What does real support look like when there is a person, a public responsibility, and ultimately a child on the other side of the work? In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Vashaunta Harris sits down with Laura Rizzo to explore the human side of Epicenter support—and a career journey built around advocacy, compliance, relationships, and helping people succeed. Laura’s story begins long before Epicenter. As a young teacher’s aide and later a daycare licenser, she discovered that compliance was never just about policies or paperwork. It was about making sure children were safe, valued, and protected—even when they were too young to advocate for themselves. That belief stayed with her as her career moved into charter school authorizing in Ohio. Then, just days into a new role, the supervisor who was preparing to train her went on maternity leave. Laura suddenly found herself in a new field, learning Epicenter, preparing for a major sponsor performance evaluation, and trying to figure out how to manage the work without the experience she expected to have beside her. That is when the Epicenter support team became more than technical support. In this episode: Why Laura sees compliance as a form of advocacy How her early work in child care shaped the way she thinks about responsibility What she learned from working directly with schools and authorizers What happened when she suddenly had to learn Epicenter and manage a major evaluation process How Epicenter support helped her move from overwhelmed to confident Why good support goes beyond showing someone where to click How thoughtful processes, calendars, workflows, and communication can make compliance easier for schools Why trust and patience matter when supporting someone who is learning How Laura went from calling the Epicenter support team to eventually joining it What it means to support partners with both experience and empathy One of the strongest ideas in the conversation is Laura’s distinction between customer service and true support. As she explains, customer service may solve the immediate problem. But real support builds relationships, gives people confidence, and helps them succeed long after the call ends. Laura’s story eventually comes full circle. The same people who once helped her learn the system became her colleagues. Today, when partners call feeling overwhelmed, Laura remembers exactly what it felt like to be on the other end of that conversation. That experience shapes the way she listens, teaches, encourages, and supports the people she works with now. And her goal remains the same: Help the adults get the work right so they can spend more time focused on the students who depend on them. At the heart of the episode is a simple reminder: support is not separate from the mission. It is one of the ways the mission gets carried. Behind the platform, the requirements, and every deadline is a person trying to do the work well—and students and families who ultimately benefit when they succeed. The Bold by Choice Podcast, powered by the National Charter Schools Institute, shares the people, ideas, and stories helping leaders advance excellence and expand what is possible for students. Hosted by Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, Ph.D. Subscribe, share this episode, and remember: the best systems still depend on people who know how to listen, teach, and help others succeed. What does real support look like when there is a person, a public responsibility, and ultimately a child on the other side of the work? In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Vashaunta Harris sits down with Laura Rizzo to explore the human side of Epicenter support—and a career journey built around advocacy, compliance, relationships, and helping people succeed. Laura’s story begins long before Epicenter. As a young teacher’s aide and later a daycare licenser, she discovered that compliance was never just about policies or paperwork. It was about making sure children were safe, valued, and protected—even when they were too young to advocate for themselves. That belief stayed with her as her career moved into charter school authorizing in Ohio. Then, just days into a new role, the supervisor who was preparing to train her went on maternity leave. Laura suddenly found herself in a new field, learning Epicenter, preparing for a major sponsor performance evaluation, and trying to figure out how to manage the work without the experience she expected to have beside her. That is when the Epicenter support team became more than technical support. In this episode: Why Laura sees compliance as a form of advocacy How her early work in child care shaped the way she thinks about responsibility What she learned from working directly with schools and authorizers What happened when she suddenly had to learn Epicenter and manage a major evaluation process How Epicenter support helped her move from overwhelmed to confident Why good support goes beyond showing someone where to click How thoughtful processes, calendars, workflows, and communication can make compliance easier for schools Why trust and patience matter when supporting someone who is learning How Laura went from calling the Epicenter support team to eventually joining it What it means to support partners with both experience and empathy One of the strongest ideas in the conversation is Laura’s distinction between customer service and true support. As she explains, customer service may solve the immediate problem. But real support builds relationships, gives people confidence, and helps them succeed long after the call ends. Laura’s story eventually comes full circle. The same people who once helped her learn the system became her colleagues. Today, when partners call feeling overwhelmed, Laura remembers exactly what it felt like to be on the other end of that conversation. That experience shapes the way she listens, teaches, encourages, and supports the people she works with now. And her goal remains the same: Help the adults get the work right so they can spend more time focused on the students who depend on them. At the heart of the episode is a simple reminder: support is not separate from the mission. It is one of the ways the mission gets carried. Behind the platform, the requirements, and every deadline is a person trying to do the work well—and students and families who ultimately benefit when they succeed. The Bold by Choice Podcast, powered by the National Charter Schools Institute, shares the people, ideas, and stories helping leaders advance excellence and expand what is possible for students. Hosted by Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, Ph.D. Subscribe, share this episode, and remember: the best systems still depend on people who know how to listen, teach, and help others succeed.
