Change Starts Here

About Change Starts Here

Change Starts Here, presented by FranklinCovey Education, is the podcast for K–12 school and district leaders who are shaping—or ready to lead—meaningful change in their schools and communities. Through interviews with innovative educators and research-backed insights, each episode explores how to build leadership at all levels, foster high-trust school cultures, and achieve breakthrough results around what matters most. This podcast offers practical ideas and bold thinking to help you create lasting impact in your school community. Explore the episodes and dive into real stories, proven strategies, and the leadership mindset that transforms schools. This is your space for inspiration, clarity, and action. Real change starts here.

Publisher

Franklin Covey Education

Category

business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Jan 2021

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

20 of 241 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   If-Then Beats Willpower

   In this Change Starts Here research conversation, Kim Yaris and Dr. Eve Miller pick up where their last episode on hope left off: you've named the goal and the obstacle in your way, so what do you actually do when that obstacle shows up? They dig into why following through has less to do with willpower than most of us were taught, starting with a study on distractible kindergartners and a confession from Kim about an exercise routine she abandoned on day ten. From there, Kim and Eve walk through decades of research on implementation intentions, the psychologist Peter Gollwitzer's work showing that a simple “if this happens, then I'll do that” plan outperforms a plan with no trigger attached to it by a wide margin. They close with a practical way for school leaders, teachers, and anyone managing a team to write a plan that actually survives a busy day. Download the Handout: Handout: https://resources.franklincovey.com/c/csh-s7e8-handout?x=BaUe_e Hosts: Kim Yaris, M.Ed. (Associate Director of Research with FranklinCovey Education) Dr. Eve Miller (Director of Research with FranklinCovey Education) Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:14 The cartoon distraction study 02:04 Welcome to Change Starts Here Research Conversations 03:47 Kim's confession: the exercise plan that didn't stick 04:33 It's not about self-discipline 05:22 The principal who meant to get into classrooms 06:56 Getting practical with if-then plans 08:09 The winter break essay study 10:00 Eve's own dissertation story 11:06 642 studies and the real effect size 12:53 Building the principal's if-then plan 14:42 Writing your own if-then plan 16:18 Using this with teachers and with your team 18:24 This week's assignment and closing thoughts

2. 

   6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Progress Trap: When Doing More Isn’t Moving Us Forward

   Host Dustin Odham interviews listeners on how educators can escape the progress trap by focusing on what truly matters for meaningful impact.

3. 

   29 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Head and Heart of Continuous School Improvement

   Dustin Odham interviews Dr. Monica Schroeder, Superintendent of North Shore School District 112, about fostering continuous improvement through culture, leadership, and focused goals.

Inside a recent episode

The Progress Trap: When Doing More Isn’t Moving Us Forward

Published 6 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Think about how difficult it is to walk up a mountain. When you can finally look back and see how far you've climbed, you may still be tired and You may still have a long way to go, but suddenly the work feels different because you can see that it's working. The same thing happens in our schools. When people are exhausted and can't tell whether anything is actually changing, eventually they start asking, why are we doing this? So maybe one of our jobs as leaders isn't simply to create progress. Maybe it's to make progress visible, show people, look where we were. look where we are look what you did look what our students are doing now that they weren't doing two months ago we're not there yet but we're moving there's tremendous power in those words we're not there yet because yet means we're still becoming and progress gives people a reason to keep going so here's my challenge for you this month and actually Don't do this alone. […]

Who has been a guest on Change Starts Here

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dr Monica Schroeder
• Adam Welcome
• Sean Covey
• McLain Schaefer
• Dr. Jennifer Chevalier

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

297,457

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

41 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 79 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

92

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

85

Contact Change Starts Here

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Change Starts Here