Empowering leaders, inspiring teams
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Why Culture Is Important

Unlock potential with tailored workshops that foster collaboration, confidence, and growth for every member of your team.

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Our Core Beliefs

People, Purpose, and Process.

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Putting It All Together

How we combine modern research, innovative practices, and foundational knowledge to create impactful cultures that encourage growth for all organizations.

Meet Our Team

Joshua Shaw
For all of my life, I've held the belief that great leadership is not about position or tradition, but about building cultures where people feel valued, challenged, and inspired to grow. For more than 20 years, I have worked alongside educators and leaders to develop teams, programs, and systems that align vision with daily practice and create lasting impact.

My experience spans district-level leadership, curriculum design, and organizational development, where I have led initiatives that strengthen instructional clarity, build trust, and foster shared ownership. Whether developing vertically aligned programs, guiding teams through change, or designing sustainable recruitment and retention strategies, my focus has always been on people first and purpose always.

I hold a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a Principal as an Instructional Leader certification. Through leadership training and culture development, I help organizations move beyond surface-level improvement toward environments where clarity replaces confusion, collaboration replaces isolation, and growth becomes the norm. My work is grounded in practical experience, research-based strategies, and a deep belief that when culture is built intentionally, performance follows naturally.

Kathy Appleton
Early on in life, I wanted to be a teacher, not because of the usual childhood idea of “playing school,” but because I loved being part of a group where everyone was expected to play a significant role in moving together toward goals. Of course, I didn’t realize that at the time, but looking back, I was fortunate to have had teachers and directors who created environments where struggle was just part of the process toward growth and students worked as a community of learners. 

Those foundational memories led me to the past 25+ years of classroom experience, teaching English, AP Capstone Research, and marching band/color guard. I’m blessed to work with some of the most amazing students and educators, and I’ve led a large team of English teachers in developing a professional community to build on each other’s work and grow together. I also serve as a Lead Facilitator for The College Board’s National Faculty for PreAP instruction. In this role, I set the stage for events where teachers are immersed in the elements of strong classroom culture.

While teaching, I’ve earned two Master’s degrees, in English and in Educational Leadership, along with a Principal as Educational Leader certification. I value continued learning and find that the principles of leading through service and building strong teams apply to all types of organizations: schools, programs, organizations, and businesses. My interest in research into understanding how people think, changing habits, and building communities has led to my current work teaching and modeling the foundational elements of strong culture.

 Strong culture is not based on a personality; it can be built. I believe that there is incredible power in creating supportive communities where individual voices are valued and standards for success are high. Strong culture can unlock potential beyond all expectations.

Our Story