The episode explores how three co-founders of Building Leaders—Dr. Kalpana Rao, Kyle Conley, and Jennifer Dubey—are reimagining school leadership by centering lifelong learning, psychological safety, and global perspectives for principals who are often “one of one” in their buildings. They trace personal journeys through classroom teaching, turnaround schools, global education, burnout, and recovery to highlight the need for more holistic definitions of success for leaders and students, beyond test scores and rigid accountability systems. The conversation surfaces post-COVID challenges like sustainability, staffing crises, and rising student needs, and shows how Building Leaders creates peer communities, reflective school visits, and coaching to reduce isolation and elevate the expertise of current practitioners. Throughout, they argue for structural shifts—shared leadership models, ongoing coaching, and deeper community engagement—so principals can lead with vulnerability, purpose, and balance instead of exhaustion and compliance.
Learning Can’t Wait