Books

#TheLeaderInside

The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within. It’s filled with inspiring stories of the path to leadership, the influence of mentorship, and actionable ideas for leaders and educators alike.

This book embodies the collective wisdom, support, and love Lauren received from all the people on her journey who have recognized her gifts. 

Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. #TheLeaderInside #IMPress 💜

My contribution in The Leader Inside focuses on my time as a Coach of other Teachers in my school district. This position often sits in-between Teachers and Administrators. Finding my voice and who I am as a leader has shifted me and my impact. 

Grow Your Why: One Story at a Time

Unlock the Power of Stories through Personal Narratives about Living on Purpose

'Grow Your Why' is a compelling collection of stories featuring 23 heartfelt narratives from diverse contributors. These stories delve into pivotal moments that shaped and defined the authors' lives. As you immerse yourself in each of these stories, you'll discover that storytelling is more than a mere recounting of events; it's the heartbeat of our existence.

My chapter is in Section 3 where I share about My Year of Yes to Me and how that helped me unlock and grow my why.

Section 1: Define Your Why
What story defined who you are and your why?

Section 2: Journey Your Why
What story challenged you to choose another path on your journey to your why?

Section 3: Grow Your Why
What story empowered you to go out of your comfort zone to grow your why?

#EvolvingWithGratitude

It’s Time to Make Gratitude a priority

Research proves that by intentionally practicing gratitude, we can dramatically improve our disposition, bringing us more joy and better health. Consistently and intentionally practicing gratitude can also lead to better relationships and more successful learning experiences. In this book, Lainie Rowell shows how educators can use small gratitude practices to make a big difference with kids, peers, and the world.

Drawing on recent discoveries in neuroscience, and highlighting the stories of twenty educators from around the world, Evolving with Gratitude will equip you with tools and resources to create safe, equitable, empowering learning experiences for all learners. Discover how to empower kids to be grateful for learning, which can lead to greater engagement. Learn how to practice gratitude with peers to cope with stress, regulate emotions, and nourish relationships. Get back to the joy of teaching, learning, and leading with implementable, research-backed practices and promote prosocial behavior in our world.

#BecauseOfATeacher

What you do matters.

You may not hear it often (or ever), but if you’re an educator, you’re making a difference in the lives of learners. And that impact has a domino effect.

In Because of a Teacher, more than fifteen of today’s leading educators remember the teachers and administrators who inspired and supported their careers. Through a series of heartfelt and uplifting stories, they reflect on their early years teaching, offering advice and strategies suited to first-year teachers and longtime educators alike.

These personal stories offer hope for new teachers, encouragement for educators tiptoeing into burnout, and reassurance that the work you’re doing right now will inspire generations to come.

Because of a Teacher will inspire you to

• remember those who encouraged your love of learning;

• honor and thank educators who have advocated for you, championed your career, and equipped you with the skills necessary to lead;

• reflect on how far you’ve come since you entered the profession.

You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Be GREAT

When school leader Dwight Carter decided to become more intentional about his personal and professional growth, he asked himself a key question: “What does being great mean to you and why?” He reflected on his experiences as a student, teacher, coach, and principal. He thought about his relationships. He thought about his successes, failures, opportunities, and setbacks. He thought deeply about his core values and whether his attitude aligned with the beliefs that guided his behavior. It was no easy task, but in the years since, Dwight’s journey has led to more appreciation, awareness, clarity, and intentionality in his life—and it can do the same for you.

Educators are under immense pressure, and in the age of constant, high-speed change, this pressure is not going to decrease. Responding effectively to change and developing skills to navigate challenges is essential. The stories and strategies in Be GREAT are designed to boost your consistency, persistence, and resilience, empowering you to impact the culture of your classroom in the way that only you can.

100 No-Nonsense Things That ALL School Leaders Should STOP Doing is for anyone aspiring to lead. It is a platform for leading realistic conversations that establish norms, beliefs and expectations using a common language aligned to a common goal. Leading STOP conversations help community stakeholders to better understand what should and should not be occurring in award winning districts. There are many incredible leaders out there AND there are some terrible ones too. You know it and we all know it. It is OK to encourage a colleague to “STOP” doing something if it will influence the community to better serve our students. Sometimes doing what’s right requires accountability, transparency and stopping bad habits, altogether. It is our hope that by the time you are done reading this book that you will be well-equipped to confidently and professionally initiate liberating and achievement-aligned conversations among your leadership teams that will set the bar of distinction.

This book isn’t about changing THEM it’s about changing you. Educational leaders will learn practices, tips from experienced leaders, and ideas to refine their own practices and sharpen their leadership skills to a successful point of distinction. Educational leaders will learn the knowledge and tools to promote synergy among teams, deliver their personal best, create a strong sense of belonging, live a healthy career, generate action-oriented achievement outcomes, be productive, maximize stakeholders, model dynamic off-the-charts leadership presence, and how to lead courageously especially in times of uncertainty . . .

because our students are counting on US!