“Getting Unstuck” host Jeff Ikler reflects on recent messages of remembrance that prompt him to consider life's impermanence of life and how he wants to be remembered. (Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash.)

WHAT STORIES do you tell yourself? In this timeless conversation, Rosamund and Benjamin Zander explain how we can reframe those draft stories – they're not written in concrete – into life lessons that are more useful for us and those around us. “It’s all invented anyway,” write authors Roz and Ben Zander, “so we might as well invent a story … that enhances our quality of life….”

Andy Stephens was born and raised in a small town in Northwest Washington on the Salish Sea. After 17 years, he traveled to Los Angeles to play college baseball in the sunshine. He taught in the public schools of LAUSD for six years before moving to Boulder, CO where he now teaches science at New Vista High School.

No guest today on Getting Unstuck in what is my first episode of the new year. I promise no New Year’s resolutions except one: to read and digest as many books as I can during the year.

Given my interest in books, I was curious to know what some of my colleagues, friends, and family members will read in 2024. So, I contacted more than 40 of them, asking them for a brief bio, their book of choice, and why that title might find its way to their nightstand. I thought that maybe I'd hear from a few, acknowledging that many might be too busy to respond, given the fast-approaching holidays.

Their responses poured in.

“Getting Unstuck” is somewhat of a rare animal in the world of podcasting. It’s offered timely content focused on change, education, and curiosity for over 5 years and sits in the top 3% of all podcasts. And we just passed the 300-episode milestone, which is somewhat of a magic marker for podcasts.

As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to take a moment to thank my listeners and recap 2023 in three parts: 1. the top episodes in terms of downloads, 2. the episode that meant the most to me, and 3 my most popular episode over the life of the podcast.

Mary Nadeau has worked at Nokomis Regional High as a teacher and administrator for the past 32 years. She has served as the Principal for the past 15 years. Nick Miller is a member of the English department. Our conversation explored how fly fishing, a seemingly unconventional activity in schools, can be woven into the fabric of education. We delved into the significance of the sport, its potential as an English elective, and its role in empowering student voice and choice. 

In this episode, I talk with Peggy Willms and 🔆 Dennis Pitocco about their mission to "rally our collective talent and resources to materially amplify the voices and visibility of the unsheltered population while breaking down the stigma associated with homelessness."

Andrew Sachs is the CEO and Founder of Nobel Learning. Nobel helps learners get the technical, soft, and leadership skills they need to succeed in work and life in today's quickly changing world.

Dennis Behnke provides individual and group tours of Berlin and German history, focusing on World War II and the Cold War. Our conversation emphasized the importance of teaching and learning the lessons of history through accurate and engaging methods and personal stories.

Books are one of freedom’s first lines of defense. If we allow our freedom to read what we want to read to be compromised, what freedom might next fall? We only need to look at history to find out.

In this episode – a timely replay of episode 271 – I travel to Berlin, Germany, and the Bebelplatz, a large square in the city's center. As calming as the setting is today, it was anything but on the night of May 10, 1933. There, a mob of Nazis, Nazi-leaning students, and citizens gathered to burn an estimated 20,000 books the Nazi regime had deemed culturally and spiritually unfit for public consumption.

So, this holiday season, reinforce choice, knowledge, and critical thinking: fight the book banners by giving books as gifts – lots of books.

This week, something different. As we approach Thanksgiving, I find myself in a contemplative mood. So, I’m solo this week, starting what could become a lengthy exercise that will have me unwrapping and considering the package that is my life in 15 crossroad moments – points in time when I could have gone this way or that way.

History is the story of our humanity – and inhumanity – and is essential for understanding our present and shaping our future. In this podcast, two published lay historians, Bill Whiteside, and Paul McNicholls, discuss the importance of history and memoir writing through a study of Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets by Burkhard Bilger.