👋 Hey Ruckus Maker,
Let's cut the B.S. about the new year. Before you can design a powerful 2026 (like we're showing you for free next week!), you have to stop the silent killer that tanks your leadership every single day.
Ready for the solution?
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OFF CAMPUS
Don’t blame Tik-Tok if you have students checked out or absent. You probably have a connection problem. This week’s pod covers the four connection domains every high-performing school uses to create a campus experience worth showing up for.
Didn’t see that coming: Times tables in high school sounds weird, but on this campus it blew up. Students were begging and skipping class to be there.
A MESSAGE FROM ODP Business Solutions®
Most schools say they’re “doing SEL.” Cute.
If posters and pep talks counted as Social Emotional Learning, every school would be a zen monastery by now.
But in reality teachers are overwhelmed, students are stressed, and SEL usually gets treated like extra credit (not a game-changer).
But a handful of campuses are getting it right … and they all share 4 moves that make SEL click without adding more work or pretending mindfulness fixes everything.
DO SCHOOL DIFFERENT
📅 Stop Planning Your Year. Design Your Destiny. (FREE Training)
Every year, you set goals that fizzle out by February. You react to the chaos, constantly fighting fires instead of building the school (and life) you want.
We're putting an end to that noise.
On Thursday, December 11th at 6 pm ET, I'm teaching a brand-new, live 75-minute training:
The Confident Principal: Your 2026 Ruckus Maker Success System.
This is not PD. This is not a list of tips. This is a complete system designed to make 2026 the most intentional and self-directed year of your career.
And it's absolutely FREE.
What You'll Build (and Take With You)
In one powerful session, you will ditch the chaos and walk away with a full 2026 Operating System, including:
Your Harada Super Goal: A clear, self-directed personal mastery target I've never taught live before.
Your Misogi: The one year-defining, identity-stretching challenge that changes how you lead.
Your Past Year Review: The definitive map of what to eliminate and what to amplify (no more dragging dead weight into the new year).
Your Mini-Adventure Map: 6 structured courage challenges (one every ~60 days) so you don't wait until retirement to actually live.
Your Quarterly Habit System: The Q1–Q4 behaviors that make success inevitable.
Ruckus Makers don't wait for a better year — they design one. Give yourself the gift of leadership clarity and self-direction.
Ready to stop reacting and start designing?
Would you like to attend The Confident Principal Training?
TIP OF THE WEEK
The 10-Minute Rule
You're a leader, not a martyr. The biggest threat to an intentional, powerful year isn't a lack of motivation — it's chronic depletion.
This week, adopt the 10-Minute Rule.
When you're grinding through the workday and hit that wall of stress, mental fog, or frustration, stop whatever you're doing and invest 10 minutes in something purely regenerative.
It could be:
A walk outside (no phone).
Listening to one full song on repeat.
Reading a non-school-related article.
A quick meditation or box breathing exercise.
The key is that the activity is completely divorced from your to-do list and offers immediate, small-scale relief.
Set a timer. When that alarm buzzes, you immediately return to work.
Result: You trade 10 minutes of "coasting" or low-quality effort for a 10-minute mental reset. This has high ROI ensuring you stay sharp enough to design the destiny you're planning.
SUNDAY VIBES
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Whenever you’re ready, here’s 3 ways we can help you Do School Different.
Keep Making a Ruckus,
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