Meet the Voices Behind the Coaching Podcast: C3 Connecting Coaches Cognition
Defining Our Goal
Often coaching is an isolating job you often feel like you're on an island of your own. We initially felt this way when we first began coaching. We felt there was a need to build our PLN outside of our building, practice our craft, and elevate our practices as new instructional coaches. We strategized the best way of doing that was by creating a podcast. Podcasts are the functional way for a busy coach to get on-the-go learning from anywhere! We formed this C3: Connecting Coach’s Cognition podcast in order to help you get off of your coaching island or maybe not feel so alone..because first and foremost, every coach needs a coach.
Courtney Groskin and Violet Christensen have a passion for instructional coaching. They support elementary teachers in elevating their instructional practices. While teaching fourth grade prior, Courtney had developed a passion for podcasting with her students. When she was quickly moved into a coaching role she soon realized that there was a need for a new type of podcast. There was a niche to be filled for an instructional coach themed podcast that would support coaches on their sometimes isolating coaching journey. She especially loved the idea of a podcast because you can listen to it during your commute, while clearing the house, or while walking the dog. The next step was to find a co-host.
This is where Violet Christensen joined in the conversation. She thought Courtney was crazy at first. Despite the fact that Violet is outgoing, the whole idea of on air recording was intimidating to her. As to not get bogged down in the guests and logistics of how to pull the podcast off, they started with the branding. It felt it would be much easier to build a concept of a podcast once we had a name. Thus began a great brainstorm. We knew the goal of the podcast was to connect coaches and make them feel less isolated. We dove a layer deeper and realized that we are not just trying to connect coaches, we are trying to help them elevate their practices and enhance their cognition. Then C3:Connecting Coaches’ Cognition was born.
Choosing Episode Topics & Leveraging Collective Resources
All of the sudden we realized that we had a viable idea for a show and we now needed to tap into all of our collective resources in order to build season one. We rounded up the most brilliant minds we had direct access to, as well as using others’ connections to network. We learned how to brand ourselves and build content. We simultaneously reached out to coaches outside our direct network trying to reach for new heights and build our PLN. Suddenly, we were jumping from people like our own heads of district to thought leaders in the instructional coaching realm of coaching like Elena Aguilar. Catching a huge expert like her in the time of self care really resonated with our listeners. A huge part of hosting a podcast is staying current with the pulse of education. We read a ton of coaching books, articles, and tweets. Twitter has a great coaching network so we try to remain as visible and active on twitter as we can, it’s also a great place to build connections and network. Typically when we are planning out an episode we look at what is currently happening in the world and how that might impact educators and coaching. Then we look for a guest that fits that need. Once we have booked a guest we then have a major brainstorming session and think of all the questions we would want to be able to ask them. Then from that session a clear topic emerges; we choose the best questions to support the theme/topic of the episode. We also have a large tracking document in which we track the general themes of each episode to make sure we are staying relevant, providing varied content, and not being redundant with themes we weave throughout. We carefully plan out a sequence that works with the events within a school year while also keeping what is coming down the pike.
Connecting with Coaching Gurus and our Educators
We hit the niche right in the needed moment and from there progress started erupting. The next steps emerged to snag tremendous guests and join an Educators PLC as well as leveraging the power of Twitter. We found a system of reaching out to guests and reeling them in to join us for an episode. It was like a cannon shot off and now the ball was rolling for C3. With Jim Knight launching our second season this has clearly become a sustainable podcast that truly supports educators. We started hearing more directly from educators as to how the podcast was impacting their work.
“As someone who has some experience with coaching both students and other teachers, I find myself at times still feeling like I’m “drinking from the firehose”, but continually wanting more information! The materials we explored in this podcast enhance my understanding of coaching as a never ending cycle and equatable to a buffet where there’s “something for everyone”. The various philosophies and models you’re exposed us to offer strategies and approaches to meet the needs of teachers in multiple levels of pedagogical expertise. I appreciate the continued emphasis on trust, for truly... how can we expect someone to reflect, analyze, refine, or transform without first feeling safe to display vulnerability?”-Current 4th Grade Educator
We also heard from Administrators who were reconnecting with their coaching roots. Teachers were elaborating about how while listening to how much more they understood the gravity of instructional coaching. Our intent of spreading cognitive coaching understanding was working! The whirlwind kept coming as we were able to talk to experts like Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Diane Sweeney. With every interview our knowledge base and PLN grew. With every episode we learned more about ourselves as coaches and how best to support other coaches. Our audience has really grown since our start which in turn is helping us to continue to evolve our work into what it has become today.
Final noteFast forward two years and a pandemic later, we continue to build our listenership, marketing, and, most importantly, expand our coaching network—with season three in the works! The outpouring of enthusiasm from our guests to share their experiences, tips, and best practices has been an honor. We hope to continue to support coaches for seasons to come to help take them off of their coaching island and help make them feel more connected cognitively.
Next time you're gearing up for a walk or commute to work, we hope you take a moment to tune into the C3: Connecting Coaches’ Cognition Podcast—you won't be disappointed :)
Defining Our Goal
Often coaching is an isolating job you often feel like you're on an island of your own. We initially felt this way when we first began coaching. We felt there was a need to build our PLN outside of our building, practice our craft, and elevate our practices as new instructional coaches. We strategized the best way of doing that was by creating a podcast. Podcasts are the functional way for a busy coach to get on-the-go learning from anywhere! We formed this C3: Connecting Coach’s Cognition podcast in order to help you get off of your coaching island or maybe not feel so alone..because first and foremost, every coach needs a coach.
Courtney Groskin and Violet Christensen have a passion for instructional coaching. They support elementary teachers in elevating their instructional practices. While teaching fourth grade prior, Courtney had developed a passion for podcasting with her students. When she was quickly moved into a coaching role she soon realized that there was a need for a new type of podcast. There was a niche to be filled for an instructional coach themed podcast that would support coaches on their sometimes isolating coaching journey. She especially loved the idea of a podcast because you can listen to it during your commute, while clearing the house, or while walking the dog. The next step was to find a co-host.
This is where Violet Christensen joined in the conversation. She thought Courtney was crazy at first. Despite the fact that Violet is outgoing, the whole idea of on air recording was intimidating to her. As to not get bogged down in the guests and logistics of how to pull the podcast off, they started with the branding. It felt it would be much easier to build a concept of a podcast once we had a name. Thus began a great brainstorm. We knew the goal of the podcast was to connect coaches and make them feel less isolated. We dove a layer deeper and realized that we are not just trying to connect coaches, we are trying to help them elevate their practices and enhance their cognition. Then C3:Connecting Coaches’ Cognition was born.
Choosing Episode Topics & Leveraging Collective Resources
All of the sudden we realized that we had a viable idea for a show and we now needed to tap into all of our collective resources in order to build season one. We rounded up the most brilliant minds we had direct access to, as well as using others’ connections to network. We learned how to brand ourselves and build content. We simultaneously reached out to coaches outside our direct network trying to reach for new heights and build our PLN. Suddenly, we were jumping from people like our own heads of district to thought leaders in the instructional coaching realm of coaching like Elena Aguilar. Catching a huge expert like her in the time of self care really resonated with our listeners. A huge part of hosting a podcast is staying current with the pulse of education. We read a ton of coaching books, articles, and tweets. Twitter has a great coaching network so we try to remain as visible and active on twitter as we can, it’s also a great place to build connections and network. Typically when we are planning out an episode we look at what is currently happening in the world and how that might impact educators and coaching. Then we look for a guest that fits that need. Once we have booked a guest we then have a major brainstorming session and think of all the questions we would want to be able to ask them. Then from that session a clear topic emerges; we choose the best questions to support the theme/topic of the episode. We also have a large tracking document in which we track the general themes of each episode to make sure we are staying relevant, providing varied content, and not being redundant with themes we weave throughout. We carefully plan out a sequence that works with the events within a school year while also keeping what is coming down the pike.
Connecting with Coaching Gurus and our Educators
We hit the niche right in the needed moment and from there progress started erupting. The next steps emerged to snag tremendous guests and join an Educators PLC as well as leveraging the power of Twitter. We found a system of reaching out to guests and reeling them in to join us for an episode. It was like a cannon shot off and now the ball was rolling for C3. With Jim Knight launching our second season this has clearly become a sustainable podcast that truly supports educators. We started hearing more directly from educators as to how the podcast was impacting their work.
“As someone who has some experience with coaching both students and other teachers, I find myself at times still feeling like I’m “drinking from the firehose”, but continually wanting more information! The materials we explored in this podcast enhance my understanding of coaching as a never ending cycle and equatable to a buffet where there’s “something for everyone”. The various philosophies and models you’re exposed us to offer strategies and approaches to meet the needs of teachers in multiple levels of pedagogical expertise. I appreciate the continued emphasis on trust, for truly... how can we expect someone to reflect, analyze, refine, or transform without first feeling safe to display vulnerability?”-Current 4th Grade Educator
We also heard from Administrators who were reconnecting with their coaching roots. Teachers were elaborating about how while listening to how much more they understood the gravity of instructional coaching. Our intent of spreading cognitive coaching understanding was working! The whirlwind kept coming as we were able to talk to experts like Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Diane Sweeney. With every interview our knowledge base and PLN grew. With every episode we learned more about ourselves as coaches and how best to support other coaches. Our audience has really grown since our start which in turn is helping us to continue to evolve our work into what it has become today.
Final noteFast forward two years and a pandemic later, we continue to build our listenership, marketing, and, most importantly, expand our coaching network—with season three in the works! The outpouring of enthusiasm from our guests to share their experiences, tips, and best practices has been an honor. We hope to continue to support coaches for seasons to come to help take them off of their coaching island and help make them feel more connected cognitively.
Next time you're gearing up for a walk or commute to work, we hope you take a moment to tune into the C3: Connecting Coaches’ Cognition Podcast—you won't be disappointed :)
Courtney Groskin works as an instructional learning coach with St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont, CO. She has over 18 years of experience teaching, coaching, and designing curriculum. In addition to coaching, Courtney works for the Office of Professional Development to create educator-focused professional development. Courtney has her Masters of Science in Educational Technology from Ramapo College of New Jersey and many other education certifications.
You can follow her on Twitter @MissGroskin!
Violet Christensen is an Interventionist in Loveland CO with the Thompson School District.
Violet is an iLearn Collaborative Blended Learning Certified Educator.
Be sure to connect with violet on Twitter @vhchristensen!
Violet is an iLearn Collaborative Blended Learning Certified Educator.
Be sure to connect with violet on Twitter @vhchristensen!
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