Educational Leadership with Principal JL

Principal JL is an educational leader who explores various topics facing educational leaders today! The Mission of this podcast is to inform and inspire other Educational Leaders on how to be their best for their Schools by honing their skills and talents so they may impact their teachers, staff members, students, parents/guardians, and community members positively for their School District! Come with a Growth Mindset as we journey through Educational Leadership!

Podcasting since 2022 • 71 episodes

Educational Leadership with Principal JL

Latest Episodes

Episode 70: School Leadership, Culture, Social Media, and Comedy: How Nick Holtvluwer Builds Trust, Teams, and Impact

A lot of leaders feel pressure to be polished, serious, and unshakable. I do not buy that, and neither does Nick Holtvluwer, Principal of Mammoth Heights Elementary in Parker, Colorado, who somehow manages to lead a school for a decade, build a...

May 04, 2026 • Episode 70 • 1:00:31

Episode 69: Principals’ Perspectives: Hiring Teachers, Staffing Shortages & Real Talk on School Leadership

Thirteen hires by April. Internal transfers that “go over like a turd in a punch bowl.” Schools trying to keep construction, CNA, phlebotomy, and dual enrollment alive while staffing gets tighter. If you’re leading a building right now, you kno...

April 27, 2026 • Episode 69 • 1:11:46

Episode 68: How Principals and School Leaders Grow: Educational Leadership Lessons from Dr. TJ Vari and Dr. Joe Jones

Your leadership isn’t defined by your intentions, it’s defined by what your week actually looks like. We sit down with Dr. Joseph Jones, superintendent of Newcastle County Vocational and Technical School District, and Dr. TJ Vari, former deputy...

April 20, 2026 • Episode 68 • 58:34

Episode 67: Principal Baruti Kafele on Transformational School Leadership, Turnaround Strategies & Instructional Leadership

Some schools don’t need a new program, they need a leader whose voice actually lands. I sit down with Principal Baruti Kafele, a nationally recognized turnaround principal, author, and longtime educator, to unpack what transformational educatio...

April 13, 2026 • Episode 67 • 56:08

Episode 66: Trust and Inspire Leadership in Schools: How to Move Beyond Command and Control

If leadership feels like you’re carrying the whole school alone, the problem might not be your work ethic. It might be the model you’re using. We get real about how easy it is for principals and school leaders to slip into command and control l...

April 01, 2026 • Episode 66 • 29:11

See All Episodes