December 23, 2025 • 30 mins
This episode distills one powerful insight from each of our standout guests this year, practical moves you can use the moment you’re back in the building. From consistency and clarity to purpose, recognition, and sustainable habits, these strategies strengthen culture and improve outcomes fast. If it helps, share with a colleague and subscribe for Part 2 of our Year-End Review Series.
Click below to listen to all the Part 1 episodes mentioned:
Episode 21: Dr. Joe Sanfelippo
Episode 28: Dr. Cynthia Rapaido
Episode 29: Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket
Episode 31: Dr. Darrin Peppard
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Principal JL (00:59):
Today's episode is special.
It's the first of a two-partseries looking back at the
incredible lineup of leaders whohave joined us on this podcast
in 2025.
This year was full of wisdom,full of honesty, full of
reminders that leadership isn'ta title.
It's a choice we make every dayto serve our schools, our
(01:20):
staff, and our students.
So today we're going to revisiteach guest and pull out one
powerful leadership takeaway andtalk about how we can apply it
when we get back into ourbuildings after the holiday
break.
Without further ado, let's getto part one of this two-part
series.
Welcome back, everybody, toanother exciting episode of the
(01:53):
Educational Leadership Podcast.
I am so excited to do thisyear-in review with you guys.
I'm doing part one of atwo-part series where I'm going
to recap every guest that we'vehad on this show over the last
year, in the year 2025.
And so what I'm going to do isI'm going to talk about, you
know, key takeaways andsomething you can do to apply
(02:16):
something from that episode.
Now, with these episodes, I'mactually going to hyperlink each
episode that I talk about inthis episode.
So you can go to that episodeand listen to the full episode
if you want to learn more aboutthat guess, or when you're
interested in more of what I'vetalked about here today.
(02:36):
So I'm going to get thingsstarted off with episode 14,
Principal Mo from the Classroomto Princ Fluencer.
Now, the first time I sawPrincipal Mo, she's on TikTok,
right?
I'm following her.
I'm like kind of new to thisstuff.
This was like way back inDecember of last year.
And I'm really starting toreally get into my podcast and
(02:58):
really looking around what otherpeople were doing.
And I ran across her and Istarted following her.
And we talked a little bit backand forth, not too much.
But then I got this idea tobring her on the show and she
did.
So I was like grateful.
Like, all right, cool.
I got someone to be a guest onmy podcast.
So with Principal Mo, what shereally talks about, some big
(03:19):
takeaway you could take about ortake from that episode is being
your authentic self.
Be an authentic, build trustfaster than perfection.
You're not going to be perfect.
So Principal Mo reminds us whenleaders show who they truly
are, when they show their joy,they show their struggles, they
can be silly, all thosedifferent things that make us
human.
(03:40):
People connect more deeply.
So in this episode, we kind oftalk about her journey and how
that her authenticity reallybuilds those relationships.
So I would encourage you to goback and listen to that.
But the one thing I want you toreally challenge yourself from
this episode is I want you toshare one authentic moment with
(04:00):
your staff when you get backinto the building.
You know, you want to share achallenge, share a win, share a
story that makes leadershiphuman.
You got to show people you arewho you are and makes you more
human.
You're not always this, yeah,you're a leader, but you're not,
you know, someone that theyhave to fear, but they can show
that you are a normal person.
(04:21):
So that's one takeaway fromepisode 14 that I would love to
share with you guys on that.
Now I'm gonna go ahead and movealong to episode 18.
Angela Kelly.
Angela Kelly, I've known herfor about now three, almost four
years now.
I'm in her Empower Principlesgroup.
I am in her EPCs and I engagewith those the Facebook format.
(04:47):
I engage with those things offand on, but I really enjoy
listening to her and somebodythat actually has helped me in
my leadership journey, but alsohelped me with, you know, I
wouldn't be here podcasting ifit wasn't my relationship with
Angela Kelly, making me a betterprincipal and learning some
things from her.
So things I want to reallypoint to on this episode is
(05:12):
reflection is a leadershipaccelerator.
You gotta be able to reflect onthe things you do.
You gotta be able to go, hmm,how does this impact all these
different things?
Angela talks about slowing downlong enough to examine your
practices, not just to surviveit, but actually to thrive,
right?
And so what you want to do isthe challenge is let's build a
(05:35):
weekly 10-minute reflectionroutine.
Ask, what did I learn?
What did I need, and whom did Iserve well?
So those are three differentthings you can ask yourself on a
reflection.
So when you reflect on yourleadership, that's gonna help
transform your leadership.
And Angela talks a lot aboutyou know her journey, but then
(05:55):
how she found coaching and howshe's helping other people in
the leadership role with hercoaching.
So I really love that episodeand love you guys to check that
one out as well.
Of course, I want you to checkout all these episodes within
this year-in review.
Like I said, all the links willbe hyperlinked down in the show
notes.
So episode 21.
(06:17):
Now, if you notice, I'vebounced around on these numbers.
They're not like I have themlined up because I've done some
solo episodes in between these.
But episode 21, Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo lead from whereyou are.
I think this episode is greatto where you can understand, you
know, you don't have to be aprincipal or administrator to
(06:38):
lead from where you are.
So I think that's reallyimportant to take away.
Now, I've seen Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo speak atconferences, at different
engagements, and so I've seenhim for a few years, but I one
of those things.
I just reached out and said,hey, would you be interested?
And he was gracious enough tocome on, and so that was great
(07:00):
to have Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo on.
So the big takeaway is everyrole matters.
People need to feel seen in themoment they are in.
Joe reminds us that leadershipis influence, not position.
He also talks about find thejoy.
If you're running around beingmiserable at work, you're not
very joyous.
(07:20):
So if you can find the thingsyou can be joyful about, that's
something he also talks about aswell.
So I really want you guys to goback and listen to that episode
and you'll learn more about hisjourney and kind of what he's
been up to lately.
The thing you can do with thisfrom this episode, one thing you
can apply is you can make alist of three staff members you
(07:42):
haven't done a shout-out lately,or you want to tell them I see
you.
So you don't have to like makea big announcement, I want to do
these things.
Like, okay, there's threepeople, I'm gonna write them
down.
I'm gonna make sure Iintentionally sit, you know,
tell them something positive, orgo out of my way and say, hey,
I really like this, or I reallyenjoyed this.
(08:02):
Hey, you did really good job atthis, right?
Go and you know, do ashout-out, maybe not in front of
people, but just likeone-on-one in person.
I think those are good thingsto do to help build up your
staff morale as well.
So that's episode 21, Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo.
And episode 22, Kurtis Hewson.
(08:24):
Now, I got a hold of Kurtis, itwas another one of those, like
on you know, in the socialmedia.
Got connected with him with Dr.
Darrin Peppard.
And so I believe that's kind ofour connection there.
Him and I started chatting.
He's from Canada.
He talks about collaborativeresponse and all these different
(08:46):
great things, talking aboutyes, we have PLCs, but what can
we do to strengthen those PLCsas well?
So the big takeaway fromepisode 22 with Kurtis Hewson is
teams solve problems betterthan individuals, right?
Kurtis shows us a frameworkwhere clarity, collaboration
(09:07):
equals improved outcomes forkids.
So when you're clear aboutsomething and you collaborate,
you put those together, youimprove the outcomes for kids.
So here's what I want you guysto think about.
This is an application piece.
Ask your PLC one question.
What's one thing we can fixtogether that none of us have
(09:27):
fixed alone?
Now, this doesn't have to be aPO secret, but this could be a
team leadership.
So I have a leadership team, Ihave a school improvement team.
You can ask this questionwhat's one thing we can fix
together that none of us can fixalone?
That's a really powerful thing.
Get people together, get themcollaborating, and that would be
a great episode for you to goback and take a listen to.
(09:50):
Now I'm gonna go ahead and trekalong here, episode 23 with
Coach Tony Kimble.
Now, Coach Tony Kimble leadingthe transformation.
You know, at the time I wasfollowing him on YouTube, he was
doing these transformationalleadership uh for all 50 states,
and it was really cool becauseyou got to listen to all that.
(10:28):
I got to be on his show.
I asked him to be on mine, andhe really graciously accepted
it.
He usually doesn't do a lot ofpodcasts, so I was really
fortunate that he would come onand show share his story as
well.
Now he's from the you know,from Mississippi Delta, and we
talked about that.
We talked about his career, butone thing I really want to the
(10:49):
big takeaway in this episode isculture changes when adults
model the behavior we expectfrom students.
Tony's coaching backgroundproved that consistency beats
intensity.
So being consistent is betterthan how intense you are about
it.
So that's really an importanttakeaway.
So I want you to apply this in,you know, coming up.
(11:13):
Pick one expectation you wantto tighten up and model
relentlessly for the next 10days.
So, what is it out there thatyou as a leader can say, you
know what, this is something wereally gotta get tight on.
I have to remind our staff,hey, remember our expectations.
We gotta get tight on thesethings and really focus and
being relentless and intent onthose things for the next 10
(11:35):
days.
And these are all things thatyou can do that you can apply
right away.
And if you'd like to learn moreabout his episode, that's
episode 23.
Now, episode 26, all right, Dr.
Josh Wilken.
Now, leading with purpose.
The big takeaway here, now I'veknown Josh for a long time.
(11:57):
We actually graduated collegetogether.
We've known each other on apersonal level as well as a
professional level.
And, you know, Josh has been inthe seat, Rand.
He's been a principal, he'sdone all these things.
But the one thing that Ilearned from Josh, or a big
takeaway, is the purpose is thecompass when the challenges get
(12:18):
loud.
Okay, when your purpose is whatdrives you, right?
When challenges get loud.
Josh taught us to anchor ourdecisions and missions, not
noise.
So the application piece iswhen facing a tough call, pause
and ask yourself.
Does this decision honor ourpurpose?
So, what is your purpose?
What is your vision or mission?
(12:39):
Is it gonna align with that?
And when you have to make thosetough calls, as long as you
know what that is, you can makethose decisions and make them
easier.
So think about those thingswhen you're making those tough
calls the next time.
Episode 28, Dr.
Cynthia Rapaido.
Now, her and I, we actually podmatch is where I got her
information from and learnedabout her, and we talked a
(13:02):
little bit, and she came on theshow.
So, what was really cool abouther is you know, it was one of
those deals where I didn't knowa lot about her, but we learned
about her, and now bringing heron the show is a lot of fun to
learn from her.
So, with her, identity,culture, and leadership is kind
of like the theme, overarchingtheme in that episode.
Leaders must know who they arebefore they can lead others.
(13:25):
So that was something she wasbig on.
You have to know who you arebefore you can lead others.
Cynthia also made it clear thatidentity isn't a buzzword, it's
a leadership strategy.
So here's the application fromthis episode.
Write your leadership why, orpurpose in this case, is another
way you can look at it in onesentence.
Use it to guide conversationsand decisions.
(13:46):
Very similar to what we talkedabout with Dr.
Josh Wilkin, Cynthia Rapaidokind of reinforces that idea is
to understand who you are, whatyour why is, or your purpose,
and use it to guideconversations and decisions that
you make down the road.
So that's something I want tochallenge you with from this
episode.
(14:07):
Episode 29, Dr.
Rachel Ed oho-Eket.
Now, she was somebody I met onLinkedIn, started following her,
started knowing more about herwork, and then just reached out
and said, Hey, would you like tobe on the show?
And she's like, Yeah, I'd loveto be on the show.
And so really grateful to haveher come on as well.
(14:28):
The big takeaway, and I'veactually seen Dr. Edoho-Eket
speak in person at the NationalPrincipal's Conference this past
summer.
Joy is fuel, not fluff, right?
You know, she talks about thejoy keeps schools energized and
sustainable.
So, us as principal, we gottafind joy.
(14:48):
We gotta find our we gotta findbalance, right?
We can't be go, go, go, go, goand wear it ourselves down.
But we also gotta find the joyin the job so we can be
energized and sustain the job wedo.
So something you can do iscelebrate one staff member
publicly this week.
Joy multiplies when shared.
So when you can share people'sjoy and you show your joy with
(15:12):
other people and they sharetheir joy with you, that brings
a lot of purpose for you guys.
But also, she talks aboutwork-life balance a little bit
or another, you know, a lot ofpeople, you know, with that, she
talks about how she putsparameters in place.
Hey, this is these are mynon-negotiables, these are
(15:33):
things I'm gonna do because Igotta make sure I take care of
my family on top of taking careof my responsibility as a
leader.
So I would check out thatepisode as would be a great one
to talk about that work-lifebalance as well and kind of her
journey when she discovered howto do that.
And what I love about her, shetalks, she gets really real
(15:53):
about what her her uh struggleswere.
And so, really check thatepisode out as well.
Moving on to episode 31, Dr.
Darrin Peppard.
He's a one, the road toawesome, right?
So he used to be a principal,they call him a recovery now
high school principal.
He also is a superintendent,but he has his own educational
(16:15):
consulting business as well.
Now he's out there helpingleaders like you become better
at what you do.
And so with Dr.
Darrin Peppard, when he sharedhis stories, some big takeaways.
And I actually met him online.
He actually reached out to mefirst and said, Hey, want to do
a podcast swap?
I'm like going, sure, andhaven't done that yet.
(16:38):
And so we did a podcast swap.
Ours on his show, he was on myshow.
And so what was cool aboutthat, the one thing you'll if
you have listened to LeaningInto Leadership, you'll
understand you probably hear alot of what I'm getting ready to
say a lot because this is hisper his purpose, right?
His driven, what he's driven todo.
(16:58):
Culture is not a poster, it's apractice.
So Darrin taught us that thesmall moments of intentionality
shape the climate of a building.
Now, when he's also talkingabout intentionality, he's
talking about clarity too.
He talks about clarity andbeing clear is kind.
And I think that's reallyimportant.
When you're intentional andyou're clear, you're gonna be
(17:21):
able to build that schoolculture the way you intend it to
be, or people love coming towork.
Now, it's not gonna be all rosyall the time, but at the same
time, it's gonna be much betterthan if you didn't build that
intentionally.
So here's one thing you can do.
Identified one daily habit thatreinforces your school culture,
protect it fiercely.
(17:42):
So, what's one thing you can dothat reinforces your school
culture, protect it fiercely?
So, something I like to do withI like to get out, I like to
greet people, I like to talk topeople, I will give fist bumps,
I will talk to staff, hey, how'sthings going?
You know, have those littlelittle uh moments with
everybody, talk to kids, talk tostaff.
I like to get out of thebuilding.
(18:04):
That's one habit I have thatreinforces our school culture.
But they also see me havingfun, being joyous as well.
Even on my bad days, I will domy best to, you know, have a
great attitude, even thoughthere's times that I don't want
to, but I have to, you know,show people, you know what, even
when I don't feel like it, Ican still find the joy in this
(18:26):
job.
I think that's really importantto do.
So there's the challenge.
Five one, habit to reinforceyour school culture.
Now, episode 32 with LeroySlanzi, emotional schools.
Now, Leroy and I, he wasanother guy I found on PodMatch
when I was uh using that site totry to find guests on the show.
Now, he's from Canada, justlike Kurtis Hewson was, but he
(18:49):
really talks a lot aboutemotional intelligence.
And, you know, that is reallygreat stuff that I would really
encourage you guys to go backand and listen to again.
So he talks about emotionalintelligence is a leadership
superpower.
So Leroy helps us see that whenwe lead with empathy, student
(19:11):
behavior and staff moraleshifts, right?
So when you can be empathetic,you can use your emotional
intelligence to see things, youcan help those things, you can
actually solve those conflictsmuch better.
So here's the application,right?
When conflict arises, they askwhat emotion is underneath this
behavior?
Respond to that, not theservice.
(19:32):
So this is where you reallygotta be in tune with hey, this
staff member, you know, they'reupset, but I'm gonna try to
figure out the root cause ofthat so I can help solve that so
they don't have that thatfeeling anymore.
That's the same with kids, howwe w interact with kids as well.
And if you have the ability torecognize people's emotions and
(19:56):
find the root causes and helpthem through those things, and
not just because they're mad,you know, take it personally, I
think you go a long ways withbuilding the emotional
intelligence in your school.
So he really he really talksabout emotional intelligence,
emotional schools, and how tolead in a capacity that really
(20:16):
helps turn those schools aroundand build that culture.
So really encourage you tocheck out episode 32 with Leroy
Slanzi.
Moving on to episode 33, Dr.
Frank Buck.
All right, Dr.
Frank Buck, another one off ofPod Match.
So if you notice, I've had afew different ways I've found
these guests, either socialmedia, me, you know, a contact
(20:38):
that I had previously, you know,PodMatch was another way I was
looking around, finding guests,you know, as well as doing the
other ways as doing it.
So Frank, Dr.
Frank Buck, get organized.
He's our organized guru guy.
He really has been in the gamea long time and he helps people
get organized, be productive.
He's got a few books out Iwould encourage you guys to get.
(21:01):
The key takeaway isproductivity is not about doing
more.
It's about doing what mattersmost.
It's not about doing more, it'sdoing what matters most.
And staying organized is thekey.
So Dr.
Buck shows us how.
Systems create freedom.
And if you have things inplace, how that could take some
things off your plate, butcreate freedom for you as well.
(21:22):
So the application from thisepisode, I really want you to
think about is pick one systemto automate or streamline this
week.
Emails, walkthroughs, notes, ortasks, whatever.
Make it simple.
Try to automate that,streamline it so you can get
more time back.
So you're not doing these, youknow, these time-consuming
(21:43):
tasks.
Try to do something tostreamline that.
So I'd really encourage you totake a listen to episode 33 and
learn more about that as well.
We're getting close here to theend of part one.
We got about three more gueststhat we'll go over.
So I'm going to go ahead,episode 34, Josh Rowan.
(22:03):
Now I've known Josh since hewas in just a kid, right?
I actually helped coach hisbaseball team or my brother.
I can't remember if I coachedit or my brother, but he's
actually a catcher, right?
For a baseball team that Ihelped coach one time.
Or it might have been mybrother.
I can't remember.
I've known him since he was akid.
(22:23):
We grew up in the same town.
Now, what's cool about Josh ishe was a first-year assistant
principal in 2023, 2020, well,24, 25.
So he's a first-year principal.
And so I brought him on theshow to talk about his
experience as a first-yearadministrator and the things you
can learn.
Here's the big takeaway fromJosh's episode.
Your first year will stretchyou, but reflection turns
(22:47):
survival into growth.
So he spent a lot of timereflecting on his the lessons he
was learning that first year.
And because he reflected, hewas growing through the process.
He didn't know exactly what wasgoing on half the time.
I mean, he was learning on thejob like we all do as
principals.
And so he did a lot ofreflecting to help himself grow.
(23:10):
He reminds us that new leadersneed to give themselves grace
and stay curious.
So you have to go.
You know what?
I'm not going to be perfect.
I'm not going to do everythingright.
So I have to give myself grace.
But I want to stay curious.
Ask a lot of questions.
Get to know people.
You know, don't, you know,think like you got all the
answers.
Those are really importantthings from that episode you can
(23:30):
take away.
So here's the application.
Start an admin learning log.
So three sentences per day,you'll think yourself later,
right?
So at the end of the day, writethree sentences about the day.
Something, you know, somethingthat you learned, something you
could do better, something thatworked really well, you know,
something like that to reallylog those things out.
(23:52):
And then really see how yougrow and how you reflect over
time and see where you're at ina month, three months, a year,
and see how that goes for you.
Episode 34 with Josh Rowan.
Go ahead and take a listen tothat as well.
So episode 35, Todd Bloomer.
The blueprint for leadershipand family balance.
(24:15):
Now, Todd Bloomer.
He's been around, he's got anew book out.
He's been on all these lot ofdifferent podcasts, but he's
also on TikTok and Instagram.
You know, got to know himthrough Darrin Peppard.
He connected us, and that's howI got him on my show.
Uh but it's really great aboutTodd.
He's just a down-to-earth dude,man.
(24:36):
He he's been through it, he'sdone it.
He just retired.
He's doing now where he'sactually helping other leaders
get better.
So he's doing some coachingwith leaderships, you know, with
other principals.
And so it's really great to seehis TikToks and Instagrams.
I would encourage you to followhim.
He does like a daily thingevery day.
So it's really inspirational.
(24:56):
I'd really love for you guys totake a listen to that as well.
But here's a big takeaway fromepisode 35.
You can be a great leaderwithout sacrificing the people
you love most.
He really talked about how hisfamily wasn't, you know, at the
forefront.
He was putting his job over hisfamily, and he learned that he
(25:17):
can actually do the job andstill have time for his still be
able to be a good dad.
And he talks about you know hisstruggles with that and how
maybe he wasn't the best dad attimes, but he talks about his
growth through that.
So he reminds us thatboundaries aren't barriers,
they're commitments.
And I think that's reallysomething you have to really
(25:38):
appreciate from this episode.
One application you could do isprotect one non-negotiable each
week, like a family dinner, aworkout, coaching your kids'
team.
Something that is not principalrelated, right?
Something that you need to beable to do.
He talks about playing foursquare with his wife every
(25:59):
night, right?
And something that he does thathelps him, you know, reset and
helps him connect with his hiswife every night.
And he goes, I wish I wouldhave done this sooner.
And he'll talk about that inthe episode.
Really encourage you to checkthat out.
That's episode 35.
And the last episode in partone is episode 36 with Casey
Watts.
(26:19):
Another great person I metthrough Darrin Peppard, you
know, he helped me get some ofthese guests on, so it's been
really a great relationship withhim.
Leading with clarity.
Casey Watts, if you knowanything about her, if you've
seen her on LinkedIn, TikTok, orLinkedIn's mainly where she
hangs out.
She talks about clarity a lot.
(26:40):
Like her and Darrin Peppardtalk about clarity.
It's really important tounderstand.
And the big key takeaway withCasey and talking about her
journey is clarity calms thestorm.
Casey taught us that staffthrive when expectations are
simple, consistent, andpredictable.
So bring in clarity, clear askind, all those things is really
(27:01):
important.
The final application for thisepisode in part one for episode
36 is write down one confusingsystem or process in your
building and make it like reallyclear what that system should
be, right?
If teachers are coming to youand saying, I really don't
understand this part of thesystem, really take the time to
(27:23):
think about it.
Well, how am I communicatingthat?
And then get really, reallyclear with the communication,
what that system is supposed todo.
And that's there's times I'vehad to do that.
I've had this take a step backand go, okay, what are they
asking?
Why, what, what is it thatthey're not quite understanding?
Because to me it sounds likeit's so simple, right?
But maybe not simple for them.
So I take a step back and I'mable to re or just clarify what
(27:48):
that system is or what you'retrying to communicate.
And I think that's reallyimportant to do.
So find something that's peopleare having a hard time
understanding and bring clarityto that.
Well, everybody, that's a wrapfor part one of our 2025
year-end review.
14 great leaders, 14 lessons,14 ways to get 1% better when we
(28:10):
get back into our abilitiesfrom the holiday break.
So I hope you guys enjoyed thisepisode.
And I'm gonna have hyperlinksdown at the bottom of this
episode so you guys can go inand you can listen to the full
episode and see you know whatyour key takeaways are from
those episodes as well.
So I really encourage that.
If this episode reallyresonated with you, I would ask
(28:33):
you guys to please share it withsomeone that needs to hear it.
And I also like if you reallylike the work that I'm doing, I
really love it if you leave areview because the more reviews
that I get, the more thispodcast will be out, pushed out
by the algorithm so it couldreach more people.
And I really appreciate yourhelp if you can do that.
(28:54):
Thank you guys for tuning in.
I hope you guys have a greatholiday break.
And always remember to becurious and one percent better.
Today's episode is special.
It's the first of a two-partseries looking back at the
incredible lineup of leaders whohave joined us on this podcast
in 2025.
This year was full of wisdom,full of honesty, full of
reminders that leadership isn'ta title.
It's a choice we make every dayto serve our schools, our
(01:20):
staff, and our students.
So today we're going to revisiteach guest and pull out one
powerful leadership takeaway andtalk about how we can apply it
when we get back into ourbuildings after the holiday
break.
Without further ado, let's getto part one of this two-part
series.
Welcome back, everybody, toanother exciting episode of the
(01:53):
Educational Leadership Podcast.
I am so excited to do thisyear-in review with you guys.
I'm doing part one of atwo-part series where I'm going
to recap every guest that we'vehad on this show over the last
year, in the year 2025.
And so what I'm going to do isI'm going to talk about, you
know, key takeaways andsomething you can do to apply
(02:16):
something from that episode.
Now, with these episodes, I'mactually going to hyperlink each
episode that I talk about inthis episode.
So you can go to that episodeand listen to the full episode
if you want to learn more aboutthat guess, or when you're
interested in more of what I'vetalked about here today.
(02:36):
So I'm going to get thingsstarted off with episode 14,
Principal Mo from the Classroomto Princ Fluencer.
Now, the first time I sawPrincipal Mo, she's on TikTok,
right?
I'm following her.
I'm like kind of new to thisstuff.
This was like way back inDecember of last year.
And I'm really starting toreally get into my podcast and
(02:58):
really looking around what otherpeople were doing.
And I ran across her and Istarted following her.
And we talked a little bit backand forth, not too much.
But then I got this idea tobring her on the show and she
did.
So I was like grateful.
Like, all right, cool.
I got someone to be a guest onmy podcast.
So with Principal Mo, what shereally talks about, some big
(03:19):
takeaway you could take about ortake from that episode is being
your authentic self.
Be an authentic, build trustfaster than perfection.
You're not going to be perfect.
So Principal Mo reminds us whenleaders show who they truly
are, when they show their joy,they show their struggles, they
can be silly, all thosedifferent things that make us
human.
(03:40):
People connect more deeply.
So in this episode, we kind oftalk about her journey and how
that her authenticity reallybuilds those relationships.
So I would encourage you to goback and listen to that.
But the one thing I want you toreally challenge yourself from
this episode is I want you toshare one authentic moment with
(04:00):
your staff when you get backinto the building.
You know, you want to share achallenge, share a win, share a
story that makes leadershiphuman.
You got to show people you arewho you are and makes you more
human.
You're not always this, yeah,you're a leader, but you're not,
you know, someone that theyhave to fear, but they can show
that you are a normal person.
(04:21):
So that's one takeaway fromepisode 14 that I would love to
share with you guys on that.
Now I'm gonna go ahead and movealong to episode 18.
Angela Kelly.
Angela Kelly, I've known herfor about now three, almost four
years now.
I'm in her Empower Principlesgroup.
I am in her EPCs and I engagewith those the Facebook format.
(04:47):
I engage with those things offand on, but I really enjoy
listening to her and somebodythat actually has helped me in
my leadership journey, but alsohelped me with, you know, I
wouldn't be here podcasting ifit wasn't my relationship with
Angela Kelly, making me a betterprincipal and learning some
things from her.
So things I want to reallypoint to on this episode is
(05:12):
reflection is a leadershipaccelerator.
You gotta be able to reflect onthe things you do.
You gotta be able to go, hmm,how does this impact all these
different things?
Angela talks about slowing downlong enough to examine your
practices, not just to surviveit, but actually to thrive,
right?
And so what you want to do isthe challenge is let's build a
(05:35):
weekly 10-minute reflectionroutine.
Ask, what did I learn?
What did I need, and whom did Iserve well?
So those are three differentthings you can ask yourself on a
reflection.
So when you reflect on yourleadership, that's gonna help
transform your leadership.
And Angela talks a lot aboutyou know her journey, but then
(05:55):
how she found coaching and howshe's helping other people in
the leadership role with hercoaching.
So I really love that episodeand love you guys to check that
one out as well.
Of course, I want you to checkout all these episodes within
this year-in review.
Like I said, all the links willbe hyperlinked down in the show
notes.
So episode 21.
(06:17):
Now, if you notice, I'vebounced around on these numbers.
They're not like I have themlined up because I've done some
solo episodes in between these.
But episode 21, Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo lead from whereyou are.
I think this episode is greatto where you can understand, you
know, you don't have to be aprincipal or administrator to
(06:38):
lead from where you are.
So I think that's reallyimportant to take away.
Now, I've seen Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo speak atconferences, at different
engagements, and so I've seenhim for a few years, but I one
of those things.
I just reached out and said,hey, would you be interested?
And he was gracious enough tocome on, and so that was great
(07:00):
to have Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo on.
So the big takeaway is everyrole matters.
People need to feel seen in themoment they are in.
Joe reminds us that leadershipis influence, not position.
He also talks about find thejoy.
If you're running around beingmiserable at work, you're not
very joyous.
(07:20):
So if you can find the thingsyou can be joyful about, that's
something he also talks about aswell.
So I really want you guys to goback and listen to that episode
and you'll learn more about hisjourney and kind of what he's
been up to lately.
The thing you can do with thisfrom this episode, one thing you
can apply is you can make alist of three staff members you
(07:42):
haven't done a shout-out lately,or you want to tell them I see
you.
So you don't have to like makea big announcement, I want to do
these things.
Like, okay, there's threepeople, I'm gonna write them
down.
I'm gonna make sure Iintentionally sit, you know,
tell them something positive, orgo out of my way and say, hey,
I really like this, or I reallyenjoyed this.
(08:02):
Hey, you did really good job atthis, right?
Go and you know, do ashout-out, maybe not in front of
people, but just likeone-on-one in person.
I think those are good thingsto do to help build up your
staff morale as well.
So that's episode 21, Dr.
Joe Sanfelippo.
And episode 22, Kurtis Hewson.
(08:24):
Now, I got a hold of Kurtis, itwas another one of those, like
on you know, in the socialmedia.
Got connected with him with Dr.
Darrin Peppard.
And so I believe that's kind ofour connection there.
Him and I started chatting.
He's from Canada.
He talks about collaborativeresponse and all these different
(08:46):
great things, talking aboutyes, we have PLCs, but what can
we do to strengthen those PLCsas well?
So the big takeaway fromepisode 22 with Kurtis Hewson is
teams solve problems betterthan individuals, right?
Kurtis shows us a frameworkwhere clarity, collaboration
(09:07):
equals improved outcomes forkids.
So when you're clear aboutsomething and you collaborate,
you put those together, youimprove the outcomes for kids.
So here's what I want you guysto think about.
This is an application piece.
Ask your PLC one question.
What's one thing we can fixtogether that none of us have
(09:27):
fixed alone?
Now, this doesn't have to be aPO secret, but this could be a
team leadership.
So I have a leadership team, Ihave a school improvement team.
You can ask this questionwhat's one thing we can fix
together that none of us can fixalone?
That's a really powerful thing.
Get people together, get themcollaborating, and that would be
a great episode for you to goback and take a listen to.
(09:50):
Now I'm gonna go ahead and trekalong here, episode 23 with
Coach Tony Kimble.
Now, Coach Tony Kimble leadingthe transformation.
You know, at the time I wasfollowing him on YouTube, he was
doing these transformationalleadership uh for all 50 states,
and it was really cool becauseyou got to listen to all that.
(10:28):
I got to be on his show.
I asked him to be on mine, andhe really graciously accepted
it.
He usually doesn't do a lot ofpodcasts, so I was really
fortunate that he would come onand show share his story as
well.
Now he's from the you know,from Mississippi Delta, and we
talked about that.
We talked about his career, butone thing I really want to the
(10:49):
big takeaway in this episode isculture changes when adults
model the behavior we expectfrom students.
Tony's coaching backgroundproved that consistency beats
intensity.
So being consistent is betterthan how intense you are about
it.
So that's really an importanttakeaway.
So I want you to apply this in,you know, coming up.
(11:13):
Pick one expectation you wantto tighten up and model
relentlessly for the next 10days.
So, what is it out there thatyou as a leader can say, you
know what, this is something wereally gotta get tight on.
I have to remind our staff,hey, remember our expectations.
We gotta get tight on thesethings and really focus and
being relentless and intent onthose things for the next 10
(11:35):
days.
And these are all things thatyou can do that you can apply
right away.
And if you'd like to learn moreabout his episode, that's
episode 23.
Now, episode 26, all right, Dr.
Josh Wilken.
Now, leading with purpose.
The big takeaway here, now I'veknown Josh for a long time.
(11:57):
We actually graduated collegetogether.
We've known each other on apersonal level as well as a
professional level.
And, you know, Josh has been inthe seat, Rand.
He's been a principal, he'sdone all these things.
But the one thing that Ilearned from Josh, or a big
takeaway, is the purpose is thecompass when the challenges get
(12:18):
loud.
Okay, when your purpose is whatdrives you, right?
When challenges get loud.
Josh taught us to anchor ourdecisions and missions, not
noise.
So the application piece iswhen facing a tough call, pause
and ask yourself.
Does this decision honor ourpurpose?
So, what is your purpose?
What is your vision or mission?
(12:39):
Is it gonna align with that?
And when you have to make thosetough calls, as long as you
know what that is, you can makethose decisions and make them
easier.
So think about those thingswhen you're making those tough
calls the next time.
Episode 28, Dr.
Cynthia Rapaido.
Now, her and I, we actually podmatch is where I got her
information from and learnedabout her, and we talked a
(13:02):
little bit, and she came on theshow.
So, what was really cool abouther is you know, it was one of
those deals where I didn't knowa lot about her, but we learned
about her, and now bringing heron the show is a lot of fun to
learn from her.
So, with her, identity,culture, and leadership is kind
of like the theme, overarchingtheme in that episode.
Leaders must know who they arebefore they can lead others.
(13:25):
So that was something she wasbig on.
You have to know who you arebefore you can lead others.
Cynthia also made it clear thatidentity isn't a buzzword, it's
a leadership strategy.
So here's the application fromthis episode.
Write your leadership why, orpurpose in this case, is another
way you can look at it in onesentence.
Use it to guide conversationsand decisions.
(13:46):
Very similar to what we talkedabout with Dr.
Josh Wilkin, Cynthia Rapaidokind of reinforces that idea is
to understand who you are, whatyour why is, or your purpose,
and use it to guideconversations and decisions that
you make down the road.
So that's something I want tochallenge you with from this
episode.
(14:07):
Episode 29, Dr.
Rachel Ed oho-Eket.
Now, she was somebody I met onLinkedIn, started following her,
started knowing more about herwork, and then just reached out
and said, Hey, would you like tobe on the show?
And she's like, Yeah, I'd loveto be on the show.
And so really grateful to haveher come on as well.
(14:28):
The big takeaway, and I'veactually seen Dr. Edoho-Eket
speak in person at the NationalPrincipal's Conference this past
summer.
Joy is fuel, not fluff, right?
You know, she talks about thejoy keeps schools energized and
sustainable.
So, us as principal, we gottafind joy.
(14:48):
We gotta find our we gotta findbalance, right?
We can't be go, go, go, go, goand wear it ourselves down.
But we also gotta find the joyin the job so we can be
energized and sustain the job wedo.
So something you can do iscelebrate one staff member
publicly this week.
Joy multiplies when shared.
So when you can share people'sjoy and you show your joy with
(15:12):
other people and they sharetheir joy with you, that brings
a lot of purpose for you guys.
But also, she talks aboutwork-life balance a little bit
or another, you know, a lot ofpeople, you know, with that, she
talks about how she putsparameters in place.
Hey, this is these are mynon-negotiables, these are
(15:33):
things I'm gonna do because Igotta make sure I take care of
my family on top of taking careof my responsibility as a
leader.
So I would check out thatepisode as would be a great one
to talk about that work-lifebalance as well and kind of her
journey when she discovered howto do that.
And what I love about her, shetalks, she gets really real
(15:53):
about what her her uh struggleswere.
And so, really check thatepisode out as well.
Moving on to episode 31, Dr.
Darrin Peppard.
He's a one, the road toawesome, right?
So he used to be a principal,they call him a recovery now
high school principal.
He also is a superintendent,but he has his own educational
(16:15):
consulting business as well.
Now he's out there helpingleaders like you become better
at what you do.
And so with Dr.
Darrin Peppard, when he sharedhis stories, some big takeaways.
And I actually met him online.
He actually reached out to mefirst and said, Hey, want to do
a podcast swap?
I'm like going, sure, andhaven't done that yet.
(16:38):
And so we did a podcast swap.
Ours on his show, he was on myshow.
And so what was cool aboutthat, the one thing you'll if
you have listened to LeaningInto Leadership, you'll
understand you probably hear alot of what I'm getting ready to
say a lot because this is hisper his purpose, right?
His driven, what he's driven todo.
(16:58):
Culture is not a poster, it's apractice.
So Darrin taught us that thesmall moments of intentionality
shape the climate of a building.
Now, when he's also talkingabout intentionality, he's
talking about clarity too.
He talks about clarity andbeing clear is kind.
And I think that's reallyimportant.
When you're intentional andyou're clear, you're gonna be
(17:21):
able to build that schoolculture the way you intend it to
be, or people love coming towork.
Now, it's not gonna be all rosyall the time, but at the same
time, it's gonna be much betterthan if you didn't build that
intentionally.
So here's one thing you can do.
Identified one daily habit thatreinforces your school culture,
protect it fiercely.
(17:42):
So, what's one thing you can dothat reinforces your school
culture, protect it fiercely?
So, something I like to do withI like to get out, I like to
greet people, I like to talk topeople, I will give fist bumps,
I will talk to staff, hey, how'sthings going?
You know, have those littlelittle uh moments with
everybody, talk to kids, talk tostaff.
I like to get out of thebuilding.
(18:04):
That's one habit I have thatreinforces our school culture.
But they also see me havingfun, being joyous as well.
Even on my bad days, I will domy best to, you know, have a
great attitude, even thoughthere's times that I don't want
to, but I have to, you know,show people, you know what, even
when I don't feel like it, Ican still find the joy in this
(18:26):
job.
I think that's really importantto do.
So there's the challenge.
Five one, habit to reinforceyour school culture.
Now, episode 32 with LeroySlanzi, emotional schools.
Now, Leroy and I, he wasanother guy I found on PodMatch
when I was uh using that site totry to find guests on the show.
Now, he's from Canada, justlike Kurtis Hewson was, but he
(18:49):
really talks a lot aboutemotional intelligence.
And, you know, that is reallygreat stuff that I would really
encourage you guys to go backand and listen to again.
So he talks about emotionalintelligence is a leadership
superpower.
So Leroy helps us see that whenwe lead with empathy, student
(19:11):
behavior and staff moraleshifts, right?
So when you can be empathetic,you can use your emotional
intelligence to see things, youcan help those things, you can
actually solve those conflictsmuch better.
So here's the application,right?
When conflict arises, they askwhat emotion is underneath this
behavior?
Respond to that, not theservice.
(19:32):
So this is where you reallygotta be in tune with hey, this
staff member, you know, they'reupset, but I'm gonna try to
figure out the root cause ofthat so I can help solve that so
they don't have that thatfeeling anymore.
That's the same with kids, howwe w interact with kids as well.
And if you have the ability torecognize people's emotions and
(19:56):
find the root causes and helpthem through those things, and
not just because they're mad,you know, take it personally, I
think you go a long ways withbuilding the emotional
intelligence in your school.
So he really he really talksabout emotional intelligence,
emotional schools, and how tolead in a capacity that really
(20:16):
helps turn those schools aroundand build that culture.
So really encourage you tocheck out episode 32 with Leroy
Slanzi.
Moving on to episode 33, Dr.
Frank Buck.
All right, Dr.
Frank Buck, another one off ofPod Match.
So if you notice, I've had afew different ways I've found
these guests, either socialmedia, me, you know, a contact
(20:38):
that I had previously, you know,PodMatch was another way I was
looking around, finding guests,you know, as well as doing the
other ways as doing it.
So Frank, Dr.
Frank Buck, get organized.
He's our organized guru guy.
He really has been in the gamea long time and he helps people
get organized, be productive.
He's got a few books out Iwould encourage you guys to get.
(21:01):
The key takeaway isproductivity is not about doing
more.
It's about doing what mattersmost.
It's not about doing more, it'sdoing what matters most.
And staying organized is thekey.
So Dr.
Buck shows us how.
Systems create freedom.
And if you have things inplace, how that could take some
things off your plate, butcreate freedom for you as well.
(21:22):
So the application from thisepisode, I really want you to
think about is pick one systemto automate or streamline this
week.
Emails, walkthroughs, notes, ortasks, whatever.
Make it simple.
Try to automate that,streamline it so you can get
more time back.
So you're not doing these, youknow, these time-consuming
(21:43):
tasks.
Try to do something tostreamline that.
So I'd really encourage you totake a listen to episode 33 and
learn more about that as well.
We're getting close here to theend of part one.
We got about three more gueststhat we'll go over.
So I'm going to go ahead,episode 34, Josh Rowan.
(22:03):
Now I've known Josh since hewas in just a kid, right?
I actually helped coach hisbaseball team or my brother.
I can't remember if I coachedit or my brother, but he's
actually a catcher, right?
For a baseball team that Ihelped coach one time.
Or it might have been mybrother.
I can't remember.
I've known him since he was akid.
(22:23):
We grew up in the same town.
Now, what's cool about Josh ishe was a first-year assistant
principal in 2023, 2020, well,24, 25.
So he's a first-year principal.
And so I brought him on theshow to talk about his
experience as a first-yearadministrator and the things you
can learn.
Here's the big takeaway fromJosh's episode.
Your first year will stretchyou, but reflection turns
(22:47):
survival into growth.
So he spent a lot of timereflecting on his the lessons he
was learning that first year.
And because he reflected, hewas growing through the process.
He didn't know exactly what wasgoing on half the time.
I mean, he was learning on thejob like we all do as
principals.
And so he did a lot ofreflecting to help himself grow.
(23:10):
He reminds us that new leadersneed to give themselves grace
and stay curious.
So you have to go.
You know what?
I'm not going to be perfect.
I'm not going to do everythingright.
So I have to give myself grace.
But I want to stay curious.
Ask a lot of questions.
Get to know people.
You know, don't, you know,think like you got all the
answers.
Those are really importantthings from that episode you can
(23:30):
take away.
So here's the application.
Start an admin learning log.
So three sentences per day,you'll think yourself later,
right?
So at the end of the day, writethree sentences about the day.
Something, you know, somethingthat you learned, something you
could do better, something thatworked really well, you know,
something like that to reallylog those things out.
(23:52):
And then really see how yougrow and how you reflect over
time and see where you're at ina month, three months, a year,
and see how that goes for you.
Episode 34 with Josh Rowan.
Go ahead and take a listen tothat as well.
So episode 35, Todd Bloomer.
The blueprint for leadershipand family balance.
(24:15):
Now, Todd Bloomer.
He's been around, he's got anew book out.
He's been on all these lot ofdifferent podcasts, but he's
also on TikTok and Instagram.
You know, got to know himthrough Darrin Peppard.
He connected us, and that's howI got him on my show.
Uh but it's really great aboutTodd.
He's just a down-to-earth dude,man.
(24:36):
He he's been through it, he'sdone it.
He just retired.
He's doing now where he'sactually helping other leaders
get better.
So he's doing some coachingwith leaderships, you know, with
other principals.
And so it's really great to seehis TikToks and Instagrams.
I would encourage you to followhim.
He does like a daily thingevery day.
So it's really inspirational.
(24:56):
I'd really love for you guys totake a listen to that as well.
But here's a big takeaway fromepisode 35.
You can be a great leaderwithout sacrificing the people
you love most.
He really talked about how hisfamily wasn't, you know, at the
forefront.
He was putting his job over hisfamily, and he learned that he
(25:17):
can actually do the job andstill have time for his still be
able to be a good dad.
And he talks about you know hisstruggles with that and how
maybe he wasn't the best dad attimes, but he talks about his
growth through that.
So he reminds us thatboundaries aren't barriers,
they're commitments.
And I think that's reallysomething you have to really
(25:38):
appreciate from this episode.
One application you could do isprotect one non-negotiable each
week, like a family dinner, aworkout, coaching your kids'
team.
Something that is not principalrelated, right?
Something that you need to beable to do.
He talks about playing foursquare with his wife every
(25:59):
night, right?
And something that he does thathelps him, you know, reset and
helps him connect with his hiswife every night.
And he goes, I wish I wouldhave done this sooner.
And he'll talk about that inthe episode.
Really encourage you to checkthat out.
That's episode 35.
And the last episode in partone is episode 36 with Casey
Watts.
(26:19):
Another great person I metthrough Darrin Peppard, you
know, he helped me get some ofthese guests on, so it's been
really a great relationship withhim.
Leading with clarity.
Casey Watts, if you knowanything about her, if you've
seen her on LinkedIn, TikTok, orLinkedIn's mainly where she
hangs out.
She talks about clarity a lot.
(26:40):
Like her and Darrin Peppardtalk about clarity.
It's really important tounderstand.
And the big key takeaway withCasey and talking about her
journey is clarity calms thestorm.
Casey taught us that staffthrive when expectations are
simple, consistent, andpredictable.
So bring in clarity, clear askind, all those things is really
(27:01):
important.
The final application for thisepisode in part one for episode
36 is write down one confusingsystem or process in your
building and make it like reallyclear what that system should
be, right?
If teachers are coming to youand saying, I really don't
understand this part of thesystem, really take the time to
(27:23):
think about it.
Well, how am I communicatingthat?
And then get really, reallyclear with the communication,
what that system is supposed todo.
And that's there's times I'vehad to do that.
I've had this take a step backand go, okay, what are they
asking?
Why, what, what is it thatthey're not quite understanding?
Because to me it sounds likeit's so simple, right?
But maybe not simple for them.
So I take a step back and I'mable to re or just clarify what
(27:48):
that system is or what you'retrying to communicate.
And I think that's reallyimportant to do.
So find something that's peopleare having a hard time
understanding and bring clarityto that.
Well, everybody, that's a wrapfor part one of our 2025
year-end review.
14 great leaders, 14 lessons,14 ways to get 1% better when we
(28:10):
get back into our abilitiesfrom the holiday break.
So I hope you guys enjoyed thisepisode.
And I'm gonna have hyperlinksdown at the bottom of this
episode so you guys can go inand you can listen to the full
episode and see you know whatyour key takeaways are from
those episodes as well.
So I really encourage that.
If this episode reallyresonated with you, I would ask
(28:33):
you guys to please share it withsomeone that needs to hear it.
And I also like if you reallylike the work that I'm doing, I
really love it if you leave areview because the more reviews
that I get, the more thispodcast will be out, pushed out
by the algorithm so it couldreach more people.
And I really appreciate yourhelp if you can do that.
(28:54):
Thank you guys for tuning in.
I hope you guys have a greatholiday break.
And always remember to becurious and one percent better.
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