Dana Specker Watts began rowing and found an unexpected leadership lab: a sport where trust is built through timing, teamwork, and attention to small signals. In this educational interview, Dana shares how early mornings on the water became a practice for focus and calm, and how rowing reshaped the way she navigates conflict, setbacks, and collaboration.

We talk about masters rowing as an adult beginner experience, the value of quiet reflection, and what it means to stay in sync with others without constant talk. You will also hear how technology shows up in rowing, and why "messiness" and repair can strengthen teams.

Key topics

• Leadership lessons from rowing at 50

• Teamwork, timing, and nonverbal synchronization

• Early morning routines, mental clarity, and emotional resilience

• Technology in rowing and what data can and cannot tell you

• Failure, adversity, and building trust through repair

Takeaways

• Rowing trains nonverbal teamwork: alignment, timing, and shared attention.

• Early morning time on the water can boost focus and mental clarity.

• Setbacks can strengthen teams when you practice repair, not blame.

• Learning a new skill later in life is a powerful cognitive and identity reset.

Memorable lines

• "Messiness and conflict are essential for growth."

• "Quiet time on the water keeps me grounded."

• "It's never too late to start something new."

Chapters

• 00:00 Rowing at 50 and why adults start

• 05:42 The meditative side of rowing and quiet reflection

• 11:26 Technology in rowing: data, gear, and feedback

• 17:09 Team synchronization, conflict, and resilient leadership

Resources

• The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown

• Dana Specker Watts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaspeckerwatts/

Dana Specker Watts, Ph.D.

Dana has a broad school background in curriculum, technology, innovation, and educational leadership. She joined ISS from Hong Kong International School, where she was the Schoolwide Curriculum Leader. In addition to working in Hong Kong, India and Thailand, she has also served as Executive Director of WLead, and as the Director of Innovation at 21st Century Learning International. Dana is also an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Google Certified Teacher, and ISTE Certified Trainer. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Sciences from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies from State University of New York College at Buffalo, and a Master of Science in Secondary Education from Canisius College in New York.

In this episode, Tricia sits down with Christine Kuehn and Mark Schiponi to discuss Family of Spies, a World War II story of Nazi espionage, betrayal, and family secrecy.

Christine and Mark share what it was like to research and write a book that reads like a thriller but is rooted in their real family history, including the emotional toll of confronting Nazi involvement, the practical challenge of organizing years of research into a coherent narrative, and the complicated experience of bringing a private family story into public view.

We talk about how Family of Spies blends personal discovery with historical investigation, what surprised them most once they examined their family dynamics through the lens of writing, and why telling the story was not just about the past, but about legacy, accountability, and what happens when "the truth always comes out."

Content note: This conversation includes discussion of Nazism, antisemitism, and World War II.

In this episode

• Family history and family secrets: what changes when evidence replaces rumor
• The writing process: turning decades of research into a narrative readers can follow
• Public reception: why private reactions can differ sharply from public response
• Storytelling and legacy: what it means to carry history forward honestly

Timestamps

00:00 The emotional journey of researching family history
03:35 Organizing the story: from research to writing
06:51 Confronting family secrets and their impact
10:53 Navigating public reception and personal relationships
14:18 Future aspirations: continuing the legacy of storytelling
18:05 Crafting the narrative: blending personal and historical perspectives

What do we owe each other in an age of artificial intimacy? This episode dives into Tricia Friedman's interactive ethics exercise, Table for One?, which uses the metaphor of an AI companion restaurant — a venue where diners are paired with a conversational AI — to surface hard questions about safety, manipulation, dependency, privacy, and shifting social norms.

What the Resource Is: An interactive tool that walks participants through 5 ethical dilemmas. For each, you choose one of four stances (allow with disclosures, pilot with evaluation, allow with safeguards, or do not allow), rate your confidence, and reflect using the D.I.N.E. framework:

• D – Direct impact: who is affected now?
• I – Indirect effects and unintended consequences
• N – Next-generation norms and long-run drift
• E – Evidence gaps and what data is missing

Why It Matters: AI companions are already here. This exercise moves the conversation beyond "is this cool or creepy?" into structured ethical reasoning — ideal for educators, leaders, and families trying to navigate companion AI thoughtfully.

Check out the resource:

https://triciafriedman.com/table-for-one-ethics-of-ai-companionship/

Join Tricia this March with AAIE:

https://www.aaie.org/leadership-learning/future-foresight-community