The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Coaching, Money Mindset, and the Interview Process with Jena Damiani

Today, I’m introducing you to one of my incredible clients, Jena Damiani. Jena is one of my longest-serving clients and we have so much fun together, and the work we’ve done over the past few years has really changed everything about how she approaches her role as a school leader.

We’re talking about something a little bit different on today’s show, but stick with us because it’s all relevant. We’re starting a discussion about money mindset, and Jena is courageously sharing her journey in this area with you, and we’ll also be discussing the interview process, and how you can get into the position that is meant for you.

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Navigating Teacher Observation Write-Up Season with Wendy Cohen

While you’re hearing this episode in April, the conversation I’m bringing you today was recorded in March, which as we know is Women’s History Month. So, in honor of all of the women leaders in our community, I thought I would spend some time interviewing my women clients and have them share their wins, successes, and accomplishments.

Wendy Cohen is no stranger to the podcast. She’s been working with me for over two years, and this will be her third appearance on the podcast. As school leaders, we have so many things we don’t love doing that require a lot of our time and attention, and for Wendy, it’s teacher observation write-ups. But dreading your tasks is not a fun way to experience school leadership, so what can we do to make our jobs feel more meaningful and enjoyable?

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Leaving School Leadership

Last month, I led a webinar all about leaving school leadership. It might seem like it doesn’t make much sense for me to guide people through the process of leaving their roles in education, but I did it in my own life. Whether you’re hating your job right now, or you’re unsure if it’s what you want for your future, know that I’ve been in your shoes and I know exactly what you’re going through. 

We want to enjoy the Monday through Friday of our lives. We don’t want to dread every Sunday evening as it comes to a close, and we don’t want to be consumed day and night by how life isn’t fun anymore, or how we’re not making any progress professionally. So today, I’m inviting you to dig deep as I help you get clear on what you want moving forward. 

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Test Score Anxiety

There’s so much stress and anxiety around standardized tests that creep up at this time of year. I know so many school leaders, teachers, and students spend precious time and energy ruminating about upcoming tests and what it means, and today, I want to offer that living in this test score anxiety isn’t the best way for you to show up for your community as principal. 

When educators believe raising test scores is the one and only priority, it’s no surprise we focus solely on the test. Sure, it has significance and I’m not downplaying its importance. However, the truth is that coming at test scores from fear and pressure not only increases anxiety for your entire school, but it also doesn’t make test scores go up.

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Creating Teacher Buy-In

As a school leader, you see the big-picture vision for your students, staff, and overall community, which mostly involves implementing new practices or instructional topics for your school. But doing this is often met with resistance, and teachers aren’t always 100% sold on your ideas. So, how do you create teacher buy-in?

This is a topic that comes up a lot in my coaching work, and this week, I have a story that comes directly from one of my clients that I’m using for context so you can apply what I’m sharing to your situation. Whether you’re not yet confident in your decision-making as a principal, or you’re unsure of how to sell your teachers on your vision, we’re covering it all on this episode. 

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Staffing Decisions

The months of February and March are when school leaders often have to start making staffing decisions. With the past couple of years we’ve had, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of teacher resignations, and the institution of education as a whole is in a rebuilding period. And if you’re struggling as a school leader, you’re not alone. 

Whether it’s filling more spots than usual due to your teachers leaving, spinning in drama about staff coming and going, or there’s conflict on your team and you’re unsure of what to do to resolve it, I’m covering it all. I know that if this is what my clients are dealing with, you are too, so I’m helping you make informed decisions about your staff on this episode. 

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Creating Demand

I told you at the beginning of 2022 that I’m going to be spending time talking about how you can earn more in school leadership, and today is that day. So many school leaders believe they don’t have any control over their income, but the great news is that this is simply a myth, and I’m showing you why.

Creating demand as a school leader is an incredibly important skill to cultivate if you want a higher income. But whether it’s more money, time, or whatever brings you joy, it all starts with predetermining what you want, examining your beliefs, and getting busy expanding your portal of possibility. 

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Asking for What You Want

One of the secrets to loving your life as a school leader is developing the ability to ask for what you want. Day to day as a school leader, there are so many things you have to ask for. You have to ask things of yourself and other people, and other people are always asking you for decisions and attention. It’s really unavoidable.

When you think of the possible outcomes of going after something you want, the best is that you ask and they say yes. Sometimes they say no, and we can deal with that. But the worst possible outcome is that we don’t ask at all. You want to make more money, but you never ask for a raise. Does that sound familiar?

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | After-Break Blues

Most of you are now coming back off the holiday break, and I’ve been seeing the same struggle across the board with my clients. After a couple of weeks of lounging around, resting up, and having fun, they’re feeling resistant to getting back to work, experiencing what I’m calling the after-break blues.

We’re in the midst of winter, which means it’s dark, cold, and gloomy, and many teachers and school leaders are experiencing a dip in energy and morale. On top of that, it’s also the middle of the school calendar year, which means the motivation and delight at the beginning of the year have probably faded a little. But the good news is that this is just a temporary phase, and today, I’m showing you how to start feeling better.

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The Empowered Principal Podcast with Angela Kelly | Dealing with the Haters

Today’s topic is not a fun one. It’s real, it’s very serious, and as a school leader, it can be incredibly scary. However, it’s something we need to bring into the conversation in education and band together in support, love, and collaboration around. And this is the topic of haters and cancel culture throughout education.

I had my own experience of a hater when I was a school leader, and it was incredibly uncomfortable. But in sharing my story with you and breaking down my thoughts about the situation, I hope it helps you if you’re feeling like a hater is after you, or you’re scared that something like this is coming your way.

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