Coaching the Whole Educator
This podcast helps instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders improve their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most by focusing on the mindsets and motivations that are at the source of unproductive behaviors. Each week, we’ll cover quick tips, strategies and coaching mindsets so that you can be on top of your coaching game.
Episodes
135 episodes
#130: Why "Kill Them with Kindness" is Killing Your Culture of Belonging
If your school avoids hard conversations, you don’t have belonging. You have politeness.We confuse being nice with building belonging. But “nice” often means silence, avoidance, and surface-level smiles. Comfort isn’t t...
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5:36
#129: The Clarity Cycle: Why That Same Problem Keeps Coming Back
Casey Watts has spent over 20 years in education, and she’s got a sharp diagnosis: too many schools are stuck in quiet chaos—lots of strategies, zero clarity, and a fast track to burnout.Enter the Clarity Cycle, a six-s...
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Season 3
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Episode 129
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24:02
#128: Ownership Mindset vs. Compliance Culture – How to Build Agency in a System That Kills It
Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! Most schools say th...
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Season 1
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Episode 128
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7:54
#127: Stop Curriculum Chaos: Getting Real Engagement
Rolling out a new curriculum? Brace yourself—resistance, frustration, and missteps are inevitable… unless you do it right. Join Sean Lindsey and me as we break down what it really takes to get teachers, students, and families on...
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Season 1
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Episode 127
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21:52
#126: Hope Isn't Fluff- It's a Leadership Strategy
We aren't here for wishful thinking—we stand for hope as action. Hope-centered leadership isn’t about toxic positivity; it’s about setting bold goals, creating real pathways, and owning the work. Inspired by Dr. Shane Lopez’s research,...
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Season 1
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Episode 126
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5:45
#125: Exhausted From Fixing What’s Broken? Lead From Your Strengths
Dr. Kim Richardson and I discuss building leadership identity with intention. We look at people-centered leadership backed by the 24 character strengths —like love of learning, empathy, and bravery—not as soft skills, but as essential tools for...
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Season 1
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Episode 125
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23:53
#124: Humanizing Imposter Syndrome
Becca and Dr. Chris Jones cohost another episode where they explore how imposter syndrome affects everyone, especially our high-achieving coaches and leaders. Everyone experiences imposter syndrome, no matter their experience level. Here are th...
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Season 1
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Episode 124
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29:11
#123: Why “Just Ask Questions” is Bad Coaching Advice (and What to Do Instead)
Are you ready to lead with real impact? In their new book, "Coaching Education Leaders," Michelle Jarney, Michael Kim, and Nancy Gutierrez get real about their Facilitative Competency-Based Coaching (FCB) approach—a method designed to pu...
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Season 1
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Episode 123
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31:49
#122: Why Growth Mindset Isn't Enough: The Five Mindsets You Need to Drive Change
Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! Growth mindset? Ove...
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10:18
#121: Compliance Doesn't Create Commitment
Warren Buck, founder of Future Finders, transformed his life from a struggling student to a powerhouse principal. His journey proves that self-determination theory (SDT) isn't just theory—it's the fuel that drives real change. Competence, auton...
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Season 1
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Episode 121
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26:36
#120: Protocols: Helpful or Holding You Back?
In this episode, Becca Silver and Dr. Chris Jones shake up the coaching conversation by tackling a common trap: over-reliance on protocols. While structure and frameworks can be helpful, they break down why rigi...
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Season 1
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Episode 120
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29:49
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#119: What Professional Development SHOULD Be
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***What if your go-to PD moves are secretly keeping your teachers stuck? Dr. Julie Slayton takes a bold stand against...
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Season 1
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Episode 119
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25:19
#118: Why Being 'Naturally Gifted' Can Backfire as a Coach
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Becca and Dr. Chris Jones co-host another episode where they discuss the challenges that come when instructional coa...
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27:27
#117: Defining a Coach's Role: The Four "Hats" a Coach Wears
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Are you struggling to make coaching more impactful in your school? In this engaging conversation, we welcome...
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Season 1
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Episode 117
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33:01
#116: Is Growth Mindset Actually Good?
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***This is the very first episode Dr. Chris Jones (Executive Director of VASCD) and Be...
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Season 1
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Episode 116
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44:45
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#115: Increase Your Level of Joy on the Job with Working Genius
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Do you feel drained and uninspired at work? Wish you and your team could tap into that feeling of energized accompli...
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32:50
#114: Why Feedback Can Feel Threatening (And What To Do About It)
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Ever feel like your best-intentioned feedback falls flat? Or that some difficult conversations seem to escalate? It'...
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Season 1
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Episode 114
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24:57
#113: How Your Rewards System Can Sabotage Your Goals [Research Rundown]
Your school's rewards system could be causing more harm than good. Let's talk about why it's time to look at intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and tap into your teachers' inner drive. Daniel Pink's “Drive” revealed a truth about adult...
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8:05
#112: When Buy-In Isn’t Enough: The Teacher Engagement Continuum
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Do you often grapple with the challenge of engaging teachers beyond mere compliance? Dr. Chris Jones, Executive Director...
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Season 1
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Episode 112
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23:06
#111: Strategies to Shift From a “Gotcha Culture” to a Growth Culture
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Ever wonder how some schools just seem to have it all figured out? It’s not about special circumstances. It...
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Season 1
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Episode 111
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16:59
#110: **BEST OF** SERIES: Untold Secrets of Teacher Retention and School Culture: The Art of Listening For What's Not Being Said
This is part of our *BEST OF* Series, where we highlight the most downloaded episodes of all time.In this episode, Becca dives into an intriguing conversation with Chanavia Patterson, affectionately known as Principal Patterson, on the ...
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20:03
#109: The Brain Science Behind Supercharging Teacher Engagement
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Do you know the difference between motivation and engagement? Dr. Jason Jones, author of the book "Activator," is on...
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25:03
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#108: Harnessing Brainwaves for Better Coaching Outcomes
In this episode we explore a fascinating research-based concept called neural entrainment. Think about those times when you're talking to a teacher and it feels like you're on completely different wavelengths. It's highly possible that neural e...
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8:05
#107: The Reset Mindset
***Watch the full, unedited YouTube version here.***Ever felt like you're on a hamster wheel, running and running but never getting anywhere? It's time to hit the reset...
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Season 1
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Episode 107
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26:21
#106: The ADKAR Model: Building Buy In and Sustaining Change [Research Rundown]
Let's talk about change management. As educators, we know that change is a constant. But how can we effectively navigate it and ensure buy-in from our teams? That's where the ADKAR model comes in. It's a framework that helps organizations build...
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Season 1
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Episode 106
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8:19
