With more than thirteen years of experience in teaching and instructional leadership—and currently serving in his fourth year as an assistant principal, Dr. Smalls has led transformative work in strengthening school culture, improving instructional practices, and developing high-performing, equity-focused teams.

Throughout this conversation, Dr. Smalls shares valuable insight on leadership, educator growth, equity in education, and the importance of creating school environments where both students and staff can thrive.

This episode is a powerful reminder that nurturing greatness begins with visionary leadership, authentic relationships, and a commitment to excellence for every learner. Tune in and join the conversation.

How are you nurturing greatness?

In this episode of the Nurturing Greatness Podcast, we are joined by Deena Freeman, a dynamic educator and presenter from the February Nurturing Greatness Summit.

Deena delivered a powerful and insightful session on the critical role school counselors play in nurturing greatness in students—centering relationships, inclusion, and student voice as essential components of success.

With over twenty years of experience in student services, instructional support, and post-secondary planning, Deena brings a wealth of knowledge and real-world perspective to the conversation. She currently serves as a School Counselor at Queens Metropolitan High School, where she continues to advocate for and support students on their academic and personal journeys.

In addition to her counseling work, Deena has also developed and taught courses in African American Studies, including AP African American Studies—creating space for culturally relevant learning and student empowerment.

Although she didn’t initially plan to pursue a career in education, her upbringing as an Army brat and the influence of impactful educators helped shape her commitment to a relationship-centered, inclusive approach to student development.

This episode is a powerful reminder of the role every adult in a school plays in helping students realize their full potential.

How are you nurturing greatness?

Jonathan shares the story of what he calls his “gumbo of greatness”—a community of adults who poured belief, discipline, and love into him—and how that foundation fuels his work today. As a self-described “ultimate disruptor,” he challenges systems and mindsets that limit students, replacing them with asset-based approaches that recognize brilliance often overlooked.

From launching a chess club that empowered students to compete beyond expectations, to reframing adversity through his mantra “win the day,” Jonathan offers a compelling vision for educators and leaders: see the gifts, amplify the voice, and build environments where students thrive.

Woven with storytelling, faith, culture, and strategy, this conversation is both inspiring and instructive—a call to rethink how we nurture greatness in every child, every day.

Principal Kafele shares reflections from his journey as an award-winning principal, author, and speaker, offering insight into how educators can recognize the brilliance that already exists within students. Together, the conversation explores leadership, identity, culture, expectations, and the responsibility educators carry to affirm the potential of every child.

Through honest reflection and practical wisdom, this dialogue challenges educators and leaders to examine how school culture, instructional practices, and relationships either cultivate or constrain student greatness.

This episode is a call to action for educators everywhere:

See it. Speak it. Nurture it.

If you believe that every student possesses brilliance waiting to be cultivated, this conversation will both inspire and challenge you.

Drawing from their personal journeys in education, leadership, and community, they reflect on the people who first nurtured greatness in them—teachers, mentors, family members, and leaders who saw potential before it was fully realized. Through storytelling and reflection, they discuss how those early influences shaped their commitment to helping students, educators, and school systems recognize and cultivate brilliance.

This conversation sets the foundation for the Nurturing Greatness movement—challenging schools to move beyond compliance and toward environments where identity, belonging, high expectations, and purpose come together to unlock student potential.

Whether you are an educator, school leader, parent, or community member, this episode invites you to consider a powerful question:

Who first nurtured greatness in you—and how are you nurturing it in others today?