Coaching the Whole Educator

Send us Fan Mail Coaches and leaders—what if the biggest resistance to change isn’t from your team… but from you ? Your inner critic! In this episode, I’m joined by Amanda Younts of Midlife Catalyst to unpack the internal resistance we rarely name but constantly feel. We’re talking about the shoulds, the shame, the inner critic, and the hidden expectations we carry that sabotage our best intention...

Send us Fan Mail You know that teacher who should know better by now? The one who should care more? Be further along? Yeah… that “should” is telling on you. In this episode, we’re talking about the quiet coaching killer: holding teachers to invisible expectations that keep you stuck. And we’re calling in a mindset shift that doesn’t lower the bar—but finally gives you a real shot at helping them m...

Send us Fan Mail We toss around the term school transformation but often it’s just accountability with better branding. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Hickson from Modern Classrooms Project to talk about what real school transformation looks like—and why it has to be responsive, reflective, and rooted in collective efficacy, not top-down plans. Matt breaks down the School Transformation Inv...

Send us Fan Mail You don’t have to agree to understand—and in coaching, confusing the two can shut down growth before it starts. I break down the critical difference between understanding and agreement in coaching and leadership. Pulling from Carl Rogers’ research and real-life coaching moments, we show how validating concerns—without co-signing them—creates space for trust, reflection, and real c...

Send us Fan Mail Sick of feeling like your to-do list is your boss? In this episode, I team up with Barbara Boselli of bnow™ Consulting to break down time management in a way that actually respects your humanity—not just your calendar. We tackle the three biggest saboteurs of productivity: people-pleasing, task-switching, and fuzzy priorities. Barbara shares her PRO Framework—Prioritize, Respect,...

Send us Fan Mail We love to say “be your authentic self”—but what if what we’re calling authenticity is actually just self-indulgence in disguise? In this episode, I break down the real difference between authenticity and self-indulgence in education. Drawing on the work of Dr. Drago-Severson, Dr. Blum-DeStefano, and Brené Brown, I show a distinction of how true authenticity is rooted in self-awar...

Send us Fan Mail What if the real barrier to change isn’t resistance—it’s how we navigate the system? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad to unpack high agency coaching —a powerful approach that helps educators take action, even when the system says “not yet.” You’ll hear how coaches can model high agency, drive micro-innovations, and build coalitions that stretch across roles an...

Send us Fan Mail Change doesn’t fail because people are stubborn. It fails because leaders bet on urgency instead of readiness.  Organizational change only sticks  when people believe it’s worth it and believe they can pull it off.  That’s the core of Weiner’s theory on change commitment (Value Mindset) and change efficacy (Success Mindset)—and without both, even a great idea will crash and burn....

Send us Fan Mail Coaching alternatively certified teachers? It’s not about lowering expectations—it’s about shifting the support. These educators bring deep content knowledge—but often need help breaking it down, planning it out, and managing the classroom chaos. You can’t coach them like traditional first-years. Their path needs a different path forward. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Hall-Hyman shows...

Send us Fan Mail You’ve been tossing mindset seeds onto concrete, wondering why they won’t grow.   Walton & Yeager’s research confirms that powerful beliefs—like “you belong here” or “you can grow”—won’t take root just because we say them. Beliefs need fertile ground.   When your culture, systems, or norms contradict your message, people don’t just ignore it—they lose trust in your leadership....

Send us Fan Mail What looks like resistance is often dysregulation in disguise—showing up as avoidance, blame, or burnout.   We talk all the time about helping kids manage their emotions, but what about adults? When adults become dysregulated, their brains shift from thoughtful decision-making to fight-or-flight mode, sabotaging effective communication and clear thinking. Kim Hall breaks down exac...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re breaking down why some teachers stay on fire while others burnout, stall out, or check out—and it’s not about how hard they’re working. Backed by Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), we’re unpacking how perceived value and accountability shape motivation—and what happens when one (or both) are missing. You’ll learn the Value–Accountability Matr...

Send us Fan Mail We’ve been taught that good listeners don’t interrupt—but what if the right kind of interrupting is exactly what great leaders do? Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, “That should’ve gone better” ?  You said the words. They said the words. But something still missed the mark. Here’s the truth: It’s not what you said. It’s what you didn’t hear. In this episode,...

Send us Fan Mail Saying you always have a Growth Mindset? That’s not how it works. Your mindset shifts depending on the situation. You might embrace challenges at work—but shut down when it comes to personal goals. Mindsets aren’t one-size-fits-all; they show up differently in different areas of your life. We love to act like Growth Mindset is an all-or-nothing badge of honor. But the truth is you...

Send us Fan Mail Feeling burnt out? You’re not alone. You’re trying to lead, support, coach, and hold it all together—but it’s starting to show. That quiet dread. The blurred lines between work and, well, everything else. Here’s the thing: burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means the system you’re operating in needs an upgrade. What if the problem isn’t how much you’re doing... but what you be...

Send us Fan Mail If your school avoids hard conversations, you don’t have belonging. You have politeness. We confuse being nice with building belonging. But “nice” often means silence, avoidance, and surface-level smiles. Comfort isn’t the same as safety. Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson coined the term psychological safety —the ability to speak up, take risks, and be vulnerable without fear. In “...

Send us Fan Mail Casey Watts has spent over 20 years in education, and she’s got a sharp diagnosis: too many schools are stuck in quiet chaos —lots of strategies, zero clarity, and a fast track to burnout. Enter the Clarity Cycle , a six-step game plan to cut through the fog: focus, cast vision, gain insight, provide feedback, celebrate systematically, and sustain. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not so much....

Send us Fan Mail Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz ** HERE **!   Most schools say they want teachers who take initiative. But here’s the kicker—they’re still running a compliance culture that trains teachers to wait for permission. If you’ve ever wondered why schools feel stuck in resistance and disengagement, this is why .  In this episod...

Send us Fan Mail Rolling out a new curriculum? Brace yourself—resistance, frustration, and missteps are inevitable… unless you do it right. Join Sean Lindsey and me as we break down what it really takes to get teachers, students, and families on board—without wasted effort or top-down mandates that fall flat. We’re talking about: The #1 mistake leaders make when choosing a curriculum – Teachers an...

Send us Fan Mail We aren't here for wishful thinking—we stand for hope as action. Hope-centered leadership isn’t about toxic positivity; it’s about setting bold goals, creating real pathways, and owning the work. Inspired by Dr. Shane Lopez’s research, we fuse agency, optimism, and accountability into an Ownership Mindset that fuels change. Without hope, schools spiral into stagnation and bur...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Kim Richardson and I discuss building leadership identity with intention. We look at people-centered leadership backed by the 24 character strengths —like love of learning, empathy, and bravery—not as soft skills, but as essential tools for leaders who actually want to make an impact. Ethical leadership isn’t a suggestion; it’s a requirement . Richardson lays it out—bravery, h...

Send us Fan Mail Becca and Dr. Chris Jones cohost another episode where they explore how imposter syndrome affects everyone, especially our high-achieving coaches and leaders. Everyone experiences imposter syndrome, no matter their experience level. Here are the highlights: Different Reactions to Imposter Syndrome People either overcompensate or underfunction when faced with imposter syndrome. Str...

Send us Fan Mail Are you ready to lead with real impact? In their new book, "Coaching Education Leaders," Michelle Jarney, Michael Kim, and Nancy Gutierrez get real about their Facilitative Competency-Based Coaching (FCB) approach—a method designed to push school leaders out of their comfort zones and into real transformation. Their message? If coaching isn’t making people uncomfortable,...

Send us Fan Mail Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz ** HERE **!   Growth mindset? Oversold. It’s not the magic bullet schools think it is. Telling teachers and students to “just believe in improvement” without addressing what’s blocking them is like throwing seeds on dry, compacted soil and expecting a lush garden—without loosening the grou...

Send us Fan Mail Warren Buck, founder of Future Finders, transformed his life from a struggling student to a powerhouse principal. His journey proves that self-determination theory (SDT) isn't just theory—it's the fuel that drives real change. Competence, autonomy, and relatedness aren't optional; they're essential for thriving schools. Power Moves for School Leaders Buck deliv...