Advertise on podcast: Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset

Most educators assume the big district contracts go to the EduCelebrities you see on conference stages. Morgan Goering is proof they don't. Morgan was a district administrator in California when she moved across the country to build a new home. Along the way, she stumbled into a full-time consulting job with an MTSS organization. Eventually she went independent, and that's when she spotted a gap the system wasn't filling. Districts need consultants with niche expertise, people who can offer solutions built for the exact change they're trying to make. So she launched Making Champions of Change to match the right expertise with the right transformation projects. In this episode, we get into what her work looks like now, who's paying her and what they're actually paying for, and how she built a business that lands large scale work with districts. You'll hear how the early months really went, what she learned from every no, and the three moves she'd make if she were starting again tomorrow. If you've ever thought district level work was out of reach, this conversation might change your mind. → Book a free Consulting Clarity Call with a member of our team to help diagnose your next step whether you're starting from scratch or have already launched a business and want to scale. Connect with Tom & Nat: >> Follow Tom on Linkedin >> Follow Nat on Linkedin >> Follow @unleashyes on Instagram >> email [email protected] Connect with Making Champions of Change: >> Follow @making_champions_of_change on Instagram

One of the biggest myths in education is that experience automatically leads to expertise. It doesn't. Experience is time. Expertise is intentional growth. And once you become someone who can't stop refining your craft, testing ideas, and looking for better ways to serve students, something interesting happens. The role that once challenged you starts to feel too small. Not because you've stopped loving education. Because your capacity to contribute has outgrown the opportunities available to you. We call this the curse of impact. In this episode, we unpack the difference between experience and expertise, the two very different kinds of ambition in education, and why the most impact driven educators are often the hardest for schools to fully use. You'll learn why chasing better outcomes can quietly put a target on your back, why every system (even a great one) eventually hits a ceiling, and why consulting feels less like leaving education and more like expanding your influence. We've coached over 100 educators through this exact shift. Most came to us believing they were simply burned out. Underneath the exhaustion was something deeper: they had become experts, their vision had expanded, and they were looking for a place where that growth could continue. If your job has started to feel too small for what you're capable of, this episode will help you understand why, and what to do about it. → Book a free Consulting Clarity Call with a member of our team to help diagnose your next step whether you're starting from scratch or have already launched a business and want to scale. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE: LIVE TRAINING: If you're doing PD work for free that another school would pay for, or you've already launched your consulting business but can't get the income consistent, this is for you. The K-12 Consulting Cheat Code is a $7 live training where we hand you the exact way to package your expertise into an offer schools and districts pay premium rates for. Glen signed a $2,200 contract for a 90-minute session within months of launching, and Nicola used it to finally get sales moving again after coaches who didn't understand education couldn't. It's live for a reason: we personalize the whole thing to who's actually in the room that day, and there's a replay for seven days if you can't make it. Grab your seat here! Connect with Tom & Nat: >> Follow Tom on Linkedin >> Follow Nat on Linkedin >> Follow @unleashyes on Instagram >> email [email protected]

You're Not in the Workshop Business. You're in the Change Business. One of the biggest misconceptions aspiring education consultants have is believing their job is to deliver a great professional development workshop. It's not. Their job is to help schools change. Those are two very different things, and confusing them is why so many talented, knowledgeable consultants end up with a portfolio of one-off contracts instead of the long-term, lucrative partnerships they actually want. We've watched incredible workshops lead to absolutely nothing, and we've watched simple ideas completely transform schools and districts. The difference was never the quality of the presenter. It was whether the consultant understood how change actually happens inside an organization. In this episode, we break down three principles drawn from decades of research (Kotter, Fullan, Senge, Wheatley, and more) and our own work partnering with schools around the world. You'll learn why transformation starts with a shared vision instead of your expertise, why chasing quick wins matters more than chasing big change, and why one enthusiastic principal will never be enough to make anything stick. If you want your work to be remembered for what changed, not just for what you presented, this episode will show you how to get there. → Book a free Consulting Clarity Call with a member of our team to help diagnose your next step whether you're starting from scratch or have already launched a business and want to scale.  RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE: LIVE TRAINING: If you're doing PD work for free that another school would pay for, or you've already launched your consulting business but can't get the income consistent, this is for you. The K-12 Consulting Cheat Code is a $7 live training where we hand you the exact way to package your expertise into an offer schools and districts pay premium rates for. Glen signed a $2,200 contract for a 90-minute session within months of launching, and Nicola used it to finally get sales moving again after coaches who didn't understand education couldn't. It's live for a reason: we personalize the whole thing to who's actually in the room that day, and there's a replay for seven days if you can't make it. Grab your seat here! Connect with Tom & Nat: >> Follow Tom on Linkedin >> Follow Nat on Linkedin >> Follow @unleashyes on Instagram >> email [email protected]

"How much money can you actually make as an education consultant?"  It's the question we get asked most, and it's the wrong one. There isn't a single answer. Some consultants add $10,000 a year doing work they love. Others build six figure businesses. A few go on to build companies generating half a million dollars or more.  The better question is what that journey actually looks like.  In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the five stages we've moved through as education consultants, from signing our very first paid client to building a business that no longer depends entirely on us.  Most educators only see two versions of success: still teaching, or a famous speaker with bestselling books touring the world. Nobody talks about the messy middle. The first $5,000. The first contract. The first launch that barely gets any registrations. The first year you wonder if this can really become a business.  After living through our own journey, then coaching hundreds of educators through theirs, we've found the path isn't random. There are five predictable stages almost everyone moves through, each with its own income range, its own challenges, and its own trap that keeps people stuck.  You'll learn what typically happens at each income level, from your first few thousand dollars to a business approaching $700,000 a year, why every stage demands a different focus, and how to know what to work on right now instead of comparing yourself to someone further down the road.  Wherever you are on the journey, this episode will help you see it clearly and see what's next.  Book a call with our team : Click Here

You finally decide to go for it. Then you freeze. Not because you don't know your stuff, but because nobody tells you where the clients actually come from.  So, you do a little of everything. A few cold emails, a few posts, maybe a conference. Six months later you're exhausted with nothing to show for it, and you can't even tell which thing failed, because you tried them all half-heartedly at the same time.  In this episode of Unleash YES, we rank the 5 marketing avenues every new education consultant considers: cold emailing principals, presenting at conferences, social media, paid ads, and word-of-mouth referrals. We score each one on efficiency, effectiveness, and cost, and we say plainly which ones are trapped dressed up as hustle.  You'll find out why the fastest channel on the list is also the least effective, why the channel that wins every single axis is impossible to start with, and the exact order we'd run these in if we were building from zero today.  Then there's the part most marketing advice skips. None of these 5 avenues close a contract on their own. Every one of them funnels into a conversation where the real decision gets made. Getting attention and turning attention into a client are two different skills and confusing them is why a lot of talented educators stay busy without ever booking anything.  Pick the one or two that match where you are. Let word-of-mouth be the thing you earn, not the thing you chase.  Ready to talk through what that could look like for you? Book a call with us and let's map out your next move together: educatorfreedomlab.com/booking PS, as promised: Here is the link for the 7 Figures Social Media Post Pack

How Schools Actually Hire Consultants (And Why It's Probably Not What You Think)  Most educators assume schools hire consultants because they're famous. They picture bestselling authors, former superintendents, keynote speakers, and people with huge followings.  The truth is simpler, and a lot more encouraging.  In this episode of Unleash YES, we pull back the curtain on how schools and districts actually choose consultants, what they're really looking for, and why solving real problems matters far more than being well known.  You'll find out who actually makes the hiring decisions, where schools really spend their PD budgets, why credibility beats popularity, and how plenty of successful consultants land their first contracts without a big audience or a national name.  If you've ever wondered whether your experience as a teacher, coach, administrator, or district leader is enough to build a consulting business, this episode will help you see your expertise in a completely different light.  Because schools aren't looking for celebrities. They're looking for trusted educators who can help them solve problems that matter.  Ready to talk through what that could look like for you? Book a call with us and let's map out your next move together: educatorfreedomlab.com/booking

For years we were sure that becoming an education consultant was a risky move. Leaving a steady salary, benefits, and a pension felt like walking off a cliff. Then we actually looked at what's happening inside education and across the wider workforce, and realized we'd been asking the wrong question all along. What if staying isn't as safe as it used to be? In this episode of Unleash YES, we dig into the data behind educator burnout, the quiet disappearance of instructional leadership roles, the rise of expertise based work, and why having more than one career option might be one of the smartest decisions an educator can make. This isn't an episode about quitting your job. It's about rethinking what security actually means right now. If you've ever wondered whether consulting, speaking, coaching, or facilitating could be part of your future, but talked yourself out of it because it felt too risky, this conversation might change how you see your whole career. The goal was never to leave education. It's to build more freedom, more impact, and more options with the expertise you already have. Ready to talk through what that could look like for you? Book a call with us and let's map out your next move together: educatorfreedomlab.com/booking

If you've been telling yourself, "Maybe someday I'll start consulting," this episode is your roadmap to making that someday this summer. Natalie and Tom break down the exact five moves they'd make over the next 8–10 weeks if they were starting from scratch with one goal: landing their first consulting opportunity before September. You'll learn why most educators spend the summer preparing instead of creating proof, how to uncover the expertise schools will actually pay for, why listening is more valuable than building, and the fastest way to gain the confidence that comes from real-world evidence—not endless planning. Whether you're a teacher, instructional coach, administrator, or district leader who knows your expertise has value beyond your current role, this episode will help you build momentum without quitting your job, creating a website, or waiting until the "perfect time." In this episode, you'll discover: • How to identify the kind of freedom you're actually looking for. • Why your past successes hold the clues to your consulting niche. • How to conduct simple conversations that uncover real market demand. • The secret to becoming known for one thing before you have an audience. • Why creating evidence—not perfection—is the fastest path to confidence. Ready to take the first step? Download the free Educator's Business Blueprint at unleashyes.org/blueprint and start building the foundation for your consulting business this summer.

What if the fastest way to grow your consulting business isn't getting selected to speak at someone else's event—but hosting your own? In this episode of Unleash YES, Tom and Nat pull back the curtain on how they grew from a 45-person provincial event to a 270-person national conference that generated consulting contracts, referrals, partnerships, and a stronger reputation than any marketing campaign could deliver. You'll learn how to design an event around a powerful transformation, market and fill seats without a massive audience, attract sponsors, create profitability before the doors open, and turn every attendee into a potential referral source, client, or future collaborator. Whether you're dreaming about hosting your first workshop, summit, or conference—or you're already consulting and looking for a more strategic way to grow your visibility and impact—this episode will show you how live events can become one of the most powerful assets in your business. Free Resource: Download The Sold-Out Event Playbook at unleashyes.org/event and start building an event that grows your reputation, your revenue, and your consulting opportunities.

Someone just slid into your DMs with a collab idea and suddenly you're spiraling. Are they legit? Should you say yes? And if there's someone more established you admire, how do you reach out without sounding desperate or transactional? In this episode, Tom and Natalie break down the real art of strategic collaboration for educator-consultants. You'll learn how to evaluate opportunities from clarity instead of scarcity, what questions to ask before you commit, and how to recognize when a partnership amplifies your business versus distracts from it. They also introduce the concept of "drafting," intentionally positioning yourself near people whose trajectory can accelerate your own, and how to build those relationships with generosity and intention, not awkwardness. If you've ever overthought a collab, questioned your readiness, or struggled to put yourself out there, this one's for you. Ready to clarify your value and build a consulting business rooted in confidence? Book a call to see if you're a fit to work directly with Tom and Nat inside the Educator Freedom Lab.

Today's episode takes you behind the curtain of the Educator Freedom Lab. Each week inside the Lab, we host six live coaching calls designed to help experienced educators sign paid consulting clients. These calls are built around the three core systems we help our clients develop to create consistency in their businesses: Visibility — how people continuously discover you and understand what you do. Conversion — how you turn a moment of discovery into a signed client. Offer — how you structure and deliver your work with schools and districts so you can grow without burning out. This episode is a recording of a recent Conversion System coaching call, where Tom and Nat answer a question that comes up more than you might expect: how do you turn an upcoming conference workshop into a gateway for ongoing consulting and professional development work? If you have a speaking engagement, workshop, or training on the horizon, this one's for you. 👉 If today's episode resonated and you're ready to start signing consulting clients, book a call with us to see if the Educator Freedom Lab is the right fit for you. [Book your call here!]

Traditional professional development rarely leads to lasting change. It is typically one-size-fits-all, event-based, and quickly forgotten once educators return to their daily reality. In this episode of Unleash YES, we introduce online group coaching as a more effective alternative. This model focuses on structured, community-based experiences that move educators from intention to implementation. We break down what online group coaching is, why it creates deeper transformation, and how it provides a more sustainable and predictable business model for education consultants. You will also learn three key questions to help you identify your own program idea. If you are ready to build a consulting model that creates real impact and consistent income, the next step is to book a call to see if working together in the Educator Freedom Lab is a fit.

Think education consulting is only for keynote speakers with massive followings and published books? Think again. In this episode, Tom and Nat break down exactly what education consultants do, who hires them, how they make money, and — most importantly — whether you could be one. You'll learn the different consulting delivery models (from in-person PD to online group coaching), who's actually writing the checks and why, and the three biggest myths that stop qualified educators from ever getting started. Plus: the one question to ask yourself before anything else — "Which problem in education do I have receipts for solving?" If you've been sitting on the sidelines wondering whether consulting could be your next chapter, this episode replaces the confusion with clarity. 🔗 Ready to go deeper? Grab the Educators Business Blueprint — our two-day shortcut to identifying your niche, designing your offer, and landing your first client: [Grab the Blueprint] Connect with Tom & Nat: >> Follow Tom on Linkedin >> Follow Nat on Linkedin >> Follow @unleashyes on Instagram >> email [email protected] >> Book a call.

Most educators think marketing means advertising, promoting, or "selling yourself." And if you've ever felt that resistance rise in your chest at the thought of doing marketing, you're not alone. In this episode, we break down our biggest takeaways from Seth Godin's bestselling book This Is Marketing and explore why educators are actually uniquely positioned to thrive in this new era of marketing. If marketing is the act of making change happen, then teachers and leaders have been marketers their entire careers. We unpack five powerful ideas from the book, including serving the smallest viable market, why authenticity isn't the goal, and how culture is strategy, and connect each one directly to the strengths educators already have. Along the way, we share the moment our own relationship with marketing shifted, and why building community changed everything for us. If you've ever thought, "I just don't want to do marketing," this conversation will reframe it entirely and leave you with practical action steps you can use right away in your consulting or leadership work. Join our email community for deeper reframes, practical tools, and behind-the-scenes thinking on building a values-aligned education business: 👉 Join the mailing list: https://www.unleashyes.org/email-list-opt-in And if you'd like to read This Is Marketing by Seth Godin for yourself, you can find it here: 📖 Get the book: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/this-is-marketing-you-cant-be-seen-until-you-learn-to-see/9780525540830.html If this episode resonates, make sure you're following the podcast so you don't miss what's next. Connect with Tom & Nat: >> Follow Tom on Linkedin >> Follow Nat on Linkedin >> Follow @unleashyes on Instagram >> email [email protected]

You finally receive the email you have been hoping for. The subject line says, "PD Request." For a moment you feel excited, and then you open it and see the question: "What are your rates?" Suddenly the confidence you had about your expertise disappears. Most educators were never taught how to talk about money. In schools, you show up, do meaningful work, and move up a salary grid. But consulting is different. The moment you name a price can feel uncomfortable, awkward, or even selfish. In this episode, Tom and Nat explain why pricing is not separate from your impact — it communicates your impact. They discuss why higher investment often leads to better implementation, why underpricing quietly undermines credibility, and how to interpret budget pushback without taking it personally. You will also hear Natalie's story of increasing her fee and realizing that pricing is less about money and more about leadership. By the end of this episode, you will understand how to respond to pricing questions clearly and calmly, without apologizing or guessing. If you have ever found yourself staring at a reply email wondering what number to type, we created a resource specifically for that moment. The free Educator PD Pricing Guide shares real pricing ranges educators are using right now, explains what actually changes the price, and helps you respond professionally with confidence. Download it at: unleashyes.org/pricing If the episode helps you feel more grounded in your work, please consider leaving a review. Send us a screenshot of your review at [email protected] and we will mail you a physical book as a thank-you. Connect with Tom & Nat: >> Follow Tom on Linkedin >> Follow Nat on Linkedin >> Follow @unleashyes on Instagram >> email [email protected] >> Book a call.