Best LEE (Leadership for Educational Equity Podcasts (2025)

1
Resilience Redefined: Balancing Leadership and Well-being 49:06

4d ago49:06

49:06

In this episode of the We Lead Well podcast, we explore the importance of understanding not just the skills needed in leadership, but also the essence of being a resilient leader. Joined by Jacqui Frost, we delve into the pressures often felt by headteachers and school leaders, focusing on the personal well-being and self-awareness required to lead…

1
Bridging Leadership Gaps with Audrey Pantelis 1:06:28

1M ago1:06:28

1:06:28

In this latest episode of the We Lead Well podcast, I engaged in a thought-provoking discussion with Audrey Pantelis, ex-headteacher and founder of Elevation Coaching and Consulting. The conversation delves into the challenges and opportunities in educational leadership, focusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and the importance of creat…

1
Resilience in Education: Krissi Carter's Journey 1:18:49

2M ago1:18:49

1:18:49

In this episode of the We Lead Well podcast, I chatted with Krissi Carter, a former headteacher who shares her inspirational story of overcoming mental health challenges. Krissi discusses her experiences with complex PTSD and the journey she undertook to regain her mental fitness, utilising mindfulness, journalling, and the Positive Intelligence pr…

1
Abhay Parasnis on Creating Moats, AI Strategy, and Selling to Enterprise 47:45

3M ago47:45

47:45

Abhay Parasnis is founder and CEO of Typeface, is former CTO/CPO at Adobe, and sits on the board of Dropbox and Schneider Electric. He joined Ben Casnocha, co-founder and partner at Village Global, for a live masterclass for Village Global founders. Takeaways: If you can break into the top tier of the enterprise market, it’s hard to dislodge you. B…

1
Innovative Leadership and Well-being in Schools: Insights from Paddy Russell 1:17:20

3M ago1:17:20

1:17:20

For this episode, I interviewed Paddy Russell, the headteacher of Ladybridge High School in Bolton. Paddy shares his passion for innovative education and staff well-being, discussing how his school has embraced co-construction in developing leadership programmes beyond the NPQ. Discover the unique approaches Ladybridge High has implemented, such as…

1
Fundraising in AI with Aaron Harris 46:26

4M ago46:26

46:26

Aaron Harris was a partner at YC for 7.5 years where he funded Deel, OpenSea, Scale AI, Rappi, Lattice, and others. He also built YC's Series A program where he worked with founders on over 200 Series As and Bs that raised in excess of $3B in capital. He joined Sam Kirschner, VP at Village Global, to give Village Global founders helpful tips on fun…

1
Hiring Technical Talent with Kathy Copic and Lindsay Pettingill 57:37

4M ago57:37

57:37

Kathy Copic is founder of Fieldwork Partners, where she works closely with early stage companies on scoping technical projects, getting early ML models into production, and helping them hire. She was interviewed by Lindsay Pettingill, Investment Partner at Village Global, during this masterclass for Village Global founders. Takeaways: Maintain at l…

1
Transforming Education with Eli Jones: A Curriculum Revolution 1:07:23

5M ago1:07:23

1:07:23

In this enlightening episode of We Lead Well, we explore the innovative changes happening in middle schools with Eli Jones, the Director of Academic Innovation at Burris Laboratory School. Eli shares his revolutionary approach to curriculum redesign, where traditional teaching boundaries are expanded to meet the individual interests and needs of ea…

1
Eynat Guez of Papaya Global on Mastering Enterprise Sales and Building Long-Term Partnerships 55:36

5M ago55:36

55:36

Eynat Guez, founder and CEO of Papaya Global, was interviewed by Ben Casnocha, co-founder and partner at Village Global, during this masterclass for Village Global founders. Takeaways: Show up to key meetings as the founder or executive team — don’t just send the sales team. It signals to the client that you’re personally invested and committed to …

1
Staci Childs with guest host Brittany Packnett Cunningham 50:34

6M ago50:34

50:34

This is the first live show for the Leader’s Table recorded at the inaugural Courageous Leadership Conference! In this conversation we get to hear the dynamic journey of LEE Member and Texas State Board of Education Member Staci Childs. Staci is being interviewed by fellow LEE member Brittany Packnett Cunningham. Both leaders discuss race, gender, …

1
From Stage to Soul: Richard A. Murray on Empathy, Culture, and the Power of Storytelling 26:44

6M ago26:44

26:44

Join us for an inspiring episode of our Educating Empathy Podcast, presented by SissyMarySue Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering empathy, equity, and education for a brighter future. This special interview is hosted by the dynamic Dr. Lugene Rihki Kennebrew, an award-winning educator, filmmaker, and cultural innovator known…

1
Unlocking Leadership Potential: A Deep Dive into School Improvement with Ben White 1:17:52

6M ago1:17:52

1:17:52

In this episode of the We Lead Well podcast, I talk to Ben White, the Director of School Improvement for Life Multi-Academy Trusts in Leicestershire. Ben shares his experiences in supporting leaders and headteachers across a diverse group of secondary and primary schools, focusing on enhancing teaching and learning environments. We discussed the si…

1
Brittany Packnett Cunningham: Finding Strength in Community 34:01

7M ago34:01

34:01

Activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham exemplifies authenticity, honesty, and bravery in leadership. Drawing from her upbringing, experiences, and cultural relevance, she advocates for the importance of community building, in diverse spaces. Brittany underscores the transformative power of collective action and speaking truth to power. She stresses …

1
Artist Lee Truer Poetry, Empathy, Teaching and Youth Emotional Empowerment 29:42

7M ago29:42

29:42

Lee Truer shares her personal introspective, empathy driven POETRY and poignant reflections of when she encouraged students, in a writing project that allowed them to process difficult feelings after the death of George Floyd. You see, her students lived in the Minneapolis community where the protests and unrest due to racism and cruelty that led t…

1
Auren Hoffman and Ben Casnocha on Career Strategy, Undiscovered Talent, Networks, and more 58:01

7M ago58:01

58:01

Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph and GP of Flex Capital, interviewed Ben Casnocha, Village Global co-founder and partner, on Auren's World of DaaS podcast. They are longtime friends and had a wide-ranging discussion on career strategy, evaluating founders, serendipity, wealth, and much more. We've cross-posted that conversation here. Highlights: The…

1
Resilience in Education: Improving wellbeing in Schools 1:06:25

7M ago1:06:25

1:06:25

Welcome to the latest episode of the We Lead Well podcast in which we explore the critical connection between well-being and effective leadership in schools. In this episode, we delve into the topic of resilience in education with special guest Dr. Steph Ainsworth, an expert in teacher resilience research. Discover the insights from Dr. Ainsworth's…

1
Howie Liu on Airtable's Early Days, Scaling, and AI 1:01:18

7M ago1:01:18

1:01:18

Howie Liu, founder and CEO of Airtable, was interviewed by Village Global co-founder and partner Ben Casnocha live in downtown San Francisco in front of an audience of Village Global founders and friends of the firm. Highlights: - Embracing discomfort is part of the founder's journey. Learning to tolerate and even appreciate this discomfort is impo…

1
Rebecca Noecker: Igniting Change in Policy Making 26:39

8M ago26:39

26:39

As the first woman to represent Ward Two on the Saint Paul City Council, Councilwoman Rebecca Noecker knew from her teenage years that she was destined to challenge the status quo. With a focus on relational leadership and integrity, she tackles divisive issues, such as issuing a response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, with care. Councilwoman Noecke…

1
Celebrating 100 Episodes with Leadership Insights from Michael Sonbert 1:19:18

8M ago1:19:18

1:19:18

Welcome to the 100th episode of the We Lead Well podcast, on which we're joined by special guest Michael Sonbert. Michael is a bestselling author, speaker, performance coach, and founder and CEO of Skyrocket Education and Rebel Culture. In this celebratory episode, Michael shares his journey from teaching to global educational reform and leadership…

1
Equity in Education with Lee Elliot Major 1:00:35

8M ago1:00:35

1:00:35

Welcome to the We Lead Well podcast! In this episode, we are thrilled to that Lee Elliot Major, the UK's first Professor of Social Mobility, was able to join us for an insightful and inspirational conversation. Lee discusses his latest book, "Equity in Education," and delves into critical issues surrounding educational inequalities, unconscious bia…

1
Isabel Gonzalez Whitaker: Resilience in Advocacy 24:20

9M ago24:20

24:20

Resilience is a major tool in journalist and activist Isabel Gonzalez Whitaker’s toolbox. Being first-generation Cuban-American, and watching her immigrant mother’s journey, ignited a spark that followed the path of the transformative potential of marginalized communities. Emphasizing the significance of finding one's "impact lane," as the AVP at M…

1
Kevin Holland: Transformative Coaching 1:16:17

9M ago1:16:17

1:16:17

In this episode of the We Lead Well podcast, we welcome Kevin Holland, CEO of Global Spirit Ed, to discuss the transformative power of coaching in education. Kevin shares his extensive journey from being a PE teacher to leading a community interest company that works with schools globally. In our conversation, we explore the impact of coaching on s…

1
Guillermo Rauch on AI, Scaling Vercel, and The Future of Web Apps 56:11

10M ago56:11

56:11

Guillermo Rauch is founder and CEO of Vercel, a company that provides the developer tools and cloud infrastructure to build, scale, and secure a faster, more personalized web. He was interviewed by Ben Casnocha, co-founder and general partner at Village Global, an early stage venture capital firm backed by some of the world’s most successful entrep…

1
Jean Desravines: Serving Through Education 22:37

10M ago22:37

22:37

From early on, a focus on education saved Jean Desravines, who is now the CEO of New Leaders, a nonprofit dedicated to training and equipping education leaders to be powerful forces for change. Guided by his father and high school principal, Desravines highlights the importance of recognizing leaders in daily public service, the value of empathy an…

1
Shelley Baker: Empowering Female Leadership 59:40

10M ago59:40

59:40

Welcome to the latest episode of the We Lead Well podcast, in which I'm joined by Shelley Baker, the head teacher at Varndean School in Brighton. This episode is packed with insights on enhancing well-being and leadership within schools; Shelley shares her career journey, the importance of creating a vibrant school culture, and the unique small sch…

1
Jonah Edelman: Embracing Legacy in Leadership 18:40

11M ago18:40

18:40

Jonah Edelman, co-founder of Stand for Children, recounts his transformative journey from resisting his family's legacy to embracing it, spurred by personal experience and his mother Marian Wright Edelman’s guidance and support. Reflecting on his 28-year tenure leading Stand for Children and his dramatic shift in perspective during that time, Jonah…

1
Neil Jurd - Leadership is Still Easy! 1:08:29

11M ago1:08:29

1:08:29

This episode of the podcast delves into the importance of building strong relationships in educational organisations to foster a positive culture and enhance leadership effectiveness. Reflecting on my journey from teaching to coaching, I share insights on how a supportive network can prevent burnout and help female school leaders achieve their aspi…

1
The Implications of African-Centered STEM - Prof. Sharif Beyah 43:30

11M ago43:30

43:30

The Implications of African-Centered STEM - Prof. Sharif Beyah PODCAST "Educating Empathy" - SissyMarySue Education Fund 501 (c) (3) Nonprofit. GUEST: Professor Sharif Beyah HOST: Dr. Lugene Kennebrew Music: "Already Done" by De'Arris Wayne Judkins; "Change the World the More We Care" by Dr. Lugene Kennebrew. Editing by Dr. Lugene Kennebrew and Ant…

1
Dr Kulvan Atwal - Embracing Innovative Leadership in Education 1:28:15

12M ago1:28:15

1:28:15

Welcome to the latest episode of the We Lead Well podcast. In partnership with Progressive Masculinity and HeadTeacherChat.com, this episode offers invaluable insights for school leaders in a compelling interview with Dr. Kulvan Atwal, the head teacher of two innovative schools in London. Dr. Atwal discusses his unique and successful approaches to …

1
Encore: Secrets of Public Speaking and Oral Communication from Renowned Speaking Coach 42:20

12M ago42:20

42:20

Michael Balaoing, founder of Candlelion, joins Village Global co-founder and partner Ben Casnocha on this episode to discuss: - The importance of the acronym WTF (what’s the feeling?) when you’re giving a presentation. - The four roles that you take on as a speaker: captain, pilot, guide, and game show host. - The five questions to ask when seeking…

1
Encore: Brad Feld on What Nietzsche Can Teach Entrepreneurs 50:09

1y ago50:09

50:09

Brad Feld (@bfeld), VC at Foundry Group and co-author with Dave Jilk of The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche, joined Village Global co-founder and partner Ben Casnocha to discuss: - Common misconceptions about Nietzsche and why being misunderstood makes him an especially interesting philosopher. - What Nietzsche can teach entrepreneurs deciding whet…

1
Yasmin Arrif - Harnessing the Power of Coaching in Education 59:41

1y ago59:41

59:41

In this insightful episode of the 'We Lead Well' podcast, I talked with Yasmin Arif, a former teacher and school leader turned coach, recounting her journey from burnout to empowering school leaders. The episode takes a deep dive into the challenges faced by school leaders and how effective coaching can be instrumental in overcoming them. It unders…

1
How to Nail Product-Market Fit and Scale a B2B Company with Thejo Kote of Airbase 57:45

1y ago57:45

57:45

Thejo Kote (@thejo) talks to Village partner Ben Casnocha. Thejo is a two-time founder and CEO. His current company, Airbase, is a spend management platform serving companies with 100 and 5,000 employees like Coda, 15Five, Front, Marqueta, CaptivateIQ, Abnormal, and more. Airbase has raised over $200 million, has tens of millions in ARR, and is con…

1
Encore: Cloudflare Co-Founder Michelle Zatlyn’s Advice on Hiring, Fundraising, Scaling, and more 50:26

1y ago50:26

50:26

Michelle Zatlyn (@zatlyn), co-founder, president, and COO of Cloudflare, joined Village Global co-founder and partner Ben Casnocha for a masterclass with our founders in late 2020. They discussed: - The origin story of Cloudflare, including how the co-founders met, and how Michelle realized that she too could start a company. - Her advice on fundra…

1
Lessons from the Early Days at Uber and Advice for Founders with Kevin Novak 46:37

1y ago46:37

46:37

We're excited to launch a new EIR program for data science founders in partnership with Rackhouse Ventures, founded by Kevin Novak. Learn more about the program: https://www.villageglobal.vc/rackhouse-village-global-eir-program Kevin Novak (@novakkm), an early Uber employee, was instrumental in developing their data science program and was the crea…

1
Bukky Yusuf: Navigating Change - Practical Advice for Everyday Leadership Challenges 1:18:20

1y ago1:18:20

1:18:20

Bukky Yusuf is a Deputy Headteacher, Consultant and Qualified Coach. Bukky has worked in education for over two decades and has undertaken a number of leadership roles within mainstream and special schools, centring around professional development programmes, quality first teaching and effective implementations of Educational Technology. As part of…

1
Encore Episode: John Donahoe’s Lessons on Leadership and Being a Better CEO 54:14

1y ago54:14

54:14

This encore episode is a recording of a special masterclass roundtable session for our founders with John Donahoe. John is CEO of Nike and was previously CEO of ServiceNow and eBay. He is known as one of the most inspirational leaders in Silicon Valley and is a highly sought-after mentor to CEOs including Brian Chesky at Airbnb, Drew Houston at Dro…

1
Annabel Jeffcoate - In Pursuit of Balance Through Boundaries 1:07:32

1y ago1:07:32

1:07:32

Annabel is a work-life balance coach from London. Years ago she would write to-do lists as long as her arm and kick herself each day when she didn't get through them. She would put in the extra hours yet always felt like she was chasing. She was so focused on getting things right that her life was a constant cycle of 'all or nothing'. She felt like…

1
Identifying 275M Unreported Genetic Variations To Improve Healthcare with NIH All of Us Program CTO Chris Lunt 49:08

1y ago49:08

49:08

Chris Lunt is a technology executive with more than 25 years of experience building web services and data platforms. He is in his seventh year as the CTO for the NIH's All of Us Research Program. He joined the NIH from GetInsured, where he worked to improve health insurance shopping and enrollment systems. Previously Chris ran VC-backed internet st…

1
Building Hardware Companies and Choosing Co-Founders with Michael Hochberg 57:04

1+ y ago57:04

57:04

Michael Hochberg (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hochberg/) is a physicist and a founder of four successful startup companies in semiconductors and telecommunications, including Luxtera, acquired by Cisco in 2019, and Elenion, acquired by Nokia in 2020. He won the highest awards for young scientists in Singapore (NRF Fellowship) and the United States …

1
Secondaries with Matt Pellini of Hamilton Lane 40:19

1+ y ago40:19

40:19

Matt Pellini, Managing Director at Hamilton Lane, joins Olga Serhiyevich on this episode. Highlights: - Matt says the secondaries market has grown over 5x from 15 years ago to now. - Selling in the secondary market used to be a sign of distress but is no longer. There are many different reasons for doing so and it’s mostly a sign of a manager being…

1
Phil Denton - Self-evaluation Simplified 1:15:19

1+ y ago1:15:19

1:15:19

After many years in school leadership including positions as Headteacher, Deputy Head, Assistant Head and Head of History, Phil is now a leader for education companies based in Manchester and London. He speaks widely to education, public sector and corporate audiences working with teams to create impactful plans that realise ambitious priorities. H…

1
Lessons Learned From Running CalSTRS with Chris Ailman 52:38

1+ y ago52:38

52:38

Christopher Ailman (@CJAtheCIO), Chief Investment Officer at CalSTRS, joins Olga Serhiyevich on this episode. Highlights: - CalSTRS, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, was created in 1913 and is actually older than Social Security. It has over 400 members who are over 100 years old who are still receiving their pension. - Chris says …

1
Encore: Mark Pincus on Product Management, Raising Capital, and Building Zynga 1:10:17

1+ y ago1:10:17

1:10:17

This encore episode is a recording of a special event where Mark Pincus (@markpinc) was interviewed by Ben Casnocha in San Francisco in front of a live audience of portfolio founders, friends of the firm, and LPs. Mark is co-founder and Executive Chairman of Zynga, and is an angel investor in Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and other companies. He tal…

1
Encore: Bill Gates on Advice For Founders, Mistakes, and Philanthropy 59:58

1+ y ago59:58

59:58

This encore episode is a recording of a special event where Bill Gates was interviewed in San Francisco by Julia Hartz, co-founder of Eventbrite. It originally took place in 2018 in front of a live audience of Village Global founders and friends of the firm. We are honored to count Bill Gates among our luminary LPs whose financial capital and engag…

1
Dave Keeling - On being happy: creating positivity and wellbeing in the workplace 1:16:08

1+ y ago1:16:08

1:16:08

In this episode of the podcast, I chatted with Lead Happiness Consultant, Dave ‘Billy Elliot’ Keeling. Dave grew up in a pit village in Nottinghamshire and was tap dancing three times a week by the age of ten. Never one to shy away from challenge and risk, he then moved into the world of acting and trained at the prestigious London Academy of Music…

1
Encore: Jerry Yang on Yahoo!, Early-Stage Investing, and China 56:18

1+ y ago56:18

56:18

Jerry originally joined us on the podcast in 2019. He is co-founder of Yahoo! and founding partner of AME Cloud Ventures. He was interviewed in front of a live audience in San Francisco by Village Global co-founder and partner, Ben Casnocha. Jerry told stories from the early days of Yahoo! and explained his lessons learned from the experience. He a…

1
David Harkin - Finding Balance 1:11:10

1+ y ago1:11:10

1:11:10

In this episode, I talked with David Harking of 8 Billionideas. David is the Founder and CEO of this EdTech and services company and is on a mission to give every student the skills and belief to change the world. Centred around five pillars, 8billionideas focuses on teaching entrepreneurship, career education, wellbeing, health and performance, as…

1
How Superplastic Built a Social Media-Native Character Universe 44:00

1+ y ago44:00

44:00

Paul Budnitz, founder of Superplastic, and Jennifer van Dijk, CEO of Superplastic, join Christina Des Vaux, head of marketing and platform at Village Global, on this episode. Takeaways: Superplastic is a creatively-led company that has managed to maintain its unique identity and artistic integrity while nevertheless running a thriving business. The…

1
Michelle Hague - How do you get it right from the start? Best practice in the EYFS 1:12:26

1+ y ago1:12:26

1:12:26

Michelle Hague is the Founder of HEYD. She is an accomplished and inspirational school leader with a track record of developing high-performing cultures, systems, and strategies to enhance academic standards. With experience as a Rapid School Improvement Partner, Head of School Development, Head of an outstanding school, Teaching School Alliance, I…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

LEE (Leadership For Educational Equity Podcasts

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