You are in for a real treat today, my friends! I could sit at the feet of Angela Baker for days and still come away wanting more. Her grasp of Organic TJEd through faithful application of The Seven Keys and The Four Phases is amazing! We in Southern California are privileged, in that she will be speaking at the FATJEF April 24, 2010. If you have not yet registered for this event, why not click on the FATJEF registration tab above , download your registration information and send it in today? ~ You’ll be so glad you did! And even if you don’t live here…read on!  This lady is amazing!

Angela, it is such a privilege for me to “interview” you on Tommymom today!  Are you ready?… Shoot!

My name is Angela Baker, and I live in rural Utah.  Pigs and chickens come and go, but the children are the crop that is in focus.

I have seven of them (children) and have been married to my husband, Roger for 21 years.

I know that when I heard you speak at The Forum in Salt Lake City, I was amazed, humbled and inspired to grasp the Seven Keys and Four Phases the way that you do.  I think that everyone would like to know what led you to Leadership Education.

Well, I had been home educating my three oldest children for roughly 3 years, based on a strictly intuitive type of Leadership Education.  When my oldest son reached the 3rd grade, I felt that it was time for me to “get serious” about education; so I went out, purchased workbooks, and “got busy.” I noticed that my children started asking, “What do I have to do before I can do what I want to do?” I started searching for answers and praying, and then had an opportunity to hear Oliver DeMille.  I was hooked!  I went home and told my kids to “go for it.”  They thought I had lost my mind.

After I heard Oliver speak a second time, I went and got what was The Five Pillars list at the time, went to a Face to Face With Greatness Seminar Series, and eventually got a Masters Degree in Education from George Wythe University.

I have done a lot of things in my own community that were pioneering efforts.  I’ve taught a lot of Mom Schools.

I stepped out of the community when I was pregnant with my last child.

Looking back, what do you think the attraction to TJEd was for you?

I excelled in school as a student, but I always felt that something was missing.  I think now that what was missing  was the ability to excel at my greatness. TJEd showed me how to do this…how to use my genius to do greater things in the world.

I have a great deal of faith that if I teach my children the principles of TJEd and give them a Love of Learning to come through the process, their “holes” will take care of themselves.

So, would you like to share what new and exciting things you’re up to these days?

This year, I started my own Academy, Erda Academy.  There are 25 students.  Erda is the town where we meet and teach, but it’s also German for Earth.  Hopefully, our efforts are planting, fertilizing and producing mighty oaks.

Our youth motto is: “Do Hard Things” taken from the book by the Harris twins. I had this idea to take my students on a hike to the top of Timpanogas Mountain.  I thought that it was a 9 mile hike and it turned out I was mistaken.  It was 19 miles! People tried to talk me out of taking them, saying it would be too hard.  They wanted me to consider something shorter.

I hiked it 2 weeks earlier, and I couldn’t walk for 4 days.  The second time it was a lot easier.

I felt like Moses!  I was taking 25 people on this hike, 11 of us summitted, others got to the saddle, and still others reached another area.

For each of them, it was an amazing experience! My deepest passion is about people, their genius and their greatness. I so badly want to see people live their greatness; and in doing this, I’m learning how to create an environment where this can happen.

We left at 4:30 a.m. and when I stepped outside my front door, one of my biggest surprises was that all of my students were there!

When we finished, we came back to a family dinner and we had a friend of mine that is a quadrapalegic speak to us about choosing to do hard things from that perspective.  It was amazing!

In teaching this youth class, I remember this quest that Oliver gave me as my mentor.  I believe that I am supposed to inspire parents, especially mothers to raise their hero generation.  These mothers also have a mission of their own, but know that they are to raise their children in a certain way to stand and serve humanity in their place.

As a part of this mission, I believe that I am now including youth.  I think that I need to be funnier to better reach them, though. ;0)

May I ask what you’ve been reading lately?  I, for one, always want to know.

We have been having some amazingly profound discussions in my youth classes lately.  Some of them have been so pivotal.  You can learn so much from the students you mentor. The older kids are “cool” but have great insights.   The 11-14 year olds are dynamite!

One of the most profound books recently read, mainly because of our discussion in class together, was Johnny Tremaine.

To really process the reality that it’s our hardships and trials that help us become who we are; was very thought provoking.  We need to embrace them.

I recently also read and discussed Man of the Family from the Little Britches series.

Left to Tell is a book about a woman who survived the genocide in Rwanda.  It is an amazing book about the power of faith and believing.  She survived 90 days in a 3 x 7 foot bathroom with seven other women.

Three Cups of Tea this is a great book. It’s been around awhile.

My Grandfather’s Blessing, which is written by a Jewish woman that is a doctor and becomes a medical counselor, counseling people with fatal illnesses.

Can you share with us a couple of the concepts that you will be speaking on at the upcoming FATJEF?

Certainly.  I will be teaching on Secure, Not Stressed.  I am teaching on the 7 Keys all day, but there is an 8th one, I believe.

Because TJEd is so different from other forms of educating, and we’re not used to it, we can become stressed.  But like a seed, you need to be secure that if you plant it, water and nuture it, it will grow.  Because we can’t see something right away, we can get anxious.  We need to exercise faith, go back to the principles and measure what is actually going on in our homes.  If we take the time to do this and measure the template of the situation against what is going on, we can always find what we’re missing or failing to use. It gives you an anchor and something to hold on to; as well as teaching the key of self leadership and how to really mentor your children.

I’ve heard you do this particular talk and it is amazing.  What else?

I’m really excited about “But How Do I Do It?” This class will cover 4 of the 7 Keys that I think answer that best.  I’m excited because as I’ve taught it, I’ve noticed that people aren’t really familiar with the Keys, so they aren’t understanding what makes TJEd work. I tell stories about what these 4 Keys mean and what makes them work, so that people can see how they work.

I know that you are also teaching “Putting It Together Day by Day and Through the Years” and it addresses adding more children, changing a life profile, what happens after you’ve done this for 2 or 3 years, etc.?  Your situations and solutions to the scenarios presented through example are amazing and enlightening every time.

Well, I can’t tell you how many times “Structure Time Not Content” has saved me.  I get up, see everything that needs to be done and can become completely overwhelmed.  But when I structure when I’m going to clean the house, or when I’m going to teach a certain principle or lesson; it is not only very freeing, but then everyone is free to figure things out for themselves. I can relax, because I know when I’m going to do things.

Anything else, Miss Mary Poppins of Leadership Education?  Hobbies, free time activities?

I really want people to know me for who I am.  I struggle just like everyone else.  I don’t want anything to do with an image of perfection.  I just get up and try again after the days where I feel like crying!  I blunder, I make mistakes, but I keep asking questions and keep trusting the process.

I want to blow the myth of perfection to pieces, because it simply doesn’t exist. Even if it doesn’t look like people are “in a phase” that you can pinpoint, it’s okay.  There are great things going on inside of them that are helping them to become the person that they are meant to be.

Hobbies?!  Free Time?!  Do I have those?

I love to run because it’s quiet and peaceful, and I’m about to turn 46 and am getting my black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

See, I just knew that there was more!  I can’t thank you enough for being here today.

It was my pleasure, Teri.  You make me laugh.  I’m so looking forward to coming to California.

Glad to be of service, Miss Angela!  We couldn’t be more excited to have you come!