Helping Young Heroes Find a Calling That Will Change the World with Matt Beaudreau: An EOFire Classic from 2020

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation! JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire! Brought to you by the HubSpot podcast network with great shows like duct tape marketing. Today, we're pulling a timeless EO Fire episode from the archives, so the giveaway may not be active. And we'll be breaking down how helping young heroes find a calling will change the world. To drop these value bombs, I brought Matt Boudreau into EO Fire Studios. Matt is a world-renowned keynote speaker, founder of Acton Academy Placer, where young people go to find their superpowers. And he's the host of the Essential 11 podcast.

0:34And today, Foundation, we'll talk about how to inspire each child who enters the doors of Acton Academy Network to change the world, what the goals are, how to self-direct children on their own journeys, and so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Matt and our sponsors. Element is an electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don't. Try it totally risk-free today. Visit drinkelement.com slash eofire and get a free sample pack with any purchase. Plus a no questions ass money back guarantee. That's drinklmnt.com slash EO fire. Outbound Squad hosted by Jason Bay is brought to you by the HubSpot podcast network, the audio destination for business professionals.

1:17Tune in for convos with leading sales experts and top performing reps to help you land more meetings with your ideal clients. One of my faves, the monthly app with Jason and Ethan, where they share hacks, tips, and tricks. Listen to Outbound Squad wherever you get your podcasts. Matt, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something interesting about yourself that most people don't know. Yeah, man. Here's something most people don't know. Before my life here in education, I actually had nine fights where I competed in the cage, martial arts before that was a big deal. Yeah. So that's kind of a past life for me, man.

1:55But some great experiences back there. Very cool. I'm going to make sure, even though we're thousands of miles apart right now, I'm not going to talk smack today. I'm not going to do it. I'm going to resist. So Fire Nation, as I was teasing in the intro, we're going to be talking all about helping young heroes find a calling that will change the world. And Matt, break it down for us. What is the mission of Acton Academy Network? The Acton Academy mission statement, man, is the same for Actons everywhere. And it is simply to what you said, inspire each child and parent who enters our doors to find a calling that's going to change the world.

2:33And we make some really specific promises to the families as well, like, you know, having their children learn to be curious, right, become these lifelong learners. And I know a lot of schools say that, but, you know, a lot of times the actual focus is academics for a test, and we want true curiosity. We want them to develop a deep respect for freedoms, for political freedoms, religious freedoms, economic freedoms. We want them to cherish the arts. We want them to to cherish the wonders of the natural world, to discover their gifts in order to solve real problems. I talked to Tony Wagner from Harvard yesterday and he's going, man, schools have been missing that boat of solving real problems forever.

3:10But most important to us, our promise to them is that they're going to begin a hero's journey. And that's really the baseline of what we do is that hero's journey. Well, we do hear about hero's journey a lot. And a lot of people want to start their own hero's journey or have a hero's journey take place for their kids, if they have any. Let's get down to the brass tacks on the specifics of the importance of the hero's journey. Break that down for us. The hero's journey is based on the work of Joseph Campbell, right? But it is what it is, really. If you haven't read his work, it is really, truly the backbone of all good stories, right?

3:48It's what affirms life as kind of this adventure and this adventure of self-discovery and you're going to live that. And the irony in that self-discovery is that you're going to lose kind of your level of ego along the way. And ultimately it makes your life about service to others. So when people – when I'm telling people about it, I like to reference The Matrix, right? Like such a good movie, classic movie, one of my favorites of all time. And it's a phenomenal example of the hero's journey archetype kind of playing out. You've got, you know, this ordinary guy who's in this ordinary world, right?

4:24And he gets his call to adventure. And he knows there's something that's more, there's something out there that's worth exploring. And so he goes through all the kind of the phases of, you know, like the refusal to the call where he has like the initial resistance. And he meets his mentor, which of course is Morpheus in the movie, right? And he crosses that threshold, the innermost cave, all of those steps, all the way through to kind of that final step in the journey, which is the return with the elixir. And the elixir is Neo's new ability to now alter or maybe even end the matrix in order to wake people up and free their minds.

4:59So ultimately, it becomes about service to others, and you go through this process. That's what we're doing. And so it's not without obviously massive challenges, you know, but it's the ability to get knocked down over and over and over and continue to emerge ultimately in the service for others. So that's our story of the founders that are courageous enough to start their own Acton Academies, you know, for their own kids or their own communities. And it's also the story of the journey in running the Acton and for the kids and families who walk through our doors. It's literally the trajectory of their stories as well.

5:32And, you know, not for the faint of heart, but it's for those who are focused on actually building a life in the 21st century rather than just an existence, man. And that's the big draw. Well, talking about starting, let's go back to the starting line. How did Acton come to be? Tell us that story. Jeff and Laura Sandifer were kind of the masterminds behind this program. They had started Acton's MBA program out in Austin, Texas, but ultimately for their own children, they're going, man, we want to complain about K through 12 by doing something better, doing something different for our kids. And so they started the Acton program over a decade ago out there in Austin.

6:10One of the first families that had to leave said, we want to leave. We have to leave, but we don't want to leave you guys. And so would you be OK if we kind of ran our own Acton? We're going to be moving to California. And so it was with that, it's kind of spread like wildfire to where we've now got over 100 locations globally. And we're making a really strong push to get a lot more strong locations. And for me personally, I came out of education. I worked in everything from public schools all the way from the kindergarten to the high school level. And I was at Stanford University for a long time.

6:44So I saw the schooling matrix, so to speak, as it stands. And I'm sitting there going, oh, my gosh, I want so badly to just change all of this. And I was the ordinary guy. But I could connect with students of any background. I tell you, I worked in schools that were in gangland and some that were in Disneyland and everywhere in between. And so I saw that how I was being told to help these kids was oftentimes completely different than what was actually helping them. So I was always what I called creatively insubordinate as a teacher. And I started speaking up. I started speaking up at the schools I was working at, which led to actually some talks at schools, at conferences, ultimately for an entire district.

7:27So I started consulting. And then in 2015, I got asked to do a TEDx, which coincidentally helped launch an entire speaking career thereafter as well. And, of course, there was a lot of resistance that came along with all of it. I mean, there's always resistance for that when you're speaking out against a system, right? But to be clear, I'm always speaking out against the system. It's not teachers. It's not administrators. I mean, I'm on the same team as then. But I wanted to find the outliers like myself who not only knew that schools should look different, but they were complaining by doing. They were willing to take the step.

8:03And so that's kind of how I found ACT. And I contacted Jeff and Laura, who had become my mentors in my own hero's journey. Spent some time in Austin. And it was, man, it was so apparent. This is what I wanted for my own kids. And so Acton Academy Placer here in Northern California was born out of all that. Well, let's dive a little bit deeper because let's be honest. Most people, and I'll probably be one of them to be honest, they'll say, you know, I went to school and everything turned out fine. Like I went to public elementary school, you know, in my small town in Maine. And then I went to a high school that was kind of made up of six towns.

8:35And, you know, I look back and I'm like, you know, I can't necessarily say I learned a lot during high school, but, you know, sports was fun. The social stuff was fun. And so what are your thoughts on school? Like, what are your thoughts on when people think that they are, quote unquote, fine after going through that? Dude, and that's something we hear over and over. And I'm like you, man, I went through school was easy. I figured out the game early on. I got my straight A's and I remember graduating with nothing but straight A's going, cool, man, that was that was fun. What do I have to offer the world right now?

9:08Right. Like, I'm really I'm good at sports and I'm good at talking to girls. like congratulations. I have nothing. I have nothing to offer anybody. Right. And by the way, I'm like, I guess I got to go to college. So I went to college, played the same game, got the same straight A's, got better at sports, got better at girls. Like, and then came out and still was like, cool, man. And I still have nothing to offer. And now what? And now what? And that's it, man. So I would challenge that whole concept of fine in a million different ways. First of all, if you have kids, if you've got kids of your own and you are listening to this and you're thinking along those lines, if your goal is literally for your kid to come out fine, then frankly, you and I are different types of parents.

9:54Let's just be honest about that, I have no desire for my kids to be fine. I have three kids of my own. I want them to be on fire. I want them to be resilient. I want them to be capable. I want them to be self-confident, self-aware, agile, adaptive, people who refuse to play the victim. I want them to be the people who are making an impact on this world. Nobody that falls in those categories are fine. Then second of all, my work, I talked briefly about the fact that it spurred on this you know, kind of speaking career for me over these last five or six years. And I've gotten to work with some of the biggest Fortune 500s around the world.

10:40And that has just reaffirmed to me the fact that the kids who come out of our schools, quote unquote, fine, including some of our best schools. I mean, I'm talking the Harvards, the Sanfords, the MITs, right? Their employers are telling me that they are not pumped about their performance. They're not pumped. And they're not saying these kids are fine. What they're seeing is a humongous disconnect between those who know how to play school and play school really well. And then those who know how to provide value in the real world. I always tell our parents, man, you can eat McDonald's every day and you're probably fine, but I'd rather eat from all the best food that's available and feel great, you know?

11:22And so we end up, when we really start breaking it down in conversations, the whole thing of I turned out fine ends up being an excuse because what it is is a hero's journey. You know, it's 10 times harder to live that way, but the reward is, and you know this, as somebody who's, you know, put the grind out there for a long time, and it's 1 ,000 times more rewarding too. You know, it's 10 times harder, 1 ,000 times more rewarding. 1 ,000 times more rewarding. I mean, I can't tell you how passionate I am about how, you know, I think it's so important to give your children when you have the opportunity, like the best opportunities that they have to succeed.

11:58but then at the same time, then stand back and let them succeed. Because if I graduated college and my dad's like, oh, here's a couple hundred thousand dollars, go figure stuff out, that would have been a disaster for me. Totally. But because my dad's like, you're not getting a penny, you figure this world out, you've got the tools, not that I had, obviously, as we've mentioned, the perfect school education, but I still had the tools through being an officer in the army, through going through that process. and man, that satisfaction of really being able to look up and be like, you know what? I've grinded, I've worked, I've created value.

12:33And now because of that, I'm sitting on this level of success. And there's so much satisfaction from that. And let's be honest, like right now a lot of parents are actually realizing because they maybe had never thought about it before, but they're kind of saying to themselves, wow, you know what actual school is? School's actually like a glorified baby care or child care for me. Because the reality is now I'm here and like I'm doing this. And, you know, I have actually had a lot of parents who have been like, I'm homeschooling my kid and it's literally taking me an hour a day to go through the whole process.

13:06Like, what is my kid doing for eight hours a day at school? Well, the answer is not too much. And Fire Nation, we have a lot more coming up on this topic and more as soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors. Hydration is key. whether you're intermittent fasting or getting your sweat on in the gym every day, muscle cramps, headaches, and fatigue can set in fast due to electrolyte and sodium deficiency. That's why you need Element, an electrolyte drink mixed with everything you need and nothing you don't. My favorite flavor is the lemon habanero. I'm loving it. If you're also in pursuit of optimal health with your electrolyte needs without the sugar and other dodgy ingredients and popular electrolyte drinks on the market today, then you've got to try Element.

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15:04The easy-to-use CRM just got even easier. In a world buzzing with AI solutions. HubSpot just released some incredible tools that are going to level up your productivity and grow your business. Get early access to HubSpot AI today at hubspot.com slash artificial dash intelligence. So Matt, we're back and I want to kind of break down some specific hero stories at your location, Acton Academy. Break those down for us. As it stands right now, we're the largest Acton in the network, right? So we've got so many stories that it's literally hard to count. And when I tell people these stories, like I always start and I go, look, I don't want to make this seem like a panacea, right?

15:44It's the end all be all because it is hard. And these kids are working hard. And a lot of people, the parents, the students, right? It's intimidating to think about the responsibility that comes along with perpetual growth, right? So it's easier not to grow. And we've got students and families who would rather play it safe and just kind of stay home to, quote unquote, to unschool or homeschool or go to a traditional school where, like you said, we've taken this one hour of work and we spread it out over eight hours. Your thinking is ultimately outsourced. You're told what to do every step of the way and you get rewarded for obedience, right?

16:20But with that said, most of our families have been and are on this journey with us and those that are pushing through, man, are changing the world. So we've got this, you know, I've got a young lady who first wanted to come to mind who has taken her love and her abilities in art. And she was the classic case of being told, oh, you're quote unquote behind in certain subjects as if there was a behind and a head. That doesn't play out in real life, by the way. And you're behind here. And so you've got – we eliminated all that stuff. We've focused on the abilities that she has. By the way, she is now caught up in all of her quote unquote subjects.

16:55But she's taken her art abilities and she's created an abstract art business. So she is being now commissioned to do all sorts as a freshman as she's doing all sorts of art pieces, including clothing, skateboards. She just got commissioned to do somebody's car here in town. She most recently got a skateboard done and into the hands of somebody that I guarantee you've all heard of by the name of Tony Hawk. Well, yeah, that's a big deal, man. And he took her board to his California Hall of Fame induction and raised her board up. And he has her board hanging in the back of his office. Right. So she is making a massive impact using the skills that that she has been given and that she's been able to hone here with us.

17:40We had a high school senior who just got recruited direct, like literally directly from us. He was on his way to college, but he got recruited halfway through the year directly from us to take this amazing position with a top national company in real estate that had traditionally only allowed college grads to even apply. But they were like, no, no, we need this young man. So now he's making more than most adults I know. And he's got this superstar trajectory. These little sisters, each under 10, right, who've run their businesses and save their money because all of our students start businesses here with us, by the way.

18:11And so they did that to pay for their own ponies, right? It's the girls that wanted the ponies, but they did it themselves. And they're both under 10 years old and they paid for their ponies and their pony lessons, right? So, I mean, we have multiple students on podcasts that are doing news interviews, all related to these businesses that they're started. And so, the opportunities are there for all Acton students that are just willing to put in the hard work. And if the parents, more importantly, are willing to allow their students to go on that hero's journey and so many stories just like those.

18:43So I know you have a lot of future goals. I mean, there's just so much that you're going to and can do in the future. What's the one goal you're most excited about for Acton right now? This COVID-19 situation is really turning into kind of that emperor wears no clothes type situation, right? So, you know, and I was just recently last week interviewed by this local news station because it's become so obvious that the students were – our students at Acton were far more prepared to handle this work-at-home situation than anybody else, right? And the reason, honestly, has a little bit to do with our systems that we incorporate that are vastly different, but it has a lot more to do with the fact that we're about empowering these students towards self-direction.

19:24That's the key component of Acton Academies. The students learn to self-direct their journeys, which just puts the guides, which we call our teachers, in the place of being these mentors. So that said, we are continuing to grow. I mean, a lot of schools are shutting down, a lot of businesses, and I hate that this is happening. But the reality is we're still continuing to grow. We're adding students to our midst here at Acton Placer. We're also continuing to expand our local footprint here in the greater Sacramento area. We're looking at campus number two, and I've got an appointment tomorrow to look at this new building.

19:59So we're continuing to push forward to do not just grow, but to do big things that help give back to the community. Like we're putting on a TEDx event here in a few months at our location. Yeah, which is super cool. And the high school kids are helping with that. We're continuing with my podcast, right, which I was lucky enough to have you on and the essential 11, which is and that's bringing money back directly in to the youth that we are serving. You know, so ultimately, man, we are still in go mode. Now, if someone's like saying, wow, like I have kids or I know that there are parents who have kids that are, you know, a little jaded or a little down on, you know, quote unquote, traditional, normal public school systems, et cetera.

20:40What could you share with them about learning more about Acton? And if there's no Acton near them, then how can they maybe even start their own? Yeah, man. Good. No, I love those. And honestly, the most important questions that we could have even talked about here. Right. And you've got this amazing audience. I know I've been part of that audience for a long time. It's full of people with this entrepreneurial spirit, the entrepreneurial mindset. And as myself, again, as an entrepreneur, a career educator, a father, I can tell you, anybody listening, you're doing yourself and your children literally a disservice if you don't at least check to see if there's an Acton near you.

21:17You can literally easily go to actonacademy.org, and it's like action without the I, right, A-C-T-O-N, dot org slash find, and see if there's a location in your area. Again, we've got well over 100 locations globally, and we're going to be making this large push to get more amazing locations open around the world, which falls right into what you said with starting their own. This is the best question, honestly, the whole thing. And quite honestly, this network is the greatest network. The people that are starting Actons are the highest quality human beings I get to interact with on a daily basis, bar none.

21:53And I know we would love nothing more than to hear from other people who are finding out about us and are willing to commit their lives to a hero's journey and serve others in this movement. You can go to that same site, that same actonacademy.org site slash launch. There's something up there on the right-hand corner. It says launch your own academy and you can start just just starting. You're not committing to anything that you're starting the exploration process of launching your own for your own kids, for your own community. I always tell people check out Laura Sandifer's book as well. Courage to grow.

22:28It's really this memoir about starting it out. Check out the videos. You know, YouTube is your best friend. Check out the videos of Actons worldwide and see if you're intrigued by all that enough to join what really is a global movement. Matt, you have dropped so many value bombs. You have been giving so much value to Fire Nation, but so much value to the world and, of course, our future, which is our children. So I just want to just say thank you for doing that. What is one thing that you really want to make sure Fire Nation gets from our chat today? What's the one thing you want us to walk away with?

23:01you know man thank you for asking for for for saying those words and i feel like you and i are definitely on the same team as far as you know really working to make an impact man so i appreciate the work you do as well and um you know really if we can leave one thing for the people listening it's the concept of the hero's journey this whole situation when i'm talking the pandemic and everything it is just exacerbated what i've already seen to be true the majority of the people in our world live in fear. There's fear of something, whether it's fear of the unknown, it's a fear of other people's opinions of them.

23:38That's always a huge one, right? They live in fear. If you can find yourself the calling that will allow you to live that hero's journey and eliminate fear out of your life, man, if you remember to at least take one step in that direction from this conversation, then I have done everything I've set out to do. I love that. And Fire Nation, you know this. You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And you've been hanging out with MB and JLD today. So keep up that heat. And if you head over to eofire.com and just type Matt in the search bar, his show notes page is going to pop up with everything that we've talked about today.

24:14Best show notes in the biz, links to everything. And Matt, before we say goodbye, give that URL one more time. Give any further call to action you might want to give for people to connect with you and then we'll say goodbye. Thank you, brother. Yeah. So just check out Acton Academy. That's A-C-T-O-N Academy.org. You'll learn all about the entire network. And if you want to connect with me personally, you can check out Acton Placer. So A-C-T-O-N-P-L-A-C-E-R.com. And that's got links to all my social media channels. It's just my name, Matt Baudreau. You can reach out to me in any platform that's most comfortable for you.