Blending memoir, personal essay, local topography, and culture, Alex Poppe’s Breakfast Wine is a frank, human story of pursuing an unconventional life and finding a way home.

Alex is a business analyst, turned actor, turned teacher who accepted a teaching position in northern Iraq after a chance encounter with an acclaimed journalist. In this episode, you’ll hear her stories and learn what it was like to teach in conflict and post-conflict zones, including during the COVID-19 pandemic — and you’ll find out it was much different than you think.

Get Breakfast Wine at bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/3FTV9hM

About today’s guest

Having lived in conflict zones such as Iraq, the West Bank, and Ukraine, Alex Poppe writes about fierce and funny women rebuilding their lives in the wake of violence. She is the author of four works of literary fiction: Duende, a 2024 American Legacy Book Awards winner, a 2023 International Book Awards winner, and a 2023 Readers’ Choice Book Awards finalist; Jinwar and Other Stories, a 2024 Pen Craft Awards runner-up, a 2023 Readers’ Choice Book Awards winner, and a 2022 International Book Awards finalist; Moxie, and Girl, World, a 35 Over 35 Debut Book Award winner, First Horizon Award finalist, Montaigne Medal finalist, Eric Hoffer Grand Prize finalist, and was awarded an Honorable Mention in General Fiction from the Eric Hoffer Awards. In 2021, Alex was an artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, where her memoir-in-essay Breakfast Wine began.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

Today’s guest, Erik Palmer, is an educational consultant from Denver who focuses on showing teachers practical, engaging ways to teach oral communication skills, and showing educational leaders how to be more effective communicators.

He’s the author of several books, including Well Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students, 2nd Edition (Routledge).

We discuss:

• Defining modern, effective oral communication today
• What most teachers struggle with, when it comes to teaching speaking
• What is uniquely important about learning speaking? How does it expand on/reveal other skills?
• Building a Speech: Audience, Content, Organization, Visual Aids, and Appearance
• Performing a Speech: Poise, Voice, Life, Eye Contact, Gestures, and Speed (PVLEGS)
• Evaluating a Speech: Creating Effective Rubrics, Guiding Students to Excellence
• Digital speaking contexts including podcasts, webinars, and video/audio apps

Learn more about Erik at www.pvlegs.com and find the book from Routledge

About today’s guest

Erik Palmer is an educational consultant from Denver. Prior to becoming a consultant, he had a successful career in business managing a commodity brokerage office and trading on the floor of a Chicago commodity exchange. He was the national sales leader for a large commodity trading firm. In his second career, he spent 21 years teaching English, math, science, and civics, earning Teacher of the Year in one of the nation’s top school districts. Now in his third career as a consultant, Palmer focuses on showing teachers practical, engaging ways to teach oral communication skills, and showing educational leaders how to be more effective communicators.

Palmer is an internationally acclaimed speaker. He has given keynotes and led in-service trainings for districts across the US and for educators around the world. Palmer is a frequent contributor to educational magazines and is the author of several books: Well-Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students (Routledge, 2024), Teaching the Core Skills of Listening & Speaking (ASCD, 2014), Researching in a Digital World (ASCD, 2015), Good Thinking: Teaching Argument, Persuasion, and Reasoning (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016), Own Any Occasion: Mastering the Art of Speaking and Presenting (ATD Press, 2018) and Before You Say a Word: A School Leader’s Guide to Clear and Compelling Communication (ASCD, 2024). He is a program consultant for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Reading and Into Literature language arts programs.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

To close out May, I'm happy to highlight another Best Of episode with three-time guest Katie Novak. This was our first conversation, about her best-selling book UDL Now!

We talked about:

• “If UDL is the answer, what is the question?”
• Who should be doing UDL?
• UDL is best practice: “Teachers are working too hard to not have a greater impact on learners.”
• Understanding the similarities and differences between UDL and differentiated instruction (DI) — and why teachers should be doing both
• The three core beliefs of UDL: variability, firm goals, and expert learning
• What is the right amount of student voice and choice?

Find UDL Now! from CAST Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on Katie’s website: https://www.novakeducation.com/udl-now

About today’s guest

Katie Novak, Ed.D. is an internationally renowned education consultant, a graduate instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, and the best-selling author of 14 books on inclusive practices, with over 250K books sold worldwide. Katie designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), inclusive practices, and universally designed leadership. Connect on Twitter @KatieNovakUDL and LinkedIn.

Today’s episode wraps up our four-part series on communication and finding your voice. My guest is Matthew Rolnick.

Matt is SVP of Partnerships & Events for The Real American Beer Company and former VP of Strategy & Innovation at Yaymaker. He’s an Amazon bestselling author, speaker, LinkedIn 2023 Top Entrepreneurship Voice, and a Udemy Instructor for 135k students.

Matt is author of Find Your Yay.

We discuss:

• Find your voice and grow your brand on social media — who should do it?
• Defining a personal brand
• The purpose of building an online presence
• What kind of content should people share?
• Cutting through the noise
• Benefits of a network

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

Today is part 3 of our miniseries on communication. My guest, Michael Davis, works with business owners, entrepreneurs, and business leaders who struggle to effectively give presentations. He helps them increase their confidence, influence, and impact with more impactful presentations every time they stand up and speak.

Michael's expertise in communication is rooted in the belief that all business problems stem from communication issues. If your organization aims to improve leadership, team collaboration, and overall effectiveness, then Michael's approach can deliver these results.

Michael is founder of Speaking CPR and author of seven books on communication, including THE Book on Storytelling.

We discuss:

• What is storytelling and what is it not?
• What leaders lose when they don’t use storytelling
• How storytelling helps leaders enhance influence, foster trust, strengthen organizational structure, and develop their staff
• Stakeholder engagement
• “Then, Now and How” framework
• How can storytelling help leaders save time?

Learn more about Michael and get the book:

• https://SpeakingCPR.com
• 52 Storytelling Tips: https://speakingcpr.com/52-storytelling-tips
• http://bit.ly/SpeakingCPRYouTube

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

This week, we’re continuing our miniseries on finding your voice and increasing your influence as a leader.

My guest is Ryan Millar, a Canadian-born, Amsterdam-based coach, story trainer, and communications consultant.

All of his work draws heavily on his 25+ years as an improviser. Ryan got his start in Vancouver BC in the late ‘90s with !nstant Theater, and has worked with Boom Chicago and toured Europe teaching and performing at festivals.

His latest book, on the art of public speaking, is called The Confident Presenter.

We discuss:

• How Ryan got started teaching public speaking
• The connection between improv and public speaking
• “All effective public speakers are confident, but not all confident public speakers are effective.”
• Adjusting to the audience
• Identifying your goals and then determining strategies: Opening, stories, rhetorical techniques.
• What are some of those techniques for making a connection?
• Getting feedback

Learn more about Ryan and the book at https://ryanmillar.com and https://confidentpresenter.co

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

This week, we’re starting a four-episode miniseries on finding your voice and increasing your influence as a leader.

My guest to kick it off is Dr. Laura Sicola, a leadership communication and influence expert, and a renowned speaker, former bilingual K-12 teacher and university professor who holds a PhD in educational linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania.

With over 20 years of experience, she has coached TED speakers, delivered her own TED talk with over 7 million views, and appeared in major media outlets. Her clients include notable organizations like Comcast, GSK, and IBM.

Her book is Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice.

Laura and I discuss:

• Whether you are seen as a leader (not whether you believe you are a leader)
• Communication — what does it help you do as a leader?
• Image and reputation goals: mapping them out, making them authentic, understanding their relevance to your impact
• How to choose and use the right words
• The Three Cs of Vocal Executive Presence: Command, Connect, and Close
• How can I build my brand as a "go-to expert" and speaker?

Learn more at www.laurasicola.com and www.speakingtoinfluence.com

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

Miriam Plotinsky is a National Board–certified teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She’s currently an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

She’s the author of several books, including Small but Mighty: How Everyday Habits Add Up to More Manageable and Confident Teaching (ASCD).

We talk about:

• Why Miriam wanted to write a book about "small but mighty" teaching practices
• Phyllis Fagell said about the book, "Small but Mighty is an indispensable guide for any teacher who ever wished that doing the impossible felt more manageable.”
• What are some of the biggest challenges facing teachers today?
• “Habits over motivation” as key to success
• Beginning with beliefs - how teachers need to address their own beliefs
• Benefits of “habit stacking”
• How to make the habits practical

Find Small but Mighty from ASCD or wherever you get your books.

About the guest

Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and the author of several education books, including Small but Mighty: How Everyday Habits Add Up to More Manageable and Confident Teaching (ASCD). She is also a National Board–certified teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be reached at https://miriamplotinsky.com

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt