Shownotes:
Hey there, lovely listeners! Get ready for an inspiring and candid conversation that'll leave you feeling empowered and ready to take on the world. LaVonna Roth, the incredible mind behind 'Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.,' shares invaluable insights on finding confidence, navigating vulnerability, and embracing gratitude in every aspect of life. Join us as we unravel the secrets to building a human-focused culture, engaging learners through brain-powered learning, and thriving in the world of consulting. Tune in to discover the true power of uplifting others and the art of finding trusted feedback - you won't want to miss this!
About Our Guest:
LaVonna is a Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Author and mom. She is the founder of Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E., Inc. and the creator of the S.H.I.N.E.Framework. The S.H.I.N.E. Framework is the secret to creating a Human-Focused Culture where ALL want to be, personally and professionally, as there is no clear line between the two. She also supports others in their journey in Educational Consulting through her course and membership site at primetoSHINE.com.
Website: igniteyourSHINE.com
X/Twitter: @lavonnaroth
Instagram: @lavonnaroth
About Lainie:
Lainie Rowell is a bestselling author, award-winning educator, and TEDx speaker. She is dedicated to human flourishing, focusing on community building, social-emotional learning, and honoring what makes each of us unique and dynamic through learner-driven design. She earned her degree in psychology and went on to earn both a post-graduate credential and a master's degree in education. An international keynote speaker, Lainie has presented in 41 states as well as in dozens of countries across 4 continents. As a consultant, Lainie’s client list ranges from Fortune 100 companies like Apple and Google to school districts and independent schools. Learn more at linktr.ee/lainierowell.
Website - LainieRowell.com
Twitter - @LainieRowell
Instagram - @LainieRowell
Evolving with Gratitude, the book is available here! And now, Bold Gratitude: The Journal Designed for You and by You is available too!
Both Evolving with Gratitude & Bold Gratitude have generous bulk pricing for purchasing 10+ copies delivered to the same location.🙌
Just fill out the forms linked above and someone will get back to you ASAP!
Transcript:
Lainie Rowell: [00:00:00] Okay, so this is another one of those episodes where I'm already in full belly laughs before we even hit record, and I have to tell you, this guest, who, if you read the title of this episode, you already know who it is, but when she came on screen, there was so much shine you could not believe it.
It was just so much bright and light. And with that, I'm going to say hello to LaVonna Roth. Hi, LaVonna.
LaVonna Roth: Hi, Lainie. Oh my goodness. You don't know this and I'm going to tell you now, I have been wanting to be on your podcast for a very long time now, and I should have reached out and I didn't. And so when you reached out, I was like, what?
I finally, yes. This is a true story.
Lainie Rowell: That's amazing. I will disclose on my side that first of all, your name has been mentioned on this podcast probably more than anyone else's. We could turn it into a drinking game. And if you don't drink alcohol, I mean lemonade, but you, you seriously have been mentioned so many times.
And so you've been on my wishlist. Since the beginning, and there's some people who, if I don't know them well, it takes me a little bit of time to build up the courage to reach out, but I know you through listening to you on other podcasts, and I know you're this genuine, lovely, warm person, and I didn't need to be anxious about it, but that's still me, so that's on me and I'm just glad you're here now.
LaVonna Roth: I can totally relate. Yes. Same, same. Thanks for having me.
Lainie Rowell: Well, I'm going to tell our listeners a little about you on the off chance that they don't already know who you are, and then I would love for you to chime in with all the other ways that you are shining your light.
I am going to lean into that acronym a lot just so you know. You're going to hear me say Shine a lot. LaVonna Roth is an international keynote speaker. She's a consultant, author, mom, wife, so many of the things. She is the founder of Ignite Our S.H.I.N.E. And the S.H.I.N.E. Framework.
She supports others in their journey for educational consulting and, I mean, there's just too many things to list, but LaVonna, hopefully I touched on some of the big ones and you'll tell us more.
LaVonna Roth: You absolutely did. Yeah, all the things that you're talking about, you know, some of it was planned, some of it was not planned, but I think that's the beauty of life and the journey that we go on and experiences.
And yeah, I started my own company about 2008 after teaching for 10 years. And I had changed the name multiple times for various reasons, and then one day, I was really going after what do we call smart in education, and somebody said to me that I would never change the definition of smart in education, and anyone who knows me, part of my personality went watch me.
And then there's the other part that said, yeah, but LaVonna, what if they're right? And so I'm thankful to them because I ended up thinking more about it literally is how someone and the word shine pops in. And that's how it ended up becoming the framework for what it is that we do. And we were talking about this a little bit before the show, and I want to bring this to light too, because the way that you look at life is the way that that lens that you begin to look through things. So, for example, S.H.I.N.E. Was actually meant for students, but we kept having teachers and Board of Education members, police officers coming up and saying, you have no idea how badly I needed this.
And I was like, wait, what? And I realized this was a human thing. And so now we use the S.H.I.N.E. Framework for every lens. I use it personally, I use it professionally, and so do others. It's really cool to see how things evolve.
Lainie Rowell: I really want to dive deeper into the S.H.I.N.E. Framework. I won't put you on the spot to do that right this second.
But it's coming, you've been warned.
LaVonna Roth: All right, I'm warned.
Lainie Rowell: And then we're gonna see how many times you and I both can say shine or light or some derivative.
LaVonna Roth: Yes. Well, we already know it's a lemonade drinking game, so have at it. We can do it that way too.
Lainie Rowell: So with that, I'm going to, not subtly, not even remotely well, but I am going to segue to our first question, which is what does gratitude mean to you, LaVonna?
LaVonna Roth: Gratitude to me is when I take a pause and others take a pause and we reflect on what is good, what brings us happiness in our lives.
And I will be transparent. I actually have a harder time doing that. I am so focused and on what's next and where things are or are not. And because of that, I forget to pause for gratitude. So to me, it is though, it is that pause and recognition. So for example, we now start all of our meetings and when we work with schools and consulting, we start everything with a celebration, always, because it is so in the midst of all the chaos and everything that we're trying to solve, but I'm not here yet, and I haven't done that, and just, it's not good enough, all the thoughts that we have, that pause allows us to do that, and I, some days I win at it, and some days I don't, one of the things that I tried one time is I put on my office door, I had post notes, and every time something of gratitude came to my mind, a celebration, I was going to put it on the door, well, I got like three or four on it, and the next thing I know it had been months, and I went lavonna, you haven't added anything. You have so many celebrations, but what that told me, Lainie, was that I, again, was back in the habit of not showing gratitude for myself. Really good at uplifting others, really good at bringing it out for others, but not for myself.
Lainie Rowell: I so appreciate that honesty and by the way, highly relatable for me, of like the what's next.
I'm a big taskmaster. The joy and satisfaction I get from checking something off a list is intoxicating , it's like nothing short of that. So for me that permission to pause is so important and that looking for what's good. And I love how you call out that you have made this just a norm, that you start with a celebration.
I would not say I'm perfect, but it wasn't until I came across CASEL's three signature practices, where it's the Welcoming Inclusion Activity, Engaging Strategies, and Optimistic Closures, that I was able to operationalize, and this isn't specific to gratitude, but just really bringing more of the humanness into the learning activities.
And not that it wasn't there before, but this is about being intentional. This is about being super thoughtful and intentional of we are going to do something that brings us together. We're going to make sure everyone is engaged and has a voice throughout, and we're going to close, and optimistic closure is, is maybe a misnomer because it doesn't mean it's just about the good thing, right?
But like, I have this framework in my mind of this is how it's going to go. So I bring that in. I hear you doing that. in your way and I really appreciate that.
LaVonna Roth: Yes, thank you. And I appreciate you sharing that because it is about being intentional with some of these things, you know, each of us is designed to be different.
And, you know, some of us have, for example, more of a, inclination to be more positive about things, or we have the gratitude piece comes in, or the opposite comes in. And so once we had that awareness and then we intentionally put these things into place, I think it becomes a practice, you know, and, and like I said, sometimes I win and sometimes I don't, which tells me I still have work to do.
Lainie Rowell: Okay, I'm just too impatient, LaVonna. I want to get to the S.H.I.N.E. Framework, if you're okay with that, because this is such a big part of your world. And I really feel like it's important to get this out there for the rest of the conversation.
So would you give us a little lesson here, please?
LaVonna Roth: Absolutely. You know, I gave a sneak peek originally thinking that it was going to be around smart, but it really is much bigger than that. When I thought about the word SHINE, it quickly became an acronym. And so I'll share with you the overarching of the acronym, and then share a little bit more about the application of it.
So S is self. What are your strengths, gifts, skills, and talents? And so what we're really looking at is anything that has to go into self. So your gratitude, for example, will fall into that. You know, if you're talking about the way that we think through positive psychology, for example, I do a lot with brain sciences.
So my books originally were around brain science and how the brain learns with strategies and such. And then I see such an application of the brain sciences, the different psychologies, those practices to be able to embed in. So it matters so much when we talk about S for self. And then when we talk about H, it's heart.
So, what are your passions? What lights you up? What gives you so much energy? What is it that you lose track of time? You know, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talks about flow. And so, where are you like, holy cow, it's been three hours? It was just like five minutes ago. But you've gotten into that state. And so, everything that I'm talking about, just so everyone knows, is that I am talking personally and professionally.
We talk about the two being separate times. We talk about work life balance. I personally don't buy into that. I think you bring personal to work. I think you take work home and it's figuring out how to make it where you feel like you are living in the, where you need to be based upon, especially H for heart passion.
Cause we get one life, we get one life. H, so I says heart. When you get to I, I is inspire. So life is going to throw the curve balls. We all know that, especially as adults, things are going to happen. So how do you stay inspired and how do you inspire others? And part of that, that package of I've inspired comes from the S and the H.
So we actually put S and H together and we call it the shine spot. So if you have yourself, right, so let's say you have a strength, for example, but you're missing a passion, you burn out. When we do talk with educators, one of the things we notice too is that, yes, you'd be passionate, and so my educators did not go into it for the money, they went into it for the passion.
But over demands, policies, a pandemic, everything came into effect, the passion can start to wane. So how do you build that back up? You need both. If we have a passion for something, but we're missing the strength, so we're not good at it, but we love it, that would be more like a hobby. Right, or something that you may need additional assistance with.
So when we get to I for inspire, it's where you get to use the power of what you have. We call it a greatness. As a matter of fact, we call everyone a lion of greatness. So you get a chance to take that shine spot of you, that greatness about you and use it to inspire others and inspire yourself. Because when we get to N in shine, that is navigate.
Meaning what are you going to do with everything I've talked about? It's you putting it into action, your story, your journey, your goals. What is it that you want in life? And how do you navigate the things that happen and the things that you want? And then when we get to E in S.H.I.N.E., it is exceptional, because you are becoming the exceptional person you were meant to be, not anybody else.
And we are so good as humans at putting up the mirrors, and I know they can't see me, Lainie, but I talk a lot with my hands, but I also, my degree was teaching the deaf, so a lot of times when we do our, trainings, you know, in our workshops, we call them fun notes and fun shops instead of keynotes and workshops.
But we do, we do those, I teach them signs. So I immediately am starting to put, like, I put mirrors up and I don't even know if you noticed or not, but the mirrors came up for sign language. And it is because we're so good at putting the mirrors up. Unfortunately, what we're good at doing is the mirrors of everybody else.
And we begin to lessen who we are and we start to go into becoming someone that we're not truly, or we don't want to be, and we can get lost and forget about how we really are great. We listen to so much of society and social media is an example of what can work against you, but it can also work for you depending upon what you do and what you allow.
So, when we talk about SHINE, that's the whole gamut of it, and the interesting part is that when we do this, again, we meant it to be for students, we came bigger than that, we also meant it to be professionally, but we've learned very much how much the personal comes into play, and we bring personal into all that we do, so if we don't elevate the individual, we cannot elevate a team or a school.
So again, we elevate the individual to elevate the team in a school. They are not separate. So part of what we do is we come in and we work with the staff first and elevate them, but then they also begin to carry that into the classrooms. And that's when students just, it's incredible to see what students do with this and how they run with it.
And it shifts and changes. And we know that all of that impacts achievement. You want your data scores to change. It's not by always just teaching, right? And teaching just specific topics in specific ways. It is about the human that is in that group.
Lainie Rowell: So friends, this is meant to be a conversational podcast, but I just want LaVonna to keep talking and I'll keep taking notes.
I'm just like, Oh my gosh, say more things. Can we go into this idea of comparison? Because I really appreciated when you were talking about the mirrors and that we're shining them more on other people and not really looking, and I'm interpreting, so please correct if I got this wrong, but we're not always seeing the good in ourselves.
We're a little bit too focused on seeing it in other people. Did I get that right? If not, please correct me.
LaVonna Roth: Yes, no, that's, that's a piece of what it is. You know, there's a lot of layers to this. You know, this is not, it's more than this conversation. It's more than a day of spending and having and talking to someone.
But the important part of, I love that you bring this up because comparison, you know, I remember one year, my daughter, she was in high school and she had just started and she came home and she's like, mom, everybody has the latest iPhone. I need the latest iPhone. And I said, everybody in your school has the latest iPhone.
Huh. Every single student in that building has a latest iPhone. Huh. No, no, they didn't. Right. And I know this. Well, this trend continues even into her sophomore year. I remember that she's like, mom, you know, we're getting close to me driving. We should probably be looking at cars. And I said, Oh, I said, well, you know, your dad and I've been talking about getting you a car.
And she said, yeah. She said, well, I don't know if you've been in the student parking lot, but if you went back there, you would see only BMWs and Mercedes. And I said, you're telling me if I drove to the student parking lot, I would only see BMWs and Mercedes. And she's like, yep. I knew that wasn't true. And then she made the mistake of saying it's better than the teacher parking lot.
Well, first of all, you were not getting a BMW or Mercedes, but you definitely are not now that you'd say it's better than the teacher parking lot. So I asked her, can you give me five names? And she did. And I asked how many of them have the latest iPhone? And she said, all of them. Well, of course.
As being a mom trying to make a point, I was like, oh, right. But I said, okay, how many of them have, I did several things throughout the years that she had mentioned and I came to the last one, how many of them drive a BMW or Mercedes? And she said, well, this one. And I said, but you know what the perception has been over the past year and a half is everybody, everybody, everybody, but it's not everybody, but our brain perceives things when we see it, we see, oh, they have that, and I don't have that, or they are phenomenal at that, I'm not, I still don't have a long way to go. Oh, well, I'm kind of good at that, but I can't say that because I'm not the best. And I definitely have room to improve, so I, I, no, really, I shouldn't even say that then.
And we start, the mirrors come up, and we start really comparing ourselves. But what we don't always realize, which is a piece of what I want to make sure we harness, is that nobody has all of it either. Nobody does. So when we see the teacher who handles, for example, every single behavior issue in the classroom, That's the one teacher that is very good at that, for example.
And then we see the teacher who has the Pinterest perfect classrooms. We see the, the, the administrator who can handle any staff challenge that comes along. And we, again, the mirrors come up, but what we're not seeing is that not everybody has it all, but because we see, well, I need to do that. And I want to improve on that.
And I don't have that. And I wish I was better at that. The mirrors come up and we begin again, it's complete comparison. And I think this is a part of what You know, I've been doing more and more with women and uplifting women, especially in leadership. As a matter of fact, getting ready to do a conference on this.
And one of the things that we talk about is imposter syndrome. And I truly believe a heart of that. There's a lot of layers to this, but I think a heart to that and a piece of that is the fact that we do compare. And we get lost in who are we and part of that comparison too, is what do we even want? I do hold Prime to S.H.I.N.E..
Prime to S.H.I.N.E. Is its own entity, so to speak, still under Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E., but teach others how to get into consulting. And one of the things that comes up often is, well, I would love to speak on this, but other people are already doing it. Well, I would love to do it, but who am I to start? The comparison immediately comes up and then, but if I'm to talk on this, I don't know everything about it.
Well, nobody does. Nobody does. But that's part of the imposter syndrome is having that comparison game begin and then allowing it to rule instead of questioning our brain to say, is that true? Do I truly have to know everything in order to be the expert?
Lainie Rowell: You know, I have been a consultant for a very long time, and it is something that you're like, okay, am I adding value? You have to constantly re evaluate, is this something that is good enough contribution to continue to do?
Maybe that's just me, I'm being really honest I write so much nowadays. I'm constantly putting it out there and I'm like, I hope this is helping at least one person. And comparison is my enemy because I'm constantly seeing other people who are, writing more often than I am.
Their stuff gets shared more often than my stuff. It's a hard, hard thing. Everything you're sharing in the S.H.I.N.E. Acronym. To me, there is a connection to gratitude in every one of those letters, right? And so I do take time to pause and be like, okay, be grateful that you are so focused and you're getting so much done and it is important you find value in it. And so do other people find value in it? I hope so. I'll put it this way. I feel very exposed as someone who puts a lot of content out.
And so that comparison is something that's also really challenging.
LaVonna Roth: So. Lainie, first of all, I appreciate and want to thank you and value what you just said and your openness. I can speak on behalf of other people who have, well, one, I've listened to your podcast, but many others have too. And some have shared with me and I wouldn't be on here if you didn't add value because that's the heart of what I do.
I believe in always adding value. I don't do things for fluff. I don't do it because I feel like doing it in that way. There's always intention behind what I do. And I've also learned along the way, there are going to be people who are going to be fans and love what I do, and I don't mean fans like, oh my gosh, girl, fan type thing, but I mean, really a champion of the work.
And there are going to be those that don't, and that's okay, because maybe they're not ready for it in their life, or maybe it's just not something they need. And my challenge, though, would be back that you may not need it. sometimes say this, you know, when I know there are people that are in the audience or attending and participating and they say things like, I don't need this and this is fluff, I giggle inside.
But what I say though, is if you don't need it right now, that's fantastic, but it doesn't mean that the person sitting beside you, a colleague or family member is not in a place that they need this and the support that you bring to the table. And Lainie, that's the support that you bring to educators by taking the time to do this podcast, doing all the writing that you're doing.
I will absolutely uplift you in this way because a lot of people think about doing it and don't. So it doesn't matter what anyone would ever say, it's how do you feel about what you offer? And retaking everybody else out of the picture. Taking that moment, because I have to do the same, I have to practice what I talk about, but how do I take myself out of it and appreciate the courage to do? And put self out there because it is so easy for anyone to critique anything that any of us do. The moment it comes out of your mouth or out of a pen, you have to deal with that.
Because there are going to be people who are not going to accept it. That's part of the comparison. But it's their comparison at this point. Right? So it's them not feeling good about themselves. And so, my heart always goes out to that.
We always say at S.H.I.N.E. that every behavior has a story. And I truly believe and I live that and it doesn't mean that I take things with a grain of salt. It doesn't mean I don't get ticked off or frustrated or who do you think? But I reel myself back in to say every behavior has a story.
And so with all of that said, I think, it's about uplifting confidence and you do that, Lainie, in all of the work that you do.
Lainie Rowell: I feel like I should be paying for this session.
LaVonna Roth: I'll tell you the mailing address, no, I'm just kidding.
Lainie Rowell: Send me an invoice. I think it's really easy to not share these things that are our vulnerabilities and I'm just being really honest because I have put a lot of content out in the last few years and I appreciate you sharing that these are the things that we keep working on. And I also really appreciate you talking about If someone wants to say this isn't for me, and maybe it's not for them right at that moment, I appreciate that you're saying well, maybe it's for the kids in your class, or maybe it's for your peers, or maybe it's for someone else, and you can take it to them, you can help them.
I think that's a great way to handle those who might not be on board a hundred percent.
LaVonna Roth: Yes, yes, and you summarize that beautifully. I also know just from psychology I also know from my own background and things that I have been through in life that it's easy to sometimes put up a wall of protection or self defense and So again, when they say every behavior has a story that's a part of it. So that person exactly what you said may need it and they may not In that moment, it's up for them to decide.
My job though, is to broaden the doors, not only to yourself and have that window to yourself and to give yourself that space and that patience that you have been through stuff, no matter what, how old you are, we've all been through things. So how do you step back and honor and value that within yourself, but then do that with the others.
And so that's, to me, what it's about is opening up that door and that window into that person. And if they don't want to deal with it, that's fine. I'm not a therapist. That's up to them to move forward with, but I do believe we have a responsibility to others and to support them and inspire them.
Lainie Rowell: Well said. So, tell us more about the work that you're doing, because I want to have a really clear picture, and I have heard you on other podcasts and we have mutual friends, but you've really got a lot going on and I want to give you some space to share as much about your work as you want to.
LaVonna Roth: Oh, thank you. So Ignite Your Shine is the umbrella of all that we do. It's the foundation. And it's the piece where again, we uplift the person and build the confidence in that person, which I always find fascinating because in education, nobody's going, you know what we need?
We need confidence. That's exactly what you need, right? Because the teacher's not going to take the risk. The student's not going to take the risk. They're going to be afraid to make a mistake. We have lack of psychological safety, which means innovation, productivity, achievement, they go down.
So you need confidence is what it is. We love to start with schools, with our districts, you know, with Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E., and we take through the framework. And that can be as minimal as wanted or as big as wanted. We go as much as kicking off with a fun note, going into a fun shop, to then working in PLCs.
And at that point, we turn it over to the teams with, what is it that you feel you need to work on at this point? And we go from there. And so that can be ongoing work. Another piece though, layer, and this is where I actually started, I had mentioned this before in my books, it's engaging your students using brain powered learning.
So my books are all around, like I said before, either brain science, how does the brain learn, and then specific strategies that engage students, get them to do student owned thinking, it's differentiation, you name it, it's all in, on one spot. So we will come in and we work with educators on that piece as well.
And then the third part of that is we look at closing the learning gaps through micro skills. This was taught to me by Dr. Bob Greenleaf. He decided he wanted to retire and he's like, LaVonna, I don't want this to stop with me. And it is astronomical what happens, but we go into a deep dive into skills specific to certain students, and what we find is that, you know, we often go after the skill, or I can say this out there myself under the bus as a teacher at times, where I would say things like, Oh let me just show you again.
Or, oh, you're going to get stuck here, just do this. When it's really the micro skill that is the problem, and once you identify and close that micro skill, much, if not all, of that actual skill closes, because we've hit the actual target. So it's a deep, deep dive that we go into in PLCs with teams, and again, that can be ongoing work.
So that's the gamut of Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E. There's three buckets, so Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E. With, you know, human focused cultures, how we look at things to engage me using brain powered learning, to then going into the closing learning gaps through micro skills. But the other piece that I, I touched on and mentioned is that after doing this for quite a few years, I've had people say to me, LaVonna, how do I do what you do?
And I was always like, Oh goodness, you know, like I don't have time to share all the things and to stop and pause and do all that. And I kept getting approached and finally I thought, you know what, if others want to do this, I could take the many mistakes that I have made, the lots of loss of money that I have spent in those mistakes and I can take it and put it in.
So we created a course and we call it Prime to S.H.I.N.E. is the arm for that. But we put into a course and then people go through the course from A to Z of like, who am I as a consultant to how do I even get customers to what does this mean for the IRS and bank accounts? So we go all the way through the whole gamut and then we have membership site because people requested it where we give ongoing feedback and it's a positive community is unbelievable.
It's way more than I ever could have imagined.
Lainie Rowell: I wish I had had that when I started, because I have made every mistake possible. At least it feels that way. And there's no consultant prep program. Right? So, how do we move into this? And I think there's a lot of different entry points and feel free to speak to this more. I will say that diversifying has probably been one of my best approaches to consulting is that I didn't like walk away from a school district and say, well, let's just see how this thing goes.
Apple had hired me as a consultant and I had some steady gigs, if you will. And I think why this service is so important is because people could get themselves into trouble. You do have to be really smart about it because there is no, on the 15th and 30th of every month, you will get this exact amount of money that you can count on.
It's a very different lifestyle in my opinion.
LaVonna Roth: I agree wholeheartedly. It's one that I wish I had had not only mentors, but the right ones. I had a few, but I've spent six figures trying to learn from others. And sometimes it was the right mentor.
Sometimes it wasn't and this is where I'm always saying, if I'm not the right person for you, then that's okay. Go find somebody who is. But at the same time, I'm very vulnerable, very open to the mistakes that I made, and I wish I had known this. I wish I'd had the right person.
And so, just tons of mistakes that have been made. And the, the misnomer though, I think a lot of people have Lainie, is that they feel like they have to go full-time with this. And I will be the last person to encourage somebody to come out of the classroom. Like, if you are ready, yes, that's a different story. If you don't want to, then don't. You know, consulting can look as small as one keynote you want to do a year, to full blown and jump.
And I jumped, but I was in a circumstance where I was being treated horrifically on a job, and it was highly toxic, and I was done. I was the eighth person in 10 months in that position, and they had a bet on how long I would last when I walked in. So I lasted four months, and I said, this is it. I'm done.
I'm going. So I jumped and I haven't totally looked back. It's quite the journey. It's very up and down even to this day, you know, but that's part of what I now understand and know.
Lainie Rowell: I appreciate you saying even to this day because like I said, it's a different lifestyle in my opinion. And one of the things that I have learned, not only in my own experiences, but watching other people's experiences, like you said, you need to figure out what that looks like for you, and whatever it is for you, don't limit yourself by what you think are your options because great leaders will do whatever they can to keep great educators in their team. I was very blessed that I had some amazing leaders. I would have probably left my district a lot sooner if I didn't have leaders that were not only lifting me up and just constantly encouraging me, but trying to figure out, how can we, from an interest based perspective, meet what you're trying to accomplish, and also still make sure everything's covered here. I know everyone won't have that opportunity, but you might have it and not realize it.
LaVonna Roth: Yes, yes. And I would encourage you to talk to people who are already doing it. You know, I'm happy to always set up a time to tap in to help you sort through things, you know, whoever that is, to see if this might be a fit for you or might not, you know, so, that's a whole other podcast interview we could do, huh?
Lainie Rowell: I know, right? I will say one of the things that I have just been absolutely delighted about is the generosity of this ecosystem that I cannot actually think of a time where I approached someone who was doing something that I aspired to do, where they're like, nope, those are my secrets, too bad, figure it out on your own.
And that's not even just specific to education, because I do have mentors outside of education who are incredibly giving of their time, incredibly generous, and so going back to that comparison is that you might be building something up in your mind, like, oh, I can never be like that person, well, you don't want to be exactly like that person to begin with, obviously, but that person might actually be someone who you could be reaching out to.
Maybe a different way to shift that energy of, instead of that comparison hangover, it's like, reach out to them and see if they're willing to help you on your journey.
LaVonna Roth: Yes, yes, I agree. And the one thing is, I had the opposite experience. I love hearing that you've had such a good experience.
But mine has always been like, no, these are my secret sauce and I'm not going to tell you. And, oh, how much did you charge? Well, you go guess. And you'll figure it out. Because it was a competition mindset, not a we're in this together and the pie is huge. So, you know, there's plenty of schools to figure out.
And besides what you do is different than what I do. And even if it's the same, we don't deliver it the same way. We don't package it the same way. We don't do anything the same way. So it's that kind of a mindset. So on the flip side, I will say though, I have had people who have tried to monopolize time.
So just whoever you do talk to, be respectful, they do have a business they're trying to run and such. They're happy to help you and answer questions, but also be mindful of they're not on your speed dial, put it that way. Is that old school?
Lainie Rowell: I'm with you on it. Totally made sense to me.
I really appreciate you calling out that consideration because we don't want to take advantage of people. I think that you can be so thoughtful of I have my five questions, if I could have 30 minutes of your time, that would be so amazing. And then, if it's going to be more than that, you need to look at LaVonna and all the resources that she's created, including a membership, because I do think there is, a threshold for generosity and I'm going to help you like others helped me.
And then there's also, and I think this is part of that mindset of a consultant of, we have to honor that our time is worth something. It is valuable. Thank you for pointing that out. We don't want to take advantage of people's kindness.
LaVonna Roth: Yeah, but I love how you framed it up. You said 30 minutes, or could I have 15 minutes, or could I ask you three questions? And then from that point on, it's up to that person, whoever is being asked, to give more time if they wish.
Yes. I find as educators, oftentimes, we're too afraid to ask. Where you don't know unless you ask, but just at the same time, just be respectful of people's time.
Lainie Rowell: Yes, 100%. That's a great balanced approach to that. All right, any last tips you want to share before we get to your shout out?
LaVonna Roth: Find your people who are going to uplift you. I just had this conversation yesterday with a woman and who is consulting and you've got to find the people who, if they're going to give you feedback, it's the right feedback.
And the way I phrased it to her is it's trusted feedback. And I think that goes for any role, anything that you're doing. There are going to be people who want to do what you do, whether it's in the classroom, as a leader, consulting, all the things we've talked about, but find that trusted piece, because that trust is what's going to matter.
Lainie Rowell: There's something so disarming about you, that's why I trusted you sharing some of the things that I'm working on. I'm a constant work in progress and there is this great reciprocity out there, I want to appreciate that, and thank everyone who has helped me along the way, and continues to help me along the way, and I'll just try and honor their time as well.
LaVonna Roth: We're all a work in progress, every single one of us, and it's okay, we talk about it. It is something that is true and accurate and let's just enjoy that and be a part of that and knowing that it's not something that we can change.
Lainie Rowell: Enjoy it for sure. . Okay, my friend. So shout out time.
LaVonna Roth: I am going to give it to all of the cheerleaders that have ever been in my life, so past, current, possibly in the future. I just want to show gratitude for anyone who has helped me to do better and be better, because that's exactly what I want to be for others.
Lainie Rowell: Yes. There are so many cheerleaders in our life.
LaVonna Roth: Yes. And I know you've had her on your podcast, but one of my biggest ones is Liz Bostwick.
She is someone who we talk pretty much every day so it's one of those that she keeps my head on straight at times and I hope I do the same for her and we're very philosophically aligned and she is one of the biggest cheerleaders that I have.
And she is also the person though, that will say, so LaVonna, you might want to think about this. And that's needed too. So I'll give her an explicit shout out, but yes, it's to all the cheerleaders.
Lainie Rowell: Well you both shine. I mean, I can't even stop at this point, but you both shine very bright. I adore you both and I'm glad that I had this time with you.
I've had a chance to talk with Liz on the podcast too. And I mean, this is the selfish reason for doing the podcast. So I get time with these people. All right, my friend, what is the best way for people to reach out to you?
LaVonna Roth: So I would say through the websites are the best. So igniteyourshine.com, if you're interested in learning more about what it is we offer and how we do it and how we can support you and elevate you. And then if you're interested in the whole consulting or any of that, primedeshine.com is a great website to go to. On all social media, it's @LaVonna Roth.
Lainie Rowell: So I feel like you might be with me on this that we have unique enough names that we were able to nab the same handle across all the platforms. Is that just the best?
LaVonna Roth: Yes, it is the best.
A lot of times I just, I would say at LaVonna, but I went ahead and started adding the ending there, but yes, it is the best. Like, I don't even want to introduce myself to people. I just say, hi, I'm LaVonna. Yeah. Because when I say LaVonna Roth, I get a lot of like, wait, I'm sorry, what was your name? Because the first name is so unique, it doesn't catch it all.
So yeah, me and Lainie, LaVonna. Yep, exactly.
Lainie Rowell: And we even start the same. And it's funny because there's sometimes, there are services, this is such a tangent, but there's sometimes services that just the username automatically adds like a 24 at the end. And I'm like, how dare you? How dare you? I know you do not have another Lainie Rowell in your system.
Don't you dare do this. That's how spoiled I feel. No, this is not happening.
LaVonna Roth: So there are some perks, because I don't know about you, but when I was younger, I could not find anything with my name on it. And we didn't have, yeah, you couldn't like go and customize.
Lainie Rowell: You're in the tourist shop, and there is no keychain with a license plate that says LaVonna. There's not one that says Lainie. If you were a Jennifer, you could have five different color options.
LaVonna Roth: You ruled the world if you were Jennifer.
Lainie Rowell: If your name was Jennifer, you ruled the world, yes.,
LaVonna Roth: That's the biggest takeaway we've said today.
Lainie Rowell: No, you have shared so much wisdom, but I really appreciate this moment that we have lived parallel lives for our names. All right, my friend, I will make sure everything about how to connect with you, your bio, is all in the show notes so people can reach out to you. And I hope they take advantage... Well, no, that's a terrible way to phrase that.
I hope they reach out to you and take in all your brilliance. See, again, I'm trying to go back to the light.
I just can't even stop.
LaVonna Roth: I love it.
Lainie Rowell: Sarah Candela was one of the guests. And I can't even get into it. She gave a very clear description about Candela meaning light.
LaVonna Roth: Oh, wow.
Lainie Rowell: So I feel like there's a theme here. It's emerging. It's lovely.
LaVonna Roth: There is. Yes, for sure.
Lainie Rowell: I'm going to let you go enjoy the rest of your day, but I really appreciate this time. Thank you for being here and thank you all for listening.
LaVonna Roth: Thank you, Lainie.