Susan interviews Danielle "Nell" Thompson, literacy multi-hyphenate and the creator of the Big Sky Literacy Summit. This August, the summit returns with a star-studded lineup of mentors, sages, teachers, and leaders, and in this episode, Nell shares how her own background—working with students in Alaska and Mississippi, among many other places—has helped shape this year's conference theme. She and Susan discuss the importance of mentorship in advancing evidence-based literacy practice and literacy instruction.Show notes:

• Website: Big Sky Literacy Summit
• Twitter: The Transformative Reading Teacher Group
• Danielle Thompson's Twitter:  @Nelliet11
• Danielle Thompsons's LinkedIn: @Danielle Nell Thompson
• Book: From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life

Quote:I was feeling like the numbers were too great and that the systems were broken. … If I could build better systems, I could also support the educators' success within those systems." —Dr. Danielle "Nell" Thompson