Taylor Kanzler shares how trust fuels innovation, empowering teachers and students to take risks and build meaningful learning experiences.

In this episode, hosts Elaine Millen and Penny Kittle sit down with high school teacher Taylor Kanzler to explore how trust empowers educators and fuels innovation in the classroom. From defining trust as “the coin of the realm” to co-creating a groundbreaking interdisciplinary podcast course, Taylor shares the habits, leadership moves, and relational mindsets that inspire both teachers and students to thrive.

Guest
Taylor Kanzler, veteran high school English and Spanish teacher based on the coast of Maine. Co-designer of the interdisciplinary course If This Land Could Talk.

Key Takeaways
• Trust is foundational. When teachers feel trusted, they gain courage to innovate.
• Publishing student work publicly raises engagement.
• Supportive leadership encourages experimentation.
• Small classroom pilots spark cultural change.
• Post-pandemic openness has paved the way for community-connected learning.

Books & References
• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
• Trust: The Coin of the Realm - essay by George P. Shultz
• “The water will always flow around the boulders.” - Taylor Kanzler
• “When trust was in the room, good things happened. Period.” - George P. Shultz

Sully Gaudreault shares how creative freedom in the classroom sparked a passion for storytelling that now drives his work in advocacy and justice.

In this episode of Moves Leaders Make, hosts Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen reconnect with Sullivan “Sully” Gaudreault, a former student whose love of storytelling evolved into a career in advocacy filmmaking. Sully shares how creative freedom in the classroom helped him discover his voice, and how he now uses film to fight for justice and human rights through projects with the Syrian Emergency Task Force and the Making an Exoneree program.

Guest
Sullivan (Sully) Gaudreault, documentary filmmaker, teacher, and Deputy Director of Communications at the Syrian Emergency Task Force. Head of Documentary Filmmaking for the Making an Exoneree program.

Key Takeaways
• Creative freedom can ignite lifelong passions and purpose.
• The learning process matters more than the final product.
• Small sparks of curiosity can grow into meaningful creative pursuits.
• Insights into Making an Exoneree and its impact: 12 exonerations since 2018.
• Leadership lessons: find people’s passions and give them space to act.

Books & References
• Serial Podcast (Season 1, Adnan Syed case)
• Omar Alshogre, Syrian activist and TED speaker
• Syrian Emergency Task Force
• Making an Exoneree
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
• Percy Jackson - Sully’s first video project

Dr. LaQuita Outlaw shares how small, intentional reading habits can transform connection, culture, and leadership across a school community.

In this episode of Moves Leaders Make, hosts Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen talk with Dr. LaQuita Outlaw, Assistant Superintendent and longtime middle school principal. She shares how something as simple as carrying a book opened doors to deeper connections with students, staff, families, and even the school board. Together, they explore how joy, vision, and literacy can become everyday tools for leadership, and how small intentional moves create lasting culture change.

Guest
Dr. LaQuita Outlaw, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Curriculum and Instruction, with nearly 30 years in education, including 19 as a middle school principal. Advisory board member with the Book Love Foundation.

Key Takeaways
• How one small move made reading part of the fabric of school culture.
• Using literacy as a connector for staff, students, and families.
• The power of sharing “What I’m reading now / next / just finished” to spark curiosity.
• Choosing diverse books to reflect the community you serve.
• Effective leadership is rooted in connection, not compliance.

Books & References
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
• John Maxwell: “Leadership’s not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It’s about one life influencing another.”
• Brené Brown: “Joy comes in ordinary moments.”