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For educators
You were in the room.
Here's what comes next.
Pick the talk your school just heard. The questions and prompts below change to match it. Everything else works for all three.
Today
Use these in your next class.
Pick two or three. 10–15 minutes is all you need. Tap any question to project it full-screen.
Discussion Questions
1
Chad said “anything is possible” isn’t a wish. It’s a decision followed by evidence. What’s one decision you’ve been putting off?
Project
2
He missed the world record by four minutes and came back seven days later. What’s something you tried that didn’t work the first time?
Project
3
Chad made a sign for one person. If you could make a sign for one person in your life, who would it be and what would it say?
Project
4
He said “the window doesn’t close, but it costs more the longer it stays shut.” What does that mean to you right now?
Project
1
Chad said “if you can name it, you can work with it. If you can’t, it runs you.” What’s something you’ve felt but didn’t have a word for until today?
Project
2
He talked about the freeze response: your body locking up when something overwhelming happens. Why would your body lock up to protect you instead of fight or run?
Project
3
What’s the difference between “pain with purpose” and “pain without it”? Where have you seen someone push through something hard because of who it was for?
Project
4
Chad said asking for help isn’t weakness. Strong people go to professionals. Why is that hard for people your age to believe?
Project
1
Chad described watching other kids grouped up while he had no fallback plan. Why do so many people feel that way and think they’re the only one?
Project
2
He said “no one came for me in those hallways.” What would it cost you to sit down next to someone who’s alone? (No names.)
Project
3
Chad didn’t have one hero. He built “that person” from pieces of everyone around him. Who have you learned the most from, and do they know it?
Project
4
The call to action: sit down next to someone who looks like they’re alone. Did you do it? What happened?
Project
Journal Prompts
Private writing. Students keep what they write, so don’t collect it or ask anyone to read it aloud. Tap to project, or copy a prompt.
“Chad failed in public twice before he set the record. Write about a failure you haven’t gotten over yet. Then write one sentence about what you’d do if you tried again.”
“Chad said most people are one decision away. What’s your one decision? Write it as a sentence that starts with ‘I’m going to.’”
“Write about a time you carried something invisible. What would it have looked like if someone had just asked?”
“What’s one thing you’re carrying right now that you’ve never said out loud? You don’t have to share it. Just name it.”
“Write about someone who showed up for you without being asked. What did they do and why did it matter?”
“Think about someone who might be walking the hallways alone. What would it take for you to sit down next to them?”
This Week
Keep the momentum going.
An assembly fades by Friday unless somebody keeps it going. Five steps over about two weeks. Tap each one when it’s done.
Day 1
Open class with a discussion question
Use one from “Today” above. Don’t over-structure it. Let students talk.
Days 2–3
Assign a journal prompt
Private writing. Students keep it. Let them choose the prompt if possible.
Day 3–4
Share the student page
Point students to chadkempel.com/student: interactive tools, vocabulary cards, a page that’s theirs.
Week 1–2
Watch for behavioral signals
Students sitting next to someone new, using vocabulary in writing, asking to see a counselor. See “Going Deeper” below.
End of Week 2
Forward this page to a colleague
If another teacher, counselor, or admin could use these tools, share this page.
Share this link with your students
chadkempel.com/studentGoing Deeper
The psychology behind The Weight You’re Carrying.
What Chad tells students in that talk, the research behind it, how to reinforce it, and where to read more.
Freeze Response
The Weight You’re Carrying
+
What Chad told students
“Your body locks up. You can’t move, can’t speak. It’s not weakness. It’s your nervous system protecting you.”
The psychology
A survival response that fires before the thinking brain gets a vote. Heart rate drops, the body goes still, attention sharpens. Naming the feeling calms the alarm and hands control back to the part of the brain that plans. Chad normalizes it with his own locker room story.
Reinforce in your classroom
“That’s the freeze response. Your body was protecting you.” Normalizing the language removes shame.
Cognitive Load
The Weight You’re Carrying
+
What Chad told students
“The invisible weight your brain is carrying. It’s why everything feels harder than it should.”
The psychology
How much your working memory is juggling at once. Worry and stress take up some of that room, so ordinary schoolwork feels harder than it should. Writing the worry down frees some of it up.
Reinforce in your classroom
“Is your brain carrying a lot right now?” gives permission to name it without requiring disclosure.
Learn More
Moran, T. P. (2016). Anxiety and working memory capacity: A meta-analysis and narrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 142, 831–864.
Klein, K., & Boals, A. (2001). Expressive writing can increase working memory capacity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130(3), 520–533.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive Science, 12(2). Where the term comes from. It’s about learning, not stress.
Klein, K., & Boals, A. (2001). Expressive writing can increase working memory capacity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130(3), 520–533.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive Science, 12(2). Where the term comes from. It’s about learning, not stress.
Post-Traumatic Growth
The Weight You’re Carrying
+
What Chad told students
“Struggle can rebuild who you are, if you choose it. It doesn’t happen on its own.”
The psychology
The idea that something hard can change a person for the better, not just get them back to where they were (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). One honest caveat: most of this research asks people to rate their own growth afterward, and studies that measured people before and after a hard event found those ratings often don’t match what changed. Growth is possible. It isn’t automatic, it isn’t on a schedule, and it isn’t a test anyone can fail. Some people get there over time, often with help. Nobody should be told they ought to have grown.
Reinforce in your classroom
“Hard things can change people over time. Nobody has to have it figured out yet.” An offer, never a test.
Learn More
Tedeschi & Calhoun (1996). Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3).
Frazier, P., et al. (2009). Does self-reported posttraumatic growth reflect genuine positive change? Psychological Science, 20(7), 912–919.
Infurna, F. J., & Jayawickreme, E. (2019). Fixing the growth illusion: New directions for research in resilience and posttraumatic growth. Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Frazier, P., et al. (2009). Does self-reported posttraumatic growth reflect genuine positive change? Psychological Science, 20(7), 912–919.
Infurna, F. J., & Jayawickreme, E. (2019). Fixing the growth illusion: New directions for research in resilience and posttraumatic growth. Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Pain With Purpose vs. Without
The Weight You’re Carrying
+
What Chad told students
“That’s neuroscience. When you attach pain to a reason, your brain processes it differently.”
The psychology
Frankl saw it in the camps: people who had a reason held on. The lab version is reappraisal. When people reinterpret what a painful experience means, the brain’s emotional response changes, and it shows up on the scan. Chad uses the marathon to make it concrete.
Reinforce in your classroom
“What’s this for? Who is it for?” A reason doesn’t make it hurt less. It makes it mean something.
Learn More
Frankl, V. E. (1946). Man’s Search for Meaning.
Ochsner, K. N., et al. (2002). Rethinking feelings: An fMRI study of the cognitive regulation of emotion. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
Ochsner, K. N., et al. (2002). Rethinking feelings: An fMRI study of the cognitive regulation of emotion. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
The Weight Comes Out Sideways
The Weight You’re Carrying
+
What Chad told students
“When someone carries something they can’t name, it shows up as anger, withdrawal, shutting down.”
The psychology
Displaced aggression. Frustration that can’t go at its real source goes at a safer target: a sibling, a teacher, a kid in the hallway. It’s one of social psychology’s oldest findings, and it still holds up.
Reinforce in your classroom
When a student acts out: “What might be coming out sideways?” It turns a discipline moment into a curious one.
Learn More
Miller, N. E. (1941). The frustration-aggression hypothesis. Psychological Review.
Marcus-Newhall, A., et al. (2000). Displaced aggression is alive and well: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Marcus-Newhall, A., et al. (2000). Displaced aggression is alive and well: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Behavioral Guide
What to watch for.
Signals that the assembly landed.
A student sits next to someone new at lunch.
The “sit down” challenge is working.
“I noticed you sat with someone new today. That matters.”
Don’t announce it or make them a class example.
Students use talk vocabulary in their writing.
“Cognitive load,” “freeze response” appearing in essays means the language stuck.
“That sounds like cognitive load. Let’s talk about what you can set down.”
A student becomes quieter or more emotional.
Often the talk surfaced something they’ve been carrying. If anything about it worries you, walk them to the counselor today.
“I noticed you’ve seemed different this week. I’m here if you want to talk.”
Say it privately. Don’t ask “Are you okay?” in front of the class.
A student asks to see a counselor.
The talk gave them permission and vocabulary to ask for help.
“Absolutely. Let me walk you down there.” No questions. No delay.
Don’t ask them to wait until class is over.
If a student opens up to you
What to do, in order.
- Listen. Stay calm and don’t rush to fix it.
- Don’t promise to keep it secret. Say, “I care about you, so I’m going to get you some help.”
- If you’re worried about suicide, ask directly: “Are you thinking about suicide?” Asking doesn’t put the idea in their head.
- Walk the student to a counselor yourself. Don’t send them alone, and don’t leave them alone if they may be in danger.
- Follow your school’s reporting process.
Any time, day or night: call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. For Spanish, press 2 or text AYUDA to 988. In danger right now, call 911.
The full teacher and counselor guide is on the Documents page.
Bring Chad Back
Get Chad back to your school.
A pre-written email for your principal, the framing that gets it funded, and a form to share feedback or request a return visit.
Email Template for Your Principal
Subject: Recommendation: Bring Chad Kempel Back
Hi Principal’s Name,
I’m writing to recommend we bring Chad Kempel back for Talk title. Since the assembly, I’ve noticed specific observation.
His three talks each serve a different need: the flagship assembly, a mental health talk, and a belonging talk. Each one fits a different budget, so counseling or prevention funds, the PTO or student council can cover one without touching the assembly money.
I’d be happy to share his one-sheet or connect you with chadkempel.com/contact.
Best,
Your Name
Paying for it
Where the money can come from.
Building budget or PTO/PTA
“Anything Is Possible”
The all-school assembly. Every claim checks out, and every student finds themselves somewhere in it.
Counseling or prevention funds
“The Weight You’re Carrying”
Mental health without “mental health” on the poster. Real words for what students feel.
Student council, or Title IV-A if your district has it
“I Walked the Hallways Alone”
One ask that costs nothing. Look for it in the hallways the next morning.
Three Talks, Three Needs
Tap any card to learn more.
Each one does a different job.
01
Anything Is Possible
A phrase most students roll their eyes at, rebuilt as a decision followed by evidence.
The Flagship Talk
More Details
Inside This Talk
Anything Is Possible
It starts with a slap in a locker room and runs through wrestling, a grade turnaround, an Ironman he finished for his father, five babies born at 27 weeks, three tries at a world record, and a handmade sign that ended up in a museum in Copenhagen.
Best for: full-school assemblies, graduation ceremonies, kickoff events
02
The Weight You’re Carrying
The mental health assembly that doesn’t need “mental health” on the poster.
Mental Health & Wellness
More Details
Inside This Talk
The Weight You’re Carrying
It opens at a university podium, the moment Chad’s phone rang and he found out he was losing his twin sons. Then a 100-mile run. Then the freeze response, named and explained. Students leave with words for what they’ve been feeling.
Best for: mental health assemblies, counselor-requested events, wellness programming
03
I Walked the Hallways Alone
No records, no stroller, no finish line. Just the kid standing by himself in the hallway.
Belonging & School Culture
More Details
Inside This Talk
I Walked the Hallways Alone
Chad had no fallback plan at lunch. Years later he taught math inside San Quentin for five years, unpaid. The talk ends with one ask: sit down next to someone who looks like they’re alone.
Best for: orientation week, anti-bullying programs, school culture initiatives
Share What Happened
Tell us what you noticed.
Chad reads every one.