The Authority Podcast — Expert Insights and Fresh Ideas for Education Leaders

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Are you looking for proven ideas to increase your influence, hire and develop an excellent staff, build a stronger culture, lead meaningful change, and form a strong foundation for learning and leadership success? This is the podcast for you. Whether you're a leader to seeks to refine your command of core educational strategies, learn new management techniques from those who have used them at some of the world's largest corporations, gain fresh perspectives on personal development or student success from practitioners across fields, or a little bit of everything, you'll find powerful content on The Authority. Join leadership coach, storytelling strategist, and edtech advisor Ross Romano as he interviews the prominent education authors you already admire, up-and-coming voices, and experts from the worlds of business, personal development, and beyond — including Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers — to take a deep dive into their wealth of practical insights.

  1. Leading Educator Wellness with Bill Barnes and Erin Lehmann

    8H AGO

    Leading Educator Wellness with Bill Barnes and Erin Lehmann

    Bill Barnes is the superintendent for the Howard County Public School System in Maryland. Bill was a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and has served on the board of directors for the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. Erin Lehmann, EdD, currently serves as an associate professor for the University of South Dakota. She is an author, leader, and facilitator, advocating for leading instructional improvement. Today, they join the show to talk about their book, Leading Educator Wellness: Six Critical Actions to Support All Staff.  Our discussion covers: The tangible challenges educator wellness is meant to address—attrition, shortages, effectiveness, and moreStarting with leader wellness firstMoving from self-care to systems-care SMART wellness goalsDemonstrating authentic commitment to wellness combined with high standards of excellencePractical actions leaders can take todayGet Leading Educator Wellness from Solution Tree.  About the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    48 min
  2. The Craft of Clarity with Casey Watts

    FEB 4

    The Craft of Clarity with Casey Watts

    My guest today is author, speaker, and podcaster Casey Watts. Casey’s book is The Craft of Clarity: Six Steps to Bridge Gaps, Foster Commitment, and Create Sustainable Alignment. We talk about: “Not Another Unrealistic Book of Complicated Ideas”Misaligned perspectives between teachers and leaders - living in different worlds“Clarity precedes capacity.” What does that mean for leaders?Strategy is simple. Clarity is complex. Many teams think they’re collaborating, but really they’re just coordinating. What’s the difference, and how can leaders move their people from faux collaboration to true collaboration?When a team is stuck in silos or cycles of dysfunction, what’s one practical move a leader can make right now to start turning things around?Get Casey’s book, The Craft of Clarity.  Learn more about Casey www.catchingupwithcasey.comwww.linkedin.com/in/catchupwithcaseywww.instagram.com/catchupwithcasey  About today’s guest Casey Watts is a passionate speaker, author, and thought leader in team leadership with over 20 years in education and 10 years of experience coaching educators, entrepreneurs, and leaders. She is the creator of the Clarity Cycle Framework, helping leaders bridge gaps, foster commitment, and create sustainable alignment. Casey is also the founder and host of The Catching Up with Casey podcast, where she and her guests bring clarity to the seemingly small things in leadership that make a big difference. About the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    41 min
  3. Impact Standards with Jeff Bradbury

    JAN 28

    Impact Standards with Jeff Bradbury

    Today’s guest is my friend and fellow podcaster, Jeff Bradbury. Jeff is an educator, ISTE award-winning digital learning strategist, educational broadcaster, public speaker, entrepreneur, and triplet dad. His powerful message has inspired thousands of educators through the TeacherCast Educational Network. Jeff’s new book is Impact Standards: Designing District Systems That Power K–12 Learning. We talk about: Digital learning: the “have to” vs. the “want to”Is all learning digital? The Digital Learning Strategic Plan: why do we need a plan and how do we get buy-in?How instruction is like musicWhat is a Digital Learning Curriculum?Curriculum mappingInstructional Coaching - what is it, what are the relationships, what does the coach do?Making the learning visible to the communityGet Impact Standards from X Factor Edu.  Learn more about Jeff https://jeffreybradbury.comhttps://teachercast.netAbout the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    46 min
  4. Teaching Media Literacy with Social Media News (with Roy S. Whitehurst)

    JAN 20

    Teaching Media Literacy with Social Media News (with Roy S. Whitehurst)

    Roy S. Whitehurst is a former CIA analyst and instructor. He spent 30+ years evaluating written information, photos, videos, and other media collected by the CIA and taught media literacy skills to new CIA analysts.  He’s the author of Teaching Media Literacy with Social Media News: Practical Techniques for Middle and High School Classrooms. We talk about: Some of the types of media to evaluate and what makes them challengingVelocity of informationDisinformation, misinformation, malinformationEvaluation skillsIs media literacy scalable?Do people want to be informed?What makes Roy optimistic and pessimisticGet Teaching Media Literacy with Social Media News from Routledge.  About the guest Roy S. Whitehurst is a former CIA analyst and instructor. He spent 30+ years evaluating written information, photos, videos, and other media collected by the CIA and taught media literacy skills to new CIA analysts.  Roy argues that anyone—not just CIA analysts—can learn how to evaluate the accuracy, credibility, logic, and argumentation of posts on social media. He believes that these skills are critical for us to engage in civic discourse and build a stronger democracy.  He maintains a website, www.medialiteracysleuth.com, where he periodically posts evaluations of social media, including trending pop culture media and media appropriate for use in civics, ELA, and social studies curricula. About the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    52 min
  5. The Schools Our Students Deserve with Mario Acosta

    12/07/2025

    The Schools Our Students Deserve with Mario Acosta

    Dr. Mario Acosta spent 20 years of his educational career as a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, academic director, and principal leading schools with diverse profiles.  He was named the 2022 Principal of the Year in the state of Texas while he was the principal at Westwood High School, a U.S. News & World Report top-50 campus and member of the High Reliability Schools (HRS) Network. His latest book is The Schools Our Students Deserve: A Comprehensive Framework for Shaping Exceptional School Culture. We discuss: What are the schools our students deserve? Are we asking this question enough?The current state of schools and identifying the gapsOutcomes students deserve…The values to center in a school’s cultureMany schools saw temporary bursts of innovation after the pandemic, but struggled to sustain them. How can leaders build on the urgency of that moment and create lasting change?How does a leader take charge of the culture? Building support from the communityAttracting high-quality educators and retaining them long-termGet The Schools Our Students Deserve from Solution Tree. You can also learn more in this webinar: http://bit.ly/4fXCYWa About the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    56 min
  6. Comfort Override with Ranan Lachman

    11/20/2025

    Comfort Override with Ranan Lachman

    Ranan Lachman is a transformation expert with a BA in Computer Science and an MBA who has reinvented himself across radically different worlds — jet-fighter co-pilot, management consultant, Wall Street investment banker, and CEO of multiple technology companies. He lives what he teaches, having relocated to four countries across four continents and even circled the globe for a year with his family while managing a startup. Ranan is currently founder and CEO of Better Speech. We discuss his work with Better Speech and his book, Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World. Topics include: How AI can help schools address special education goalsPrinciples for implementing AI responsibly in special educationHow can professionals proactively prepare for AI disruption in their industry?Daily practices to develop the adaptability “muscle”Evolving intentionally as an individual and an organizationLearn more about today’s guest: www.comfortoverride.comwww.betterspeech.com About the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    50 min
  7. Creative Cross-Pollination with Brian Collins, former Disney Imagineer

    11/13/2025

    Creative Cross-Pollination with Brian Collins, former Disney Imagineer

    As a Walt Disney Imagineer, Brian helped create the stories and magic for some of the world’s most beloved attractions. Over the past 35 years, he has produced work for a who’s who list of corporations, as well as small entrepreneurial ventures.  Now, as a sought-after Innovation Consultant through his practice known as The Brainstorm Institute, he works with both large and small companies to help them gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Currently, he is a full-time instructor at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College, where he teaches a variety of courses related to themed entertainment, immersive design, event production, and advanced technologies.  His book is Creative Cross-Pollination: A Former Imagineer's Take on the Innovation Process. We discuss: Brian’s background as a Walt Disney Imagineer and his work writing for some of the world’s most beloved theme parks — and how this work influenced his approach to educationHis definition of innovationThe 4 techniques of Creative Cross-PollinationHow educators can integrate this technique into their workDriving innovation and creativity in educationEmerging trends in technology (AR/VR, Telematics, Military, etc.)...and how to cross-pollinateBrian’s take on the future of workOrder Creative Cross-Pollination: https://bit.ly/3LESDP0  Learn more about today’s guest: https://www.brainstorm-institute.comwww.ensoeducation.com About the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    43 min
  8. Brain Glue with James I. Bond — How to Make Ideas Stick

    11/06/2025

    Brain Glue with James I. Bond — How to Make Ideas Stick

    James I. Bond is one of America’s leading behavioral management specialists. He joins the show to talk about his book Brain Glue, which was named a 2023 Best Business Book finalist by Publishers Weekly. We discuss: How selling becomes much easier by making your ideas “sticky” The desire to connect with others and make your ideas connectThe science of persuasionUnderstanding the way people learn about ideasThe power of humor About the host Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn  I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

    43 min
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About

Are you looking for proven ideas to increase your influence, hire and develop an excellent staff, build a stronger culture, lead meaningful change, and form a strong foundation for learning and leadership success? This is the podcast for you. Whether you're a leader to seeks to refine your command of core educational strategies, learn new management techniques from those who have used them at some of the world's largest corporations, gain fresh perspectives on personal development or student success from practitioners across fields, or a little bit of everything, you'll find powerful content on The Authority. Join leadership coach, storytelling strategist, and edtech advisor Ross Romano as he interviews the prominent education authors you already admire, up-and-coming voices, and experts from the worlds of business, personal development, and beyond — including Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers — to take a deep dive into their wealth of practical insights.

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