Can’t, Not Won’t

A Proactive Coaching podcast interview with Keith Orchard, mental health specialist for the Coeur d'Alene School District in Idaho — former middle school teacher, Peace Corps volunteer, wilderness therapy guide, and social worker — hosted by Bruce Brown. Topics covered: his path from teaching to social work and back to schools; "staying in the game" with the toughest kid on your team; how trauma and chronic stress change the brain, and why a new explanation for behavior leads to a completely new approach; behavior as communication; building a culture of safety through relationships and knowing a kid's story; staying calm and regulated amid the storm (recognizing your own triggers, rupture and repair); regulation as a practiced skill that must be role-played like free throws; and the difference between can't and won't — why exhausted motivation levers signal a skill that must be taught, with practical examples of teaching poise and positive attitude as skills of the game.