The Interview Chair

Latest Episodes:

Episode 131: Lead Like You Are in a Job Interview Jun 08, 2026

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In this engaging interview, Dr. Tiffany Bone shares her inspiring journey through education, leadership challenges, and personal growth. Discover her insights on building effective teams, maintaining work-life balance, and the transformative power of education.

Episode 130: School Counselors: The Heart of a School May 31, 2026

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In this heartfelt interview, Amy Harksen shares her journey as a school counselor, leader, and advocate for students and staff. Discover practical strategies for building trust, leading teams, and connecting with families to create a positive school culture.

Episode 129: Building Community in Athletic Programs May 23, 2026

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In this episode, Jimmy sits down with former school Athletic Director Stephen Speck. Whether you are an AD, school leader, or parent of a student athlete, this interview offers meaningful insight to help all of us build a community where our players, performers, parents, coaches, and administrators experience the joy of competition and the benefits that comes from being a part of a team.

Episode 128: Don't Apologize for Caring May 11, 2026

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In this episode, Jimmy reflects on challenges that come with leading a school in the last month of the calendar year, causing us sometimes to move quickly and create undercurrents that impact staff morale in negative ways. He also shares his views on hiring, evaluations and reinforces a powerful leadership lesson that every leader needs to remember when dealing with difficult staff decisions.

Episode 127: A Soft Place to Land May 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Jimmy calls for educators to lead with empathy, recognizing that students and colleagues often carry unseen pain that influences their behavior. Rather than reacting to actions alone, schools should create a “soft place to land” by building trust, showing compassion, and intentionally supporting both the emotional and academic needs of everyone in the community. By doing so, educators can foster stronger relationships, improve school culture, and help others move forward despite their challenges.

Episode 126: The Internal Siren Apr 20, 2026

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Avoiding tough conversations can turn small issues into major conflicts. In this episode, Jimmy shares practical strategies to help you initiate those conversations and build a culture of open communication and trust.

Episode 125: Fingerprints on the Sculpture Apr 12, 2026

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In this episode, Jimmy reminds decision-makers that the more staff and students who have their “fingerprints on the sculpture” to determine the vision, design, and implementation for the culturized classroom and school, the more likely we are to get the positive results we desire. A positive school culture is the collective responsibility of everyone within the school community.

Episode 124: Responding to Disruptive Behavior Mar 30, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Jimmy challenges listeners to reflect on how they are responding to disruptive student behaviors and provides several practical examples for you to consider.

Episode 123: Ease the Pain in the Classroom Mar 15, 2026

Show notes

Most educators feel overwhelmed by challenging behaviors — but what if changing the approach could turn chaos into connection? Dr. Bethany Bilidou, an expert in human behavior and creator of the "Ease the Pain in the Classroom" framework, shares surprising strategies that empower teachers to defuse crises in seconds and build resilience in even the most difficult students.

Episode 122: Just Hanging On Mar 08, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Jimmy shares how educators are facing fatigue as they enter the final stretch of the school year. He reminds us that if we want students to stay focused and continue to work hard, then we, as educators, need to do the same. Jimmy shares specific steps that we can take to regain momentum and continue to move forward so we no longer feel like we are just hanging on.

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