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One frustrated moment with a parent turned into a leadership habit that lasted for years: Todd Bloomer walked out of his office, sat on a literal red bench, and finally had space to breathe. That small reset became a bigger idea about sustainable educational leadership and it eventually became his new book, Finding Your Red Bench. We’re catching up with Todd after his first year as Director of School Leadership for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, where he supports principals across different school settings and learns firsthand that a job title doesn’t equal trust.

We dig into what changes when you move from running one building to coaching leaders across many. Todd breaks down why influence beats authority, how to build rapport in a new system, and what he learned when he stepped in as an interim K–8 principal and had to cover everything from instruction to maintenance. We also talk about presentations that respect educators’ time, leadership lessons learned the hard way, and why “putting yourself first” isn’t selfish when principal burnout is pushing good people out of the profession.

The red bench concept ties it all together: a practical way to reclaim joy on campus, quiet the noise of criticism, and lead with purpose. Todd explains his month-by-month guide built around school operations, campus culture, and self-care for educators, plus reflection questions you can use all year. If you’re a principal, assistant principal, or district leader trying to stay grounded, this conversation is your reminder to protect what matters. Subscribe, share this with a fellow leader, and leave a five-star review if it helps you find your own red bench.

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The Blueprint: Survive and Thrive as a School Administrator:

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School leaders spend all year pushing professional development, coaching cycles, and growth plans but the hardest mirror to face is our own. We dig into what it really means to “Be The Change” as educational leaders: not with slogans, but with daily behaviors that shape school culture, protect staff morale, and influence how the community experiences education.

We start with the reality that your presence sets the tone. The attitude you choose, the language you use in difficult moments, and your ability to stay calm under pressure all model the culture you’re trying to build. We also talk about raising your capacity through the “Law of the Lid” so your leadership doesn’t cap the growth of your teachers. From there, we make a practical shift from management to development, from compliance to coaching, and from oversight to true investment in people.

Then we move beyond the school doors. If you don’t tell your school’s story, someone else will and it usually won’t be charitable. We share strategies for shaping public perception through consistent school communication, social media highlights, staff spotlights, and transparent problem-solving. We also get direct about education advocacy: building networks through regional and state associations, and inviting legislators into your building so policy decisions connect to real classrooms and real kids.

You’ll leave with concrete next steps, including writing a personal mission statement and choosing one change you’ll make immediately in how you lead. Subscribe for more educational leadership and principal development conversations, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the one leadership habit you’re committing to next.

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Can you be a public school principal and openly follow Jesus without crossing the line into pushing beliefs on others? We’ve been sitting with that tension for a long time, because public school leadership demands fairness, trust, and service for everyone, including students, staff, and families with completely different faiths or no faith at all. What we’ve learned is simple but challenging: our beliefs matter most in what people experience from our leadership.

We tell a personal story of growing up in church, drifting, and then coming back to faith in a way that reshapes purpose, career, and calling as an educator. From there, we get practical about what “living your faith” can look like in a public school setting: listening well, speaking with care, forgiving, showing grace, holding boundaries, and treating people with dignity even when you disagree. That’s not a sermon. That’s school culture.

We also connect the dots between everyday educational leadership and the principles many of us already teach and use, including servant leadership, integrity, and consistent care. If you’ve read authors like John C. Maxwell, Stephen Covey, or John Gordon, you’ll recognize how often strong leadership overlaps with values that shape how we coach teachers, support students, and restore relationships after mistakes.

If you’re heading into a new school year and want to lead with conviction and compassion, press play. Subscribe, share this with a fellow educator, and leave a review so more school leaders can find it. What’s one way you’re setting the tone in your building this year?

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Most educators have felt it: you walk into a conference excited, sit through a few great moments, then go home with so many notes you can’t tell what to do first. Robert Hinchliffe and I get honest about why conferences are often hit or miss, how we keep them from turning into information overload, and what “good PD” looks like when you’re responsible for real results in a real school.

We break down the Nebraska Admin Days experience from the inside, from state-driven literacy and compliance updates to the reality of choosing sessions, presenting to peers, and trying to learn while you’re also on the hook to deliver. We also talk about what we’re actually looking for as attendees: we want to feel inspired, but we also need practical takeaways we can implement on Monday. Along the way, we share strategies like dividing and conquering with your admin team, selecting sessions that match your school goals, and networking with presenters to learn the “how” behind buy-in.

Then we get into the money question. With professional development budgets shrinking, we compare the true cost of sending multiple people to a conference versus bringing a speaker to your school for staff-wide training. We also zoom out to leadership and culture: take care of the adults who take care of kids, tell better public education stories, and start the year with the mindset that this season can be your best yet.

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Website: https://roberthinchliffe.com/

Tik Tok: @rhperspective

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Two rival high schools can share a zip code and still feel like different worlds. When consolidation finally becomes real, leaders inherit decades of pride, fear, and unfinished arguments, and the smallest decision can feel personal. We sit down with Derek Cantrell, principal of Alleghany High School in Covington, Virginia, recently named the 2026 Virginia Outstanding High School Principal, to unpack how he helped bring two communities into one school without erasing what people loved about the past.

We dig into what made the merger possible, what made it hard, and the specific trust building moves that mattered most: advisory meetings that surfaced real concerns, student shadowing and tours to reduce anxiety, summer events designed to create low pressure connection, and a communication roadmap built on intentional “over communication.” Derek shares how they honored key traditions while creating new systems that helped staff and students feel like one team, not two groups forced to share a building.

Then we shift into instructional leadership and the day to day reality of being present in classrooms while managing nonstop demands. Derek explains his “people over paperwork” mindset and how he uses AI in school leadership to reduce repetitive work, including custom GPTs that turn observation notes into actionable feedback, plus tools for standards alignment, assessment rigor checks, and faster data review. He also shares practical advice for administrators who want to lead change, build culture on purpose, and use systems to move attendance and engagement.

If you want the full playbook, Derek also points listeners to Better Together and his resource hub at bettertogetherleadership.org, and you can connect with him on LinkedIn or X at Derekcatch19. Subscribe, share this with a leader who’s navigating big change, and leave a review so more educators can find the show.

Connect with Derek Cantrell:

Website: Bettertogetherleadership.org

Book: https://a.co/d/0d4btKQ1

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekcantrell19/

X: https://x.com/Derekcatch19

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The fastest way to damage trust as a school leader is to make a big decision before you truly listen. Kendall Terry joins us for part two and gets honest about the leadership lesson he had to learn the hard way: slow down, gather more perspectives, and ask one more question before you drop the hammer. We also talk about what he’s most proud of, creating the kind of environment where teachers feel supported to build bold, creative learning experiences that students actually want to show off.

Then we go deep on two tools every educator can use right now. First, Kendall shares the thinking behind his upcoming book, Smart Habits in Education, and why SMART goals often fail in real schools. Goals are the destination, but habits are the system that gets you there. We unpack tiny habits, if-then statements, and how to reduce decision fatigue so progress becomes manageable, repeatable, and trackable.

We also explore the BRACE framework for engagement: Belonging, Relevance, Agency, Challenge, and Engaged Response, and how it applies not only to students but to adult staff learning too. Finally, we tackle AI in education with a clear stance: AI is a tool that can save time and spark creativity, but it cannot replace relationships or the human work of teaching.

Subscribe for more practical educational leadership conversations, share this with a colleague who needs a boost, and leave a review so more school leaders can find the show.

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What would you change if you could design a high school from the ground up and actually make it real? Kendall Terry has lived that challenge, moving from high school science teacher to department chair to STEM coordinator, and then into schoolwide leadership at Clayton Bradley Academy in Tennessee. We swap stories that are fun on the surface, but quickly turn into the deeper work of educational leadership: building systems, earning buy-in, and creating learning that feels meaningful for kids and adults.

We get into what makes students lean in rather than check out, especially in subjects like science where “memorize and move on” has become the default. Kendall shares how hands-on learning, real-world experts, and authentic problems can turn reluctant students into curious learners. Then we flip the lens to teachers: professional development works best when it respects time, stays interactive, and connects to the real world. One powerful example is giving educators opportunities to shadow professionals outside school so they can bring fresh relevance back to the classroom.

We also unpack what it takes to build a STEM program that sticks, including cross-curricular collaboration with CTE, scheduling realities, and projects that instantly create engagement like a full crime scene investigation. Finally, Kendall explains Clayton Bradley Academy’s brain-based learning approach, the Learning Centered Schools model, and why life skills and lifelong guidelines matter as much as content mastery for long-term success. You’ll hear outcomes ranging from Ivy League pathways to entrepreneurship, student-built 3D printed prosthetics, and national recognition for student history work.

If you’re a principal, aspiring administrator, instructional coach, or teacher leader looking for practical ideas on school design, faculty development, and brain-based learning, hit subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators can find the show.

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Two principals sit down with no script and compare the real, messy, meaningful work of educational leadership. Robert Hinchliffe, Nevada Elementary Principal of the Year, brings the metro elementary lens from Las Vegas. Principal JL brings the rural secondary lens from a comprehensive high school. Different contexts, same mission: help adults grow so students win.

We start with what it takes to set the school year on the right foot: principal messaging, a clear theme, and the habits that actually move a staff forward. We talk about why “fun” themes fall flat when they don’t connect to a shared goal, and how themes like habit building or “be the change” give you something you can reinforce all year through recognition, coaching, and modeling.

Then we get practical about systems. We unpack the shift toward inclusive special education, what co-teaching should look like (and what it looks like when it’s pretend), and why access to high-quality instruction and HQIM matters for every learner. We also dig into team-building moves, PLC structures, staffing changes, and the secondary reality of managing many departments while keeping one common purpose. Along the way, we tackle competitiveness, accountability, trust capital, and the truth every principal knows: adults can be harder than kids.

If you’re a principal, assistant principal, or teacher leader looking for grounded leadership ideas you can use this year, hit play. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators can find the show.

Connect with Robert Hinchliffe:

Website: https://roberthinchliffe.com/

Tik Tok: @rhperspective

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