The Elemental Educator Podcast

What happens when a school leader becomes the answer to every problem? Tyler Comeau sits down with Kurtis Hewson, co-founder of Jigsaw Learning and co-author of Collaborative Response, to explore the shift from solving problems for people to building a team that can work through them together. They discuss the relationship between trust and structure, how to make meetings more useful, what shared...

Getting someone’s attention is only the beginning. David Babcock explains how humour, trust and the right next question can turn a passing interaction into a meaningful conversation. He arrives as Ron Burgundy—but the man behind the character has a much bigger story. A professional Will Ferrell impersonator and experiential marketing specialist, David joins Tyler on The Elemental Educator to explo...

What does it cost to lead when teachers are under pressure—and everyone is watching? Alberta Teachers’ Association President Jason Schilling joins Dr. Tyler Comeau for The Weight of the Chair. In this episode of The Elemental Educator Podcast, Jason shares his perspective on Alberta education, classroom conditions, teacher advocacy, and the difficult decisions behind the ATA presidency. He also op...

Phil Januszewski returns to The Elemental Educator after making one of the biggest decisions of his career: leaving the classroom after 20 years to become a full-time speaker. This time, we go much further than the usual conversation about happiness, self-care, and avoiding burnout. Phil believes we have more control over our ability to flourish than we sometimes admit. So I put that belief under...

What happens when commitment becomes so strong that changing course feels like betrayal? Colin is pursuing an outcome nobody can guarantee: becoming an MMA champion after beginning the journey at 28. But this conversation isn't really about fighting. It's about what happens when something matters enough that you're willing to commit without being able to control the result. We explore the line bet...

Leadership culture tells us to finish what we start. Push through. Stay disciplined. Keep the commitment. Don’t quit. But what happens when continuing is no longer the courageous decision? In this episode of The Elemental Educator, Tyler Comeau sits down with writer David Deane Haskell for a raw conversation about boundaries, change, perseverance, discomfort, identity, and the difficult moment whe...

In this episode of the Elemental Educator podcast, host Tyler Comeau sits down with LaVonna Roth, the creator of the globally recognized SHINE framework, to untangle a profound human paradox: How do leaders build massive platforms helping others recognize their value while simultaneously battling deep internal struggles with self-worth? LaVonna opens up about her personal journey of growing up wit...

Beat My Score From This Episode: https://www.whattimeswhat.com Most people think the education crisis is about funding, technology, or curriculum. They're wrong. After spending three decades leading enterprise technology teams and engineering large-scale software systems, Chris Roberts stepped into a high school classroom and discovered a problem that few people are willing to talk about. Many stu...

In this powerful episode of the Elemental Educator Podcast, host Tyler Comeau sits down with veteran educator, former school head, and curriculum coordinator Terri Walker to dissect the real reason teachers are leaving the profession in droves. The conventional blueprint of modern education is obsessed with giving teachers more: more tech, more professional development, and more checklists. Yet, t...

In this episode of The Elemental Educator Podcast, host Tyler Comeau sits down with veteran, ironman finisher, and best-selling author Scott to dissect the ultimate paradox of achievement: why reaching your highest external goals can actually hide your deepest internal wounds. Scott shares his raw journey from chasing "scoreboard moments"—like completing an grueling 140.6-mile Ironman or engineeri...

 Learn how to successfully lead massive AI implementation in education while protecting staff well-being and maintaining data privacy in this exclusive interview with veteran school district leader Dr. Tom D’Amico.  In this episode of the Elemental Educator podcast, host Tyler Comeau sits down with Dr. Tom D'Amico, the recently retired Director of Education for the Ottawa Catholic School Board. To...

Most leaders wait for the perfect conditions to lead, but true impact happens when you learn to thrive in the cracks of the sidewalk. Episode Summary: In this deep dive, leadership consultant and retired Associate Superintendent Corrine Thorsteinson reveals why trust is the "oxygen" of any successful organization. Drawing from over three decades in the education sector, Corrine breaks down the fou...

Learn how high-achieving leaders burn out and how to rebuild your identity, health, and purpose beyond success in this powerful leadership conversation. In this conversation, Tyler Comeau sits down with Howard Stribbell, global educator and leadership expert, to unpack the hidden cost of success and why so many high performers feel empty despite achieving more than they ever imagined. After buildi...

Learn how to avoid leadership burnout and build a strong team culture by leading with trust, values, and clarity instead of trying to fix everything yourself.   In this conversation, Tyler Comeau sits down with Jimmy Casas, educator, speaker, and author of Culturize , to break down one of the biggest leadership traps: the “fix-it” mindset. With over 30 years in education and decades as a school le...

Kree Govender explains why indecision quietly destroys momentum, confidence, and growth, and how choosing wrong is often far more powerful than choosing nothing at all. Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, mindset, and high performance: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducator Connect with me:   https://www.elementaleducator.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylercomeau/ Ways to work wi...

Donovan Bailey shares the mindset, discipline, sacrifice, and execution it took to go from unknown to becoming the fastest man in the world. Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, pressure, mindset, and high performance: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducator Watch This Next: https://www.youtube.com/@ElementalEducator Connect with me: https://www.elementaleducator.com mailto:tyler@ele...

In this episode of The Elemental Educator , Dr. Shelley Moore dismantles one of the most dangerous assumptions in education: If a student is struggling, something must be wrong with the student. What if that assumption is the problem? Shelley is an inclusive education researcher, consultant, and global speaker who has spent her career helping schools rethink how learning actually works. This conve...

Most schools try to improve teaching the wrong way. They rely on top-down professional development, one-off workshops, and “sit and get” training sessions that feel productive in the moment but rarely change classroom practice. In this episode of The Elemental Educator , Dr. Matthew Rhoads explains why those approaches fail and what actually helps professional learning spread through a school syst...

Most leaders secretly believe that if they were better, smarter, or more experienced, things would feel less complex. That belief is wrong. In this episode of The Elemental Educator , I sit down with Dr. Corey Steeves to confront one of the most damaging myths in leadership: that complexity is a signal you are failing. Instead, we argue that complexity is the job. The weight, the ambiguity, the co...

Join host Tyler on The Elemental Educator podcast as he chats with strategist and change catalyst Lisa Riegel. Discover why most leaders fail not from lack of ambition, but because change stays theoretical. Lisa shares insights on operationalizing aspirations, the role of brain science in perceptions and resistance, her 8C Commitment Framework, and practical strategies for engaging employees, redu...

Challenging your boss can feel like career suicide, but knowing how to disagree with leadership respectfully, strategically, and confidently is a critical leadership skill under pressure. In this episode, we break down how to challenge your boss without killing your career by grounding your approach in core values, clear reasoning, and disciplined communication. My guest, Mark Pearmain, shares rea...

Do leaders avoid responsibility because it’s heavy, or because it exposes who they really are? In this episode of The Elemental Educator , I sit down with Danny Bauer, founder of Better Leaders Better Schools, to unpack why responsibility isn’t just about workload, but identity, values, and visibility. We explore why leadership gets lonely, why so many leaders hide instead of ask for help, and how...

How do you lead hard conversations, build psychological safety, and get real accountability without trying to control every outcome? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Amanda Fernandez to break down the “human element” of leadership: the mindset shifts and practical tools that turn tense teams into collaborative teams. We get into: Why “I don’t know” can be a power move that builds trust (not we...

Leadership under pressure, integrity under authority, and the identity shift that happens when you refuse to shrink. In this Elemental Educator episode, Janelle McLaughlin breaks down how a fear-based leader reshaped her definition of leadership and what she built after. In this conversation, you’ll learn: How “bad leadership” can become a blueprint for who you refuse to be How to stay kind withou...

AI in schools, digital wellness, and trust-first leadership for real classrooms. Micro-tools that work: phone away, deep breathing, and questions that spark curiosity. Bill breaks down how districts can lead AI change without getting trapped in slow policy cycles, and how to build a culture where people feel permission to adapt while staying anchored to pillars. Practical takeaways: How they appro...