Lay of the Land

Philosophy

Life is too short to live without intention. I believe it is vital to be purposeful about the practices we use in the classroom, to be intentional in our approach to our physical, mental, and spiritual health, and to live a life on purpose. I walk beside leaders, teachers, rural ministry wives, and others through relentless encouragement while equipping them with the tools to flourish and thrive in leadership, teaching, and living. 

About Me

I’m the owner of Spur Us On Services, LLC which provides mentoring, coaching, training, and speaking to educational and rural ministry leaders who are trying to quit second-guessing themselves and worry if they aren’t doing enough. I’m an educator, leader, musician, mother, and auntie. I’m a southern Illinois girl born to a farmer and married to one too. I love my horses, travel, piano, and agriculture. Side-by-side with my education career is my passion for speaking with women about navigating leadership and life challenges. I am blessed to serve alongside my husband at a rural church. I’m passionate about fitness, both physical and spiritual health, and I love helping women reach their potential on whatever path life takes them - it’s about making the most of the journey, right?!

As a leader, I was always worried I wasn’t doing enough, wasn’t effective enough, and was concerned I wasn’t spending enough time with my family…I knew there had to be a better way!

Education & Career

And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. As a coach to other leaders, I frequently hear, “How do I know if I’m doing enough?” Because of concerns like this, I designed a framework to help leaders walk through this question and come up with answers that work for their leadership and life.

You may be wondering how I can speak to this. For the past thirty-plus years I have been involved in public school education. I had the privilege of teaching elementary and middle school students for sixteen years. I served as a middle school assistant principal, elementary principal, and district administrator of curriculum, instruction, and assessments for a combined total of seventeen years. During that time I earned my doctorate in Educational Leadership from Indiana State University. I am currently a clinical supervisor of student teachers for a local university. I also mentor teachers, coach principals, train instructional coaches and provide professional development.

I am passionate about providing leaders and educators with professional development and coaching that makes a practical difference and provides impact. I provide professional development and instructional coaching around self-care, curriculum alignment, mentoring, and new teacher/new leader induction. Through my company, Spur Us On Services, LLC, I provide one-on-one and group coaching using a framework to help leaders navigate their work without sacrificing their faith and family.