Coaching the Whole Educator

Becca Silver
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Coaching the Whole Educator, hosted by education consultant and author Becca Silver, is a podcast on instructional coaching, teacher leadership, and school leadership for anyone who wants to strengthen their educators' effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you'll hear quick tips, proven coaching strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your game. This show is rooted in a human-centered coaching approach, where we get things done through people's humanity, not around it. Whether you're new to instructional coaching or a seasoned 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 teacher resistance, using the Catalyst Mindsets framework from Becca Silver's book, The Resistance Solution, you'll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.

  1. 23 Aug

    #198: What Great Lesson Planning Teaches Us About Great Coaching (with Lori Cohen)

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca sits down with instructional coaching and lesson planning expert Lori Cohen (co-author of The PD Book) to talk about her new book, The Science of Lesson Planning, and what transformative lesson design can teach coaches and school leaders about building psychological safety in schools. They dig into psychological safety, the difference between coaching and "coaxing," and why celebration and reflection only work when they happen together.  In this episode:  Why great lesson planning is about more than activities and standardsHow psychological safety gets built (and spent) in daily interactions, not just at the start of the yearThe real difference between conventional and transformative practice: who holds control of the "right answer"Why "coaxing" isn't coaching, and how it breaks trustWhy celebration and reflection have to happen together for real growthAbout Lori Cohen: Lori Cohen has spent three decades in education as a teacher, instructional coach, school leader, consultant, and author. Her new book, The Science of Lesson Planning, releases in September through ASCD (preorders open now). She is also co-author of  The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development (with Elena Aguilar) and Integrating Educator Well-Being, Growth, and Evaluation: Four Foundations for Leaders.   Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #198: What Great Lesson Planning Teaches Us About Great Coaching (with Lori Cohen)

  2. 2 Aug

    #197: Why Being Clear Can Feel Hard (with Jennifer Abrams): Do “Hard” Conversations Actually Have to Be Hard?

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca sits down with Jennifer Abrams, author of five books on adult-to-adult communication in schools including Having Hard Conversations and Stretching Your Learning Edges, for a conversation on hard conversations, school culture, and adult development in education.  Topics covered in this episode:  The difference between resistance and a hard conversation, and where one line ends and the other beginsWhy "niceness culture" in schools gets confused with kindness, and how it undermines belongingThe cognitive load behind clear communication, and why so many educators avoid itThe neuroscience of being right: why our brains reward judgment over effectivenessThe five capacities from Stretching Your Learning Edges: knowing our identities, suspending certainty, taking responsibility for communication, building resilience, and engaging in reciprocityA simple, practical cue for naming dysregulation in a meeting, without shameRobert Kegan's stages of adult development (instrumental, socialized, self-authoring, self-transforming) and how understanding them builds empathy across a school teamGuest: Jennifer Abrams, adult communication and school culture expert, jenniferabrams.com | LinkedIn | jennifer@jenniferabrams.com Grab your copy of 📖 The Resistance Solution Book Study Facilitator Training: www.thewholeeducator.com/book-study-facilitator-training  Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #197: Why Being Clear Can Feel Hard (with Jennifer Abrams): Do “Hard” Conversations Actually Have to Be Hard?

  3. 18 Jul

    #196: The "We vs. Me" Test: Why the Same Staff Meeting Energizes Some Teachers and Drains Others (with Dr. Sheldon Eakins)

    Send us Fan Mail What if the pushback you're getting from teachers isn't about the initiative at all, but about a hidden cultural mismatch in how your school defines belonging? In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca Silver sits down with Dr. Sheldon Eakins, author of Meaningful Classroom Management, What Are You Bringing to the Potluck?, and Leading Equity, to explore a dimension of belonging that rarely gets airtime in school leadership conversations: individualism versus collectivism. Dr. Eakins explains why American schools are built around individualist norms (GPAs, valedictorians, teacher of the month, "stay in your classroom") while many students and staff come from collectivist backgrounds where success is defined by "we," not "me." When leaders don't recognize this mismatch, the result looks like resistance, disengagement, and retention problems. In this episode, you'll learn: How individualism vs. collectivism shows up in staff meetings, PLCs, and professional development, and why "sit and get" works for some educators and alienates othersDr. Eakins' LENS framework for leaders: Look for biases, Examine communication, Notice group dynamics, Shift perspectiveHow to separate facts from interpretations when you catch yourself labeling a colleague "rude" or "disengaged"Why introversion and extroversion are NOT the same as individualism and collectivismPractical ways to design staff culture that balances individual recognition with collective connectionThis conversation is essential listening for instructional coaches, principals, and district leaders working on teacher retention, staff culture, psychological safety, and buy-in for change initiatives. Grab your copy of 📖 The Resistance Solution Book Study Facilitator Training: www.thewholeeducator.com/book-study-facilitator-training Connect with Dr. Sheldon Eakins: IG: @sheldoneakins  Twitter: @sheldoneakins Website: purposeful247.com Books: Amazon Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #196: The "We vs. Me" Test: Why the Same Staff Meeting Energizes Some Teachers and Drains Others (with Dr. Sheldon Eakins)

  4. 11 Jul

    #195: The Resistance Tax: The Hidden Costs of Misunderstood Resistance

    Send us Fan Mail  In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca Silver explores the hidden costs schools and districts pay when resistance is misunderstood. She calls it the resistance tax: the quiet drain on resources, relationships, and results that happens when leaders respond to resistance with pressure, compliance, or more accountability instead of understanding what is driving it. Becca breaks down five major forms of the resistance tax: • The turnover tax • The implementation tax • The time tax • The trust tax • The student success tax She also shares why resistance should be treated as information, not defiance, and how educational leaders can begin identifying where their organization may be paying more than they realize. The episode also introduces The Resistance Solution and the Resistance Solution Book Study Facilitator Training, a train-the-trainer experience designed to help schools and districts build the internal capacity to diagnose resistance, strengthen ownership, and lead sustainable change. If your organization is struggling with teacher turnover, initiative fatigue, low buy-in, inconsistent implementation, or stalled change efforts, this episode will help you see the true cost of resistance in a new way. [Book Study Facilitator Training] www.thewholeeducator.com/book-study-facilitator-training Grab your copy of 📖 The Resistance Solution Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #195: The Resistance Tax: The Hidden Costs of Misunderstood Resistance

  5. 14 Jun

    #194: Stop Assuming Great Teachers Make Great Mentors

    Send us Fan Mail What if one of the biggest missing pieces in teacher retention is how we support mentor teachers? In this episode, Becca talks with John Pascarella, professor of clinical education at USC and Chief Academic Officer of the USC Race and Equity Center, about why mentor teachers are often asked to support new teachers without the training, role clarity, compensation, or coaching they actually need. They unpack why being a great teacher does not automatically make someone a great mentor, how mentoring adults requires a different skill set, and why schools need to stop treating mentorship like informal volunteer work. This conversation is for instructional coaches, school leaders, district leaders, and teacher leaders who want to strengthen new teacher support, improve teacher retention, and build more effective mentoring systems in schools. John's Info: Faculty profile  |  CCTE Policy Brief (free download, includes my brief on mentor teachers)  |  Learning Policy Institute (Stanford University) Grab your copy of 📖 The Resistance Solution Access the FREE book resources here.  Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #194: Stop Assuming Great Teachers Make Great Mentors

  6. 8 Jun

    #193: When High Expectations Meet Resistance: What Should Leaders Actually Do?

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca Silver talks with Principal Kafele about what happens when high expectations meet resistance in schools and how leaders can respond without slipping into compliance-driven leadership. Together, they explore how school leaders can create a true culture of high expectations, not by demanding instant transformation, but by helping educators experience steady, measurable growth. Principal Kafele shares why leaders must connect expectations to a larger purpose, build authentic relationships with staff, and understand what is beneath the pushback before deciding how to respond. This conversation digs into the difference between teacher resistance, overwhelm, and low expectations, and why leaders cannot diagnose those differences without ongoing trust, coaching, and collaboration. Becca and Principal Kafele also discuss the role of leadership identity, including how the way leaders see themselves shapes how they respond to hesitation, pushback, and resistance. Listeners will walk away with practical insight into how to:  Hold high expectations without leading through compliance  Recognize growth as progress, not perfection  Build a school culture where expectations become normal behavior  Respond to resistance with curiosity instead of judgment  Strengthen leadership identity during difficult conversations  Support educators through change while maintaining clear standards This episode is especially valuable for principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, district leaders, and school leadership teams who are navigating resistance to change, supporting adult learning, and working to build cultures of growth, accountability, and meaningful progress. [BOOK] Grab There Resistance Solution: Why Educator Resist and What They Need Instead HERE!  Grab your copy of 📖 The Resistance Solution Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #193: When High Expectations Meet Resistance: What Should Leaders Actually Do?

  7. 7 Jun

    #192: The Resistance Solution in Action: An Instructional Leader's Perspective

    Send us Fan Mail  What does The Resistance Solution actually look like in a real school? In this episode, Chrystin Sheffield shares how the book transformed the way she leads. She talks about how it helped her: • Stop taking teacher resistance personally and start diagnosing what's really driving it • Navigate difficult conversations with less frustration and more confidence • Give walkthrough feedback that feels meaningful instead of repetitive • Build trust more intentionally instead of simply hoping relationships develop • Create accountability without creating defensiveness • Understand why teachers say "I don't have time" and how to respond in a way that actually helps • Move beyond surface-level coaching conversations to uncover root causes One of my favorite moments was hearing Chrystin say that before reading the book, she often felt like she should have all the answers as a leader. What she discovered instead was that the most powerful thing she could do wasn't solve the problem for people. It was understand the unmet need underneath the resistance. This conversation is about what happened when the ideas in the book were applied in a real school by a real leader facing real challenges. If you're a principal, assistant principal, coach, or district leader who has ever wondered why feedback isn't sticking, coaching conversations aren't leading to change, or teachers seem resistant despite your best efforts, I think you'll see yourself in this conversation. Grab your copy of 📖 The Resistance Solution Access the FREE book resources here.  (And you can find it at all major book outlets) Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #192: The Resistance Solution in Action: An Instructional Leader's Perspective

  8. 31 May

    #191: How to Collect Data on Teacher Well Being

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca sits down with Jessica Werner, founder of North Shore Learning, to unpack a hard truth in schools: many leaders believe they understand staff well-being, but are relying on assumptions instead of real data. Together, they explore how well-being, retention, and leadership decisions are deeply connected and why anecdotal signals like “people seem happy” or “no one is in crisis” are not enough to guide action. Jessica shares how collecting simple, meaningful data can help leaders identify what is actually impacting teacher satisfaction, workload, and long-term retention. The conversation highlights how proactive support, rather than reactive responses, can reduce burnout and turnover while strengthening school culture. They also discuss how schools with stronger retention intentionally pair every new initiative with a support plan, recognizing that added expectations without support erode well-being over time. In this episode: • Why leaders often misread staff well-being without data  • The difference between anecdotal impressions and actionable insights  • Simple ways to start gathering meaningful well-being data immediately  • How attendance patterns, workload, and informal check-ins reveal hidden trends  • Why every initiative should include a parallel plan for teacher support  • The financial and cultural cost of reactive turnover versus proactive retention  • How acknowledging teachers’ full lives outside of school shapes morale and sustainability The core message: well-being is not a single program or strategy. It is a set of conditions that can be measured, supported, and strengthened when leaders shift from assumptions to data-informed action. Learn more about Jessica & Northshore Learning at northshorelearning.org, the place where school support meets real classroom impact. Grab your copy of 📖 The Resistance Solution Access the FREE book resources here.  [FREE WEBINAR] Breaking Through Resistance: Contact us for the recording Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    #191: How to Collect Data on Teacher Well Being
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About

Coaching the Whole Educator, hosted by education consultant and author Becca Silver, is a podcast on instructional coaching, teacher leadership, and school leadership for anyone who wants to strengthen their educators' effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you'll hear quick tips, proven coaching strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your game. This show is rooted in a human-centered coaching approach, where we get things done through people's humanity, not around it. Whether you're new to instructional coaching or a seasoned 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 teacher resistance, using the Catalyst Mindsets framework from Becca Silver's book, The Resistance Solution, 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
    204
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Coaching the Whole Educator
  • Show Website
    Coaching the Whole Educator

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