Leaning into Leadership
We all want to see successes in both our personal and professional lives. Often, that requires strong leadership. In a time when leadership can be more challenging than ever, this podcast is dedicated to cultivating leaders by elevating the voices of leaders and promoting positivity. Join Dr. Darrin Peppard, lifelong educator and best-selling author, for this mixed platform podcast (some solo, some guest interview) for inspiration and insight, and some great leadership stories from those are living it, excelling at it, and celebrating it. Together, let's lean into leadership.
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Episode 299: Too Damn Happy - Building More Joy Into the Work with Phil Januszewski
<p>What if flourishing at work didn't require a massive life overhaul?</p><p>In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Darrin welcomes back speaker, educator, and soon-to-be author Phil Januszewski for a high-energy conversation about happiness, relationships, and the small choices that can make demanding work more sustainable.</p><p>After 20 years in the classroom, Phil stepped away from teaching to speak full time — or, as he puts it, he “quit my job to help other teachers not quit theirs.” His work now takes him across the country helping educators and other service-oriented professionals feel less tired and more inspir...
Episode 298: The Resistance Solution with Becca Silver
<p>What if resistance isn’t something leaders need to overcome?</p><p>In Episode 298 of the Leaning Into Leadership Podcast, Darrin sits down with Becca Silver, CEO and founder of The Whole Educator and author of The Resistance Solution, for a powerful conversation about what is really happening when educators push back against change.</p><p>Becca challenges leaders to stop labeling people as “resistant” and instead recognize that resistance is an experience people move through. Rather than relying on compliance, consequences, or generic advice like “build better relationships,” she introduces a human-centered approach that helps leaders understand the unmet need...
Episode 297: Stop Accepting “That’s Just the Way It Is”
<p>What happens when growth doesn’t solve your problems—but actually makes them bigger?</p><p>In Episode 297 of Leaning Into Leadership, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with entrepreneur, Marine veteran, and business leader Ron Nussbaum for a conversation about entrepreneurship, problem solving, challenging the status quo, and what it really takes to build something that matters.</p><p>Ron shares the story behind BuilderComs and the realization that changed the way he thought about growth: if you scale your organization without solving the problems already inside it, you’re simply scaling those problems too.</p><p>That lesson reache...
Episode 296: Beyond Compliance - Building Classrooms Where Students Want to Engage
<p>What if the goal of great teaching isn’t getting students to comply, but creating the conditions where they genuinely want to engage?</p><p>In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with educator, school leader, author, and founder of Terry Leadership Group, Kendall Terry, for a conversation about what happens when schools stop focusing primarily on what teachers are doing and start paying closer attention to what students are actually learning.</p><p>Kendall shares his experience helping build Clayton-Bradley Academy from its early years and the unique opportunity that came with designing ed...
Episode 295: Who Takes Care of the Leader? with Melissa Doman
<p>Leadership comes with expectations. Be steady. Be available. Support your people. Make the difficult decisions. Carry the pressure.</p><p>But what happens when the person everyone looks to for support needs support too?</p><p>In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Darrin sits down with organizational psychologist, former therapist, and author Melissa Doman for an honest and practical conversation about leadership mental health, communication, emotional intelligence, and what sustainable leadership actually looks like.</p><p>Melissa challenges the idea that leaders should simply absorb the pressure that comes with the role. Instead, she argues that organizations need...
Episode 294: 5 Leadership Traps to Avoid as the School Year Begins
<p>The beginning of a school year brings an energy that is hard to match. The building is ready, staff members are reconnecting, priorities have been established, and leaders walk into the year determined to lead with clarity and intentionality.</p><p>Then the students arrive.</p><p>Suddenly the emails pile up, meetings fill the calendar, parent concerns emerge, staffing challenges demand attention, and the urgent begins competing with what you said mattered most.</p><p>In this special midweek episode of Leaning Into Leadership, Dr. Darrin Peppard challenges school leaders to recognize five common leadership traps that can...
Episode 293: The Human Side of Leadership with Stacy Nation
<p>Episode 293 of Leaning Into Leadership is a conversation about something every leader needs to understand: we lead humans, and humans bring their experiences, emotions, stress, and trauma with them to work.</p><p>Darrin sits down with licensed clinical social worker, speaker, author, and military leader Stacy Nation to explore what trauma-informed—and ultimately trauma-restorative—leadership can look like in schools.</p><p>Stacy challenges leaders to move beyond simply knowing that trauma exists and begin creating environments built around safety, connection, relationships, and restoration. As she explains, one of the most important resiliency factors is having a positive, cari...
Episode 292: Why Not? A Leadership Mindset That Changes Everything
<p>Sometimes the biggest opportunities in life begin with the smallest moments.</p><p>For Bradlee Skinner, it started with a selfie at a Savannah Bananas game. That one interaction eventually led him from the classroom to becoming a plaza DJ for the Savannah Bananas and Texas Tailgators. But this conversation isn't really about baseball—it's about leadership, courage, relationships, and choosing to say "Why Not?" instead of asking "What If?"</p><p>Joining Darrin are Bradlee and Melissa Skinner, two incredible educators who have built careers around creating meaningful experiences for students while embracing growth, creativity, and intentional leadership. To...
Episode 291: Live Your Passion Out Loud
<p>As leaders prepare to welcome staff back for a new school year, many spend hours refining presentations, updating strategic plans, and perfecting opening-day messages. But what if the most powerful thing your staff needs isn't a polished speech—it's your passion?</p><p>In this personal birthday episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard shares how a day spent Jeeping through Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Lake, and the Colorado mountains reminded him of the importance of reconnecting with the things that make us come alive. That experience led him to reflect on a conversation with a school administrator whose passion for st...
Episode 290: Before Staff Returns
<p>As another school year begins, principals across the country are busy preparing classrooms, finalizing schedules, reviewing procedures, and checking countless items off their opening-week to-do lists.</p><p>But what if the most important preparation has nothing to do with the building?</p><p>In this solo episode, Dr. Darrin Peppard challenges school leaders to stop asking, "Is the school ready?" and begin asking, "Am I ready?"</p><p>Drawing from his own experiences as a principal, superintendent, and leadership coach, Darrin shares five commitments that will help leaders prepare themselves before they prepare everyone else. Rather than offering...
