Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer cover art

Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer

Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer

By: Palmer Media
Listen for free

At the intersection of learning, media, and the future of work, join us each week as we sense and discover where the future of education is heading. Join host Mike Palmer, the Founder of Palmer Media, as he engages with thought leaders, pioneers, and entrepreneurs exploring the cutting edge of learning in these tumultuous times.Copyright Palmer Media 2025. All Rights Reserved. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education | Jeremy C. Young | AAC&U | Trending in Higher Ed

    Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education | Jeremy C. Young | AAC&U | Trending in Higher Ed
    Aug 28 2026
    How can higher education rebuild its relationship with the public in an era of heightened political polarization, shifting financial models, and rapid technological disruption? In this episode of Trending in Ed, host Mike Palmer welcomes back Jeremy C. Young, Senior Advisor at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), to discuss the foundational new report: Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education: The Trust Agenda. As part of our ongoing Trending in Higher Ed series—featuring insights from leaders like Eddie Watson (AI & pedagogy), Brian Rosenberg (Whatever It Is, I'm Against It), and Elliot Felix (The Connected College)—this episode explores how campus leaders can move past reactive crisis management and actively cultivate trustworthy relationships across their communities. Jeremy breaks down AAC&U’s five-point framework, offering actionable, practical strategies for institutional leaders, faculty, and advocates. Featured Reference & Key Highlights: 📄 Featured Reference: AAC&U's Report, Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education (The Trust Agenda)—the core blueprint for this conversation, outlining actionable solutions to restore institutional trust. 🚀 Accelerate Innovation: Overcoming institutional inertia to streamline shared governance, adapt to the rapid emergence of AI, and adopt flexible academic pathways like universal transfer and "College in Three". 🤝 Prioritize Community Engagement: Drawing inspiration from trusted community colleges and regional publics to act as true anchor institutions—leveraging local procurement and public-facing research (echoing Dr. Kenneth Carter’s work in public scholarship). 🎓 Recommit to Inclusive Excellence: Centering student success, expanding support for food/housing security, and fostering genuine civil dialogue that welcomes conservative students and diverse viewpoints (referencing Lara Schwartz’s Try to Love the Questions). 📢 Tell a Clearer Story: Shift away from the media's hyper-fixation on elite Ivy League universities and reframe higher ed around shared public values like freedom, fairness, and opportunity directly through campus-level communications. 🛡️ Coordinate a Mission-Centered Defense: Protecting university autonomy and academic freedom through collaborative cross-institutional defense networks—building a proactive trust foundation before crisis management (as discussed with Legend Labs' Jeff Hunt) becomes necessary. Episode Timestamps: ⏱️ 00:00 – Welcome back Jeremy C. Young & transition from PEN America to AAC&U ⏱️ 00:03:00 – Introducing the featured reference: AAC&U's Trust Agenda report ⏱️ 00:09:00 – Pillar 1: Accelerating innovation, AI adaptation, & shared governance reform ⏱️ 00:12:30 – Pillar 2: Community engagement, anchor institution strategy, & local impact ⏱️ 00:19:00 – Pillar 3: Inclusive excellence, student support, & engaging political difference ⏱️ 00:26:30 – Pillar 4: Reframing higher ed narratives & empowering local messengers ⏱️ 00:33:30 – Pillar 5: Collaborative defense, institutional autonomy, & cross-sector alignment ⏱️ 00:39:30 – Implementation: AAC&U's upcoming Leadership Institute & long-term outlook Catch the full video episode now on YouTube and Spotify! 🔔 Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com to dive into our full archive of higher ed conversations, show notes, and resources!
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • The Emergent Leader with Author Don Gregori COO @ First Factory

    The Emergent Leader with Author Don Gregori COO @ First Factory
    Aug 25 2026
    Mike Palmer reconnects with old colleague Don Gregori, COO of First Factory, to unpack core insights from Don’s book, The Emergent Leader: A Guide to Brand Building, Leadership, and Self-Mastery. Drawing from a non-linear career path—ranging from theater major and aerial stunt coordinator to an 18-year tenure at Kaplan and scaling tech teams—Don shares practical strategies for authentic leadership, proactive stress management, and navigating AI workplace disruption. Key Takeaways 🎭 Unconventional Paths Build Strong Leaders: Creative backgrounds like theater teach team vision, feedback loops, and real-time collaboration far better than standard business classrooms. 🏷️ Authentic Brand Building: Standing out requires standing alone; authentic leaders drop polished posturing, embrace their flaws, and focus on human connection. 🧩 Self-Mastery Precedes Leadership: Mindset functions as an operating system. True self-mastery requires proactive stress preparation and ruthless prioritization rather than reactive recovery. 🤖 AI Shifts Value to Generalists: As AI commoditizes routine execution, critical thinking, problem-solving, and cross-functional synthesis become an employee's most essential assets. 💼 Delegation Drives Growth: Effective leadership requires simplifying or delegating your current tasks so you remain open to new growth and strategic opportunities. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & Reconnecting 30 Years Later 01:45 - Theater, Aerial Stunts, and Unconventional Business Prep 03:30 - Digital Transformation & Career Progression at Kaplan 05:45 - Near-Shore Software Development at FirstFactory 07:15 - Why Write The Emergent Leader? 11:00 - Leg 1: Brand Building, Culture, and Authentic Leadership 20:00 - Leg 2: Leadership Development, Vulnerability, and Prioritization 25:30 - Leg 3: Self-Mastery, Mindset, and Proactive Stress Management 31:45 - How AI is Reshaping Tech, Developers, and Critical Thinking 35:45 - Early-Career Advice and Reskilling for the Future 39:00 - Parting Thoughts & Wrap-Up Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Lessons in Literacy from a 62-year-old Learner | David Chalk | Neurodiversity and Dyslexia Advocate

    Lessons in Literacy from a 62-year-old Learner | David Chalk | Neurodiversity and Dyslexia Advocate
    Aug 21 2026
    What if everything we know about teaching reading is upside down? In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer sits down with tech entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and innovator David Chalk to unpack a remarkable story of literacy, neurodiversity, trauma, and redemption. Key Highlights & Discussion Points: 🧠 Trauma and the Literacy Crisis: David recounts his early school trauma starting on day one of first grade, highlighting how unrecognized dyslexia and ADHD left him functionally illiterate for decades. ✈️ Building Success Beyond Reading: Despite reading at a fourth-grade level, David built multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses and became an airline jet pilot by leaning into creativity and oral vocabulary. 📖 Unlocking Reading in 11 Hours: Featured in the documentary The Truth About Reading, David reversed standard instruction methods to jump from a 4th-grade reading level to post-university proficiency in just 11 hours at age 62. 🤖 AI as a Pattern-Based Learning Ally: AI language models process language through pattern training—mirroring how human brains naturally acquire spoken words—offering a powerful tool to tutor neurodiverse learners without cognitive strain. 🗣️ Vocabulary and the Future of Work: As technology evolves, rich oral communication skills, deep vocabulary, and expressive clarity will serve as critical differentiators in an AI-driven workforce. ❤️ The Role of Emotional Resilience: David emphasizes why unconditional parental support and self-esteem are essential safeguards for children struggling through academic friction. About the Guest David Chalk is a technology entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and neurodiversity advocate who has founded ten successful companies. After mastering fluid reading at age 62, David now applies his background in artificial intelligence and pattern recognition to transform reading instruction for struggling learners everywhere. Subscribe & Connect Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode! Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for show notes, resources, and more sharp takes on the future of learning.
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.