Lorraine Connell | Owner of Peers not Fears

Tell us about YOU!!  Lorraine Connell, MEd, MS, is the Owner of Peers not Fears, LLC, and a veteran educator of over 20 years. As a workshop facilitator, speaker, coach, and consultant for schools and youth-serving organizations, she has developed curricula on leadership and empathy. She works in collaboration with others to provide coaching to educators and students everywhere through her company Peers not Fears, LLC. Lorraine hosts the podcast Education Unimagined, where she interviews students, current and past, on their experiences in education, and listens to their advice on how we could do better. Her work spans the impact of understanding how and where our biases come into play, to develop strong communities.

What makes you different/stand out in your industry?  I believe that we are all developing leadership. Students are under the assumption that leaders are born, but I know that we are all developing as leaders. Too many of us, myself included, don’t see ourselves as the leaders we are. I am on a mission to change that myth. Leaders are not born they are developed, we need to provide opportunities for us to grow as leaders. Making mistakes is part of the process, and while the stakes are high in developing leaders the ultimate growth of positive school culture is worth it! After spending 20 years in the classroom I realized that we were not only perpetuating the myth, we were using it to our advantage. I didn’t see myself as a leader, I was just a teacher, just a mom, just – just – just. When one (or several) of my students told me they were leaders I knew I had to redefine leadership for myself, so I could change the belief in others.

What do your clients love about you?  Lorraine strives for positive change, for the betterment of our program and our students. Lorraine finds and cultivates the leadership potential in some of the most traditionally overlooked students: the shy kids, the class clowns, and everyone in between. She encourages her students to cast away their labels and empowers them to embrace their differences. She creates positive change by leading through example.

What is the best advice you can share with others?  The only requirement to being a leader is making a decision. We do that every morning when we get out of bed!

How has the Women’s Business League helped you?  There are so many way – support from other members, collaborations with members, being able to hire the women in WBL for the services I need, business connections for me, and just great friendship.