Libsyn Directory

Silvia Sarhadian: Never Lead From Fear

Release Date: 09/26/2024

Episode 215 with Vance Morris — How Disney's Service Values Can WOW Your Customer

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris welcomes Vance Morris, former security guard turned Disney leader and successful entrepreneur, for a trip to the happiest place on earth — great customer service! Vance helps business owners get, serve, and keep clients for life through creating experiences and response-required marketing. He shares real-world strategies to delight customers, build community buzz, and drive word-of-mouth referrals. In this episode, Vance breaks down Disney’s hiring and training magic and the “why” behind it, how it transforms the customer experience, the role of linertainment, and how...

Episode 214 with Ashanti Ordone — Fixing a Broken Culture with Intentional Leadership

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris welcomes Ashanti Ordone, the Founder and CEO of Gifted & Talented Academy, and the 2025/26 Child Care Rock Star Award winner! They talk about expanding from a home daycare to three locations, transforming her school’s culture, and overcoming challenges in the early childhood education landscape. Ashanti shares her powerful story of building a thriving early learning center, detailing how she developed rock-solid core values and poured into her leadership team, implemented innovative leadership strategies, and turned her school’s culture into a model of excellence. Key...

Episode 213 with Jami Hartmann - Getting Your Operational “Stuff” Together!

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Want to stop the revolving door of teachers and create a rock-solid childcare team? Kris talks with Jami Hartmann from Trainual about how the right systems can transform your center’s operations. They dig into practical strategies for finding great staff, training them effectively, and keeping them motivated. Jami shares some great insights on getting your whole team aligned, creating smooth onboarding, and using technology to make documentation easier. If you’re struggling with staff turnover and want to build a more consistent, high-performing center, this episode is packed with...

Episode 212 with Josh and Pamela Hernandez — Leveraging Word of Mouth Marketing for Fast Growth

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris welcomes Josh and Pamela Hernandez, owners of Montessori Kids Universe Stone Oak. The duo talks about their path into early childhood education and opening up MKU, tips for starting out with cash flow out of the gate, and enrollment strategies that worked for them. They also chat with Kris about using referral rewards, how they balance family and business, marketing tools that help them build trust and stand out in their community, the need for the industry to collaborate more, and how they keep their staff happy and inspired. Key Takeaways: [5:04] Joshua and Pamela talk...

Episode 211 with Jennifer House and Jenni Grawvunder — Chasing Cows and Building Dreams Into a 12-Center Empire

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris welcomes “The Jens”, aka Jennifer House (CEO) and Jenni Grawvunder (COO) of Children’s Choice Preschool, to share the remarkable story behind their 12-center child care empire in San Diego County. What started as a nonprofit program with 25 children has grown into a thriving operation serving nearly 1,300 kids across 11 centers (with a 12th on the way) and supported by a team of over 300 staff. From pet chickens to RV-based school openings, the Jens talk about blending practical business strategy with fun, managing both nonprofit and for-profit centers, building culture...

Episode 210 with Dominique Gill — When You Love Kids This Much, Success Comes Naturally

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris welcomes Dominique Gill, heart-centered leader and owner of Unique Kids Childcare in Nashville and Smyrna, Tennessee, to share her journey to multi-site child care leader. Dominique opens up about starting as a young mother seeking affordable child care, working in exchange for tuition, and eventually moving from home-based care to two thriving centers. Dominique built her program around love, family, and celebrating every child’s uniqueness. She discusses the challenges of opening during the pandemic, shifting into leadership, raising tuition for the first time, and creating a...

Episode 209 with Tea Shong and Trina Romanowski - A Family Affair! Tales of a Multi-Generational ECE Company

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris sits down with Tea Shong and Trina Romanowski, the powerhouse mother-daughter duo behind a thriving, multi-site early childhood business in Michigan. Winners of the Partnership of the Year Award at the Child Care Success Summit, Tea and Trina share how they scaled from an in-home daycare to three high-quality centers, all rooted in purpose and shared vision. They discuss navigating family dynamics, leading with clarity, embedding nature-based learning, and using creative systems like coaching calls and color-coded lanyards, to keep their team culture strong across every location. Key...

Episode 208 with Rachel Supalla — Creating Leadership Magic In Her Ruby Slippers

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris is joined by longtime friend, business visionary, and rockstar early childhood leader Rachel Supalla. Rachel is the founder of Vision Tree, a TEDx speaker, and the author of The Playful Leader’s Toolkit, a book packed with wisdom on leading with joy, grounding, and energy. With 10 schools across Montana and Utah, Rachel shares how she’s scaled her business while embracing what she calls “ruby slipper leadership.” They talk about managing energy instead of time, why remote teams need tight leadership structures, and how playfulness is more than just dress-up — it’s a strategy...

Episode 207 with Gigi Schweikert — You Can’t Save Your Way to Success

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris welcomes Gigi Schweikert, CEO of Lightbridge Academy, to explore what it takes to lead at scale and stay grounded in the human side of early childhood education. With 85 centers across the U.S., Gigi shares how she thinks about quality, culture, and decision-making at the organizational level, and why trust is still the best metric. They discuss industry trends, mentorship, and the habits that help leaders grow. Gigi also reflects on what she’s learned after publishing 18 books, raising four children, embracing grandmotherhood, and showing up consistently for her team and community....

Episode 206 with Regina Miller - Leadership Lessons in Child Care

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris welcomes the joy-inducing and magnetic Regina Miller, a nationally recognized trainer, author, and owner of Trailblazers Academy in Wichita, Kansas. With nearly five decades in early childhood education and 35 years in leadership, Regina shares fantastic insight into what it really takes to lead a team, stay connected as an owner, and build lasting impact in your center. Regina shares some great takeaways from her new book Leadership Lessons, including how to hire smarter, mentor without ego, and avoid becoming an absentee owner. Kris and Regina also talk about how to stay...

More Episodes

Kris welcomes Silvia Sarhadian, an Empire member of the Childcare Success Academy and owner of two franchise locations of The Learning Experience. Silvia shares her journey from a career in chemistry and banking to early childhood education, where she discovered her true passion. She highlights the importance of resilient leadership, communication, and fostering a collaborative environment in her centers. Silvia also talks about her personal growth, some great tips for empowering your staff, and her commitment to making a difference in the lives of children and families.

Key Takeaways:

[5:56] Silvia discusses her transition from a career in banking and chemistry to owning early childhood education centers and finding her passion.

[10:21] Silvia’s journey started in 2016 with the support of her husband, helping her gain the confidence to start her first center.

[13:19] The importance of having clear goals for business success and expansion. Silvia’s vision includes opening three to four more schools and reaching a business valuation of $10 million.

[14:12] Fun fact! Silvia is a ballroom dancer!

[15:11] Silvia’s schools and community involvement, including the Make-A-Wish partnership.

[17:29] She reflects on how her communication style and leadership have evolved over the years, emphasizing the need for clear communication with her team and the importance of involving teachers in decision-making.

[27:46] Silvia shares her strategies for developing a growth mindset and the role resilience plays in fostering confidence and effective leadership.

[30:00] She talks about her focus on professional development, offering workshops, retreats, and resources for teachers to improve classroom management and early intervention techniques.

[35:22] Silvia’s vision for the future includes integrating early intervention programs and differentiated instruction into her centers to meet the unique needs of every child.

[39:51] Silvia reflects on the importance of never leading from fear and prioritizing hiring staff aligned with the company’s vision.

Quotes:

“It’s not just all about money. It’s all about putting our experience into action, helping families, and helping our communities. That’s our mission.” [12:03]
“Our mission is to make a positive impact on the lives of the families and communities we serve. That’s what we live every single day.” — Silvia Sarhadian [16:40]
“It’s not like we have to, we get to do this, and we do it with love.” — Silvia Sarhadian [20:00]
“You are the CEO of your own classroom. What are the needs and challenges of your classroom, and how can you make it a better place?” — Silvia Sarhadian [30:19]
“Never lead from fear.” — Silvia Sarhadian [39:51]

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