Compassion Solution
Helping healthcare providers and systems understand the value of compassion in improving the lived experience of every stakeholder, and building sustainable systems for cultivating it.
Speaker/Educator/Clinician
Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu
DPT, ATP, C-AAIS, EdD Candidate
Pronounced “lohm-DEW”
Repairing systems to restore workplace well-being: moving past the burnout narrative toward systems that cultivate compassion, respect human beings and support flourishing. Helping people and organizations develop and implement technology that enhances compassion and connection rather than extinguish it.
Personal mission
To be an active participant in the success of others.
To meet myself and others with compassion, and to cultivate that compassion within organizations and systems.
To speak the truth, especially when it is unwelcome, and always with kindness.
To be curious by discipline and humble by conviction.
To hold my ideas firmly enough to test them, yet loosely enough to change them.
About
Clinical rigor, product intuition, and a deep care for the well-being of others.
Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu (lohm-DEW) has been a practicing physical therapist for over 35 years. As a Doctor of Education candidate in Healthcare Education & Leadership, his work focuses on repairing workplace well-being architecture, moving past the superficial burnout narrative to dismantle Occupational Distress Syndrome (ODS).
From pioneering smart-home sensor systems for the Veterans Administration to advising deep-tech AI startups and co-founding an independent social-emotional learning children's publishing house, Russ blends clinical rigor with product intuition, instructional design, and narrative storytelling. He builds systems, products, and learning experiences that respect human time and elevate human flourishing.
He is also a certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist, an RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), a Wellcoach® trained wellness coach, and a National Association of Home Builders trained Aging in Place Specialist, and he has completed the Harvard Bok Higher Education Teaching Certificate. As the owner of a rehabilitation staffing company, he brings a rare perspective that bridges clinical practice and the business realities of healthcare.
What makes Russ effective as a speaker is not that he presents himself as someone with all the answers. He shows up as someone who has walked through struggle, burnout, and challenge, and who continues to navigate that journey with humility, honesty, and courage. He speaks not from perfection, but from experience, reflection, and deep care for the well-being of others.
Core values
Compassion as infrastructure
Compassion is not a soft skill bolted onto a broken system; it is load-bearing. The work is to build sustainable structures where compassionate care can actually survive the demands placed on it.
Flourishing over mere function
Grounded in Carol Ryff's eudaimonic model, I look past whether people are simply coping to whether they are growing: autonomy, purpose, mastery, and connection are outcomes worth designing for.
Universal design & dignity
Access is not an accommodation added at the end. From smart-home sensors to ramps to reading levels, the goal is environments and experiences that meet people as they are.
Respect for time and attention
Every product, lecture, and learning experience should earn the minutes it asks for: concise, organized, relevant, and engaging, or it does not ship. Rigor and story both do that work. Clinical evidence and narrative are not rivals; data earns trust while story makes it stick and moves people to act, so I insist on both.
Love, Kindness and Respect for Beings
Every person and every animal deserves to be met with warmth, dignity, and genuine care. This conviction grounds my animal-assisted work and everything else; how we treat one another is the truest measure of any system.
Curiosity and integrity
My substantial curiosity lets me question thoughtfully and deeply, while intellectual flexibility lets me hold answers loosely. Better care depends on the quality of the questions you ask, multiplied by how often you ask them, raised to the power of the integrity of your answers. That conviction drives my research: pursuing truth in the service of doing good.
The work
One person, many projects, organized around a single idea.
Everything below is a different expression of the same commitment: helping people and the systems around them flourish. Use this as a dashboard to jump into any part of the work.
Research & Frameworks
The ideas underneath the work: how workplace suffering happens, and how compassion can be cultivated on purpose.
Occupational Distress Syndrome (ODS)
A precise framework that moves beyond the burnout metaphor. Grounded in Carol Ryff's eudaimonic well-being model, ODS names how organizational demands damage internal flourishing, with assessment tools and evidence-based pathways to restore it.
C.O.R.E Framework
An instructional-design methodology ensuring every learning experience is Concise, Organized, Relevant, and Engaging: a repeatable structure for content that learners retain, apply, and turn into behavior change.
Methodology developed by Dr. L'HommeDieu
Consulting & Practice
Where the frameworks meet real organizations, clinicians, and patients.
Practical Innovations
A healthcare consulting practice specializing in training and leadership coaching, instructional design, and health-tech innovation, building sustainable systems for professional development, compassionate care, and the thoughtful integration of emerging technology.
Northeast Restorative Care
Northeast Restorative Physical & Occupational Therapy Services, a rehabilitation staffing company dedicated to the highest quality of patient care, with a focus on compassion, professionalism, and the best possible outcomes.
Home Safety Solutions
Aging-in-place and home safety assessments that help people remain independent and safe where they live, translating clinical insight and accessibility standards into practical modifications for the real home.
Dr. Russ is a National Association of Home Builders trained Aging in Place Specialist
Publishing & Stories
Teaching and empowering children through the power of story.
Three Paws Publishing
Co-founded with Karen L'HommeDieu and inspired by their three-legged therapy dog, Daisy. An independent house creating books that celebrate inclusion, resilience, and social-emotional learning for young readers everywhere.
Dr. Russ is a Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS)
Tools & Innovation
Small, practical tools built to make clinical work easier and more precise.
Ramp.Engineer
A calculator that helps clinicians plan and visualize wheelchair ramps: solving for length, grade, and run against real accessibility geometry so recommendations are safe and code-aware.
Data Walker
A DIY walker odometer that assists in performing the 10-Meter Walk Test and the Timed Up and Go (TUG), turning an everyday device into a source of objective outcome data.
ReSIP: Research Study Implementation Platform
Handles the practical work of running a study, so researchers can focus on the question instead of the paperwork.
- Electronic consent and enrollment tracking
- Automated daily email or text reminders
- Built-in statistical computations
We can host your research project
The Go-Po-Photo Project
An experimental project to explore postural assessment and goniometry through photography. A live attitude indicator, level-gated capture, and horizon correction show learners why a level, square camera matters before they measure anything.
Experimental teaching tool
Health & Well-being
A journey that started personally and became a free program for others.
Weight Loss Journey: Lose Weight for Good
Over twenty years ago, Doc Russ lost over 200 pounds. He became a Wellcoach® and volunteered as a presenter for the Veterans Administration's MOVE program, then developed Lose Weight for Good as an audio program based on those lectures. It is now free and available to everyone.
Paddling Around Long Island
After losing over 200 pounds, Doc Russ took on an audacious endurance adventure: a solo 270 mile sea kayak all the way around Long Island, completed in 8.5 days. Proof of what restored health makes possible.
The record
Statements of practice
Teaching Statement
How I design learning that respects human time and translates into real behavior change.
Research Statement
Six aims, 2026 to 2028: compassion training, the Occupational Distress Syndrome model, and humane technology.
Curriculum Vitae
Thirty-five years of clinical practice, education, credentials, and innovation.
An intention
Writing
Writing by topic
Instructional Design
Course design, the C.O.R.E Framework, Universal Design for Learning, active learning, feedback, AI in higher education, and PT education.
Featured
Questions With Intent
9 min read
A field guide to the questions that build understanding in course design: priming, guiding, probing, critical, clarifying, retrieval, reflective, transfer and enduring questions, and who should be asking them.
- AI Integration
- Academic Innovation
The Thinking AI Should Not Do for Us
84 min read
AI reliably improves what students produce, but it does not reliably improve what they learn. Engagement, leadership, and the design choices underneath AI in higher education.
- Academic Innovation
- AI Integration
Video Killed the Radio Star . . . or Did It? The Real Value of Video in PT Education
9 min read
Video did not kill the radio star, and it will not kill the lecture either. What Mayer's multimedia research says about instructor faces, generative pauses, and choosing between Camtasia and Loom, plus five ways to use video in PT education.
- Academic Innovation
- AI Integration
Mighty Metacognition Meets CORE: Teaching Students to Think About Their Thinking in the Age of AI
14 min read
When AI can answer almost anything, the skill left for students is the one it cannot do for them: thinking about their own thinking. Sarah Robertson's six metacognition strategies, translated for a health professions classroom, with cautions on where AI belongs.
- The Science of Caring Well
The Perfect Mentor Does 3 Jobs: Coach, Consultant, and Connect
11 min read
I have been mentored badly by generous people and mentored well by people who had very little time for me. If I am being honest, I have probably also been both types of mentors as well. The difference was never warmth, a
- Academic Innovation
- Universal Design
Rethinking What It Means to Teach
12 min read
We have all been there. Sitting in a classroom (or logged into a Zoom call) that felt, well, a little uninspired. The slides are clean. The information is accurate. The professor clearly put in hours of preparation. And ...
- Academic Innovation
- AI Integration
Helping Every Student Become a Strategic Learner
7 min read
For decades, researchers have known that how students regulate their own learning matters at least as much as what they study. Students who set goals, select effective strategies, monitor their progress, and reflect on o...
- Academic Innovation
- Universal Design
Baptism by Fire: Lessons from Emergency Remote Learning
14 min read
In March 2020, educators around the world experienced what can only be described as an educational baptism by fire. Without warning, without preparation, and without the luxury of a gradual transition, millions of instru...
- Academic Innovation
Serious Play: Teaching Improvisational Compassion
16 min read
When I was a younger man, I did a fair amount of stand-up comedy. While I had a lot of fun developing and performing material, it could get repetitive and boring. The jokes were the same every night. The audience was dif...
- Instructional Design
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
Why AI Hallucinates, Why We Can't Simply Fix It
11 min read
When a large language model tells a physician that a drug interaction is safe when it isn't, or fabricates a clinical study that doesn't exist, we call it a hallucination. The term itself reveals our confusion about what
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
The Four Questions That Change Everything
5 min read
In previous posts, we explored how the quality of your questions, multiplied by the frequency you ask them, raised to the power of the integrity of your answers, determines the power of your outcomes. This formula applie...
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
What Students Gain from PT School (It's not what you think)
8 min read
Physical therapy sits at a fascinating intersection. It's simultaneously a rigorous scientific discipline and a profoundly human art. When students enter PT education, they're not just learning to apply techniques. They'...
- Academic Innovation
The Four Lenses for Critically Reflective Teaching
11 min read
How do you know if your teaching is effective? How do you even define "effective?" It's not just whether students pass tests or complete assignments, but whether they gain a deep understanding.
- Academic Innovation
Reimagining the Directionality of How We Teach
17 min read
Effective feedback is not a discrete event. When designed well, it transforms assignments from isolated performances into an elegant learning system with iterative cycles where students develop increasingly sophisticated...
- Academic Innovation
- AI Integration
The Feedback Abyss: Using AI Without Losing Your Soul
11 min read
In my previous essay, I introduced the concept of directionality as the fundamental architecture of learning: the idea that what matters most isn't whether you're lecturing or leading a discussion, but rather how informa...
- Academic Innovation
The Neurobiology of Belief: Why Alia Crum's Research Matters
19 min read
In 2007, a group of Italian researchers led by Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti performed what seemed like a simple experiment. They gave morphine to patients recovering from thoracic surgery. Half received the painkiller from a d...
- Academic Innovation
Why Does Everyone Get Darwin Wrong?
4 min read
For more than a century, one phrase has clung stubbornly to popular culture: survival of the fittest. It appears in business books, political speeches, sports commentary, and even classroom conversations. It has become s...
- Academic Innovation
Want to Give a Great Presentation? Use Ugly Sketches
3 min read
Martin J. Eppler is Professor of Media and Communication Management at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) and Director of its Institute for Media and Communication Management. He has won 12 MBA teaching awards an...
- Academic Innovation
Active Learning: The Engine of Engagement
21 min read
Picture students logging into an online anatomy lecture on a Tuesday evening. Fifty participants appear as black squares on the screen, cameras off, names barely visible. The recorded lecture plays: a teaching fellow adv...
- Academic Innovation
Teaching Through Story: Unraveling the Mystery
12 min read
I have a confession to make. I watch a lot of detective shows. Law & Order, CSI, any British mystery series I can get my hands on. And somewhere between season 3 of a police procedural and preparing to teach Advanced Cli...
- Academic Innovation
Energy, Engagement, and the Architecture of Motivation
9 min read
When I lost over 200 pounds more than 20 years ago, I learned something fundamental about human motivation: engagement is an energy management problem. This insight, born from personal transformation rather than pedagogi...
- Wellbeing
Belongingness in PT Education Matters . . . A Lot
5 min read
Do I belong? It's a question I've often contemplated, whether I realized it or not. Human beings are hardwired to seek social connections. In some cultures, the ultimate punishment is to be shunned. We long to belong, bu...
- Academic Innovation
Using Storytelling as a Transformative Teaching Tool
10 min read
Before the written word, before formal education systems, before PowerPoint presentations and learning management systems, there were stories. Storytellers held positions of honor in their communities, chosen not just fo...
- Academic Innovation
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
11 min read
What if your teaching could be as valued as your research? What if the innovations you develop in your classroom could advance your career just like publishing in top journals? That's the promise of the Scholarship of Te...
- Academic Innovation
WISE Feedback: The Science of High Standards & High Support
14 min read
Every educator faces a fundamental tension: how to provide honest, rigorous feedback without crushing students' spirits. Too harsh, and we risk pushing learners away. Too soft, and we deny them the critical information t...
- Academic Innovation
- Universal Design
Universal Design for Learning: A Comprehensive Exploration
58 min read
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) represents a fundamental reconceptualization of how we approach education in the 21st century. Rather than designing curricula for an imagined "average" student and then retrofitting a...
- Universal Design
Making the Golden Rule More Precious
19 min read
A Universal Design for Learning Perspective on Belonging in Education
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
Dyslexia: A Hidden Superpower?
17 min read
Being called stupid sucks. Believing it is devastating.
- Academic Innovation
The Right Tool for the Right Mind: Rethinking How We Teach
13 min read
Picture two classrooms down the hall from each other.
- Academic Innovation
Is it Time to Redesign CORE?
8 min read
Every semester, I watch the same pattern unfold. A student masters the technical skills, aces every exam, demonstrates perfect recall, but when faced with an authentic problem, they freeze. They know what to do but canno...
- Academic Innovation
The Evolution of Bloom's Taxonomy—From Pyramid to Wedge
15 min read
Introduction: The Knowledge Transfer Problem
- Academic Innovation
- AI Integration
AI Revolution in PT Education: Lessons from Med School
7 min read
Log entry, 202509271845: We have created machines that learn and teach one another. We are unsure how they do it, and we are certainly not in control of the internal world they are creating among themselves. While this g...
- Academic Innovation
Learning Through Connection: Animal-Assisted Interventions
4 min read
🐾On September 26, 2025, I had the privilege of attending a very insightful and heart-centered professional development session at the FPTA conference in Orlando. It was a deep dive into Animal-Assisted Interventions (AA...
- Academic Innovation
Reimagining PT Education Through 3D Printing
4 min read
Attending the 3D Printing in Physical Therapy Education seminar presented at the Florida Physical Therapy Association Meeting in Orlando on September 27 was a truly eye-opening experience.
- Wellbeing
Why Some Students Need Our Attention in PT Education
8 min read
For decades, physical therapy education programs have relied heavily on traditional metrics to predict student success: undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, and prerequisite course performance. While these numbers tell us some...
- Academic Innovation
- AI Integration
Why AI Lies and What to Do About it.
8 min read
The Science Behind AI's Confidence Problem: What Educators Need to Know
- Instructional Design
What’s So Funny?
6 min read
A Case for Incorporating Appropriate Humor Into Your Teaching and Why
- Academic Innovation
When CORE Need Not Be Too CORE:
5 min read
How “Difficult” Strategies Actually Fit the Framework
- Instructional Design
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
The Curiosity Code
4 min read
Authentic Questions in the Mentor Mindset: Definition, Science, and Practice
- Instructional Design
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
The Mentor Mindset
4 min read
Fostering Growth Through High Expectations and High Support
- Academic Innovation
Cultivating an Inquiry Mindset
3 min read
The inquiry mindset is about asking questions that get below the surface, challenge assumptions, and lead to thoughtful decisions. Several tools embody this mindset, helping us think clearly and communicate with care. Le...
- Academic Innovation
Choosing the Right Tool for PT Education: CBL v. PBL
10 min read
A Strategic Approach to Active Learning in Physical Therapy Programs
- Academic Innovation
Why PT Students Need to Understand Hypothetico-Deductive Thinking
10 min read
When I tell PT students they need to understand the hypothetico-deductive model, I usually get one of two reactions. Either glazed-over eyes (because it sounds theoretical and boring) or anxiety (because it sounds compli...
- Instructional Design
Weighing the Cost of Caring: Evaluating ROI in Healthcare Ed.
28 min read
Introduction: The Price of a Dream
- Academic Innovation
- AI Integration
When Disruption Becomes Design: The Impact of AI on Higher Ed
5 min read
Artificial Intelligence has shaken the foundation of higher education. But before we label this disruption as a catastrophe or a revolution, it’s critical to return to a central question: What is the true purpose of high...
- Academic Innovation
SBAR is CORE
3 min read
Why PT Students Should Learn SBAR: Speaking the Language of Healthcare
- Instructional Design
FERPA: What Every Educator Needs
16 min read
If you are an educator and a health professional like me, think of FERPA as the HIPAA of educational settings.
- Academic Innovation
Beyond the Lecture: How Carl Wieman Rewired Science Education
4 min read
We’ve all been there—stuck in a lecture hall, eyes glazed, mind drifting, wondering how something as fascinating as the universe can sound so... boring. Physics, a subject built on curiosity and explosive questions, too ...
- Academic Innovation
Serving The Overlooked Stakeholders in Higher Education
5 min read
Education isn’t just about preparing students to graduate; it’s about preparing them to contribute meaningfully to the world. While students are the primary recipients of education, the impact of their learning extends f...
- Book Club
Responsibility and The Power of Clear Communication
5 min read
“Far too often, we assume that if somebody doesn't understand what we're telling them, it's because they are 'stupid' or 'closed-minded.' That is very rarely the case. While we know our subject matter, we may fail to kno...
- Instructional Design
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
Everything Starts with a Question
6 min read
From ancient Greece to today, questions have been recognized as one of the most powerful tools for intellectual growth and discovery. Throughout history, great thinkers have used questions not just as a means of obtainin...
- Universal Design
Empowering Education with Strong Start to Finish
5 min read
Strong Start to Finish (SStF) is at the forefront of educational reform, dedicated to ensuring that every student, particularly those from underrepresented and underserved communities, has the opportunity to succeed in h...
- Universal Design
The Power of Purpose in Education
5 min read
The key to unlocking the potential of today’s students lies not in empty promises of future success or short-term rewards but in offering them a clear sense of purpose.
- Universal Design
Social Belonging Enhances Student Success
4 min read
In education, a sense of belonging plays a crucial role in determining a student’s success and well-being. Greg Walton, a professor at Stanford University, has dedicated his research to understanding how belonging impact...
- Instructional Design
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
The Power of Authentic Questions
4 min read
An authentic question is one in which the asker genuinely does not know the answer and is open to learning from the respondent. This differs from rhetorical or leading questions, where the asker often assumes they alread...
- Instructional Design
How Improv Comedy Made Me a Better Educator
6 min read
When I was in my 30s, I ventured into stand-up comedy. Yes, I can be funny. . . or so I think.
- Academic Innovation
CORE Compatible Theories and Frameworks
3 min read
The CORE Framework, which stands for Concise, Organized, Relevant, and Engaging, is a structured approach to instructional design and content creation that places the learner at the center of the educational experience. ...
- Academic Innovation
- Universal Design
The Value of Appropriate Humor in Education
4 min read
Humor, in the context of education, can be defined as the intentional use of jokes, wit, playful language, or amusing anecdotes to create a more engaging, enjoyable, and relaxed learning environment. When used effectivel...
- Academic Innovation
Bridging the CORE Framework with Design Thinking
6 min read
Traditional methods of teaching and learning are increasingly being challenged by more dynamic and student-centered approaches. One such approach is Design Thinking, a methodology that originated in the fields of design ...
- Academic Innovation
Bridging the Technological Divide in Education
4 min read
The diagram to the left illustrates the varying degrees to which different generations interact with technology, a spectrum ranging from Digital Averse to Digital Native.
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
C.O.R.E. Insights from "Make It Stick"
6 min read
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel is a landmark book that offers profound insights into how learning actually works. The book delves into the...
- Instructional Design
Complex Systems Theory & C.O.R.E.
6 min read
Understanding the complexity of the world is increasingly essential for students as they navigate a rapidly changing and interconnected global landscape. Complex Systems Theory provides a framework for understanding how ...
- Academic Innovation
Creating a Culture of Trust and Safety with Students
5 min read
Students are valuable stakeholders in the creation and continuous improvement of curriculum. We want their feedback to be honest, accurate, and, most of all, useful. The reality is that most students don't complete the c...
- Instructional Design
CORE-Enhancing Retention, Comprehension, Synthesis, & Application
4 min read
In today’s fast-paced, high-tech educational environment, students are bombarded with vast amounts of information. The challenge for educators is to deliver content effectively and ensure that students retain, comprehend...
- Academic Innovation
How the CORE Framework Supports Universal Design in Education.
5 min read
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework that emphasizes flexibility and inclusivity, ensuring that all students, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, have equal opportunities to learn. The CORE ...
- Instructional Design
In-Person Intensives – A CORE Framework Approach
8 min read
Hybrid programs have become increasingly popular in higher education, offering the flexibility of online learning combined with the hands-on experience of in-person sessions. However, a key component of these programs—th...
- Instructional Design
Respecting a Learner’s Resources
4 min read
In the realm of education, we often talk about the importance of delivering high-quality content and fostering meaningful learning experiences. However, educators must consider another crucial aspect: respecting a learne...
- Instructional Design
The Power of Language in Learning
4 min read
The Importance of Vocabulary in Advanced Learning
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
10 to 25 - A Roadmap for Navigating Early Adulthood Mentorship
8 min read
10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager provides a fresh, research-based perspective on guiding young people through the crucial developmental years between 10 and 25. By exploring the science be...
- Book Club
Scientific Teaching (First Edition)
4 min read
Scientific Teaching challenges educators to apply the same rigor they use in research to their teaching practice. The book translates complex findings from education, learning, and cognitive psychology into practical, ac...
- Book Club
Unlocking the Power of Inquiry: How 'A More Beautiful Question
3 min read
"A More Beautiful Question" by Warren Berger explores the power of inquiry, emphasizing how asking the right questions can lead to innovation, personal growth, and deeper understanding. The book argues that cultivating t...
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
Radical Candor: Blueprint for Success in Teaching and Leadership
3 min read
Originally penned by Kim Scott, a former executive at Google and Apple, Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity introduces readers to a revolutionary approach to feedback and relationship-building...
- Book Club
Understanding by Design (2nd Expanded Edition)
4 min read
UbD answers a deceptively simple question: How do you design curriculum that actually leads to understanding rather than just coverage? The book presents "backward design": starting with desired results, then determining...
- Book Club
Teaching with AI:A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning
2 min read
In their insightful book, Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning, authors José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in educat...
- Book Club
Sapiens: Insights on Teaching and Leadership in Higher Education
4 min read
Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind offers more than just a history lesson. The book’s deep dive into the evolution of humanity provides a lens through which educators and academic leaders can reima...
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
3 min read
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck is a transformative book that explores the profound impact of our beliefs about our abilities and potential. Dweck introduces two core concepts: the "fixed mindset...
- Video Reviews
How Every Child Can Thrive by Five | Molly Wright | TED
5 min read
Molly Wright was a 7-year-old Grade 2 student from Queensland, Australia when she delivered this talk, making her one of the youngest TED speakers in history. She is an aspiring wildlife warrior, performer, and budding s...
- Book Club
- Universal Design
Daisy's Different: A Heartwarming Tale of Acceptance and Resilien
3 min read
"Daisy's Different," a beautifully illustrated children’s book authored by Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu, DPT, and Karen L'HommeDieu, LMSW, and illustrated by Patrick Carlson, is more than just a story. It’s a heartfelt journey t...
- Book Club
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
3 min read
In Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool upend the myth that innate talent is the key driver of exceptional performance. Through decades of research, Ericsson introduces us to t...
Compassion, Culture and Leadership
Compassion science, burnout and Occupational Distress Syndrome, self-compassion, trust, speak-up culture, mentorship, and leading teams.
Featured
Is It Worth It? Why Speak-Up Culture Takes Two Conditions, Not One Poster
6 min read
Before anyone raises a concern, they quietly ask two questions: Is it safe? and Is it worth it? A poster answers neither. A look at the research behind speak-up culture, the four quadrants of voice and silence, and why the answer is the only thing leaders actually control.
- The Science of Caring Well
The Care Equation: Why Better Care Starts With Better Questions
5 min read
Quality of care is proportional to the quality of your questions, multiplied by how often you ask, raised to the power of the integrity of your answers. A walk through the equation — and why honest answers are the exponent that amplifies everything else.
- The Science of Caring Well
Technology Is a Substrate
3 min read
The same device can enable compassion or extinguish it, and the difference is never settled in the silicon. Six questions — for leaders, clinicians, students, prescribers, and builders — about where moral responsibility for technology actually sits.
- The Science of Caring Well
The Perfect Mentor Does 3 Jobs: Coach, Consultant, and Connect
11 min read
I have been mentored badly by generous people and mentored well by people who had very little time for me. If I am being honest, I have probably also been both types of mentors as well. The difference was never warmth, a
- The Science of Caring Well
The Quiet Negotiation: Safety, Independence, and Compassion
9 min read
Independence does not leave through the front door with a suitcase. It slips out through a hundred small exits. A home safety professional on why you cannot subtract your way to safety, and how to negotiate risk without shrinking a person's life.
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
When Blame Replaces Learning, Patients Pay the Price
11 min read
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a report that shook American healthcare to its foundation. To Err Is Human estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year from preventable med
- Academic Innovation
Serious Play: Teaching Improvisational Compassion
16 min read
When I was a younger man, I did a fair amount of stand-up comedy. While I had a lot of fun developing and performing material, it could get repetitive and boring. The jokes were the same every night. The audience was dif...
- The Science of Caring Well
What Improv Comedy Taught Me About Compassion in Healthcare
10 min read
When I was a younger man, I did a lot of stand-up comedy. While I had a lot of fun developing and performing material, it could get repetitive and boring. The jokes were the same every night. The audience was different,
- The Science of Caring Well
Organizational Culture Operating Systems: Egosystem Vs Ecosystem
5 min read
Why the foundation of compassionate culture in healthcare isn't a policy or program, but a fundamental shift in how we relate to one another
- The Science of Caring Well
Why Healthcare Needs a Compassion Revolution (& How to Lead One)
9 min read
Here's a statistic that should keep every healthcare leader up at night: 44% of healthcare workers worldwide are burned out. In intensive care units, that number climbs to a staggering 74%.
- The Science of Caring Well
The Science of Sustainable Motivation for Your Clinical Staff
6 min read
In a fascinating RSA talk, author Daniel Pink presents research that challenges everything we thought we knew about motivation. The findings carry profound implications for healthcare, where burnout has reached crisis le
- The Science of Caring Well
Forget the Stress Ball. Hold Someone's Hand Instead.
15 min read
Abstract: Research reveals a counterintuitive truth about stress management: focusing on helping others is more effective than focusing on yourself. The "tend and befriend" response, mediated by oxytocin, creates neurolo
- The Science of Caring Well
Why Is It So Hard to Be Kind to Yourself?
9 min read
The Surprising Cultural Barrier to Self-Compassion
- The Science of Caring Well
The Quiet Revolution Within: Self-Compassion and Why it Matters
11 min read
"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." ~Jack Kornfield
- The Science of Caring Well
Healing From Burnout: A Systems Approach
18 min read
"Your World is Perfectly Arranged to Give You The Results You are Currently Getting"
- Professional Issues
Understanding Your Obligation: The New APTA Code of Ethics
5 min read
Effective January 1, 2026
- Academic Innovation
WISE Feedback: The Science of High Standards & High Support
14 min read
Every educator faces a fundamental tension: how to provide honest, rigorous feedback without crushing students' spirits. Too harsh, and we risk pushing learners away. Too soft, and we deny them the critical information t...
- Universal Design
Making the Golden Rule More Precious
19 min read
A Universal Design for Learning Perspective on Belonging in Education
- Wellbeing
Creating Compassionate Healthcare Systems
6 min read
In my post " Empathy vs. Compassion: Why Healthcare Providers Burn Out," I talked about how compassion training can mitigate burnout caused by empathy distress. In this post, I will discuss ways organizations can support...
- The Science of Caring Well
Empathy vs. Compassion: Why Healthcare Providers Burn Out
9 min read
Healthcare providers are burning out at unprecedented rates, and we have been misdiagnosing the cause. The exhaustion you feel after a day of patient care does not come from too much compassion. It comes from too much em
- The Science of Caring Well
The Gap Between Is and Ought: Navigating Suffering
10 min read
One of the unfortunate things about being human is that, at one point or another, we all suffer.
- Instructional Design
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
The Curiosity Code
4 min read
Authentic Questions in the Mentor Mindset: Definition, Science, and Practice
- Instructional Design
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
The Mentor Mindset
4 min read
Fostering Growth Through High Expectations and High Support
- Wellbeing
Letting Words Pass Through 3 Gates
4 min read
Have you ever heard the adage, often attributed to Socrates, Buddha, or the Sufi tradition:
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
The Architecture of Human Trust
4 min read
Trust is considered the cornerstone of cohesive societies, resilient organizations, and meaningful relationships. Although frequently discussed, the underlying architecture of trust remains intricate; an interplay of psy...
- Book Club
Expanding Your Leadership Impact
13 min read
A Review of The Science of Leadership (Hull & Moore)
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
The Fragile Architecture of Trust
5 min read
Article 1: The Fragile Architecture of Trust
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
The Art of Exceptional Mentorship
5 min read
The Art of Exceptional Mentorship: Facilitating Flow, Balance, and Purpose
- Book Club
Responsibility and The Power of Clear Communication
5 min read
“Far too often, we assume that if somebody doesn't understand what we're telling them, it's because they are 'stupid' or 'closed-minded.' That is very rarely the case. While we know our subject matter, we may fail to kno...
- Universal Design
The Platinum Rule
5 min read
The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is a timeless ethical principle promoting kindness and empathy. Rooted in many religious and philosophical traditions, its core premise is to treat ot...
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
Transparent Culture & Trust Within Academia
5 min read
Transparency is about openness and creating an environment of trust and collaboration where every member, from leadership to students, understands their role and can contribute to the institution's mission. A culture of ...
- Book Club
Speak-Up Culture by Stephen Shedletzky
3 min read
Stephen Shedletzky's book Speak-Up Culture delves into the importance of creating environments where individuals feel safe and empowered to voice their thoughts, concerns, and ideas. The book explores how leaders can fos...
- Academic Innovation
Creating a Culture of Trust and Safety with Students
5 min read
Students are valuable stakeholders in the creation and continuous improvement of curriculum. We want their feedback to be honest, accurate, and, most of all, useful. The reality is that most students don't complete the c...
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
How the Navy Seals can Help you Build an Awesome Faculty
5 min read
Building a strong, cohesive faculty team is essential for delivering high-quality education and fostering a positive learning environment in any educational institution. While many focus on hiring high-performing individ...
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
Faculty Attitudes – The Power of Ecosystem Dynamics
9 min read
In higher education, the success or failure of innovation initiatives largely depends on the attitudes and dynamics within the faculty. The dynamics within a team—whether they operate as an "ecosystem" or an "egosytem"—c...
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
Tall Poppy Syndrome in Academia
5 min read
In academia, where intellectual growth and innovation are supposed to flourish, there exists a pervasive, often unspoken phenomenon known as "Tall Poppy Syndrome." This term, which originates from a metaphor used in Aust...
- Book Club
- Wellbeing
A Fearless Heart
6 min read
In A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives, Thupten Jinpa, a former monk and the principal English translator for the Dalai Lama, explores the profound impact of compassion on our li...
- Book Club
- Universal Design
The Power of Self-Compassion
3 min read
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Kristin Neff is a groundbreaking book that explores the concept of self-compassion, which involves treating oneself with the same kindness, care, and und...
- Book Club
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
4 min read
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek explores the concept of viewing life, business, and leadership as an infinite game—one where the goal is not to "win" in the traditional sense but to continue playing and adapting in a co...
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
Nonviolent Communication: A Path to Empathy and Understanding
4 min read
What is Nonviolent Communication?
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
10 to 25 - A Roadmap for Navigating Early Adulthood Mentorship
8 min read
10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager provides a fresh, research-based perspective on guiding young people through the crucial developmental years between 10 and 25. By exploring the science be...
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
CIA's Simple Sabotage Field Manual - A Cautionary Tale
4 min read
In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—the precursor to the CIA—published a covert document now known as the Simple Sabotage Field Manual. The manual's purpose was to empower ordinary citizens in occupied territ...
- Book Club
Resetting for Success: How Systems Thinking Transforms Change
3 min read
Dan Heath’s Reset: How to Change What's Not Working was an absolute pleasure to read. What stood out most to me was how seamlessly Heath integrates principles from systems theory to offer a structured, actionable approac...
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
Radical Candor: Blueprint for Success in Teaching and Leadership
3 min read
Originally penned by Kim Scott, a former executive at Google and Apple, Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity introduces readers to a revolutionary approach to feedback and relationship-building...
- Book Club
Sapiens: Insights on Teaching and Leadership in Higher Education
4 min read
Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind offers more than just a history lesson. The book’s deep dive into the evolution of humanity provides a lens through which educators and academic leaders can reima...
- Book Club
The Infinite Game (2019)
7 min read
Sinek applies philosopher James Carse's distinction between finite and infinite games to business leadership. Rather than viewing business as a competition to be won, he argues that sustainable success requires an "infin...
- Book Club
- Universal Design
Daisy's Different: A Heartwarming Tale of Acceptance and Resilien
3 min read
"Daisy's Different," a beautifully illustrated children’s book authored by Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu, DPT, and Karen L'HommeDieu, LMSW, and illustrated by Patrick Carlson, is more than just a story. It’s a heartfelt journey t...
Patient Safety & Health Tech
Speak-up and just culture, clinical communication, aging in place and home safety, fall detection, remote caregiving, AI in clinical care, and health-tech adoption.
Featured
Keeping Veterans Safe at Home: What I Learned Putting Smart Technology to Work
9 min read
Voice assistants, automated lighting, smart locks, video calling and radar-based fall detection can keep a veteran living independently. Getting that technology into the home is a clinical job, a procurement job and a human one.
- Home Safety
- Remote Caregiving
Video Cameras for Mom & Dad: A Move Toward Safety and Independence, or a Nanny State?
9 min read
Video cameras can help an older parent stay home longer and safer, but only when the family decides, out loud and in advance, what the cameras are for and what they are not for.
- Home Safety
- Remote Caregiving
I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up
8 min read
After 35 years as a physical therapist, that old commercial line brings back faces. Why pendant alarms so often fail, and how micro-Doppler radar, Wi-Fi sensing, and LiDAR are letting the home itself notice a fall.
- The Science of Caring Well
Is It Worth It? Why Speak-Up Culture Takes Two Conditions, Not One Poster
6 min read
Before anyone raises a concern, they quietly ask two questions: Is it safe? and Is it worth it? A poster answers neither. A look at the research behind speak-up culture, the four quadrants of voice and silence, and why the answer is the only thing leaders actually control.
- The Science of Caring Well
The Care Equation: Why Better Care Starts With Better Questions
5 min read
Quality of care is proportional to the quality of your questions, multiplied by how often you ask, raised to the power of the integrity of your answers. A walk through the equation — and why honest answers are the exponent that amplifies everything else.
- The Science of Caring Well
Technology Is a Substrate
3 min read
The same device can enable compassion or extinguish it, and the difference is never settled in the silicon. Six questions — for leaders, clinicians, students, prescribers, and builders — about where moral responsibility for technology actually sits.
- The Science of Caring Well
The Quiet Negotiation: Safety, Independence, and Compassion
9 min read
Independence does not leave through the front door with a suitcase. It slips out through a hundred small exits. A home safety professional on why you cannot subtract your way to safety, and how to negotiate risk without shrinking a person's life.
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
OpenEvidence: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know
10 min read
If you have been in a clinical setting recently, you have probably heard a colleague mention OpenEvidence. Perhaps you have seen a resident pull it up on their phone during rounds, or a colleague reference it when discus
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
When Blame Replaces Learning, Patients Pay the Price
11 min read
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a report that shook American healthcare to its foundation. To Err Is Human estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year from preventable med
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
Actionable Intelligence: What Health Tech Can Learn from Spycraft
13 min read
In my last post, Why Health Technology Adoption Is So Complex I talk about "actionable intelligence at the moment it matters."
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
AI Makes Big Play for Your Health Record
12 min read
Is it a Pandora's Box or the solution we've been waiting for?
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
The Curse of Being Right Too Early
15 min read
In 1989, I was working on my Master's thesis studying postural changes in people with Parkinson's disease. I had a problem: I needed to quantify those changes reliably. Digital photography did not exist. So I installed a
- Instructional Design
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
Why AI Hallucinates, Why We Can't Simply Fix It
11 min read
When a large language model tells a physician that a drug interaction is safe when it isn't, or fabricates a clinical study that doesn't exist, we call it a hallucination. The term itself reveals our confusion about what
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
The Fight For Freedom: Home Safety Assessments
12 min read
For over a decade, my primary occupation was to keep veterans safe in their homes. It was an honor and a privilege to defend their freedom to stay in their home safely and with dignity as time and circumstances presented
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
Who's Paying and How Much Will They Pay?
9 min read
You are working with a founder of a health-tech company. They feel that their idea will change the world and benefit patients. You don't disagree. Your job is to help this founder, this company, and this idea succeed. So
- Patient Safety & Health Tech
Why Health Technology Adoption Is So Complex
12 min read
The conversation about technology adoption in healthcare often defaults to a familiar narrative: older patients resist technology while younger ones embrace it. This oversimplification, while containing a kernel of truth
- Professional Issues
Understanding Your Obligation: The New APTA Code of Ethics
5 min read
Effective January 1, 2026
- Academic Innovation
SBAR is CORE
3 min read
Why PT Students Should Learn SBAR: Speaking the Language of Healthcare
- Book Club
Speak-Up Culture by Stephen Shedletzky
3 min read
Stephen Shedletzky's book Speak-Up Culture delves into the importance of creating environments where individuals feel safe and empowered to voice their thoughts, concerns, and ideas. The book explores how leaders can fos...
Wellbeing and Personal Growth
Well-being, self-compassion, beliefs, questions and curiosity, energy and flow, goals and progress, and meaning.
Featured
Helping Every Student Become a Strategic Learner
7 min read
For decades, researchers have known that how students regulate their own learning matters at least as much as what they study. Students who set goals, select effective strategies, monitor their progress, and reflect on o...
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
How to Use AI to Get Authentically Intelligent, Not Lazy
8 min read
I really want to use AI the right way. I want AI to be my success team. The team I could never manage to assemble (or afford). The team that frees me to do what I do best and pushes me to maximize my potential. I don't w
- The Science of Caring Well
The Science of Sustainable Motivation for Your Clinical Staff
6 min read
In a fascinating RSA talk, author Daniel Pink presents research that challenges everything we thought we knew about motivation. The findings carry profound implications for healthcare, where burnout has reached crisis le
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
Wanna Lose Weight? Do this ONE THING (and How AI Makes It Easy)
10 min read
After 25 Years of Success, Life Threw Me a Curveball. Here's What Actually Worked.
- The Science of Caring Well
Forget the Stress Ball. Hold Someone's Hand Instead.
15 min read
Abstract: Research reveals a counterintuitive truth about stress management: focusing on helping others is more effective than focusing on yourself. The "tend and befriend" response, mediated by oxytocin, creates neurolo
- The Science of Caring Well
Why Is It So Hard to Be Kind to Yourself?
9 min read
The Surprising Cultural Barrier to Self-Compassion
- The Science of Caring Well
The Quiet Revolution Within: Self-Compassion and Why it Matters
11 min read
"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." ~Jack Kornfield
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
The Four Questions That Change Everything
5 min read
In previous posts, we explored how the quality of your questions, multiplied by the frequency you ask them, raised to the power of the integrity of your answers, determines the power of your outcomes. This formula applie...
- The Science of Caring Well
Healing From Burnout: A Systems Approach
18 min read
"Your World is Perfectly Arranged to Give You The Results You are Currently Getting"
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
What Students Gain from PT School (It's not what you think)
8 min read
Physical therapy sits at a fascinating intersection. It's simultaneously a rigorous scientific discipline and a profoundly human art. When students enter PT education, they're not just learning to apply techniques. They'...
- Academic Innovation
The Neurobiology of Belief: Why Alia Crum's Research Matters
19 min read
In 2007, a group of Italian researchers led by Dr. Fabrizio Benedetti performed what seemed like a simple experiment. They gave morphine to patients recovering from thoracic surgery. Half received the painkiller from a d...
- Book Club
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962)
5 min read
Kuhn fundamentally challenged how we understand scientific progress. Rather than viewing science as a steady accumulation of facts building toward truth, he argued that science advances through revolutionary upheavals wh...
- Academic Innovation
Energy, Engagement, and the Architecture of Motivation
9 min read
When I lost over 200 pounds more than 20 years ago, I learned something fundamental about human motivation: engagement is an energy management problem. This insight, born from personal transformation rather than pedagogi...
- Wellbeing
Belongingness in PT Education Matters . . . A Lot
5 min read
Do I belong? It's a question I've often contemplated, whether I realized it or not. Human beings are hardwired to seek social connections. In some cultures, the ultimate punishment is to be shunned. We long to belong, bu...
- Wellbeing
Why Getting a Straight Answer About Nutrition Feels Impossible
17 min read
I used to be a 420-pound junk food addict. Now I'm a 200-pound vegan.
- Wellbeing
Beliefs: Living in the Matrix
17 min read
In the opening lines of the Dhammapada, the Buddha proclaimed: "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world." Millennia later, Mahatma Gandhi would echo this wisdo...
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
The Wicked Problem of Knowing What to Do . . . and not doing it.
17 min read
There's a passage in my Lose Weight for Good program that I've come close to deleting a hundred times. I ask people to stand naked in front of a mirror, close their eyes, and imagine their ideal body: healthy, vibrant, c...
- Wellbeing
Zengineering 101- The Science of Being Well
10 min read
You've probably heard a thousand times that college is supposed to be "the best years of your life." But if you're like most students, you're also stressed, sleep-deprived, questioning your major, and wondering if you're...
- Wellbeing
Finding Flow - The Success Secret That Nobody Talks About
9 min read
Have you ever been so absorbed in something that hours passed like minutes? Maybe you were coding, writing, playing music, having an incredible conversation, or even studying something that actually fascinated you. You l...
- Wellbeing
The Houseplant That Extended Lives
5 min read
In 1976, two Yale psychologists conducted a deceptively simple experiment that would challenge everything we thought we knew about aging and autonomy. The intervention? A houseplant. The results? Remarkable improvements ...
- Academic Innovation
Learning Through Connection: Animal-Assisted Interventions
4 min read
🐾On September 26, 2025, I had the privilege of attending a very insightful and heart-centered professional development session at the FPTA conference in Orlando. It was a deep dive into Animal-Assisted Interventions (AA...
- The Science of Caring Well
Empathy vs. Compassion: Why Healthcare Providers Burn Out
9 min read
Healthcare providers are burning out at unprecedented rates, and we have been misdiagnosing the cause. The exhaustion you feel after a day of patient care does not come from too much compassion. It comes from too much em
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
Making PROGRESS: A Framework for Sustainable Achievement
6 min read
Setting goals is one thing. Actually achieving them is another. After years of teaching, coaching, and personal transformation (including my own 200-pound weight loss journey), I've learned that the difference between go...
- The Science of Caring Well
The Gap Between Is and Ought: Navigating Suffering
10 min read
One of the unfortunate things about being human is that, at one point or another, we all suffer.
- Wellbeing
Mastering Priorities: The Eisenhower Matrix
8 min read
If you read this blog, you can probably figure out that I love a good matrix. In the blog post "Creating a Culture of Trust and Safety with Students," I discuss the "Is It Safe? Is It Worth It?" matrix from Stephen Shedl...
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
Are You A Curator?
5 min read
I remember the smell. Even today, if I were to walk into an antiques store, that smell transports me back to some old barn in some rural town, collecting treasures for my mom's antiques store.
- Academic Innovation
Cultivating an Inquiry Mindset
3 min read
The inquiry mindset is about asking questions that get below the surface, challenge assumptions, and lead to thoughtful decisions. Several tools embody this mindset, helping us think clearly and communicate with care. Le...
- Wellbeing
Letting Words Pass Through 3 Gates
4 min read
Have you ever heard the adage, often attributed to Socrates, Buddha, or the Sufi tradition:
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
The Formula for Better Outcomes
6 min read
Sit with this statement: “The power of your outcomes is determined by the quality of the questions that you ask yourself multiplied by the frequency that you ask, raised by the power of the integrity of your answers.”
- Wellbeing
How to Improve Almost Anything in Your Life
4 min read
Have you ever wanted to make a lasting change in your life, but no matter how hard you tried, it just didn’t stick?
- Wellbeing
The Power of Progress Planning
6 min read
Most of us have been taught to set SMART goals. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound).
- Compassion, Culture and Leadership
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
The Art of Exceptional Mentorship
5 min read
The Art of Exceptional Mentorship: Facilitating Flow, Balance, and Purpose
- Instructional Design
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
Everything Starts with a Question
6 min read
From ancient Greece to today, questions have been recognized as one of the most powerful tools for intellectual growth and discovery. Throughout history, great thinkers have used questions not just as a means of obtainin...
- Universal Design
The Power of Purpose in Education
5 min read
The key to unlocking the potential of today’s students lies not in empty promises of future success or short-term rewards but in offering them a clear sense of purpose.
- Universal Design
Social Belonging Enhances Student Success
4 min read
In education, a sense of belonging plays a crucial role in determining a student’s success and well-being. Greg Walton, a professor at Stanford University, has dedicated his research to understanding how belonging impact...
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
Beliefs as Operating Systems: The Power of Synergistic Mindsets
5 min read
Beliefs function like computer operating systems. Just as a computer's abilities and overall performance are dictated by its software, our actions and outcomes are influenced by our beliefs. This concept is central to th...
- Instructional Design
- Wellbeing and Personal Growth
The Power of Authentic Questions
4 min read
An authentic question is one in which the asker genuinely does not know the answer and is open to learning from the respondent. This differs from rhetorical or leading questions, where the asker often assumes they alread...
- Academic Innovation
Embracing Vulnerability:Turning Failure into a Pathway to Success
4 min read
Vulnerability is often misunderstood as a weakness. However, high performers know that vulnerability is not about fragility; it's about courage. It’s about being open, admitting when something didn’t go as planned, and u...
- Academic Innovation
- Wellbeing
Manage your Energy NOT your Time
6 min read
Energy Management: The True Key to Fulfillment
- Book Club
Unlocking the Power of Curiosity
4 min read
In Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life, author Todd Kashdan explores the often overlooked but immensely powerful role that curiosity plays in leading a meaningful and fulfilling life. Kashdan a...
- Book Club
- Wellbeing
A Fearless Heart
6 min read
In A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives, Thupten Jinpa, a former monk and the principal English translator for the Dalai Lama, explores the profound impact of compassion on our li...
- Book Club
- Universal Design
The Power of Self-Compassion
3 min read
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Kristin Neff is a groundbreaking book that explores the concept of self-compassion, which involves treating oneself with the same kindness, care, and und...
- Book Club
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
2 min read
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a timeless classic that has transformed the lives of millions ( including my own) since its publication. The book presents a principle-centered approach ...
- Book Club
- Wellbeing
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
2 min read
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound and moving memoir that explores the author’s experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Frankl, a psychiatrist and neurologist, d...
- Book Club
Unlocking the Power of Inquiry: How 'A More Beautiful Question
3 min read
"A More Beautiful Question" by Warren Berger explores the power of inquiry, emphasizing how asking the right questions can lead to innovation, personal growth, and deeper understanding. The book argues that cultivating t...
- Academic Innovation
Understanding Truth: Navigating to Absolute Reality
5 min read
Understanding the concept of "truth" is fundamental in our quest for knowledge. But our perception of the truth isn't always straightforward. Our truth is a collection of beliefs, and what we believe to be "truth" is, li...
- Book Club
May Contain Lies: The Pursuit of Truth in a World Full of Biases
6 min read
In my blog post from September 3, 2024, Understanding Truth: Navigating to Absolute Reality, I discussed the distinctions between personal, social, and objective truths. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s concept of objective truth—t...
- Academic Innovation
- Book Club
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
3 min read
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck is a transformative book that explores the profound impact of our beliefs about our abilities and potential. Dweck introduces two core concepts: the "fixed mindset...
- Video Reviews
How Every Child Can Thrive by Five | Molly Wright | TED
5 min read
Molly Wright was a 7-year-old Grade 2 student from Queensland, Australia when she delivered this talk, making her one of the youngest TED speakers in history. She is an aspiring wildlife warrior, performer, and budding s...
- Book Club
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
3 min read
In Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool upend the myth that innate talent is the key driver of exceptional performance. Through decades of research, Ericsson introduces us to t...
- Book Club
Finite and Infinite Games (1986)
6 min read
James Carse offers a deceptively simple distinction that becomes a lens for understanding everything from war to love, business to religion. There are two kinds of games: finite games, played to win, and infinite games, ...
- Book Club
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974)
6 min read
Pirsig weaves together a cross-country motorcycle journey with a philosophical inquiry into the nature of Quality. Part memoir, part philosophical treatise, part father-son road trip, the book uses motorcycle maintenance...