If you've ever felt the dynamics in a real shift, but you couldn't quite name why, 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 and experiences that fill connection and spark real change.

All right, today we are talking about power.

It is always present in PD spaces, whether we name it or not.

But when you learn to recognize and navigate it with care,

you opened the door to deeper trust,

stronger collaboration, and more honest learning.

So to get into this,

I want to take you into a session that I facilitated a few years ago.

It was with a group of teacher leaders at a large urban high school,

and I had been brought in to help shift the culture of collaboration on campus.

So the principal pulled me aside before the session and said,

just so you know, there's a lot of tension between a few people in this room.

They've worked together for years, but things have gotten complicated.

I nodded and I thanked her, but once tension started, I realized this wasn't just tension. This was a power struggle.

Two people were dominating the conversation.

Many others stayed completely silent. One participant sat rigidly, arms crossed, eyes down.

It was just the kind of energy you feel before a storm, electric,

uncomfortable, and I knew I had to shift something. So I paused the session and I said,

let's take a moment to reflect. How does power show up in this room?

And there was silence.

...