Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Linda Rhyne. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Linda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you’re open to it, can you talk to us about the best (or worst) investment you’ve made. What’s the backstory and the relevant context behind why you made the investment

When I realized I wanted to start a business as a consultant, I had no idea what I was doing. I had 15 years of experience in education and three degrees, but never learned what it took to run a business. I had just completed my first month delivering my first contract. My contact asked if I had yet been paid, which I hadn’t. Her sweet secretary reminded me I no longer worked for them and that I needed to submit an invoice. I didn’t even know how to create an invoice, what information to include, etc. I learned quickly that I needed some help. So I found a guide and coach who walked me through the important steps to building a successful business.

Since that initial month and realization, the best investment I’ve made is in people. I’ve hired multiple coaches who focus on varied perspectives, including becoming a business, the processes and organization I need as a CEO, and applying radical strategy to ground my business in core values. I also have a small business lawyer and concierge accountant on my team. As a solopreneur, I learned quickly that I needed support and have surrounded myself with a system that increases my success.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Linda Rhyne has over 15 years in education, a Master’s in Reading, K-12 Reading Specialist licensure, Orton-Gillingham training, National Board Certification, numerous teaching awards and a passion for creating a world of successful readers. Linda is passionate about the mission of LRC because of her own story. Even with a Master’s degree in Reading and certified as a Reading Specialist, she started teaching without the knowledge of the Science of Reading. Knowing what she knows now, she would have served her students differently and is passionate about helping teachers access the knowledge they need to best serve their students.

At Linda Rhyne Consulting, we leverage instructional coaching support as a way of improving literacy outcomes in educational settings. Across our nation, educators are realizing that there is proven research that informs our instructional approaches to building proficient readers. With this new learning, educators need support from instructional leaders and coaches. They deserve to try new strategies in a safe environment that helps them grow. Our services provide districts and schools with the tools they need to pair strategic coaching approaches with content knowledge aligned to reading research.

We don’t shy away from talking about the impact our emotions have on education. Education is a human profession and when we ignore the importance of being human, our work falls short. We talk about the hard stuff: our emotions, vulnerability and shame. Often, we are ignoring the emotions that come with change. By spending time discussing these difficult emotions, we work on creating space that welcomes them and allows educators to ACTUALLY implement the change they desire. Because our society expects teachers to be near-perfect and often teachers expect that of themselves, they too easily fail to implement change because it doesn’t feel safe. Instead, we work on welcoming the mess so that there is action.

If your organization already has access to the professional development you need, we can help you close the implementation gap in providing strategic instructional coaching. In this approach, leaders will learn how to approach coaching across a continuum that allows for in-the-moment response.

If your organization needs to learn more about current reading research and aligned approaches, we can help you by providing professional development sessions to your educators.

If your organization needs both, we can align the timing of professional development sessions with instructional coaching support to sustain the learning and improve outcomes for children.

Our company also provides freelance consulting services to organizations with specialization in literacy, coaching and curriculum development/implementation.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I didn’t know I would become a business owner. I had been working for the same school district for 15 years and then the pandemic hit. I transitioned to a school-based leadership position ten days before pandemic shut schools down. That summer, I helped my school navigate new policies, new schedules, and a new year fully remote. AND, my son was starting kindergarten during this time. I was up before dawn to start work, worked through the day with short breaks to check on kindergarten progress and worked through the evenings to support our teachers. My family hit a point when we realized this was unsustainable. So we made the decision to have me resign – with no plan in place. All we knew was that I could reapply to our school district in six months. And then I was offered the opportunity to work a contract as a professional development facilitator for our school district’s educators. I jumped at the chance to work with the amazing teachers in our school district, facilitating their learning in our Reading Institute. It was that contract that showed me I could turn this into a business.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the learning and support from three crucial individuals and their services.

I learned how to become a business from Lauren Widrick, an entrepreneur coach and her course/accelerator – Slay Your Side Hustle. She provided a blueprint from which I could apply my values and approach, all with her strategic support and positive outlook. Linda Rhyne Consulting wouldn’t have happened without her.

I learned how to view myself as a CEO, create solid processes, and serve my clients with white glove services from Danielle Jefferson of Jefferson James Consulting. She continues to be my coach and provide guidance each time we meet on how I can streamline, when to outsource, and how to maintain my success.

I learned how to align my business to my core values and stay grounded from Jessica Lackey of Jessica Lackey Consulting. She provides a new outlook on running a business through Radical Strategy. Her continuous coaching and approach keeps me sane and successful.

One of my favorite books is Untamed, by Glennon Doyle. While it might not be a business guide, it defines (or rather undefines) my approach. I don’t want to be tamed or put in a box. I want to be curious, innovative, and authentic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lindarhyneconsulting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.lindarhyneconsulting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindarhyneconsulting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-schultz-rhyne-91704b93/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindaschultzie
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
EYG Photography