BONUS Podcast Takeover With Angela Germano

Transcript

Katie: Welcome to Everyday Happiness, where we create lasting happiness in about 2 minutes a day through my signature method of Intentional Margins®, (creating harmony between your to dos and your priorities),  happiness, science, and musings about life.

I am kind of dying today on the inside because I get to chat with one of my friends, Angela Germano. She is a 6th grade teacher. She teaches English. I mean, can we just bless her for a moment?

Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine 6th grade English. I just feel like smelly boys and girls passing notes. But anyway, she loves it and she does a really good job at it. She's also an author. And really, she just reminds me that when you show up, just show up big and live life to the fullest.

And it's just so amazing when you get to surround yourself with the most incredible people. I'm so excited that you get a chance to get to know my friend Angela. Welcome to the show.

Angela: Well, thank you so much for having me. This is super cool. Thank you.

Katie: I am literally crawling out of my skin. I'm so excited to chat with you. So first off, why don't you start by telling the listeners if you remember how we met because it's kind of an interesting story.

Angela: Oh my gosh, yes. Lots of dreams were coming true when I met you. Oh my goodness. It all started when I went to an event, precovid, right? So this was, I guess about three years ago now, and the event was called Dare to Dream. It was a beautiful, beautiful event put on by the amazing Kate Butler. And she had this event for all of her authors in her book series.

New authors and authors that had been in a few books came together to celebrate ourselves and celebrate all of these new dreams. Hence the title Dare to Dream. And it was there that I met the beautiful Katie Jefcoat. Sparkled when you came in. That laugh. It's awesome. I fell in love. 

Katie: It was really magical. And I can't remember exactly how your nickname happened, but it had something to do with thinking of the first thing that comes to mind, maybe, do you remember how it happened? Because I remember your nickname, I just don't remember how it happened.  Okay, tell me how it happened, because this was the most funny story.

Angela:  Yeah, it was like, what word can best describe you? And everyone's going around the room, and I mean, the room is large. I would say we have what, like over 100 people there. Well over 100 or 200 people, probably. So you're going around and it's like, okay, what word best describes you? And of course, after you get through the first ten people, you get a lot of repeats and I didn't want to be repeated, competitive. And I'm a very unique person.

I'm like, what could I possibly say that describes me? And it's getting closer and closer, and I had my word. I feel like it stuck because it works. And the word was can I say the word?

Katie: Yes, please.

Angela:  We say my nickname is not even my nickname, but it's so cool that everybody from that event refers to me, and it's beautiful. So, anyway, popcorn. Popcorn. That's what I think of with me, because not only do I have a very, like, popping kind of personality, but I really do live my life in the sense that, you know, I lost my mom when I was really young, and I know she wanted to live a lot longer.

She was only in her thirties, and she always talked about getting to live longer, and unfortunately, she lost her battle, and we lost her early on. So I said, you know what? I'm living for my mom. That's what I'm doing.

I want to give her a really good show while she's up there in heaven. I want to live out all those dreams that she had, maybe she told me about, but I want to do it all. So grab the popcorn and have a good time as you watch me go through life because I'm popping.

Katie:  You know, I think about that analogy a lot, and I think about popcorn, as in, this is the show, indulge. Just be in it, just enjoy all of it. And then I think of popcorn as, like, kernels popping, and I think both kinds of analogies are very similar because you're like, oh, that's a great project. That's a great idea. That's a great charity, that's a great kid. Oh, let's make a sign for this. Let's do this and let's do that. And you're always popping all these ideas, all of this brilliance, all of this magic all the time, and so it's such an interesting way that word came to you, and it was absolutely perfect, and it completely sums you up 100%.

Angela: Oh, my gosh, I love that. I'm so happy this is recorded because I'm going to listen to it whenever I'm having a down moment. That was just so beautiful. Thank you.

Katie:  Oh, my gosh, so good. So tell us all the things that you're doing.  All the kernels that you're popping, because we already talked about you being an educator and an author and showing up for life. But you have a lot of interests and you have a lot of things that make you happy and you're really intentional about leaning in to the things that bring you the most happiness.

So even today, you are doing something that was really fun and exciting and you have all of these things. Tell the listeners, all of the fun things so they can live vicariously through you and just get a sense of what this feels like to live fully.

Angela: Oh my gosh, thanks. Well, much like popcorn, right? There's so much developing. When I was in college, I went for communication. And I love to chat, I love to meet people, I love to study people. I love the art of people, right? So I had this awesome opportunity to be an intern in Washington, DC. And I was able to not only intern in public relations, which was my background, but also I got to take some law classes. I was really into constitutional law and very passionate about social injustices.

I loved learning about that. Fast forward now into the world that we're in. I'm constantly, always trying to help people, no matter who they are, where they're from. I just love helping people just to help them. And I think that's why I love being an educator. And sometimes people say, oh, you're a teacher, you're in the classroom.

But my life does not stop there. That is just where it begins. Some really great news that just happened yesterday. And then of course, I was doing more fun stuff today, but yesterday I found out that three of the grants that I had written were approved. So I put in these multigrand grants so that my middle school students could have extra supplies to go after different passions. So there are three different projects.

One is a selfie celebration, which it's all about celebrating these beautiful 6th graders. They come after school with their families. We have desserts, we roll out the red carpet, we make vision boards, we're doing yoga, we're doing meditation. We have gratitude journals and exercises that we do. It is phenomenal for the students and then the parents. You know, I teach 6th grade, so it's a transitional year in our school.

It's their first year of middle school. These parents need support. So a beautiful thing happens not only for the children, but the parents are all gathered there as well celebrating their children, but also start to bond with this new support system of their parents.

It's fantastic. And I did it before. It was always a success, but every year you wonder, am I going to get that grant money again? And I did. So I'm completely stoked and very, very grateful that the Toms River, which is the town where we live, the Toms River Education Association, which is part of New Jersey Education Association, approved that grant. So now we get to have a selfie celebration. The kids love it. 

And then the second grant that was approved is called Language Arts for a Cause. And this again, celebrating ourselves. This is all about English class. Sometimes teachers tell you what to read. That's not how I roll in my class. I'm very big on student voice and student choice. And in Language Arts for a Cause, the students can research anything they want to and then they take the power that's within them.

So whatever skills, strategies, whatever craft they want to make in order to promote the cause, perhaps they're really good artists and they want to make some art and then sell the art and then the money can go towards that cause. So language arts for a cause. It's amazing.

The parents come in and they learn all about these different causes that are near and dear to the students, which is a big deal because sometimes parents, we're doing our own thing and sometimes we forget to make time for our children and listen to what is really important to them. So a beautiful thing that happens during this event is the parents can actually see what's important to their child and also to their friend group, and they start to see things through their eyes, the shared perspective. So it's beautiful all around.

And so I was really happy, really happy that Language Arts for a Cause got approved. That's a big one for me because it's kind of like our little entrepreneurs, they're building their nonprofit businesses and combining their smarts with their heart and getting the word out there, back to communication again. So I love that.

And then the third one, this is a family book club. And that's kind of what we were just chatting about before we came on live, a family book club. It's for social, emotional needs. So the students select books that they want to read that are important to them. Usually they're nonfiction and we get enough copies for them and their family to read together and have some really important conversations that are eye opening, that are supportive, that their family needs.

Sometimes the students are looking out for themselves. Sometimes they're looking out for their family and trying to find books that they want mom and dad or their grandma to read with them for a reason. So we kind of gave them an outlet to bond with their family. So I was really excited that those three grants got approved.

And it brings it all together, what I do in the classroom and what I did when I was in college. And as a communication expert, it brings it all together. So very, very fortunate that some of my things were popping yesterday. And then today we were reading to the YMCA program at our local elementary school. I took my book club of middle schoolers and we went to the elementary school children and they had a blast.

Katie:  Oh, my gosh, I bet they had so much fun. love it so much. And I can't wait for you to dive in all week long and talk with the listeners about all of your goodness. Because let me just tell you, friends, it is just getting started. Angela is coming in hot, hot, hot. And there's so much goodness for you to learn.

So all of her links and all of the fun stuff she does will, of course, be in the show notes and you'll be able to follow her and really see what's happening.  But until next time, remember, kindness is contagious. And Angela is taking over!
     
About Angela: 

Angela Germano is currently an award-winning middle school Language Arts teacher, Communication professor, multi-faceted professional writer in the global medical and self-care sectors and produces inspirational documentaries. In these roles, Mrs. Germano coaches people through their academic, career and life challenges and is devoted to positively impacting people’s lives so they can achieve their dreams.  She is a #1 International Best-Selling and Award-Winning Author in the Inspired Impact Book Series including Women Who Rise, Women Who Illuminate and Leading with Legacy. Mrs. Germano has been featured in The Jersey Storytellers Project, part of The USA Today Network. She has also been a guest on educational, lifestyle and mental health programming such as Everybody with Angela Williamson on PBS, Aggressive Optimism with Jenna Edwards, LaDolce Vita with Virginia Rose and others.

Mrs. Germano has served on the Monmouth University Board of Directors and Chair of the Nominating Committee. She is involved with multiple charities such as Ronald McDonald House, American Cancer Society, and UNICEF.  She is noted as having a true teaching talent; putting students at ease, increasing their confidence and allowing them to learn for the long term.  She focuses on embracing teaching as an opportunity to inspire leadership, giving voice and choice to students through knowledge, exemplars, and opportunity.

As an Inspirational Speaker highlighting the specific topics of overcoming adversity, building confidence and leadership, Mrs. Germano also coordinates Selfie Celebrations where children practice positive self-worth activities such as yoga, meditation, positive affirmations, goal setting and vision boards.

Mrs. Germano earned a Masters in Public and Corporate Communications from Monmouth University, Magna Cum Laude and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology: Integrating Technology, Learning, and Psychology. Mrs. Germano’s long-term research interests include studying the learning of students in middle school as a consequence to a specific way of goal setting, where they have buy-in and more ownership of setting their own goals, monitoring and readjusting them, and then understanding how self-produced goals impact learners’ engagement, focus, scores, comfortability, confidence and control levels. To further these research interests Mrs. Germano intends to use quantitative methods to understand perspectives and experiences of learners to increase long-term learning, success and happiness.

Mrs. Germano’s long-term professional interests include consulting and developing programs to help learners of all ages, backgrounds and communities reach goals with less stress, continue to write books to inspire self-growth, as well as create university courses teaching the self-produced goal setting methodology and design.

You can connect with Angela at @AngelaGermanoPositivity and @Angela Germano on social media. 

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