The hardest part of school leadership isn’t the schedule or the spreadsheets—it’s standing in front of people you care about and making calls that keep kids first, even when you don’t have every answer. We sit down with two seasoned leaders—one who rose from kindergarten teacher to deputy superintendent, another who went from coaching girls’ basketball (and Friday nights under the lights) to guiding an over-capacity high school—to talk about the moves that matter and the missteps that taught them more.

We dig into the art of “I don’t know, yet.” Not the bluff, but the confident pause that buys time to get it right. You’ll hear how publicly owning a failed initiative strengthened faculty trust, why aligning with district vision is non-negotiable, and how to message mandates without losing credibility. We also explore the benefits and pitfalls of leading in the same building where you taught—where trust comes preloaded but accountability cuts closer—and the unglamorous skill of having hard conversations with people you like.

Along the way, we tackle gender, presence, and confidence, with candid stories about being the only woman in the room and the family wisdom that steadied shaky hands at graduation. We spotlight the role of professional networks and mentorship—associations, peer circles, and sharp colleagues who turn isolation into insight—and we end with actionable advice for emerging women leaders: keep learning, stay off the social media minefield, pick a mantra that filters every decision, and protect your life outside of school so you can lead well inside it.

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