In this episode, we explore what confidence really means for principals — not having all the answers, but trusting that you’ll figure things out. Three major confidence killers are unpacked: comparison, overthinking, and avoiding discomfort. Comparison fuels self-doubt, overthinking creates mental spirals, and avoiding hard conversations or decisions limits growth. Practical strategies are shared to interrupt these patterns and build confidence through intentional action. The key takeaway: confidence develops when you lead anyway, even before you feel fully ready.Find out your confidence score with the FREE Confidence Scorecard for Principals.Get free resources at principalfreebies.com. 

In this episode of Reading Inspires, host Dr. Erin Bailey speaks with Dr. Lauren Loquasto, Chief Academic Officer at Goddard Systems, about supporting young children through big emotions and difficult conversations. Dr. Loquasto explains how children's brains operate in three states—survival, emotional, and executive—and why understanding these states is crucial for parents and educators to help children feel safe and ready to learn. The conversation explores how to recognize when children are struggling with fear or anxiety, practical strategies for responding to their big questions and statements with curiosity rather than dismissal, and the power of using books like "Felix and the Picnic" to proactively create safe spaces for discussing complex topics such as family changes, emotions, and uncertainty. Dr. Loquasto emphasizes that children's challenging questions are gifts of trust, and that by pairing curiosity with routine, reassurance, and emotional vocabulary, adults can help young learners navigate their big feelings and develop healthy emotional regulation skills.About Dr. Lauren Loquasto:Dr. Lauren Loquasto is an expert in early childhood education. She currently serves as the Chief Academic Officer for Goddard Systems Inc. In this leadership role, Lauren continues to shape the premier educational programming and proprietary curriculum for the Goddard system of nearly 650 schools. In her prior role, Lauren held the position of vice president of early childhood education for Primrose School Franchising Company, where she supported curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation. Prior to that she led the early childhood education department for a private education company, authoring their proprietary early childhood curriculum and leading professional development creation and delivery. Lauren has worked at every level of early childhood education. While she began her formal career teaching at the university level, she has prior experience teaching within preschools, consulting and serving as a support professional for children with autism, and serving as an embedded instructional coach for preschool teachers. She has worked as a school principal for multiple schools and remains actively involved as a voice for early childhood education in various professional associations. When not working, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and cheering on her sons in sports. She lives with her husband and family in Roswell, Georgia, near Atlanta. About | DrLauren.org Links: Webinar: Webinar: Every Book is a Big Conversation Starter | RIF.org Gardner Media: The Garden Learning and Play Harvard Study: Reading skills — and struggles — manifest earlier than thought — Harvard Gazette Big Conversations with Little Children: Addressing Questions, Worries, and Fears: Big Conversations with Little Children: Addressing Questions, Worries, – The Garden Learning and Play Big Conversations with Little Children Series: Books | DrLauren.org 

What does a Hollywood film set have to do with leading a Catholic school? More than you'd think.In this episode, John Mihalyo takes us back to 2010 — when he was a Catholic school principal in Weirton, West Virginia, and received a call that still stands out as one of the most unexpected of his career. Paramount Pictures was filming JJ Abrams' Super 8 in town, and they wanted local principals as extras. John said yes — and what happened over the next several weeks became one of the richest leadership experiences of his life.From preparation to buzz-building, from sweating the details to saying thank you, John walks through 8 practical lessons from the film set that apply directly to advancement, enrollment, and community building in Catholic schools. Whether you're a principal, an advancement director, or an enrollment leader — there's something in this episode for you.🔗  RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED• Super 8 (2011) — directed by JJ Abrams, produced by Steven Spielberg• Schedule a Discovery Call with John 📣  ENJOYED THIS EPISODE?If this episode gave you something to think about, share it with a fellow Catholic school leader who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already — subscribe so you never miss an episode of the Catholic School Leaders Podcast.📬  CONNECT WITH JOHN• Website: www.elementaryadvancement.com• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnmihalyo• Email: john@elementaryadvancement.com

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Ronan Shultz, a finance student at the University of Utah, to explore how students are actually using AI to learn, build, and move faster than traditional systems allow. This conversation offers a grounded, student-first perspective on what AI adoption really looks like on the ground.Ronan shares how AI has become a personalized learning partner—helping him translate ideas into code, accelerate research, and tackle projects that would typically require years of experience. Rather than replacing effort, he describes a continuous feedback loop between himself, AI, and his professors—where critical thinking and validation remain essential to the process.The episode also highlights a growing disconnect between how students are using AI outside the classroom and how it’s being addressed within it. For educators and administrators, this conversation is a reminder that students are already building with these tools—and that the opportunity now is to shift from controlling usage to guiding it.

How does emotional intelligence elevate your leadership?Meet Sheyna James!Sheyna is the Founder of Sheyna James Consulting. She helps leaders fix the leadership challenges that cost them money, time and talent. She uses tools such as DISC to asses both leaders and teams in order to level up their performance.She uses the RAIR™ Framework—Relational, Authentic, Innovative, Resilient— to give leaders and organizations practical, proven solutions to solve conflict, boost performance, and lead with clarity that sticks.The RAIR Framework is 4 principles that focus on communication, delegation, conflict and influence.Listen as Sheyna shares:- why you struggle to delegate- what to do when thrust into leadership- leadership strategies in a crisis- common hurdles in leadership development - how poor communication is costing you money- the cost of poor leadership - how to foster a culture of excellence- how to drive sustainable success...and so much more!Connect with Sheyna:Website: https://www.sheynajamesconsulting.com/Listen to the Podcast, subscribe, leave a rating and a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership-w-sheyna-james/id1614151066?i=1000756721851Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/episode/3TizKL7X1pzkbgrENEuxiT?si=IrvtX8B8Tcy-_nUQS49piAhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3OtHJpT1svTlF3y7bqFQKSYouTube: https://youtu.be/9u2dMlQAuEw