2021-2022 SPEAK lecture program

In 2021-2022, Colorado Academy is committed once again to providing access to leading voices in the country, focused on the top issues parents and children are facing. The SPEAK lecture program is produced in collaboration with the CA Parent Association and provided as a free service to the CA community.

Please visit the CA website to confirm details and registration information for each of these informative and enlightening events.

CA provides Spanish interpretation for these events. Please confirm your interest in this service when you register for the event, or contact Karen Chavez at karen.chavez@coloradoacademy.org or 303-914-2573. Tenemos servicio de interpretación disponible. Si necesita servicios de interpretación en español, por favor comuníquese con Karen Chavez a karen.chavez@coloradoacademy.org or 303-914-2573.

High Altitude Leadership: How to Create and Lead High-Performance Teams with Chris Warner

Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. – Campus Center

Chris Warner is a leadership educator, entrepreneur, climber, guide, and CA parent. He’s led over 230 international mountaineering expeditions (to Everest, K2, Kilimanjaro, and more). Turning his passion into a business, Warner founded Earth Treks, the first national chain of indoor climbing gyms (in 2017, Chris sold ET to a private equity group. When he retired as CEO, there were over 1,000 employees serving over 5 million customers annually). Fascinated by high-performance teams, Warner has taught leadership to thousands of groups, including Google, covert and special ops teams, NFL and NHL teams. For sixteen years he taught leadership to MBA candidates at U Penn’s Wharton School of Business. He is also the co-author of the best seller, High Altitude Leadership.

As a keynote speaker, Warner uses his stories from the mountains, his experience starting and scaling a business, and his academic research to teach leaders how to build high-performance teams.

Rosalind Wiseman: Creating a Culture of Dignity

Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. – Leach Center for Performing Arts

Based on more than 20 years of teaching and constant feedback from today’s generation of young people, Rosalind Wiseman’s presentation is a call for action to transform the way we understand young people and create communities where children can thrive. From young people’s friendships, bullying, anxiety, social media use, conflicts with friends and family, and the constant pressure to “keep up,” she’ll share how we can best connect with young people, especially now when they need us most. She’ll give concrete advice for us, so we, in turn, can guide the young people in our care, while avoiding the common communication breakdowns and power struggles that often occur between young people and adults.

Matt Hart: Win at All Costs

Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. – Campus Center

Raising a conscientious student-athlete in today’s hyper-competitive sports environment can be tough. How do you let your kids get the most out of their athletic experiences without falling prey to the win-at-all-costs mentality that pervades sports today?

Matt Hart, a former professional athlete turned investigative journalist and author, will discuss how to navigate this moral landscape through the story of the rise and fall of America’s most prestigious professional running program.

Hart was one of the journalists who exposed the inner workings of the Nike Oregon Project in his work for the New York Times. After years of rumor and speculation, Hart’s subsequent book, Win at All Costs: Inside Nike Running and Its Culture of Deception, peeled back the layers of secrecy that protected the most powerful coach in running. This cautionary tale serves as a jumping-off point for a broader discussion about the gray areas that surround sports and the tough moral decisions young athletes are often forced to confront. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to this presentation.

From Surviving to Thriving: Creating Equitable Environments Through Emotional Intelligence and Culturally Relevant Practices with Dena Simmons

January 27, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. – Leach Center for Performing Arts

Dena Simmons, EdD, is an activist, educator, and student of life from the Bronx, New York. She is the founder of LiberatED, a liberatory approach to social and emotional learning, racial justice, and healing. Simmons writes and speaks nationally about social justice and culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy, as well as creating emotionally intelligent and safe classrooms within the context of equity and liberation. She is the author of the forthcoming book, White Rules for Black People (St. Martin’s Press).

During this interactive session, participants will explore impostor syndrome, emotional intelligence, culturally relevant pedagogy, and anti-racist practices. Through narrative, Simmons will discuss how the intersection of emotionally intelligent and culturally relevant practices can create equitable and welcoming communities, where everyone can learn in the comfort of their skin.

Nick Boedicker: Creating Young Changemakers

Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. – Sadler, Campus Center

Changemakers are those who step up and solve problems for the good of all. Nick Boedicker of Ashoka, an organization that partners with others to transform institutions and cultures worldwide so they can support changemaking for the good of society, will discuss how parents can find ways to integrate the four changemaking skills of empathy, teamwork, new leadership, and problem solving into their day-to-day routines.

Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani: Body Image, Food, and Health – Helping Our Kids Avoid Eating Disorders and Live Well in Their Bodies

Tuesday, March 8, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. – Leach Center for Performing Arts

Families are bombarded by conflicting messages about nutrition, exercise, and self-care. “Honor your needs, don’t set rigid rules, and love your body” lives in tension with “avoid weight gain/lose weight, eat and move in a way that reduces inflammation and cardiovascular risk, and establish good habits when you’re young.” The medical system, social media, and popular practices among one’s peers can all further confuse a parent. It can be so hard to figure out how to show up for oneself, much less raise children to have a balanced relationship with body image and food!

Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS-S, FAED, an internal medicine physician and founder of the Gaudiani Clinic, has specialized in eating disorders for more than a decade and is the mother of two girls at CA. Internationally recognized for her lectures, podcasts, peer-reviewed journal articles, and her bestselling 2018 book, Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders (Routledge), “Dr. G” is passionate about helping her patients and their families build lasting, scientifically-sound, joyful relationships with food, movement, and body acceptance.