All Episodes
Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast — 318 episodes
304. How to Prepare for the First Staff Meeting
303. How Kathy Built Five Centers (And Counting) Without Burning Out
302. You're Not Weak, You're Drowning in Invisible Labor
301. Are You Neglecting Your Team Without Realizing It?
300. The Delegation Dip Nobody Warns You About
299. Feed Forward: The Culture Tool You're Missing
298. You Built the System. Then You Broke It.
297. The Two Drama Symptoms That Kill School Success
296. From Survival Mode to Sustainable Excellence: A School Owner's Real Story
295. Is Drama Destroying Your School Culture? Here Are the Signs
294. You Hired a Team. Why Are You Still Carrying Everything?
293. The Hidden Forces Shaping Your School's Culture
292. Why Your Team Can't Take Accountability (And What to Do Instead)
291. Why School Leaders Still Feel Burned Out After Summer Break
290. You Survived the Year - At What Cost?
289. The Missing Layer in Your School's Culture: Why Staff Training Infrastructure Changes Everything
288. The 5 Fears That Keep Leaders From Investing In Their Team
287. I've Told Them This So Many Times
286. What to Do When School Leadership Feels Like Survival with Nachum Segal
285. She Tripled Her Income Without Burning Out — Here's How
284. School Leaders: Pressure Test Your Call Out System
283. Why Your School Is Leaving $100K on the Table (And How to Fix It)
282. From Crisis to Rhythm: One School Leader's Turning Point
281. Summer Enrollment System for Schools: Why Effort Isn't the Problem (And What Is)
280. Why Asking Your Accountant "What Should I Cut?" Is the Most Dangerous Question in School Leadership
279. Why Consistency Is Hard for Leaders: The Real Reason You Keep Falling Off Your Rhythms
278. Why Warmth Without Consequences Is Burning You Out (And Stalling Your School's Growth)
277. Why Your School Feels Fine in September (And Falls Apart Every March)
276. What March Is Really Trying to Tell You About Your School — And Why You Should Listen Now
275. Calm Isn't An Accident - Why Leaders Must Study Stability
274. Why Early Childhood Promotes Leaders Too Fast — and What School Leaders Pay for It
273. Hiring School Staff Isn’t About Getting the “Right Person” — It’s About Leading Humans
272. When Your School Can Run Without You — But Still Can’t Think Without You
271. The Hidden Forces That Knock School Leaders Off Balance
270. What Holds When You’re Tired: Why School Leaders Need Rhythms, Not More Motivation
269. The False Promise of Systems for School Leaders
268. The Hidden Cost of Being the Strong School Leader
267. When Success Starts to Feel Like Survival for School Leaders
266. Understanding Leadership Drift — and How School Leaders Return to Rhythm
265. What This Year Built in Me — And What It’s Building in You as a School Leader
264. The Hidden Costs Draining Your School: How One Leader Cut Supply Spending by 50%
263. When School Leaders Drift: How to Anchoring Yourself Through Every Season
262. Growth Is the Job: Why Leadership Development Isn’t a Perk — It’s the Work
261. You’re Not Out of Energy — You’re Overholding: How School Leaders Create Energy on Demand
260. The Invisible Weight of Memory: How Systems and Rhythms Protect School Leaders from Burnout
259. Timeless Marketing Strategies for Childcare Leaders: What Still Works (and What to Leave Behind)
258. The Invisible Weight of School Leadership
257. From Hyper-Responsibility to Healthy Leadership: A School Leader’s Journey Beyond People-Pleasing
256. The Delegation Dilemma: Escaping the Over-Functioning Trap
255. The Power of One: Scaling Deep, Not Wide with Latrice Galloway
254, Honesty Over Image: Leading Through Grief, Discomfort, and the Messy Middle with Beth Cannon
253. Stop the Hidden Drain: Admin & Tech Systems That Protect Your Profit
252. How To Avoid Losing Thousands Through Inefficiency Every Month
251. How to Lower Food Costs in Your Childcare Program
250. Stop Hemorrhaging Cash: How Broken Payment Systems Drain Your School’s Finances
249. Childcare Schedule Efficiency: How to Build a Strategic Coverage System
248. Money Leak #1: How School Leaders Can Unlock Hidden Revenue Through Space Optimization
247. 3 Money Truths School Leaders Must Face in 2025
246. Leading with Purpose and Profit: A Strategic Conversation with Kathy Ligon
245. Stop Getting on the Same Page: Why School Leaders Need Shared Standards, Not False Harmony
244. ECE Leadership Systems, Strength, & Sustainable Growth: A Behind-the-Scenes Conversation
243. The Mindset Shift Every ECE Leader Needs to Avoid Burnout
242. What You Tolerate in August Is What You’ll Be Cleaning Up in February
241. From Burnout to Boundaries: Redefining Female Leadership in Private Education
240. The 4 Phases of Tough Conversations: A Tactical Framework for School Owners and Directors
239. How to Double Enrollment: Simple Strategies Resulting in 68% Growth with No Paid Ads
238. Planning a Summer That Feeds Us: Marriage, Family, and the Rhythms That Hold
237. Redefining Essentials: What You Protect When the Pressure’s On
236. How Great Leaders Create the Energy They Need—Even When They’re Tired
235. You’ve Built the Systems. So Why Are You Still the Glue?
234. Faith, Leadership & Emotional Maturity: Navigating Life’s Hardest Seasons with Evelyn Knight
233. From Panic Mode to Peace of Mind: How One School Owner Stopped Being the Problem Solver
232. The Emotional Maturity Code: How Great Leaders Make Clear, Confident Decision
231. Drama-Free Schools Start With Design, Not Discipline
230. Decoding Your School Culture
229. The Strategic Growth Gear
228. The Parent Engagement Gear
227. The Staff Culture Gear
226. Be This, Not Just Buy This: Identity Marketing for Schools with Veronica Romney
225. The Financial Health Gear
224. The Enrollment Gear
223. The 5 Gears: Your School's Operating System
222. Your Enrollment Advantage
221. The 4 Silent Saboteurs of Enrollment: First Impressions, Trust, Confidence, and Follow-Through
220. Your Road Map to 25% Growth
219. Hedge Fund Parents: Why They're Rejecting Your Traditional School Model
218. The Enrollment Formula
217. The Daily Profit Plan: Your Hidden Enrollment Engine
216. The 4 Profit Blindspots: Why Good Schools Struggle Financially
215. The Enrollment Autopsy: Why Your School is Bleeding Out
214. The 3 Hidden Barriers to Enrollment
The Great School Enrollment Awakening
212. 6 Core Money Leaks in Childcare
211. How Top Schools Will Win in 2025
210. Dear Exhausted School Leader: Remember What You Actually Achieved
209. We Are Not Designed to do this Alone: Lessons from a School Leader who Found Contentment
208. From Overwhelmed to Organized: How One Leader Built Foundational Systems for Success
207. The New School Playbook
Quick Lesson: The Simple Framework to Enrollment Now
How to Take Care of Yourself When Everything Around You Feels Like It's on Fire
Sync the Calendar: The New School Playbook
Train Your Troops:The New School Playbook
Be Where They Are: The New School Playbook
Speak Their Language: The New School Playbook
Know Your Families: The New School Playbook
The Magic of Mentoring with Todd Herman
How to Get Out of the Day To Day
Healing from Pregnancy Loss: The Power of Support
Building Strong Foundations for Leadership & Growth with Melinda Elridge
How to Increase the Lifetime Value of Each Enrollment: Parent Retention
Retention Intelligence Framework: Transforming Exit Feedback into Strategic Solutions
Steady in the Storm: Leading Schools in a Contracted Economy
The REAL Cause of Your Profit and Enrollment Problems
How to Increase Enrollment THIS Month
From Overwhelmed to Thriving Leader with Stacey Smith
Audit Season: Maximizing Summer to Enhance School Leadership
How to Coach Staff when they are in a State of Helplessness
Tolerating Good Enough For Long Enough To Create Excellence
Navigating Conflicting Emotions Around Big Decisions
Veteran vs New Staff: Leadership and Decision Making
Veteran vs New Staff: Professional Development
Veteran vs New Staff: Parent and Child Engagement
Building a Culture of Excellence with Kathy Gray
Winning in the Dark: Shame and Anger
Winning in the Dark: Comparison
Winning in the Dark: Enoughness and Worthiness
178. How to Lead the Last Staff Meeting of the Year
177. Defining Your Own Success at the End of the School Year
176. A Path to Leadership Mastery with Cayla Rush
175. A Culture of Urgency: Creating the Calm
174. A Culture of Urgency: Recognizing the Patterns
173. The Invisible Labor of Decision Making
BONUS: Season of Life Reflective Questions
172. Respecting the Season of Life You're in
171. Redefining Leadership with Paige Kepner
170. The Paradox of School Leadership: Support
169. The Paradox of School Leadership: Control
168. The Paradox of School Leadership: Success
167. The Paradox of School Leadership: Choice
166. The Paradox of School Leadership
165. Values Driven Leadership with Catherine Doberstein
164. Timeless Leadership Insights with Simon Sinek
163. Preparing for Parent Teacher Conferences
162. 2024 ECE Forecast: Navigating Money Leaks & Investment Gaps
161. 2024 ECE Forecast: Cultivating Healthy Child Relationships
160. 2024 ECE Forecast: The Shifting Landscape of Parent Partnerships
159. 2024 ECE Forecast: Pioneering a New Era of Leadership
158. Shifting into Legacy-Minded Leadership with Mandy Moore
157. Building Strong Relationships in Leadership with The Little Foxes Team
156. Educating your Team on Reporting
155. How to Plan Travel as a Leader
154. Navigating Tough Talks: A Guide to Handling Termination Communication
153. Leadership and Letting Go: When is it Time to Say Goodbye?
152. The Fear of Firing: What is the True Cost?
151. Fighting Flu Season: How a Proactive Insurance Policy Makes a Difference
150. Creating a Culture of Growth & Gratitude Ashriel Huber
149. Your Distress Tolerance Staff Toolkit
148. Developing your Distress Tolerance as a School Leader
147. From Loss to Legacy
146. How to Create Your School Org Chart
Additional Tips on How to Plan for Chaos
145. Tolerating Good Enough For Long Enough To Create Excellence
144. The Ambition Equation: Balancing Passion, Purpose, and Practicality
143. Overcoming Overwhelm and Cultivating Confidence with Ashley Corthell
142. Preparing for the Chaos at the Start of the School Year
141. How to Prepare for the First Staff Meeting
140. The Pyramid of Excellence: Aligned and Legacy Stages
139. The Pyramid of Excellence: Integrated Stage
138. The Pyramid of Excellence: Disordered Stage
137. The Pyramid of Excellence: Survival Stage
136. The Pyramid of Excellence
135. Why Traditional ROI Doesn't Work for School Leaders
134. Navigating a Multigenerational Workforce
133. Stop Getting Caught Up In The Fairness Game
131. The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership with Heather Chauvin
130. Does Your School Culture Foster Health or Burnout?
129. 5 Layers to Building a Culture of Retention: Promotion
128. 5 Layers to Building a Culture of Retention: Accountability
127. 5 Layers to Building a Culture of Retention: Contribution
126. 5 Layers to Building a Culture of Retention: Quality of Life
125. 5 Layers to Building a Culture of Retention: Gratitude & Community
124. Finding Investors for your Childcare Center with Kangarootime
123. Delegation Dip Part 3: Firing
122. Delegation Dip Part 2: Neglect
121. Delegation Dip Part 1: Micromanaging
120. Creating Excellent Experiences with HiMama
119. Founding Member to Confident Leader with Courtney Grenier
118. Decoding Your Culture Part 4: Using Feedforward to Build Skills
117. Decoding Your Culture Part 3: What is Emotionally Mature Leadership?
116. Decoding Your Culture Part 2: Indicators there is Drama in your Center
115. Decoding Your Culture Part 1: What is Culture?
114. Tripling Income for her Most Profitable Year with Aliyah Johnson-Roberts
113. How to Discern Which Events to Invest In & Attend
112. The Difference Between an Opportunity and a Distraction
111. Manuals to Modules with Beth Cannon
How to Raise Capital Funding with Scott Wayman from Kangarootime
The Journey of Becoming a Leader with Summer Picha from Conscious Classroom
How to Simplify and Streamline with Samantha Phillips & Chris Myers from Comploy
110. 2023 ECE Forecast: Experts Share Predictions and Trends Part 2
109. 2023 ECE Forecast: Experts Share Predictions and Trends Part 1
108. A Journey of Confidence and Legacy with Erin Owens
107. Utilizing Experiences, Rituals and Routines for Values Based Leadership
106. 6 Qualities of Being a Role Model
105. How to use Storytelling for Values Based Leadership
104. Boundaries to Prevent Over Planning this Holiday Season
103. Taking Back Control in your Center and Life with Sheila Smozynski
102. [Guest Share] Setting Expectations for and Connecting with Your Child Care Staff
101. Strategic Mapping for the School Year
100. The 3 M's that Create Stability and Security for your Team
99. Emotional Regulation: Create a Calm Confident Environment
98. Generosity: Giving Abundantly and Latitude For Mistakes
97. Discernment: Balance Self-Reliance and Asking for Help
96. Individual Advocacy: Empower the Team to Own Their Growth and Development
95. Relationship Intelligence - Navigate Conflict and Build Trust
From the Archive: The First Staff Meeting of the School Year
94. Boundaries: Create Space and Time to Hit Your Goals
93. The B.R.I.D.G.E Principles for Legacy and Leadership
Part 3: How to Prepare for the New School Year - Why Over Commitment Can Hurt Your Retention
92. Part 2: How to Prepare for the New School Year - Why Good Enough is a Lifeline
92. Part 1: How to Prepare for the New School Year - Anchors vs. Enhancers
91. Navigating Grief with Dr. Sherry Walling
90. How to Prioritize Positive Mental Wellbeing
89. You're Not The Only One: Leading The Team
How to Become a Better Decision Maker
88. You Are Not The Only One: Guiding the Parents
Creating and Nurturing Confident Staff
87. You Are Not The Only One: Leading Yourself
Skills to Build Awareness
86. Plan the New School Year with Wise Decision Making Filters
85. The Paradox of Self Reliance and Community
84: A Letter of Appreciation & Gratitude for Yourself
83. Strategies to Help your Staff Think Big Picture
From the Archive: How to Run the End of Year Staff Meeting with Reflective Questions
82. Priorities Reset: Reflect, Restore, Recast Part 2
81. Priorities Reset: Reflect, Restore and Recast Part 1
80. Build to Last: How to Navigate and Deal with Conflict
From the Archive: Teacher Appreciation Week
79. Build to Last: How to Build a Culture of Excellence
78. Build to Last: How to Manage your Time with Theme Days and Time Blocking
77. Build to Last: How to Improve your Mindset with Vision Casting and Decision Making
76. How to Mentor Veteran Staff
75. The Importance of Celebrating Milestones and Reflecting on our 1 Year Anniversary
74. The Myth of The Open Door Policy
73. The 5 Signs of a Thriving Leader and School
72. Difficult Conversations: Blame
71. The Gratitude Matrix: Achieve Higher Retention & Collaborative Culture for Your School
70: Reair: Break the Cycle of Excuses with Personal Accountability
69: How to Coach Staff to Navigate Conflict: Part 2
68. How to Coach Staff to Navigate Conflict: Part 1
67: Ordinary Moments: When is Enough Enough with Sharon Hopson
66. Ordinary Moments: Choosing Business and Family - You Can Have Both with Mandy Moore
65. Ordinary Moments: Choosing Focus Over Busyness with Aliya Roberts
64. Ordinary Moments: The Power of Difficult Conversations with Kathy Cameron
63. Ordinary Moments: The Cost of Doing it All with Jessica Kelley
62. Ordinary Moments: Transition from Manager to CEO with Sara Schreiner
61. Kind vs. Nice in your School Culture
60. An Exclusive Look Inside the Summit of Excellence
59. Boundaries During the Holidays
58. Break the Cycle of Excuses with Personal Accountability
57. Break the Cycle of Dependency with Effective Delegation
56. Break the Cycle of Stress and Burnout
55. 2 Mindset Shifts to Increase Retention
54. Work Ethic Redefined with Scott Wayman
53. Changing the Narrative of School Leadership with Daniel Bauer
52. Do You Feel More Satisfied When Your School Succeeds Because of You or Without You? With Lori Buxton
51. Up Level Staff QUICKLY!
50. Do you know HOW to stop and pause?
49. The 3-Step Marketing Method To Attract The Right Families For Your School with Mike Michalowicz
48. You Can’t Plan Your Way Out of Chaos
47. Are you living in time poverty or time abundance?
46. A 15 Minute Meeting with Yourself
45. Grace, Responsibility and Leadership
44. 5 Signs You Are Too Comfortable and Need to Take Some Risks
43. Set Up Your Staff for Success by Defining What Winning Looks Like
42. The first staff meeting of the school year
41. How to Create a Personal Leadership Philosophy
40. The 5 Signs of a Thriving Leader and School
39. The 8 Guideposts to Prepare for an Amazing School Year
38. How to Plan for Summer Using the IRER Method
37. Build Your Confidence & Resiliency Toolkit
36. Guest: Sally Haughey, Founder of FairyDust Teaching
35. Overcoming the Perfectionist Mindset and Focusing on the Process
34. Stories of Resilience with Sara Schreiner
33. Ideal Week for High Achieving School Leaders
32. Stories of Resilience with Jennifer Bulmer
31. The 6 types of support every leader needs and 4 things to look out for when choosing a coach
30. Build to Last Workshop: How to Navigate and Deal with Conflict and Impossible Conversations
29. Build to Last Workshop: How to Build a Culture of Excellence
28. Build to Last Workshop: Time Management: Theme Days and Time Blocking
27. Build to Last Workshop: Mindset: Vision Casting and Decision Making
26. 5 Reasons You Should Invest in Yourself and the #1 Reason Leaders Don’t
25. Stories of Resilience with Alex Bernath & Miken Oliver
24. How to Run the End of Year Staff Meeting with Reflective Questions
23. Stories of Resilience with Kathy Gray
22. 3 Pillars of a School of Excellence
21. Stories of Resilience with Kerstin Brinson
20. Difficult Conversations: Victimhood - Part 4
19. Stories of Resilience with Nicolene Santomartino
Stories of Resilience Trailer
18. Difficult Conversations: Deflection - Part 3
17. Teacher Appreciation Week
16. Bonus episode: Predictions & Cautions - Wrapping Up the School Year and Planning for Fall
15. Difficult Conversations: Crying - Part 2
14. Difficult Conversations: Blame - Part 1
13. 3 Ways to Transform Morale During this Season
12. The Daily Huddle
11. Why I Date My Kids
10. Q&A With Chanie - Build to Last Workshop, Day 5
09. Work/Life Integration: Build to Last Workshop, Day 4
08. Ten Ways to Build School Culture: Build to Last Workshop, Day 3
07. Theme Days & Time Blocking: Build to Last Workshop, Day 2
06. Vision Casting & Decision Making: Build to Last Workshop, Day 1
05. The Primary Role of a School Leader
04: The Myth of The Open Door Policy
03: The Gratitude Matrix: Achieve Higher Retention & Collaborative Culture for Your School
02: The Pyramid of Excellence: Five Stages of Growth for Your School
01: The Ripple Effect: It Starts With You
Welcome to the Schools of Excellence Podcast