The Unteaching Podcast

How We Should Talk To Young People About Career Choices

Nearly 4 million high school graduates step into an uncertain job market each year (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, 2024), and the advice they receive—“follow your passion,” “choose something practical,” “make as much money as you can”—often leaves them stressed, burned out, and directionless. This episode features Jordan H. Davis' signature keynote, "Eliminate 'Career Fear' Through Design Thinking", which he delivered to over 500 middle and high school students at Montanan FCCLA's State Leadership Conference. He introduces design thinking, the foundation of what Jordan now calls his Problem-Centered Careers framework. Instead of starting with résumés, majors, or passions, Jordan encourages high school and college students to think about vocational identity development and career decision-making with a problem-focused lens, starting with examining the issues in their communities and world that they feel compelled to solve.
Drawing from design thinking, trauma-informed practice, and social impact innovation, Jordan explores how young people and adults alike can reframe their career choices around meaning, sustainability, and wellbeing. Whether you’re a student, educator, or CTSO advisor or director, this episode is a window into how we'll need to think about work as we head into the next quarter-century. 
 
4 Reasons Gen Z Is Struggling To Land A New Job In 2025 (Forbes, 2025)
Job searching in 2025? It's a mess no matter how old you are. (Business Insider, 2025)
In the job market, Gen Z is cooked [Podcast] (Washington Post, 2025) 
 
Subscribe to "Unteaching" on Substack for weekly articles about teaching, learning, and US education: https://unteaching.substack.com/
 

Has "Building Community" Lost Its Meaning? Lessons from Tamil Nadu, India w/ Goutham Yegappan

In this episode of Help Students Win, host JD chops it up with Goutham Yegappan, host of the Re-Educated Podcast and independent data science instructor. They discuss the state of philosophy and general education curriculum in higher ed, the theory and practice behind belongingness, and what he learned in his recent research on community learning in Tamil Nadu, India.
What does it actually mean to "build community" among students?
What role can general education curriculum play in teaching students how to build a sense of community in their curricular and extracurricular engagements?
And what can the US learn from villages like Tamil Nadu, India when it comes to promoting community learning?
The answers, and more, on this week's episode of Help Students Win. 
 
HSW is hosted, produced and edited by Jordan H. Davis. Jordan an inclusive pedagogy specialist and founder of JD Speaks LLC, through which he offers professional development for K-12 and college educators.
Visit jdspeaks.com/educators to learn more 

What It Means To Decolonize US Education: JD Speaks On ”Re-Educated”

Is there a possible future where college no longer exists? What current value do US colleges offer? And what does it mean to decolonize education? The answers and more on this week's episode of Help Students Win!
This week's episode of Help Students Win features a guest spot that I did with my good friend Goutham Yegappan on his podcast, Re-Educated. I share about how I became a pedagog and professional speaker and about how decolonizing K-12 curriculum can help resolve the US youth mental health crisis. We also talk about the value of US hiring education and speculate about a post-college future.
Listen and subscribe to Re-Educated here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/re-educated/id1609689971
Learn more about my professional development work with faculty and students at https://www.jdspeaks.com/.

How to Prepare and Retain Black Male Teachers w/ Michael Hayes

Are teachers less prepared now than they were 30 years ago? What does the future of teacher professional development look like? And what can principals and district leaders do to retain their Black male educators? Michael Hayes shares perspectives from his nearly 30-year career as an elementary educator and teacher mentor at the same school district!
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Looking for a speaker for your next conference, professional development day, or student event? Visit https://www.jdspeaks.com/ to learn more about how Jordan can serve your educators or students.
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Michael Hayes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hayes-2870b5228/

Rebuilding The Black Teacher Pipeline - Dr. Keeley C. & Dr. Samantha S

Why do Black men make up less than 2% of the teaching force? What barriers exist for Black students wanting to pursue the profession? And what can historically white colleges learn from HBCUs when it comes to preparing Black teachers of color for the workforce? The answers to these questions and more on this episode of Help Students Win.
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Read The Heart Work of Hard Work: Black Teacher Pipeline Best Practices at HBCUs: https://uncf.org/wp-content/uploads/Voya-Black-Teacher-Pipeline-Final-.pdf
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Read about Dr. Strachan's work here: https://www.aamu.edu/about/inside-aamu/news/strachan-will-work-to-improve-teacher-recruitment-and-retention.html
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Follow Dr. Copridge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keeleyc/
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Looking for a speaker for your next conference, professional development day, or student event? Visit https://www.jdspeaks.com/ to learn more about how Jordan can serve you educators or students.

How Yoga Transformed Her Students and Career w/ Mary Kay Connerton

What does effective yoga and wellness integration look like in K-12 education? How did Maryland's 2024 Teacher of the Year integrate yoga into her teaching practice? And what does all of this contribute to students' academic and professional success? The answers and more on this week's episode of Help Students Win ------
Looking for a speaker or a pedagogy specialist for teacher professional development? Visit jdspeaks.com to learn more about Jordan's services -----
Connect with Mary Kay Connerton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-kay-connerton-1ab9619a/ --------
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Supporting Faculty at a Fully Online University w/ Nisa K. Williams

How does a fully-online university facilitate professional development that faculty clamor for? How can universities help departments improve their internal culture with an emphasis on transparency and communication? These answers, and more in this week's episode of Help Students Win (plus Black parenting trivia!).
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Looking for a speaker for student orientation, teacher professional development or an upcoming conference? Visit jdspeaks.com to book Jordan today. JD Speaks, Education's Most Electrifying Speaker.
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Visit eqprofessor.com to learn more about how Nisa Williams Associates can meet your coaching and consulting needs!
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The Bullying Prevention Blueprint w/ Dr. Allison Paolini

What are the core components that every school district needs to prevent bullying and see gains in student success? What are the tools that school counselors need to transform school culture? And what role do phones and technology play in all of this? Dr. Allison Paolini joins the show to answer these questions and more on this episode of Help Students Win ----- Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jdspeaks./videos ----- Are you looking for a speaker for your next conference, professional development day, school assembly, or upcoming event? Visit https://www.jdspeaks.com/ to learn about how Jordan can serve your audience. ----- Connect with Dr. Paolini on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-allison-paolini-ph-d-ncc-a74a9a30/

A Masterclass on Difficult Classroom Conversations w/ Dr. Erin Watley

What value is there in helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to their life experiences, identities, and values? How can educators effectively manage situations where challenging topics like race and politics come up? And how can educators take care of themselves in the process? The answers to these questions and more in this episode of Help Students Win.
-----Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjLGM6shTKqBLpDB_BVIg0A
-----Are you looking for a speaker for your next conference, professional development day, school assembly, or upcoming event? Visit https://www.jdspeaks.com/ to learn about how Jordan can serve your audience.
-----Learn more about Dr. Watley's DEIJ consulting firm, Intersect, LLC: https://www.intersectconsultllc.com/
-----Connect with Dr. Watley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-watley-phd-b65073143/

How Hip Hop Can Revitalize Classrooms w/ Dr. Joquetta Johnson

How can hip hop be used to make learning more rigorous and engaging? How can teachers infuse popular culture into classes while still aligning with pre-set curriculum standards? And what role do phones and social media play in a culturally-relevant classroom? Dr. Joquetta Johnson gives us the answers to these questions and more on this episode of Help Students Win.
Are you looking for a speaker for your next conference, professional development day, school assembly, or upcoming event? Visit https://www.jdspeaks.com/ to learn about how Jordan can serve your audience.
To learn more about Dr. Johnson's consulting and speaking services, visit https://www.joquettajohnson.com/ | Connect with Dr. Johnson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joquettajohnson/
Learn more about the SELF Talks student success program by visiting jdspeaks.com/selftalks