Brad Cartwright

Taking Stock: Six years of growth, excitement, and change

March 21st, 2025

Sofia likes to poke fun at me for always having a theme for everything we do. 

And she’s not wrong. 

I don’t even realize I’m doing it, but it’s true.

Maybe it’s the teacher in me—some kind of “UBD-Understanding-by-Design” thing that seeps into all aspects of my life. 

Whether it’s planning our trip to Rome for the Italian Open this May or mapping out our spectacular road trip through Patagonia in 2021, my mind just naturally zooms out and asks, what’s the main point?  What’s the theme?

I even laugh at myself as I write this…(but, I kinda like it too).

So, the theme for this semester?  

Taking stock.

It’s been about reflecting on the evolution of this project, focusing on what brings me the most joy, and refining the parts of it that feel the most meaningful. 

It’s been about updating the website, consolidating (and sharing) the thousands of testimonials I’ve received over the years from students, teachers, and IB coordinators, and really just thinking about what it really means to connect and to empower and to excel.  

In short, I wanted to take stock of where this project stands after six years of growth, change, and excitement. 

And part of that process has been figuring out how to share my philosophy on education, economics, and effective adult systems in IB schools.

I wanted to capture the essence of what I believe about teaching and learning, what this project stands for, and why I’m so passionate about education. 

Because, if someone is considering attending one of my online workshops, bringing me in for an onsite training, or enrolling in one of my IB Economics courses, I want them to know who I am and what I stand for first.

After all, if you’re going to trust someone to train you, to teach you, or to stand in front of your IB faculty, you should know the person behind it all.  At least, I would.

So, as things seem to happen…

Through a crazy series of small decisions and happenstances, I met Ivan Dimitrov of Leverage Video here in Bulgaria because I wanted to buy his couch.

And here’s where the story gets even better—Ivan is a former IB student. He graduated from the Anglo-American School, where Sofia is now in her first year of teaching Theory of Knowledge and IB Theatre. On top of that, he’s the son of a current AAS faculty member who’s a close friend of Sofia’s.  

Oh yeah, and…

He owns a first-class, highly reputable video production company two metro stops away.

Wait, what?  Yes.  That. 

It’s crazy.  

All of these connections, threaded together in the way that only these interwoven educational networks seem to do, led to the creation of a video that does exactly what I had hoped–and I am really excited to share today.

This video is also a true collaboration with many of you too.

The goal was to capture my journey, my educational philosophy, and who I am as an educator, and also to share the impact of this project on IB Economics students, IB teachers, Extended Essay Coordinators, IB Coordinators, and schools around the world. 

And what makes it even more special is that so many of you contributed—sharing your experiences, your stories, and your testimonials.   For which I am deeply grateful.

(Quick note:  If you don’t see your testimonial in this video, don’t worry—we have it, I value it tremendously, and we’ll be repurposing every single one of them to be featured on the website in the testimonial section soon.)

It’s been an exceptionally exciting process to see all of these elements come together—the connections, the reflections, the storytelling, and now, the final product. 

One thing you will see is Ivan’s gift of storytelling through video.  His professional and artistic touch is exceptional.

So here it is…

I hope you enjoy it.

Sending you all tons of gratitude and appreciation—thank you for being part of this global community.

I’ll see you next week.