The Empowered Principal® Podcast

Veteran principals sometimes share a secret that newer leaders might not expect: the work can feel repetitive, uninspiring, even boring. When you've mastered the routines of observation cycles, behavior investigations, and IEP meetings, when you've successfully calmed the chaos and created systems that work, you might find yourself wondering if this is all there is to school leadership.

I...

Have you ever lost sleep over that one teacher who seems to disagree with everything you do? Or found yourself obsessing over why certain staff members just don't seem to like you? I get it. I've been there.

In fact, I remember spending countless hours trying to win over teachers who didn't like me. Stewing over their eye rolls, analyzing their non-verbals, and desperately trying to figur...

Does your heart rate spike when your superintendent's name pops up in your inbox?

As an educational leadership coach, I've noticed a universal pattern - that nervous feeling around authority figures. Whether it's a fear of criticism, worry about disappointing them, or anxiety about being micromanaged, these physical reactions to authority figures in education aren't just about the present...

As you make your classroom rounds this week, I want to ask you something: when was the last time you focused not just on what you saw, but what you felt when you walked into a classroom?

We've all had that experience - walking into one room where everything flows perfectly, then stepping into another where something feels... off. Even before we see any tangible evidence. That's not coinci...

I recently had a client schedule a one-on-one after a particularly challenging incident where a student admitted to a behavior during the investigation, then went home and adamantly denied everything to their parents.

The parent confronted my client, confused about the conflicting stories, and suddenly she found herself in a situation where someone's telling the truth and someone's not. W...

As educators and school leaders, we often pour our hearts into our work, only to sometimes feel that our efforts aren't fully appreciated. This tension between service and appreciation reveals a deeper truth about where we seek validation and how it impacts our ability to lead and teach effectively.

When staff members feel unappreciated, whether they're teachers facing demanding parents o...

When was the last time you thought about your emotional fitness? Just like physical muscles need regular exercise to stay strong, our social-emotional skills require consistent practice to serve us when we need them most. But here's the thing - many educators are trying to teach SEL without first developing their own emotional literacy.

This week, I'm joined by Lori Woodley-Langendorff, a...

School leaders everywhere know the feeling – you've been pushing the boulder up the mountain since August, giving 200% to launch the school year successfully. The adrenaline that carried you through the first weeks starts to fade, and suddenly you're wondering how you'll sustain this pace or create any kind of work-life balance.

This conversation with Steven Langer, former principal and C...

Here's something that might surprise you: Some of the most innovative educational leaders come from unexpected backgrounds.

This week, I'm speaking with Deepali Deshmukh, a school leader whose journey from biochemist to head of school challenges everything we think we know about educational credentials. Her story proves that your unique perspective isn't just valid. It's valuable.

I just returned from hosting my first-ever EP Alive event, and let me tell you, it was nothing like your typical education conference.

I'm joined by three remarkable principals, Erin, Kay, and Sherry, who attended EP Alive 2025. Together, we created something that redefined professional development: no boring conference rooms, no eight-hour PowerPoint marathons, just real conversations by...

As a school leader, do you often feel responsible for everyone's happiness, success, and challenges?

If you're nodding your head, you're not alone. Many principals carry the weight of their entire school community on their shoulders. But here's the thing: there's a crucial difference between being responsible and taking ownership that could be game-changing for your leadership approach.

School leadership often brings us to our knees in ways we never anticipated. 

When everything feels like it's falling apart, when the blame feels justified and the pain feels unbearable, that's precisely when our true leadership capacity gets tested. In this deeply personal 400th episode, I share my journey through divorce and devastation to demonstrate what relentless responsibility look...

The beginning of a new school year brings a familiar flood of tasks, responsibilities, and mental chatter that can make you feel like you're drowning in urgency. 

In this episode, I'm exploring the reality that you are only ever doing one thing at a time, despite what your brain tells you about multitasking and efficiency. 

As you prepare for the upcoming sch...

Have you ever found yourself caught in an endless back-and-forth with a challenging staff member? You know the type - where no matter what you say or do, it feels like you're being pulled into a defensive game of "prove you're right"?

Tune in this week as I share a powerful metaphor that's changing how principals handle difficult conversations: instead of playing tug of war, drop the rope...

The business of education is the business of creating impact.

School leaders step into their roles with dreams of transformation, yet impact doesn't automatically materialize with credentials or titles. It emerges through conscious creation - a co-creation between you and a higher power when you're tuned in and aligned with yourself. 

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