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What if the most important impact you ever make is not in a crowd… but in one child?

In this powerful Tools for Success episode from The Power of One series, veteran educator Kelli Marshall shares the story that shaped her life’s purpose. As a young teacher, she met a 12-year-old boy whose world was “coming at him faster than she could.” What began as simply trying to keep one student in school became a defining moment in understanding the true role of an educator. Through relationship, belief, and consistency, she helped him see his brilliance. Twenty years later, their lives came full circle in the most emotional way — when she became principal at his daughter’s school.

This episode dives into the real weight students carry, the unseen impact of one caring adult, and how teachers, parents, mentors, and community leaders can become the entry point that changes a young person’s direction forever. If you care about youth, leadership, education, or legacy, this conversation will stay with you.

You will walk away with renewed purpose, a powerful reminder that small moments matter, and one important question: Who is your one?

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
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In this episode of Tools for Success, Cathy Tooley shares the Power of One book, and the story behind why she wrote it. After losing her job in November 2014, Cathy found herself at a turning point and felt called to write what educators often cannot say out loud. She pulls back the curtain on what is really happening in schools, from school board politics and policy pressure to the overwhelming reality teachers carry today, far beyond teaching content.

This conversation is a mindset shift and a wake up call. You will walk away with a deeper understanding of the education system, the hidden weight educators hold, and why one book can change how you see truth, leadership, and purpose. Cathy also shares how writing from pain led her into a stronger faith journey, and how books can be a bridge that moves people closer to Jesus and toward real transformation.

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

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What if your success was never in question because someone believed in you before you believed in yourself? In this powerful episode of Tools for Success, Cathy Tooley sits down with Rebecca Bormann, Founder and CEO of RB Consulting Agency and Fractional VP of Sales and Marketing for Tools for Success, to talk about the life changing impact of belief. From a mother who spoke possibility into a young girl, to a father who removed limits with his words, this conversation explores how belief fuels confidence, courage, and long term success in business and life.

Cathy and Rebecca share deeply personal stories about entrepreneurship, faith, mentorship, and what happens when you borrow belief from someone else during seasons when your own feels shaky. You will learn how belief shapes mindset, why the right support matters more than surface level marketing tactics, and how aligned partnership can help mission driven organizations grow with intention. This episode is for educators, entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone who needs a reminder that they are not disqualified from abundance, impact, or purpose.

If this conversation resonates with you, connect with Rebecca Borman and follow RB Consulting Agency on LinkedIn to learn more about visibility, sales, and marketing strategies that actually move the needle:
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/company/rbcgrowth/

And if this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that belief can change everything. Subscribe to Tools for Success for more conversations that challenge your thinking and strengthen your leadership journey. Leave a comment and tell us who believed in you when it mattered most.

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

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This episode of The Power of One is a deeply moving conversation about breakthrough, faith, and the ripple effect of a single decision. Victoria shares her journey as an international student coming to the United States at seventeen, the sacrifices her parents made, and the unexpected kindness of strangers who became family. Through her story, we see how small moments, one conversation, one act of love, and one brave choice can completely alter the direction of a life. Cathy reflects on what it truly means to be born into opportunity versus fighting for it, challenging common narratives around immigration and reminding us that behind every journey is love, purpose, and courage.

Listeners will walk away with a powerful reminder that breakthroughs are rarely loud or instant. They are often layered, relational, and rooted in love. This episode explores themes of immigration stories, faith driven leadership, the power of one conversation, personal breakthrough, and legacy building. It invites you to reflect on your own breakthrough moments and consider how your story, your presence, and your willingness to show up might be the very thing that opens doors for someone else.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs encouragement today and take a moment to reflect on the one breakthrough that changed your life. And if you are ready to turn your story into visibility, impact, and legacy, connect with Victoria at mtr.bio/limstudios.

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

Send a text

This episode of the Tools for Success Podcast shares an unfiltered and deeply human story about leadership, public judgment, and faith under fire. Veteran educator and former principal Cathy Tooley recounts the moment one disciplinary decision ignited media backlash, community outrage, and national attention that ultimately ended a decades long career in education. Through her story, listeners gain insight into the emotional reality educators face when leadership decisions are misunderstood, sensationalized, and reduced to headlines. This episode speaks directly to teachers, principals, school leaders, and administrators who have ever felt the weight of public scrutiny or the pressure of making unpopular decisions in complex environments.

Beyond the crisis, this conversation is about perseverance, identity, and separating who you are from the title you hold. Cathy reflects on losing her position, rebuilding her life, and finding renewed purpose through faith and service. This episode is a powerful reminder that behind every educator is a human being carrying responsibility, conviction, and care for students. If you are navigating burnout, leadership challenges, criticism, or a season of uncertainty, this episode offers encouragement, perspective, and hope rooted in resilience.

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

Send a text

In this closing episode, we explore how a single sentence from a teacher can echo for decades and quietly shape a student’s identity and future. Through two powerful visuals, a ripple on a calm lake and a three car train labeled past, present, and future, the conversation reveals how everyday language becomes evidence students use to decide who they are and what is possible. Personal stories and classroom truths show how labels shrink potential, while belief, grace, and intentional words expand it in lasting ways.

Listeners will gain practical insight into how to disconnect harmful narratives and replace them with new proof through specific praise, effort focused feedback, and language that separates behavior from identity. This episode honors educators as people who see hidden capacity and lead with love even when their work is misunderstood. If this message brought someone to mind, share it with them, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and reflect on this question. What words in your caboose are still shaping your steps today?

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

Send a text

What if the words someone spoke over you years ago became the very gift you use to lead today?

In this episode of The Ripple Effect of a Teacher, we hear how a simple moment of encouragement from a teacher helped unlock the confidence of a first-generation college student. She didn’t become the television news anchor she studied to be, but the speaking gift that teacher saw in her now fuels her work in leadership and culture.

Twenty years later, she’s the Chief Culture Officer and partner at TRUE — helping organizations grow by investing in their greatest asset: their people. She pours into teams the same way teachers once poured into her.

This story reminds us that impact doesn’t always show up instantly. Sometimes it returns decades later, in ways that influence companies, communities, and future leaders.

If you’ve ever wondered whether the moments you create truly matter — this is your confirmation. The words you speak, the belief you extend, the window you use wisely… it all ripples forward.

Step into purpose and legacy. What moment changed everything for you?

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

Send a text

What if one small moment could change the way you lead forever? This episode of The Ripple Effect of a Teacher begins with Rebecca Johnson’s first C in sixth grade — and the teacher who refused to reward autopilot. That single moment set off a lifetime of purpose, reminding her that growth begins when someone believes you can do better.

From those early lessons in accountability and belonging, Rebecca built a philosophy that still shapes her work today. As an educator turned business leader, she’s carried the same principles — empathy, consistency, and community — into every classroom, boardroom, and company she’s touched. Her story reveals how structure and care aren’t opposites; they’re partners in transformation.

We talk about what it really means to give students — and people — a voice, to create belonging in spaces where disconnection has become the norm, and to rebuild trust through conversation, not control. Rebecca also shares how she now leads a company that helps seniors age with dignity, continuing the same mission she started as a teacher: to make every person feel seen, capable, and valued.

If you’ve ever doubted the long-term impact of your work, this episode is your reminder — the calm you bring, the boundaries you hold, and the belief you extend ripple far beyond your classroom or your business. Connection is the legacy.

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

Send a text

What if the fastest way to clarity was to start at the end? This powerful episode of The Ripple Effect of a Teacher opens with that question — imagine your funeral — and uses it to uncover purpose, passion, and the true calling behind why we teach. Kari, a former English teacher turned principal with over two decades of experience, shares how an unexpected journey through parenting, substitute teaching, and leadership helped her see that even when passion fades, purpose stays steady. Her reflections remind every educator that their work is sacred, meaningful, and part of a much bigger story.

We go deep into what resilience really looks like in education — the kind that goes beyond self-care checklists and into lasting purpose. Learn how to handle the “different tired” that comes with teaching, protect your energy from negativity, and stay grounded in the legacy you’re building. If you’ve ever wondered whether your work truly matters, this conversation will remind you: every small interaction counts. Start with your legacy. Remember the student who needed you yesterday. And choose purpose over urgency every single day.

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

Send a text

Teachers often never see the full impact of their work. Beyond grades and test scores lies a deeper influence—one that shapes confidence, purpose, and identity. In this episode, host Cathy Tooley reconnects with her former student, Amber Fields, now a Partner and Chief Culture Officer helping organizations develop their people. Their conversation, “The Power of One: How One Teacher Can Change a Life,” explores how belief, encouragement, and authentic connection can unlock potential that lasts decades.

Amber shares how Cathy once “spoke belief” into her at a time when she didn’t believe in herself—what she now calls “borrowed belief.” That same principle guides her leadership today, showing how early mentorship translates into lifelong impact. Together, they uncover how small moments of affirmation can ripple across generations, shaping not just students but the future leaders they become.

Explore trueU — a platform that helps companies build stronger teams and inspire growth:

• trueu.com
• trueu.com/welcome-to-trueuhr/

Amber's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberwestfields/

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn