WEBVTT - Nutrition Insecurity, the Most Powerful Determinant of Health 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:08.200 Welcome to Force Multiplier, a new podcast about leveling up 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:10.840 the impact we can have in the world through our relationships. 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:14.360 I'm barretton Day Thurston and in collaboration with I Heart 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:17.480 Radio and Salesforce dot Org, I sit with leaders from 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:21.280 across the public, private and nonprofit world who are forging 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:24.560 partnerships to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing us today. 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:31.360 Welcome to the show. Into our first episode, I am 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:35.360 glad you are with me, navigating these topics, learning from 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:39.280 these leaders, getting inspired, and changing the world in the 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:42.400 good way, not the bad way. We're taking this one issue, 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:48.440 one solution, and one relationship at a time. So we 0:00:48.600 --> 0:00:52.680 used to call it hunger. Then it was food insecurity. 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:58.360 Now it's nutrition insecurity. We're not changing the language just 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:02.280 to make life difficult or annoying. We change our language 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:06.040 as we change our understanding and learn more about the 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:09.679 real challenges of hunger, which is not simply a lack 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:15.240 of calories. Nutrition insecurity is the inability to access adequate 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:19.320 quantities of nutritious foods required for optimal growth and development. 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:26.160 It's a lack of nutrients we need to thrive as people. Now, 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:30.399 quality nutritious food is getting harder to come by. We've 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:33.080 seen the images of the lines at the food banks 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:36.600 in this country, and they don't stop there these challenges. 0:01:37.200 --> 0:01:39.800 It's hard to come by good food unless you've got 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:44.759 plenty of resources, and it's complicated by additional factors. Consider 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:48.840 the backdrop of climate change, which makes growing healthy food harder. 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:53.040 Our lettuce is literally weaker now because of that. Consider 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:58.120 the legacy of economic and racial inequality, which makes access 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.880 to the healthy foods unevenly to atributed across our society. 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.400 Consider the way the economics of our food system have 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:09.680 been established to maximize profit over health, and we start 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:13.760 to understand the perverse incentives that we witness at every 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:17.680 step in the supply chain. We got plenty of food, 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:22.400 we just don't have equal access in terms of quality, 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:28.760 healthy options for everybody. This is urgent and important because 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:33.960 nutrition is the most powerful determinant of our health. Food 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:39.519 is almost literally medicine, with forty five percent of deaths 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:42.959 from heart disease, stroke, or diabetes being linked to poor diet, 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:46.799 with families facing nutrition insecurities at the highest risk of 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:50.480 chronic diseases, and all that further heightened by racial and 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:54.480 equities and healthcare. This is a national security issue, this 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:59.000 is a human rights issue. It's a basic issue of humanity. 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:04.440 The good news is changes coming slowly, with organizations shifting 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:08.680 focus and adopting new policies and programs to promote healthier, 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:13.720 more balanced lifestyles to increase options and opportunities, especially for 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:18.680 those facing real hunger. Now this matters to me because 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:23.040 I grew up with a front row understanding of hunger, 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:27.080 not because I experienced it directly, but because my mother 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:29.880 was amazing and wanted me to fully understand the city 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:32.840 I grew up in and the people I was surrounded by. 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:36.440 We grew up volunteering in my household in soup kitchens 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:39.480 and meal wagons in Washington, d C. My mother and 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:42.920 I would collect leftover food from my after school program, 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:45.320 drive it over in the family station wagon to a 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:49.040 place called Martha's Table, still in operation to this day. 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:52.600 Then I'd ride in the back of McKenna's wagon, the 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:56.240 van that stops and parks all over the city, and 0:03:56.280 --> 0:04:00.360 get to distribute food, but more importantly, interact with the 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:04.560 people who needed it. And I saw firsthand, with the 0:04:04.600 --> 0:04:07.720 eyes of an eight year old, some of the challenges 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:11.640 involved in access to quality food. I'm talking about waste. 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:15.640 I'm talking about the cruelty of our social service system. 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:20.680 I'm talking about the painful interlinking cycles of food and security, 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:24.600 housing insecurity, and job insecurity, where any one of those 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:30.640 factors makes the other more likely. Food is a complex issue. 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:34.720 It's not as simple as air dropping palettes of food 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:38.480 and hotspots and calling it a day. It's connected to 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:43.880 other critical human needs jobs, housing, transportation, and much more. 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:53.120 Addressing it requires connecting across sectors, collaborating among private, public, 0:04:53.400 --> 0:04:57.760 even educational participants working at the national level and the 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:00.520 local level if we're really gonna move of the needle 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:04.440 and effect change. In this episode, I am thrilled to 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:07.680 speak with two women who represent the power of that 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:11.560 collaboration and are among the best leaders we have working 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:15.400 across disciplines and sectors to affect our communities in a 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:20.120 positive way on this critical issue. First, I'm gonna sit 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:24.080 with Dr Kyla Johnson Trammel, Superintendent of the Oakland Unified 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:28.960 School District. Then we're gonna hear from Geta Ramperside, Vice 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:33.080 president at Feeding America, who's working at the national level 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:50.120 in this stellar organization, Nutrition and security is an urgent need. 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:54.400 This is so clear, and understanding and addressing the problem 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:57.240 from our national leaders is a huge part of the solution. 0:05:57.720 --> 0:06:01.320 The other part comes from the community leaders, the educators, 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:05.040 the organizers on the ground at the local level, who 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:08.320 are forging the partnerships to scale and multiply the impact 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:12.440 of good. They're the ones who helped bring this home. Literally. 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.400 So I sat with one of those leaders, Dr Kayla 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:20.839 Johnson Trammel, superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District, a 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:24.760 public education school district that operates over eighty elementary, middle 0:06:24.760 --> 0:06:28.640 and high schools, twenty eight district authorized charter schools, serves 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:32.760 over fifty thousand students. I sat with the good superintendent 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:36.720 to understand how an unlikely partnership between an NBA All star, 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.840 his entrepreneur wife, a passionate and driven chef, and an 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:45.480 entire school district came together to provide fifteen million meals 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:52.720 to the community. Dr Kayla, how are you right now? 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:56.200 I'm well? How are you? I am well? Great to 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:59.720 virtually meet you. Nice to virtually meet you. Two. This 0:06:59.800 --> 0:07:05.200 is my first time conversing with a superintendent. What a title? 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:08.359 The kids call me Mama of the district, So I 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:11.360 like that title better. I like that too. We never 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:13.480 have enough time, but you know some of what we're 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:15.160 here to talk about, and I just want to set 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:19.360 it up with my own comments about kind of nutrition 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:23.160 and security and thinking about schools and the roles they play, 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:26.040 because it feels to me like they're one of these 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:28.880 critical venues where we could intervene and make a difference. 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.480 The younger we are, the more important it is to 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:35.480 set that direction right early on really can determine our outcomes. 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:39.400 We also expect a lot from our school systems. You 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:41.000 are at the center of that in so many ways. 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:43.160 Want to get into that with you later, but I 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:46.160 want to start off with the Oakland Unified School District 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.440 and what seems to be a unique approach to education, 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:54.040 this idea of calling yourself a community schools model and 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:57.720 educating and caring for the whole student. Can you explain 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:01.040 what's different about o u s D, this community model 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:04.440 and this whole student approach. Yeah, I'd love to. And 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:06.840 first of all, I always like to say it's kind 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:10.240 of like fashion, where nothing is really new and things 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:13.360 just come back and vogue, and I feel like it's 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:15.880 important to give a nod and a shout out to 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:19.640 schooling and other parts of the world where the community 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:22.320 is at the center. And when we think about all 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:24.520 the things that need to be in place for kids 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:28.080 to learn, we know their communities have to be healthy. Physically, 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:31.640 we know kids have to be fed. You can't learn 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.720 when you're hungry. Then you think about all the social, 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:39.600 emotional learning components and wellness. All of these pieces have 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:43.200 to be in place for all kids to really live 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.320 out their fullest potential. So that's really the essence what 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:49.960 our vision and mission is all about. And the boldness 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:52.679 and broadness of it means we can't do it by 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:56.640 ourselves as a school system. So you're going beyond grades 0:08:56.960 --> 0:09:01.800 and test scores, well beyond absolutely. If all those pieces 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:06.880 are flowing well, we'll see greater acceleration in terms of 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:11.839 kids really being able to think and being active, productive 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:16.320 and effective citizens in our workplace and in our communities. 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:19.280 You speak in my language. You mentioned fashion, and I 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:22.880 think there is a fashionable term that gets thrown around 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:26.440 a lot, which is equity. Sometimes it's a part of 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:31.160 a whole cohort diversity and equity, you know, featuring inclusion. Right, 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:37.040 that's right, but I've heard you say the term operationalized equity. 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:40.800 What does that mean to you? Yeah? For me, operationalizing 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:44.079 equity is about what are the concrete things you do 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.840 to put it in action to make a difference. So 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:52.040 it's everything from mindset and changing the mindset both for 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:55.959 yourself and your organization, to really thinking about how you're 0:09:56.080 --> 0:10:00.880 using your resources differently to really move the needle and 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:04.120 transform outcomes for the most vulnerable. What are some of 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:06.679 the needs? If you could give me a list of 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:08.960 what some of the whole student needs that you're able 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:12.559 to identify from your position as a school at district administrator, 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:17.440 what are those? By thirty I believe the minority will 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:21.040 be the majority in terms of our student population and 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:25.760 our national population. Yet in our school district, the majority 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:30.040 of our educators are predominantly white. So one need is 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:36.520 getting serious around how we continue to prepare our educators 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:41.480 to support and teach a diverse population. That's one need 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:45.920 to Public education in the United States is always underfunded, 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:49.800 and so when we think about operationalizing equity, the greater 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.920 need you serve, I believe, the more dollars you should 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:57.960 get per pupil three, really continuing to think differently around 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:01.200 what it means to be educated in the me for century, 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:04.239 it is far beyond a grade. Being able to graduate 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:08.440 from Stanford and Harvard is great, but that doesn't necessarily 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.839 mean that that is going to prepare you for the 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:15.520 vast changing world. And so this notion of preparing kids 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:19.320 for work, making sure that kids are life learners because 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:23.080 their job market might change. So those are all examples 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:25.800 of a lot of the needs that we have and 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:29.400 the continued need around just developing the whole child in 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:33.599 terms of the social emotional component and that being a 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:36.920 through line of education. I want to move to nutrition 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:41.720 and how that's sometimes hard to meet need gets met 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.120 in your school system, and to start what happens when 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:48.280 it doesn't, what happens for a student whose nutritional needs 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.360 are not being met, you know, I think first, if 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:54.800 you think from a humorous standpoint, you know that Snickers 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:58.760 commercial where people turn into the worst versions of themselves 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:03.080 when they're hungry, you get angry. Yeah, exactly, that's the same, 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:07.880 particularly for little kids and adolescence. And so it's kind 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:12.040 of the bottom part of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. When 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:15.160 we think about what you need to have in order 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:20.080 to concentrate and focus. And so we in Oakland, like 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:24.400 many urban school districts, about our kids qualified for free 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:27.040 and reduced lunch. I think a lot of people don't 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:29.920 realize how many families are hungry in our country because 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:33.360 a lot of times they're working families, and so families know, Okay, 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:35.840 my kid's going to go to school and get a 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:39.640 meal to two meals every single day. And so with 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:43.600 the pandemic happening, I remember hearing about some schools were 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:48.480 up to families were unemployed, restaurants were down, there was 0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:51.319 no work, and so that need to make sure that 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:56.240 those kids had meals really signaled to nine one one call. 0:12:56.280 --> 0:13:01.320 What's the process for making sure these students get food 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:04.959 and not just random food but nutritionus food. So that 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:08.839 is a lot of what we're doing now, really paying 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:12.360 attention to the quality of the meals. And so with 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:15.600 our partnership with Eat, Learn and Play, during the pandemic, 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.040 we were able to serve up to thirteen thousand meals 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:21.280 per week and over the course of the year and 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:25.439 a half about fifteen million meals. I want to understand 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:30.599 the collaboration involved in rising to this fifteen million meals distributed. 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:34.240 Who is Eat Learned Play and explain to some of 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:38.800 our listeners what role they've played in this nutrition security 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:43.840 operation you've helped spin up. So before the inception of 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:47.839 Eat Learned Play, the curries have always just been so 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:51.520 generous and dedicated to the Oakland community. And we're talking 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:56.120 Step and you're talking Step and Aisha, I mean stuff 0:13:56.160 --> 0:14:01.800 has shown up to schools assemblies just very genuine Ayisha 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:05.120 has cooked for the food service workers. And then with 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:09.480 the Foundation really in the words you know eat, We 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:13.360 know kids need to have healthy, nutritious food in order 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:17.040 to learn, and we're focusing a lot on literacy and 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:21.200 then the importance of play, making sure that kids are 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.640 staying healthy and getting exercise and that that's also a 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:28.560 part of their educational diet as well. So I think 0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:33.520 the relationship and seeing the commonalities between their vision and 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:36.640 our vision is a school district. They really were the 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:40.240 connectors the Foundation. They were the ones that were able 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:43.760 to bring in the world Central Kitchen and other partners 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:48.160 after again hearing the why, seeing how compelling it is 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:52.120 to solve this bold, ambitious challenge that we were up 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:55.360 against and saying okay, we see what it is you need. 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:57.960 This is where we can come in and support. And 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:01.480 then World Central Kitchen. Some of us are familiar with 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:05.400 Chef Jose Andres who flies in post disaster all over 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:08.360 the world and activates chefs on the ground with their 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:13.840 role Ben in the Oakland Unified School District. Successful experiment here, 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:18.800 so really connecting the restaurants and really being able to 0:15:18.920 --> 0:15:21.880 bring a lot of the local restaurants into the operation. 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:26.480 They can actually help and get funding in order to 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:31.040 provide the food for the operation where our capacity was 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:35.200 just maxed out, and so being able to develop the 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:39.240 infrastructure in order to do that and to figure out 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:43.680 how that partnered with what our everyday food service workers 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:46.080 were able to do in terms of being the face 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.440 connecting with the students of the school district. So it 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:55.000 really was a pretty complex operation. What other parties were 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:57.920 involved in pulling this off. There's the school district, there's 0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:00.720 Eat Learned play in. The foundation is World Central Kitchen, 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.080 but I'm sure there were a few other entities. Can 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:05.160 you kind of run off a list of all the 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.240 partners in this? Oh my god, I don't think we 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:10.440 have enough time on the podcast. I'd say, you know, 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:14.080 just for starters, sales forces just continue to just be 0:16:14.120 --> 0:16:17.440 an amazing partner for us in so many different places 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:21.160 and really again not just in terms of funding, but 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:25.160 really helping us think smartly in terms of infrastructure. I'm 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:30.080 a huge believer that technology is a tool to help 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:34.280 bring greater efficiency so that humans can really do what 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:38.520 humans can do, and technology can't to spend time making 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:42.040 those connections, but lots of local partners on the ground. 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:47.160 NUMI Foundation has been another important partner for US community 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:51.840 based organizations. School sites that were the center for the 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:56.240 food distributions are restaurants, are local farmers who were providing 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.120 the produce. So really, I mean, when you think about 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:02.200 how an economy he works, it's really a teeny example 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:04.920 of that. When you think of all the folks involved, 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.240 you help spin up a tiny economy, you know that's 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.160 having a pretty massive impact. And I want to ask 0:17:11.200 --> 0:17:13.960 you this question about that impact, because you have a 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:17.600 lot of different factors that have led to this success. 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:22.520 What would you say is the force multiplier what gave 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:25.680 you the biggest bang for the book, the most leverage 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:30.240 in terms of making this program work, Having a compelling 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:35.359 vision and the equal amount of conviction I think to 0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:40.040 dream beyond what you see. People have to have this 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:43.480 sense in their gut of like, we can do this 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.679 even though we may not know exactly how, and we 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:50.640 see we feel how important, like the moral imperative around 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:53.919 feeding kids, no one's against that. We've got kids that 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:59.360 are hungry, and really being able to paint this compelling urgency. 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.200 I've observed a lot of people who want to help. 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.159 We'll show up with a bag of money, right, and 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:08.480 hope to just launch that at the problem, or a 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:12.040 pile of code. Right, let's just throw an app at it, right, 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:14.119 there's an app for that. It's kind of the mantra 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:15.800 that comes out of the Bay Area a lot and 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:19.159 tries to solve problems. And what you're reminding me of 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:21.639 is it's people, it's vision, it's conviction, it's all this 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:24.960 partnership and it's intelligently putting this stuff together. But it's 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:28.159 not simply code or dollars that's going to get this 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:32.440 stuff done. Absolutely, and to me, under partnership, it's communication. 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:36.240 When you execute something and it doesn't go according to plan, 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:40.000 how do you work through the conflict, the tension, how 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:42.879 do you work through the challenge? You know, kind of 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:46.159 reflecting on that and figuring out how you continue to 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:50.240 refine it. There is someone listening to this who wants 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:55.280 to lend their expertise to their own community. They're hearing this, 0:18:55.320 --> 0:18:57.640 they're getting inspired, They're fired up and ready to go. 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:02.320 What advice would you give that person on where and 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:05.600 how to start? The first piece of advice I would 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:08.280 give is what my grandmother always told me growing up, 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:10.800 which was, you know, maybe you have two ears and 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:16.560 one mouthful a reason listening. Start with your local school. 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:20.680 It may just be volunteering to really figure out what 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:24.399 lights your passion and fire in terms of where you 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:28.680 want to help, to figure out the best relationship between 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:32.280 what you have to give and what that particular school needs. 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:35.080 It may not be money. It maybe time. It may 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:38.320 be access to a resource, but listening and taking the 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:42.800 time to build relationships so that we could better optimize 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:46.760 everyone's support. I have observed that we put a lot 0:19:46.840 --> 0:19:50.119 of burden on our school system. We want them to 0:19:50.160 --> 0:19:53.080 do all kinds of people's jobs. You've got to be 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:58.080 a public health official, law enforcement operator, a politician, a 0:19:58.160 --> 0:20:02.600 budget master. Do you get frustrated by what I consider 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:05.800 to be sort of unfair expectations and more to the point, 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:08.560 how do you manage what I proceed to be a 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:11.800 growing set of expectations on our education system to do 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:18.480 far more than educate. Frustration absolutely just at the enormity 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:22.399 of the challenge and the task. These are human beings 0:20:22.520 --> 0:20:25.640 and people's children that I'm speaking as a mom. They're 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:30.520 the most precious and dear thing to anybody. But I 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:36.520 think first it really starts with not putting superhero expectations 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:39.680 on yourself. I often spent a lot of the first 0:20:39.720 --> 0:20:42.639 year reminding people that I'm not a superhero, and if 0:20:42.680 --> 0:20:45.880 you expect me individually to solve all of these problems, 0:20:45.920 --> 0:20:48.959 you're going to be disappointed. We have got to figure 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:52.159 out a way to do this as a collective, and 0:20:52.200 --> 0:20:54.439 so I think that that needs to continue to be 0:20:55.200 --> 0:21:02.359 the mantra. Right from federal policy, state policy, businesses, taxpayer, 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:06.080 everybody has the responsibility to make sure that the kids 0:21:06.080 --> 0:21:09.320 are good. So if you have to set boundaries and 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:13.160 really be clear about what you can do and where 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:15.639 you need the help to get to the level of 0:21:15.680 --> 0:21:18.920 ambitious transformation, I want to make you a T shirt 0:21:18.960 --> 0:21:21.840 or a sweatshirt that says I am a superintendent not 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:28.000 a superhero. Oh. I love that you've renewed your contract 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:32.120 in this role at a time when many people who serve, 0:21:32.240 --> 0:21:35.080 especially in the public, are running away from those jobs. 0:21:35.400 --> 0:21:38.280 You'll end up being the longest serving superintendent. I believe 0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:41.480 in O U. S D. Why are you doubling down? 0:21:41.560 --> 0:21:44.480 Why are you sticking it out? I get a lot 0:21:44.480 --> 0:21:47.600 of joy out of what I do. I love a 0:21:47.640 --> 0:21:50.480 lot of the people that I work with. I love 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:55.720 deep problem solving. I love kids. Kids just give me energy. 0:21:56.040 --> 0:22:01.000 It's like free comedy seven children, and they keep it real. 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:05.440 So there's no doubt every day, whether it's a success 0:22:05.600 --> 0:22:09.720 or a failure, that what I'm doing is valuable. I'd 0:22:09.720 --> 0:22:12.440 love to know have you tried to create a culture 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:16.280 where mistakes are acceptable? You know, not just in yourself 0:22:16.320 --> 0:22:18.600 and how you handle it, but among your staff and 0:22:18.600 --> 0:22:22.240 in the wider school district culture. I am trying. It 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:27.280 is a hard culture to disrupt, particularly in the political 0:22:28.080 --> 0:22:32.480 sphere where you're on a school cycle where people do 0:22:32.680 --> 0:22:37.119 expect solve all the problems in a year. It's definitely challenging, 0:22:37.160 --> 0:22:41.360 but I believe it does start with leadership. Most mistakes 0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:44.160 you can bounce back from, and I think a lot 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:48.359 of what we're wrestling with internally is capacity building to 0:22:48.480 --> 0:22:50.760 help them say, I know this is what I'm supposed 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:53.440 to do, but I actually need some help thinking through 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:57.320 how to do that without seeming that you are incompetent. 0:22:57.760 --> 0:22:59.880 And I think that's the struggle in terms of organ 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:03.240 zational leadership that we're going to need to just meet 0:23:03.280 --> 0:23:06.560 a lot of the complex problems that we have. I'll 0:23:06.600 --> 0:23:13.639 give the mic to you. The themes that we've been discussing, collaboration, nutrition, kids, health, 0:23:14.200 --> 0:23:17.000 and the role of technology in enabling all that so 0:23:17.080 --> 0:23:19.800 that we have a strong democracy. Is there anything else 0:23:19.840 --> 0:23:23.560 you want to add? We need more bold leadership. It's 0:23:23.600 --> 0:23:26.760 just so important when we think about the challenges of 0:23:26.960 --> 0:23:31.680 education and the environment, equity and diversity and inclusion, what's 0:23:31.760 --> 0:23:35.000 needed in the private sector and the public sector. It's 0:23:35.040 --> 0:23:38.000 just everything. How we're going to come out of COVID. 0:23:38.359 --> 0:23:42.200 So much of what we're going to need is bold leadership. 0:23:42.680 --> 0:23:45.359 So you know, don't be afraid to lead, you know, 0:23:45.440 --> 0:23:47.560 from whatever seat you don't have to be head of 0:23:47.560 --> 0:23:51.080 an organization. We need people to really lead into their 0:23:51.160 --> 0:23:54.479 agency to transform the world that we want to live in. 0:23:55.040 --> 0:23:59.639 Dr Kyla thank you for your bold and bodacious leadership. 0:24:00.240 --> 0:24:03.560 I really appreciate this time we've had together. Me too, Yes, 0:24:03.600 --> 0:24:18.040 thank you for the conversation. H you're listening to a 0:24:18.080 --> 0:24:23.080 podcast called Force Multiplier, Action meets Impact. Now you've probably 0:24:23.119 --> 0:24:26.200 grown to expect ads inside your podcast. But we're gonna 0:24:26.200 --> 0:24:30.000 do something a little bit different to walk the walk. 0:24:30.200 --> 0:24:32.199 We're gonna take a quick break and hear from one 0:24:32.200 --> 0:24:35.720 of the organizations featured in this episode. Be right back. 0:24:37.080 --> 0:24:40.560 If you came across the child struggling with hunger, how 0:24:40.560 --> 0:24:44.919 would you recognize him? By their clothes, their age, the 0:24:44.920 --> 0:24:48.040 way they speak. Would you recognize a thirteen year old 0:24:48.080 --> 0:24:50.840 boy who gets into fights at school not because he's 0:24:50.880 --> 0:24:54.439 a boy, but because he's hungry? Or two year old 0:24:54.480 --> 0:24:58.000 girl who cries all night not because she's said, but 0:24:58.160 --> 0:25:00.640 because she went to bed without HI have to eat? 0:25:01.480 --> 0:25:03.920 Or maybe a nine year old boy who hopes that 0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:07.879 for an advice and not for fun, just so we 0:25:07.920 --> 0:25:11.199 can have dinner. Or a fifteen year old girl who 0:25:11.280 --> 0:25:14.159 goes for walks over lunch so her friends won't know 0:25:14.240 --> 0:25:17.800 she doesn't have anything to eat. I am the one 0:25:17.840 --> 0:25:21.359 in seven American children who struggle with hunger. Kids you 0:25:21.440 --> 0:25:25.679 passed by every day but never knew were hungry. I 0:25:25.720 --> 0:25:29.880 am child hunger in America. Hunger can be hard to recognize. 0:25:30.240 --> 0:25:33.560 Learn why I am Hunger in America dot Org brought 0:25:33.640 --> 0:25:36.600 to you by Feeding America two hundred food banks strong. 0:25:37.800 --> 0:25:40.840 Hey you, it's Baritone Day, host of the podcast you're 0:25:40.840 --> 0:25:43.359 listening to right now. When I was a kid, my 0:25:43.440 --> 0:25:45.080 mom told me to come up with a system we 0:25:45.080 --> 0:25:48.720 could live under after democracy had failed. Yeah, my mom 0:25:49.000 --> 0:25:52.200 was intent. I haven't finished that assignment, but I did 0:25:52.280 --> 0:25:56.040 make a podcast. It's called how does Citizen? With Baritone Day. 0:25:56.080 --> 0:25:59.480