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
Feb. 1, 2026
Episode 259: ALIGN - The Antidote to the Cycle of Chaos in Leadership Teams
Ever left a leadership team meeting feeling like it was so productive —then realized a week later nothing really changed? In this solo episode, Darrin unpacks why that gap between effort and impact is rarely about commitment—...
Jan. 25, 2026
Episode 258: The Hidden Work - What Separates High Performers from Underachievers with Weston Kieschnick
Weston Kieschnick has been in the work for a long time—as a classroom teacher, coach, author, and speaker—and this conversation feels like two colleagues reconnecting around what actually drives performance. We dig into Westo...
Jan. 21, 2026
Episode 257: Escaping the Cycle of Chaos
Leadership doesn’t fall apart overnight. More often, it slowly drifts into a pattern that feels overwhelming, exhausting, and reactive. In this solo episode, Darrin introduces The Cycle of Chaos —a framework that helps leader...
Jan. 18, 2026
Episode 256: Rethinking Intervention and Tutoring with Jennifer Sheffield
School leaders everywhere are wrestling with the same challenge: How do we support students who are behind — without overwhelming teachers or relying on systems that don’t deliver results? In this episode of Leaning Into Lead...
Jan. 12, 2026
Episode 255: Angry Parents, Calm Leaders - A Framework for School Leaders
In this special shared episode, Darrin Peppard and Dr. Frederick Buskey —host of The Assistant Principal Podcast —tackle a challenge leaders are facing more and more often: angry, escalated parent interactions . This conversa...
Jan. 4, 2026
Episode 254: Hope Dealer with Dr. Mark Brown
What does it mean to be a dealer in hope — not as the source of hope, but as someone who helps others discover it for themselves? In this first episode of 2026, Darrin sits down with longtime friend and colleague Dr. Mark Bro...
Dec. 28, 2025
Episode 253: A Look Back, A Look Forward, and Trends I'm Seeing for 2026
As 2025 comes to a close, Dr. Darrin Peppard reflects on the year that was and what the work of leadership is asking of us as we head into 2026. In this year-end solo episode, Darrin invites both individual leaders and leader...
Dec. 21, 2025
Episode 252: The Leader You're Not with Scott Borba
This episode is sponsored by DigiCoach. Make walkthroughs meaningful. Simplify your coaching culture. Visit digiCOACH.com and mention Darrin for special partner pricing. In Episode 252 of Leaning Into Leadership , Darrin Pepp...
Dec. 14, 2025
Episode 251: Overcoming Passion Drift - A Conversation with Dr. Danny Steele
This episode is sponsored by DigiCoach. Make walkthroughs meaningful. Simplify your coaching culture. Visit digiCOACH.com and mention Darrin for special partner pricing. In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Darr...
Dec. 10, 2025
Episode 250: Flipping the Mic - Lessons from 250 Episodes of Leaning Into Leadership
This episode is sponsored by DigiCoach Make walkthroughs meaningful. Simplify your coaching culture. Visit digiCOACH.com and mention Darrin for special partner pricing. For this milestone episode, the script gets flipped. Lon...
Dec. 7, 2025
Episode 249: From Pioneer to Powerhouse - Building Culture at Valor Christian with Keith Wahl
This episode is sponsored by DigiCoach Make walkthroughs meaningful. Simplify your coaching culture. Visit digiCOACH.com and mention Darrin for special partner pricing. If you’ve followed high-level high school athletics—espe...
Nov. 30, 2025
Episode 248: People First Leadership - A Conversation with NAESP President April Knight
This episode is sponsored by DigiCoach Make walkthroughs meaningful. Simplify your coaching culture. Visit digiCOACH.com and mention Darrin for special partner pricing. In this inspiring episode, NAESP President April D. Knig...
Nov. 23, 2025
Episode 247: You Don’t Have to Leave to Lead - A Conversation with Dr. Chris Jochum
Sponsor Spotlight: digiCOACH Support for today’s episode comes from digiCOACH — the walkthrough and coaching platform designed to simplify data collection, strengthen feedback, and improve instructional clarity. Visit digiCOA...
Nov. 20, 2025
Episode 246: The 8-Step Framework Every Leader Needs for Difficult Conversations
Sponsor Spotlight: digiCOACH Support for today’s episode comes from digiCOACH — the walkthrough and coaching platform designed to simplify data collection, strengthen feedback, and improve instructional clarity. Visit digiCOA...
Nov. 16, 2025
Episode 245: Belonging Begins with Us - Leadership Lessons from Jayme Braida
Partner Spotlight: Let’s face it — leadership is complex. That’s why Darrin is proud to partner with digiCOACH, a walkthrough and coaching platform that simplifies observation and feedback so leaders can focus on what really ...
Nov. 9, 2025
Episode 244: Clarity - A Leader’s Secret Weapon
Partner Spotlight: Let’s face it — leadership is complex. That’s why Darrin is proud to partner with digiCOACH , a walkthrough and coaching platform that simplifies observation and feedback so leaders can focus on what really...
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...
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