Welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast, where we dive into the minds of the world's greatest thinkers and doers.

I am your host, Dr. Michael Jervais, by trade and training, a high-performance psychologist.

And today, I am thrilled to welcome an extraordinary guest.

Missy Testerman, the 2024 national teacher of the year, was dedicated

over 30 years to transforming the lives of elementary school students in rural Tennessee.

Missy has a unique gift for transforming challenges into opportunities, both for her students

and herself.

This conversation is packed with insights that go far beyond the classroom.

We delve into leadership and ethics and gratitude and so much more.

Missy embodies what it means to lead with purpose, passion, and precision.

So as you're listening, you'll quickly discover what a teacher

of the year can teach us about raising our children, influencing and understanding others,

and creating an ideal environment for learning. So with that, let's jump right into this

conversation with the inspiring Missy Testerman.

Missy, this is, what a treat to be able to sit with the teacher of the year for the United

States of America. Like, what an honor and what a treat to be able to have this conversation with

you. Well, thank you, Michael. I'm thrilled to be here, to be here in your beautiful studio, be taking

part of this conversation with you. Did you ever think as a kid that you would be honored in this way?

I didn't even think it as an adult. I can honestly say that being the national

teacher of the year was never on my radar at any time. My school did not even participate in the

Tennessee teacher of the year program. So there was really no pathway for it. Honestly, I wasn't even

aware there was a National Teacher of the year program until I became the Tennessee

...