Show Notes

Marybeth Schultz is a "lifelong learner" whose career has been a winding, inspiring journey. A former fourth-grade teacher and school principal, she never saw herself leaving the school building. But while pursuing her doctorate on how technology can streamline processes for teachers, she got an "inkling" for a change. She "took the leap" and joined Edpuzzle to get an inside look at how the business side of edtech operates. In this episode, Marybeth discusses her role as a School Partnerships Manager, why she prefers the term "relationship builder" over "sales", and how her experience as a principal helps her empathize with school leaders. She also gives some of the best advice we've heard for teachers: get comfortable asking questions and embrace being "new" at something.

• A Winding Path: Marybeth shares her journey from being a teacher and principal in Ohio to moving to Florida, working as a curriculum coach, and even returning to the classroom before joining edtech.
• The "Sales" Question: As a School Partnerships Manager, Marybeth admits her job is "growing the revenue," but she identifies more as a "relationship builder" who partners with schools.
• From Research to Reality: Discover how Marybeth's doctoral research on streamlining technology for teachers led her to join Edpuzzle to see the "other side" of the business.
• Embracing Being "Uncomfortable": Marybeth's key advice for growth is that "getting uncomfortable is kind of the way to growth".
• The Power of Asking Questions: Why teachers, who are often expected to have all the answers, must learn to be resourceful and "don't be afraid to ask somebody for help".

Episode Article

For most of her career, Marybeth Schultz thought her trajectory was set. As a longtime teacher, principal, and the daughter of a teacher, she "never saw myself ever leaving a school building". Her path, she assumed, would be working her way up to central office. But Marybeth is also a self-described "lifelong learner", and it was her passion for learning that unexpectedly opened a new door.

Her journey was anything but linear. After 14 years as a teacher and leader in Ohio, she moved to Florida, where she worked as a curriculum coach and principal. But then she did something many administrators don't—she went *back* into the classroom to lead English Language Arts, driven by her passion for literacy. It was during this time, while also working on her doctorate, that she began to feel an "inkling" for a change.

Her doctoral research focused on "figuring out ways technology can streamline the processes for teachers". This led her to Edpuzzle, a company founded by a former teacher. She joined "to get an inside look at how a company does business with schools," a world she had only known from the other side of the desk. Today, as a School Partnerships Manager, she's in a sales role—or, as she prefers, a "relationship builder". Her background as a principal gives her immediate empathy for the challenges school leaders face, from managing budgets to broken air conditioning.

When I asked Marybeth for her advice to teachers considering a similar leap, her answer was packed with wisdom. "You have to be patient with yourself," she urged, "you have to know what your strengths are". She stressed that "getting uncomfortable is kind of the way to growth". Her most powerful advice? Get used to asking for help. As educators, she noted, we often feel we must have all the answers. But in a new career, you must "don't be afraid to ask somebody for help. If you don't know something, you don't know it".