Episode 67 - Have Continuing Education Courses Lost the Plot? A Better Way to Learn, Teach, & Grow Starts Here

In this episode of Three Questions, I challenge the way we think about continuing education, for both students and teachers. We often chase certifications, collect information, or search for evidence that confirms what we already believe. But real learning is much messier than that. It requires curiosity, discomfort, and the willingness to be wrong.

I'll share how I've completely changed the way I teach after years of leading continuing education around the world, why feeling overwhelmed isn't always a bad thing, and what separates a good teacher from one who truly changes how people think.

In This Episode You'll Hear:

• Why productive overwhelm is an essential part of learning
• How to know if you're taking a course for growth or validation
• What exceptional teachers do differently to help students think, not just memorize

My hope is that this episode changes not only how you choose your next course, but how you approach learning itself. Because the goal isn't to collect certifications, it's to become a better thinker.

Links & Resources For This Episode:
Episode 49 - Motivation Part 1: Three Questions That Shape Your Drive
Find a Neuro Studio Teacher Near You
Connect with me on Instagram
Connect with me on Threads

Transcript

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Welcome to Three Questions, where critical thinking is king, and my opinions and research are only here to support your learning and deeper understanding. Hey, I'm your host, Meghann, and I'm so honored you clicked on Three Questions today to talk about continuing education. So before I get into the three questions, I wanted to let you know where my head was at because I've been thinking a lot about continuing education.

I just returned from Australia, so if my voice sounds scratchy, well, that's because I was literally lecturing for like fourteen days straight, and jet lag, it sucks. But anyway, going to Australia, I was teaching a bunch of continuing education courses. I was meeting with some of our level three neurostudio teachers that I've been mentoring for years and had-- first time I got to meet them in person.

I was also doing some sessions with clients and allowing teachers to observe, um, helping them get their hands in there to really get direct feedback on our techniques. So lots of different types of learning, and when I plan a trip like that, I have to be very strategic about how I'm going to offer this education.

Now, let's rewind to like, you know, twenty nineteen, bef-- in the before times, the before COVID times. Most continuing education was done in person. I mean, I never taught an online course until COVID And the upside of in-person courses is, well, you get the energy from the people. You can kind of read the room a little bit.

You get to be hands-on if that is appropriate. And, you know, stu- you can get kind of a specific type of feedback. However, the problem was... I'll give you an example. Our advanced neuro techniques course that I teach for the Neuro Studio, originally it was, um, like a sixteen-hour course. So I would meet. So I had taught it before COVID.

I taught in Australia, uh, Dubai, all around the States. Um, jet lag is getting me. I can't think of other places, but that's, that's enough. So I would teach for two days in a row. And if you think about it, based off research of how learning occurs, two days, eight hours in a row is not a way to learn anything.

But that's just the way it was done. And when you're traveling to a place, well, I couldn't travel to Australia once a week for eight weeks. It just doesn't make sense, so we had to jam everything in. So while I never really loved that format, that's kind of what we had. And students would walk away from the courses excited, confused, overwhelmed.

And despite the fact that we offered a path forward of being available for questions, it's hard to kind of remember anything when everything is thrown at you at once. Now enter COVID. We were kinda forced to do online education. It was either that or our business go out of business. I remember the first online course I taught.

I taught it kind of from the perspective of I was trying to give people the same thing they would get in person. I actually used my husband as a demo, which he hates, and while it went good, I'd like to think now, uh, six years later, I have taught it, uh, twice a year. So twelve years later, it is a much different course.

And students will sometimes, like, whisper to me like, "Oh my God, the course is so much better now," and I'm like, "I know. I've been working on that." Because to me, continuing education should be continuing your education. But don't get it twisted. It is not easy, and don't get me wrong, I don't always hit a home run.

So when I was going to Australia, I didn't wanna teach one of our courses. We brought back what we call our neurolabs. So think back to high school science. You had chemistry and chemistry lab. But what I did strategically is I didn't wanna create busy work. Like, think back to, like, chemistry. Remember you would, like, learn things in the classroom, and then sometimes the labs didn't fully seem related, although they were.

Does anybody remember that? Something that annoyed me about school as a kid, and it still annoys me now as I'm finishing my doctorate and working on my dissertation, is I hate busy work assignments. Let's not just check boxes here to prove that you taught me something. How is this going to help me with my goals as a teacher?

That's what I'm always thinking. So with these labs, rather than teach all these concepts, I decided to take the concepts out of our courses that I-- when I'm with students in person, I think that they're missing the mark. They understand the theory, but the application is actually hard because we take a nuanced brain-based approach, not just doing muscle testing or seeing how something affects the nervous system, but how someone's brain reacts in real time to every exercise.

So you can understand the whys but have trouble implementing it, and I was seeing students miss a lot of things that I felt I was very clear about. Well, obviously, I wasn't clear enough, right? So what I decided to do is recognize that some of the teachers that didn't have the theory might feel lost. But if I was able to get them to feel it, to see the difference on a client, they would have some buy-in and wanna go back to the theory.

And on the flip side are teachers who already took the course and had the theory. They would feel the difference and be like, "Oh my God, there's still another layer to go." I wanted to get people curious, and I also wanted to give people permission, and frankly, you do not need my permission, but I said at the end, "Hey, guys, you might have thought this was a fun weekend.

You might have thought I'm hysterical." I'm rolling my eyes if you're listening-- if you're not watching this on YouTube. But you have my permission to not do this work.

I don't want people to think if they're not doing this neural work, they're not doing anything. But I said to them, "I will send you an email. I am going to give you clear guidelines on what to learn next, or where I feel like the gaps are in your knowledge to help you continuing on your learning journey."

So as teachers, stop trying to get students to understand everything in your brain in one jump. But I also could argue right now, right before I get to question one, I believe in the teachers that take in-- take our courses. I got... I'm gonna brag for a sec. I mean, in this movement industry, this movement world, and the Pilates world in particular, man, there are some people that frankly, not my tribe, not my people.

The Neuro Studio teachers, man, I don't know what it is, but we attract critical thinkers, people who want to learn. Even sometimes some people come in with a chip on their shoulder, it's mostly because they've just had a lot of success and haven't been-- felt seen, and then they feel part of a community again.

So I will preface this whole episode with, I get to teach people who often want to learn. I do also think that comes from how Mariska and I lead from the front, and how we talk to our consumer. We're very clear, this is not a course that you're just gonna get a list of exercises. And if that's what you want, that's fine, but we're very clear about what we don't offer.

And why I think that's important, because you have to understand who you are as a teacher or who you are as a learner, so that you get what you need. So in the effort to talk about continuing education, I hope you understand my goal is that people actually learn something. And I'm gonna quote one of my students, um, I'm gonna quote Julia, who is the oldest level three teacher.

She is now eighty-three. And when she first applied to the program, I kinda had this moment where, not that I was aging her, but I was like, "Is this the right fit?" Like, would I want somebody taking my mom's money at eighty-three years old? And then I decided to speak to her on the phone, and she said something to me that sits with me to this day.

She said, "Yeah, I wanna do the program. Yeah, I know it's rigorous. I am going to continually learn every day until the day I die. Now, granted, I don't wanna learn big things every day, but I feel like I have to continually learn, and that's what's gonna keep me alive." And shout out to Julia. You've motivated me, and you've motivated a lot of people because I've shared that.

So we're never too old to learn something, and we're never too old to kind of figure out the direction we wanna go. So question one When you sign up for a course, be honest with yourself. Are you looking to get credit, like you need CECs? Are you looking to learn something new? Are you looking to challenge yourself, or are you just there to have your beliefs reinforced?

Now, before you even answer that, I know you're gonna think the first two are bad. Don't think that. You need to be honest about where you're at. Maybe you just had twins, or you've got three kids, or maybe your kids are about to leave for college, and there's a lot of change going in your life. Or maybe you're like me, you have no kids, but have a lot going on.

Maybe it's not a time where you're ready to take on something big to learn, but, you know, you got those CEC requirements. So maybe you signed up the course to see if this is something that interests you and just to get the credit. I think shaming yourself for doing that does nothing for any of us. Now, let's talk about the last one, that there's a lot of judgment.

Are you just trying to have your beliefs reinforced? Now, we can all get on our high, high horse and pretend we were never those people. Come on. Even myself, I, I think... You know, when it happens, I've seen it, and I have to watch all my mentees go through this phase, and I went through it, that phase when the ego starts to get a little big because you're starting to get mastery at things.

But remember, ego comes from insecurity. It might not be insecurity about that thing you're learning, but you're insecure about something, which is why you're pumping up the ego. Um, I always laugh at this conversation I had with, um, my therapist about that. I was like, "Hey, so if I ever feel like I'm getting an ego, I'm insecure s- about something, and we should talk about that."

And she just like, just laughed. She's like, "Yeah, exactly." I was like, "Cool." But it was just really simple how she explained it to me, and it helped me understand people that really come across with an ego. But I think the misconception is that they're insecure about the thing that they're teaching. Uh, it's not always the case.

Maybe they're insecure about something else, or they're not feeling seen or something like that. So we've all been in that place, and sometimes we want studies or other courses to reinforce what we think. But remember, guys, while that is... I don't wanna say it's okay. That might be where you're at. But what I'd love for you to do, if you're looking to courses to always reinforce your beliefs, I want you to ask yourself why.

I also want you to ask yourself, what are you actually insecure about? And I want you to ask you-- ask yourself, are you using science to back up your beliefs, or are you using science to better understand your beliefs and question your beliefs? Because that's what science is for. Nothing annoys me more.

I'm gonna call the evidence-based police. Now, a lot of people who use evidence-based practice aren't using it as a weapon, but you know who I'm talking about, where they'll find one study with like twelve people in it to support what they're saying. Now, that's not how science-- I want you to think of every research study is helping us ask the next question.

Research rarely ever gives us a definitive answer. And if you actually read it and, um, understand the terms we use, so like when it's a significant change or a moderate, like those have certain kind of numbers involved. So, like, depending on how big your sample size is, you could kind of say different words that sound more meaningful, and I find most people just read the results of a study.

I know I've done it before, right? And when you read the results of a study, it's really easy to kind of be like, "This is now fact." I want you to think when you're looking at research studies is, wow, that's really interesting information to support that idea. Let's think about what's the next question we can ask about something.

Did we miss a variable? Are there other factors? Why do I feel like this is questioning my beliefs? Is there actually synergy between them? So if you feel like you're in that place, cut yourself some slack. Ask yourself more questions. And if you're in the other two, are you looking to learn something new or challenge yourself?

Now, most people say they wanna learn something new and challenge themselves. Then when they are actually challenged, they retreat I said to a student in the course I taught in Brisbane, we were going through a concept, um, and when I got to her client, we were looking at kind of lower quadrant, and I was like, "Hey, what I want you to do is watch how I'm gonna address her upper quadrant, and we'll talk about it after."

And I did a few things, and then she was like, I could see her face. And I was like, "Just sit with that for a sec. I want you to think about what I did and why, and I'll be right back." And then I said to her, "Do you know why I did that?" And she's like, "Because you knew I could handle it." I go, "Yeah, but I knew I was gonna confuse you a little bit, but I knew you could handle it."

And I knew her goals, just knowing her as a teacher, that she's not afraid of a challenge and to think outside the box. But she did say, "Yeah, I'm, I'm gonna need a minute with that. I feel like I'm getting overwhelmed." I'm like, "Take a minute. I will be back." And I said to her, "Why I did that was although we're looking at this concept..."

And she hadn't taken the theory of the course yet. When you go and take the theory of the course, we have to kind of break it down lower and upper quadrant. But what you're gonna see is a lot of students make the mistake that they think lower quadrant exercises are just lower... uh, looking at the lower body.

We have to see what the upper quadrant is doing when we're doing lower quadrant, and vice versa. She's like, "Okay, I totally get that. I, I am not following your stream of why you did XYZ." And I said, "Nor should you right now, but I believe after you do section four of the advanced course, what I'm going to do is I'm gonna reach out, and we're gonna talk about it."

And she's like, "100%." And I actually, I am going to, after I finish this podcast, gonna make a note, 'cause I have to remember to reach back out to her. So if you want to be challenged, I know it sometimes feels uncomfortable, but guys, I I'm gonna speak from a place of I don't really understand it. Um, keep in mind, I also-- one of my best friends was mad at me for like six months and I had no idea, mostly because sometimes I don't attach emotion to certain things.

Um, I don't have... I don't really get emotional when I feel challenged. I-- my brain kind of responds in my stubbornness, and I kind of go, "Okay, let me figure it out. Let me think on it." Like, I'll spin on it. I'm not saying that's the right thing to do or better, it's just how my brain works. So I weirdly have no fear about being wrong.

Um, I didn't... I, I still ask people... I have one client, she's probably one of my favorite people, and she's like, "Oh, I can't admit when I'm wrong." And I was like, "Shut up." She's like, "No." And I asked her husband, who I, like, adore as well. He's like, "Oh, she won't admit... She can't admit she's wrong." And I was like, "Are you guys for real?"

And I'm like, "Doesn't that bother you?" And he's like, "No. I know she shows me in other ways." But I'm just looking at this person I admire, who is one of the best humans I know, and I'm like, "You can't admit you're wrong?" And she's like, "Well, not in that way." And it just... It doesn't, it doesn't make sense in my brain where I feel like, "Oh, shit, I was wrong.

I can learn from that." Please understand, I am trying to get you into the in-inner, inner thoughts in my head, which I'm not saying makes sense or is chaotic. This picture is of my brain. I know you can only see half of it. It's organized chaos. So I, I wanna, like, send out that energy through this podcast of some of the best and biggest wins in my career and life is, like, not being afraid to be wrong.

And kind of the methodology I use, targeting the cerebellum, if you're never wrong or never make errors, the cerebellum doesn't really activate or get an opportunity. So think about being able to make mistakes and learn from them is one of the greatest tools and gifts we can give to our brain Being wrong doesn't mean you're an idiot.

Being wrong doesn't mean you don't know what you're talking about. Being wrong just means, "Oh, shit. I totally didn't see that point of view. Very interesting." And I find being open to that, it, it really just puts everybody more at ease. Um, and I can only speak from personal experience, it helps me stay grounded in the process, which we'll talk about later.

So to close up question one, I want you to think, in order to get the most out of a continuing education course, you have to ask yourself that question: Why are you taking that course? And then you've got to stay focused on that. Now, it might switch midway from the course. You might have just been there for CECs, but something lit your brain up.

That's okay, you can change goals, but don't try to get everything out of every course. Figure out what your goals are, and then focus on that throughout the course. Now, question two: Is it okay to feel overwhelmed after a course? I told that story about that student. I honestly... This question for me could go either way.

Is it okay to feel more overwhelmed after a course? I wanna let you sit with that for a minute What does that mean to you? Now, something interesting about neuroplasticity. So you've seen this in, like, every movie. Think of the Rocky movies. I'm thinking of Rocky IV when he goes and fights the Russian, and he's, like, in the icy tundra, and he's, like, punching that frozen meat.

Uh, that's, like, the visual I have right now. So if you think of Rocky, there's always this... There's the hero. So these- this storyline happens in, like, all movies, even romantic comedies, right? So we've got the hero, and they're doing well, but then something happens, right? And then they're struggling, and they're feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, and you don't think they're gonna make it or win, right?

And then something happens that flips the script, and that they overcome that feeling of frustration and overwhelmed, and Rocky solves the Cold War. Remember? "If I can change, we can all change." Now, if you didn't see the Rocky movie, you wouldn't understand that line, but if you did, you know what I mean.

Okay? So going back to that, it's actually scientifically okay to be overwhelmed. But, but, but, but, but, big but, like the size of mine- If you don't understand the value, like the, if the juice isn't worth the squeeze, if you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel or the possibility of success, you're not gonna be able to overcome that frustration.

Now, I know we see that in every movie, but that's a movie. That's not real life, right? So it's my job as a teacher to push my students, to get them a little... to get them curious, to be challenged, and maybe get them to be a little overwhelmed. But it's also my job as a teacher to make sure they know, and I say this to my students all the time, "There is nothing I'm doing in my studio that you can't do in yours.

I am not smarter than you. I am not better than you." Okay? I have just been able to focus and explain my techniques in a way to teach others, right? It's my stubbornness. It's how my brain works. In school, I looked at neuroclients, I'm like, "This isn't good enough." Just getting them moving enough so they can feed themselves and get off the toilet, there's more here.

Neuroplasticity tells us, but it's not easy. Okay? So like, again, I am a... I don't really know much about astrology, but I'm a Taurus, so I've been told I'm stubborn. This is what the people say. So how do I help my students get over that overwhelm? Well, a few things. Number one, we talk about it, and I give them a path to success.

And I say to them, "Listen, I have been doing this for 25 years. Can you at least give yourself 25 minutes?" One quick story. One of our level three teachers who I adore, ugh, she's killing it right now. When I was... We were doing an in-person intensive, and we had a session, just her and I, and it was great. And then I was demoing on her, and she was watching me with clients, and I could tell a shift.

And after I said, "What's wrong?" And she's like, "Oh, my God, I'm just watching you and thinking I will never be that good." And with no hesitation, I'm like, "Seriously? Well, if we want to actually be truthful, I have been doing this for twenty-five years. You've been doing this for, like, two. Technically, you're better than I am.

At two years in, I was not nearly as good as you. So just think where you'll be in twenty-five years, way past where I'm at." And she kinda smiled, and she, she heard me, but I was like, "But here's the deal. We've got to see this through your eyes. If you're only looking at it through my eyes, you're never going to get it."

So when I'm mentoring teachers, and if you're teaching or mentoring students, it's really important not to just get up and demonstrate what you can do. I'll never forget this. I was watching a teacher teach a workshop, and I'm thinking, oh my God, she's just up there... It's like people are clapping of how good she is as a teacher.

She's not teaching anybody how to do that, and it really bothered me. Why did it bother me? Probably 'cause I was doing that a little bit myself, not intentionally. When I would do in-person courses, I would demo. I thought everybody was getting it. They weren't getting it. So what I do is I'll put my hands on a client, do it, and then I'll have my student do it, and I'll say okay to the client.

How did it feel different? Uh, well, they're pushing harder. You're pushing harder. All right. Explain, explain what, how it felt when I did it. Then I do it to my student. Then I have the student do it to me. Okay? So it's very hard to convey what hands-on work should feel like until you feel it, but having the client explain the difference is super helpful.

So, hey, when I cue this, what are you hearing? And when they're cueing it, what are you hearing? Not to compare mine is better than theirs, but to help us find that middle ground. And I'll ask my student, "How come you cued it that way?" "Well, I was looking at this, this, and this." "Okay. Did you also see this?" "Yeah, now I do."

"Okay, hold on. So this really lit you up here?" "Yeah." "Okay. So that's what you should do first, and then go back to the assessments and go here." "Oh, okay." So we have to have those dialogues with feedback. Feedback isn't just good job. Feedback has to be detailed. As any student will tell you, when they email me, I aim them, email them back a lot.

Or I will tell them, "Hey, this is a bigger question. We need to book a coaching call," because it would take me two hours to respond to that question, and I'm not gonna do a half-ass job. I want to take the time to do it. Okay? So feedback's important. So back to the question, is it okay to feel more overwhelmed after a course?

My answer to the question is yes, provided you feel that you have enough competency

autonomy, and the teacher has related this to what you do So I just quoted one of my favorite motivational theories, okay? Self-determination theory. Competency means you have enough skill to actually get the ball rolling. So when I'm teaching courses, I start with the easier cerebellum-based, um, cueing.

Okay, we'll usually start with different ways to use pressure because that can be applied to a variety of movements. So I want teachers to feel it and understand why, so that, that they can start using it. I can't tell teachers to cue less and let the cerebellum be the teacher if they don't have application to do that.

I mean, what are you just gonna stand there quietly? Your clients will be like, "What the hell is going on?" Right? So I wanna make sure that they have tools to allow the client's cerebellum to kick in as the teacher so they can then talk less. If the person walks away with no competency, co- I always say autonomy without competency is too many options that are overwhelming.

Now autonomy means that you're able to implement the work in a way that is meaningful to you, right? I'll show specific exercises. If we've got like if I have a boxer in it, I'll use that or if I have a dancer, we'll relate it to that. If I have a rugby player, I'll relate it to that. Okay? So they need to then go take the work and implement it to what they already do.

I say to my teachers, "If you change who you are as a teacher after this course, I will come to your house. I won't even slap you. I'm gonna put my hand out and you gotta just walk through it." Okay? Your clients don't like me. They don't know me. They love you. So don't just flip the script on them and teach the way I did.

Ew, they're gonna hate it. But once they've got some tools, they can implement it how they want, and they can start learning. And the last bit is relatedness. I share my struggles, how I got there, and what I'm still currently working on. If they think I'm this like perfect teacher, which I'm not, they're-- it's gonna be like what my students said, "I'll never be as good as you," which is actually not true.

And one of my ultimate goals as a teacher is that my students are better than me. I am really working on that for two reasons, mostly because I wanna take a nap and a vacation. Just kidding. But I think that's the true... I, I see my value. I always wanted to be a teacher. I actually went to school initially as a, to be a history teacher.

I knew I wanted to teach, I just didn't know what I wanted to teach. Um, I think teaching is really hard. Um, and I want every person to know that they are smart enough and capable to learn. That's kind of really important to me, um, as a teacher. So those are kind of my goals. They don't have to be yours.

But because of that That relatedness is very important. Okay? So when you're feeling overwhelmed after a course, ask yourself, "Am I lacking the competency?" If you're lacking the competency, reach out to the teacher and tell them and say, "Hey, I, I feel like I don't know even where to start." And the teacher, like me, will be like, "Okay, what was something that resonated with you the most in your body?"

And they'll be like, "Ah, you know, actually, like, integrating the vestibular system." "Good. Start there." "But you said start with foot-tip." "Who cares what I said? Start there." Number two, if you feel like you don't have the autonomy, like I'm forcing you to teach it the way I do, please reach out to me or any of your teachers 'cause that, to me, is...

should never be the goal. But ask, say, "Hey, I see how you did that for that client. I've got this issue. Uh, can you explain how you would approach it that way?" To help you see it through your eyes. I ask teachers all the time. The w- I don't wanna call it the weirdest, but one of my teaches, teachers sees color.

So for me, when I see reflex of stability, I see this dynamic, energetic shift, and the joints, I call them sharpen. It's... I see, like, the joints as, like, sharp corners but, like, six-dimensional. Um, she doesn't see that 'cause listen, my background's in biomechanics. I loved physics. I love biomechanics, so I kind of see it from that way.

She was seeing color. She's like, "It's crazy. The color gets brighter and dissipates." I'm like, "That's amazing. So cool. Maybe, um, dig into that a little bit. See if we can find some science to support it, or you create some science or do some research because that's definitely a thing." But if she kept trying to see it through my biomechanical lens, she would never get it.

So asking your students, asking yourself how you're seeing it. And last but not least, relatedness. Ask me. At the last course I taught, it was the first time a student asked, she raised her hand and said, "Um, I'd love to know how you came up with all this. Like, so what is your dissertation focused on?" And I just was like, "Oh, my God.

I'd love to tell you." And I just... five minutes just kind of did it briefly, and what I realized is them better understanding my why can maybe help them either create their why or understand the work deeper. So again, that's just one motivational theory, but most people think when they're overwhelmed, they're just not motivated enough to overcome it.

Bullshit. Motivation is not this, like, cheerleader, "Woo-hoo." I did a episode on motivation. I don't know which episode number it is. Joe, do you know what episode number that is? Maybe you could put that in the notes. I love when I'm like, when I don't know, I... Joe is my editor. I'm like, "Joe, do you know?" Anyway.

So if you're feeling overwhelmed, hopefully you have some tools. Number three Why are we so focused on getting it right instead of enjoying the process of learning and figuring it out? I want you to ask yourself that question. And please, I am so curious to your answers. DM me, comment on social media, send me an email, send a carrier pigeon, a raven, I don't care.

I would really love to better understand this. Um, I understand the not enjoying the process. I think most of my life I was always focused on the next goal. Get the undergrad, check. Get the master's degree from an Ivy League university, check. Open my own business, check. Start a new business, check. Build that business, check get a doctorate.

I decided when I was starting this doctorate journey to enjoy the process, and I knew it was the right time 'cause I was kind of excited about what my dissertation was about. It wasn't about just checking a box like it was for my master's. I was like, "Oh my God, I have this opportunity. I am not going to rush through it.

I'm going to be present." Um, and that's hard. But honestly, enjoying the process is way more fun. And I am going to talk about Tom Brady for a moment. If you're not familiar, Tom Brady was the quarterback of the New England Patriots. Growing up a Giants fan, we hated the New England Patriots. However, you can't knock the hustle.

Tom Brady is the GOAT. I think he has nine Super Bowls, or is it eight? Nine? I don't know. Nine, I think, which is unreal. Now, what's interesting about Tom Brady, he wasn't a first-round draft pick. He didn't even initially start at Michigan. Like, he was always an underdog. He was injured a lot. He got curious about his body and found a guy that got curious with him Now, what is so interesting about him is every time he would win a Super Bowl, you would think, "Okay, now he's gonna retire."

But like, now I don't know Tom Brady, he doesn't return my phone calls, but, you know, there were some rumors about his family, stuff like that. It's like the day after you win the Super Bowl, you're not a Super Bowl winner anymore. You've gotta do it again next year. So always being focused on the end goal, like winning the Super Bowl, what happens the day after?

And we've all been there. We've all had these, like, I don't think we celebrate our achievements very much. I know I don't, because sometimes that feels uncomfortable, but also it's onto the next thing, right? So if you're so focused on that end goal, that checkbox, that CEC, that degree, what happens the day after Right?

It's you've gotta climb that hill again. And when my students or anybody complains about social media, I have no sympathy. I'm like, "I run two businesses, see clients, I'm getting a doctorate," and I do, I manage two social media accounts. Not because I'm Superwoman, but I will die on this hill. I die on a lot of hills, you know this.

Two things: social media is free marketing. Nothing is free. Oh my God, nothing is free. And number two, focusing on the process of social media, not going viral, has made me a better communicator and ch- um, teacher. Because in, in order to convey that on social media, has really helped me clarify for my courses.

Now, for me, we don't do a ton of promotion on social media. We share a lot of education so people know what we're about. So I have a different approach to social media. I'm not looking to go viral. I'm not looking for 100,000 followers. I don't promote any products. Um, I have used it as a tool that has made me a lot of money because my courses, there's clarity.

We have a very robust mentorship program, and the mentorship program happens after our level two course, right? We have ton of applications every year. Um, some years we've accepted more. I think last year was our largest group, which was 15. This group, I only accepted 11 because they were the right candidates.

Um, so think about enjoying the process rather than a viral post or money. Um, again, going back to motivation, I think I told this story in the motivation episode is, um, when unfortunately Mariska had breast cancer and had some other things going on, I was very focused on the financials of the neuro studio and wasn't enjoying the process, and kind of at the end of the year, really burnt out in a way that a vacation didn't solve it.

It took me like two months to recover from the fact I didn't lift my head up all year long because for me, I'm great in a crisis. It's the after the crisis. Um, so, uh, blessed Mariska is cancer-free, but it was pretty scary, you know? So for me, I said, "I am not going to do that again." So I know it's easier said than done.

We're all gonna mis-mess, mess up here. I know I'm gonna mess up again. But I want you to ask yourself how can you be better focused on the process, not to rush things. Who cares if somebody does it first? Do it better. Seriously, do it better Unfortunately, I have had instances where people literally took my course and then presented it.

I've got spies everywhere. I know. I don't care. If you just learned something from me and think you're an expert enough to teach it, well, not gonna be very good. Because something I wanna leave you with, because if you're a teacher of any kind of subject or you're gonna be a student A bad teacher teaches something they don't fully understand in an effort to try to understand it.

This is actually very common, and maybe after this episode, you are going to see it a lot. I always say to my students, "Be careful with what's really popular right now." You know, there's a lot of talk about hypermobility, which I think is amazing, but just be careful the courses you take. Is the course being taught by someone who experiences hypermobility, who is struggling themselves and trying to figure it out?

Now, it's fine to take the course to understand where they're at and maybe gain some information, but when you're going to take a course, ask yourself, "Does the person teaching have a deep and full understanding?" And I think that needs experience. I know. I know. Easy for me to say I have the experience.

And did I teach when I was younger? Yeah, but I've also seen narcissistic men, I'm sure there's narcissistic women who do this too, who they say, "Oh," after teaching for two years Pilates, "You are the anointed one. We are going to make you a teacher trainer." They're doing that so they can pay you less 'cause you have less experience.

I know. So if they're gonna use you, use them right back. Call me. I'll help you out with that. But just be careful out of people doing things for you out of a favor or, "Oh, you're so great." I want you to think that you might be a great teacher after two years experience, but you're gonna see things very differently.

That doesn't mean don't share your work and don't be curious. I would never want a teacher who was older than me to say that because you have things to say, and I think it's important you say them, but make sure when you're teaching or you're learning, you understand your goals and your students'.

Because a good teacher teaches something they fully understand, but to me, an exceptional teacher, which is something I hope to be at some point, teaches something that gets you to think outside the box, past what you understand, question things without blowing up the system. So I hope you enjoyed today's episode about continuing education courses.

If you take the time to answer question one, which is understanding why you signed up for the course, understand question two, and find the proper level of overwhelm and have tools to overcome overwhelm. And question three is, can you really find a way to enjoy the process and not just focus on the end goal and not be afraid to make that mistake?

Making mistakes is such an integral part of learning and is really gonna develop you as a person. So please get back to me with your answers on question three. I hope it didn't come across cold that I didn't understand why you guys are afraid to make mistakes. It, it's honest curiosity, um, because I wanna be a better teacher to help people be able to do that.

So thanks, guys, and I will see you on the next episode