A Slice with 'Dice
A Slice with ’Dice is a weekly podcast exploring leadership, talent development, and the human side of high-performing systems. Drawing on decades of experience in gifted education and public leadership, host Corey Alderdice examines how institutions identify potential, navigate change, and create cultures where people can thrive. Each episode blends thoughtful reflection with practical insight for educators, leaders, and anyone interested in how talent and transformation intersect in real-world settings.
Episodes
126 episodes
Joy Is a Strategy: Why Educators Can’t Afford to Miss the Glimmers
A single sharp moment can hijack an entire school day—but it doesn’t have to. What if educators got just as intentional about what lifts students up as we are about what sets them off?Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent an...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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4:38
Leadership’s Second Balance Sheet
Leaders spend their days managing visible accounts—trust, goodwill, and influence—but the balance that truly determines their longevity is often hidden from view. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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7:34
Smart Isn’t Enough: Decoding the Hidden Curriculum
Some lessons never make it into the textbook—but they can make or break a student’s future. The most gifted learners often know the material, but not the system that surrounds it.Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and tra...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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7:05
You're Not Lost—You're Early: A Guide to the Quarterlife Crisis
Early adulthood was supposed to feel like launch—but for many seniors, it feels more like freefall. That unsettling mix of possibility and pressure has a name, and understanding it is the first step toward feeling less alone. Cor...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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9:03
Rest, Reflect, Recalibrate: A Winter Break Blueprint for Juniors
Winter break offers juniors something they rarely get during the school year: breathing room. Amid the quiet, students can take their first meaningful steps toward understanding who they are and what they want from the college journey ahead....
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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9:16
ENCORE: The Semester Debrief - Family Conversations for Growth and Goal-Setting
Some conversations age well because the need behind them never really goes away. As students and schools end the fall semester gear up for a new semester in 2026, this encore episode arrives at exactly the right moment.ASMSA Executive...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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6:39
The Catalytic Agency Model of Talent Development in 10 Minutes
Gifted students don’t disengage because they don’t care—they disengage because they’re ready for more than their environment is offering. When we learn to interpret dissatisfaction as a signal instead of a problem, everything about how we se...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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9:29
Why Bacon Belongs on the Christmas Tree
The smell of bacon has a way of pulling people out of their rooms and into the same shared space, no invitation required. In this special, Christmas-themed episode, a glitter-covered strip of bacon hanging on a tree becomes a surprisingly fi...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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6:46
The Work That Outlasts Us
Some stories don’t end; they simply turn the page. And sometimes the chapters that shape us most are the ones we never expected to write.For the last time this season, ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores the winding ...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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11:26
One Notch to the Left
Some days it only takes one email, one phone call, or one weird surprise to knock your whole mood off track—but what if the real power lies in how you respond, not what you face? What if the difference between burnout and balance is just a t...
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Season 3
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Episode 24
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8:01
Inquiry, Integrity, and the Future of AI in Schools
Generative AI isn’t on the horizon anymore—it’s already reshaping the academic landscape. The challenge now isn’t avoiding it, but deciding how we respond with purpose and integrity.ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explor...
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Season 3
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Episode 23
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8:03
Vision Is the Dream. Accountability Is the Delivery.
Some leadership debates feel theoretical—until someone throws your own words back at you months later. This episode unpacks what happens when a simple remark becomes a mirror for how we understand responsibility, vision, and the work leaders...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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9:51
Astrology for the LinkedIn Crowd
The end of the Farmer’s Almanac marks more than the close of a quirky American tradition—it symbolizes our timeless need to find patterns in the unpredictable. From zodiac signs to personality tests, we keep searching ...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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8:46
Do Schools Accidentally Make Anxiety Worse?
We’ve reached the point where comfort has become the new currency in education—and it’s bankrupting student resilience. What if the accommodations we’re offering aren’t helping students cope, but quietly teaching them to avoid life itself?
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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8:08
The Real Reason Gifted Kids Freak People Out
Some people call gifted kids “weird,” but maybe that’s just what it looks like when someone’s brain refuses to color inside the lines. What if the thing that makes them different is exactly what the world needs more of?ASMSA Execu...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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6:30
Catalytic Agency Ep. 6 - Equity, Policy, and the Call to Listen
Equity in gifted education requires more than resources — it begins with listening carefully to dissatisfaction across all student groups. Policies and practices must ensure that every intentionality is met with the right opportunities.<...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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11:12
Catalytic Agency Ep. 5 - The Heart of the Model
Some students demand more than piecemeal solutions — their dissatisfaction is comprehensive, spanning rigor, belonging, and context. These Catalytic students are rare, but when matched with the right environments, they can transform themselv...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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12:09
Catalytic Agency Ep. 4 - The Levers of Practice: Accelerate, Elevate, Separate
Recognizing dissatisfaction is only half the work; the other half is knowing how to act on it. Schools can respond with three core levers — but only when sequenced wisely do these interventions close satisfaction gaps.In episode ...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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11:25
Catalytic Agency Ep. 3 - Paradigms of Gifted Student Experience
When intentionalities blend, they form distinct paradigms of student experience — each carrying its own risks and opportunities. Understanding these blends can help educators design responses that truly match students’ needs.In e...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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12:30
Catalytic Agency Ep. 2 - Eclipse, Evolve, and Escape
Students express dissatisfaction in different ways — some want more rigor, others long for belonging, while still others need a whole new context. Recognizing these intentionalities helps educators respond with precision rather than guesswor...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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10:39
Catalytic Agency Ep. 1 - The Signal of Dissatisfaction
Every student has moments of restlessness in school, but what if that dissatisfaction isn’t a problem to solve — what if it’s the clearest sign of readiness to grow? By reframing dissatisfaction as a signal, educators can uncover hidden path...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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8:28
PSAT = Practice? Nope. Here’s Why It Matters.
For many juniors, the PSAT feels like a dress rehearsal for the SAT—a low-stakes warm-up that doesn’t really matter. But hidden behind that “practice” label is one of the biggest scholarship opportunities in high school.ASMSA Exec...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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5:08
What Training with a World Arm Wrestling Champion Taught Me about Failure
In school, failure is often treated as something to be avoided at all costs. But what if failure is actually the very thing that unlocks growth?ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice reflects on his recent training journey with ...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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7:37
Coming Soon: The Catalytic Agency Model of Talent Development
Why do gifted, talented, and motivated students leave behind the comfort of home, their local schools, and the friends and teachers they’ve known for years to take on something more demanding and more challenging? The answer, at its heart, c...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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2:42
Early Decision, Regular Decision, and the Rest: What It All Means
College admissions come with a dictionary’s worth of terms, but not all pathways are created equal. From binding commitments to open access, each one shapes the journey differently.ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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9:02