What if your leadership legacy began with a popsicle and a push-up contest?

In this episode of Transformational Educators, host Dr. Matthew Flippen sits down with Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, Principal of Waterloo Elementary in Maryland and coauthor of Relational Intelligence. Rachel shares the powerful story of stepping into leadership after a beloved principal and rebuilding trust through joy, humility, and consistency. She breaks down how to use relational intelligence to transform school culture, build trauma-informed behavior systems, and lead with empathy, without losing structure or accountability.

If you’ve ever faced the challenge of inheriting a hurting campus or wondered how to lead change with authenticity, Rachel’s story will inspire and equip you.

Key Takeaways:

• Why joy and humility are essential traits in school leadership
• How to build trust quickly when following a beloved leader
• Why relational intelligence is foundational to school culture
• How to gather real feedback that drives actionable change
• Using push-up contests and popsicles to connect with students
• Building behavior systems that are consistent, clear, and trauma-informed
• How “PAW Pals” created strong mentoring moments across the school
• The impact of relational strategies on student attendance and behavior
• Why leaders must embrace feedback, even the hard truths
• The power of proactive, honest communication with families

Best Moments:

00:02:00. “There was a sadness amongst the whole school community.”
00:05:10. “We did some playground blacktop plots with popsicles with the principal.”
00:07:05. “I still think I can beat you.”
00:09:35. “I do a 100-day survey... Please give me feedback.”
00:10:37. “They wanted me to be more consistent with my behavior implementation.”
00:16:14. “Adults need trusted adults too.”
00:18:24. “We saw a decrease in incidents of physical aggression.”
00:22:23. “We are here to support you, and you have my word.”

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Transformational Educators | School Leadership Stories

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If today’s conversation inspired you to lead with courage and care, share it with another educator or school leader. Together we can build schools that truly transform lives.

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