Child Care Rockstar Radio
Business Strategies, Inspiration, and Ideas From Top Performers in the ECE Industry and Global Business Thought Leaders
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Episode 111
Feeling Alive in Your Work with Vernon Mason
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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

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

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

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

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

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

Flipping Challenges Into Confidence: A Powerful Love Story with Janaki Patel
I am so happy to kick off this holiday week by having Janaki Patel, owner of Kiddie Academy and Child Care Success Academy member, on the podcast! Janaki talks about how she went from one person at an open house and questioning what she was doing in child care to now having her dream team and close to 500 children

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

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.

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

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

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

Keeping It Real: Why We Struggle With Being Good Leaders Featuring Shelley Smith
In this incredibly powerful episode, Kris sits down with Shelley Smith, culture curator, author, speaker, and consultant. Shelley has a passion for making the lives of others easier and less stressful and has created a world of incredible tools that serve as absolute game-changers. She talks about why culture matters and how to hire the right person and set them

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

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

Meet Our New Second-In-Command: Driven By Connection and Impact with Tom O’Connor
I’m so pleased to welcome our new Chief Operating Officer and Integrator of the Child Care Success Company, Tom O’Connor, to the podcast. And welcome to the team, Tom! Tom brings 30 years of experience in education, after-school care, and early learning expertise. He’s also considered a bit of a master in acquisition and growth as he built his program to 44 locations

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

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

Planting SEEDs For Future Growth and Success with Mallorie Malloy-Coe
In today’s episode, I am pleased to share the positivity and inspiration of Mallorie Malloy-Coe. Mallorie is a childcare veteran, joining the industry when she was only 14, and the owner and founder of Inheritance Academy in Baltimore. She talks to us about her core values which she refers to as “SEED,” branding, attracting and retaining the right people, her

Scaling Your Company with Power in The Second Seat with Cameron Herold
I am overjoyed and honored to bring you this episode today with one of the top entrepreneurial coaches in the world, best-selling author and speaker Cameron Herold. He has been coaching clients across the globe for 30 years to become multimillion-dollar businesses and is most notably behind the growth of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? He is also the founder of the wildly successful

Helping Employees Achieve Their Personal and Professional Dreams with Alix Hall
I am so excited to welcome our guest today who has over FOUR DECADES of experience in early childhood education. Alix Hall has seven centers in California, Discovery Tree and Arista Schools, and is also partnered with Child Care Business Coach Rachel Supalla on multiple Montana locations of Discovery KidZone. Alix has developed a leadership style focused on uplifting women,

A New Season of Female Entrepreneurship with Ali Brown
We did it! We made it to Episode 100! For this milestone episode, I am ecstatic to welcome Ali Brown to the podcast. Ali is one of the top female entrepreneurs and coaches in the world and host of the very successful podcast “Glambition Radio.” Ali also founded the emerging coaching and mastermind group, The Trust, which I am honored to

Rolling With the Changes Into A Successful 2021 with Brittany Luther
IIn this episode, I am so happy to be joined by the wonderful Brittney Luther. Brittney is an early childhood education leader, owner of two Young Sprouts locations in Texas, and an Empire member in our Child Care Success Academy. During our time together, she shares so many valuable nuggets of knowledge and strategies that she’s learned throughout her journey in the

Experiences Over Environment: How Your School Vibe Impacts Quality & Culture with Lori Buxton
In today’s episode, I’m joined by the incredible Lori Buxton — the managing director of the Association for Early Learning Leaders. Lori has been involved in early care and education in many different facets since 1995, and she is just so passionate about what she does. Lori is a national speaker and training specialist who brings her leadership advice and

Overcoming Licensing Challenges with Danielle Paige
I am thrilled to welcome Danielle Paige back to the podcast! She first appeared in Episode 60 and today she rejoins me to talk all about licensing. Danielle now owns two centers, Academic Explorers, in New York and she talks us through how she expanded to her second location. She shares some of the challenges she overcame during licensing, what she

Bringing High Quality Care to Our Inner Cities with Jamarrion Tabor
In this new episode, I am joined by Jamarrion Tabor of Madalyn’s House Childcare in Georgia. I couldn’t think of a more heartfelt, fun, and creative thinker to speak to than Jamarrion. She is bringing her vision of high-quality early child care and education to inner-city, minority, and underserved children, as well as single parents. She tells us about her

2020: Year in Review, Predictions, and Controversies
Kris digs in this week to recap the crazy year of 2020 and reflect on her biggest accomplishments and challenges, both personally and professionally. She gives a roundup of the best moments of 2020, the top three insights from the year that we can take into 2021 and beyond, and even shares something controversial as well. This has been a

The Five Guardians of Life with Mecca Johnson
Mecca Johnson is an incredible and heartfelt speaker, trainer, and founder of the professional development consulting company My Joy Speaks. Her long and very successful career in early childhood education with Primrose Schools plus corporate experience led her to develop The Five Guardians of Life, which she shares in this week’s episode. Mecca and Kris also talk about finding gratitude

Choosing Broadway Over Mom’s Basement with Bari Baumgardner
I am thrilled to have Bari Baumgardner on the podcast to share her truly inspiring journey. Bari is the founder of SAGE Event Management; a boutique event production company best known for creating a purpose-driven payday for speakers, authors, and influencers with her “Sales IS Service” approach. If you’re ready to take your own personal leap, this episode will really

A Quest of Creative Culture Building with Rachel Supalla
This week I am joined by rockstar Rachel Supalla. Rachel is a multi-site owner of Discovery Kidzone in Montana as well as one of the newest coaches here at The Child Care Success Company. She has shared her expertise as a national speaker at Association for Early Learning Leaders, NAEYC, and more. We dive into Rachel’s unique strengths, her creative