Episode 10

Episode 10: Realizing Your Dreams with Coach Jim Johnson

Published on: 20th March, 2022

Based on what transpired in a few short moments in early 2006, Coach Jim Johnson is now an authority on the subject of realizing your dreams. In his many public-speaking appearances, the Rochester, New York resident relates his role in a basketball game that got Hollywood calling. He also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, delivering his talks with a heartfelt style that has brought audiences to their feet.

Coach Johnson has developed winning high-school basketball teams for 30 years, taking over three losing varsity programs and turning them into winners in short periods of time. Of his 428 career victories, one in particular will surely never be duplicated.

On Feb. 15, 2006, Coach Johnson made the kindhearted gesture of inserting his autistic manager, Jason McElwain, now known to the world as J-Mac into Greece Athena High School’s final home game, which the Trojans won 79-43. J-Mac scored 20 points in just over four minutes, including six three-point baskets, to become an instant national celebrity. Coach Johnson, also, was featured in major news outlets around the country. (check out the ESPN story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-nMab6XDNI&t=20s)

To make the Hollywood ending complete, Greece Athena captured the first Section V title of Coach Johnson’s career a few weeks later. For more, visit https://coachjimjohnson.com/

Follow Coach Johnson on social media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachJimJohnson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachjimjohnson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachjimjohnson/

Content via: coachjimjohnson.com

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Professional development planning season is upon us! I'd love to work with you and your school or district to support and grow your leaders and to bring energy and passion to your staff and students. Dates are beginning to fill up for this summer and early fall. Connect with me at darrinmpeppard@roadtoawesome.net and learn more at roadtoawesome.net

Follow Darrin on social media @DarrinMPeppard on Twitter, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, Instagram, and on Facebook. Check out Darrin's YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSqwcmCOMCFGehJTUlmC3Q

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About the Podcast

Leaning into Leadership
A Road to Awesome Podcast
We all want to see successes in both our personal and professional lives. Often, that requires strong leadership. In a time when leadership can be more challenging than ever, this podcast is dedicated to cultivating leaders by elevating the voices of leaders and promoting positivity. Join Dr. Darrin Peppard, lifelong educator and best-selling author, for this mixed platform podcast (some solo, some guest interview) for inspiration and insight, and some great leadership stories from those are living it, excelling at it, and celebrating it. Together, let's lean into leadership.

About your host

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Darrin Peppard

Darrin Peppard is an author, publisher, speaker, and consultant focused on what matters most in leadership and education. Darrin is an expert in school culture and climate, as well as coaching and growing emerging leaders, and is the author of the best selling book Road to Awesome: Empower, Lead, Change the Game.

Darrin was named the 2016 Wyoming Secondary School Principal of the Year by WASSP/NASSP and was the 2015 Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year. In 2017, Darrin earned his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Wyoming. Darrin was inducted into the Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame in 2019.

Darrin now shares his experiences from over 25 years in education, specifically those learned as an education leader during the past 13 years. As a ‘recovering’ high school principal, Darrin shares lessons learned and effective strategies from over 25 years in public education to help leaders (both adults and students) to become more effective and positively impact the world around them. Connect with Darrin at roadtoawesome.net