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What if the title that means the most isn’t on your business card, but in a kid’s voice calling you “Coach”? That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with elementary PE teacher and motivational speaker Justin Pickens—a story that moves from childhood adversity to classroom joy, from chasing status to choosing significance.
Justin opens up about growing up around incarceration and mental illness, then maps the lifelines teachers and coaches threw him. He explains why PE, done right, is more than games: it’s science-backed health literacy, dopamine and serotonin through movement, and daily doses of motivation that turn skills into habits. We dig into his two-year detour out of education—financial advising and fast-food management—where he met every metric and still felt empty. The moment former students greeted him as “Coach” brought him home to a Title I gym, where he teaches mostly English learners and proves that structure, joy, and care can change trajectories.
We also explore how a speaker earns trust in minutes, the difference between extra-mile and extra-intentional teachers, and a practical career cadence: every three to five years, reconnect and repurpose or go and grow. Justin shares honest feelings about AI in education—useful for personalization, powerless at replacing human warmth—and names the quiet wealth of time affluence and mental affluence. For anyone running low on fuel, he offers simple resets: gratitude, healthier habits, less social media, and the reminder that kids still crave real connection more than curated feeds.
If you believe caring adults can break cycles and build futures, this one will refill your cup. Follow the show, share it with a colleague who needs encouragement, and leave a review telling us how you’re choosing significance this week.

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