We have wanted to do this show for ages. We so admire women leaders, and some major players joined us for this interview! Kim Cofino is a well-known voice in the areas of women in leadership and instructional coaching. Madeleine Maceda Heide was a head of school on three continents and is a co-founder of the AMISA Women in Leadership organisation. Rhonda Norris is Superintendent of International Schools Group in Saudi Arabia and was a head of school in the Caribbean and in Asia, and Heather Naro is Head of Schutz School in Alexandria, Egypt. Their wisdom runs deep and their compassion is overflowing. This was a heartfelt, intimate conversation where the ladies shared their best tips for aspiring women leaders, with a big one being: “Go for it!”

Check out our website for the full bios of these incredible women.

Our Guiding Question was “What have been some of your most useful lessons learned as a woman leader in International Education?”

Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:

• Reasons for becoming leaders
• Pathways to leadership
• Barriers to women becoming leaders
• Steps to take to become a leader
• Advice not to take along the way
• The importance of mentoring, modeling, perspective taking, service, adaptability and more!

Resources mentioned:

The Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools - AAICIS

AMISA Women in Leadership website

Carney Sandoe

Kim’s Website, Eduro Learning, book co-authored with Christina Botbyl - Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership

Kim’s Coach Better Podcast

Episode 82 with Claire Gaul On Followership and the Complexities of International Teaching

International Schools Group

Contact Info: Kim Cofino Heather Naro Madeleine Maceda Heide Rhonda Norris

The show was recorded on June 16, 2025

Categories: Leadership | School Life

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.