In this new episode, Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag have the pleasure of interviewing Sonja Pullen. Sonja's journey through teaching, school leadership, coaching and consulting has equipped her to support students and teachers across Canada, Ethiopia, and Australia. Based in Toronto, she is the founder of SP Coaching and the Canadian consultant for the world-renowned Instructional Coaching Group led by Jim Knight. Sonja is dedicated to advancing coaching and professional development in education so that students and educators everywhere have the support they need to flourish. A certified coach in education, Sonja holds the European Mentoring and Coaching Council’s Global Accreditation award at the Practitioner level. She is a Senior Mentor Coach and facilitator with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Mentorship Program at the University of Toronto. Guided by values of respect, kindness, and empathy, Sonja sees the best in others and believes in the limitless potential of every individual she serves. Outside of work, she loves fitness, time with family and friends, cheering on local sports teams, and is on a mission to keep her plants alive!

In this conversation, through her powerful storytelling, Sonja brings to life remarkable shifts that can take place in schools when educators are given the opportunity to receive mentorship and provide it to their peers. We thank Sonja for generously sharing her wisdom and expertise with us!

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In this new podcast episode, Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag have the pleasure of interviewing Tamiko Nettles. Tamiko is a lifelong educator, innovative thinker, and author who empowers individuals and organizations to excel and create solutions in education, staff engagement, community and life. For over 20 years, she has created high impact programs that ensure all students and staff are valued, heard, and recognized in her roles as a teacher, coach, advocate for educators, and advisor to principals and executives. Tamiko is Founder and CEO of her educational consulting and coaching firm, Let Go-Be Great, LLC offering customized "client-centered" solutions to drive change, build trust, empower, and transform organizational cultures through the power of storytelling. In addition, she serves as Executive Director of a grassroots homeless initiative providing feminine hygiene products and toiletries monthly to homeless shelters, schools, and organizations throughout Illinois. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia who received her undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Oxford College and Emory University and her Master’s degrees from Northwestern & American College of Education in Education, Social Policy, and School Leadership. Although these degrees and experiences equip Tamiko to be at the top of her field, she considers her major accomplishments to be more about what she has done for others in and around her community. In her treasured time, she loves journaling, Salsa dancing, discovering new recipes and road trip ventures with her daughters, creating themed events to give back to others, and always has an open door policy to listen and encourage. Welcome Tamiko!

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Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag have the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Morgenthal, an award-winning podcast host and blogger, positive psychologist, and resilience coach who helps people and organizations navigate change, build resilience, and reconnect with what truly matters. She is the creator of Resilience Gone Wild, a podcast that blends captivating stories from the natural world with powerful, science-backed tools for human thriving—recognized as DiscoverPods’ 2024 Podcast of the Year and Best Science Podcast.

Jessica is also a systemic team coach, consultant, speaker, and author with a background in strategic identity consulting, marketing research, and futurism. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree from Harvard, and has served on numerous nonprofit boards. Her work brings a rare blend of strategic insight and soulful wisdom to the worlds of leadership, sustainability, and social impact.

She is a dedicated volunteer at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Florida, where she helps guests fall in love with the ocean and its extraordinary creatures—part of her broader mission to use nature’s wild wisdom to inspire more compassionate, connected, and regenerative ways of living and working.

Whether recording podcasts, leading workshops and retreats, or simply telling the story of a sleeping parrotfish, Jessica invites us to find our power, our purpose, and our next step forward—by looking to nature.

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