Coaching the Whole Educator

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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 intentions—especially when we're leading oth...

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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 meet it.

We’ll unpack the Expecta...

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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 Inventory—a tool built by leaders, for lea...

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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 change.

Because when people feel heard, t...

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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, Optimize—and shows you how to say “no” ...

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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-awareness, integrity, and accountability—no...

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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 and levels. Nathan shares bold strategies ...

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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.

In this episode, I break down how to asse...

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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 why coaching alternatively certified tea...

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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. 

🎧 Want to go deeper? Check out Episode 1...

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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 exactly what's happening during these m...

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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 Matrix—a practical tool that helps you:

• S...

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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, I sit down with listening expert C...

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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 can believe you can grow in one area—an...

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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 believe about what you have to do?

Listen to...

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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 “nice” cultures, people feel comfortable.....

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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.

Watts drives home two must-dos: Leaders ne...

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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 episode, we break down:

• Why compliance-dri...

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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 and students aren’t just checkboxes i...