Episode 206 with Regina Miller - Leadership Lessons in Child Care
Release Date: 07/17/2025
Episode 215 with Vance Morris — How Disney's Service Values Can WOW Your Customer
Child Care Rockstar Radio
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Child Care Rockstar Radio
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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...
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Episode 211 with Jennifer House and Jenni Grawvunder — Chasing Cows and Building Dreams Into a 12-Center Empire
Child Care Rockstar Radio
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Episode 210 with Dominique Gill — When You Love Kids This Much, Success Comes Naturally
Child Care Rockstar Radio
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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...
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Child Care Rockstar Radio
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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....
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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...
info_outlineKris 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 engaged, inspire your staff, and create a culture that works, starting at the top.
Key Takeaways:
[5:05] Some exciting new info about the Summit! [7:06] Regina brings more than 47 years of experience in early childhood and 35 years in leadership, with a clear focus on mentorship, literacy, and building long-term community impact.
[8:58] After losing her daughter in 2022, Regina downsized her center to honor her daughter’s dream and now focuses on a smaller, literacy-driven program model.
[11:46] She has no plans to retire and emphasizes purpose-driven longevity in leadership, reinforced by consistent self-care and boundaries.
[14:13] The beauty of an early wake-up time.
[17:02] Her newest book, Leadership Lessons, was years in the making and centers on transparency, personal growth, and lessons from mistakes made as a leader.
[20:34] Regina encourages leaders to stop being intimidated by talented hires. She views strong team members as a resource to grow the organization, not as a threat.
[23:18] New directors often assume the title alone is enough. Regina challenges them to build systems, listen to input, and avoid siloed decision-making.
[25:59] Veteran leaders can become disconnected. She emphasizes the importance of owners remaining present and actively involved in culture-building.
[30:18] Regina is deeply involved in policy advocacy and stresses the need for early educators to be consistently vocal with legislators, not just during funding crises.
[34:04] Fun fact: You may catch Regina on the dance floor, and she moved for four hours at her own birthday party!
[34:24] Joy and energy are core to Regina’s leadership style, and she believes team morale can be shifted through presence, celebration, and meaningful connection.
[36:13] The connection between dancing and leadership.
[39:03] For introverted leaders, Regina recommends finding trusted allies, preparing in writing, and participating in leadership through small, strategic actions.
[41:54] Regina uses creative, real-world training exercises, like immersive people-watching in Las Vegas, to help emerging leaders build confidence and self-awareness.
[45:04] Her upcoming literacy program not only supports child development but also functions as an enrollment strategy by drawing families back into the center.
Quotes:
“I believe that all of us have a part. So there’s no better school, bigger school, best school. There’s all of us, and then there are all of these children that need us.” — Regina [8:43]
“Hire someone smarter than you.” — Regina [22:08]
“As a new leader, be willing to listen.” — Regina [24:14]
“Leaders cannot ask of their people what they’re not willing to do themselves. And a lot of times you can’t just delegate that down.” — Regina [29:28]
“Once I dance, I make everybody dance. I can boogie off anything you give me.” — Regina [39:29]
Sponsored By:
ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)
Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Child Care Success Company
The Child Care Success Academy
Childcare Education Institute: Use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal
Funding and Advocacy for ECE, Across All 50 States with Cindy Lehnhoff