Education should be transformative, not transactional. Dr. Lester F. Bussey is an OB-GYN hospitalist, educator, and Ph.D. student at Old Dominion University. With over 30 years of clinical and academic experience, his research explores IDEA-S maturity through motivation, professional identity formation, and team dynamics. He focuses on creating inclusive learning environments that leverage relational coordination and psychological safety to enhance education, stimulate innovation, and drive equitable outcomes. As a faculty member at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Bussey integrates critical creative pedagogy and multimodal technologies to advance health professions education. As the founder of the Asclepius Group Maternal Health Equity Initiative, he designs theory-driven, community-integrated learning models that improve maternal outcomes and empower marginalized voices. His work is grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which ensures that learning environments support autonomy, competence, and relatedness—key drivers of engagement, professional identity, and systemic change. Before medicine, Dr. Bussey was a professional musical theater performer, an experience that shapes his dynamic approach to teaching and advocacy. A lifelong Star Trek superfan, he infuses his work with the optimism and complexity of the franchise’s vision for the future. Change begins with truth; it blooms in the light of possibilities and grows in community.