#086 Connect. Engage. Support. Ron Robinson's Blueprint for Changing Education.

Built For This Podcast, with Carly Pepin

October 1, 2026 by

Carly Pepin

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In this episode of Built For This, Carly Pepin sits down with Ron Robinson, founder, president and CEO of Expanded Learning Academy, to explore how his experiences with martial arts, education and character development led him to rethink how children experience learning.

Ron shares how volunteering at his children's school became the unexpected beginning of his journey into education. After taking activities outside the traditional classroom and incorporating martial arts and character development, demand quickly grew to more than 1,000 students. Educators also began noticing improvements in attendance, engagement and behavior.

Carly and Ron explore the philosophy at the heart of Expanded Learning Academy: connect, engage, support. They also discuss ELA's unconventional approach to hiring, why Ron chose franchising as a way to scale the mission, and his larger vision for developing the expanded-learning profession.

Underneath it all is a simple goal: to make education the best part of the day for students, families and the people supporting them.

Key Takeaways

You Can't Support Someone Until You've Connected With Them

Ron's philosophy begins with connection. Whether working with a child or an employee, he believes you first need to listen and understand the individual. Only then can you meaningfully engage with them and provide the support they actually need.

Hire the Person, Not Just the Resume

ELA's Discovery Day turns the traditional hiring process around. Candidates first learn about and interview the organization, while Ron focuses on discovering who they really are beyond their professional resume. Skills can be developed, but understanding the person entering the culture matters enormously.

Growth Sometimes Requires Recognizing That You're the Bottleneck

Ron chose franchising because he recognized that trying to control every aspect of growth himself would eventually limit the organization. For him, scaling means creating systems that allow other capable people to lead, build and expand the mission.

About Patrick Brown

Ronald Robinson is the Founder, President and CEO of Expanded Learning Academy, overseeing the organization's growth and its franchising division, Expanded Learning Franchise, LLC.

Before ELA, Ron led STORM (Special Team of Role Models), a national K–12 initiative focused on character development, positive behavior reinforcement and student engagement. Earlier in his career, he also grew a martial arts school from one location into a five-location franchise.

Today, Ron is focused on expanding ELA while helping create stronger professional development and career pathways for people working in expanded learning.

Memorable Quotes
"Before we can provide support, we have to first connect. We have to listen. We have to understand."
"I don't want to learn about the resume version of you. I don't care about that version. I want to know about the version why your friends and family love and adore you."
"I want education to be the best part of the day."

Ron Robinson