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The RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK was just released! Grab it for only $7 HERE.

In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca sits down with Lindsay Deacon, veteran instructional coach and author of The EduCoach Survival Guide. Lindsay brings more than a decade of experience supporting teachers, coaches, and leaders across districts, and she joins the show to unpack one of the most essential skills in coaching and professional learning: how to read a room and adjust in real time.

Together, Becca and Lindsay explore practical strategies for recognizing disengagement, understanding group dynamics, and creating meaningful connection that leads to true adult learning. Lindsay shares actionable tools instructional coaches can use to scan the room, interpret body language, identify root causes of disengagement, and build psychological safety. She also explains how to respond when a single participant is checked out versus when an entire group loses energy, and she offers insight into managing resistance, emotional states, and value mindset during PD sessions.

Listeners will learn how to warm up a room, increase relevance, shift the energy of disengaged groups, and stay grounded in authenticity while leading professional development. This episode is packed with tips instructional coaches can use immediately to strengthen facilitation skills, boost engagement in workshops, and make coaching conversations more effective.

If you are an instructional coach, school leader, or anyone responsible for leading adult learning, this conversation will help you read the room with confidence, support your participants with intention, and keep your sessions human centered and impactful.

Learn more about The Educoach Survival Guide on Lindsay's website!
The RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK was just released! Grab it for only $7 HERE.

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The RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK was just released! Grab it for only $7 HERE.

Here’s a leadership question that sounds simple…but isn’t:
How consistent is consistent enough?
And when does it start getting in the way?

Chris and I dig into one of leadership’s quieter paradoxes: the pull to be steady and responsive at the same time. We talk about why consistency matters: trust, clarity, accountability all depend on it. And we name the shadow side too: when consistency turns into rigid sameness, it can actually work against the very people we’re trying to support.

Chris makes a compelling case for predictability, especially in complex systems where people need clear expectations to do good work. I come at it from a coaching lens: values should be consistent, yes, but approaches often need to flex. That flexibility can reduce decision fatigue and help leaders meet teachers where they actually are, not where we wish they’d be.

We also take a hard look at coaching protocols and structures.
When do they support growth?
And when do they quietly replace thinking, judgment, and real connection?

The invitation in this episode is simple but not easy: use tools wisely, stay anchored in your values, and don’t outsource your leadership to a checklist.

If you’ve ever wrestled with how to lead with both decisiveness and responsiveness, this conversation will meet you right in the middle.

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The RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK was just released! Grab it for only $7 HERE.

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In this powerful episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca Silver sits down with Dr. Naomi Hall, former educator, burnout expert, and co-founder of the Thrive Conference, to unpack why burnout is skyrocketing in schools and what leaders can actually do to support overwhelmed teachers.

Dr. Hall brings nearly two decades of experience as a teacher and administrator, along with her real-world journey through burnout and recovery. Together, Becca and Naomi break down the root causes of educator burnout, including lack of boundaries, toxic school cultures, and the system-wide habit of focusing on curriculum over human beings. They discuss why traditional “self care” advice often backfires, what required care really looks like, and how teachers can build sustainable habits using science-backed strategies.

Listeners will learn:

• The most common causes of burnout in schools
• Why surface-level self-care doesn’t work—and what does
• How leaders can model boundaries and create healthier staff cultures
• Mindset shifts that immediately reduce stress and rewire burnout patterns
• Practical tools such as habit stacking, nervous-system resets, and fact-vs-story reframes
• Concrete examples from real schools transforming culture and supporting educators

This episode is a must-listen for instructional coaches, school leaders, and anyone committed to supporting teacher wellbeing, improving school culture, and fostering human-centered leadership.

For more on Dr. Naomi Hall and the free Thrive Conference, visit NRHDynamic.com or follow her at @naomihallfiteducator.

Download the FFIRE Your Complaints Framework, here!

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