Episodes

What if leadership isn't about carrying more? What if the true responsibility of a leader isn't solving every problem but intentionally creating the conditions where other people can do their best work? In this special solo e...

Landing your first leadership position is exciting...until reality sets in. The meetings, the emails, the difficult conversations, the angry parents, and the constant interruptions can quickly pull new administrators away fro...

Dr. Chris Culver returns to Leaning Into Leadership for a powerful follow-up conversation centered around his new book, Be the Light: The Science of Kindness and the Power of Belonging . If you enjoyed Chris's first appearanc...

What does leadership look like when the world is changing faster than ever before? In this episode of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with Molly Rosen, Co-CEO of ProjectNext Leadership, for a...

In this episode, Darrin sits down with leadership coach and new author Jo Lein to explore what really drives change in people and organizations—and why most coaching efforts fall short when they focus only on skills. Jo intro...

What happens when strong leaders slowly stop speaking? In this reflective solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard explores the hidden cost of compliance-based leadership cultures and the long-term impact they can have on trust, alig...

In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership , Darrin sits down with Dr. Nason Lollar to explore a topic often overlooked in leadership conversations—educator professionalism. Drawing from his book The Five Principles of Educat...

In this episode, Darrin sits down with Dr. Joy Karavedas to explore what it really means to develop leaders intentionally—and why that “tap on the shoulder” can be life-changing. Joy shares her journey into leadership and how...

In this episode, Darrin sits down with Megan Diede to unpack one of the most pressing challenges in schools today: authentic student engagement . The conversation begins with a familiar frustration—classrooms full of students...

In this final episode of the 3-part planning series, Darrin Peppard shifts from planning and preparation to something even more important— what happens when your plan meets reality . Through a candid story from his time as a ...

This month, we’ve been focused on one thing: building plans that don’t just sound good—but actually work. In this episode, Darrin is joined by Kathleen Beckham, Molly Dexter, and Brandon Mawhorter from digiCOACH for a real, u...

In this mid-week episode, Darrin steps away from long-range planning to focus on something just as powerful— small, intentional actions leaders can take right now . With only weeks left in the school year, it’s easy to feel s...

What Has to Be True by August? In Part 2 of this 3-part series on planning for the upcoming school year, Darrin shifts the focus from planning to preparation . You already know what you want to accomplish next year—but what a...

This week kicks off a three-part solo series focused on one critical question: How do we actually plan for success in the coming school year? April is a time when leaders are deep in planning—budgets, staffing, schedules, and...

In this episode of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast, Dr. Darrin Peppard takes on a challenge that quietly impacts even the strongest leadership teams: misalignment . You can have talented, committed leaders who care deeply...

In this episode, Darrin sits down with Brooke Dukes to explore a challenge that many leaders face—but often don’t recognize: Becoming the bottleneck. We talk about how this happens unintentionally, why it’s so common among hi...

One of the most rewarding parts of hosting Leaning Into Leadership is hearing from listeners who are doing the work every day. In this episode, Darrin responds to a question from a first-year principal in upstate New York who...

Leadership today often feels like navigating constant change. Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity are realities many leaders face daily. But resilience is not about simply pushing through the chaos — it’s about...

One of the most common mistakes schools make is confusing a resource with a curriculum. A textbook gets adopted. A program is purchased. A shiny new initiative is rolled out. And suddenly everyone says, “Great… we have a curr...

This is Part 3 of a three-part series on leadership presence. In Episode 262, we explored the hidden cost of distraction and how trust and psychological safety erode when leaders aren’t fully present. In Episode 263, we discu...

In Episode 262 , we explored the hidden cost of distraction and how trust, psychological safety, and connection erode when leaders aren’t fully present. This is Part 2 of our three-part series on leadership presence. In this ...

This episode kicks off a powerful three-part series on leadership presence. In Part 1, Darrin explores the hidden cost of distraction and how leaders unintentionally erode trust, psychological safety, and emotional connection...

In Episode 261, I’m coming to you on location from Edmond, Oklahoma, where I had the opportunity to sit down with my friend Joe Beckman at the OASSP conference. Joe has spent more than 20 years traveling the world with one si...

In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership , I’m joined by George Couros , one of the most influential voices in education around innovation, culture, and human-centered leadership. George and I dig into his leadership journe...