Building Stronger School Nutrition Teams Through Professional Development

What makes a strong school nutrition team? It takes more than technical knowledge. Trust, communication, connection, leadership, and a shared sense of purpose all play a role in creating teams that can navigate change and succeed together. In this episode of *NutriSmart SNAX**, Maureen Pisanick sits down with **Heather Lee of Effective Leadership Academy (ELA)* to explore how school nutrition professional development can help teams reconnect with their "why," strengthen relationships, improve communication, and build a healthier workplace culture. Heather shares strategies for creating professional development that gets employees engaged instead of simply sitting through another presentation. They also discuss why leaders should participate alongside their teams, how vulnerability can strengthen leadership, and why bringing different departments together can help break down silos throughout a school district. In this episode, you'll hear about: Building trust within school nutrition and education teams Reconnecting employees with their purpose and "why" Creating engaging, interactive professional development Improving communication between different personalities Supporting staff through change, turnover, and stressful seasons Why leaders should learn alongside their employees Breaking down silos between nutrition, transportation, administration, teachers, and other school staff Using professional development to strengthen workplace culture Finding better ways to support employee wellness and work-life balance And, of course, we finish with food: Heather shares the school lunches she remembers most—including Mexican pizza and the excitement of making her own lunch from the high school salad bar. NutriSmart SNAX brings conversations, ideas, and practical strategies to the people working every day to improve school nutrition. #SchoolNutrition #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolLeadership #TeamBuilding #SchoolFoodService #LeadershipDevelopment #NutriSmartSNAX Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to NutriSmart SNAX 00:24 – Meet Heather Lee from Effective Leadership Academy 02:24 – Managing stress and change in a new school year 03:15 – Wellness, mindfulness and work-life balance 04:10 – Reconnecting with your "why" and preventing burnout 05:19 – Pisanick Partners' experience with ELA professional development 06:15 – Why leaders should participate alongside their teams 08:29 – Creating customized professional development 09:30 – Building trust, communication and stronger teams 11:04 – The power of vulnerability in leadership 12:00 – Bringing the entire school community together 13:13 – Professional development for teams of all sizes 15:15 – Why trust is the foundation for innovation 16:51 – Making professional development fun and meaningful 17:59 – Heather's favorite school lunch 18:38 – Why the school lunch experience matters 19:22 – Closing thoughts