The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast | The #1 Downloaded School Leadership Show

Mark C. Perna is the founder and CEO of TFS, a full-service strategic communications and consulting firm whose mission is to share and support every client’s passion for making a difference. As an international generational expert, Mark has devoted his career to empowering educators and employers to unleash the tremendous potential of today’s young people.

Mark’s best practices have helped parents, schools, districts, businesses, and state organizations across North America to connect more effectively with the younger generations. He frequently delivers keynote speeches at national and statewide events and spoke at Harvard University by special invitation. At TFS, Mark’s team of talented professionals share his vision of helping organizations of all sizes experience significant gains in recruitment, engagement, retention, and performance rates.

Mark’s best-selling book Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations was written to help educators, employers, and parents understand Generations Y and Z and inspire them to greater performance in all areas of life. Mark is the father of two successful Millennials and resides in Cleveland, Ohio. Find out more about Mark and his work at MarkCPerna.com.

• We shouldn’t prep kids for college and careers …
• Meghan’s powerful story
• Do you understand the tactical level?
• Improving employee performance and retention.
• The young generation is the most inspiring Mark has ever seen
• Don’t look at young people as a challenge to be solved, instead do this …
• Mark’s epiphany working with younger generations
• How to improve your understanding of different individuals within your organization
• The power of YouTube
• Focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel for students
• Career and lifestyle … younger generations care more about the lifestyle piece

• Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations

• Website
• Twitter (@MarkPerna)
• Facebook
• Insta
• LinkedIn

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Do you want to LEVEL UP your leadership?

Website :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2019 Better Leaders Better Schools

Jennifer Gonzalez is a National Board Certified Teacher with over 10 years of classroom experience. Most of this time was spent teaching middle school language arts, and the rest was at the college level, where she trained pre-service teachers for the classroom. In 2013, she created the website Cult of Pedagogy, where she now works full-time to help teachers of all subjects and grade levels practice and perfect the art of teaching.

• How Crossfit is a beautiful model for differentiation and teaches other leadership principles too
• The story of starting and going full time with the Cult of Pedagogy
• How Jennifer decides what is a Yes and No
• Practical tips for improve websites from blah to yah!
• Why it matters to be different, stand out, and be a person!
• How are you finding your marigold?
• Tips for winding down and unplugging

“Ego is dangerous”

-Jennifer Gonzalez

• Presentation Zen
• Epic Nae Nae Blog post

• Website
• Twitter
• Insta

Read the Better Leaders Better Schools Roadmap

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH

• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!

• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2019 Better Leaders Better Schools

SANDRA NAGY has dedicated her career to driving innovation and building effective organizational strategy. Sandra began her career at Accenture as a Change Management consultant where she supported public and private sector clients through large-scale strategy and business transformation. Two of her years at Accenture were exclusively focused in the Government practice.

Sandra spent over a decade as a senior digital strategist at Pearson Education where she led multiple teams that worked across K-20 to transform curriculum and professional development resources with the use of technology. She was a member of a global team of educational technology champions focused on collaborating to solve problems in education. She engaged with stakeholders globally and was responsible for nurturing strategic partnerships with key customers and other like-minded organizations.

Prior to Pearson, Sandra worked at The Learning Partnership, a non-profit organization responsible for building stakeholder partnerships to support, promote and advance publicly funded education in Canada. She led a government and business-funded research project to look at blended, online and face-to-face, professional development for teachers in STEM courses. Sandra engaged in speaking opportunities across Canada sharing best practices in sustained, action-research driven professional development that leads to authentic community building.

With over 20 years of experience, Sandra has designed, developed and delivered hundreds of learning opportunities to thousands of employees and educators. She is a firm believer in the capacity of educators to drive future-skill development, and in sustained professional development that leverages a blend of learning tools. Sandra leads the Education Practice at Future Design School building strong academic partnerships with school leaders that help to drive their strategic priorities through consulting support, professional development and efficacious curriculum resources.

Sandra’s educational background includes a Master's in Education from Harvard University focused on Technology in Education. While completing this degree she worked at TechBoston, an organization infusing technology programs into inner-city Boston schools; conducted published research into distance learning at the Concord Consortium; and volunteered through the MIT Media Lab teaching robotics to home-schooled students. Sandra also holds a Bachelor of Commerce focused on Organizational Behavior and Entrepreneurship from McGill University.

• How to rekindle the passion for educators that might have lost their way
• The mindset you can use to help educators reconnect with their why
• Developing empathy for people in your organization
• What tools you can provide to help people move further
• Learning can be uncomfortable but that’s an example of progress
• Embracing the “Entrepreneurial mindset.”
• How to effectively critique ideas
• How Future Design School works with school leaders and empowers teachers
• Building problem solvers in schools
• How Future Design School turned an “innovation pillar” into a reality

“What problem do you want to solve?”

-Sandra Nagy

• Great at work
• Click here for three awesome DESIGN THINKING posters (no email required -- just a link to my personal G-Drive 😉)

• Website
• Twitter (@fdesignschool)
• Facebook
• Email

“Whose shoes did you walk in today?”

-Sandra Nagy

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2019 Better Leaders Better Schools

After years of working with students and schools as a motivational speaker, Jeff Becker realized that today's students need more.  He's now the founder of the national organization Can Do U, and it's from this revolutionary platform that he and his team help busy principals to create the school culture of their dreams through packages of motivational speeches, engaging videos, discussion and activity guides, and leadership camps.  He spends all of his time helping principals to win, and cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles, hoping they can do so as well. He loves his wife, two kids, beef jerky, and peanut M&Ms.

• What Jeff’s eight-month-old has taught him about happiness
• Jeff’s morning routine and identifying his top 3-5 things for the day
• How being a recovering copier salesman has helped him pivot
• How Jeff helps students reach their goals
• Giving students a positive voice throughout the year
• Why does communication matter?
• 3 tips to vastly improve your communication and influence
• Lack of preparation is a symptom of a larger problem; it exposes your priorities

• Developing the Leader Within You

• Can Do U
• Twitter (@jbecker1013)
• Email

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2019 Better Leaders Better Schools

Chuck Poole is a veteran teacher of nearly 20 years who has made it his mission to inspire and encourage teachers all over the world to be the best they can be. He is the visionary behind Teachonomy.com, and the host of the Teachonomy Talks podcast. Chuck is the producer of the uNseries, which is a book series to help teacher reimagine teaching, and he is the author of  uNforgettable: Your Roadmap to Being the Teacher They Never Forget, the first book in the series. Chuck lives in New Jersey with his wife and enjoys mentoring, creating laughter in the classroom, and the continued pursuit of his next adventure.

• The value of travel and adventure
• The three things that makes a perfect day for Chuck
• The two-phase system Chuck uses to plan lessons
• Are you allowing students and staff to offer regular feedback?
• A few ideas of how to add “roundtables” to your school
• The story of uNforgettable: Your Roadmap to Being a Teacher They Never Forget
• How to be unforgettable
• How to push past fear
• Finding balance to be unforgettable
• The five people you need in your inner-circle

• uNforgettable: Your Roadmap to Being a Teacher They Never Forget

• The Big Leap

• uNseries
• Teachonomy
• Twitter (@cpoole27)

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2019 Better Leaders Better Schools

Tammy Breitweiser is currently a Curriculum Coach in Northwest Indiana where she is dedicated to student achievement in 7th and 8th grade. With over 23 years of education experience, she is a reading advocate who has a passion for writing as well. During the span of her career, she has worked with pre-K through adult learners.  Tammy has presented at the Indiana Computer Educators conference, the Indiana State Reading Association, and the International Reading Association.

After earning her Masters Degree in Teacher Leadership, a new opportunity presented itself and she became trained as a TAP Master teacher. In this position, she was honored to be able to have extensive training in coaching, Teach Like a Champion, professional development, and action research. Tammy Breitweiser now uses all that training in her current position in Michigan City Area Schools.

• Tammy’s practice of using a bullet journal
• The three questions Tammy asks that she learned from the School Leadership Series
• How Tammy used goals and self-care with the educators she coaches
• The teachers' response to Tammy focusing on their health
• How reflection helped Tammy solve a communication problem
• What Tammy is excited about for this year
• How block scheduling improved literacy campus-wide
• The support and training offered by transitioning to a block schedule
• A cool activity you should try with your staff, “The advocate activity.”
• The power of “Magic Tupperware.”

• 3 Questions every leader should ask
• 180 Days
• 16 Personalities
• Bullet Journal

“Don’t ask kids to do anything you’re not willing to do yourself.”

-Tammy Breitweiser

• Website
• Twitter

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and non-cognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2019 Better Leaders Better Schools

John Ewing joined MƒA in early 2009 as President. Before joining MƒA, Ewing served as Executive Director of the American Mathematical Society for nearly 14 years. With a staff of over 200 employees in four offices and over 32,000 members, the AMS is a major publisher of mathematics research and the largest mathematics research society in the world.

John Ewing previously was a professor of mathematics at Indiana University from 1973-1995, where he also served as Chair of the department for two terms. He has held visiting positions in the mathematics departments of Dartmouth College, the University of Virginia, the Newcastle University, and Göttingen University.

In addition to his research work, Ewing has been active in mathematical exposition, both as writer and editor, winning several national awards. In recent years, he has also written extensively on scholarly and electronic publishing. In 1966, Ewing received his B.S. from St. Lawrence University, which also awarded him an honorary degree in 1996, and received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Brown University in 1971.

• The MƒA program and the community it produces
• Teachers choose their professional development plan
• How MƒA looks for teamwork (you know it when you DON’T see it)
• Bringing MƒA concepts back to your schools
• Changing what teaching “feels” like and how it’s perceived
• How MƒA engages school leaders
• Some steps school leaders can take to adopt the MƒA model

• Website
• Twitter (@MathforAmerica)

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH

• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!

• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and non-cognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2018 Better Leaders Better Schools

After overcoming cancer at 25, Courtney Elmer has made it her mission to show her fellow female entrepreneurs – especially busy moms – how to eliminate stress so they can feel clear, focused, and in control of their life and business.

Through private coaching, online courses, speaking appearances, and exclusive retreats, Courtney changes the lives of women by teaching them how to stop feeling overwhelmed and live a more vibrant and fulfilling life. #StressLESS and #LiveMORE is her motto, after all!

Courtney Elmer makes her home in the fun and funky city of New Orleans with her husband, Alan, and their son, AJ, as well as their fur-friends Ace and Deuce.

To learn more about Courtney, visit courtneyelmer.com or follow her on Instagram @CourtneyElmer_ to learn how to have success without the stress and create a more satisfying life!

• Work became her everything and the consequences of that
• The mirage of success with “things” vs success of your soul
• When you walk the talk and live what you preach your life aligns to those goals
• Do you have the support to call you out when you fall into bad habits
• How Courtney nurtures herself
• One way you can use an email “Vacation” responder
• How to cultivate awareness

“I felt chained to my work which led to deep depression”

-Courtney Elmer

• The Miracle Morning
• Psycho Cybernetics
• You’re a Badass at Making Money

• Website
• Insta

“You can’t give from an empty well”

-Courtney Elmer

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2018 Better Leaders Better Schools

Steve Shallenberger is the Founder and Chairman of Becoming Your Best Global Leadership, a company based on his breakthrough book, Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders. Becoming Your Best produces transformational leadership, which in turn builds cultures of excellence, which produce high-performance individuals and organizations that are at the top of what they do.

Steve’s goal is to help individuals and companies achieve their very best as they implement the 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders. These principles are crucial to the success of any leader or person.

Steve has provided consulting and training for hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of leaders throughout 25+ countries. An innovator in leadership and corporate training, Steve takes leadership training and team development to a new level using a results-driven success blueprint. His exciting seminars on Leadership, Communication, Time- Management, Goals, Creativity, and Relationships provide an entirely new way of seeing and thinking that can change lives and organizations for the positive.

Steve also co-hosts the popular podcast Becoming Your Best with his partner (and son) Rob Shallenberger. Together, they help listeners uncover the principles of highly successful leaders.

• Research on leadership and how it applies to education
• What sets apart high performing individuals and organizations from everyone else
• The 12 principles of great leadership
• Do you share a vision that is big and inspirational?
• His process of identifying what sets top performers from average or low performers
• Top performers often have failures
• Transformational vs transactional leadership
• Building great teams
• Generating the rhythm in your organization
• Do you use TIGS in your organization?

“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Personal Performance Self Assessment

• Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders

• Richest Man in Babylon

• How to Win Friends and Influence People

• The Greatest Salesman in the World

• The Better Leaders Better Schools Roadmap

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Download the Creating Your Vivid Vision here: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/vivid-vision

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component of ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2018 Better Leaders Better Schools

Nathan Boyd, took on a new role August of 2017, he is the new Director of African American Student and Parent Services for South Bend Community School Corporation.  As a former school administrator of 13 years, 2012 ISCA Principal of the Year, 2012 National Blue Ribbon of School Excellence Recipient, and 2016 Indiana Principal of the Year he prides himself on being a champion for children.  

Nathan Boyd attended Ball State University where he became a special education teacher later earning his masters and administrative license in 2008. Priding himself on providing students with more than just a rigours learning environment.  He is innovative and inspires by fostering a culture of excellence among the school to best prepare students for their future. A few of his accomplishments: voted 2012 ISCA Principal of the Year, 2012 IUSB Distinguished Alumnus,  2012 Ball State Graduate of the Last Decade, traveled to Washington D.C. to receive a National Blue Ribbon of Excellence, and 2016 Indiana (State) Principal of the Year.  While recognized on the floor of the United States Congress, the Honorable Jackie Walorski., shared: “Under Mr. Boyd's leadership, Grissom is providing students a positive, challenging, and academically-oriented learning environment with a focus on building knowledge, reinforcing values, and developing a strong sense of self-worth for every student.”

“Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best.”

-St. Jerome

• School is about developing human beings
• The importance of social capital
• Going all in restorative practices
• Get buy-in by doing compassion circles with the staff
• Do you treat kids the way you want your own son or daughter treated?
• Why you should stop using the word student in parent communication
• What Nathan misses (and doesn’t miss) about the principalship
• Using a “coaching” voice all the time is a mistake

“If you don’t feed the teachers, they’ll eat the kids”

-Nathan Boyd

• The BLBS Podcast
• Todd Whitaker Books
• Baruti Kafele Books

“It’s a journey … there is no finish line.”

-Nathan Boyd

• Twitter

Download the Closing open loops (to reduce stress and increase productivity here

Buy the Better Leaders Better Schools Roadmap

• BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH
• DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!
• LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW

Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community

Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn

ORGANIZED BINDER

• Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution
• Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills
• Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/

Copyright © 2018 Better Leaders Better Schools