In this extraordinary episode, we hear how a young boy from the backstreets of Gran Canaria went on to work for three United States Presidents and become a global strategist, leading the fight for environmental change. 

Juan Verde shares personal insights into what it’s like to be “in the room” with global icons like Barack Obama and he talks passionately about the need for education reform and how we protect democracy around the world. He also discusses what we need to do to engage young people in meaningful and constructive activism and how you get leading politicians to listen and to embrace change. 

Subscribe to The Learning Bridge wherever you get your podcasts: https://thelearningbridge.bepodcast.network/subscribe 

Richard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, world-renowned thinker, and bestselling author of books including Change and Simple Thinking. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years.

Now regarded as one of the world's leading thinkers on human leadership and organisational transformation, Richard has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s most recognised stages, including TED, the RSA and the BBC.

Follow Richard on Twitter @richardgerver and on LinkedIn. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.