Superintendents Leadership Podcast
Leadership isn’t about getting it right every time.
It’s about showing up, learning, and making better choices the next time. An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is for superintendents and district leaders navigating the beautiful, messy work of public education.
On this podcast, we leave perfection at the door. Through real stories, candid conversations, and reflective after-action reviews, we talk about what happened, what was missed, what we learned — and what we might do differently next time.
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to be flawless in a complicated system, you’ll feel right at home here.
Hear from fellow superintendents and leaders on:
What actually happens behind the scenes
The frustrations no one talks about
The wins worth celebrating
And the tough calls that keep all of us up at night.
Latest Episodes
Dr. Richard Labbe and The Courageous Choice to Cancel the Football Season
INTRO: I almost called this episode: You’re the Villain in this Story because of the absolutely horrific story my guest shared with me in this week’s episode. Holy cow, you’re going to want to listen to this entire episode! Sometimes…
Natalie Nichols Shows Us How Leadership Coaching Creates Futures Without Boundaries
INTRO: When I first became a superintendent, I learned about Positive Coaching. Positive Coaching is a framework for winning kids with sport by building relationships with children first and foremost. The way I saw it, Positive Coaching emphasized the…
Merle Horowitz Reminds Us to Empathize, Sympathize, and Energize
In this week’s An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, we dive into another authentic story of someone navigating the complexities of leadership. I’m your host, Peter Stiepleman, and today, we have the honor of welcoming a…
If you’re a superintendent or district leader navigating these same tensions, we’d love to support you.
Thanks for joining us on this imperfect journey.
You’re not alone — and you don’t have to carry it alone.



