If you're looking for a way to start the year with depth and clarity in your coaching conversations, then this episode is for you.

Hello, friends, and welcome to the Bright Morning podcast.

I'm your host, Elena Aguilar, and in each episode, you will learn how to lead conversations that build connection and spark

change. So today we are talking about one of the most powerful tools that you can use to start the

year strong, which is coaching through core values. So this time of year can feel full of goal

setting and fresh starts, and yes, that can be energizing, but it can also feel overwhelming

or sometimes just surface level. So what I have found is that the most grounded goals are the ones

that are rooted in values. When we reconnect with what really matters to us, it becomes easier to lead,

to coach, and to stay aligned through all the ups and downs. So let's get into how you do this.

A few years ago, I was working with a principal who I will call Theo. And he was about five years

into the role and he was leading a large elementary school with a lot of needs.

And he came into our January coaching session looking tired and uninspired.

And he told me, I made a plan over winter break. I've got our semester goals. I've mapped out the PD calendar,

but I don't feel excited about any of it. Feels like I'm just surviving. And I asked him,

before we get into the logistics, could we take five minutes and go back to your core values? And he looked at me

and he kind of smiled like, yeah, that'd be good. So I pulled out the values list that we'd work

through in the beginning of that school year. And I asked him, which of these values

feels most important to you right now? And he skimmed the list and he said, hope. That's the

one that I'm missing. I've been operating out of fear and urgency, and I need to reconnect to hope.

And in that moment, something started to shift in him.

And we spent the rest of that session, reworking the PD calendar that he had created.

And it was oriented towards building a hopeful staff culture.

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