Announcing the Little Wins Podcast!
Team Letter | June 3, 2025
Happy Tuesday, Alpaca!
Special Edition Bonus Team Letter today — because we have something to share!
Last week, I had a call with Gus Carter, a principal in the middle of Illinois, at a high school most of us haven’t been to or heard of. On our call, he told me about some of the remarkable things he’s doing to build up his team and create great school culture.
He makes it a rule that every adult is in the hallway during every passing period. Why? More supervision, more presence, more connection.
He asks his new teachers to spend their first two weeks building relationships instead of teaching the curriculum. Why? Stronger relationships — greater trust — stronger culture.
And most remarkably, he signs off on his Friday read of the school’s announcements over the intercom with three words: “love you all.” Why? “Because every single person needs to hear that every day. And just in case there’s a kid or an adult in the building who hasn’t heard it all week, they’re going to hear it from me on Friday.”
Now, it’s become a mantra — something kids say to him in the hallways, and he says it back. This May, the seniors at his school chose for their “senior prank” to paper the doors and windows of his office and inscribe three words. You guessed it: “love you all.”
I’ve thought about that story every day for two weeks. Not because of the emotion behind it, but because of how a small act can create extraordinary impact on a team, in an organization, in a school. Three words, said with conviction, every week, to every member of the team can galvanize the culture of a school to be one where kids and adults know they belong.
This is the definition of a “little win.”
So who is this school leader? Well, Gus is one of the brave school leaders who said “yes” when we said “we think we want to test out a podcast,” and this conversation happened in one of our first interviews. Well, it worked. We learned so much — from each guest, in each
Gus’s story (among many) is why I am so proud to share with you today the launch of the Little Wins Podcast — an opportunity to share the stories of school leaders who are creating great school culture through small acts of kindness, celebration, and leadership.
We don’t hear those positive stories enough, and we don’t celebrate the leaders and educators at the front line bringing these ideas to their teams every single day. But we’re going to now!
When we were considering the idea of a podcast, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Would leaders be willing to share their work with us? Could we bring something new to the narrative? Would there be enough “little wins” in these schools to fill an episode?
I know our team has seen me recording some of our first episodes, and if you have, you know — I’m truly humbled and blown away by every single one.
The principals I’ve talked to so far are not implementing huge strategic plans to move the needle for school culture. They’re not writing huge grants or bringing in major speakers for their professional development days.
They’re trying new ideas that are creative and free and heartfelt.
They’re celebrating their teams and they’re bringing laughter and joy to their campuses.
They’re unafraid of human connection because they know it’s the key to strong culture.
And they’re doing it day in and day out, in ways that are creating extraordinary school culture across the country.
Our very first episode is here today — and you’re going to love meeting Sheila Taylor, a principal of a very unique school — one where there are 12 or 13 sections each of 2nd and 3rd grade. But just those two grades. WHAT?! Yes. I had to hear her story, and she has an amazing one.
Sheila is a long-time (28 years!) school leader and she’s built up a repertoire of strategies for caring deeply for her teams while connecting personally with her students and families.
You will not want to miss her last day of school strategy — I promise!
I truly hope you enjoy listening to our guests’ stories — they have been my favorite part of my work this year, personally, and I am learning so much from each and every one.
My colleague and friend Jeff Collier at Saginaw Independent School District said it best when he and I recorded an episode last month and he said— “this podcast is about bringing forth the positive narrative of education.”
That’s right, and now, we get to share those stories, celebrations, and little wins.
Onward!
KB