PODCAST · education
Aspire to Lead
by Joshua Stamper
Joshua Stamper provides an opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and accomplished educational leaders. As we grow in our leadership skills, it’s imperative to learn from other leader’s successes, trials and misconceptions. Join us each week as my guests provide valuable stories, resources, and advice to enhance your leadership journey.
Episodes
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399. Build Systems That Last Beyond You: Featuring James M. Holloway
What does it say about your leadership if everything falls apart the moment you step out of the building? In this episode, Joshua Stamper sits down with educational leader, consultant, author, and Legacy 7 podcast host James M. Holloway to explore leadership as architecture rather than simply a...
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398. Compliance Is the Baseline Not the Finish Line: Featuring Korenne Wolken
What if compliance was not the finish line for special education services, but the starting point for providing every student with the instruction and support they deserve? In this episode, Joshua Stamper sits down with Korenne Wolken, Director of ANW Special Education Interlocal, to explore how...
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397. The Power of Presence in Leadership: Featuring Ronnel Blackmon
What changes when you stop waiting to feel motivated and start showing up with discipline, purpose, and presence? In this episode, Joshua Stamper is joined by speaker, coach, entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and leadership strategist Ronnel Blackman. Ronnel shares the P.R.E.S.E.N.C.E. framework…
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Aspire Mailbag: Creating Teacher Goals That Build Growth and Ownership
How can school leaders give teachers ownership over their professional growth while still creating alignment around campus priorities? In this Aspire Mailbag episode, Joshua Stamper and Jeff Gargas tackle two timely questions from school leaders: How much autonomy should teachers have when…
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396. Reflective Leaders Create Stronger School Communities: Featuring Lauren Kaufman
What would shift in your leadership if you treated every interaction, observation, and moment of reflection as an opportunity to help someone grow? In this episode, Joshua Stamper welcomes back district leader, author, speaker, and educator Lauren Kaufman. Lauren shares how her journey from...
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Bonus: Get the Brain on Board With Carrie Bonnett
What if the challenges your child is having with homework, time management, organization, or emotional regulation are not about a lack of effort, but about skills that can be built? In this bonus episode, Joshua Stamper welcomes back executive function coach and former middle and high school...
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395. Leading Without Apology With Dr. Carrie Mugridge and Dr. Jennifer Perez Bessolo
What would change if more women stopped waiting to feel completely ready and began stepping into the leadership roles they are already capable of leading? In this episode, Joshua Stamper is joined by Dr. Carrie Mugridge and Dr. Jennifer Perez Bessolo, coauthors of Leading Without Apology:...
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394. How to Flourish in a Tired and Stressed Out World: Featuring Phil Januszewski
What if feeling less tired and more inspired is not about waiting for life to slow down, but about making small, intentional choices in the middle of the chaos? In this episode, Joshua Stamper welcomes back former high school chemistry and physics teacher, keynote speaker, and author Phil...
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393. Reclaiming Our Joy Before It’s Too Late: Featuring CJ Reynolds
What would change if educators treated joy, connection, and mental wellness as essential parts of the work instead of extras? In this episode, Joshua Stamper welcomes back educator, author, speaker, and Teach Class Off creator CJ Reynolds. CJ reflects on more than 20 years in education, from...
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BONUS Series – Aspiring Leaders Part 5: 30-Day Leadership Action Plan
You have reflected on your leadership experiences, clarified your leadership identity, identified the people in your corner, and recognized the gaps you still need to fill. Now it is time to turn that insight into action. In the final episode of the Aspiring Leaders Bonus Series, Joshua Stamper...
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BONUS Series – Aspiring Leaders Part 4: What Experience Are You Still Missing?
Are you building meaningful leadership experience, or are you simply staying busy? In Part 4 of the Aspiring Leaders Bonus Series, Joshua Stamper helps aspiring leaders identify the experiences they still need before stepping into their next role. Saying yes to every committee, project, or extra...
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BONUS Series – Aspiring Leaders Part 3: Defining Your Leadership Identity
What kind of leader do you want to be when the title finally arrives? In Part 3 of the Aspiring Leaders Bonus Series, Joshua Stamper helps aspiring leaders move beyond simply naming the role they want and begin defining the values, mission, vision, and commitments that will guide their…
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BONUS Series – Aspiring Leaders Part 2: Growth Does Not Happen in Isolation
Leadership growth does not happen in isolation. While your experiences, credentials, and drive all matter, the right relationships can help you gain perspective, identify meaningful opportunities, and take the next step in your leadership journey. In this episode, Joshua Stamper explores why...
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BONUS Series - Aspiring Leaders Part 1: Leadership Starts Before the Title
If you are considering a future leadership role, have recently joined a principal preparation program, or simply feel ready to make a greater impact on your campus, this series will help you take practical next steps. In this first episode, Joshua Stamper challenges aspiring leaders to look…
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392. Culture Is a System, Not a Slogan: Featuring Tom Walls
What if the strongest school cultures are not built through big initiatives, catchy slogans, or another binder of expectations, but through small actions repeated every day? In this episode, Tom Walls shares lessons from more than 30 years in education and coaching across four continents. He...
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391. Taking Off the Leadership Mask: Featuring Ashanti Branch
What might change in your school if students felt safe enough to say they were not okay? In this episode, Ashanti Branch shares how his own journey as a student, engineer, and educator led him to create the Ever Forward Club, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young men build connection, emotional...
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390. Preparing Future School Leaders and Enhancing Your School Culture: Featuring Adam Dovico
What does it really take to lead well when school life is messy, fast-moving, and full of real challenges? In this week's episode, Adam Dovico shares a grounded and practical conversation about what educators and school leaders are facing right now, from supporting new teachers and building…
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389. The Resistance Solution: Featuring Becca Silver
What if resistance in your school is not a sign of defiance, but a signal that something deeper needs attention? In this episode, Becca Silver shares a research-informed approach to understanding resistance in K-12 education and why it is often rooted in unmet needs rather than unwillingness to...
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388. Empowering School Leaders to Be Math Leaders: Featuring Thomas O’Brien
Why is it still so common for people to say, “I’m not a math person,” and how can school leaders help change that narrative? In this week's episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Thomas O’Brien to explore why leaders are uniquely positioned to shape math culture, support…
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Aspire Mailbag: How to Hire Well and Reimagine Student Discipline
In this Aspire Mailbag episode, Joshua Stamper and Jeff Gargas tackle two leadership topics that are on a lot of educators’ minds right now: how to hire great people when applicant pools are shrinking, and how to rethink student discipline in ways that actually build skills. They explore why...
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387. How to Develop Future Leaders and Grow Talent: Featuring Darrin Peppard
In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Darrin Peppard to explore how organizations can intentionally develop future leaders. Darrin shares practical ideas for identifying leadership potential early, creating meaningful growth opportunities, and building the kind of trust...
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386. The Hidden Cost of Pretending to Have It All Together: Featuring Chris Valli
What if vulnerability is not a weakness, but the very thing that helps leaders build trust, connection, and courage? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with Chris Valli, a New Zealand author, keynote speaker, former journalist, educator, and founder of the VOIC framework,...
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385. Focusing on Lead Measures Instead of Noise: Featuring Dave Schmittou
What if the biggest key to better leadership is not focusing on the lagging measures, but learning how to measure what truly matters? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Dave Schmittou to talk about leadership, priority management, and the difference between lead...
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Aspire Mailbag: Building Trust Through Leadership and Initiative Changes
In this Aspire Mailbag episode, Joshua Stamper and Jeff Gargas respond to listener questions about supporting an aspiring leader through a campus transition and helping teachers shift away from punitive discipline. They explore how new leadership can create both uncertainty and opportunity, and...
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384. Keeping Great Educators in the Profession: Featuring Brad Gaynor
What happens when the very systems meant to support education begin driving great teachers out of the profession? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Brad Gaynor to talk about the growing teacher retention crisis, the hidden emotional and psychological cost of…
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383. Increasing Student Engagement with Purposeful Instruction: Featuring Megan Diede
In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with Megan Diede about the power of connection, purposeful teaching, and the small instructional shifts that can create meaningful change in classrooms. Megan shares how her seven pathways to learning help educators design lessons that are...
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BONUS: The EQ Impact with Charle Peck
In this special bonus episode of Aspire to Lead, Josh and Charle share exciting news about their upcoming book project, EQ Impact. They explore why emotional intelligence matters more than ever in schools, workplaces, families, and relationships, and why lasting change depends on giving people...
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382: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success: Featuring Gretchen Bridgers
What if the biggest instructional breakthrough came from starting in the right place? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Gretchen Bridgers to talk about classroom instruction, teacher mentorship, and the mindset shifts that help educators build more sustainable and...
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381. Leading With Hope When the Pressure Is Heavy: Featuring Dr. Brandi Kelly
What does it look like to lead with hope when life, leadership, and responsibility feel overwhelming? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Dr. Brandi Kelly for a powerful conversation about resilience, self-awareness, purpose, and the daily choices that help leaders...
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380. Every Student Needs a Chance to Win: Featuring James O’Neal Jr.
What if student success had less to do with talent and more to do with belief, access, and the way we design learning experiences? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with James O’Neal, Jr., founder of Mastery For All, to explore what it really takes to create classrooms...
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379. The Hidden Work of Real School Leadership: Featuring Principal Kafele
What does it really mean to lead a school rather than simply manage one? In this powerful conversation, Joshua Stamper sits down with Principal Baruti Kafele to explore the deeper work of school leadership, instructional coaching, student engagement, and school culture. Kafele shares lessons from...
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BONUS: Professional Development Done Differently with Kim Gameroz
How can professional development feel energizing instead of exhausting? In this bonus episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Kim Gameroz to talk about the upcoming Vibe EDU event on July 31st in Anaheim, California. They share the vision behind this unique PD experience that...
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378. The School Leader’s Playbook for Tough Conversations with Erica Bear and Tiffany Burns
What does it take to have a tough conversation that is both clear and compassionate? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Erica Bear and Tiffany Burns to discuss their new book, The School Leader’s Playbook for Tough Conversations, and the practical strategies school...
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377. Boredom, Frustration and Task Avoidance Busters: Featuring Katie Powell
What happens when students are not just disengaged, but quietly deciding school is too hard, too boring, or too risky to try? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Katie Powell, Director of Middle Level Programs for AMLE, to unpack the realities of middle school…
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NCMLE Bonus: Connection, Anxiety, & Student Engagement with Charlie Peck, Gretchen Bridgers, and Vernon Wright
Recorded live at NCMLE, Joshua Stamper sits down with Charlie Peck, Gretchen Bridgers, and Vernon Wright to talk about their presentations, their current projects, and the power of connection at a conference built on learning and community. Charlie shares practical tools for addressing anxiety…
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376. Unlocking Social Emotional Learning with Hip Hop: Featuring David Spellmon
What if the key to unlocking social emotional learning for your students has been playing in their earbuds all along? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with David Spellman, also known as the Positive Archer, an unorthodox educator who built a unique book and curriculum...
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NCMLE Bonus: The Motivation Equation & Leading with Hope with Frederick Buskey and Dr. Brandi Kelly
Recorded live at the NCMLE Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Joshua sits down on the conference floor with two dynamic educational leaders, speakers, and authors, Frederick Buskey and Dr. Brandi Kelly. Frederick shares his work building a Leadership Excellence Network in partnership with…
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375. Executive Functions for Every K–3 Classroom: Featuring Sarah Oberle & Mitch Weathers
What if the reason so many young students struggle in the classroom has nothing to do with behavior, laziness, or defiance, and everything to do with emerging executive functions that have simply not been taught yet? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper welcomes back two familiar...
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NCMLE Bonus: Sustainable Leadership, Perseverance, and Motivation with Katie Powell, Ronnel Blackmon, & Charles Williams
What does it take to truly engage a middle schooler, build a classroom where every student feels like they belong, and sustain yourself as a leader for the long haul? In this second bonus episode recorded live at the NCMLE Moving the Middle Forward Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Joshua...
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374. Teaching in Color: Featuring Brandon Jenkins
What does it look like when a third grade STEM teacher from Houston uses comedy, creativity, and storytelling to pull back the curtain on the real life of an educator and build a community that refuses to feel alone? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with educator,...
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NCMLE Bonus: Resilience, AI, and Community with Julie Hasson, Brad Waid, and David James
What does it look and feel like to be surrounded by 400 passionate middle level educators for three days straight? In this first bonus episode recorded live at the NCMLE Moving the Middle Forward Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Joshua Stamper brings you three powerful conversations...
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373. Why Emotional Intelligence Is the Missing Link in Teacher Retention: Featuring Katrina Huels
What if the burnout crisis in education is not just a workload problem but a skills gap? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Corwin author and educator Katrina Huels to unpack why 54% of K through 12 educators report feeling burnt out often or always, and what leaders...
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372. It Is Not Procrastination, It Is Executive Function: Featuring Carrie Bonnett
Why do some students sit and do “nothing” when we give them plenty of time to work, and why does “just get to work” rarely change anything? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with executive function coach Carrie Bonnett about task initiation as a teachable brain based skill...
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371. Lead Where Your Feet Are: Featuring David James
What happens when a former assistant principal chooses to return to the middle school classroom and discovers a deeper, wider form of leadership than the front office ever offered? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with David James, seventh grade social studies teacher, lead...
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370. For the Educators Who are Exhausted and Overextended: Featuring Kim Gameroz
Educators are exhausted, overextended, and still trying to show up fully for kids. So what does it actually look like to build a sustainable life and career in schools instead of just surviving the year? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with Kim Gameroz to celebrate…
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Aspire Mailbag: EQ Over Ego & Navigating School Politics
Aspiring leaders asked: How do you lead with emotional intelligence (EQ) instead of ego, and navigate school politics without getting burned? In this bonus Aspire Mailbag with Jeff Gargas (COO, Teach Better), Joshua Stamper dives into self-awareness, empathy, humility, and building feedback loops...
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369. The Science of School Discipline: Featuring Nathan Maynard
What happens when discipline shifts from punishment to teaching? In this important conversation, Joshua Stamper and Nathan Maynard unpack the ideas behind Nathan’s new book The Science of Discipline, exploring how schools can move from compliance-driven systems to accountable, trauma-informed...
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368. Every Child Deserves a Team: Featuring Kurtis Hewson
How can schools ensure every student benefits from collective expertise without overwhelming teachers with endless meetings? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with Kurtis Hewson, co author of Collaborative Response and co founder of Jigsaw Learning, about a school wide model...
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367. The Science of Kindness and Belonging: Featuring Dr. Christopher Culver
What happens when we decide to be present, patient, and kind in the middle of one of the hardest stretches of the school year? In this week's episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper welcomes back Dr. Christopher Culver to explore the science of kindness and belonging, the impact of chronic…
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BONUS: Leading Well at Every Level with Mitch Weathers, TJ Vari and Joshua Stamper
This bonus Aspire to Lead episode brings you a featured segment from the Thriving Educators Summit, where Mitch Weathers facilitates a fast paced conversation with TJ Vari and Joshua Stamper about what it truly means to lead well in today’s schools, whether you are an aspiring leader, assistant...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Joshua Stamper provides an opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and accomplished educational leaders. As we grow in our leadership skills, it’s imperative to learn from other leader’s successes, trials and misconceptions. Join us each week as my guests provide valuable stories, resources, and advice to enhance your leadership journey.
HOSTED BY
Joshua Stamper
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Aspire to Lead have?
Aspire to Lead currently has 300 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Aspire to Lead about?
Joshua Stamper provides an opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and accomplished educational leaders. As we grow in our leadership skills, it’s imperative to learn from other leader’s successes, trials and misconceptions. Join us each week as my guests provide valuable stories,...
How often does Aspire to Lead release new episodes?
Aspire to Lead publishes regularly with 300 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Aspire to Lead?
You can listen to Aspire to Lead on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Aspire to Lead?
Aspire to Lead is created and hosted by Joshua Stamper.
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