The Empowered Principal® Podcast

In this Back to Basics episode, you’re hearing an interview with one of my clients that is so well-loved by The Empowered Principal podcast audience. Wendy Cohen has coached with me for several years, and in this conversation, you’re hearing her journey from classroom teacher to first-year school principal. 

Wendy shares her journey to becoming a school leader at 30 years old, and how our work together has not only transformed her career but her personal life too. We’re exploring the hesitations she had about coaching together, some of the biggest professional and personal growth she’s experienced, and how she made becoming an empowered principal an inevitability.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/340

Today, I'm joined by two special guests with an important message to share. Shelly Wilfong and Ryan Donlan coauthored a powerful book, bringing hope and inspiration to school leaders everywhere. The book is called Ensuring Teachers Matter: Where to Focus First So Students Matter Most, and it's all about the topic of mattering.

Tune in this week to discover how to help your teachers feel energized and valuable in the work they do. When teachers and administrators feel like they matter, everybody in your school benefits, and you'll learn in this episode how to support your teachers so they can feel valued and, in turn, support the students to the best of their abilities.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/339

There’s no school leader on the planet who doesn’t ever get it wrong, misspeak, or make a decision they later regret. We’re all human, and spinning in guilt, avoiding your negative thoughts and feelings, or criticizing yourself endlessly doesn’t help. If you want to go into the new school year feeling fresh and ready to go, you must let go of any past thoughts, memories, or decisions that are weighing you down.

If you’re ready to create a self-concept that empowers you in the new school year, join me this week to learn the power of letting go. I’m showing you what happens when you don’t reconcile any negative thoughts or feelings you’re experiencing about the past school year, the simplest way to let go, and prompts that will help you see where you might need to practice letting go.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/338

The reality of school leadership is that there’s always too much to do and never enough time to do it. With countless projects, events, and instructional coaching sessions vying for attention, it’s easy to get lost in the chaos. Instead of simply coaching you to manage your thoughts, I’ll be sharing actionable steps on what to do when the pressure is on and everyone is looking to you for support.

Discover how to give yourself permission to stretch your boundaries when needed and how to plan your workload to alleviate stress. Don’t miss out on these valuable insights that will help you lead with intention and reclaim your sense of control.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/337

The Summer of Fun 2024 is kicking off in the Empowered Principal Facebook group right now! If you want to have fun at work and enjoy your life outside of it, but having fun feels unsafe, irresponsible, or unacceptable, this is a must-listen episode.

Learn what happens when you embrace having fun as a leader, and why sacrificing fun isn’t helping you become the leader you want to be. Hear how participating in the Summer of Fun 2024 will help you cultivate a new relationship with fun, see it as a value-add to your life, and honor your fun in ways that will pay dividends.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/336

I love when my clients come to me with an energy of deep desire and compelling urgency around their goals. While this lights me up, there’s a dark side to our urge to rush, and it’s causing you unnecessary pain and suffering.

Learn why we often have the urge to rush and how to stop so you can truly embrace the present moment. Hear why there is absolutely no need to rush, and what happens when you learn to love where you are right now. 

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/335

In most cases, you’re in meetings where everyone will likely have different opinions. There might be people who are for a decision while some are against it, and maybe there are lots of options or theories presented at the table. Your job, as a school leader, is to look at the common goal and come up with a decision-making protocol that leads to a productive solution.

If you find yourself in meetings where conversations get sidetracked or derailed, you worry about people feeling heard, or otherwise find decision-making getting delayed or sabotaged, listen in. Learn why you must identify a decision-making protocol ahead of time for your meetings, and questions that will help you lead with confidence when it comes to decision-making.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/334

One of the ways you might want to create expansion as a school leader is by embracing exceptionalism. Becoming exceptional is a topic I coach on with all of my clients because it’s what will help you enjoy your life to the fullest and lead your school in the way you truly want, and I’m showing you how to begin identifying yourself as exceptional today.

Learn what’s required of you to live an exceptional life, why what you focus on expands, two reasons embracing your exceptionalism might feel challenging, and questions to answer for yourself that will help you see how your life and career are already exceptional right now.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/333

For today’s episode, I interviewed my friend and fellow coach, Jess Johnson. Jess has been working with me to help me regulate my nervous system. When we go into freak-out mode, we don’t have to stay there. There are tools and strategies we can use to relieve our stress and reregulate ourselves, and Jess is here to share them.

Discover simple stress-relieving techniques you can start using right now to regulate your nervous system when you start to freak out. Jess shares ways to proactively take care of your emotional well-being and nervous system’s needs, so you can stay focused and present when you’re feeling unsafe or uncertain in your day-to-day work as a school leader.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/332

John Camp has spent 29 years in education and is currently the Head of Teaching and Learning at New England Innovation Academy. He has an innovative approach to grades where he’s shifting away from more traditional grading and assessment formats in the name of focusing on competency and real-world application of skills, and he’s telling us all about it this week.

Listen in this week as I quiz John on why it’s worth re-evaluating our relationship with grades and how he’s experimenting with alternative assessment systems that don’t simply rely on letter grades. He’s sharing the benefits of focusing on a competency-based framework, what happens when we de-emphasize grades, and how you can begin moving the needle in this direction too if you feel inspired by his initiatives.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://angelakellycoaching.com/331