rebuilding his life around an uncertain goal, selling part of what represented his financial backup plan, and learning how to surround himself with people capable of telling him when he's wrong. And underneath it all is a question every leader eventually faces: When should you stay the course, and when should new information change your mind? Because refusing to quit and refusing to learn are not the same thing. The Elemental Educator explores leadership and decision-making under pressure through conversations about values, adversity, change, judgment, and the choices we make when there is no perfect answer. Chapter: 00:00 What Are You Actually Certain About? 02:16 Why This Is Bigger Than Becoming Champion 07:28 The Hidden Safety of Starting Over 09:45 Can You Actually Trust Your Gut? 13:15 When Fatherhood Changes Success 13:48 Principle or Preference? 16:36 When the Problem Can't Be Fixed by Working Harder 22:38 Learning to Hit and Be Hit 28:56 What If the Dream Stops Being Realistic? 31:10 The Beliefs We Stop Questioning 35:43 What Going All In Actually Costs 37:26 Building a Team That Can Tell You You're Wrong 39:57 Dedication or Self-Destruction? 41:28 Selling the Backup Plan 43:02 100% Alignment Without 100% Certainty 44:05 When the Mission Starts Feeding on Sacrifice 45:27 What If He Never Becomes Champion? 46:58 Instinct, Courage, Humility or Faith? 49:59 The Question Beneath the Entire Conversation Follow Colin's journey through Impossible: impossibledocumentary.com Learn more about Elemental Educator and Tyler Comeau: https://www.tylercomeau.ca

    When Does Commitment Become Rigidity?

  6. Aug 31

    When Persistence Becomes a Leadership Mistake

    Leadership culture tells us to finish what we start. Push through. Stay disciplined. Keep the commitment. Don’t quit. But what happens when continuing is no longer the courageous decision? In this episode of The Elemental Educator, Tyler Comeau sits down with writer David Deane Haskell for a raw conversation about boundaries, change, perseverance, discomfort, identity, and the difficult moment when a plan that once made sense stops fitting the reality in front of you. One story becomes particularly important. David had made the plan. He had booked the flight. He had every logistical reason to continue. Yet something about the decision no longer felt right. Eventually, the entire plan changed. That raises a much bigger leadership question: How do you tell the difference between discomfort you need to endure and information that should cause you to reconsider the decision? Because resilience matters. So does judgment. And mature leadership sometimes means having enough courage to keep going, while other times having enough courage to change course. In this conversation: • Why boundaries matter • When persistence becomes unhealthy • Why changing a decision is not necessarily failure • How reflection changes judgment • The role of discomfort in difficult decisions • Why leaders should pay attention when circumstances change • How to stay grounded without becoming rigid Chapters: 00:00 Why We’re Terrified of Not Knowing 05:58 When Pushing Harder Starts Hurting You 09:23 The Relationships You Stop Chasing 12:42 Principle or Preference? 19:36 The Stories We Build to Survive 27:56 Why Awareness Can Take Decades 30:12 Self-Help Advice Worth Questioning 36:49 When Something Has to Change 37:34 The Flight He Almost Forced Himself to Take 41:33 Is This Discomfort or Information? 45:40 The Risk of Being Completely Seen 50:09 What You Can Actually Control 51:05 Surrender, Boundaries, Stillness, Truth 53:56 What Were We Really Solving? 57:15 The Question for the Next Guest Connect with Tyler tylercomeau.ca Connect with David https://www.daviddeanehaskell.com/

    When Persistence Becomes a Leadership Mistake

  7. Jun 22

    How to Stop Letting Other People Define Your Worth | LaVonna Roth

    In this episode of the Elemental Educator podcast, host Tyler Comeau sits down with LaVonna Roth, the creator of the globally recognized SHINE framework, to untangle a profound human paradox: How do leaders build massive platforms helping others recognize their value while simultaneously battling deep internal struggles with self-worth? LaVonna opens up about her personal journey of growing up without her biological father and how that foundational absence unintentionally weaponized her psychology. For years, she chased accolades, joined every club, and achieved elite educational milestones—not out of pure passion, but as a defense mechanism to prove her worth to someone who wasn't there. Through a life-altering car accident and years of radical self-reflection, LaVonna learned how to rewrite her internal narrative and re-architect her organization's core philosophy around a single umbrella value: a Heart for Humanity. This conversation delivers a masterclass in shifting from external validation to intrinsic confidence, optimizing team dynamics, and navigating leadership through structural empathy. The Excellence Trap: Most high-achievers believe their perfectionism and intense work ethic are their greatest strengths. In reality, these are often deep-seated trauma responses designed to protect you from abandonment and rejection. True leadership scale doesn't come from proving people wrong; it comes from healing the need to prove anything at all. Watch Next (Playlists & Videos) 📺 Leadership Masterclasses: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducator Connect With Guest (LaVonna Roth) Website: http://www.igniteyourSHINE.comLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lavonnarothLinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igniteyourshine/Instagram Personal: http://instagram.com/lavonnarothInstagram Business: http://instagram.com/igniteyourSHINEnowFacebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/lavonnarothFacebook Business: https://www.facebook.com/igniteyourSHINEEmail Contact: lavonna@igniteyourSHINE.comConnect With Host (Tyler Comeau) Website: https://tylercomeau.caSpeaking & Consulting Inquiries: info@tylercomeau.caPodcast Guest Inquiries: tyler@elementaleducator.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/elemental_educatorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555973948902&mibextid=JRoKGiYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducatorAudio Podcast Feed: https://elementaleducatorpodcast.transistor.fm/Read "The Elemental Leader" Book: https://www.routledge.com/The-Elemental-Leader-Unlocking-Your-Potential-Through-Values-Perseverance-Adaptability-and-Innovation/Comeau/p/book/9781041006084LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-comeau-961a49310/Timestamps 0:00 - The Paradox of Worth and Achievement 3:40 - Grounded Moments: The Hierarchy of Core Values 7:34 - Deconstructing the SHINE Framework 15:54 - Game: Principle or Preference 20:30 - Headwinds & Tailwinds: Overcoming the Biological Father Narrative 28:49 - Game: Flip the Script 31:31 - Ripples of Change: From Framework to Movement 44:03 - Spark or Burn: The Constant Risk of Entrepreneurship 47:13 - Game: Word Versus Word 50:04 - Advice to My 5, 13, and 20-Year-Old Self Are you leading from your strengths or from your historical wounds? In this data-driven and emotionally resonant episode, Tyler Comeau breaks down the psychology of validation with international speaker and educational consultant LaVonna Roth. LaVonna exposes how the trauma of abandonment can masquerade as high-achieving perfectionism and people-pleasing. She shares the exact architecture of her famous SHINE framework (Self, Heart, Inspire, Navigate, Exceptional) and explains how shifting organizational culture away from rigid credentials toward intrinsic human gifts can dramatically minimize people problems and accelerate company growth. Perfect for educators, corporate executives, and anyone looking to reclaim their personal narrative.

    How to Stop Letting Other People Define Your Worth | LaVonna Roth

  8. Jun 15

    The Student Skills Crisis Is Worse Than Anyone Realizes | With Chris Roberts

    Beat My Score From This Episode: https://www.whattimeswhat.com Most people think the education crisis is about funding, technology, or curriculum. They're wrong. After spending three decades leading enterprise technology teams and engineering large-scale software systems, Chris Roberts stepped into a high school classroom and discovered a problem that few people are willing to talk about. Many students aren't struggling because they lack intelligence. They're struggling because foundational skills were never fully built in the first place. In this episode of The Elemental Educator Podcast, Chris shares what happened when he left corporate leadership and inherited classrooms filled with students who couldn't access higher-level math because basic number relationships, multiplication facts, and foundational thinking skills had never become automatic. What followed challenged many of the assumptions educators, parents, and policymakers hold about student achievement. This conversation explores cognitive load, mathematical thinking, accommodations, technology dependence, educational equity, leadership, and what it actually takes to help students succeed. Chris brings a unique perspective shaped by decades of executive leadership, systems thinking, mathematics education, and firsthand classroom experience. If you're an educator, school leader, parent, policymaker, or anyone concerned about the future of learning, this episode offers an uncomfortable but necessary conversation. Contrarian Insight Many people believe the solution to struggling students is more technology, more accommodations, or easier access to information. Chris argues that the real solution may be rebuilding foundational knowledge and cognitive fluency so students can think deeply without exhausting their mental bandwidth on basic tasks. Watch Next Elemental Educator Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducator Guest Links Chris Roberts: Social: https://facebook.com/whattimeswhat https://instagram.com/whattimeswhat https://youtube.com/@classicaleducationfoundation https://www.tiktok.com/@whattimeswhat Web: https://whattimeswhat.com https://classicmathgames.com https://classical-education.org Email: chris@classicmathgames.com Host Links Tyler Comeau Website: https://tylercomeau.ca LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylercomeau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylercomeau YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducator Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducator Timestamps 0:00 - The Hidden Education Crisis 1:20 - Why Students Freeze During Math 4:00 - Leaving Corporate Leadership for Teaching 7:10 - The Afghan Refugee Student Story 11:45 - Why Foundational Skills Matter 18:20 - The Cognitive Bandwidth Problem 25:05 - Education as a Pathway Out 34:00 - Calculators, Accommodations & Learning 42:15 - What Schools Are Missing 51:30 - Leadership Lessons from the Classroom 59:00 - Building Better Thinkers 1:05:00 - Final Reflections SHOW NOTES What happens when a corporate technology executive trades the boardroom for a high school classroom? After 30 years leading enterprise IT teams, Chris Roberts entered education and discovered a troubling reality: many students are struggling not because they lack intelligence, but because foundational skills were never fully developed. In this episode, Chris and Tyler explore mathematical thinking, cognitive load, technology dependence, student motivation, educational equity, and why rebuilding foundational knowledge may be one of the most important challenges facing modern education. A powerful conversation for educators, leaders, parents, and anyone concerned about the future of learning.

    The Student Skills Crisis Is Worse Than Anyone Realizes | With Chris Roberts
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The Elemental Educator Podcast explores the defining moments behind exceptional leadership. Hosted by Tyler Comeau, school principal, doctoral researcher, author, and speaker, the show features in-depth conversations with educators, executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, and world class thinkers who have led through uncertainty, adversity, and change. Every episode is built around four elemental forces that shape every leader: 🌍 Earth: the values that ground us. 💨 Air: the adversity that strengthens us. 💧 Water: the change that transforms us. 🔥 Fire: the decisions that define us. This isn't a podcast about quick leadership tips or trendy management advice. It's about understanding how extraordinary people think, grow, and lead when the stakes are highest. Because every great leader is forged through the elements. Decide with Fire. Stand on Earth.

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