Coaching the Whole Educator

Becca Silver
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Coaching the Whole Educator is a podcast for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders who want to strengthen their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you’ll hear quick tips, proven strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your coaching game. This show is rooted in a human-centered approach, where we get things done through people’s humanity, not around it. Whether you’re new to instructional coaching or a seasoned instructional coach or leader looking for fresh perspective, you’ll learn how to focus on the mindsets and motivations driving unproductive behaviors. By getting to the root of resistance, you’ll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.

  1. #189: Inside the Lived Experiences of Black Women Instructional Coaches

    4 DAYS AGO

    #189: Inside the Lived Experiences of Black Women Instructional Coaches

    Send us Fan Mail Grab the RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK for only $7 HERE.  Discover a conversation unlike any you’ve heard before as Dr. Courtney Tate joins Becca Silver to shine a spotlight on the real challenges and triumphs experienced by Black women in instructional coaching. This episode pulls back the curtain on the unseen emotional workload, the navigation of daily microaggressions, and the relentless pursuit of recognition faced by these dedicated professionals. Dr. Tate brings her research and personal journey front and center, revealing strategies for building support systems, dismantling stereotypes, and ensuring visibility and respect within educational spaces. You will walk away with fresh insight, vivid stories, and clear guidance, straight from the source, on how schools can foster true inclusion and leadership for Black women coaches. Check out Courtney's work here:  Website: https://alignedcoachingandconsulting.comLeading From the Middle PodcastInstagram: the_alignedcoach or ctatewritesBook signed from my website Order on Amazon[FREE RESOURCE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    26 min
  2. #188: The Coaching Mistake We Make When Teachers Are Exhausted

    10 MAY

    #188: The Coaching Mistake We Make When Teachers Are Exhausted

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Resistance Chronicles, Becca Silver unpacks a coaching mistake many instructional coaches and school leaders make at the end of the school year: trying to solve exhausted teachers instead of helping them feel understood first. When teachers are overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and running on fumes, even well-intentioned coaching strategies can accidentally create more frustration. Too often, leaders hear exhaustion and immediately jump into problem-solving, advice, or pushing for solutions. But exhausted educators usually do not need someone to fix them first. They need someone to slow down long enough to truly hear them. In this short episode, Becca shares a practical communication strategy called Looping for Understanding, a research-backed approach that helps educators feel seen, heard, and less emotionally alone during high-stress moments. She explains how this simple shift can reduce defensiveness, strengthen trust, and create more productive coaching conversations during one of the hardest stretches of the school year. If your teachers are tired, emotionally maxed out, or struggling to stay engaged right now, this episode will give you one concrete strategy you can use immediately. Perfect for instructional coaches, principals, assistant principals, and school leaders supporting exhausted educators at the end of the year.  The Breaking Through Resistance webinar has been rescheduled. Sign up for our newsletter to find out the new webinar date. Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    5 min
  3. #187: Why Change Feels Scary: Naming the Real Fears

    3 MAY

    #187: Why Change Feels Scary: Naming the Real Fears

    Send us Fan Mail Grab the RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK for only $7 HERE.  Change isn’t something school leaders do on the side. It is the work. In this episode, former principal and author Richard Gerver joins Becca to dig into why adults in schools resist change even though change and learning go hand in hand. They talk about why veteran teachers often push back the most, how forcing change shuts down curiosity and buy in, and what it looks like to respect lived experience while still moving forward. You’ll walk away with a fresh perspective on resistance and one simple, practical step you can use tomorrow to lead healthier, more human centered change in your school. Stay in touch with Richard through his website! [FREE RESOURCE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    29 min
  4. #186: [Resistance Chronicles] Ownership Mindset

    26 APR

    #186: [Resistance Chronicles] Ownership Mindset

    Send us Fan Mail Resistance Chronicles, Part 5: Ownership Mindset™ [FREE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) In the final episode of The Resistance Chronicles, Becca Silver explores the Ownership Mindset and the form of resistance that often sounds like disengagement but is rooted in belief. It can sound like:  “There’s nothing we can do.”  “That’s just how our kids are.”  “This is out of our control.” These statements are not always negativity. They often reflect a belief about influence. When educators do not believe their actions will make a difference, ownership erodes and resistance shows up as minimal effort, surface compliance, waiting, or cynicism. In this episode, Becca explains how ownership is not about controlling everything. It is about believing there is still something within one’s sphere of influence. She outlines how leaders can shift conversations from blame to agency by identifying controllable variables, testing small changes, and making impact visible over time. Because ownership is not a personality trait. It is shaped by the environment leaders create. When initiative is ignored, overruled, or disconnected from results, ownership shrinks. When influence is acknowledged and reinforced, ownership grows. In this episode: • What resistance sounds like when the Ownership Mindset™ is unsupported • Why externalizing control leads to disengagement and stalled progress • How to help teams locate their sphere of influence within real constraints • Practical ways to build agency through small wins and visible impact • Leadership moves that reinforce initiative, effort, and responsibility [FREE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) [FREE] Catalyst Mindset Overview Graphic [Printable] Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    7 min
  5. #185: Decision Making Magic: Using Intuition to Make Clearer, Faster Leadership Decisions

    19 APR

    #185: Decision Making Magic: Using Intuition to Make Clearer, Faster Leadership Decisions

    Send us Fan Mail [FREE RESOURCE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating Are you an instructional coach or principal navigating endless data, tough decisions, and nonstop demands? In this can’t-miss episode, visionary school leader David Richards reveals why intuition is your greatest untapped superpower, and how mastering it can transform your leadership, simplify your daily choices, and reignite your passion for impact. Walk away with actionable strategies to trust yourself, tune into what really matters, and discover how to blend data with gut instincts for smarter, faster, more fulfilling decisions. Listen now to unlock a hidden edge that will make your work (and life) easier and better than ever! Grab the RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK for only $7 HERE.  Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    26 min
  6. #184: [Resistance Chronicles] Growth Mindset

    12 APR

    #184: [Resistance Chronicles] Growth Mindset

    Send us Fan Mail Resistance Chronicles, Part 4: Growth Mindset [FREE] Catalyst Mindset Overview Graphic [Printable] In this episode, Becca Silver explores how resistance shows up when the belief “I can improve” feels unsupported. Growth requires effort, feedback, and struggle. When those experiences feel risky or tied to judgment, educators naturally protect themselves. This form of resistance is often quiet and easy to misread. It can sound like: “I’m good where I am.”  “That’s just not my style.”  “I already know how to do this.”  Avoiding feedback or new learning after one imperfect attempt. This is not laziness. It is self-protection. When effort feels like weakness, mistakes feel like exposure, and feedback feels evaluative, people stay with what feels safe even if it is not producing results. In this episode, Becca unpacks the Growth Mindset™ lens of resistance and helps leaders recognize when hesitation is really about how struggle is being interpreted. She also shares practical ways to reframe effort, normalize iteration, and create environments where learning feels developmental rather than performative. In this episode: • What resistance looks and sounds like when growth does not feel safe  • How evaluation-heavy cultures shape risk-taking and feedback  • Why struggle must be reframed as learning, not failure  • How leaders can normalize effort, experimentation, and iteration  • Coaching language that shifts the focus from performance to development [FREE RESOURCE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) [FREE] Catalyst Mindset Overview Graphic [Printable] Resources Mentioned: The Resistance PlaybookThe Resistance Starter BundleFind both at 👉 thewholeeducator.com Because resistance isn’t something to fight. It’s something to understand. Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    6 min
  7. #183: A Debate: Is Setting Team Norms Effective?

    5 APR

    #183: A Debate: Is Setting Team Norms Effective?

    Send us Fan Mail Have you gotten your copy of the  RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK yet?  Get it for only $7 HERE. In this episode, Becca is joined by her friend and colleague Mia Pumo for an unscripted, honest debate about norms and whether they actually work. Rather than offering a tidy answer, this conversation lives in the gray. Becca and Mia explore why norms are so commonly used in schools, why they often fail to change behavior, and under what conditions they can support trust, psychological safety, and productive collaboration. The discussion challenges traditional, compliance-driven approaches to norms and asks deeper questions about what sits underneath behaviors like disengagement, side conversations, and surface-level agreement. Together, they examine the difference between norms rooted in control versus those grounded in connection, shared values, and ownership. You’ll hear practical examples of when norms fall flat, when they work, and how leaders unintentionally undermine them by treating norms as static rules instead of living agreements. The episode also introduces a provocative reframe: using the Catalyst Mindsets™ to think about norms as a way to proactively address unmet needs and resistance rather than policing behavior. This episode is for coaches and leaders who are ready to question long-standing practices, sit with ambiguity, and design learning spaces that prioritize trust, belonging, and meaningful engagement over compliance. You can connect with Mia through her website! [FREE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    40 min
  8. #182: [Resistance Chronicles] Success Mindset

    29 MAR

    #182: [Resistance Chronicles] Success Mindset

    Send us Fan Mail [FREE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) What if resistance isn’t defiance… but doubt? In Part 3 of The Resistance Chronicles, Becca Silver unpacks the Success Mindset and the powerful role of self-efficacy. When educators aren’t sure they can succeed, resistance shows up , not as rebellion, but as hesitation: •“I’m not sure that will work.” • “That’s not really my strength.” • “I’ve tried that before.” This episode reframes resistance as a signal of low confidence, not low commitment. Becca shares how leaders and coaches can build belief through evidence, small wins, and targeted support, instead of pressure. You’ll learn: What resistance sounds like when self-efficacy is lowWhy doubt is often misread as pushbackHow to build confidence that leads to actionResources The Resistance PlaybookThe Resistance Starter Bundle[FREE] Catalyst Mindset Overview Graphic [Printable] Next up: what resistance looks like when people don’t feel safe to grow. Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    6 min
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About

Coaching the Whole Educator is a podcast for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders who want to strengthen their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you’ll hear quick tips, proven strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your coaching game. This show is rooted in a human-centered approach, where we get things done through people’s humanity, not around it. Whether you’re new to instructional coaching or a seasoned instructional coach or leader looking for fresh perspective, you’ll learn how to focus on the mindsets and motivations driving unproductive behaviors. By getting to the root of resistance, you’ll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.

Information

  • Creator
    Becca Silver
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Coaching the Whole Educator
  • Show Website
    Coaching the Whole Educator

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