Teaching from the Trenches: Unbreakable Strategies to Empower Students in and Beyond the Classroom

In this powerful episode of Educators With Oil, Ronnette Branham welcomes transformational speaker, Army veteran, and founder of the Breakthrough Bunker, Shaun “Mr. Motivation” Murphy.

From overcoming poverty and instability to becoming a force for change in the classroom, Shaun shares his journey and how educators can shift their approach from burnout to breakthrough.

💡 Rooted in the mission of his Breakthrough Bunker—a movement that equips educators and leaders to rise above excuses and mediocrity—Shaun lays out three unshakable strategies for teaching with purpose and power:

🧠 1. Mindset Matters Most

Discover how reframing failure and modeling resilience can break generational cycles. Shaun shares how his mindset journey turned pain into purpose and how educators can do the same for students.

💬 2. Motivate with Meaning

"Connect before you correct." Learn how relationships, presence, and storytelling build the foundation for student transformation. Shaun explains how his Unbreakable Valor approach is anchored in meaningful, heart-first teaching.

🛡️ 3. Massive Movement – Teaching Beyond the Textbook

Great educators don’t just teach content—they create movements. Shaun gives practical tools from his Breakthrough Bunker to help teachers cultivate leadership, confidence, and purpose in their students.

This is more than a motivational talk—it’s a blueprint for impact. Whether you're teaching in the trenches or leading a classroom that feels like a battlefield, this episode will remind you: your work is a calling, and your voice is a weapon.