The Minimalist Educator Podcast
A podcast about paring down to focus on the purpose and priorities in our roles.
Episodes
112 episodes
Ep 107 — Keeping Good Teachers is Simple with co-authors Jessica Holloway and Carrie Bishop
Teacher retention gets blamed on pay, policies, and “kids these days” but the truth we keep hearing is simpler and harder: people stay where they feel trusted, heard, and valued. We sit down with
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Ep 106 — Strip the Agenda: Fewer Words, Better Meetings with Chris Fenning
Meetings can quietly take over a school week and still leave everyone feeling behind. We bring back communication expert and author Chris Fenning for a practical conversation about effective meetings in e...
Ep 105 — Grammar, Pared Down: Teaching Less So Writing Sticks with Patty McGee
Grammar doesn’t fail because kids “just don’t get it.” It fails when we teach it like a scavenger hunt of labels and then hope it magically shows up in student writing the next day. We sit down with national literacy consultant and author Patty...
Ep 104 — The Minimal Leader: Clear Expectations, Zero Guesswork with Casey Watts
“We’ve told them the expectation” can be true and still leave a staff completely unsure what to do next. That gap is where frustration grows, where initiative fatigue sets in, and where leaders start calling normal uncertainty “resistance.” We ...
Ep 103 — Less Sacred, More Honest: Unpopular Opinions Part 2
We keep our unpopular opinions rolling with a hard line on what counts as real intervention, a critique of rigid pacing guides, and a push for repair after conflict instead of removal without follow-up. We argue for qualified support where it m...
Ep 102 — Clearing the Air: Unpopular Opinions in Education Part 1
Join past guests, Naomi Church, Sheila Kennedy, Krista Leh, and
Ep 101 — How Do Less Rescuing and Grow Resilient Students with Josephine Hunt
What if the kindest thing we can do for students is to stop rescuing them? We sit down with educational leader and mentor (and Plan Z Coach) Josephine Hunt to unpack how natural and logical consequences—not punishments, not prize boxes—grow rea...
Ep 100 — 100 Episodes, One Thread: Focus Changes Everything
We celebrate 100 episodes with past guests to distill what actually helps educators simplify, focus, and bring joy back to teaching. Reflection, metacognition, micro-PD, boundaries, and student voice come together as a humane blueprint for sust...
Ep 099 — Voices That Prove It: Doing Less Works
Seven familiar voices return with fresh proof that doing less can change everything. We asked past guests what shifted since we last spoke, and their updates land with clarity: SEL works when it’s who we are, not what we assign; attention thriv...
Ep 098 — The Stripped-Down Story: What Horror Films Teach Minimalist Educators with Pete Turner
What can a great horror film teach us about sharper teaching, braver parenting, and better creative work? We sit down with Dr. Pete Turner—senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and author of books on The Blair Witch Project and found foo...
Ep 097 — Place Over Programs: Simplifying Science with What's Already Here with Whitney Aragaki & Kirstin Milks
What if the fastest path to deeper learning is simply paying close attention to where and who we are? We sit down with award-winning educators and co-authors Whitney Aragaki and Kirstin Milks to explore a clear, humane approach to place-based s...
Ep 096 — The Lighter Planner: Less Planning, More Teaching with Judith & Lorena
Ever wish planning felt lighter, clearer, and actually energizing? We sit down with Judith Roca Bastardes and Lorena Roca Bastardes, the educators behind Roma Planners, to unpack how a simple PYP-focused planner grew from a personal survival to...
Ep 095 — When the To-Do List Ate the Students: Clearing Mental Clutter with Christine & Tammy
Tammy and Christine talk about if you have ever caught yourself wishing the students would stay out a bit longer so you can “get real work done”? We unpack that exact moment of misalignment and the quieter signals that follow like missing meeti...
Ep 094 — Fewer Inputs, Greater Impact with Sharyn Skrtic
What happens when a school stops juggling initiatives and starts pursuing impact with clarity and intent? We chat with international accreditation leader Sharyn Skrtic to unpack a simple but transformative shift: define the learner you want to ...
Ep 093 — Beyond the Noise: What Kids Actually Need with Pete Hall
The school year can feel like a rolling storm of demands—new curricula, behavior challenges, data deadlines, and the quiet fear that there’s never enough time. We sit down with Pete Hall to cut through t...
Ep 092 — One Small Shift: Using Humor to Lighten the Load with Christine & Tammy
What if one small shift could make lessons stickier, meetings warmer, and workload feel lighter? We dive into the overlooked power of humor as a strategic tool for teaching and leadership, blending research with lived classroom experience to sh...
Ep 091 — The January Reset: Start Lean, Stay Focused with Nicole Dissinger
The first week back can feel chaotic, but it doesn’t have to. In this episode, we chat with returning guest, mentor teacher, and Plan Z coach, Nicole Dissinger to map out a calm, practic...
BONUS — Season 6: A Leaner, Clearer Season Ahead with Christine & Tammy
Season 6 kicks off with momentum and purpose: a leaner, clearer way to teach and lead, plus a major milestone as we head toward our 100th episode. We map the journey ahead—from a January reset that honors how students grow over the break to a g...
Ep 090 — Season 5 Distilled: Courage, Clarity & What Actually Mattered with Christine & Tammy
Season 5's highlights trace a clear path: protect focus, trust people, and let values drive the work. We pull the best “pare-down pointers” from guests who shared practical ways to simplify coaching, leadership, and classroom practice.•...
Ep 089 — Strip Back to Values: The Quietest Leadership Tool with Dr. Amanda March
Ever feel like the noise never stops? We invited Dr. Amanda March, former school psychologist, professional learning expert, and founder of Rise and Align Consulting, to help us turn down ...
Ep 088 — Stop Adding, Start Focusing: From Average to Exceptional with Todd Whitaker
What if the fastest path to a better school isn’t a new program, but a sharper focus on the people already doing the right work? We sit down with leadership expert and bestselling author
Ep 087 — Rural Clarity: When Less Resource Forces More Purpose with Dr. Melissa Sadorf
Rural education isn’t about scarcity. It’s about clarity. We sit down with Dr. Melissa Sadorf, Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association, professor, long...
Ep 086 — Coaching, Decluttered with Lindsay Deacon
Coaching doesn’t fail because we lack strategies; it fails when our calendars, agendas, and relationships pull us in ten directions at once. We sit down with instructional coaching coordinator
Ep 085 — The Leadership Edit: Our Book, Our Philosophy with Christine & Tammy
What if your greatest leadership move is not to add, but to edit? We share the thinking behind our new book, Your School Leadership Edit, and walk through a practical framework that helps you simplify systems, protect your time, and raise instr...