Episodes

Amanda Spight is the principal at Sunshine Early Education Center in the greater Kansas City Area. She has served as a teacher and assistant principal in her career. Amanda is passionate about Conscious Discipline and is resolved to impact learners in her care and the adults she leads in significant ways. Amanda is a mother and wife, and a faith-filled leader resolved to be unapologetically passionate about her purpose. In this episode, we learn how Amanda got into teaching, why she chose admini...

Sarah shares from her latest book Lead with FAITH, Lavonna Roth's FAITH in Action story. Listeners are encouraged to discover and exercise their signature strengths as a way to defeat imposter syndrome and relieve themselves from being what others expect. Connect with Lavonna Roth! Take the Character Strengths Assessment from the VIA Institute Get your copy of Lead with FAITH: Building a Strong Foundation So You Can Rise Up, Slay Fear, and Serve Well Join Sarah’s mailing list to receive her Fiv...

Anna Marie Savino has always loved writing and sharing her passion for making meaningful connections between words and ideas. The two interests fused together in Sparrow’s Well, her first published book. More of her writing can be found on her website and in Fueled by Coffee and Love: A Brew Perspective, (in addition to a giant bin that contains years worth of journal writing and notebooks from high school). Although not a writer by trade, after 16 years of teaching English to high-school and ju...

Heidi Armentrout is a wife to a special education teacher and soccer coach, mother of two college-aged children, an educator who is currently a director of personnel and was a building administrator until recently for 12 years, and served for another 12 years as a middle school math teacher. She loves to read, quilt, and scrapbook and is attempting (as she says) to become a runner. Heidi is a life long learner and on a faith-based journey with God. In this episode, my friends, you will learn tha...

Over the past 15 years, Dr. Jody Carrington has assessed, treated, educated, and empowered some of our most vulnerable and precious souls on the planet. She is a child psychologist by trade, but Jody rarely treats kids. The answer lies, she believes, in the people who hold them. Especially when kids have experienced trauma, that’s when they need big people the most. Some of her favorites include educators, parents, first responders, and foster parents. Jody has shifted the way they think and fee...

Welcome back to the In AWE Podcast and our series on Generosity. This series continues to amaze me in its depth, and I cannot wait to share the incredible story from today’s episode with you. Shelly Biessel is a mother of two, educator, and co-founder of Love Conquers Violence, a Minneapolis based non-profit with a powerful mission to end domestic violence in their community. Shelly and her husband, Nick co-founded Love Conquers Violence after they lost tragically Nick’s sister to a domestic abu...

Amber Teamann is the proud principal of Whitt Elementary in Wylie ISD in Wylie, Texas. During her educational career, Amber’s comprehensive understanding of student learning has resulted in a successful blend of technology and teaching. From a 4th grade teacher at a public school technology center to her role as a Title I Technology Facilitator responsible for 17 campuses, Amber has helped students and staff navigate their digital abilities and responsibilities. As the proud principal of Whitt E...

Tamara Letter is a passionate educator with more than two decades of experience as an elementary teacher, differentiation specialist, technology integrator, instructional coach, and conference presenter. She received the 2018 R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence and is the author of the incredible book, A Passion for Kindness: Making the World a Better Place to Lead, Love, and Learn. In this episode, we not only get to learn about Tamara’s inspirational birthday project that morphed into a serio...

Bryn Beyer is a self-proclaimed traditional oldest sibling, nature-lover, and adventure-seeker. Bryn graduated from the Kern Ministry Program at Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor’s in Christian Ministry and Master’s in Practical Theology. She is now the Outreach Coordinator at Red Cedar Church in Rice Lake, WI, where she leads six different ministries under the outreach umbrella. In this episode, we get to hear about Bryn’s leadership in carrying out a core value of Irrational Generosi...

In this Jolt episode, Sarah Johnson shares about the transformative power of practicing gratitude for ourselves as well a those around us. She shares research alignment, stories, and illustrates points from stories features during the month of November on the In AWE Podcast. Check out the at The In AWE Podcast or In AWE Website Engage with Sarah at Sarah's Website Resources for Gratitude: The Transformative Power of Gratitude Huffington Post Four Gratitude Strategies Berkely It's Worth It Poem...

Elisabeth Bostwick is a multi-award-winning educator who is passionate about creating the conditions to spark curiosity and unleash creativity to empower learning. She is the author of Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation and co-author of Education Write Now, Volume II: Top Strategies for Improving Relationships and Culture. As an instructional coach supporting K-12 teachers, Elisabeth serves alongside colleagues to deepen learning, leveraging highly effective strategies that engage...

Michele Hill is a passionate educator who serves as a coordinator of admissions and communications at Burlington County Institute of Technology. Throughout her career as an educator, Michele has been a champion for struggling and impoverished students. Michele has been a guest blogger for ASCD Inservice, McGraw Hill, Principal Leadership, Teacher Tool Kit UK, Edweek and ASCD Road Tested. Michele is the host of DisrupteEdTv Teacher Sparks and producer of DisruptEdTV School Spotlight. You can foll...

Ms. Trelane Clark is a native of Boston and mother of two a vibrant, 5-year-old daughter and a charming, sweet 15-year-old son. She is currently a middle school assistant principal. Over the course of her 22-year career, Trelane has served as students and teachers in urban, suburban, public, private and religious schools as a teacher, school administrator, and workshop presenter in districts inside and outside of Boston, Massachusetts, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Trelane has li...

Lisa Gaede is a mother of a 20 year old son, have been remarried 9 years, she has two stepsons who we share her house and time on weekends. Lisa just started her 29th year as an elementary speech/language pathologist. She commutes an hour each way to work because she loves her job and the people she works with. When she is not commuting or working, Lisa enjoys exercising, reading, knitting, crocheting, taking part in Twitter chats, listening to podcasts, spending time with family and friends, an...

Sarah shares an awe inspiring story to prompt listeners to see the beauty in the world. In this episode, Sarah recounts her experience of facing fears and several obstacles to run her first marathon three years ago and return in time for Halloween with her small children. Check out her story and share your own experiences at #InAWEtoRISE --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/inawepodcast/message

Dr. Sanée Bell is the principal of Morton Ranch Junior High in Katy, Texas. She has also served as an elementary principal, assistant principal, teacher, and coach. In 2015, Sanée was recognized as the Katy ISD Elementary Principal of the Year. She earned her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston Clear Lake. Sanée is passionate about authentic, purposeful learning for students and teachers, and she also has a stro...

Two head principals early in their career, Karen & Christy began The Modern Principal together to organize a community of EduQueens doing their best to lead and reform education, no matter their role. The Modern Principal is a collection of thoughts on all subjects education that helps to redefine the role of leadership in our schools. They use their combined voices to steer the new generation of teacher leaders and administrators as they examine the systems in place in schools and challenge the...

To kick off our Fearlessness series, I am bringing to you an incredibly special person in my life. This woman has literally laughed alongside me in all the seasons from awkward, exuberant high school years to companionship in our twenties, through husbands, and babies, loss, and life shift. She is a seriously bright light in this world, and I know you will love her story. Kyleen Engelstad is a wife and mother and works as a benefits consultant with Marsh & McLennan Agency. Kyleen has been in the...

Tiffany Ott is the Director of Curriculum Development with the Teach Better Team, a high school math teacher in Ohio, the founder of #MasteryChat, and an educational technology fanatic. She just can’t get enough of teaching and learning! Whether it’s connecting with a teacher struggling to make mastery learning work, writing about education, designing units, or speaking up on a stage to teachers who want to change the world with awesome teaching, she is hooked on all things education. In this ep...

Alana Stanton is a kindergarten teacher at Mulberry Elementary School in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Over the past 15 years she has worked with first grade, second grade, and taught technology special. Alana believes relationships always come first in the classroom and that bringing passion into her lessons instills a love for learning. In this episode, we learn how Alana has used challenging life experiences as real life lessons from which to grow into a better teacher and person. She shares the ...

Janie LaFave is a Kindergarten Teacher FOR LIFE with A heart for GOD. She is a mom to three of her own children and an Organo Coffee Distributor. Janie says, “There is always something to LOVE in everyone of us and if you can't find it you're not looking hard enough. We sing! We dance! We PLAY! YES PLAY!” and her motto to live by is SHINE ON. I posed the idea to Janie to be featured this month at one of her craziest times of the year, “Open House”, fully expecting she would shoot me down. This w...

Jennifer Lotze is the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Hudson School District. She previously served as an Instructional Technology Trainer in the Sheboygan Area School District and an Educational Consultant at CESA 11. During her teaching career, she worked as a Cross Categorical Special Educator and focused on teaching individuals with disabilities how to use technology to be successful in their everyday lives. Within her special education program, she helped her students to create...

Sarah shares a moment from her week with you to provide energy or a boost for you. Share yours at #InAWEtoRISE. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/inawepodcast/message

Karen Caswell is an experienced educator, passionate reader and lifelong learner. She is currently a Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator at a primary school on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Karen is an Early Childhood trained teacher, who has also been privileged to work in a variety of roles and settings during her 24 year career. In October 2018, Karen started the #TLAPdownunder chat and community on Twitter, so that educators in Australia could be part of the extended #tlap community....