Episodes

As leaders prepare to welcome staff back for a new school year, many spend hours refining presentations, updating strategic plans, and perfecting opening-day messages. But what if the most powerful thing your staff needs isn't a polished speech—it's your passion? In this personal birthday episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard shares how a day spent Jeeping through Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Lake, and the Colorado mountains reminded him of the importance of reconnecting with the things that make ...

As another school year begins, principals across the country are busy preparing classrooms, finalizing schedules, reviewing procedures, and checking countless items off their opening-week to-do lists. But what if the most important preparation has nothing to do with the building? In this solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard challenges school leaders to stop asking, "Is the school ready?" and begin asking, "Am I ready?" Drawing from his own experiences as a principal, superintendent, and leadership...

Leadership growth isn't always about discovering a new strategy. More often, it's about becoming aware of something that has been true all along. In this solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard shares two defining leadership stories that changed the way he thinks about coaching, feedback, and personal growth. From a simple conversation with a superintendent that forever changed his communication style to a coaching experience that revealed the hidden system keeping a leader overwhelmed, this episode e...

Relationships don't happen by accident. The strongest classrooms, teams, and organizations are built through intentional habits that communicate one simple message: You matter here. In Episode 288 of Leaning Into Leadership, Darrin sits down with veteran educator, football coach, and leadership speaker Tom Walls to discuss the power of what he calls microinclusions—small, repeatable actions that create belonging, trust, and buy-in without requiring hours of preparation. Drawing from more than 3...

What if one of the most powerful leadership lessons isn't found in the principal's office—but inside a classroom? In this episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with educator, author, and Teaching Inside Out founder Kim Gameroz to discuss why intentionality—not simply strategy—is what transforms classrooms, educators, and school culture. Kim shares the inspiration behind her book Becoming the BISON, explains why bison run into storms instead of away from them, and introduces her powerful framew...

Leadership isn’t just about the impact you create today. It’s about the leaders you prepare for tomorrow. In this annual shared episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with fellow leadership coach, author, and podcast host Joshua Stamper for a powerful conversation about one of the most important responsibilities of leadership: developing the next generation of leaders. Darrin and Joshua begin by reflecting on transitions, stress, and the reality every leader faces — even the best plans encounter...

What does effective school leadership look like in a rapidly changing world? In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Darrin Peppard sits down with Debra Wilson, President of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, organizational alignment, AI, demographic shifts, and the future of education. Drawing on more than two decades of experience supporting school leaders, Debra shares why today's educational challenges require leaders...

What does it take to build a leadership team that truly works? In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with Marlene Rombach, Rocio Rhoads, and Christina Shires—the leadership team at Locust Grove Middle School in Locust Grove, Virginia—to reflect on their first year leading together. With a first-year principal, a first-year assistant principal, and an assistant principal stepping into a significantly expanded role, this team faced enormous challenges from day ...

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 episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Dr. Darrin Peppard reflects on a week of leadership coaching, keynote speaking, and executive development that led him to articulate a philosophy that has quietly guided his work for years. Building on the response to his recent blog, I ...

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 from the work they were most excited to do: leading people and supporting learning. In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Dr. Darrin Peppard is joined by Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns, experienced school leaders and co-authors, for a practical conversation about survivin...

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 appearance on Episode 214: The Science of Kindness, you're going to love where this conversation goes next. While Episode 214 explored the research behind kindness, this discussion takes a deeper look at how belonging, empathy, neuroscience, and intentional leadership can transform t...

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 powerful conversation about leadership transitions, succession development, organizational agility, and the growing impact of AI on leadership and workplace culture. Molly works with leaders across industries including tech, biotech, and entertainment, helping organizatio...

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 introduces the concept of Disruptive Mindset Coaching, challenging leaders to move beyond surface-level fixes and address the beliefs that shape behavior. Topics Covered: The difference between skill gaps and belief barriers Why people aren’t “uncoachable”—they’re often opera...

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, alignment, and organizational health. Drawing from personal leadership experiences, conversations with leaders around the country, and John Maxwell’s “Law of the Lid,” Darrin unpacks what happens when high-capacity leaders find themselves working in environments driven more by...

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 Educator Professionalism, Nason introduces the TRUST framework, a practical approach to connecting individual behaviors with school culture. The conversation dives into how small, everyday actions—not just major incidents—shape the success, safety, and climate of a school. Key T...

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 her research revealed a powerful pattern: nearly every leader can point to a moment when someone saw their potential before they did. The conversation dives into: The importance of intentionally building a leadership pipeline Why performance alone isn’t enough to identi...

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 disengaged on devices—and quickly reframes the issue. It’s not about abandoning technology. It’s about being intentional and purposeful with instruction. Megan introduces a powerful shift in thinking: Engagement isn’t about activity—it’s about connection. Together, they ...

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 superintendent implementing project-based learning, Darrin shares what worked, what didn’t, and the leadership lessons that emerged when execution didn’t match expectations. Because the truth is—most plans don’t fail in the planning phase. They fail in the implementation. ...

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, unscripted conversation about what it takes to build—and execute—a plan that improves classroom instruction. This isn’t about theory. It’s about what actually moves the needle. Drawing from their experiences as educators, coaches, and system-level partners, Kathy, Molly, ...

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 stuck in the daily grind. But meaningful leadership doesn’t require a new initiative or a perfect plan. It comes from clear priorities, consistent actions, and intentional choices. In this episode, Darrin shares 10 practical leadership moves you can implement immediately to: ...

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 are you doing right now to make that success possible? This episode challenges leaders to stop waiting for August and instead take intentional steps today that set the foundation for a strong start. Key Takeaways Preparation > Planning Planning identifies the goal. Prepara...

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 resources are all coming together. But too often, we focus on what we’re going to do without fully thinking through how we set our teams up for success. In this episode, Darrin challenges a common leadership assumption—that the work starts in August—and introduces a diffe...

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 about their work—and still feel like something is off. Conversations feel unclear. Decisions take longer than they should. Initiatives pile up without traction. That’s misalignment. And while it may not be loud or obvious, it comes at a cost. In this episode, Darrin brea...

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 high-performing leaders, and how it ultimately limits both team growth and organizational success. Brooke brings a powerful perspective to this conversation. As the founder of Success by Design Club and creator of OZ, an AI-powered leadership coach, she has spent over two de...