🎧 Leadership Rules with Jeremy Smith
Title: Practice Beats Credentials

What if we've been preparing people for work... the wrong way?

In this episode of Leadership Rules, Nick and Marnie sit down with entrepreneur and Pega6 founder Jeremy Smith to challenge one of society's biggest assumptions:

Does earning a degree actually prepare someone for a career?

Jeremy argues that mastery doesn't come from lectures, textbooks, or exams.

It comes from doing the work.

Again and again.

Drawing from his own experience in startups and product development, Jeremy shares why he believes experiential learning is the future of career preparation and how Pega6 is reimagining higher education by treating students more like employees than traditional learners.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why so many college graduates still feel unprepared on day one
• How experiential learning builds both technical and professional skills
• Why repetition and variety are the keys to mastery
• How AI is reshaping the skills employers are looking for
• Why "year one of employment" might be the best classroom ever created
• Jeremy's leadership philosophy: hire great people, then get out of their way

Whether you're an educator, entrepreneur, parent, hiring manager, or student, this conversation will challenge how you think about learning, work, and what it truly means to be ready.

📍 Learn More

🌐 Pega6 (High School Program)
https://pega6.com

🎓 Pega6 Fellowship (Recent College Graduates)
https://pega6fellowship.com

💼 Connect with Jeremy Smith on LinkedIn

Subscribe for more conversations about leadership, learning, and preparing people for a rapidly changing world.

#LeadershipRules #JeremySmith #Pega6 #ExperientialLearning #CareerReadiness #FutureOfWork #Leadership #HigherEducation #AI #Entrepreneurship

🎧 Leadership Rules with Jason Van Nus

What if the biggest thing holding students back isn't a lack of skills... but a lack of opportunities to tell their story?

In this episode of Leadership Rules, Nick and Marnie sit down with Jason Van Nus, CEO of the WIN Regional College and Career Academy, to discuss why career readiness is about so much more than technical skills.

Jason believes students don't just need credentials. They need confidence. And confidence is built by doing hard things in safe environments.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why Jason calls himself a "gentle disruptor"
• How the Reverse Career Fair flips the traditional hiring process on its head
• Why students need to learn how to advocate for themselves, not just build a résumé
• How work-based learning creates stronger talent pipelines for communities and employers
• Why industry should invest in developing local talent before students graduate
• How servant leadership means earning the right to have difficult conversations

Jason also shares why some of the best learning happens when students are just outside their comfort zone, where failure becomes feedback and confidence begins to grow.

If you care about leadership, education, workforce development, or helping young people prepare for life beyond the classroom, this conversation is full of practical ideas and fresh perspectives.

📍 Learn more and connect with Jason Van Nus

💼 LinkedIn → Jason Van Nus

🏫 WIN Regional College and Career Academy

Subscribe for more conversations about leadership, learning, and preparing the next generation to lead with confidence and purpose.

#LeadershipRules #JasonVanNus #CareerReadiness #WorkBasedLearning #YouthApprenticeships #StudentLeadership #EducationLeadership #CTE #ServantLeadership

🎧 Leadership Rules with Dr. Heather Handler
Title: Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be

What if we've been asking students the wrong question all along?

Instead of asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", Dr. Heather Handler believes we should be asking something much more powerful:

"What do you enjoy doing?"

In this episode of Leadership Rules, Nick and Marnie sit down with educator, youth apprenticeship pioneer, and author Dr. Heather Handler to discuss career readiness, work-based learning, and why modern Career and Technical Education (CTE) looks nothing like many people remember.

Heather shares lessons from launching one of Maryland's most successful youth apprenticeship programs and explains why exposing students to real opportunities early can change the trajectory of their lives.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why modern CTE is not the vocational education of the past
• How youth apprenticeships help students build confidence, purpose, and career direction
• Why college and career readiness should work together, not compete
• How AI is changing the future of work and increasing demand for skilled trades
• Why exposure to careers should begin long before high school
• The importance of helping students discover their strengths, interests, and preferred ways of working

Heather also shares insights from her new book, The Educator's Guide to Youth Apprenticeships, a practical roadmap for educators looking to create meaningful work-based learning experiences for students.

If you care about leadership, education, workforce development, or helping young people discover who they are becoming, this episode is for you.

📘 Learn More

The Educator's Guide to Youth Apprenticeships
Available on Amazon

💼 Connect with Dr. Heather Handler on LinkedIn