Episodes

This episode is sponsored by Peer Driven PD - Visit peerdrivenpd.com and request a quote. Tell them the Leaning into Leadership podcast sent you, and they’ll give you a free trial access so you can check out all of their content and decide for yourself and 10% off your first year’s subscription. My guest is Angela Maiers: Leader. Visionary. Entrepreneur. Disruptor. Change Maker. Angela Maiers embodies each of these descriptors with passion, commitment, and fierce determination. She has been crea...

Check out When Calling Parents Isn't Your Calling by Crystal Frommert from Road to Awesome publishing. Andrew Marotta is an energetic and enthusiastic leader who has put his positive imprint on his beloved Port Jervis HS, in Port Jervis, NY. With the release of his first book, The School Leader: Surviving and Thriving, Andrew is expanding his impact on the educational leadership community. Andrew is the author of four books, most recently completing Dads, Leaders, & Father Figures. In his pers...

Elizabeth Dampf is the director of professional learning at Round Lake Area Schools 116 in the Chicago area. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a Master of Arts in School Improvement Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University. She has worked in education for thirteen years. Here are link to the articles on martyr mentality, quiet quitting, and imposter syndrome in school leadership Check out all of Elizabeth's wor...

Dr. Phil Campbell, known to his students and staff as PC, is a veteran educator with a passion for loving kids and motivating educators. His goal is to assist schools in becoming the best learning environment they can possibly be for students to learn and for teachers to teach. His philosophy to accomplish this is simple: put relationships first, genuinely love and protect one another, and create a sense of family within your school setting. With educational experience as a teacher, coach, athle...

Maria Barrera is the founder of Clayful, a company on a mission to help kids build the skills and resilience to tackle anything that comes their way. Clayful is saving some pilot spots for the Leading into Leadership Podcast community! To learn more go to clayful.co/leadership. Throughout her career in education, technology, and human resources, she has always been focused on solving big problems in complex systems. Now, she is tackling the biggest problem of all - the mental health crisis. Ma...

Want PD that's like a Master Class for Teachers? Connect with Peer Driven PD at Connect with Peer Driven PD at https://peerdrivenpd.com/ to learn more. Make sure you tell them the Leaning into Leadership podcast sent you and get your FREE trial access! Aaron Keith Hawkins is an author, motivational leadership and success keynote speaker, and personal performance mentor. He's an internationally recognized podcast host, and has been featured as a subject matter expert on dozens of podcasts, radio ...

Michelle Osterhoudt is a wife, mother, and 24-year educator and community leader. Active in civil rights work within her community, Michelle serves as the Vice President of the Oneonta Area NAACP. Michelle has also served on the Commission on Community Relations and Human Rights for the City of Oneonta and was the first African American Council member for the city of Oneonta serving the 4th Ward. A project Michelle is most proud of is her Collaboration with Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown a...

Brian T. Miller is a husband, father of five, reader, writer, blogger, public speaker, podcaster, and proud principal of Chief Joseph Elementary. Samwise Gamge is his hero. Check out Brian's Schurtz & Ties podcast here Connect with Brian: Website: Millerbrian.com Facebook: Brian T. Miller Twitter: @Miller_brian_ or @SchurtzandTies TikTok: miller_brian_ Get your autographed copy of Road to Awesome: The Journey of a Leader here Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here Gr...

Welcome to a special mid-week episode of Leaning into Leadership. I was once an aspiring administrator and know how challenging the job search process can be. As someone who believes so strongly in supporting and coaching early career leaders, I think these mid-week episodes (and yes, there will be more) can have a great impact on those just starting or getting ready to start a career in leadership. On this episode, I will share three tips for aspiring leaders to consider. Think about the oppo...

Jamin Heppell is the a co-creator and leadership coach of Mountains and Marathons, which is a revolutionary leadership development company that focuses on holistic transformation and completes each program with an epic physical challenge, such as running a marathon or climbing a mountain in iconic locations around the world. Jamin’s clients have included senior executives of Fortune 500 companies, leaders of international non-profits, founders of multi-million dollar start-ups, leaders in Netwo...

Hal Bowman can see the future, and he is determined to do all he can to change it for the better, one life at a time. He is certain that schools are the key to a better world down the road. “Every school can be a phenomenal school” is his mantra, and it shows in his actions. Most days, you are likely to find him with his shirtsleeves rolled up and doing at least one thing to make it so. He is constantly mulling over the possibilities while designing programs, road maps, and materials to help mak...

Mark Herschberg is the author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You and creator of the Brain Bump app. From tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web to creating marketplaces and new authentication systems, Mark has spent his career launching and developing new ventures at startups and Fortune 500s and in academia, with over a dozen patents to his name. He helped to start the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, dubbed MIT’s “career success a...

Thomas Annunziata is the Director of Student Activities at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia. Mr. Annunziata is a 3-time Teacher of the Year and recent addition to the Freedom Eagles Administration team. In the short time since accepting the role as Freedom’s Activities Director in August , Mr. Annunziata has brought Wrestling, Swim, Golf, and Baseball back to the school expanding the opportunities available to the students. He continues to look for ways to increase opportunities for s...

John VanDusen is currently an 8th grade U.S. History teacher in Kingsford, Michigan where he also enjoys coaching football and being involved in his church along with his wife and son. John served as a military police and infantry platoon leader in Baghdad, Iraq. When he returned, he began his teaching and coaching career while continuing with the military. He is also an instructor in the Army reserves where he teaches Army Majors masters level courses as part of their professional military educ...

Jen Rafferty is an educator, author, and international public speaker, who started as a middle school music teacher for 15 years in Central New York. She is known for bringing her energy, humor and expertise in her presentations while inspiring educators to stay connected to their "why." Jen is a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Since its inception, the Empowered Educator has reached teachers and school leaders all over...

Robert Jordan is the CEO of InterimExecs, which matches top executives with companies around the world. Based on research with thousands of leaders and companies, he and Olivia Wagner wrote Right Leader Right Time: Discover Your Leadership Style for a Winning Career and Company, and have launched the FABS Leadership Assessment, a free assessment at RightLeader.com designed to help leaders and organizations perform better. Jordan also authored How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Hea...

Let's reflect on 2022, our goals, our successes, and our short comings. Great leaders are the ones who are willing to be open and transparent about their work. Great leaders are the ones who are aware of their failures and look at failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. As my friend Wade Stanford shared this week, "It is nearly impossible for you to have your best idea the first time you think about something. The most likely way to uncover important insights is to frequently revisit a prob...

Erin Jones has been involved in and around schools for the past 26 years. She has taught in a variety of environments, from predominantly Black to predominantly White to some of the most diverse communities in the nation. Erin received an award as the Most Innovative Foreign Language Teacher in 2007, while teaching in Tacoma and was the Washington State Milken Educator of the Year in 2008, while teaching in Spokane. She received recognition at the White House in March of 2013 as a "Champion of C...

Mike Alpert founded Peer Driven PD in 2019 with the goal of bringing streamlined, private sector solutions to public education. Mike’s corporate experience as a project analyst for an international renewable energy firm (Iberdrola Renewables) and as a financial services specialist (employee credit union of Intel and Microsoft) led him to realize the importance of education across all fields. Mike earned his MBA at Portland State University, with focused coursework in finance and innovation manag...

Dr. Larry Dake has served in leadership positions for over 12 years as a curriculum coordinator, principal, and assistant superintendent. He attended King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and Binghamton University, in Binghamton, NY. Beyond spending time with family, Larry is an avid fan of baseball history and spends way too much time looking up stats on baseball-reference.com. Professionally, Larry has served as a school leader for 13 years spanning three districts and roles as a curriculum coor...

Rick Morton has been a Jostens representative in Tacoma, WA for the last 21 years. Rick grew up in San Diego and has been married to his High School sweetheart for 34 years. Rick has 3 adult children and 1 grandkid. His passion is to help every school he serves improve their environment with proven strategies and programs. Rick believes that Jostens Renaissance plays a significant role in helping schools go from good to great. Rick says, "I am who I am today because of the heroes in my life that...

Jonathan Alsheimer is the unorthodox, energetic, and entertaining middle school teacher who refuses to live a life of limitations. He currently teaches at the Chancellor Middle School in Spotsylvania County, VA. In addition to being a passionate educator, Jonathan is an international keynote speaker and the author of "NEXT LEVEL TEACHING," a #1 new release in education on Amazon in March of 2020. Jonathan worked at the world-renowned Fred Lynn Middle School, which was featured in two documentar...

Dr. Dan Kreiness is an instructional leader, podcast host, author, and speaker who constantly searches for the most effective ways to advance education and produce high student achievement. Dr. Kreiness has worked in education for over 16 years as a school administrator, instructional coach, intervention specialist, and classroom teacher while working in districts in the New York City metro area in New York and Connecticut. Dr. Kreiness holds a doctorate degree in leadership and master’s degrees...

Texas-born & raised, Dr. Amy Mathews-Perez is currently in her 30th year of public education where she has served as a General Ed. Teacher, SLP, Diagnostician, SPED Supervisor, Principal, Assistant Principal and a Director of Special Education. Dr. Mathews-Perez has worked in the private sector as an Education Coordinator at a County JJAEP and in both home health & nursing home settings as an SLP. As a learner, she considers herself an “Experience Expert.” Amy lists passions as communication & l...