Best Jenn David Lang Podcasts (2025)

1
131 S9 E6 Unlocking Educator Joy: Pathways and Permission 44:25

3d ago44:25

44:25

In this episode, Jenn and I are thrilled to welcome William Parker! A longtime educator from Oklahoma who transitioned into full-time consulting, speaking, and writing, Will is the author of "Messaging Matters" and his new book, "Whose Permission Are You Waiting For?: An Educator's Guide to Doing What You Love" Will shares how his new book, born fr…

1
Leading Through Adversity: Nicole Roder on Resilience, Relationships, and Rising Strong 37:44

20d ago37:44

37:44

In this episode of Standout Voices: Leadership Lessons,Russ sits down with Nicole Roeder, the 2025 Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year, to explore what it truly means to lead with heart and strength in the face of adversity. Nicole shares her journey as the principal of Rock Valley High School — a role marked not only by professional excellence bu…

1
130 S9 E5 Don't leave teacher induction up to chance. 44:59

1M ago44:59

44:59

In this episode, Jenn has a conversation with one of the educators who was featured prominently in Harry and Rosemary Wong's latest book, THE New Teacher Induction Book: How to Recruit, Train, and Retain New Teachers. Tara Link is a leader who started an induction program 18 years ago in Moberly, Missouri. She joined Jenn to talk about Rosemary and…

1
129 S9 E4 S.H.I.N.E Bright: Empowering Women Leaders with LaVonna Roth 43:10

2M ago43:10

43:10

March is Women’s History Month! This episode features a conversation with LaVonna Roth, an inspirational speaker and consultant whose work has inspired women leaders everywhere. Jenn introduced LaVonna, highlighting her impactful speaking on leadership. LaVonna shared her "S.H.I.N.E." framework, initially for students but powerfully applicable to a…

1
128 S9 E3 Are you REALLY ready to respond in an emergency? 42:56

2M ago42:56

42:56

Responding to emergencies takes two things: leadership and communication. Are you prepared? Mike and Jenn had a truly productive conversation with school preparedness expert, Chris Joffe. He talked about everything from why leaders need to start with themselves and understand how THEY respond to emergencies. He also shared that one of the essential…

1
127 S9 E2 Year of Acceleration for All (Yes, that includes Black Males) 40:11

3M ago40:11

40:11

Khalid Oluewu, principal of Webster Elementary School in Chicago, has done what many principals would love to do: He has created structures and practices at his school to ACCELERATE learning for all, and in particular for Black males. Wow. The idea started when he was a teacher and taught middle school math and had students come to him years behind…

1
Leading while Serving with Humility and Grace with Dr. D. Nathan Phinney 38:16

3M ago38:16

38:16

In this episode, Russ sits down with Dr. D. Nathan Phinney, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Northwestern College, to explore the intersection of leadership, service, and faith. Dr. Phinney shares his journey from faculty member to administrator, reflecting on the importance of humility, patience, and seeing leadership as an opportunity to se…

1
126 S9 E1 A Truly Transformational Approach to Coaching 44:40

3M ago44:40

44:40

After 30 years in the field Elena Aguilar gathered all of her experience and learning and put together the most powerful book on coaching we've seen -- Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching. Elena sees coaching as the way -- one conversation at a time -- that we transform our schools. In this deeply insightful conversation she shares the impo…

1
125 S8 E10 Relationships, Relationships, Relationships 43:27

4M ago43:27

43:27

Mike returns to the podcast! Jenn and Mike had a great conversation with Coach Carlos about his book Power Engage: Seven Power Moves for Building Strong Relationships to Increase Engagement with Students. No, he's not a coach of a sports team, but a former school leader who has successfully turned around three failing schools by improving STUDENT E…

1
124 S8 E9 Building trust matters, and it matters deeply in schools 43:46

4M ago43:46

43:46

Megan Tshannen-Moran and Jenn had a delightful conversation about the power of trust in schools. It is one of three factors that is so powerful that it oustrips SES in predicting student achievement. Far from being a "soft skill," building trust has become a must-have skill for educational leaders. In this conversation Megan not only defines trust …

1
123 S8 E8 Is A.I. the teaching assistant we've all been waiting for? 54:05

5M ago54:05

54:05

What a great conversation about the new book, The Artificial Intelligence Playbook: Time-Saving Tools for Teachers that Make Learning More Engaging! Jenn got to talk to all three of the authors: Meghan Hargrave, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey and learned so much. We discussed everything from what AI is and isn't, to the reasons leaders should addre…

1
122 S8 E7 How to Supercharge Your Communication 41:45

6M ago41:45

41:45

You probably know Charles Duhigg from his book, The Power of Habit. Or maybe Smarter Faster Better. Now he has a newer book out that is another great resource for school leaders — Supercommunnicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Charles shares with Jenn how people mess up communication and how to improve it. He says that most m…

1
Growing in Leadership as a Lifelong Learner with Gary Richardson 31:40

6M ago31:40

31:40

We’re excited to share that we’ve made some big changesaround here! The Transforming Education: Leadership Lessons podcast is now Standout Voices: Leadership Lessons. Not only have we given the show a fresh new name, but we also have a brand-new host guiding the conversation as Russ Adams has taken over for Gary Richardson. In this installment of S…

1
121 S8 E6 The Secret to Turning Conflict into Collaboration 41:27

6M ago41:27

41:27

Jenn had an outstanding conversation with Robert Feirsen, one of the two authors of From Conflict to Collaboration, along with author Seth Weitzman. They chatted about the tough stuff – like how prevalent conflict is in schools and a number of the sources of that conflict. But then Robert shared the positive way he thinks about conflict and how we,…

1
120 S8 E5 How about some help with talking about the election in schools? 31:03

7M ago31:03

31:03

Jenn made me do this episode. I really didn't wat to, but I'm glad we did. As we approach the upcoming presidential election, you may remember the fallout from the last two elections. Some school communities experienced heightened divisions, increased bullying, more tension in classrooms, and a general sense of uncertainty. Fortunately, there are s…

1
119 S8 E4 Want better supervision? Listen to the source. 38:20

7M ago38:20

38:20

Kim Marshall needs no introduction. He is the most recognized name in the field of educational leadership because he is the person behind the weekly Marshall Memo -- a subscription service that provides curated summaries of the most important articles in education each week. In this podcast Kim provides an overview of the three essential areas scho…

1
118 S8 E3 Leading When It’s Hard - A Cell Phone Ban. 39:35

8M ago39:35

39:35

In this episode, Jenn and I interview Dave Blanchard, a seasoned superintendent from a school district in Upstate New York. Three years ago Dave’s district implemented a distraction-free environment, which included no cell phones during the school day. We talk about this leadership challenge in the context of Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book, The Anxious…

1
117 S8 E2 Learn what the BEST principals do differently than the AVERAGE ones. 48:27

9M ago48:27

48:27

We were fortunate to get to talk to the renowned Todd Whitaker in today's podcast. He is one of the most influential thought leaders in educational leadership and has written 65 books on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness! Today Whitaker talks about the latest edition of his classic book, What Great Principals Do Diff…

1
116 S8 E1 Executive Functioning Isn’t Just for Executives 51:39

9M ago51:39

51:39

Teachers spend a lot of time making sure students know what they’re supposed to do, and many students struggle to understand expectations and translate them into action. The results are less time for teaching and less capacity for learning. Schools need to teach executive functions to all students in the context of the learning they are already doi…

1
115 S7 E10 It all starts with Belonging. 27:29

10M ago27:29

27:29

Students today are suffering from an epidemic of disconnection. School leaders I work with see it in students’ disengagement from learning and in their mental health. While there are many factors at play here, there’s no doubt that belonging is something that kids (and grown-ups too) desperately need. In this episode, Jenn and I interview Dominique…

1
114 S7 E9 If these are the next generation of teachers, we're all good! 38:43

11M ago38:43

38:43

In this episode, Jenn had the privilege of speaking to three rising juniors in college, all of whom want to become teachers. While we've spent so much time fearing the loss of teachers from our field, it was so inspiring to remember that some energetic young people are going to bring so much to our schools, too. Exciting! The passion of these three…

1
113 S7 E8 Reading Is Everyone’s Business, Part 2 26:26

11M ago26:26

26:26

According to Beverly Cleary (yes, that Beverly Cleary), “Children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something that teachers make you do in school.” Jenn and I couldn't agree more, and that’s why in this episode we talk about the book The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri S. Lesesne (Heinemann, 2022). Here’s more of what we kno…

1
112 S7E7 Reading Is Everyone’s Business 35:03

12M ago35:03

35:03

“If you’re not reading by the end of third grade, there’s a 70% chance you won’t become a proficient reader.” That’s what author Karen Gazith told us as we talked with her about her most recent book, The Power of Effective Reading Instruction: How Neuroscience Informs Instruction Across All Grades and Disciplines. Here’s more of what we know: Neuro…

1
111 Mini-sode 5: Trust us, your teams need work. 18:56

1y ago18:56

18:56

In this fifth special episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I talk about resources to help school leaders with building better teams. To support this work, Jenn has gathered her summaries of three must-read books: Learning by Doing by Richard DuFour et al. - This book shows how to effectively implement PLCs so they will raise student achiev…

1
Leadership Lessons with Thomas Murray 33:14

1y ago33:14

33:14

In this episode, Gary sits down with Thomas C. Murray. Tom serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools® and is the author of Learning Transformed and Personal and Authentic, among others. Gary and Tom dive into creating a desired workplace and school culture and how the mindset and actions of the adults in the building are impacti…

1
S7 E6 We Can’t Yoga Our Way Out of This 34:38

1y ago34:38

34:38

In this episode, we're shining a light on a pressing issue in the educational landscape: teacher burnout and attrition. With schools across the nation feeling the impact, we turn to expert Chase Mielke, author of Illuminate the Way: The School Leader’s Guide to Addressing and Preventing Teacher Burnout (ASCD, 2023), for insights and solutions. If y…

1
109 S7 E5 "Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.” 35:02

1y ago35:02

35:02

DEI feels like it’s becoming the (a) third rail in K-12 education. The quote in the title is from Verna Myers, VP of inclusion strategy at Netflix, and is included in Ruchika Tulshyan’s book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. In this episode, Jenn and I have a real and practical conversation…

1
108 S7 E4 We've had something wrong in education – it's not the GPA or the test scores. 34:35

1y ago34:35

34:35

Many of us as educators have assumed that the kids with strong grades and strong test scores were set up for success. Isn't that what we were supposed to work toward in schools? Dr. Borba has interviewed scores of students and has found that these 2 areas – grades and test scores – are not the markers of success today in the 21st century. Instead, …

1
107 S7 E3 Find and Tap Your Hidden Potential 34:13

1y ago34:13

34:13

Everyone has hidden potential for growth and achievement, but standard approaches to studying, practicing, coaching, and organizing education often leave this potential untapped. The practices of high-achieving individuals (and a high-achieving school system) reveal the surprising skills, scaffolds,and systems that unlock potential. Even better, an…

1
106 S7 E2 Educators of color are leaving schools: What can leaders do differently to support them to stay? 41:02

1y ago41:02

41:02

In this conversation between Dr. Andrea Terrero Gabbadon and Jenn, we talked about the reasons educators of color are leaving: working conditions and leadership behaviors. The good news is that school and district leaders can actually do something about this, and Dr. Gabbadon walks you through how. She shares 6 principles, backed by research, that …

1
105 S7 E1 Forget Hiring; Let’s Try to Keep the Teachers We Have 37:48

1+ y ago37:48

37:48

In this episode, I talk with Becky Gerdes and Ryan Siegle about their book Six Steps Toward Teacher Retention and a Long-Lasting Legacy. We focus mainly on their Six Steps to Maximize Your Leadership Impact and Improve Teacher Retention: Step One: Lead Authentically Step Two: Build Teacher Self-Efficacy Step Three: Foster Collective Efficacy Among …

1
S6 E10 Listen To Your Inner Canary 32:11

1+ y ago32:11

32:11

In this episode, Jenn and I talk about Sharone Bar-David’s book Trust Your Canary: Every Leader's Guide to Taming Workplace Incivility. Bar-David provides some simple strategies for helping leaders see incivility (even when it’s hard to recognize) plus a whole toolkit of easy-to-implement ways to address it (so you can stop doubting yourself when i…

1
S6 E9 An Entrepreneur Helps Mike Out 36:31

1+ y ago36:31

36:31

Sometimes in education it helps to hear from our end users. In this episode I interview fellow Coke Scholar Raleigh Dewan (‘19). Raleigh is a 23-year-old entrepreneur and business owner (https://steadispoon.com/ and https://sistershaq.com/) from Austin, Texas. Raleigh and I talk about his experiences in K-12 and higher ed. and the advice that he ha…

1
S6 E8 How healthy is your organization? 35:30

1+ y ago35:30

35:30

More than anything, organizations should strive for organizational health. In this episode, Jenn David-Lang and I talk about Patrick Lencioni’s 2012 book The Advantage Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business. This book clearly and powerfully explains what your organization needs to do to become healthy: 1) Build a cohesive lead…

1
S6 E7 A.I. in K-12, Part 1 41:37

1+ y ago41:37

41:37

In the field of education, we have no choice, AI is here to stay. So, listen to this whimsical conversation with Technology Coach, Jason Strzalkowski, whose enthusiasm for all-things-AI-in-schools is infectious! Yes, we share ideas to spice up teaching to make learning more engaging, accessible, and equitable. But we know our listeners are busy edu…

1
S6 E6 Let’s Get Math Instruction Right 47:32

1+ y ago47:32

47:32

In this episode, Jenn and I interview Peter Liljedahl, the author of Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics: 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning. As former math teachers, Jenn and I had a great time talking with Peter about concrete and actionable ways teachers can improve math instruction. The practices are simple, high impact, and a…

1
Incorporating Movement in Your Daily Life with Jenn David-Lang 27:12

1+ y ago27:12

27:12

In this episode, Gary and guest, Jenn David-Lang of TheMain Idea discuss the book Built to Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully. Jenn discusses a few key ideas from this reading and how teachers, and all professionals, can adapt these concepts into their daily lives and get moving. Resources: The Main Idea Book reco…

1
S6 E5 Creating an Inclusive Environment for Students with Disabilities 29:30

1+ y ago29:30

29:30

The research is clear: to provide equitable learning opportunities for all, schools must actively include students with disabilities alongside their peers in general education settings.School leaders don’t need a degree in special education to lead their school toward more equitable and inclusive education for all, but they do need to watch, listen…

1
S6 E4 You're NOT Too Busy to Take Care of Yourself 57:59

1+ y ago57:59

57:59

Are you the type of leader who gets up at 4:00 AM to exercise before work? Then this episode is for you. Are you the type of leader who NEVER gets up at 4:00 AM to exercise before work? Then this episode is for you, too. Kelly and Juliet Starrett are highly regarded exercise and health gurus (they mention working with Barack Obama in the podcast!) …

1
S6 E3 Top Ten for New Principals 46:21

1+ y ago46:21

46:21

In this episode, Jenn interviews Mike about what new principals need to think about as they begin the new school year. Here is Mike's top ten list: Listen and Learn Communicate Effectively Lead by Example Stay Visible Manage Your Time Empower Your Teams Build Relationships Set Clear Goals Embrace Conflict Prioritize Self-Care If you would like us t…

1
S6 E2 Want impact? Expand your supervisory practices this year. 41:04

2y ago41:04

41:04

In this episode, Jenn has a lively conversation with Ann Mausbach and Kimberly Morrison about their book Differentiated Supervision: Growing Teachers and Getting Results and how much of an impact you can have as a school leader by EXPANDING your supervisory practices beyond the typical individual observation and feedback we all do. Instead, they su…

1
S6 E1 It’s Time to Find Joy 38:08

2y ago38:08

38:08

In this episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea, and I interview Berit Gordon about her book The Joyful Teacher: Strategies for Becoming the Teacher Every Student Deserves. This was a fantastic conversation about teaching and learning and what leaders can do to support teachers. Learn more about Berit and her work at her website. As always, send …

1
AI Tools and ChatGPT with Dr. Dana Schon and Dr. Tom Truesdell 34:35

2y ago34:35

34:35

In this episode, Gary and guests discuss the evolution of artificial intelligence and its significance for education. Dr. Dana Schon, Professional Learning Director for School Administrators of Iowa explains AI capacities, concerns, and limitations with helpful tool implementations for educators and leaders. Dr. Tom Truesdell, Director of Student R…

1
Mini-sode 4: Supervising Teachers 23:07

2y ago23:07

23:07

In this fourth special episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea, and I talk about resources to help school leaders with teacher supervision and evaluation. To support this work, Jenn has gathered her summaries three must-read books: Now We're Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership by Justin Baeder Rethinking Teacher Supervis…

1
S5 E10 Be An Instructional Change Agent 35:05

2y ago35:05

35:05

In this episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea, interviews Adam Drummond about his book The Instructional Change Agent: Instructional Change Agent: 48 Ways to Be the Leader Your School Needs. Jenn has done a Main Idea summary of the book, and you can subscribe to The Main Idea at this link: https://www.themainidea.net/subscribe/ As always, send …

1
Mini-sode 3: Being Organized and Productive 35:51

2y ago35:51

35:51

In this third special episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I talk about resources to help school leaders be more organized, productive, and effective. To support this work, Jenn has gathered her summaries four must-read books: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven W…

1
S5 E9 It’s All About Conversations 32:04

2y ago32:04

32:04

In this episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea, and I interview Jim Knight about his book Better Conversations: Coaching Ourselves and Each Other to Be More Credible, Caring, and Connected. While our conversation was mainly about conversations, we did head off on some great tangents. Learn more about the Jim and his work at his website. Jenn has…

1
S5 E8 Why Educator Bandwidth Matters 33:12

2y ago33:12

33:12

In this episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I interview Jane A. G. Kise and Ann Holm about their book Educator Bandwidth: How to Reclaim Your Energy, Passion, and Time. This was a compelling conversation with implications for professionals across our systems. To learn more about the authors and their work, please visit their page at ASCD.…

1
Championship Mindset with Matt McCarty 24:36

2y ago24:36

24:36

On this episode, Gary sits down with the 2022 AFCA NAIA National Coach of the Year and the Head Coach of the 2022 NAIA National Champion Raider football team, Matt McCarty. Matt reflects on his team’s successful season and the road to the championship. He’s cultivated a culture of excellence built on trust, mental conditioning, and discipline to do…

1
S5 E7 We Can’t Ignore Students’ Mental Health 38:58

2+ y ago38:58

38:58

In this episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I interview Michael Hass and Amy Ardell about their book Supporting Student Mental Health: Essentials for Teachers. Specifically, we talked about the authors’ 4R framework of helpful skills to develop: relate, recognize, respond, and refer. Michael mentioned the suicide prevention resources at T…

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Jenn David Lang Podcasts

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