Find a Way or Make the Right Tools: Lea Crusey and Mathias Probst

Well-being isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

Lea Crusey is the co-founder and Head of U.S. Expansion for WOOF, a well-being tool for students and teachers. With a career in public policy, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement, she works to expand opportunities for marginalized communities. A former Teach For America corps member, Lea has focused on improving public education, founding Allies for Educational Equity, and designing an innovative pooled giving model. She has also held leadership roles at Democrats for Education Reform, StudentsFirst, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Chicago Transit Authority.

Mathias Probst is the co-founder and CEO of WOOF, a Denmark-based startup providing digital tools to enhance student and teacher well-being in classrooms. He was always part of innovative projects, including launching Detroit's first full-circle aquaponic system, creating a biodiversity-focused business for Danish farmers, and founding CePI. Inspired by their experience as Teach First Denmark educators, Mathias and his co-founder, Amalie Dankert, developed WOOF to promote effective and meaningful student wellbeing solutions.

Lea Crusey and Mathias Probst share their personal and professional journeys that led to the creation of WOOF, tools for students and teachers. Mathias reflects on his early life from being a competitive gymnast in Denmark, his career in philosophy and consulting, and his pivotal experience as a Teach For Denmark educator, where he recognized the urgent need for tools to address student well-being. Lea shares how her upbringing was shaped by her mixed-race heritage and her family's dedication to service, her time as a Teach For America corps member, and her transition into education advocacy.

WOOF has started innovation in education and demonstrated measurable improvements in student outcomes, such as increased attendance and engagement. There is a huge importance of staying connected to the needs of educators and students while normalizing emotional awareness in schools cannot be overstated.

Let’s transform education in the best possible way, using perseverance, humility, and prioritizing human impact over numbers!

Show Notes:

🇩🇰 Mathias grew up in Denmark and he was a purpose-driven person his whole life: from business and eco-consulting to teaching. 03:38
👨‍🏫 Having no tool for teaching children in need: founding WOOF and supporting the well-being of his students. 07:20
👩‍🏫 Lea’s experience with the power of community and serving: Teach For America and teaching in Singapore. 11:27
🤯 Working in StudentsFirst: state-level advocacy – decentralization issues and seeing many districts are K-8, not K-12. 15:53
🐘 Allies for Educational Equity work: the elephant analogy and WOOF work. 18:44
🧠 We learn from opportunities to make mistakes: anonymous input of 70,000 kids globally is an important asset for learning. 25:24
🏆 Growing and scaling of the product is sometimes not easy to predict: Allies for Educational Equity and Innovation of 2025. 29:03
💊 Well-being as a ‘means to an end’ in the US: students are reporting anonymously how they are doing and the results are shocking. 34:05
😇 Lack of meaning in our life: finding a deeper connection and what drives your classroom. 39:54
🫂 Emotions need to be validated. 43:51
🤓 Preventing the loss of new generations: create space for safe learning. 47:03
💎 Episode Ronderings: Find a way or make one: it is possible with the right tools. 50:43

Links:
Website: www.planetwoof.io
LinkedIn, Lea: www.linkedin.com/in/leacrusey

LinkedIn, Mathias: www.linkedin.com/in/mathias-probst-25510b12
Rapatalo Group: rapataloconsulting@gmail.com

Leverage Publishing: www.leveragepublishinggroup.com

Connect with Ron: www.linkedin.com/in/rapatalo

Ron’s book: www.amazon.com/dp/1613431473