The Empowered Principal® Podcast

Your identity is simply what you believe about yourself and what you're capable of learning, doing, experiencing, handling, creating, and having. You can hold firm to your identity if it's currently serving you well, but if you feel restless or stuck on repeat, it might be time for an identity shift. Today, you will learn how evolving your identity is the key to expanding your impact, productivity...

In this episode, I share my insights on radical empowerment - what it means, why it matters, and how to embody it as a school leader. Get ready for a perspective shift that will transform how you lead.   Discover how to balance being the boss with compassion, navigate difficult emotions, and see the potential in everyone on your campus. It's time to stop seeking external validation and step into y...

The school leader's job description often requires being an expert in it all while doing everything at once. Whether you're making the shift from good to great or great to exceptional, you are not alone if you feel like you don't know what you're doing. That's why it's my mission to make leadership development a mainstream practice in every school community, and I show you how I'm doing this in to...

In this episode, I'm diving deep into how you can define what truly matters to you as a leader… but it doesn't stop there. Consistently acting in accordance with the values you set out is the other half of the equation, and I'm showing you how to do that every step of the way.   I tackle a foundational element of school leadership: aligning yourself with your core values. Learn the power of knowin...

Whether your PD day happens at the end of July, August, or even in September, I encourage you to start thinking about it right now. Many of you are expected to facilitate PD days for your teachers, but it can often feel like you're being told what to do and how to do it by your district, which can be stressful. You want to lead a PD day that you believe in, and I'm showing you how.   Hear why you...

In this Back to Basics episode, you're hearing an interview with one of my clients that is so well-loved by The Empowered Principal podcast audience. Wendy Cohen has coached with me for several years, and in this conversation, you're hearing her journey from classroom teacher to first-year school principal.    Wendy shares her journey to becoming a school leader at 30 years old, and how our work t...

Today, I'm joined by two special guests with an important message to share. Shelly Wilfong and Ryan Donlan coauthored a powerful book, bringing hope and inspiration to school leaders everywhere. The book is called Ensuring Teachers Matter: Where to Focus First So Students Matter Most, and it's all about the topic of mattering.   Tune in this week to discover how to help your teachers feel energize...

There's no school leader on the planet who doesn't ever get it wrong, misspeak, or make a decision they later regret. We're all human, and spinning in guilt, avoiding your negative thoughts and feelings, or criticizing yourself endlessly doesn't help. If you want to go into the new school year feeling fresh and ready to go, you must let go of any past thoughts, memories, or decisions that are weig...

The reality of school leadership is that there's always too much to do and never enough time to do it. With countless projects, events, and instructional coaching sessions vying for attention, it's easy to get lost in the chaos. Instead of simply coaching you to manage your thoughts, I'll be sharing actionable steps on what to do when the pressure is on and everyone is looking to you for support....

The Summer of Fun 2024 is kicking off in the Empowered Principal Facebook group  right now! If you want to have fun at work and enjoy your life outside of it, but having fun feels unsafe, irresponsible, or unacceptable, this is a must-listen episode.   Learn what happens when you embrace having fun as a leader, and why sacrificing fun isn't helping you become the leader you want to be. Hear how pa...

I love when my clients come to me with an energy of deep desire and compelling urgency around their goals. While this lights me up, there's a dark side to our urge to rush, and it's causing you unnecessary pain and suffering.   Learn why we often have the urge to rush and how to stop so you can truly embrace the present moment. Hear why there is absolutely no need to rush, and what happens when yo...

In most cases, you're in meetings where everyone will likely have different opinions. There might be people who are for a decision while some are against it, and maybe there are lots of options or theories presented at the table. Your job, as a school leader, is to look at the common goal and come up with a decision-making protocol that leads to a productive solution.   If you find yourself in mee...

One of the ways you might want to create expansion as a school leader is by embracing exceptionalism. Becoming exceptional is a topic I coach on with all of my clients because it's what will help you enjoy your life to the fullest and lead your school in the way you truly want, and I'm showing you how to begin identifying yourself as exceptional today.   Learn what's required of you to live an exc...

For today's episode, I interviewed my friend and fellow coach, Jess Johnson. Jess has been working with me to help me regulate my nervous system. When we go into freak-out mode, we don't have to stay there. There are tools and strategies we can use to relieve our stress and reregulate ourselves, and Jess is here to share them.   Discover simple stress-relieving techniques you can start using right...

John Camp has spent 29 years in education and is currently the Head of Teaching and Learning at New England Innovation Academy. He has an innovative approach to grades where he's shifting away from more traditional grading and assessment formats in the name of focusing on competency and real-world application of skills, and he's telling us all about it this week.   Listen in this week as I quiz Jo...

While you might derive a lot of pleasure from your work, it is critical that your sense of fun and play come from other sources as well. Being able to check tasks off your to-do list, help a student, or mentor a teacher all feel amazing, but they cannot be the only things in your life that bring you joy and delight.   I invite you to create fun for yourself in ways that put zero pressure on you to...

How you think about yourself is changeable, and the stories you tell about your self-identity will either hold you back or propel you forward. Your job as a school leader requires you to re-evaluate and make new decisions about your identity, and I'm showing you how to start.   This week, I show you the impact of your self-identity and how to create awareness around it so you can change it if you...

As a coach, I help site and district leaders build the skills necessary to lead their schools and navigate the mental and emotional challenges that come with the job. I am not here to offer legal advice; however, I can speak to the experience of facing legal issues as a school leader.   Hear why you're not alone if you are facing legal issues, and what to do when it feels scary. I'm showing you ho...

Do you know your boundaries? Are you able to clearly articulate them? Why do you feel unsure of yourself in setting and upholding your boundaries? And how can you do so effectively?    In a world where you've been led by what other people tell you to think, feel, or act, you're not alone if you've found yourself a little lost, unsure of your personal boundaries. Grounding ourselves in our boundari...

I coach school leaders all day long on how hard this job is. And from personal experience, I can relate. School leadership is hard. However, as I listen to my principals share the difficulties they're facing in their day-to-day, I had a revelation about the kind of hard they're experiencing, and I'm sharing it with you on this episode.   I break down the three kinds of hard I've identified, and wh...

Daman Harris, Ph. D., is a trailblazing expert in educator retention and antiracist leadership. Dr. Harris is an experienced teacher, coach, principal, district administrator, adjunct professor, speaker, writer, and consultant. His first book, The Antiracist School Leader , articulates a big-picture framework and research-based actions for bringing the power of antiracist education to your school,...

On this episode, I'm inviting you to think about the hiring journey from the perspective of the teacher you might potentially hire, and I'm showing you why this matters more than you think.   Learn why you must consider the hiring and onboarding journey from the perspective of your teachers, how to provide the level of support they're looking for during this process, and why doing so ahead of time...

The winter dip is real, and most of you are in testing season and conducting teacher observations right now, looking ahead to the end of the school year when you can finally take a breather. Whether you're someone who loves planning so much that you get caught up in the details or someone who intends to plan but gets overwhelmed by the busyness of your job as a leader, I've got you covered this we...

I know that many of you are tasked with having to decide on topics or themes and hire speakers or presenters for your school's professional development days. I also know that for the majority of you, this process feels like another thing on your already full to-do list. Although planning professional development seems like just another box to tick, there's an opportunity here for you to leverage t...

Wanting to make the 'right' decision is a thought we hold very tightly onto, and it drives our actions in unhelpful ways that you might not see right now. It's no surprise that believing you have to make the 'right' decision is leaving you frozen. So if you find yourself spinning in indecision, procrastinating, and worrying about whether or not you're making the right decision, this episode is for...