14 – The Year in Review: 5 Lessons That We Learned in 2024
Release Date: 01/06/2025
46 – The Model That’s Replacing Traditional PD (And Paying Consultants More)
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
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...
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45 – Education Consulting 101: What It Actually Is (And Whether It Could Be for You)
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
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...
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44 – This Is Marketing by Seth Godin (Book Summary for Educators Who Hate Marketing)
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
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...
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43 – Pricing Without Flinching: What to Say When a School Asks Your Rates
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
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...
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42 – Teachers Deserve It: How Rae Hughart is Reimagining K-12 Consulting
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
👉 Feeling called to make a bigger impact in education? If you’re curious about building aligned, paid work beyond your current role, you can book a clarity call with us here: [] Some people talk about innovation in education. Rae Hughart lives it. In this episode of Unleash YES, we sit down with Rae Hughart—former middle school math teacher, education leader, and founder of Teachers Deserve It—to unpack what it really looks like to build a learning-based consulting business that respects teachers and creates systems-level change. Rae shares how her journey evolved from the...
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41 – Stop Doing These 5 Things to Grow Your Educator Business to $100K in 2026
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
You’re posting. You’re speaking. People tell you your work matters. And yet… your business is still stuck. In this episode of Unleash YES, we name the real reason so many educators stay under $25K—not because they lack ideas or expertise, but because they’re giving hobby-level consistency to something they want to be real. It took both of us far longer than we want to admit to cross our first $100K. Not because we didn’t know what to do—but because we hadn’t stopped doing the things that kept us playing small. In this conversation, we break down the five behaviors we had to...
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40 – The One-Year Tipping Point: How Kendra’s Business Exploded as a Side Hustle
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
What does it actually look like to go from classroom teacher to in-demand PD consultant—and hit the one-year tipping point in a learning-based business? In this episode of Unleash YES, we’re joined by Kendra Jacobs (), a mathematics thought leader who, in just one year, grew her audience from 2K to 11K, launched a thriving membership community, created an online membership, and saw her professional development requests from districts explode. Kendra shares the exact moments that changed everything: · The identity shift from teacher to thought...
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BONUS – Introducing...The Educator Freedom Lab!
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
The Unleash YES Bootcamp is officially becoming the Educator Freedom Lab. In this short bonus episode, we share: Why “bootcamp” no longer fits the educators we serve What freedom actually looks like when you go independent Who the Educator Freedom Lab is for (and who it’s not) If you love education but feel like your role can’t hold you anymore… this episode will land. 👉 Curious if the Educator Freedom Lab is aligned for you? Book a with us and let’s find out. Let’s go.
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39 — Why the System Loved You… Until It Didn’t
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
If you’ve ever wondered why the school system loved you… until it didn’t, this episode will feel like someone finally turned the lights on. Natalie and Tom unpack the research-backed pattern behind why innovative educators go from “golden child” to “too much,” and why the very qualities that once made you indispensable are the same ones pointing you toward your next chapter. You’ll hear what 95 in-depth educator interviews revealed about the Innovator Backlash, and the deeper truth that you were never misaligned — you were miscast. And once you see what’s actually...
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38 – Craft an Inspiring Keynote That Moves Hearts and Opens Doors
Unleash YES (Your Entrepreneurial Spirit) with Tom Schimmer & Natalie Vardabasso — Business, Education, Mindset
If you’ve ever dreamed of stepping onto a stage and delivering a keynote that actually moves people — this one’s for you. Most educators approach keynotes like extended lessons… but an unforgettable keynote doesn’t teach. It transforms. In this powerful episode, Tom and Nat break down the exact process they use to help educators design keynotes that spark paradigm shifts, generate speaking invitations, and open consulting doors. You’ll learn how to: Plan content around a transformation (not a lecture) Engage audiences through story, visuals, and intentional moments of...
info_outlineHappy New Year, lightmakers! 🎉 In this reflective and inspiring episode of Unleash YES, Tom and Nat pull back the curtain on the 5 biggest lessons they learned from working with educators who took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2024.
From overcoming mindset blocks to embracing simplicity and staying rooted in your unique story, this episode is packed with actionable insights, real client stories, and heartfelt reflections from Tom and Nat’s own entrepreneurial journey.
What You’ll Learn:
✅ The power of starting before you’re ready and embracing imperfect action.
✅ Why your most profitable idea is hidden in your personal story.
✅ How simplicity often beats complexity in building a sustainable business.
✅ Why negativity and shadows are part of the creative process—and not your problem.
✅ The irreplaceable value of community when navigating challenges and celebrating wins.
If you’re dreaming of making 2025 your breakthrough year, this episode will inspire, equip, and empower you to step boldly into your next chapter.
🎧 Tune in, reflect, and let’s make 2025 a year of YES!
Resources:
>> Learn More About the Unleash YES Bootcamp!
>> Quiz: Which Learning-Based Business Model is Right for Me?
>> Starter Guide: The First 6 Steps to Launch Your Learning-Based Business
Tom Schimmer and Natalie Vardabasso specialize in helping educators launch and grow their learning-based businesses.
Connect with Tom & Nat:
>> Follow Tom on Linkedin
>> Follow Nat on Linkedin
>> Follow @unleashyes on Instagram