Denise Workman’s Journey in Nurturing Exceptional Minds
How can hope and humility transform the lives of gifted students?
What if growing up in a small town was your biggest superpower?
In this heartwarming episode, we sit down with Denise Workman, a passionate educator who has dedicated her life to advocating for— and nurturing the talents of — special needs students.
Denise brings her wisdom, warmth and infectious positivity to our conversation, sharing her deep insights into the unique challenges and misconceptions surrounding giftedness. She reveals how she helps gifted students navigate their educational journeys and the complexities of growing up. Denise also shares her personal experiences and valuable life-lessons.
This episode is a must-listen for educators, parents, and anyone interested in understanding the true essence of giftedness. Tune in to discover why Denise Workman is one of the wisest people we know and how her work is making a tremendous impact.
A Bit More About Our Wise Guest – Denise Workman
Denise Workman is a teacher for the gifted who specializes in student identification, advocacy, enrichment, and talent development. She is a past president and current member of the West Virginia Association for Gifted and Talented.
Denise is active in her community as a volunteer. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for West Virginia University Alumni Association and as a board member for the Charles and Mary Fayne Glotfelty Foundation. She’s also a devoted supporter of the Boone County WVU Alumni Chapter focusing on its annual pig roast fundraiser and student scholarships. Denise and her husband, Todd Mount, reside in Charleston.
Resources
Connect with Denise on LinkedIn
Our podcast website for additional wisdom resources
Credits
Editor + Technical Advisor Bob Hotchkiss
Brand + Strategy Advisor Andy Malinoski
PR + Partnerships Advisor Rachel Bell
Marketing, Social Media and Graphic Design Chloe Lineberg
Stay Connected with Us on Social
YouTube @themainthingpod
Twitter @themainthingpod
Instagram @themainthingpod
Facebook @TheMainThingPod
Help Support and Sustain This Podcast
- Become a subscriber.
- Share the podcast with one or two friends.
- Follow us on social media @TheMainThingPod
- Buy some Main Thing Merch from our Merchandise Store.
- Buy a book from our curated wisdom collection on bookshop.org.
- Become a patron and support us on Patreon with funding.
Episode Chapters
[0:03:35] – Identifying and working with gifted students; Denise’s calling
[0:06:18] – The superpower of growing up in a small town
[0:10:11] – Denise reveals her Main Thing wisdom lesson
[0:12:00] – Thieves of hope; challenges confronting children today
[0:13:16] – Scarcity mentality; difference between hopelessness and hope
[0:16:41] – Applying Denise’s main thing wisdom to your life
Full Transcript of Episode
0:00:00 – Announcer
Wisdom. It’s an incredibly valuable asset, some would say more precious than gold. It’s attractive, appealing, admirable. Conversely, a lack of wisdom is the basis of immaturity, blind spots and bad decisions. Wisdom, it can be gained over time, but it can’t be rushed. But wisdom can be shared. That’s precisely what we are here to do right now, today. We are here to hack wisdom, to distill it, to understand it and to process it. Why? To get better at life.
Welcome to the Main Thing. This is your new nine-minute podcast. I’m your host, skip Lineberg, and I’ve set out to interview the wisest people I know. We’ll see what we can learn from each one when they’re faced with an incredibly difficult, soul-piercing question.
0:00:59 – Skip Lineberg
Welcome to the Main Thing Podcast, your wisdom podcast. Each episode we bring you a concise, high-impact wisdom lesson from one of the wisest people I know. Studying their wisdom and learning together. We all get just a little better at this thing called life.
Denise Workman, our guest today, is one of the most genuine and kind human beings I’ve ever met. With her bright, glowing smile, she radiates warmth and positivity, you might just say. Denise has an infectious personality. As a lifelong educator, she spent her career channeling that kindness and energy towards special needs students. We’ll have fun today as we explore Denise’s deep, authentic wisdom. Along the way, you’ll learn the tremendous importance and the sheer power of hope and why growing up in a small town is, in fact, a superpower. I’m so glad you’re here with me in our learning space once again and I want to encourage you to visit our website to learn all about the wisdom resources we offer. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for our twice-monthly free wisdom newsletter.
Now here’s a bit more about our wise guest. Denise Workman is a teacher for the gifted who specializes in student identification, advocacy, enrichment and talent development. She is a past president and current member of the West Virginia Association for Gifted and Talented. Denise is active in her community as a volunteer. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the West Virginia University Alumni Association and as a board member for the Charles and Mary Fane Glotfelty Foundation. Denise is a devoted supporter of the Boone County WBU Alumni Chapter, focusing on its annual pig roast fundraiser and scholarships for students of Boone County WBU alumni chapter, focusing on its annual pig roast fundraiser and scholarships for students of Boone County. Denise and her husband, todd Mount, reside in Charleston, West Virginia.
So settle in and get ready. Over the next 20 minutes, you will discover why Denise Workman is one of the wisest people I know. Denise Workman, welcome to the Main Thing podcast.
0:03:28 – Denise Workman
Thank you, skip, I’m happy to be here.
0:03:30 – Skip
Yeah, it’s a pleasure to be with you. We are in late August, it’s the start of the school year and you’re in education. Fall is in the air. We’ve had a couple cool mornings here. Especially this morning was wonderful.
0:03:41 – Denise Workman
Sleeves yes.
0:03:42 – Skip
Yeah, I wore long sleeves for the first time yesterday, and here I am again. Same that’s, that’s been my answer.
0:03:48 – Denise Workman
People said I like your dress today and I’m like sleeves. Was was the decision maker yeah, for sure, Denise.
0:03:55 – Skip
You work with gifted children. You’re an educator. Tell us about giftedness and how you approach your work.
0:04:02 – Denise Workman
I have a master’s in special education for the gifted and I’m a teacher for the gifted in Kanawha County Schools. As you can imagine, with the gift sometimes comes some stuff. So being very able does not make all of the normal conventions of growing up just go away and in many ways it just magnifies those issues and it doesn’t make the process of learning very smooth. I mean it’s contrary to what lots of people believe. So a lot of the work that I do is with a student’s individual gift and helping them navigate the learning process and the world. Sometimes it’s just soft skills. Sometimes it’s teaching them how to not be so braggadocios.
0:04:46 – Skip
Humility, yes.
0:04:47 – Denise Workman
Yeah, executive function setting a timer to stay focused, or just keeping a planner, or how to put a notebook together. It’s that simple. So I refer to myself as both a practitioner and an advocate.
0:05:04 – Skip
I love that.
0:05:05 – Denise Workman
So, in addition to those practical things that students need to learn, I try to work with the adults and systems in their life so that they can understand that being gifted is not a luxury or something extra. Okay, that you know. I try to help them figure out that being smart does not make you great at the game of school and I will tell you as an advocate, it does not make you a popular person.
0:05:37 – Skip
So how long have you been doing gifted education?
0:05:40 – Denise Workman
Gosh about 24 years. Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:05:43 – Skip
Did it find you or did you find your way to it?
0:05:47 – Denise Workman
So I started out as a middle school science teacher and then realized pretty quickly if you want to make an extra nickel as a teacher, you’re going to have to go back to grad school. So I taught a few years and then went back and got my master’s in special ed for the gifted, and so I’ve been doing that ever since.
0:06:04 – Skip
So you found it.
0:06:05 – Denise Workman
I found it. But I had good examples, like a little kernel in my soul.
0:06:06 – Skip Lineberg
What was life like growing up in a small town in Boone County, West Virginia?
0:06:18 – Denise Workman
I love this question. So I grew up in Madison, and that was the county seat of Boone County. At that time, though, it was strapped with some of those problems of the southern coal fields that you would expect, Madison was a vibrant and diverse business and education environment.
I had a lot of opportunities, you know, and although a lot of those same folks are anchored there, it’s a pale comparison to itself. My mom is still down there.
An organization that I work really hard for and with is our WVU alumni group out of Boone County. We are the largest scholarship fundraising alumni association in the world.
So I think that growing up in Madison is a superpower, because, without the amenities and distractions of a larger city, you’re forced to dream, to be curious, to be resilient, to be resourceful. You learn that nothing is accomplished alone, so you rely on the community in many ways and you know that the community relies on you. So that’s why I continue to give back. Even though I don’t live there now, it’s still important to me.
0:07:47 – Skip
Why don’t you start the story of how we’re connected? And I’ll jump in and add a few color comments.
0:07:51 – Denise Workman
Absolutely. We’re connected through a program called Wonder & Grow. We were part of a cohort as they were learning a new business model for the work that they do, and we had been together on a series of Zoom meetings over six weeks. Yeah, I think so I think about this time last year. We were starting those meetings and then we gathered together at the end of September last year and we became fast friends.
0:08:27 – Skip
The Wonder & Grow mindful nature experience that we enjoyed last fall. About this time last year, a whole weekend in the Canaan Valley wilderness in West Virginia. Just a beautiful time. But that was all organized by one of the founders and proprietors of Wonder & Grow is Kate Reed, a former podcast guest, if that name sounds familiar. She was our wise guest on Episode 87. And one of our classmates in that cohort was Veronica Lewis, who also appeared on the show on Episode 103.
0:08:57 – Denise Workman
Wasn’t it so interesting how they curated their people for that? I think that might be a superpower as well, putting people together like that, and it just worked out beautifully.
0:09:14 – Announcer
One. Nine. Two. 192 extra minutes of wisdom that’s what you get when you become a patron of the Main Thing podcast. Many of you continue to say we want to hear more from these wise guests. That’s precisely what patrons of our podcast get Exclusive access to bonus episodes called the Whole Thing. These 30-minute special shows bring you a deeper dive into our guests’ wisdom. Less editing, more laughter, less time limits, more stories.
Unlock those 192 extra minutes of wisdom for yourself for as little as $9 per month through the Patreon platform and when you become a patron, you also get access to wisdom essays, behind the scenes glimpses and access to special patron only wisdom gatherings. Head over to patreon.com/themainthingpodcast. Go unlock your 192 extra minutes of wisdom.
0:10:11 – Skip
Denise Workman, what is the main thing that you’ve learned in your lifetime so far?
0:10:18 – Denise Workman
Skip. The main thing I’ve learned in my lifetime so far is that hope gives life meaning. It motivates us to strive for our dreams, persevere in adversity and find meaning in our lives. Hope stretches us and energizes our continuous growth and development.
0:10:37 – Skip
Hope gives life meaning. There are so many words in that phrase that I love … that I just love. Let’s explore all the nuance there. I am fascinated with hope. I’m fascinated with resilience, and I’ve learned a lot about having hope and holding on to it over the last five years. So this is a rich, rich topic and fertile ground that I’m so eager to explore. Tell us a little bit more about it.
0:11:08 – Denise Workman
Skip, I’ve always had a sense of hope. That small town girl depended on that. But you had asked me to think about when my wisdom crystallized and I think that this concept crystallized for me when I was working on a project helping launch communities and schools for the state of West Virginia. And the focus of communities in schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. And that seems simple enough, but as I entered schools and we started with the low-performing, high-poverty, lots of at-risk student populations around the state. But as we entered those I saw some tremendous and wide-ranging needs of students. I realized that the common missing piece for most of the students we were targeting was hope. It was never mentioned and what I figured out after lots of driving country roads and, you know, after leaving these places and talking to people, is you cannot focus on your hopes and dreams when you do not have a stable life. You are hungry, you are unhoused or you’re dealing with trauma.
0:12:28 – Skip
Yeah, that makes sense.
0:12:30 – Denise Workman
They are …. Everything is so necessary that they don’t even conceptualize hope. And that’s when I realized, gosh, I’ve always had a little hope. You have to lean in on hope every now and then. And you know I work hard, much like you were saying. You know you’re just nose to the grindstone. But as I have become more mindful I realized I hope hard too. It might sound woo-woo for someone, but it’s very real for me and concrete.
0:13:07 – Skip
Love your main thing: hope gives life meaning. How about a recent personal example where you had to lean into that and get through a challenge or some adversity?
0:13:16 – Denise Workman
I really appreciate that question. It’s a tumultuous time. The noise of “culture wars” and anti-education sentiment that’s upon us right now. It clings in my soul and it causes me grief. You hear no good news associated with education and I take up the mantle of public education because I know that knowledge is power and I have seen the difference that an education can make.
Still, the anti-education rhetoric really impacts me. I try to be more resilient. I’m working on that, but it really gets to me sometimes. So right now what I’m focusing on is I’m trying to think of all of the children staring back at me. That is giving me the power of hope, when I see them every day.
Every teacher I know is just trying to teach the child and trying to help them, as young people learn the basics, as big people learn enough so that they can make good decisions. And I think that’s what scares people a little bit about education, because that little thing that I say that knowledge is power. What if everybody had knowledge and suddenly your power was diminished? You didn’t have something over them?
0:14:39 – Skip
So that’s that scarcity mentality.
0:14:41 – Denise Workman
I think it is that scarcity mentality. We all can’t have it, and I just I don’t believe that.
0:14:47 – Skip
The more you get, the more I have to give up. I don’t believe that.
0:14:51 – Denise Workman
I just don’t think that education is the playground for that at all.
0:14:56 – Skip
Hope gives life meaning. If we took away the meaning, what would that look like?
0:15:01 – Denise Workman
I was doing a little bit of research on this and trying to find out what does hopelessness look like? And so hopelessness can take a variety of forms lack of inspiration, as well as a feeling of powerlessness, helplessness, abandonment, captivity, oppression and isolation. That’s what they’re describing hopelessness as.
So hope does not have a price, but, as you say, it’s more valuable than gold. And when you find yourself losing hope, it’s almost like digging for gold. You have to dig deep, and maybe think of a time when you were hopeful, find something to hold on to. And channel that until you feel stronger. But when you think about all those times when people can be hopeless, I can see myself in all of those. But somehow I persevere.
0:16:03 – Skip
Where does that come from in you – role models, family values, community values?
0:16:10 – Denise Workman
It could be all of that. Yeah, I think so. I just always …. You know, I guess I did grow up in a culture where you couldn’t give up nobody gave up. People fought through tough times. I had a single mom. That means I had a single dad. You know we navigated that over the years, and so somehow that little seed stayed alive.
0:16:41 – Skip
Hope gives life meaning. How can a listener take this wisdom, your wisdom phrase, your main thing, and begin to apply it tomorrow to internalize that into their life?
0:16:52 – Denise Workman
Whatever it is that you have in your vision, or what symbolizes hope for you, cherish it. Take care of it. Cultivate it, and share it with others when you can. I think that is how you can apply my wisdom on hope.
0:17:12 – Skip
That’s a good place to leave it. Denise, thank you so much for coming on today sharing your wisdom: hope gives life meaning. You’ve given us hope and meaning with the wisdom that you shared today.
0:17:22 – Denise Workman
Thank you so much. I love being here. Thanks!
0:17:25 – Skip
So long for now.
0:17:28 – Announcer
Wow! That goes by incredibly fast, doesn’t it? Time flies when you’re hacking wisdom. I hope you’re left wanting more. Sync up with us again next time, on the Main Thing, for nine more minutes of wisdom.
Transcribed by https://podium.page
