Leaning into Leadership
We all want to see successes in both our personal and professional lives. Often, that requires strong leadership. In a time when leadership can be more challenging than ever, this podcast is dedicated to cultivating leaders by elevating the voices of leaders and promoting positivity. Join Dr. Darrin Peppard, lifelong educator and best-selling author, for this mixed platform podcast (some solo, some guest interview) for inspiration and insight, and some great leadership stories from those are living it, excelling at it, and celebrating it. Together, let's lean into leadership.
Recent Episodes
Nov. 2, 2025
Episode 243: Unbreakable Leadership - Strategies for Surviving Toxic Environments with Kate Lowry
Clarity in leadership starts with visibility—and that’s exactly what DigiCoach delivers. Designed to simplify walkthroughs and feedback, DigiCoach helps school leaders build a culture of coaching rooted in trust, consistency,...
Oct. 26, 2025
Episode 242: Building the Bench - Leadership Growth with Dr. Dan Hornick
In this special on-location episode of Leaning Into Leadership , Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with longtime friend and colleague Dr. Daniel Hornick , Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in Virginia. Together, they ...
Oct. 22, 2025
Episode 241: Six Quotes That Shaped My Leadership (and the Road to Awesome)
Episode summary To celebrate the launch of darrinpeppard.com , Darrin shares six quotes that have shaped his leadership—and how each one connects to clarity, systems, purpose, relationships, and the courage to take the road l...
Oct. 19, 2025
Episode 240: Leading Through What You Can’t Control
In this solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard dives deep into one of the hardest challenges leaders face — guiding their teams through circumstances completely outside their control. From district-wide budget cuts to post-COVID un...
Oct. 12, 2025
Episode 239: The Science of Action - Unlocking Your Conative Strengths with David Kolbe
Leadership starts with self-awareness—but most assessments only tell part of the story. In this episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with David Kolbe , CEO of Kolbe Corp , to explore the conative side of the human mind—the p...
Oct. 5, 2025
Episode 238: Leading with Clarity with Casey Watts
In this episode, I sit down with Casey Watts—speaker, author, thought leader, and creator of the Clarity Cycle Framework . With over 20 years in education and a decade of coaching experience, Casey has helped countless leader...
Sept. 28, 2025
Episode 237: Family, Faith, and Fist Bumps with Dr. Zac Bauermaster
In this week’s episode of Leaning Into Leadership , I sit down with Dr. Zac Bauermaster, an elementary principal in Lancaster County, PA, whose fist-bump videos with students recently went viral — one reaching over 382 millio...
Sept. 21, 2025
Episode 236: Courage, Recovery, and Hope with Dr. Kacy Shahid & Dr. Kevin Lein
In this episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard is joined by Dr. Kacy Shahid and Dr. Kevin Lein , members of NASSP’s Principal Recovery Network . They share their personal journeys through tragedy, the lessons they’ve learned, and the ho...
Sept. 17, 2025
Episode 235: Cutting Through the Buzzwords and Bringing Clarity to Leadership Language
In this solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard dives into the leadership buzzwords we all hear — and probably use — without stopping to define. Words like collaboration, accountability, engagement, data-driven, and professional dev...
Sept. 14, 2025
Episode 234: Second Mile Leadership with Dr. Jason Williamson
Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with Dr. Jason Williamson—speaker, author, and creator of the Second Mile Mentality —to explore how leaders move beyond minimum expectations and build cultures where presence becomes proof. From a...
Sept. 7, 2025
Episode 233: Racing the Future with Brad Waid - AI, Industry 4.0, and Leadership
In Episode 233 of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast, Dr. Darrin Peppard welcomes Brad Waid — award-winning Emerging Technology Leader, international keynote speaker, and global futurist. Brad shares insights from his forthc...
Aug. 31, 2025
Episode 232: Six Essential Elements of School Culture (and How Leaders Shape Them)
In this solo episode of Leaning Into Leadership , Dr. Darrin Peppard dives into the heartbeat of every great school: its culture. Drawing from personal experiences as a principal and superintendent, as well as insights from h...
Aug. 24, 2025
Episode 231: Building Trust and Leading with Courage - A Conversation with Dr. Jen Schwanke
This week on the Leaning Into Leadership podcast, I sit down with Dr. Jen Schwanke, a seasoned educator, author, and deputy superintendent with nearly three decades of experience. Together, we explore the history of public ed...
Aug. 17, 2025
Episode 230: Leading with Grace - Navigating Your Leadership Lifespan with Julia Bialeski
What if your approach to leadership could be defined by just six words: Be brave, and care about people ? Julia Bialeski has lived those words throughout her 20+ year career in public education, serving as a teacher, instruct...
Aug. 13, 2025
Episode 229: Start Strong, Stay Strong - 5 Intentional Leadership Moves for the Year
The energy of a new school year is electric — but how do you make sure it lasts past the first bell in August? In this solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard shares five intentional leadership moves to keep your momentum alive from...
Aug. 10, 2025
Episode 228: Strengthening PLCs with Clarity, Trust, and Purpose with Dr. Chad Dumas
In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership , Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with Dr. Chad Dumas—PLC expert, consultant, and author of the new book The Teacher Team Leader Handbook . Together, they unpack what it takes to build ...
Aug. 3, 2025
Episode 227: Leadership Starts with Clarity: A Joint Episode with Joshua Stamper
In this special joint episode of Leaning Into Leadership and Aspire to Lead , Darrin Peppard and Joshua Stamper team up once again for their annual back-to-school leadership conversation. As educators and leaders gear up for ...
July 27, 2025
Episode 226: Stressed Leaders Stay in the Game with Dan Stecken
Too many school leaders wear burnout like a badge of honor. Dan Stecken was one of them—until he hit a wall. In this episode, Dan, the Superintendent of Seneca Township High School in Illinois, joins Darrin to share his power...
July 20, 2025
Episode 225: Creating High Performing Leadership Teams with the AWESOME Framework
In this solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard shares the framework and mindset behind truly effective leadership teams. Drawing on his work from coast to coast, including a recent workshop at the Innovative Schools Summit in Nashv...
July 13, 2025
Episode 224: The Liminal Space with Dr. Chris Fuzie
In Episode 224 , Dr. Chris Fuzie joins Darrin for a fascinating conversation on behavior-based leadership and the concept of “liminal space”—the space where individuals lead and follow simultaneously. Drawing from his 28 year...
July 8, 2025
Episode 223 NASSP POY Series Finale: Shauna Haney and the Power of Purposeful Leadership
In episode 223, Darrin wraps up the special six-part NASSP Principal of the Year finalist series with an inspiring conversation with Shauna Haney , Principal of Ogden High School in Ogden, Utah. Shauna shares her journey from...
Join the Email List
Listen On
Related Shows
Leaning into Leadership
Visit Page
Modern Math Teacher
Visit Page
Aspire to Lead
Visit Page
Time for Teachership
Visit Page
Schurtz and Ties: A podcast about education and culture
Visit Page
Catching Up with Casey
Visit Page
Unapologetic Leadership
Visit Page
Limitless Leadership Lounge
Visit Page
Lead with HOPE Podcast
Visit Page
The Happy Music Teacher
Visit Page
Teaching Champions
Visit Page
Educational Leadership with Principal JL
Visit Page
Teach Happier! Small shifts. Big gifts.
Visit Page
The Jeff Bradbury Show
Visit Page
The Language of Behavior
Visit Page
Unlocking Unlimited Potential Stories
Visit Page
In AWE Podcast
Visit Page
The Ed Essentials Podcast
Visit Page
Science 360
Visit Page
Moments of ImpartED Joy
Visit Page
Learner-Centered Spaces
Visit Page
Leading Collaborative Response
Visit Page
Digital Learning Today: Where Productivity Meets Innovation in the Classroom.
Visit Page
Building a Culture of Collaboration
Visit Page
Leader of Learning
Visit Page
Making the Grade Podcast
Visit Page
EduMagic: Future Teacher Podcast
Visit Page
The Shut Up and Teach Podcast
Visit Page
The Reading Teacher's Playbook with Eva Mireles
Visit Page
The Secret Sauce with Kip Shubert
Visit Page
powerED Up
Visit Page
The Pixel Classroom Podcast
Visit Page
Ask The Tech Coach
Visit Page
plAI Around and Find Out!
Visit Page
Teach Better Talk
Visit Page
Design Cast
Visit Page