Episodes

Have you ever interviewed for a job and not received the promotion you were seeking? In today’s episode featuring Alex Valencic, Sarah Johnson and Joshua Stamper discuss the topics of working through the disappointment, estab...

How do we together dismantle barriers that exclude, recognize past trauma, and identify resources for those in need ? This week’s guest, Marisol Quevedo Rerucha, shares how implementing restorative practices changed student b...

In this 21st Aspire Mailbag episode, Evan Robb, Jeff Gargas and I answer questions on different leadership topics provided by the listeners. Please join us for this episode as we answer questions on how to build an email to i...

With the drastic changes occurring in education, how do we propel students, staff and leaders to grow and explore in new ways? This week’s guest, Lainie Rowell, shares how providing opportunities of discovery and social emoti...

I had the amazing opportunity to moderate a segment during the Teach Better 12 Hour Live Event on social emotional learning (SEL). In this bonus episode, Mandy Froelich and I discuss important strategies to use in the classro...

What is the highest level of learning in professional development? This week’s guest, Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore, shares how leaders can design professional learning environments that encourage and enhance teacher’s discovery,...

After creating and implementing new teaching strategies and building procedures, many educators are seeking to go back to “normal”. Should we keep any practices from this past year or should we go back to our previous strateg...

In this bonus episode, Latrese Younger shares her five top leadership books and the reasons she loves these amazing resources. In addition, we discuss her school and how she is ending the school year strong. About Latrese You...

Today, May 9th, is a special day for two reasons, 1. It’s mother’s day and 2. Today is the 3rd anniversary of the Aspire podcast! Join Todd Nesloney and I as we celebrate mothers day, the three year anniversary of the podcast...

As the school year comes to a close, we can all agree that we are exhausted mentally and physically. This past year and a half has been difficult in many ways and every educator's mental health has been affected. Just the oth...

In your classrooms, are your students participating in one interactive lesson per unit or are they experiencing natural learning opportunities each day? This week’s guest, Becky Schnekser, shares how transforming her classroo...

On your campus or in your district, do you have a lot of initiatives being implemented? What is the impact of each of those initiatives or programs? This week’s guest, Peter DeWitt, shares how relationship building and collab...

In this bonus episode, Brad Hughes shares his five top leadership books and the reasons he loves these amazing resources. In addition, we discuss his new podcast and some Teach Better event details. About Brad Hughes: Brad Hu...

In remote learning, have you felt restricted with the new learning environment? This week’s guest, Dr. Ryan Read, shares how to use project based learning in all learning models for students to gain experience in solving real...

This week’s guest, Tom Schimmer, shares his journey as a leader, redefining accountability in grading, the myths of standards based grading and the importance of descriptive feedback. In this episode, we discuss: Standards Ba...

In this bonus episode, Greg Moffitt shares his five top leadership books and the reasons he loves these amazing resources. In addition, Greg introduces two bonus children’s books to instill leadership qualities in our classro...

Based on your past educational struggles, have you ever asked yourself, “Will I be enough in this leadership position?”. This week’s guests, Dr. Basil Marin, explains how his struggles in school created doubt about the impact...

When someone comes to you with a problem, do you immediately try to solve the issue? This week’s guests, Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad, explains how leaders need to use a coaching model of questions to find the best solutions and teac...

Have you ever been on the dance floor at a party or a wedding and when the DJ changes the song, everyone either runs on or off the dance floor? This week’s guests, Dr. Joe Clark, explains why leadership is similar to being a ...

When you add resources or programs to your campus or district, how do you decide what students receive these new opportunities? This week’s guests, Zandra Jo Galvan, shares how when presented an opportunity to add multiple re...

In your district or on your campus, how are you identifying and supporting the social emotional needs of your students, staff, and parents? As many of you know, I believe, as a leader, we must focus on all aspects of a person...

In the 19th Aspire Mailbag episode, Hedreich Nichols, Jeff Gargas, and I answer questions on different leadership topics provided by the listeners. Please join us for this episode as we answer questions and discuss how to ret...