Teach Smarter Podcast · Guest
Elena Aguilar
Founder and CEO, Bright Morning Consulting · Author of The Art of Coaching
About Elena
Elena Aguilar is a writer, educator, coach, and the founder and CEO of Bright Morning Consulting, an organization that helps individuals and schools create the conditions for transformation. She has been designing and facilitating professional learning for educators since 2004, and her work with coaches, teachers, and school leaders reaches schools and systems across the United States and internationally.
She is the author of eight books, including The Art of Coaching, The Art of Coaching Teams, Onward, Coaching for Equity, The PD Book, and Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching. She has written for Edutopia and Educational Leadership, and she hosts The Bright Morning Podcast, where she models transformational coaching conversations.
About This Episode
Elena Aguilar on Coaching, Resistance, and School Culture
Stephanie and Pete talk with Elena Aguilar about some of the harder parts of coaching and school leadership: emotions, resistance, conflict, and team dynamics. Elena explains what she means by “emotions are data,” how leaders can acknowledge emotions without turning every conversation into therapy, and what a healthy adult culture looks like in practice.
They also discuss why teams struggle to communicate and make decisions, why some conversations should not happen over email, and what AI can and cannot do in coaching.