Claim OwnershipCoaching the Whole Educator
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Coaching the Whole Educator is a podcast for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders who want to strengthen their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you’ll hear quick tips, proven strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your coaching game.
This show is rooted in a human-centered approach, where we get things done through people’s humanity, not around it. Whether you’re new to instructional coaching or a seasoned instructional coach or leader looking for fresh perspective, you’ll learn how to focus on the mindsets and motivations driving unproductive behaviors. By getting to the root of resistance, you’ll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.
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Send us a text What happens when a teacher leader decides to stop fixing everything and start empowering others? In this episode, I sit down with Todd Goodman, a teacher and leader who has sparked a grassroots movement of change in his school community. Todd shares how shifting away from the exhausting “fix-it mindset” freed him to build trust, empower his peers, and create real transformation for students. You’ll hear how frameworks like FFIRE Your Complaints™ and reflective listening didn’t...
Send us a text One of the biggest mistakes leaders make with new initiatives is selling the benefits without naming what it might cost teachers. Grounded in Kahneman and Tversky’s Prospect Theory, this episode explores why the fear of loss often outweighs the promise of gain. Whether it’s autonomy, time, competence, or belonging, the risks teachers anticipate can feel heavier than the advantages leaders emphasize. Through research and real-life examples, you’ll learn how to shift pushback int...
Send us a text Diagnose why your team is resisting or stuck: Take the Quiz! In this episode, Becca Silver interviews Bethany Rees about her unique approach to leadership, using the metaphor of the "body of leadership": head (mindset), heart (relationships), hands (execution), and guts (accountability). They discuss the importance of pausing, reflection, and focusing on what truly matters ("rocks over sand") to avoid burnout and be more effective leaders. Bethany shares practical mantras and s...
Send us a text Every coach and leader has felt the sting of teacher pushback, especially when the change you’re asking for seems so small it shouldn’t cause resistance. But here’s the catch: sometimes it’s not the change itself that sparks resistance, it’s depletion. When teachers are constantly pulled in a dozen directions, their self-control tanks become empty. That’s when even minor adjustments feel like mountains. This episode unpacks the concept of ego depletion and why willpower is more...
Send us a text Craig Randall shares his trust-based coaching model for educators, which integrates trust-building into the observation and feedback process. The model uses regular, strengths-based classroom visits and reflective conversations to create a safe environment for teacher growth. By focusing on teachers’ strengths and fostering open dialogue, the approach encourages risk-taking and collective teacher efficacy. Resources and the observation form can be found at trustbased.com. John ...
Send us a text Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe shares a deeply human approach to resilience, grounded in both research and personal experience. She introduces the five pillars of resilience—belonging, perspective, acceptance, hope, and humor—as essential anchors for navigating adversity. Rather than viewing resilience as simply “being strong,” she reframes it as the ability to recover, adapt, and move forward with intention. Her concept of “stressing wisely” challenges the idea that stress should be ...
Send us a text Learn more about *The Resistance Remedy* On Demand Course In this episode, Dr. Donna Spangler shares the coaching breakthrough that changed everything: She stopped trying to convince teachers, and they started showing up with purpose, ownership, and even excitement. After going through The Resistance Remedy course, Donna realized she wasn’t dealing with a skill gap—she was missing the belief gap. Once she started listening for mindset signals like value, belonging, and ...
Send us a text If you feel like your days are just putting out one behavior fire after another, this one’s for you. I sat down with Hunter Flesch, Associate Principal and host of the Ed Essentials Podcast, to talk about how he moved from 17 behavior calls a day (yes, SEVENTEEN) to just five—and did it by redesigning the system, not just responding harder. We unpack what systems thinking really looks like when the school day feels like chaos—and how a tiered support system for students and tea...
Send us a text **Check out The Resistance Remedy HERE!** Can you lead with optimism without slipping into toxic positivity? In this episode, Jason Adair from Southern Regional Education Board and I unpack what real optimism looks like in schools—and why it’s a critical ingredient in the Ownership Mindset. We explore the difference between sugarcoated cheerleading and grounded, actionable hope. Drawing on the work of Simon Sinek and Martin Seligman, they highlight how coaches can model optimis...
Send us a text 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 others. You’ll hear: Why self-judgment masquerades as “high standard...
Send us a text 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 Expectation Continuum, drop a research-backed tool called mental contrasti...
Send us a text 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 leaders—and shows how it helps schools move from scattered stra...
Send us a text 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, they stop defending and start growing. Tune in to learn how ...
Send us a text 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” (without spiraling into guilt), align your actions with your...
Send us a text 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—not just doing what feels good. Because real leaders don’t jus...
Send us a text 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 for shifting from deficit to asset-based mindsets, aligning ...
Send us a text 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 assess readiness and share a real story of what...
Send us a text 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 teachers demands customized support that goes beyond the tradi...
Send us a text 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 122 for a breakdown of the 5 Catalyst Mindset...
Send us a text 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 moments and shares a simple, powerful strategy to hit the “ca...
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