HyphenatEdD Leader

✨ Season 2 is coming to a close.

📺 Watch the final episode on YouTube

As always, check out prior episodes and like, subscribe, and comment to support the podcast at the Substack: https://hyphenateddleader.substack.com/

In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Rochelle Smarr shares the real story of how she built her multi-hyphenate career—not the polished LinkedIn version, but the one with detours, pivots, moments of doubt, and a whole lot of grit. From organizing the Student Homeless Alliance as an undergraduate at San Jose State to cofounding the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project after Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Smarr traces her journey from organizer to scholar to director to advocate.

This episode explores the power of the pivot, the necessity of grit, the beauty of grace, and what it means to build a career that refuses linear definitions. If you're navigating multiple identities and wondering if your path makes sense, this is your reminder: your career doesn't have to follow someone else's blueprint. Trust the pivot and let your hyphens strengthen—not scatter—your path.

As always, listen to prior episodes on the Substack: like, subscribe, and comment to support the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast.

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In this episode, Dr. Rochelle Smarr sits down with Dr. Nadia Bennett — educator, advocate, disrupter, and founder of When Brown Girls Lead — for a powerful conversation on leading from the margins with discernment, disruption, and deep purpose.

From being underestimated in school leadership spaces to walking away from public disrespect with nothing lined up next, Dr. Bennett shares how trusting herself, listening to the “tap” toward change, and leaning into authentic community transformed both her leadership and her life.

Together, they discuss racism and sexism in educational leadership, reclaiming joy through coaching, the importance of purpose-driven work, and why community with people who truly understand your work is essential for survival and growth.

✨ “They keep sleeping on me — and that’s exactly my superpower.”

This episode is for educators, advocates, and leaders committed to leading boldly, authentically, and unapologetically.

🎧 Listen now on the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast

▶️ Watch the interview now on YouTube🔗 Learn more at the HyphenatEdD Leader

#HyphenatEdDLeader #VoicesFromTheHuddle #LeadingFromTheMargins #WhenBrownGirlsLead #BlackWomenLead #LeadWithPurpose

This week on Voices from the Huddle, Dr. Sinai Cota shares what it really looks like to navigate higher education while staying grounded in authenticity, mentorship, and community.

💭 From ageism in higher ed…💭 To the power attached to “Dr.”…💭 To learning how to protect your peace…

This episode is a reminder that leadership doesn’t always arrive loudly.Learn more at the HypheantEdD Leader Substack

How are you pouring into your HyphenatEdD leader self beyond what's expected of you? In this episode, Dr. Smarr explores what it means to center joy and creativity in a life filled with multiple roles: mentor, advocate, scholar, director, parent, researcher, and yes, reader.

This conversation is about moving joy from the margins to the center of your life and recognizing that leadership isn't just about what you produce—it's also about what replenishes you. Dr. Smarr shares why the most radical thing you can do as a leader is give yourself permission to rest, dream, and play. If you're navigating the beautiful chaos of being multi-hyphenated, this episode is your reminder to make room for what sustains you.

In this week’s Voices from the Huddle interview of the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast, Dr. Rochelle Smarr connects with fellow BWEL author, Dr. Monisha Rosby. In this moving conversation, Dr. Rosby shares her transformative journey from single mother to wife to Ed.D. graduate to Associate Principal. All while building a mentorship empire and small business. She opens up about navigating spaces not originally designed for women of color in leadership, dismantling the superwoman mentality, and leading from the heart in K-12 and higher education.

From obtaining her Ed.D. online at St. Thomas University to her work with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Rosby reveals how she’s creating pipelines for the next generation of leaders while maintaining hard boundaries and bringing her whole self to every room. This episode is a masterclass in humble leadership, strategic mentorship, and remembering to breathe when the margins try to box you in.

Learn more about Dr. Monisha Rosby and the resources she shared during her conversation in her Voices from the Huddle profile.

As always, listen to prior episodes on the Substack: like, subscribe, and comment to support the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast.

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Join Dr. Smarr, host, for an inspiring Voices from the Huddle episode of the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast, interview with Dr. Darby, a founding school leader based in the UAE. She reminds us that attacks often come when your brilliance shines brightest. Dr. Darby discusses the unique challenges women of color face in educational leadership, from navigating patriarchal systems to the exhausting reality of code-switching. Dr. Darby discusses the unique challenges women of color face in educational leadership, from navigating patriarchal systems to no longer code-switching.

Learn more about Dr. Lacrisa Darby and the resources she shared during her conversation in her Voices from the Huddle profile.

As always, listen to prior episodes on the Substack to like, subscribe, and comment to support the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast.

In this powerful episode, Dr. Rochelle Smarr gets real about what it’s like to lead as a Black woman—managing white male staff, leading courageously when you’re scared, and setting boundaries when your authority is questioned directly and aggressively. This is real talk about leaning on God, faith, and accountability when the weight feels too much. If you’ve ever doubted yourself in these moments, this episode reminds you: you’re not alone, and you’re not failing as a leader.

As always, check out prior episodes on the Substack, along with being sure to like, subscribe, and comment to support the growth of this staff huddle, the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast!

What happens when your hyphens are rooted in something deeper than a title or a role? On thisVoices from the Huddle episode of the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast, Dr. Rochelle Smarr, connects with Dr. Nicole Sesay joins us for a soul-stirring conversation about leading from the margins. Dr. Sesay unpacks the hyphens that shape who she is as a leader . She shares candid stories of facing resistance and marginalization as a Black woman navigating school leadership. With honesty and grace, she walks us through what she’s learned about boundaries, self-worth, and what it really means to lead with integrity when the system wasn’t designed with you in mind.

We also get a sneak peek at her chapter “Coming Out of the Dark” in Black Women in Educational Leadership: Stories of Resilience and Achievement, where she brings her three-point blueprint to life. Giving listeners a taste of the depth and vulnerability she brings to that work. And she casts a vision for a community where women genuinely support women through the hardest seasons of leadership. If you’ve ever felt unseen, underestimated, or out of place in spaces you were called to lead, this episode is your huddle.

Learn more about Dr. Nicole Sesay and the resources she shared during her conversation in her Voices from the Huddle profile. On April 11 at 2PM (EST), Dr. Sesay will be hosting a virtual book launch to discuss “Coming Out of the Dark” in Black Women in Educational Leadership: Stories of Resilience and Achievement. Register for the Zoom at her website, NicoleESesay.com

As always, listen to prior episodes on the Substack: like, subscribe, and comment to support the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast.

In this Voices from the Huddle episode of the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast, Dr. Rochelle Smarr sits down with Dr. Shanelle Watkins for a conversation as layered and intentional as the hyphens she carries into her leadership. Dr. Watkins opens up about how each of her identities shows up in her daily leadership, why she chose the Ed.D. over the Ph.D., and what earning that doctorate finally gave her permission to do. Spoiler: it was the green light she needed to launch Leading While Becoming, her coaching and empowerment platform designed to fill the gap she experienced firsthand as a Black woman navigating institutions that weren’t always built with Women of Color in mind.

At the heart of this episode is Dr. Watkins’ radical idea that women of color don’t have to choose between being strong and being soft. She shares how she resisted the pressure to harden early in her career, chose authenticity over imitation, and built a leadership identity that is unapologetically her own: imperfect and powerful.

Hyphens shared: Educator-Coach-Mom-Soror-Black Girl

Learn more about Dr. Shanelle Watkins and the resources she shared during her conversation in her Voices from the Huddle profile.

As always, listen to prior episodes on the Substack: like, subscribe, and comment to support the HyphenatEdD Leader podcast.