The Assistant Principal Podcast

Outline and Show Notes

Engaging Teachers and Students with Dr. Deirdra Preis

Teaser:

Are you an engagement specialist? What I mean by that question and how we get to the space of being an engagement specialist is the topic of today’s show but before jumping in…

Sponsor Spot 1:Travel can positively impact students in a big way - but if your first thought is, “who is going to plan all of this?”, don’t worry because that’s where Kaleidoscope Adventures comes in.The...

Outline and Show Notes

Show Title: Resilience with Craig Woodall

Power Quote: “I carry it, but it doesn’t define me”

Teaser:

What’s the difference between resilience and self-care?

Sponsor Spot 1:Travel can positively impact students in a big way - but if your first thought is, “who is going to plan all of this?”, don’t worry because that’s where Kaleidoscope Adventures comes in.The KA team has been planning student group travel for more than 30 years! They handle the logistics from s...

Show Title: The Invisible Paycheck with Josh Tovar

Power Quote: As teachers, we get an invisible paycheck that others don’t get

Show Notes

Key Outcomes

Josh Tovar and Frederick discuss the intersection of personal trauma and professional leadership in education. Tovar emphasizes the importance of empathy over sympathy, the value of "invisible paychecks" (emotional impact on students), and the necessity of maintaining high energy and self-care to support marginalized students.

Educational Philosophy and Impact

Show Title: Whose Fault Is It If Your Teachers Don’t Have Classroom Procedures?

Show Notes

Topic Outline

Warmup questions:

Outline:

Special thanks to the amazing Ranford Almond for the great music on the show. Plea...

Outline and Show Notes

Tapping the Power of Gen Z with Robyn Fehrman

Power Quote: Leadership is the secret sauce

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional travel e...

Show Title: Hugging Porcupines with Mike Anderson

Teaser:

I’ve been looking forward to doing today’s interview for three months and was so excited to bring this to you and it did not disappoint. This is a great episode so Dial up your best listening skills and let’s go!

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kal...

Outline and Show Notes

Episode 322: Digging Deeper Into Motivation with Dr. Chad Dumas

Power Quote: “Relationships are the universal lubricant.”

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional...

Outline and Show Notes

321: Just say “YES” with Ronke Adetolu

Power Quote: "If my future stayed parked in 'someday,' then I did not have to risk failure today”

Teaser:

I love having guests on the show who are coming from outside the field of education I think they can bring fresh perspectives and help us interrogate our own situations through a different lens. In today’s episode, my guest helps us dig into the idea of saying yes, even when your mind wants to say no o...

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline

311: Power!

Teaser:

The leadership guru John Maxwell said, “Leadership is influence, nothing less, nothing more.” Now I don’t agree with the statement 100%. As my friend and mentor, Dr. Jacque Jacobs would point out, just because you’re driving 35 mph in the fast lane and have 15 cars behind you does not make you a leader. Leadership also requires an intentional effort towards a specific outcome. The important to take away from Maxwell’s statement is that if we want to lead, we need to...

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline

Show Title: Our Morning Routines

Links:

Insight Timer App 

Down Dog App

Mara’s checklist
Episode 310: My 11 Morning Affirmations

Episode 276: SWOT and Stop Start Continue Consider

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company off...

Outline and Show Notes

Show Title: AI Beyond the Talk with Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth

Power Quote: “We don’t need to be the expert”

Teaser:

I recorded today’s interview on July 8 and it’s just a week since I was at the ISTE-ASCD national conference in Orlando and ISTE is a very tech focused, educational organization and as you can imagine so much of the talk at the conference was about AI to be honest I’m feel like I’m a bit over AI I’m get...

Outline and Show Notes

Stop, Drop, and Get Organized with Jeffrey Bradbury

Teaser:

Today’s show is a bit different. My guest has a depth of knowledge on technology that is inspiring and honestly a bit intimidating at the same time. If you are tech savvy, you will probably get a lot out of today’s show. If that’s not the case, there are still some really important takeaways to help you organize your thinking, and consider a more productive approach to leveraging technology in your work.

316: Small Practices to Live and Lead Better

Note: Most of these notes are ai generated from a transcript of the show.

Sponsor Spot 1:So, when it comes to student travel, I get why it can feel like a big lift. That’s why I always point people toward Kaleidoscope Adventures. They’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, and they understand what schools actually need - clear communication, strong organization, and a plan that works. They handle the details, so you’re not left piecing it all together yourse...

Outline and Show Notes

Nurturing Collective Efficacy with Kurtis Hewson

Teaser:

Today’s show is a bit different. My guest has a depth of knowledge on technology that is inspiring and honestly a bit intimidating at the same time. If you are tech savvy, you will probably get a lot out of today’s show. If that’s not the case, there are still some really important takeaways to help you organize your thinking, and consider a more productive approach to leveraging technology in your work.

Spon...

Outline and Show Notes

Show Title: Reimagining Leadership in the Age of AI with Jerry Almendarez

Teaser (written by Claude ai):

Today's episode tackles a question that should make every one of us a little uncomfortable: why do our school systems keep working harder without getting meaningfully better results? My guest has spent more than 30 years wrestling with that question — first as a classroom teacher, then as Superintendent of Santa Ana Unified, leading over 41,000 students and 5,000 staff. Jerry Almendarez learned that real change doesn't come from piling on more programs — it c...

Show Title: Motivation Deep Dive with Katie Powell

Outline and Show Notes
You’ve likely heard me talk about The Motivation Equation being value divide by effort. My guest today helps us dig beyond the formula to consider the two sides of the equation in more detail.

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company of...

Outline and Show Notes

Show Title: What SPED Needs from You with Liz Capone

Guest: Liz Capone

Teaser:

It’s pretty typical for new assistant principals to be given fairly substantial responsibilities, related to special education, especially in terms of attending IEP meetings. This is fine if the assistant principal has a background in special education, but when they don’t, it can present complex and meaningful challenges in today’s episode will explore, at least at a surface level what it means to be a good...

Outline and Show Notes

Schools to Watch with Dr. Joe Coleman

Teaser:

Schools to Watch is a national program designed to promote middle school excellence. In today’s show I interview a state Schools to Watch coordinator, but the episode is more about good things happening in good schools than it is about the specific Schools to Watch framework. It’s really helpful to be able to visit many diverse schools, and though you may not be able to do that for yourself, you can learn from someone who has been...

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline

My 11 Morning Affirmations

Teaser:

I’ve been looking forward to doing this podcast for a while. Now we’re going to dig into my 11 morning affirmations and honestly and without exaggeration these affirmations have been huge in helping me to stay true to who I am to stay focused, and to be buoyant during a really challenging. In my life so let’s dig

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lo...

Outline and Show Notes

Reframing Resistance with Becca Silver

Power Quote: What’s scary for us may not be scary for them.”

Teaser:

 | I’m really excited for today’s episode. You’ve heard me talk about reframing resistance as feedback by getting curious instead of judgmental. Today’s guest helps us dive deep into what comes next. This is a packed episode and if you aren’t driving you may want to have a notebook handy!

Outline and Show Notes

Urgency and Efficacy with Taylor Crosby

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional travel experiences for students (and their group leaders). Thinking about student travel? Reach out to Kaleidos...

Outline and Show Notes

Leadership with Dr. Brian Martin

Teaser:

My guest on today show is a vice principal at an international school in Columbia, but almost everything that we talk about today is relevant to leadership in general and to school leader ship in particular.  This is a really fun discussion. We begin with a focus on teacher retention but also cover a wide range of topics, and I think there will be many gold nuggets that you’ll have from this episode.

Sponsor Spo...

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline

Show title and release date: If I Had One Day With You 5/26/26

Teaser:

The genesis for today’s episode came while I was hiking in the woods. I began thinking about what I would do working with someone if I only had one day. This “thought exercise” helped me think about the practices I teach that are most impactful, the ones that are simplest, and the ones that can make an immediate improvement in life and leadership. As I began putting the da...

Outline and Show Notes

Realistic Recharge with Dr. Julie Hasson

Power Quote: "the wrong kind of hard"

Teaser:

Today I’m back with Dr. Julie Hasson. In part 1, we went deep into burnout, toxic positivity, and self-care. In today’s show we’ll dig into Julie’s Recharge model. This episode is every bit as practical and rich as the last show was.

Sponsor Spot 1:So when it comes to student travel, I get why it can feel like a big lift...

Outline and Show Notes

What Does Burnout Mean? With Dr. Julie Hasson

Power Quote: “The wrong kind of hard.”

Teaser:

Dr. Julie Hasson and I has so much fun recording our conversation – we just kept on talking, so instead of giving you a giant dump of stuff, we decided to break it into two distinct episodes. In part 1, we go deep into burnout, toxic positivity, and self-care. In next week’s show we’ll dig into Julie’s Recharge model. This is an episode rich in takeaways...

Power Quote:

Am I a manager of priorities or a builder of people?

Teaser:

After recording today’s episode, I realized I needed to record the episodes on Strategic Action Cycles. Those episodes were a primer for this episode. If you haven’t yet listened to past two episodes on Strategic Action Cycles, I encourage you to do it now as this episode will have a bigger impact if you are already familiar with some of the concepts we talk about. In today’s show I talk with a former client...

Teaser:

Today we dig into the second of our three-part series on the power of small change. Last week I covered some of the major challenges with BIG Change and then shared the four principles of leverage. I’ll give a quick recap of the principles of leverage in a few minutes, but if you did not listen to part 1 I strongly urge you to go to it before listening to this episode. 

Sponsor Spot 1:If you’ve been scrolling through social media this Spring, you’ve probably seen some of your colleag...

Teaser:

We’ve all experienced it – BIG change. Not change as in the pandemic or a hurricane, or even NCLB. I mean BIG change initiatives that we do to ourselves. The programs or solutions we implement to great fanfare, that we pour money and time into, that almost inevitably fade out to be replaced by the next big thing. PBIS, Leader in Me, block scheduling, PLCs/teaming, standards-based assessment, and so much more. It’s not the program or content that’s the problem, it’s the process – specifically the process of BIG change. Today, I’m going to make...

Wow! 300!

Power Quote: It’s all about the people and the relationships

Teaser:

You are about to listen to the 300th episode of the assistant principal podcast. We released our first episode on August 26, 2021 with the topic of Strategic Leadership and, honestly, that episode was so bad I pulled it from our platform. Producing this show has been such an incredible experience and I wanted to do something special for episode 300 so I invited on some friends and we have a celebratory conversation that I think does a...

The Systems Supporting Teacher Growth with Isiah Williams

Teaser:

If you’ve listened to this show for longer than a month you have likely heard me talk about the flywheel – the “magic” system for driving continual teacher growth. In December I was at an administrators’ conference in Pinehurst, NC and happened to sit at a table with an enthusiastic and passionate young AP who shared with me some of the strategies his school was using to create a culture of continual growth. What he described was a flywheel, and I am so excited to...

Guiding Change with Dr. Christie Cooper

Teaser:

Building on DiSC styles and how they influence change processes. 50-70% of change initiatives Fail!

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional travel experien...

Leadership Styles with Dr. Christie Cooper

Teaser:

The leadership style activity I do with groups…

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional travel experiences for students (and their grou...

Five Change Lessons

March 17, 2026

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional travel experiences for students (and their group leaders). Thinking about student travel? Reach out to Kaleidoscope using the link in the show not...

Show Title: Make Every Moment Count with POY Jason Johnson

Power Quote: Make Every Moment Count

Teaser:

The R word – relationships. Sometimes it feels like we talk about it too much but not enough. It doesn’t make sense, but I hope you know what I mean. In a digital world, it feels like relationships are an analog concept, but I think they are more important now than ever.

Sponsor Spot 1:- If you love travel, but your student trips are starting to f...

Support, Don’t Solve

Teaser:

Becoming a strategic leader is a journey – a long one. It’s a journey full of stops and starts, and slow incremental improvement. But there are also some inflection points – places where leaders make a great leap forward. Those inflection points usually have more to do with changes in perception than the acquisition of knowledge or skills. Today’s topic is an inflection point. To get to the place where you are growing your teachers, you have to first stop trying to fix things for them. Don’t fix, grow...

When there are “I’s” in TEAM with Dr. Chad Dumas

Teaser:

I’m really excited about today’s episode. I had so much fun recording it and I think that lightness and positivity come out in the interview. It’s a great combination of high-level stuff and some really fundamental truths about teams and leaderships. This might be one of those episodes that you want to listen to twice and take notes. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did recording it.

Sponsor Spot 1:Friends/Scho...

What a Ford Mav-Wreck Can Teach Us About Leadership

Sponsor Spot 1:Travel can positively impact students in a big way - but if your first thought is, “who is going to plan all of this?”, don’t worry because that’s where Kaleidoscope Adventures comes in.The KA team has been planning student group travel for more than 30 years! They handle the logistics from start to finish, so you can focus on your job in the classroom.Whenever you’re ready to plan a trip, Kaleidoscope Adventures can’t wait to help your group travel beyon...

Reimagining School Leadership with Dr. Lindsay Whorton

Power Quote: “Leadership has to be a team sport.”

Teaser:

I hope you enjoy listening to today’s episode as much as I did recording it. It’s a wonderful combination of big picture thinking and exploring some new ideas but then also getting down and making some really specific suggestions about next steps so this wonderful blend of 40,000 foot thinking and then being right down on the ground doing the work.

Sponsor Spot 1:Are you a little tir...

Dr. Lindsay Whorton has served as president of The Holdsworth Center since 2019, leading its growth from seven Texas school districts to 89 districts serving over 1,900 educational leaders. 

A native of Independence, Missouri, Lindsay graduated from Drake University with degrees in secondary education and English. She captained the women's basketball team to a 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, earning tournament MVP and First-Team Academic All-American honors.

A Rhodes Scholar, Lindsay earned her master's and doctorate in social policy from Oxford University, where she also served as a Fulbright Scholar studying Finland's teacher education sys...

The Five Gives

Teaser:

It’s that time of the year for assistant principals when it just feels like you’re completely underwater all the time the thought you had at the beginning of the year of engaging in teacher development of doing observations and coaching those are kind of long lost dreams at this point, but there is a way out we don’t have to sit in the space today I am going to do a quick overview of five strategies that will free up a little bit of your time so that...