Child Care Rockstar Radio

Business Strategies, Inspiration, and Ideas From Top Performers in the ECE Industry and Global Business Thought Leaders

Tune in to top child care business expert Kris Murray on the Child Care Rockstar™ Radio podcast for interviews with early childhood leaders and experts that will leave you inspired to get to the next level of success.

Most Popular Episode(s)

Episode 111

Feeling Alive in Your Work with Vernon Mason

Kris welcomes back Vernon Mason to the show. Not only is he the first guest to return three times, but he is also a highly sought-after influential speaker and the Senior VP of Growth and Professional Development at the Nest Schools. Vernon and Kris discuss the importance of advocacy at a local and national level, building community, and the most important subject in child care right now — the staffing crisis. Vernon gives practical ways to attract and hire key talent that will stay, including benefits, building relationships, the right type of marketing, and an improved pay structure.

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Innovation in the Classroom: A New Way to Help Kids Read with Jodi McMaster

Kris welcomes Jodi McMaster, an incredible innovator, teacher, and the force behind Circus Vowels. Jodi talks about how she created Circus Vowels to help kids learn to read in an intuitive and interactive way. She talks about the real-world success she’s seen with the product and gives her advice on how you can add more value to your program, celebrate

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Money Is A Reflection of What You Feel You’re Worth with Rachelle Calina

It’s all about money, finances, and recognizing your worth this week, with Rachelle Calina, CPA and Founder of Honest Buck Accounting. Rachelle shares her journey into starting a fantastic early learning accounting and financial metrics firm, and details some financial benchmarks and best practices to be set up for success no matter your size, capacity, or what’s happening in the

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Using Mindfulness to Build Resilience with Dr. Kate Lund

This week, Kris welcomes Kate Lund, Psy.D., and author of Bounce: Help Your Child Build Resilience and Thrive in School, Sports, and Life. Kate shares her unique viewpoint on how to help children build resilience, deal with frustration, and negotiate better when things don’t go their way. Kate shares the Seven Pillars of Resilience that she has identified after 20

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Eliminating Isolation In This Crazy World with Maureen “Mo” Thompson

Kris welcomes Maureen “Mo” Thompson, M.Ed., founder of the Rocky Mountain Kids Club, for the first in-person interview. Mo talks with Kris about creating a mobile learning space by outfitting her RV, how we can break barriers between children and adults, and how to help children embrace their weirdness. Mo discusses how reducing isolation might positively impact gun violence and

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How to Win The Hiring War: Real Talk About Staff Compensation

Kris welcomes two outstanding ladies in the field of early childhood education, Donna Jensen, who owns The Learning Station and who many of you know as “Coach Donna,” along with Audrey Pallone-Bugeja, owner of Little Scholars Preparatory School. They dive into the hot topic of how to win the hiring war and how to keep, find, attract, and retain A-level

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The Miracle Morning For Educators & Leaders with Hal Elrod

Hal Elrod is on a mission to elevate the consciousness of humanity, one morning at a time. As a keynote speaker, podcaster, and the author of best-sellers The Miracle Morning and The Miracle Equation, he has helped millions of people overcome their challenges and become who they need to be in order to create the life they truly deserve. He

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Play and Wellness As Learning Foundations with Drew Vernon

It’s all about the power of play this week as I welcome Drew Vernon, the U.S. Marketing Lead at tonies, a popular European children’s audio system that has recently launched in the United States. Drew talks about his former experience as Brand Director at Lego and in marketing at Procter and Gamble, and how it helps him now in his

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Redefining Normal For Families and Kids with Justin Black

On this episode I welcome Justin Black, founder of The Redefining Normal company. Between his book, podcast, speaking, and mentorship, Justin and his wife Alexis have impacted thousands of individuals and families with the work they are doing. Justin shares his unique story of coming up through the foster system, and how he now gives back to foster youths and foster

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Changing The World Of Non-Profit Early Education with Joan Dillon

If you are feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, and under-appreciated, this episode is for you. I welcome friend and Child Care Success Academy member Joan Dillon with the Glassboro Child Development Centers in New Jersey. Joan is also the “Change the World Winner,” and after hearing her talk about her commitment to her core values, it’s quite clear why. Joan talks

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“I Never Knew Life Could Be So Fun” with Donna Naleway

I am so happy to welcome Donna Naleway, Owner & Director of Kid Country Childcare, who is celebrating her 20th anniversary in business. In October 2015, Kid Country Childcare earned the Silver Circle of Quality designation from ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s quality recognition and improvement system for early learning and development providers. Donna was also the runner-up for the annual

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The Secret of Being Happy Every Day with Marshall Goldsmith

I am thrilled to welcome world-renowned coach and author Marshall Goldsmith for a fun conversation on learning to accept feedback, balancing achievement and aspirations, and the fact that we all need help. Marshall talks about his new book, The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment, and the reasons he sees people forgetting to be happy. Marshall gives a few practical and

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The Real Deal on Eliminating Overwhelm From Your Life with Tanya Dalton

Kris welcomes nationally recognized productivity expert, Founder & CEO of inkWELL Press Productivity Co., bestselling author, speaker, and growth strategist, Tanya Dalton, this week. Tanya talks about a few of her most successful habits and hacks for getting out of overwhelm and harnessing your energy in a way that makes you productive, efficient, and refreshed. Tanya first talks about why

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Be The Change You Wish To See with Stephanie Parra

Kris welcomes Stephanie Parra, Executive Director of All In Education, a non-profit advocacy group for underserved communities and families, particularly the Latino communities. Stephanie talks about All In’s mission to focus on closing the performance gap of Latino students and the Latino community and how we can help parents be more confident partners in the education process alongside teachers. She

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An ECE Pioneer: The Secrets of Her Success with Carol Levins

On this episode, I am honored to be joined by Early Education pioneer Carol Levins to the show. Carol created a school from nothing and ended up with a business that now has 14 locations, serving over 3,500 children. Carol talks about how a passion for learning sparked her path in education, how she crafted her teaching positions to elevate

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Helping Foster Growth In Others with Christine McNally

Christine McNally is a heartfelt leader and educator in our space and has been doing childcare for close to 25 years, since 1998. You may also recognize her from appearing on stage at the Child Care Success Summit, telling her story and sharing her amazing video for hundreds of engaged listeners. In this episode, Christine joins Kris to talk about

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Elevating Hard Conversations with Little Ones Featuring Dr. Lauren Starnes

Kris welcomes Dr. Lauren Starnes this week, VP of Early Childhood Education at Primrose Schools, where she supports curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation. Lauren’s new book, Big Conversations with Little Children, helps provide tools and techniques to help teachers and leaders overcome the stress and hurdles in education. Dr. Lauren talks with Kris about the incredible growth of the Primrose franchise, now

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Life Gives To The Giver with Andre Norman

Author, speaker, and leader Andre Norman truly exemplifies what it means to turn your life around and turn your blessings into gifts for others. This week, Andre joins Kris for an impactful and important episode about how we can shift our life to be something we are proud of and excited to live. He shares his story of going to

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What Makes a Great Preschool Brand with Isobel Wheatcroft

Isobel Wheatcroft, Creative Director of Grow Your Center, joins us from snowy Ottawa to talk about GYC, embracing your marketing message, creativity in all its forms, and the elements of great design. Isobel shares how she melded her background in business as a former yoga studio owner and entrepreneur with being a mom and understanding preschool-aged children and infants. Kris

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Leaning In to Excellence with Jerzell Pierre-Louis

Kris kicks off this week with a fun new announcement about a recent purchase she made and then welcomes Jerzell Pierre-Louis, Founder of Sprout Early Education Center and Bloom Early Education Center. Ever since Kris heard Jerzell talking next to her table in Las Vegas at this year’s past Child Care Success Summit, she knew she had to have her

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The Power of Being A Book Author with Mike Capuzzi

Today’s episode will get you all “shook” up! It is all about the power of becoming a published author. Becoming an author is one of the three things that has changed my life the most. I wrote my first book, The Ultimate Childcare Marketing Guide, in 2012 and it has opened so many doors and propelled my career in numerous ways.

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Creating a Win from The Great Resignation

The Child Care Success Summit 2021 in Las Vegas just wrapped up earlier this month, and there was so much love, support, and fun throughout those three days! On this week’s solo episode, Kris shares the three big takeaways that were shared during the Summit from leaders and keynote speakers Marshall Goldsmith, Stedman Graham, and Andre Norman. Kris also discusses

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Feeling Alive In Your Work With Vernon Mason

Kris welcomes back Vernon Mason to the show. Not only is he the first guest to return three times, but he is also a highly sought-after influential speaker and the Senior VP of Growth and Professional Development at the Nest Schools. Vernon and Kris discuss the importance of advocacy at a local and national level, building community, and the most

Read More »

Why Different Is Better Than Good with Mike Michalowicz

Author and speaker Mike Michalowicz brings his wisdom and expertise to the podcast this week. Mike talks with Kris about his bestseller, Profit First, and his latest book, Get Different, created to inspire small business owners to get out of the sea of sameness and stand out. He and Kris talk about why being different is the first way to

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Getting Back To Your Purpose With Love And Confidence with Joy Clore Willis

Kris welcomes Joy Clore Willis, aka Mama Joy, Director of A Kids Gym in Oviedo, Florida. In between cruising around Alaska and spending time with her children and grandchildren, Joy is the busy mind behind A Kids Gym, where they incorporate activity and play as well as traditional physically-oriented services. Joy talks about the changes that came about when she

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You Are a Badass: Believe in Yourself with Karina Wyllie

Today’s episode will inspire you to get out there and be the true badass that you are! My guest today, Karina Wyllie, is a motivated self-starter that owns two daycares in New York, Koala Park Daycare. While an incredibly accomplished entrepreneur, Karina is still committed to being a forever student in the school of leadership. She takes cues from Tony

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How She Leads! The Power of a Growth Mindset with Jody Zabriskie

Today’s episode is one of my favorites that we’ve done. My guest Jody Zabriskie is an Empire level member here in the Child Care Success Academy with 23 years of experience in the industry. She’s based outside of Salt Lake City and recently expanded to five locations of her centers, A to Building Blocks, having started from a small center

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Training Half a Million Early Educators Over Two Decades with Maria Taylor

I am pleased to bring you an episode focused on professional development with my wonderful guest Maria Taylor. Maria truly knows the child care industry inside and out as a 30-year veteran and CEO of ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI). CCEI is one of our newest partners and they are one of the sponsors of our (drumroll) upcoming 5-Day Child Care

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