We are all in the process of growing and evolving. We all have our edgework. Read Weiwen’s story of finding a community and sense of belonging through running.

Storytelling aligns our work and personal lives in powerful and significant ways. You must own and tell your personal story if you are to live and lead authentically.

Creating your own mission statement is straightforward. But it is not an easy or quick process. It requires a commitment to dig deep and take the necessary time to get thoughts on paper, step away, reflect, and adjust. So, how to begin?

As school leaders we know storytelling brings to life our organization’s purpose and values, conveys a sense of history, and provides insight and inspiration into where we are heading. At the core of our stories is a clear mission that guides our daily decisions and aligns our strategic work. Most of us spend an enormous amount of time creating, articulating, and marketing that mission and telling our school’s stories. How many of us have invested that same amount of time in developing our own personal mission and telling our own story?

Dads on the Run! How fun! Photoshoot and interview with Brooks Running! Emma and I had so much fun on this photoshoot that celebrates dads on the run. For me, running has always been therapy - a way to stay fit, while puzzling through challenges and creating a vision for the future. I’ve been a runner since high school, but hit my stride in the last decade with several half and full marathons. Even more than the physical and emotional benefits, running is a social activity for me. I have met some of my best friends through running. I have my own children to thank for helping me see how I could connect a passion for running with a passion for people!

Many months ago I had the privilege of speaking with Jethro Jones of The Transformative Principal, In his series of podcasts each week, Jethro Jones interviews a principal or educational leader who is making a real difference in the life of his or her students. In our conversation, we did a deep dive into Edgework in his podcast “Living on the Edge.”

Today is #nationalcomingoutday. Each day, I strive to be more courageous than I was the day before. To be more authentic and, in that spirit, to show up more fully for my family, friends, and colleagues.

Edgework - the future of schools and organizations requires not only innovator’s mindset, it demands a new frame of mind.

“I care about you. You have value. You don’t have to do anything to prove it to me, and nothing’s going to change my mind.”

One year ago, I closed the school campus and moved all operations – the entire educational program and all business functions – to remote status, spread across 80+ employees’ homes. I said to anyone who would listen, “As hard as this decision is, the harder one will be reopening the school.”

This article, originally written in May, 2020, went unpublished. It is made available via this blog with the intent to provide an enduring framework to respond to school crises, but also to acknowledge a moment in time when all schools began to grapple with the implications of COVID-19. Today, as this blog is posted, we mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We categorize others based on perceived race. Over time, I have come to understand how nuanced our perceptions of race, but also our cultures and languages, really are.

I believe we are at risk as a nation, and I am reminded of the profound responsibilities that schools have in shaping our future. We are educating the next generation of voters. Now, more than ever, character matters. A basic understanding of the rights and responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen and resident matters. An understanding of basic human rights matters. And an understanding of leadership matters.

I suppose there is a fine line between aloneship – time spent in relationship with ourselves – and loneliness.

Schools across the U.S. are poised to reopen some time in the new year. As students and teachers to return to campus, here is my advice.

Leading a school or organization smack tab in the middle of COVID-19 is, without question, edgework. School leaders are facing complex decision layered upon complex decision. And, overarching all of the substantial day-to-day decisions is the question about remote vs hybrid learning.

We need a new way of coping. “That means reckoning with what’s called ambiguous loss: any loss that’s unclear and lacks a resolution.”

Read about my conversation with @Laura Ascione from @eSchool News about St. Thomas School’s transition to remote learning and how we come together to maintain a strong sense of community in the era of COVID19.

I sometimes imagine thoughts to be cars driving by, encouraging me to take a ride to a destination that distracts me from the present and away from the moment. Enter meditation - a practice that is helping me, especially during this era of COVID-19.

Moments matter. As much as I am about strategic planning and goal setting, I am first and foremost about the present. I believe in noting moments. This blog marks a moment: the official launch of my website.