The CharacterStrong Podcast

John Norlin, Houston Kraft

Booking Overview

An education interview podcast focused on whole-child success, character development, social-emotional learning, school culture, and multi-tiered systems of support, featuring educators and education leaders with practical implementation experience. Credible pitches include superintendents, principals, teachers, MTSS and SEL specialists, education authors, and school leaders with measurable outcomes; booking difficulty is medium because guests are accomplished practitioners and recognized leaders rather than mainstream celebrities.

Metrics

Episodes: 518

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.9/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: USA

YouTube: 11.6k subscribers

Instagram: 15.0k followers

Contact Information

Publicly listed emails

info@characterstrong.com

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

Host

John Norlin - Education leader and co-founder of CharacterStrong, focused on helping schools implement character development, social-emotional learning, and whole-child systems.

Houston Kraft - Speaker, author, and co-founder of CharacterStrong, specializing in character development, kindness, social-emotional learning, and school culture.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium

Typical Credentials:

Education leaders, principals, teachers, district administrators, MTSS or SEL practitioners, and authors with direct experience implementing whole-child, character-development, school-culture, or student-support initiatives.

Required Achievements:

Demonstrated improvements in school culture, student support, behavior, belonging, or academic conditions, Leadership of district- or school-wide SEL, character education, or MTSS initiatives, Education awards or recognition as an exemplary principal, teacher, or school leader, Published books or established frameworks related to leadership, education, or whole-child success

Recent Guest Discussions

Dr. Stefan Bean - Servant Leadership, Listening Systems, Cultivating Leadership Strengths, And Building Organizations Where Others Can Thrive.

Sonia E. Ruiz - Student Voice, Belonging, Inclusive School Communities, Staff Training, And Turning Student Feedback Into Systemic Action.

Torrin Johnson - Tier 2 Supports, Intervention Systems, Educational Equity, Student Skill Gaps, And Reducing Suspension Rates.

Angela Walle - Character-trait Instruction, Classroom Culture, Psychological Safety, Student Accountability, And Whole-child Education.

Recent Topics

Education, Social Emotional Learning, Character Education, School Leadership, Multi Tiered Systems Of Support

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on

The CharacterStrong Podcast

A Note of Hope for Every Educator in the Work - Chris Moore

September 25, 2026

Today our guest is Chris Moore, Director of Behavioral Health at Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Chris shares a poem he wrote and delivered as a commencement address to a cohort of leaders, a piece that started as a love letter to leadership and became a ritual reminder of why educators show up, stay in it, and choose to keep going even when the work is hard. He also reflects on the importance of building space for reflection into the daily and long-term rhythms of leadership, and why giving our...

Lifted to Lead: A Framework for Leaders Who Put Others First - Dr. Stefan Bean

September 18, 2026

Today our guest is Dr. Stefan Bean, Orange County's 12th Superintendent of Schools and author of Lifted to Lead. Dr. Bean shares the LIFTED framework, a practical leadership model built around the idea that a leader's job is not to be first up the ladder but to hold it steady so others can climb. He also explains why listening is the foundation everything else in the framework depends on, and how leaders at every level can build real systems for gathering input from the people most affected b...

How One Principal Built a System for Gathering Student Voice That Actually Changes Things - Sonia Ruiz

September 11, 2026

Today our guest is Sonia Ruiz, Principal at Jane Addams Middle School in Bolingbrook, Illinois and 2026 National Middle Level Principal of the Year. Sonia shares how her school built a system for gathering student voice that goes beyond surveys, turning what students share into concrete action, staff training, and a more inclusive school community. She also explains why collecting student voice only matters if it leads somewhere, and how her team uses what they hear to change systems, equip s...

Publicly listed emails

info@characterstrong.com

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