Relationships don't happen by accident. The strongest classrooms, teams, and organizations are built through intentional habits that communicate one simple message: You matter here. In Episode 288 of Leaning Into Leadership, Darrin sits down with veteran educator, football coach, and leadership speaker Tom Walls to discuss the power of what he calls microinclusions—small, repeatable actions that create belonging, trust, and buy-in without requiring hours of preparation. Drawing from more than 3

Why is it still so common for people to say, “I’m not a math person,” and how can school leaders help change that narrative? In this week's episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Thomas O’Brien to explore why leaders are uniquely positioned to shape math culture, support stronger instruction, and create environments where both teachers and students see themselves as capable math learners. Thomas also shares why leading math instruction does not require a math background, and h

In this episode, Phil Januszewski shares his journey from a physics teacher to a motivational speaker focused on helping educators and givers thrive without burnout. Discover practical strategies for building resilience, finding joy, and creating sustainable leadership in challenging times. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Phil Januszewski 01:14 Phil's Journey from Teaching to Speaking 02:17 Strategies for Avoiding Burnout 05:04 Adversity and Resilience in Education 06:55 Building Sustainabl

Let’s chat—send me a text! What if we've been answering one of our students' most common questions the wrong way? When students ask: "When am I ever going to use this?" they're often not asking about future careers. They're asking something much deeper: "Why should I care?" In this episode, we're continuing our summer Math Therapy book study with Chapter 5: Motivate, and exploring how relevance, purpose, and meaningful feedback can transform student motivation. In This Episode ✨ Why motiva...

Repeat guest Kurtis Hewson is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, author and professional learning facilitator. In addition to being an award-winning teacher, vice-principal, and principal, he has also served as faculty at the post-secondary level. He is the co-founder of Jigsaw Learning, a co-author of the text Collaborative Response: Three Foundational Components That Transform How We Respond to the Needs of Learners (Corwin, 2022), and currently works with districts and schools nationally

In this week's episode of The Language of Behavior, Josh and Charlie dive into the question of how to tell when someone is lying. They explain why there is no perfect tell, why body language alone can be misleading, and why the most helpful approach is to look for clusters of behavior that deviate from a person’s baseline. The conversation explores eye movement, stress responses, confirmation bias, and the importance of asking more questions instead of jumping to conclusions. Josh and Charlie r

What does the research actually say about why people trust their leaders, and why do so many well-intentioned leaders still get it wrong? This week, Jon Goehring and Coach Jim Johnson welcome Dr. Ben Granger, chief workplace psychologist at Qualtrics, organizational psychology doctorate from the University of South Florida, and author of A Leader Worth Following, for one of the most research-backed and practically useful conversations the Lounge has ever had. Dr. Ben opens with a breakdown of V

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered what it really takes to build a business while balancing family life, leadership, and your own well-being? On this episode of Making the Grade podcast, Georgia sits down with her husband, entrepreneur and deVINE Naturals co-founder Sergey Kuperman, to discuss his journey from sales to entrepreneurship, growing deVINE Naturals from a single storefront into multiple retail locations, and how systems, habits, and self-care have shaped both his business an...

Join us for the online, on-demand workshop “Overview of Collaborative Response”, part of our Supporting Collaborative Response series. 👉 bit.ly/10refinecontinuum Creating Focus for Collaborative Planning WITHOUT Micromanaging Your Teams Access a workshop guide to help your team STOP focusing on things outside of our locus of control - https://bit.ly/JLlocus In this episode of Leading Collaborative Response, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Amy Cooper, principal of Divine Mercy Catholic Elementar

What does it mean to lead effectively when there are no simple solutions? In this guest episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with educator, anthropologist, researcher, and author Dr. Annalies Corbin to explore the concept of wicked problems and what educational leaders can learn from them. Together, they discuss how schools can foster agency, resilience, cultural responsiveness, and meaningful learning experiences while navigating increasingly complex educat

Let’s chat—send me a text! How do we create a classroom where students feel safe enough to struggle? In this episode, we're continuing our summer Math Therapy book study with Chapter 4: Moderate. This chapter challenged me to rethink the difference between mathematical challenge and emotional threat. Productive struggle is an essential part of learning mathematics—but unnecessary fear, embarrassment, and fixed labels can prevent students from ever engaging in that struggle. I also share some ...

Connect with the Show Here! What would you change if you could design a high school from the ground up and actually make it real? Kendall Terry has lived that challenge, moving from high school science teacher to department chair to STEM coordinator, and then into schoolwide leadership at Clayton Bradley Academy in Tennessee. We swap stories that are fun on the surface, but quickly turn into the deeper work of educational leadership: building systems, earning buy-in, and creating learning tha...

In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis is joined by the leadership team from New Myrnam School — a small rural school with big ideas and a strong sense of community. Kurtis explores with the leadership team how they’re building and sustaining a truly collaborative culture within their school, taking a robust, project-based approach to learning Check out the New Myrnam School projects: https://www.newmyrnamschool.ca/a-for-energy-grant-projects https://www.newmyrnamschool

What if one of the most powerful leadership lessons isn't found in the principal's office—but inside a classroom? In this episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with educator, author, and Teaching Inside Out founder Kim Gameroz to discuss why intentionality—not simply strategy—is what transforms classrooms, educators, and school culture. Kim shares the inspiration behind her book Becoming the BISON, explains why bison run into storms instead of away from them, and introduces her powerful framew

In this Aspire Mailbag episode, Joshua Stamper and Jeff Gargas tackle two leadership topics that are on a lot of educators’ minds right now: how to hire great people when applicant pools are shrinking, and how to rethink student discipline in ways that actually build skills. They explore why culture matters in attracting the right staff, how leaders can look beyond interview answers to find the right fit, and what it means to create a school or district people genuinely want to be part of. The

Amy Lenker had over 100 panic attacks in a single summer. She worked her entire maternity leave the day after having her daughter. And she built a career that looked like success from the outside while quietly destroying herself from the inside. This week Amy joins Jon and Coach Jim to talk about burnout, stress, and what she calls the unstressing method, a practical framework she developed the hard way. She also shares the leadership regret that still breaks her heart, and why the strongest te

Episode Summary As school leaders prepare to welcome students and staff back this fall, it's easy to focus on schedules, staffing, professional learning, and school improvement plans. While those responsibilities are important, this episode offers a different perspective: What if the most important thing you bring into your building this year is the hope you cultivate and the joy you model? In this episode, Dr. Brandi Kelly explores why hope and joy are not simply emotions... they are intenti

Welcome to Digital Learning Today. In this episode, Jeff Bradbury explores the strategic systems that shape the future of education, focusing on Instructional Coaching, Artificial Intelligence, Professional Learning, and the latest Educational Technology Trends. In this episode, Jeff Bradbury interviews K-12 tech director Chris Warden about managing technology in schools, implementing AI, and effective digital signage solutions. They discuss strategies for vetting apps, AI policies, and fosteri

Let’s talk. Send me a message with your email and I’ll get back to you! What does it actually mean to be good at math? If you asked your students that question, what would they say? In this episode, we're continuing our summer book study of Math Therapy by Vanessa Vakharia and diving into Chapter 3: Mythbust. While growth mindset may not be the educational buzzword it once was, the ideas behind it remain incredibly important. Students cannot build a healthier relationship with mathematics if ...

In this week's episode of The Language of Behavior, Josh and Charlie are joined by middle school educator and leader David James to discuss the impact of cell phones in schools and why strong, consistent policies matter. David shares how his district implemented a “way for the day” approach, why teacher support and top down consistency are essential, and how removing cell phones from the classroom has improved engagement, collaboration, and student focus. The conversation also explores how tech

Dr. Lindsay Whorton is proud to be a founding member of The Holdsworth Center. She helped design the Center’s programming and has served as president since 2019. She is the author of “A New School Leadership Architecture,” which calls for a fundamental redesign of how leadership roles are structured and practiced in schools, offering a bold new blueprint to make jobs sustainable and give teachers the coaching and support they need so that students thrive. Under Lindsay’s leadership, Holdsworth h