The Assistant Principal Podcast

Guiding Change with Dr. Christie Cooper

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Guiding Change with Dr. Christie CooperTeaser:Building on DiSC styles and how they influence change processes. 50-70% of change initiatives Fail!Spons...

Leadership Styles with Dr. Christie Cooper

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Leadership Styles with Dr. Christie CooperTeaser:The leadership style activity I do with groups…Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adve...

Five Change Lessons

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Five Change LessonsMarch 17, 2026Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help ...

Make Every Moment Count with POY Jason Johnson

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: Make Every Moment Count with POY Jason JohnsonPower Quote: Make Every Moment CountTeaser:The R word – relationships. Sometimes it feels ...

Doing is Not Serving with Leah Marone

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Support, Don’t SolveTeaser:Becoming a strategic leader is a journey – a long one. It’s a journey full of stops and starts, and slow incremental ...

When There are I's in TEAM with Chad Dumas

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Outline and Show NotesGuest:Links and promo stuff?Preferred name/title?Relax and laughWill be video recording and may use small or big piecesSmall thi...

What a Ford Mav-Wreck Can Teach Us About Leadership

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What a Ford Mav-Wreck Can Teach Us About LeadershipSponsor Spot 1:Travel can positively impact students in a big way - but if your first thought is, “...

Reimagining School Leadership with Dr. Lindsay Whorton

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Reimagining School Leadership with Dr. Lindsay Whorton Power Quote: “Leadership has to be a team sport.”  Teaser:I hope you enjoy listening to ...

Bonus-Preview with Dr. Lindsay Whorton

07 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Lindsay Whorton has served as president of The Holdsworth Center since 2019, leading its growth from seven Texas school districts to 89 districts ...

The Five Gives

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Five Gives Teaser:It’s that time of the year for assistant principals when it just feels like you’re completely underwater all the time the t...

When Things Didn't Go Well in the Fall

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

289 When Fall Didn’t End Very Well Teaser: “I would love it if you would consider doing a podcast episode on what happens when a principal gets ...

Oh, They are Mad! with Darrin Peppard

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Oh, They are Mad! with Darrin Peppard Power Quote: “Listen more, talk less.”  Teaser:Here’s the email I received that inspired this episode: ...

Three Resolutions and One Word

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Three Resolutions and One Word Teaser:The New Year is a great time to refocus and gain some clarity, but New Years’ resolutions feels to me like so...

Reflecting on Leadership with Darryall White

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teaser:At the end of each year, I re-air what I consider to be the best episode of the year, but my favorite episode for this year was released on Nov...

10 Things I Learned

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kal...

5-Minute Coaching

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline #284: 5-Minute Coaching Teaser:Today we are doing a deep dive into 5-minute coaching. This show ...

Listen More, Speak Less with Chris Horton

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “How does this make learning better?”Teaser:A couple weeks ago I had Simone Lieschke on. Simone is co-principal at the American Inter...

Shared Leadership with Simone Lieschke

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “What’s the point if I’m not willing to grow?”Teaser:As you will hear, I began my teaching career overseas through a serious of s...

Thankfully Thinking with Frederick

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thankfully Thinking with Frederick Teaser:I’m planning on this episode being a little light. Honestly, I’m not sure how many people will tune in ...

We Don’t Know it All with Heidi Fagerness

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: I am a teacherTeaser:I’ve made an intentional effort this year to feature the voices of practitioners. I find the conversations to alwa...

Have Gratitude with AP of the Year Darryall White

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “My job is to remove the barriers that prevent teachers and students from being successful.”Teaser:We’ve had some very good episode...

Support Network Coaching Call with Penny Connors

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teaser:I love talking with experts and we can learn a lot from someone like Elena Aguilar or Mark Shellinger, and from other consultants and thought l...

Strive For Presence Not Perfection with Angela Maiers

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is packed full of amazing information, ideas, and inspiration. We are going to conclude today’s show with a simple technique for p...

SWOT

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

SWOT! No, it’s not mosquito season – thankfully that is passing as we head into the amazing season of fall in the mountains of Western North Carol...

Strategies to Support Lateral Entry Teachers with Amber Coburn

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teaser:First, a bit of context to today’s show: This year, Darrin Peppard (Leaning Into Leadership podcast) and I are partnering with the North Caro...

When Work Follows You Home

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s begin by looking backwards. On Sept. 16, Mara and I released an episode on three things you should be doing now to care for yourself. Mara too...

When Your Work Follows You Home: Transitions

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teaser:I’ve been having a lot of conversations with APs and other leaders recently and one of the common themes is how overwhelming the work is righ...

Three Leadership Things You Should Be Doing Now with Frederick and Mara

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quote: “What is one step better than nothing?”Teaser:No special intro, let’s just get into it!Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Ad...

Three Things You Should Be Doing for Yourself Right Now with Frederick and Mara

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quote: “You are worthy of investing time in yourself!”Teaser:No special intro, let’s just get into it!Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank Kaleido...

The Key Ingredient in New Teacher Support with Cathy Lacey

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teaser:The title for this episode is The Key Ingredient in New Teacher Support. We don’t actually use that language anywhere in the episode and I on...

Building Bridges with Dr. Don Parker

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Description:The number one thing is relationships – we’ve all heard that. It’s almost a meme. I think “the power of relationships” as an ide...

This is Going to be Difficult with Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

***Link to FREE Conversation Planning Guide***Show Title: This is Going to be Difficult with Erika Bare and Tiffany BurnsPower Quote: “Remember the ...

Bolstering New and Veteran Teacher Agency (with Natalia Mejia and Xavier Adams)

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If there is a theme running through the late summer podcast episodes, it’s this: listen to your teachers. Everything becomes easier when we listen. ...

Rich PD on Pauper’s Wages with Michele Mattoon

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Description:Before recording this episode, I was very uncertain about how it would come out. Identifying strategies for doing professional development...

Listening as a Form of Empowerment with Elena Aguilar

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: I noticed… and I wonder…Description:Welcome to the third and final part of my interview with Elena Aguilar. Today we dive into how we...

What’s Your Story? with Elena Aguilar

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: Behind every action is a beliefDescription:Today we dive into part 2 of my interview with Elena Aguilar. Part 1 was a must listen and we ...

Your First Year as an AP: Real Talk from the Trenches

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been connecting with many new and nearly new APs recently and my conversations inspired me to put together a diverse panel of assistant princip...

Support and Grow (4 year anniversary episode)

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teaser:“Hello colleagues and welcome to the Assistant Principal Podcast. I’m your host Frederick Buskey. The goal of this podcast is to Improve th...

Help Me Understand with Stand Tall Steve

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “Climate is the emotional state felt within the physical space”Description:I had so much fun recording today’s show. My guest stand...

The Listening Muscle with Elena Aguilar

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “How do you want me to listen?”Description:Today’s guest is someone I consider to be a master at the art of coaching, which is appr...

The Pillar of Empathy with Jim Carlough

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Link to post on LinkedIn for book giveawayDescription:Today’s interview will be a bit different as my guest is coming from four decades of leadershi...

Uncovering Rocks with Will Lepech

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “Uncover the rock”Description:If you haven’t begun reflecting on the year yet, today’s episode will get you in the mood. I encour...

Teacher-centric PD with Cathy Lacey

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “If we want better outcomes for students, we have to create better outcomes for teachers.”Description:I hope this doesn’t sound too...

Two for the Price of One (!) with Frederick and Darrin

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two for the Price of One (!) with Frederick and Darrin Link to the NCMLE Leadership Excellence Network: https://ncmle.org/cohort-home Description:To...

SAM I Am with Mark Shellinger

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Description:“Sam I am, I do not like green eggs and ham!” Our guest today is not Dr. Seuss, but he does talk a lot about SAM, not the peddler of a...

SWOT!

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

SWOT ***Free SWOT and STCC tools available for download here: https://adept-experimenter-3588.kit.com/0cd1576fe5 Teaser:We are half-way through May ...

Just Say “No!” with Charles Williams

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “Somebody has to be able to say “pause!”Description:Have you ever listened to one of those podcasts where the host asks a question,...

National High School AP of the Year Saani Perry

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “If I make them better, that makes me better”Description:Today’s guest is the 2025 NASSP National High School Assistant Principal o...

On Trust and Kindness with Dr. Chris Culver

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: We are wired to belongDescription:You’ll hear me compliment today’s guest on his affirmative presence. He’s the kind of person you ...

They Want to be Heard with Principal Todd Shadley

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: “I’m still learning, but we will figure it out together.”Description:You are going to LOVE today’s show! As with last week, you m...

A Culture of Connection with Erika and Tiffany

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Power Quote: You are who you eat lunch withDescription:Today’s show is so packed with gold nuggets, you might want to take notes or listen twice. Yo...

Is Your Best Good Enough? With Leigh Ann Alford-Keith

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Description:How are you? I confess to having mixed emotions about how to respond to this question. On the one hand, I’m having fun in my business an...

The Motivation Equation

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Show title and release date: The Motivation EquationNote on Sponsorships:Help cover the cost of producing the podcastMotivate me to produce a better p...

(Teacher) Team Leadership with Dr. Chad Dumas

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

(Teacher) Team Leadership with Dr. Chad Dumas  Description:If you’ve been listening to me or following my daily email, you’ve heard me talk abou...

Follow up Questions for From Fires to Fulfillment

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I’m digging into some questions I received from participants in my recent GAMSP training on moving from Fires to Fulfillment.  Podcast episod...

The First Step to Great Relationships with Joe Pettit

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s show is high energy with lots of thoughts and concepts that will grab your attention and your intention. My guest and I talk a lot about the...

Final Questions First with Joe Pettit

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

#243: Final Questions First with Joe PettitDescription:This is just a short tease for the full interview coming out on March 11th, 2025. I had forgott...

From Fires to Fulfillment

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you read my daily email, you likely know that my big goal for 2025 is to give 25 keynotes and presentations. On Monday, February 24, I gave my firs...

8 Actions to Lift People Up

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is inspired by a book study I did last week with 25 building and district school leaders. The focus of the book study was stage 5 of...

Turbulence

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are in a moment of significant change. There’s a lot of instability and unpredictability and people don’t know what’s going to happen – goo...

Be the Mirror with Tequila Lamar

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Description:Today’s guest is Tequila Lamar. The name should be familiar to you because I just featured my first interview with Tequila as the “Gre...

#238: Can Adults Just Act Like Adults? With Frederick

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 | A couple weeks ago in one of my daily emails I asked for people’s experiences, perspectives, and questions about culture. A reader responded:  ...

Helping Teachers Call Home With Jamie Brown

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In May, on episode 199, I had Jamie Brown on the show and he took us through a very simple but effective script for having a restorative conversation ...

Culture Questions From Claude Part II

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

236: Culture Questions From Claude Part IIShow Description: | Last week I asked Claude AI to give me 12 questions I could answer that would help elab...

Culture Questions From Claude Part I

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

235: Culture Questions From Claude Part IShow Description:Two weeks ago, I did a show that described how school culture is a byproduct of the degree o...

Leading an Ethical School with Dr. Nason Lollar

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

#234: Leading an Ethical School with Dr. Nason Lollar Description:Today’s guest has developed a framework and language around professional conduct...

Greatest Episode of All Time: Imposter Syndrome

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

#233: Imposter Syndrome (Greatest Episode of All Time) There is a very brief intro to this, my favorite episode of all time! Originally released in ...

2024’s BEST Podcast!

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

#232: 2024’s BEST Podcast! Power Quote: “Every kid has a story” Jamie’s Student Debrief Protocol:1.     Are you okay?2.     What was t...

A School Leader’s Guide to Building Culture

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A School Leader’s Guide to Building Culture  Show Description:“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” -Peter Drucker, Author “Culture is like...

Email Sucks!

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

#330: Email Sucks Show Description:Last week, Darrin Peppard and I went over some of our favorite time hacks. Towards the end of the show, we talked ...

10 Awesome Time Hacks with Dr. Darrin Peppard

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

#229 Outline and Show Notes Show Title: 10 Awesome Time Hacks with Darrin Peppard Power Quote: Description:Time. The most limited resource (along w...

The Blueprint with Todd Bloomer

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

228: The Blueprint with Todd Bloomer Power Quote: The further you are from classrooms… the easier it is to become jaded.  Description:If I said I...

Should We Give Teachers Matches? With Alex Auriemma

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should We Give Teachers Matches? With Alex Auriemma  Description:Back in September I released episode 218 titled “Teacher Evaluation is Broken.”...

Win the Morning, Win the Day with Johnathan Cranford

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Win the Morning, Win the Day with Johnathan Cranford  Description:If your ISS program runs like clockwork and results in increased academic achievem...

Silence is Golden

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Silence is Golden Show Description:I teased this show on this morning’s daily email message, in which I suggested I might release a podcast episode...

The Power of Reflection

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

#224: The Power of Reflection Show Description:We are over half-way through the Good Enough October Challenge. Remember, the big idea here is that yo...

Presence Shouldn’t Wait for Christmas With Frederick

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Presence Shouldn’t Wait for Christmas Power Quote: Once you embrace how valuable your full presence is, you will be more motivated to share it with...

How Will You Show Up?

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

222: How will you show up?  The Big IdeaWhat if the person you are trying to grow knows more about what they need than you do? This is perspective ...

What is Leadership? with Mara and Frederick

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: What is Leadership? with Mara and Frederick  Helene Rebuild Collaborative link: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/gallery  Description:L...

Why be great when you can be good enough?

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

#219 Good Enough October ChallengeIf you'd like to donate to Helene relief, here is the link to Lance's team: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/Facebook ...

If you want to help Western North Carolina please listen!

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

WNC Links:Accurate Local News (radio): https://www.bpr.org/ Local donation options: https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-h...

Teacher Evaluation is Broken with Frederick

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Teacher Evaluation is Broken Show Description:Assuming you were a teacher, and assuming you were evaluated from time to time:·      Did your eval...

O Captain, My Captain with Mike Miller

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: O Captain, My Captain with Michael Miller Power Quote: “Let there be joy!”  Description:Today’s show is like a voyage. We’ll be...

The Principal’s GREAT Assistant Principal with John Hinds

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: The Principal’s GREAT Assistant Principal with John Hinds Power Quote: “There’s a system for that”  Description:You’ll hear t...

10 Ways in 10 Days Part 2

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 10 Ways in 10 Days Part 2 Grab the PDF guide of all 10 Ways: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/d58fd6430f Show Description:According to a re...

10 Ways in 10 Days: Easy Activities for Supporting New Teachers, Part 1

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

10 Ways in 10 Days: Easy Activities for Supporting New Teachers, Part 1 Grab the PDF guide of all 10 Ways: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/d5...

Seven Favorites with a Special Guest!

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Seven Favorite ThingsToday’s show covers seven favorite of my favorite parts of the book! One for the introduction and one for each of the six stage...

Vision with Frederick

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline  Show Description:In 2007 I lead a group of six professors at Western Carolina University in a t...

Presence and Passion for Living with Lindsay Titus

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 Show Title: Presence and Passion for Living with Lindsay Titus Power Quote: “Emotions are energy in motion”  Description:How do you take care...

The Three Epiphanies

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Three Epiphanies  Maybe you are a new admin this fall. Maybe you are headed to a new school. Maybe you are staying where you are, but new people...

42 and Stuff with Dr. Steve Miletto

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: 42 and Stuff with Dr. Steve Miletto Description:Today’s conversation is like a meandering stream that is destined to end in a specific ...

Authentic Parent Partnerships with Ari Gerzon-Kessler

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: Authentic Parent Partnerships with Ari Gerzon-Kessler Power Quote:  Description:Imagine that we have some time scheduled to meet togeth...

A Path Forward - Classroom Culture and Early Career Teachers

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Supporting Early Career Teachers – a Systems Approach Show Description:With all the challenges we face, it can be difficult to focus on just one th...

“One-offs Matter” with Jen Manly

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: “One-offs Matter” with Jen Manly Power Quote: “One-offs matter.”  Description:Do you remember being a teacher? Or maybe you are...

Coaching and a Culture of Learning with Elena Aguilar

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: Coaching and a Culture of Learning with Elena Aguilar Power Quote: “To normalize growth, we must normalize making mistakes.”  Descr...

The Coaching Relationship with Elena Aguilar

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: The Coaching Relationship with Elena Aguilar Power Quote: “We are social beings.”  Description:In 2013 Elena Aguilar wrote The Art ...

Ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the pain?)

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the pain?) Show Description:Last week you listened to Chad Dumas and I discuss PLCs. When we began talking, I had in ...

Will the Real PLC Please Stand Up? with Dr. Chad Dumas

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Will the Real PLC Please Stand Up? with Dr. Chad Dumas Power Quote: “Clarity precedes confidence”  Descript...

Celebrating 200 Episodes!

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Show Title: Celebrating 200 with Frederick and Mara Power Quote: People are the purposeGuest Bio:Frederick Buskey helps school leaders reclaim their ...

"Are You Okay?" With Jamie Brown

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Are You Okay? With Jamie Brown Power Quote: “Connection before correction” Jamie’s Student Debrief Protoco...