Transforming ASELA: From Google Form to Professional Platform
Freedom to Launch
The ASELA Story: How MindCatcher is Changing Teacher Development
The Beginning: Seeing a Different Way Forward
For many educators, professional development focuses on what's missing. Nakeyshia Kendall Williams, Founder and CEO of MindCatcher, saw this firsthand and imagined something better.
"A lot of times in schools, there's a focus on improvement, you know, getting better, which is great," Nakeyshia explains. "But it often leads to a deficit mindset. Who I am right now is not enough. I need to get better."
This observation sparked the creation of ASELA, an assessment tool designed to show teachers their existing strengths rather than highlighting their weaknesses. It was a simple but powerful shift – helping educators develop professionally based on their strengths rather than focusing only on what needs fixing.
The First Steps: Starting with What She Had
In the beginning, ASELA was a basic Google Form where teachers could answer questions about their working style. While it was functional, it didn't provide the experience Nakeyshia envisioned.
"We got the job done, but it was not necessarily ideal because it didn't provide an experience for people," Nakeyshia recalls. "Especially because a lot of educators use Google Forms... I'm an educator and I can do Google Forms and this is a new Google Form, so what is special or unique about this?"
The format created practical challenges too. " I felt like it would be hard to go to potential clients with a Google Form. That would be a harder sell, rather than having our own MVP."
Just as Nakeyshia secured a contract to work with her first educational client, she realized ASELA needed a more professional platform to reach its potential.
The Challenge: A Non-Technical Founder's Dilemma
Like many non-technical founders, Nakeyshia faced a significant hurdle in bringing her vision to life in digital form.
"For a lot of non-technical founders, the tech part can often be a challenge because it's like you're speaking a different language from the person responsible for creating the technology," she explains. "You either need to learn that language or have someone you feel comfortable with who knows that language."
The challenge wasn't just communication – it was finding trustworthy partners who wouldn't take advantage of her lack of technical expertise.
"For a lot of non-technical founders, it's just scary because it can be an expensive proposition if you're not talking to the right folks. And you probably wouldn't even know until you don't get the thing that you want. And then that's time and money wasted... it's hard."
As she tried to understand the process of building a digital platform, Nakeyshia found herself at a crossroads – needing technical expertise but unsure where to find it.
The Turning Point: Finding the Right Partner
Enter Freedom to Launch.
When Nakeyshia connected with Freedom to Launch, she found a technical partner who could understand her vision and translate it into reality.
"You filled the category – someone who is knowledgeable that could talk to us about what we were trying to accomplish and then help us accomplish it," Nakeyshia shares. The clear communication and collaboration made a significant difference in her comfort level with the process.
The partnership began with a straightforward intake form, followed by initial discussions to understand ASELA's goals and functionality. "It all felt very good, which was helpful because it's like I'm turning over my little baby for you to take it to the next step."
Though there were moments when technical limitations required explanation – like when Nakeyshia envisioned one question per page versus all questions on a single screen – the team worked through these challenges with clear communication about what was possible.
The Work: Building the Vision
Over two months, Freedom to Launch transformed ASELA from a simple Google form into a professional customized software application that matched Nakeyshia's vision. The platform included personalized results, resource recommendations, and administrative tools for the MindCatcher team.
When Nakeyshia first saw the completed application, her reaction was powerful: "When I first saw it, I was just like 'Oh my god.' I mean I didn't birth it, but it felt like I did. I was like 'This is what you look like!' I wanted to touch it. It was like this magical thing. I'm like, 'Oh my, it's a real thing!'"
The transformation from concept to reality was a moment of validation for her vision – seeing ASELA as a professional tool rather than just a Google Form.
The Impact: Seeing Real Results
When educators began using the new ASELA platform in workshops, the impact was immediate. Teachers discovered strengths they hadn't recognized in themselves before.
"One person, for example, identified as a Compassionate Connector," Nakeyshia shares. "And she said that's a skill set she didn't have in the beginning of her education journey. It's something that she's been working on. So she was really excited to see that result come through in the assessment."
This validation of learned strengths proved especially powerful. "That's really powerful to be able to see that a learned strength is showing up and then think about that as a launch pad for whatever initiative that the school is embarking on."
Beyond individual insights, the professional platform made it easier for MindCatcher to implement ASELA with educational partners. The pilot with the first community of practice was successful, and educators engaged deeply with the assessment's findings.
The Journey Continues: Looking to the Future
The success of the ASELA application has opened new possibilities for MindCatcher. Nakeyshia is now working with multiple educational communities and exploring how to expand the platform further.
"We're utilizing the tool with more educators," she explains. "We are supporting more school communities in building high impact teams and increasing educator capacity. We are leaning into supporting new schools in the hiring process. So that's pretty exciting."
As feedback comes in from users, Nakeyshia is contemplating thoughtful expansions to the platform. "We're considering maybe doing a second round for the whole community of practice and having them take it again," she notes. This would provide valuable data on how educators' strengths evolve over time.
Reflecting on the journey from Google Form to professional application, Nakeyshia appreciates how the development process helped focus her vision: "I think that's the beauty of this process... you've been able to help us focus on one thing and then utilize that as a building point for the feedback that we're receiving from folks and thinking about how we can build going forward."
For educators across the country, ASELA represents a new way of thinking about team development – one that builds on existing strengths rather than focusing only on deficits. As MindCatcher continues to grow, the impact of this strengths-based approach will reach more teachers and, through them, countless students.
"It's exciting to be able to contemplate that future," Nakeyshia says, "and see how it could happen as we're continuing to grow."
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Posted Jun 3, 2025
Transformed the ASELA assessment from Google Form to professional platform for teacher development.
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Oct 1, 2024 - Nov 30, 2024
