Opt in HERE for your gifted copy of the Oxygen for Educators magazine!

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SUMMARY

In part two of our conversation with filmmaker and logotherapist Alex Vesely, grandson of Viktor Frankl, we explore what it really means to live a life of meaning as an educator. Alex unpacks burnout through a logotherapy lens, shares powerful stories about suicide and hope, and invites us to ask a different question, not "What is in it for me?" but "Who am I still here for?" This one is a North Star episode for anyone feeling overwhelmed, misaligned, or called to pick up the "right letter" on the conveyor belt of their life.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00 – What am I still here for?

• 00:32 – Welcome back: Alex Vesely Part 2

• 01:17 – Who is Alex? Grandson, filmmaker, logotherapist

• 02:15 – More than mind and body: the noetic dimension

• 06:21 – Self-transcendence, good teaching, and burnout

• 15:02 – The "right seat" and picking up the right letter

• 24:15 – Despair, suicide, and the question of meaning

• 31:07 – The grandmother, two granddaughters, and a life-saving reframing

• 39:18 – Making logotherapy accessible: Viktor Frankl Institute of the Americas

• 43:26 – Educating toward responsibility and true conscience

• 46:40 – Ellie Frankl's "abnormal integrity" and partnership with Viktor

• 50:56 – What Viktor Frankl modeled for his grandson

• 54:09 – New baby, late-night recording, and gratitude

• 55:37 – Debrief: pianist and piano, meaning as North Star for educators

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Oxygen for Educators is proudly sponsored by Tacky Box.

Follow on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/oxygen-for-educators/id1775510846

Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2i21QueuqVqmEPmI7gzFfQ?si=1bef3354bff2402c

Follow on Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/podcast/Oxygen-for-Educators/B0DKL68DLX?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEdbuPy-L7p4RZKZ_VWKCXwK_j8vbjZF2&si=7SHeSWZRllrseygs

Website: https://www.tackybox.com/podcast

Thank you to our sponsor, Tacky Box!

Website: https://tackybox.com/

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Don't forget to opt in HERE for your gifted copy of the Oxygen for Educators magazine!

( https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdj3tz0r6L2KIAJJ5dTnzx3CfXka2fqTHfUqHDlqtqo_96cCg/viewform?usp=header )

SUMMARY

We're re-releasing this conversation with Alex Vesely because it has never felt more needed.
In a moment when so many educators are exhausted and searching for steadiness, Alex brings a rare clarity about meaning, purpose, and why our inner life matters.

This is Part 1 of a powerful two-part conversation. Part 2 drops next Friday.

LINKS:

• Man Search For Meaning: https://a.co/d/iS2XrjX

Logotherapy-online.com

• Logotherapy Institute of America Courses: https://courses.viktorfranklamerica.com/

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Meaning is a protective factor against life's challenges
• Educators play a crucial role in fostering meaning in students' lives
• Young people are naturally inclined to seek meaning
• Freedom to choose comes with the responsibility of those choices
• Navigating modern stressors requires a return to one's purpose
• Living with purpose can transform stress into a positive force
• Questions about life purpose can guide students' journeys
• Educators can create environments that encourage exploration of meaning

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The Pursuit of Meaning Over Happiness

03:02 Introducing Alex Vesely and His Legacy

05:49 Viktor Frankl's Life and Work

08:55 The Essence of Logotherapy

11:47 The Role of Meaning in Education

14:52 Navigating Modern Challenges with Meaning

18:13 The Search for Meaning in Youth

21:05 The Freedom to Choose Meaning

23:58 Finding Solace in Purpose

27:01 Internal Cues for Meaningful Living

29:51 The Importance of Responsibility in Freedom

37:02 The Meaningful Role of Educators

38:45 Exploring the Concept of Meaning

39:40 The Protective Power of Meaning

43:02 Viktor Frankl's Insights on Suffering

46:07 The Pursuit of Meaning in Education

49:10 Creating a Meaningful Environment for Students

51:45 The Shift Towards Meaning Over Pleasure

54:12 Flipping Maslow's Hierarchy

57:31 Finding Meaning in Attitudes and Actions

01:00:44 Navigating Chaos with Purpose

01:02:59 The Essence of Meaning in Life

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Oxygen for Educators is proudly sponsored by Tacky Box.

Follow on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/oxygen-for-educators/id1775510846

Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2i21QueuqVqmEPmI7gzFfQ?si=1bef3354bff2402c

Follow on Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/podcast/Oxygen-for-Educators/B0DKL68DLX?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEdbuPy-L7p4RZKZ_VWKCXwK_j8vbjZF2&si=7SHeSWZRllrseygs

Website: https://www.tackybox.com/podcast

Thank you to our sponsor, Tacky Box!

Website: https://tackybox.com/

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SUMMARY

Jose "Joe" Villaseñor has one of the most unexpected paths into education you'll ever hear: TV production, seminary, bail bonds, school counseling, and now leading Employee Wellness at Irving ISD. In this conversation, he shares how those turns shaped his deep empathy for people in hard places and how that shows up in real, practical supports for educators today, from yoga and fitness classes to laughter workshops and campus wellness champions. If you've ever wondered what it looks like when a district truly cares for the adults in the building, this episode will give you both a vision and doable ideas you can borrow.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00 – Cold open: "There's always a reason people do what they do"

• 00:15 – Welcome to Oxygen for Educators + intro banter

• 01:32 – Meet Jose "Joe" Villaseñor: A true Renaissance educator

• 04:02 – Jose's path into education: CIS, first graders, and cowboy boots

• 09:24 – Teaching across Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia + dinosaur vs. dragon

• 14:03 – "You need to do this": Friends and family nudging him toward education

• 17:29 – From TV to seminary to almost–Secret Service (and why his dad said no)

• 22:26 – School counselor, district leader, and the road to employee wellness

• 25:35 – Launching wellness before COVID and growing through the pandemic

• 27:35 – Visionary leadership: Superintendent Magda Hernandez and work–life harmony

• 29:23 – Sponsor spotlight: Tacky Box

• 30:10 – What educators are hungry for now: Movement, connection, and community

• 32:08 – Fitness classes, social hours, and wellness champions on every campus

• 35:36 – The rising weight on educators and state demands

• 38:01 – Making wellness easy to access: Lunch-and-learns, meditation, journaling, stretching

• 39:36 – The power of laughter: Connecting with every kind of student

• 41:33 – Stress as both signal and motivator + doing the inner work

• 43:05 – Lessons from seminary and bail bonds: Radical non-judgment and empathy

• 47:04 – Mental health as everyday care, not a last resort

• 49:53 – Host debrief: Pants-leg stories, unexpected joy, and work–life harmony

• 1:03:00-ish – Closing reflections, gratitude, and disclaimer

************************************************************************************************

Oxygen for Educators is proudly sponsored by Tacky Box.

Follow on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/oxygen-for-educators/id1775510846

Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2i21QueuqVqmEPmI7gzFfQ?si=1bef3354bff2402c

Follow on Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/podcast/Oxygen-for-Educators/B0DKL68DLX?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEdbuPy-L7p4RZKZ_VWKCXwK_j8vbjZF2&si=7SHeSWZRllrseygs

Website: https://www.tackybox.com/podcast

Thank you to our sponsor, Tacky Box!

Website: https://tackybox.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tacky_box/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTackyBox/

X: https://x.com/thetackybox

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thetackybox/