Coaching the Whole Educator

Send us Fan Mail In this captivating podcast episode, Becca dives into an intriguing conversation with Chanavia Patterson, affectionately known as Principal Patterson, on the powerful concept of "listening for what's not being said" in school culture. Discover the secrets behind understanding underlying messages, emotions, and nonverbal cues to foster a thriving school climate and i...

Send us Fan Mail “I came in wanting sentence starters, thinking that was gonna make me a better coach. And I wanted a grid of like, if you see this, do that, when you see this, do that. And that's not how life is. And that's not clearly how coaching is. But I've moved beyond that now." In this insightful podcast episode, we dive into the captivating journey of Mindy Schroeder,...

Send us Fan Mail Join Becca as she chats with Kara Semtner, who embarked on an incredible journey through the depths of the pandemic as a coach. Kara shares her personal transformation from an unsure and inexperienced coach to the confident and impactful leader she is today. When Kara started coaching, she faced challenges and resistance, often feeling lost and unsure of her role. But she was dete...

Send us Fan Mail Intentional dialogue helps create a safe container for discussing sensitive or challenging topics. We must retrain our brains and nervous systems to regulate negative reactions and think calmly. When we react defensively or place blame on others, it creates a lack of safety and trust. Intentional dialogue doesn't require vulnerability but allows for sharing that transforms te...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know your leadership effectiveness is directly related to your ability to sit with discomfort? Sometimes, staying busy keeps us from being present with uncomfortable situations and thoughts. Here's the undeniable reality: You will face uncomfortable situations. You will get BUSY. You will have to make tough decisions. You will make mistakes. How can you still make an...

Send us Fan Mail You can't truly grow and improve as a coach or leader... unless you actively engage in regular and meaningful reflection. Reflection is essential for coaches and leaders, especially at the end of the year. Many coaches don't reflect effectively because they're biased, too busy, or just think it's a waste of time. When you reflect effectively, you figure out wha...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know that sometimes you’re actually consulting instead of coaching? If we as coaches could really get the whole distinction between coaching and consulting, and approach it with intention and strategy, it would solve a lot of our problems. One of the biggest frustrations I've heard from teachers over the years is not feeling valued as professionals. Knowing the distin...

Send us Fan Mail You can’t focus on changing behaviors without addressing beliefs because beliefs influence behavior. Beliefs, ways of being, and behaviors are interconnected and hard to separate. Beliefs are powerful, personal, and shape our response to every situation. Acknowledging that beliefs and behaviors are connected is essential when attempting to disentangle beliefs from behaviors. Disen...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Candice Saxon dive into a discussion about treating others the way they want to be treated. They emphasize the importance of this concept as a cornerstone of coaching, extending beyond just the field of education. Candice’s background in coaching and organizational leadership brings a fresh perspective to the conversation. They explore how communication...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca brings in Sierra Flores, an instructional coach and extraordinary professional development designer, to discuss her own experience using transformative learning to reduce resistance. They share strategies and steps for transforming yourself and your mindset to help teachers who are experiencing resistance. Through personal examples, they give you specificall...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Dutchess Maye and Becca discuss feelings and where they belong in coaching. They talk about strategies to self-regulate emotions, how to express feelings in healthy ways, and the importance of expressing and processing emotions. Dutchess and Becca explain how burnout is related to self regulation and give practical tips for getting t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Melanie Matthews-Calhoun ( Literacy at Work ) discuss different ways of listening and how they’re helpful. They discuss the differences between listening and hearing and give key tips and strategies for how to actively listen. In addition, tips and tricks for keeping the right mindset and refraining from judgment while practicing recursive listening. The...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Charlie Lyons discuss human motivation. They clearly explain the reasons why we should care about human motivation when working with educators. Causes of human motivation and exactly how it impacts teachers are discussed along with practical tips on how to use motivation to increase teacher retention and reduce resistance. Specific needs all humans have...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Orbé-Austin is back with Becca to discuss something rampant in schools: toxic positivity. Dr. Orbé-Austin and Becca define toxic positivity, discuss myths of toxic positivity, and give strategies for facing your feelings instead of using toxic positivity to cover them up. They share specifically how to ask for help in healthy ways. External and internal circum...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Dr. Orbé-Austin discuss the details of imposter syndrome. They talk about imposter syndrome as a cycle, what it looks and feels like, and how to identify imposter syndrome in yourself. Becca and Dr. Orbé-Austin give examples of triggers and specifically what to do when you are triggered and fall into feeling like you are a fraud. They are discuss what th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Nicole S. Turner (Founder of Simply Coaching and Teaching) discuss steps to implement a simple coaching cycle for instructional coaches. Becca and Nicole talk about how to be intentional when reflecting in coaching cycles and specifically what to reflect on as a coach to increase your effectiveness. Barriers to completing coaching cycles are discussed an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Nita Creekmore (LoveTeachBless) discuss the nature of adult relationships and how to authentically build connections with others. Becca and Nita give insight through their own personal coaching experiences and the relationships they have built along the way. Through this discussion, they give you specific ways to build your own relationships and connecti...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Kenny McKee discuss basic keystones of effective coaching. They dive into the types of conversations to have and give you specific language to use and not to use when working with teachers. They also discuss areas where you can intentionally focus your energy on where it will make the greatest positive impact in your coaching. Becca and Kenny explore 6 c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Chrissy Beltran (aka Buzzing with Ms. B ) discuss how the need to be helpful in instructional coaching can have a negative impact on your success as a coach.  They clearly define the problem-solver/helper issue that instructional coaches can have and give specific tips to avoid falling into the pattern of being overly helpful. Becca and Chrissy get real...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Angela Kelly Robeck discuss how to maximize your time and money for professional development resources.  They tackle the problem of professional development funding being often overlooked for instructional coaches by giving you strategies to overcome 4 common objections a school leader might have to give you PD funding.  This episode will leave you with...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Gretchen Bridgers address the 4th and final phase of resistance in educators, requiring accountability. Becca and Gretchen walk you through specific things to say (and not to say) to help you navigate the hard conversations around keeping educators accountable. This must-hear discussion explains how to first build a trustworthy relationship to make educa...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca and Mia discuss the third level of resistance:  when educators don't feel competent enough to implement the change. They discuss the varying reasons why the resistance happens on this level. In addition, they share strategies on how to build capacity in a building where teachers feel safe and confident to take risks and try new things (including new cha...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Becca and Melissa (Mia) Pumo, coach of school leadership and instructional coaches, discuss the 2nd level of resistance: the need to build trust. Without trust, no amount of clarifying expectations and holding teachers accountable will help. A lack of trust means you will get pushback the whole way through the change. A trusting relationship makes change easier, qu...

Send us Fan Mail Mia Pumo and Becca kick off a 4 part series on how to address resistance utilizing a 4 part framework. In this episode, they dive into the first level of resistance: when educators resist because they don't understand why the change is happening.  Often, leaders are connected to why change is happening and it is assumed that teachers are connected to that why as well. Becca a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca discussed with Dr. Darian Jones why it is urgent you find high quality PD to grow your coaching and leadership skills. These are skills rarely taught in higher education and are the most important skills that delineate mediocre coaches and leaders with great ones. Listen in for what is actually happening in districts as regards to their budgets as well as ti...