In my latest Fireside Chat, I had the pleasure of speaking with Meg Bowen, Executive Director of Customer Experience and Growth at Instructional Empowerment. With more than three decades of experience in public education, Meg shared incredible insights into how her team is transforming classrooms, empowering educators, and why community sits at the very centre of that mission.

Here are a few key takeaways from the conversation:

Community extends support beyond the classroom.
Instructional Empowerment’s customers benefit from professional development and coaching, but the community ensures that support continues long after trainers leave. By connecting early adopters and innovators nationwide, educators can exchange strategies, inspire each other, and build momentum together.

Tagging and storytelling fuel engagement.
Early on, faculty drove most of the posting. Over time, techniques like tagging innovators into discussions, celebrating school achievements, and sharing short video interviews encouraged members to contribute more, turning passive participants into active knowledge-sharers.

Internal collaboration drives innovation.
The community isn’t just for customers. Instructional Empowerment also uses private spaces for faculty to share ideas and co-create new approaches, ensuring that their collective expertise strengthens the experience for everyone.

Community is central to long-term growth.
From integrating with annual conferences to supporting educators once direct coaching ends, the community isn’t a side project it’s core to Instructional Empowerment’s strategy. As Meg put it, it helps them create “forever customers” who always have access to resources, expertise, and peer support.

💬 One of the most powerful reflections Meg shared came from her teaching background: “I just put myself in our customer’s shoes… What would they like? What would feel comfortable? What would help them see the possibilities?”

That empathy-driven approach is what makes Instructional Empowerment’s community not just a platform, but a movement for lasting educational change.