BE Podcast Network: Podcasts that help you go Beyond Education. 

Latest Episodes

Small Schools, Big Vision with Scott Bess

Mike Caldwell sits down with Scott Bess, President of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center and a member of the Indiana State Board of Education, for a wide-ranging conversation about what's broken in K-12 education — and what's actually being done to fix it. Scott shares his winding path from classroom teacher to CIO at Goodwill Industries to education innovator, including the founding of the Excel Centers: a now-nationwide network of 60+ charter schools helping adults without diplomas earn credentials and transform their economic trajectories. Scott argues passionately for blowing up discrete subject areas, seat-time requirements, and the Carnegie Unit, while making the case for micro schools as a scalable, flexible alternative to traditional schooling. He also shares an exciting — and underutilized — vision for AI in education: not as a tutor for students, but as an operating system that maximizes teacher impact by matching kids to instruction exactly when they need it. The episode wraps with a look at Indiana's systematic approach to education reform — streamlining standards, redesigning the diploma, and aligning the legislature, governor's office, and state board around a shared agenda — as a model for what's possible when the right people are in lockstep.

God Drops, Choosing Love, and Finding Joy in the Chaos with Becky Sampson

Becky Sampson returns for her second annual check-in on A Decade Never to Be Forgotten. On her 53rd birthday, Becky and host Jethro explore how she's grown closer to the Savior through personal trials, the power of choosing love in the midst of a difficult custody situation and blended family dynamics, using AI alongside the Spirit, recognizing "God drops" in everyday life, navigating the last days with faith and grounding practices, finding joy through surrender and acceptance, the painful yet refining journey of not having biological children, stepping into authenticity in her third marriage and business ventures, and the ripple effect of coaching others to reach their potential.

The Move from Public School to Catholic School: What Nobody Tells You Before You Start

Host: John Mihalyo | Guest: Tom Conroy, Principal, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School, Verona, NJTom Conroy spent over 20 years as a public school principal before stepping into Catholic school leadership at Our Lady of the Lake in Verona, New Jersey. He will be the first to tell you that nothing fully prepared him for what he walked into — and that it has been the best chapter of his career.In this episode, Tom and John get honest about what that transition really looks like. The surprises, the myths, and the mindset shifts that nobody hands you in a manual on day one. From the financial realities that catch almost every new Catholic school leader off guard, to leading with your faith out front for the first time, to figuring out why recruitment and advancement are so much more than you expected — this conversation covers a lot of ground.Tom also talks about burnout, why asking for help is not a weakness, and what it actually feels like to be part of a Catholic school community after years of wondering what all the fuss was about.If you are heading into your first year leading a Catholic school, just survived your first year, or are thinking about making the jump from public school — this one is for you.LINKS AND RESOURCESWork with John elementaryadvancement.com

The Gothic Jail - The Tragedy at the TOP of the Stairs

Deep in the heart of a small Louisiana town sits a building that simply doesn't look like it belongs—a striking, century-old structure with sharp peaks and dark, gothic arches looming right over the courthouse square. They call it the Hanging Jail, a place built around a massive central spiral staircase that holds secrets most people only dare to whisper about. From the legendary, tragic events of 1928 to the chilling generations of jailers' families who lived directly alongside the cells, this isn't just an empty historic site; it's a living archive of intense emotion, unexplainable footsteps, and lingering echoes. If you have ever wanted to step right out of your ordinary routine and experience the heavy, gripping energy of the mid-Atlantic's dark history up close, you might want to stand at the bottom of that staircase—just promise us one thing when you get there: don't look up.

Hosts

Jethro Jones

Jethro Jones

Host of The Authority Podcast — Expert Insights and Fresh Ideas for Education Leaders
Ross Romano

Ross Romano

Host of The Authority Podcast — Expert Insights and Fresh Ideas for Education Leaders
A Jethro Jones

A Jethro Jones

Host of Transformative Principal
Mike Caldwell

Mike Caldwell

Host of Transformative Principal