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Unreasonable Hospitality: 6 Lessons for Catholic School Leaders

Familiaris Podcast for Catholic School Leaders

Visit familiaris-consulting.com to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements. Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez unpacks six practical lessons from Will Guidara’s bestselling book Unreasonable Hospitality, applying the leadership philosophy behind Eleven Madison Park to the world of Catholic school leadership. The episode explores how hospitality can become a driving core value in relationships with families, staff, and students alike. What You’ll Learn: * How to define and apply hospitality as a core value in a Catholic school setting * Why being fully present with parents matters more than pure efficiency * How to build practical toolkits for recurring hospitality moments like admissions, transfers, and difficult meetings * How to delegate hospitality initiatives by tapping into the passions of staff and parent leaders * How intentional budget choices can create meaningful, memorable experiences for families Six Lessons: * Hospitality is a core value * Be present and pay attention * Create a toolkit * Tap into their passions and then give them the keys * Finish strong: the one-inch rule * Rule of 95/5 Book referenced: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara (Amazon, Bookshop, Thrift Books) Chapters * 00:00: Welcome and introducing Unreasonable Hospitality * 02:22: Six reasonable lessons for school leaders * 04:41: Defining hospitality for Catholic schools * 06:59: Balancing hospitality and academic excellence * 09:19: Everyday encounters as opportunities for hospitality * 11:35: Lesson two—be present and pay attention * 14:00: Attentive versus present: two kinds of servers * 18:48: Lesson three—create a hospitality toolkit * 23:27: Lesson four—tap into passions and delegate * 30:18: Lesson five—finish strong, the one-inch rule * 34:18: Lesson six—the rule of 95.5 * 39:08: Closing thoughts on generous stewardship Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe