Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

In today's episode, I share a compelling practice of self-love and self-recognition; writing a letter of gratitude to yourself. Writing this letter to yourself is a radical opportunity to pause and appreciate who you are and where you've been while providing inspiration for your next stage of growth. Gratitude is a huge part of the School of Excellence Framework and as a director or owner, it is i...

In this episode, we dive into how you can help your staff to start thinking of the big picture by understanding the bigger context.    Seeing the big picture, getting into the details, seeing the details, and connecting it all back to the bigger picture can be a beautiful dance. Helping teachers to start thinking about the big picture is essential because that is how you create a consistent alignm...

May is an incredible time for reflection regardless of whether you run a 10-month or a 12-month academic school year. End-of-year reflections serve two important purposes - a gauge for determining how we can continuously improve on our processes and a reminder of the kind of mistakes we've made so that we can avoid making them in the subsequent years. The only way to have awareness of how far you'...

This is part 2 of this exclusive inside look at a members-only call on Priorities Reset: Reflect, Restore and Recast. In today's episode, we're digging into the third phase of the priorities reset call, where we recast our commitments into a real calendar and decide what we want to invite back and what we can eliminate.   We share insights into the habits that we need to stop doing, besides checki...

This episode is an inside look at a members-only call on Priorities Reset. This session is divided into three core parts; reflect, restore and recast. In part 1, we are going to reflect on our last 90 days and then restore ourselves to what our current priorities are. Part 2 will look at the commitments we'll recast in our next 90 days.   20% of your time (and your budget), is your margin. And mar...

Welcome to the final part, part 4, of the Build to Last workshop series. From improving our mindsets and inviting calm to learning about theme days, time blocking, and calendar creation to our previous episode: building a culture of excellence, it has been a transformational experience.   In today's episode, I share tips on inner team conflicts and understanding how to navigate these conflicts. As...

Gratitude and appreciation need to be a habit - a constant in your life. And having a week in a year that is focused on key stakeholders that drive success in your school, is really special. It shows that you value them, and reinforces a culture you'd want to see in a school of excellence. While we may not remember every single detail of what happens in our lives, we will always remember specific...

Welcome to part 3 of the 4-part series, the Build to Last workshop series. During each episode in this series, we’re going to be digging into specific areas that will uplevel and give you the confidence, decision-making skills, and practical strategies and mindsets for your center from the field of play.   In today's episode, I'm joined by Sara Schreiner and Susan Sholar, members of our inner circ...

Welcome to part 2 of the 4-part series, the Build to Last workshop series. During each episode in this series, we’re going to be digging into specific areas that will uplevel and give you the confidence, decision-making skills, and practical strategies and mindsets for your center from the field of play. In today's episode, I'm joined by Jo David, a director who is a member of the Director’s Inner...

Welcome to part 1 of the 4-part series, the Build to Last workshop. Every single week, over the next four weeks, we're going to be digging into specific areas that will uplevel and give you the confidence, the decision-making skills, and practical strategies for your center.    In this episode, I am joined by Sharon Hopson. She is the owner of the Bella Vita Montessori in Omaha, Nebraska. We share...

We all need a sense of belonging. And when new teachers come in, they come with this innate human need to belong to a community. So how do you, as a school leader, facilitate this?   In this episode, I share tips on how you can create a culture of belonging at your school. Remember, just because your new teachers are on the payroll, and they have a spot in the teacher's room, doesn't mean they bel...

It’s the 1 year anniversary of the Schools of Excellence podcast! What a perfect time to reflect on how far this show has come, because this is a huge milestone at the Schools of Excellence. We just wrapped and returned from the Summit of Excellence which was held at the beginning of March. As I unpack and process everything that happened over the 2-day in-person event, I find myself reflecting an...

You pride yourself on how freely your staff can come to talk to you, right? As a school leader, you always want to be seen as an approachable and available director or owner that makes your staff feel heard. The “open door policy” has trickled into our school culture, because we think that it makes our staff feel valued and appreciated since they know they can come to talk to us at any time, for a...

This is a re-air of one of the most downloaded episodes in my special summer series that originally aired last year. I wanted to bring this back for those who are newer listeners.    This summer series was all about the different ways that you can prepare yourselves for an upcoming school year. After nearly two decades in this field and speaking with hundreds of school owners and directors. There...

This is a re-air of one of our most downloaded episodes in the Schools of Excellence Podcast. As one of the first episodes I ever released, I wanted to bring this back for those who are newer listeners. I hope you enjoy and get value out of this episode.   Like it or not, schools are home to a number of difficult conversations. Discussing topics such as... Pay and benefits Inappropriate behavior U...

In this episode, I discuss how by implementing the Gratitude Matrix, you can achieve higher retention and a more collaborative culture for your school. After 30 days of implementing the Gratitude Matrix, one of the executive directors in our Membership Program , Kerstin, went from 17 callouts in September to 4 callouts in August. What did she do? She implemented the Gratitude Matrix in her school,...

This episode is a re-air of an episode I did a few months back and I wanted to do a throwback to it for a couple of reasons. Because I've been getting so many questions from leaders around how to stop the cycle of excuses Because creating a culture where people really level up and take personal responsibility for their actions is the premise of everything that we're doing at the Summit of Excellen...

Training and coaching your staff to navigate conflict takes work. It requires attention and it’s not an overnight event.    As the leader, you need to constantly be able to pour into yourself, uplevel, and recognize the skill gaps in your team. Only then can you lead from a place of bravery and courageousness, so that you can guide your team to level up in the same way.   In this episode, I talk a...

We spend so much time talking about how to discipline children and how to work on child behaviors, yet there's very little training on how adults need to be self-disciplined. Just because you're a grown-up, it doesn't mean you enter adulthood knowing how to be self-disciplined and regulate your emotions.   This episode is part one of a two-part series on how to coach your staff to navigate conflic...

Watch the video interview of this episode: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments-6   Get all the details about the 2022 Summit of Excellence here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments   When we're constantly seeking fireworks, extraordinary wins, and giant momentum, we exhaust ourselves. We burn ourselves to the ground, and we can't be in business forever. We are putting too...

Watch the video interview of this episode: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments-5 Get all the details about the 2022 Summit of Excellence here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments Are you a childcare owner or director who is a parent raising kids? This conversation is for you. In this episode, I speak to Mandy Moore, the owner of Steadfast Academy - a daycare center in Pas...

Watch the video interview of this episode: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments-4   Get all the details about the 2022 Summit of Excellence here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments   Do you find yourself constantly operating in survival mode and making excuses for your busyness?    In this episode, I speak to Aliya Roberts, the owner of Pratt Street Learning Center in Phi...

Watch the video interview of this episode: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments-3   Get all the details about the 2022 Summit of Excellence here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments   If you struggle with letting go, giving up control, and trusting the process, then this episode is for you.    Today's episode is the third of my six-part series, where I'm interviewing and h...

Watch the video interview of this episode: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments Get all the details about the 2022 Summit of Excellence here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments   Owning a school of excellence is a constant practice and process. It isn't something that's one-and-done.    Today’s episode is another episode in my six-part series of what it takes to build and...

Watch the video interview of this episode: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments   Get all the details about the 2022 Summit of Excellence here:  https://schoolsofexcellence.com/ordinary-moments   Are you a school leader who wants to remove yourself from the day-to-day, and truly into the visionary CEO role? Do you want to hear the real, the raw, and the messy of what it takes to become...