Representative Shannon Erickson, newly elected Chairman of the SC House Education and Public Works Committee, sits down with Superintendent Cameron Runyan and Deputy Superintendent of School Support Mike Sinclair for a conversation about the current and future landscape of education in SC as well as the impact of school choice on South Carolina communities.

Welcome back! Hopefully you had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. In this episode we briefly review our last two podcast series and preview an exciting January line up. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any upcoming episodes.

Mike wraps up our series on Mindfulness: Fighting Stress and Anxiety with some great activities you can try over the holidays. He and Superintendent Runyan end with their holiday wishes for our leaders and listeners as we look forward to time with family and friends.

In this episode, we look at the impact of gratitude on our mental health. In the rush of leading, our thoughts will easily default to the problems and obstacles that are in front of us. These thoughts can gradually insert themselves and take over our self-perception. In fact, we become the very thoughts we are trying to avoid. So what if you intentionally inserted affirmations or statements of gratitude into your day? Those thoughts could become louder than the ones that hold you back and cause stress and anxiety.

John “Gucci” Foley: Fearless Success

Glad to Be Here

In this episode, Raegan McCullough, co-founder of The Healthy Teacher, joins Mike to share healthy strategies to proactively address the stress that comes with being a leader.

The Healthy Teacher https://www.thehealthyteacher.com/pages/

In this episode, Mike continues to discuss the importance of Mindfulness in managing stress as a leader. Knowing what triggers your stress and anxiety, as well as the physical symptoms, are important in proactively implementing strategies that help. Focusing on physical items present in your surroundings is a key strategy. Mike shares several examples of how you can do this.

In this episode, we begin a series on Mindfulness and strategies to confront negative thoughts, stress, and anxiety. Unfortunately, these responses can be part of being a leader, but you don’t have to be passive and “just deal with it”. Mike shares some of his fight with anxiety and a couple of basic techniques to help in the moment.

Ashley Owings https://www.odysseyonline.com/

Books Referenced:

You Are the Team: 6 Simple Ways Teammates Can Go from Good to Great Michael G. Rogers

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens Sean Covey

In this episode, we begin a series on Mindfulness and strategies to confront negative thoughts, stress, and anxiety. Unfortunately, these responses can be part of being a leader, but you don’t have to be passive and “just deal with it”. Mike shares some of his fight with anxiety and a couple of basic techniques to help in the moment.

Ashley Owings

https://www.odysseyonline.com/

Books Referenced:

You Are the Team: 6 Simple Ways Teammates Can Go from Good to Great Michael G. Rogers

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens Sean Covey

In this episode of the Institute Leaders Lifeline, we have a guest, Ainsley Crowe, a student at Cyber Academy of South Carolina and a Charter School Ambassador at the Institute. She shares how the flexibility of virtual learning has allowed her to have dual enrollment and pursue a career in education.

In this final episode of the series on Risk, Mike discusses the importance of being authentic as a leader in the face of adversity. Often we think of charismatic leaders as being extroverted and positive all of the time. Although that may sometimes be true, an authentic leader embraces the tone of the organization and leads the team toward an optimistic collaborative plan of action. Being authentic is key to maintaining the confidence and trust of a team.

School Showcases:

Clear Dot Charter School

https://www.cleardotcharterschool.org/

Midlands STEM Institute

https://www.midlandsstem.org/

SC Virtual Charter School

https://www.scvcs.org/