Full disclosure, I checked out Notebook LM after hearing about it on social media. I was immediately fascinated by the potential it has. So, I uploaded my dissertation, linked here, to see what the fuss was all about. I am stunned at how cool this tool really is. It's a concise summary in a fun, easy to listen to podcast. In this week's special episode, I will share my thoughts, as well as the actual audio created by Notebook LM. Check it out!

Are you ready to take your leadership and your team to the next level? As a leadership coach and speaker, I’m passionate about helping school leaders and leadership teams like yours gain the clarity you need to walk confidently in your purpose. I believe that when leaders are clear about their purpose, they can lead with more authenticity and create a ripple effect that impacts every level of their organization. If you’re ready to inspire your team, foster deeper connections, and drive meaningful change, I’d love to work with you.

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

Are you ready to take your leadership and your team to the next level? As a leadership coach and speaker, I’m passionate about helping school leaders and leadership teams like yours gain the clarity you need to walk confidently in your purpose. I believe that when leaders are clear about their purpose, they can lead with more authenticity and create a ripple effect that impacts every level of their organization. If you’re ready to inspire your team, foster deeper connections, and drive meaningful change, I’d love to work with you.

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

And now...about our guest this week on the show:

Dr. Ryan Donlan, Professor in the Indiana State University and Bayh College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership, served for 20 years in K–12 education, most of that time as a Superintendent, as well as a school building leader. He has served in both traditional and charter schools and school districts. Dr. Donlan has taught for years at the college and university level and provides educational program reviews, speeches, presentations, and trainings for educators. Currently, he is a Board Trustee for the Mensa Foundation and Chair of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Mensa Research Journal. He has served prior as Acting Associate Dean of the Bayh College of Education and Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning.

Once a frequent skydiver, Dr. Donlan today enjoys more conservative, contemporary pursuits, such as cooking, reading, and walking. He has written/co-written numerous articles and books, including Gamesmanship for Teachers: Uncommon Sense is Half the Work; The Secret Solution: How One Principal Discovered the Path to Success; Minds Unleashed: How Principals Can Lead the Right Brained Way; The Hero Maker: How Superintendents Can Get Their Boards to Do the Right Thing; The School Board Member’s Guidebook: Becoming a Difference Maker in Your District; All Other Duties as Assigned: The Assistant Principal’s Critical Role in Supporting Schools Inside and Out, Ensuring Teacher Matter: Where to Focus First So Students Matter Most, and Uncommon Sense for New Teachers: A Good Beginning is Half the Work.

You can follow Dr. Donlan on X, or visit him at www.ryandonlan.com...

Welcome to a special, mid-week release of the Leaning into Leadership podcast. In this episode, I want to challenge leaders to think about their day to day work and how they might benefit from some time on the balcony, re-evaluating their priorities and when they spend their time.

Are you ready to take your leadership and your team to the next level? As a leadership coach and speaker, I’m passionate about helping school leaders and leadership teams like yours gain the clarity you need to walk confidently in your purpose. I believe that when leaders are clear about their purpose, they can lead with more authenticity and create a ripple effect that impacts every level of their organization. If you’re ready to inspire your team, foster deeper connections, and drive meaningful change, I’d love to work with you.

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

Are you ready to take your leadership and your team to the next level? As a leadership coach and speaker, I’m passionate about helping school leaders and leadership teams like yours gain the clarity you need to walk confidently in your purpose. I believe that when leaders are clear about their purpose, they can lead with more authenticity and create a ripple effect that impacts every level of their organization. If you’re ready to inspire your team, foster deeper connections, and drive meaningful change, I’d love to work with you.

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

And now...about our guest this week on the show:

Lauren Kaufman is an educator whose passion lies in empowering fellow educators to lead, share their gifts with others, and foster lifelong literacy practices in all learners. With nearly two decades of experience in education, she has held various roles, including elementary classroom teacher, elementary and middle school literacy specialist, instructional coach, mentor coordinator K–12, and assistant principal. Currently, she serves as a district leader and holds the position of director of literacy K–12 in Long Island, New York. Lauren has spearheaded numerous projects, including the development of seventy-three Units of Study in reading and writing for K–5, and has implemented a comprehensive approach to literacy. She is dedicated to providing educators with job-embedded professional learning opportunities and supporting new teachers in acclimating to the school system’s culture and climate. Lauren values collaboration and is committed to sharing best instructional practices with colleagues, fostering powerful professional learning communities and networks that cultivate meaningful, relevant learning and growth.

Lauren consistently shares her passion for learning by speaking at national and local conferences, blogging on her own platform, and participating in podcasts; she also contributed to Because of a Teacher by George Couros and Evolving with Gratitude by Lainie Rowell. She has authored chapters in educational journals, and her writing has been highlighted in Edutopia, Education Week, Defined Learning, and Future Ready Schools.

Connect with Lauren: Instagram, X, LinkedIn

Buy Lauren's book: The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within

Check out all things...

Are you ready to take your leadership and your team to the next level? As a leadership coach and speaker, I’m passionate about helping school leaders and leadership teams like yours gain the clarity you need to walk confidently in your purpose. I believe that when leaders are clear about their purpose, they can lead with more authenticity and create a ripple effect that impacts every level of their organization. If you’re ready to inspire your team, foster deeper connections, and drive meaningful change, I’d love to work with you.

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

Here is the blogpost I referenced in the PepTalk - Life in the Dropoff Lane

And now...about our guest this week on the show:

Greg Bennick is a world-class speaker, organizational consultant, and global event host whose ideas have inspired tens of thousands of people to take new approaches to productivity, focus, inspiration and personal development. He engages with audiences in conversations that span borders, appearing on stages in 27 countries (and counting). He is the founder and executive director of an international nonprofit in Haiti (onehundredforhaiti.org), which since 2010 has listened to Haitian people to help transform an entire region’s relationship with water, education, food, and housing. You can find out more about Greg at: gregbennick.com

Grab a copy of Greg's new book on Amazon

Follow Greg on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Let's get your High Performance Leadership Retreat scheduled today! Reach out to me darrin@roadtoawesome.net to set up the conversation and get your team on the Road to Awesome for the upcoming year!

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

And now...about our guest this week on the show:

Jason Yarusi is a charismatic communicator who electrifies every stage he graces. Jason is a Private fund manager of over $300 million dollars in commercial real estate. Since 2017 his company Yarusi Holdings has amassed over 3000 apartment and commercial real estate units. Jason has built and exited multiple companies: construction, restaurants, a brewery and multiple large apartment communities. He is an avid ultra runner and workout enthusiast. Jason is the host of LIVE100 and The Multifamily Live Podcast, runs 7 Figure Multifamily Mastermind and coaches clients on the Live 100 Principles. And most importantly a husband and a father to three amazing kids, a bulldog named Jill and fifteen chickens.

Jason brings all of his hands-on experience to you. His personal story and extensive work has made him an inspirational force, captivating audiences as a dynamic motivational speaker. With an innate ability to ignite positive transformations, Jason empowers individuals to conquer challenges and embrace change with unwavering resilience. His electrifying talks instill a renewed sense of purpose, propelling audiences to reach new heights in both personal and professional spheres.

Connect with Jason:

Website: https://www.jasonyarusi.com/

Email: jason@live-100.com

Social Media: Instagram, X, Facebook, LInkedIn

Let's get your High Performance Leadership Training scheduled today! Reach out to me darrin@roadtoawesome.net to set up the conversation and get your team on the Road to Awesome for the upcoming year!

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

And now...about our guest this week on the show:

Colleen Bashar is an Enterprise Software Operations and Sales Executive with a successful record of building business units and teams from the ground up, opening new markets, and delivering consistent, YoY 20% revenue growth at Guidewire (GWRE), a multibillion-dollar public company where she serves as SVP of Enterprise Business Operations and Chief of Staff to the CEO.

Connect with Colleen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenscott/

Website: https://www.basharleadership.com/

Email/contact info: cbashar@guidewire.com

Let's get your School Leadership training scheduled today! Reach out to me darrin@roadtoawesome.net to set up the conversation and get your team on the Road to Awesome for the upcoming year!

Book Darrin to speak at your school or conference contact us here

Grab your copy of Darrin's FREE e-book Walk in Your Purpose

Check out Darrin's blog for great leadership tips and ideas

Sign up for the Road to Awesome email list and newsletter

Have a book idea you'd like to submit to Road to Awesome? Click here

And now...about our guest this week on the show:

This special mid-week episode is the eighth edition of a series with Dominic Armano, Todd Bloomer, and Darrin teaming up to talk about the hot topics in educational leadership today. On this episode, we are talking about the ever-evolving role of the building principal.

Connect with Darrin: https://x.com/DarrinMPeppard

Connect with Dom: https://x.com/DominicArmano

Connect with Todd: https://x.com/bloomer_sa

Get The Blueprint on Amazon or on Todd Bloomer's website