Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In this week’s episode, Will and Jen flip the mic, and Jen interviews Will about his experiences with Principal Matters as his full time work in the past six months of 2023.
They discuss the emotional ups and downs of the new work, the stats from the previous year, and lessons learned in goal setting and creating systems:
Will begins by sharing a poem that has inspired him of late and may be helpful to other leaders who wrestle imposter syndrome or accepting the joy in their work:
Our Deepest Fear, by Marianne Williamson, from the book Return to Love
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear in that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel unsure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
As we let our own Light shine,
we consciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”
Here are some other discussions from the episode
What do you do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis with Principal Matters?
Will talks about:
- Executive coaching
- Grow Academies
- Masterminds
- Keynote events
- November example: 20 events (17 of them virtual, 3 of them in-person conferences)
You can learn more about all these offerings here.
What’s new and growing?
Contributing writers for extra content in the weekly newsletter.
Summer/Fall 2023 Stats Review
Principal Matters ongoing Virtual Trainings
As of 11/10/23:
141 leaders via 11 virtual Principal Matters PD groups and executive coaching members
In-Person PD:
1,400+ in-person interactions
Guest virtual appearances:
Listeners on other podcasts with Frederick Buskey on the Assistant Principal Podcast; the NASSP Ignite+ Series; The Schoolhouse302 with TJ Vari, Joseph Jones; and Apptegy School CEO podcast guest appearances
& hundreds of guest virtual interactions
Total: 2,000+ leaders in trainings online or in-person
Principal Matters podcast data
1,365,810 downloads as of 11/10/23
475,316 downloads this year to date 11/10/23
30,000-40,000 downloads a month
10,000 a week
2,500+ or more leaders on average a month
Total of above trainings/interactions + podcast listeners:
4,600+ leader interactions
These leaders represent school communities that range from hundreds to thousands. Let’s say each leader represents 300 students, to be modest in an estimate.
All of these interactions may equal approximately 1.38 million students whose leaders are being influenced by the work we are collectively doing!
Podcast Sponsorships
We also want to thank the sponsors who have supported our podcast this past year, including:
- Apptegy/School CEO
- DigiCoach
- Peer Driven PD
- Summer Pops Math Workbooks
Bonus:
- IXL Learning (coming in 2024)
2023 Podcast Guests
Finally, we are so grateful for the 41 podcast guests from 2023 (3 of them with Jen as host). Our guests were highlighted in 31 episodes this past year while Will and Jen shared on 21 episodes.
Below is a list of those shows from 2023:
PMP375: “She Leads” with Rachael George and Jen Schwanke
PMP374: Accelerating Student Voice with Dr. James Flynn
PMP372: The Power of Principal Mindfulness with Dr. Rob Russell and Dr. Dustin Miller
PMP 371: Simplicity in Leadership Does Not Equal Easier with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP370: Middle School Superpowers with Phyllis Fagell
PMP369: Connecting Through Conversation with Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns
PMP368: Buildership with Robyn Jackson and Jen Schwanke
PMP367: Head and Heart, A Principal’s Tools with Jen Schwanke
PMP366: Navigating Leadership Drift with Cale Birk
PMP365: Likable Leadership with Lisa Parry
PMP364: Not Missing Out on Your Best Kept Secrets with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP363: Building Stronger Authentic Relationships with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP362: Be The Driving Force with Dr. Don Parker
PMP361: Coaching Questions for Leaders with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP360: Creating Resilience in Learning and Leadership with Cheryl Step
PMP359: Building Trust & Thriving as an Assistant Principal with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP358: Inspired to Be Faithful with Timothy Alexander
PMP357: Leading Your Hometown School with John Boyd
PMP356: Escaping the Black Hole of Urgency with Dr. Frederick Buskey
PMP355: Using Reflective Questions with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP354: Questions on Allocation of Support with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP353: How to Provide Meaningful Feedback in Observations with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP352: Grow Your Leadership with the Palo Alto High School Admin Team
PMP351: Understanding How to Serve Generations with Will Parker and Jen Schwanke
PMP350: T.E.A.M: Together Everyone Achieves More with Bryan Miltenberg & Gary Karlson
PMP349: Helping Graduates Be Life Ready with Jarrod Johnson
PMP348: Staying on the Path with Will Parker & Jen Schwanke
PMP347: Becoming Better Leaders with Robyn Hamasaki
PMP346: Equity for Multilingual Learners, Part 2 with Carlene Thomas
PMP345: Equity for Multilingual Learners with Carlene Thomas
PMP344: Refocusing When Exhausted with Will Parker & Jen Schwanke
PMP343: Supporting Resilience with Dr. Brooke Tuttle
PMP342: Never Stop Learning with Dr. Nick Davies
PMP341: The Power of Shared Leadership with Cissy Goodridge and Deirdre Timusk
PMP340: Prioritizing Work with Dr. Scott Beck
PMP339: Digging Deeper into the 3 R’s with Will Parker & Jen Schwanke
PMP338: Supporting RTI with Jen Schwanke & Will Parker
PMP337: Helping Leaders Improve Wellbeing with Dr. Helen Kelly
PMP336: Lessons in Influencing Change with Pete Dunlap
PMP335: Branding & Marketing Your Schools with Tyler Vawser and Britanny Keil
PMP334: Questions on Student Behavior with Jen Schwanke
PMP333: Understanding ChatGPT with Naheed Bardai
PMP332: Transformational Leadership with Joshua Spikes
PMP331: How to Help Others Grow with Mary Beth Bowling and Amy Nall, Part 2
PMP330: How to Help Others Grow with Mary Beth Bowling and Amy Nall
PMP329: How do you set and reach goals? with Jen Schwanke
PMP328: Peer Driven PD with Michael Alpert
PMP327: Candid Conversations about Education with Dr. Eric H. Tornfelt
PMP326: The 7 Levels of Intimacy in Leading with Jason Jedamski
PMP325: How Do Others See Me? Listener Questions with Dr. Jen Schwanke
Finally, Will and Jen also talk about goal setting and systems — how your outcomes are a direct result of the systems you’ve created. If you don’t like the outcomes, how can you rebuild the systems?
Free LifeScore Assessment
Will also shares a free LifeScore Assessment tool he uses each year for looking back and moving forward and can be found here.