Show Notes

In this incredible conversation, I talk with Emily Peddle, a former high school teacher who is now the Director of Professional Learning Programs and Partnerships at Southern New Hampshire University. Emily frames her entire career through three powerful "beacons" that have guided her journey: her deep roots as a teacher, the life-changing power of her network, and her consistent, unwavering "why."

Her "why" has always been "to improve education and the student experience," a mission that has remained her North Star from the classroom to edtech and now to higher education. This episode traces the amazing, full-circle story of her high school teacher and mentor, Audrey Rogers—the woman who inspired her to teach in 1992, who re-emerged as her graduate school professor, and who, decades later, hired her for her dream job.

• Your "Why" as Your North Star: Emily shares how her core mission—to improve education—has been the consistent thread that connects her roles as a classroom teacher, a school leader, an edtech strategist, and now a director in higher ed.
• The Full-Circle Mentor: The incredible story of Audrey Rogers, the teacher who inspired Emily to teach, who later became her colleague, then her master's program professor, and ultimately, the person who hired her at SNHU.
• The Startup Interview: Emily's hilarious and all-too-real story of her first edtech interview—showing up late with a broken heel to find the founders on beanbag chairs drinking beers.
• "I Always Love Learning From You": How the President of SNHU, Paul LeBlanc, hired Emily after her startup closed, telling her he was "grateful to experience being a student in her classroom."
• Listen to the "Knowing": Emily's powerful advice on listening to that internal "knowing" when you feel it's time to grow, even if you don't know what's next.

Episode Article

My guest, Emily Peddle, kicks off our conversation with a powerful reflection on the three "beacons" that have shaped her professional life: her deep roots as a teacher, the incredible power of her network, and her consistent why. For Emily, that why has been her North Star for 25 years: to improve education and the student experience. It's a mission that has translated perfectly from the classroom to an edtech startup, and now to her role at Southern New Hampshire University.

Emily’s journey into education began in 1992, when she was 16. She was sitting in her U.S. History class, captivated by her teacher, Audrey Rogers. The class project on Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" opened up the world for her, and in that moment, she knew she wanted to be a social studies teacher. Years later, after a "tumultuous" first year of teaching middle school, she found herself hired at her own high school alma mater. Her inspiration, Audrey Rogers, was now her colleague and mentor.

After 16 wonderful years at that school, Emily felt a "knowing"—a deep, certain feeling that it was time to grow, even if she didn't know what was next. This is where her network, the second beacon, took over. As she was finishing her master's degree in educational leadership, she walked into her final class. The professor was Dr. Audrey Rogers. It was this "life changing" connection that provided her next step. Audrey couldn't take a role at a new edtech startup spun out of SNHU, so she recommended her former student, Emily.

Emily’s first interview at the startup was a classic K-12-to-edtech culture shock. She arrived late, disheveled from breaking up a fight at school, and with a broken heel, only to find her interviewers on beanbag chairs, drinking beers at 4:00 PM. She got the job and spent six "phenomenal" years there, learning to "build vision" for clients—a superpower she honed as a teacher. When that startup closed during the pandemic, her network delivered again. Paul LeBlanc, the President of SNHU and the startup's board chair, reached out to hire her, paying her the "ultimate compliment": "I always love learning from you... I can tell you were such a great teacher."

After two years at SNHU, Emily felt that familiar "itch to grow." She did what she always does: she reached out to her network. Her first call was to Dr. Audrey Rogers, who, in a perfect full-circle moment, was also at SNHU and had an opening on her team. Emily's story is the perfect testament to her three beacons: her roots as a teacher gave her a mission, and her network, built on genuine human connection, opened every single door.