In this episode, Jethro Jones interviews Samantha Hamilton, an award-winning principal, national education consultant, speaker, and author. Samantha shares insights from her career, discusses her book 'Brave On Purpose,' and emphasizes the importance of courageous, empathetic leadership in education. The episode also touches upon the challenges of leadership, the role of faith in leadership, and tips for preventing burnout among educators.

• Brave on Purpose means choosing courage
• Intentional leadership when it’s easier to not have that.
• LISA Academy - be seen
• Leaders can’t rely on titles to have trust.
• Help people feel seen, safe, and valued.
• Don’t have access to what happens day-to-day in schools
• Leadership on paper is different than leadership in real life.
• Can’t assume we know what happened right before.
• People first paper second. More info from Erika Garcia-Niles
• Power of delegation & perfectionism - sign up for Jethro’s email list.
• Interweaving faith into leadership.
• How to help principals who feel burnt out or stuck.
• What defines success today?
• How to be a transformative principal? Give yourself permission to be human, pick one thing that you want to get better at tomorrow. Progress over perfection.

About Samantha Hamilton

Samantha Hamilton (BarefootPrincipal.com) is an award-winning school principal, national education consultant, speaker, and author of non-fiction leadership books that inspire courage, connection, and culture change. With over two decades of experience in early childhood education and K-12 school leadership, she’s known for transforming vision into action and heart into strategy.

Born in Joplin, Missouri to two lifelong educators, Samantha began “teaching” both real and imaginary students by the age of five. That early calling grew into a career defined by faith, humor, and an unshakable belief that relationships—not rigid rules—are the foundation of lasting success. Whether she's leading a school community, coaching new leaders, or navigating chaos with compassion, Samantha brings grit, grace, and just the right amount of sparkle to shift the atmosphere.

She has served in both public and charter schools, taught multiple grade levels, and led schools through tornado recovery, staffing crises, major cultural transformations, and systemwide change initiatives. Her leadership philosophy is simple: people first, always. Her impact? Anything but simple.

Beyond the school walls, Samantha mentors aspiring leaders, develops curriculum, and trains educators nationwide on topics such as leadership resilience, school culture transformation, data-driven decision-making, and sustainable servant leadership. She is a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership and a proud wife, mom of three, and Christmas enthusiast who blends fun and focus into everything she leads.

Her debut book, Brave on Purpose: How Courage, Culture, and Connection Create Lasting Impact, is a love letter to educators and leaders navigating the real trenches of change. It invites readers to lead with clarity, courage, heart, and a little sparkle.

Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Ranney shares her journey from instructional coach to executive director of Lafayette Preparatory Academy. She and Jethro dive into the powerful—and sometimes delicate—dynamics of instructional coaches evaluating teachers. Dr. Ranney discusses how LPA has built a culture of continuous improvement, the role of academic rigor, and how leadership vision shapes school success.

• Lafayette Preparatory Academy, started k-2 and added a grade each year, K-8
• The reason schools exist is to educate kids.
• Strong academic program
• Inner core of St. Louis City
• Diverse by design - socio-economic status and race and religious diversity
• What three words would you use to define our school?
• It really does take a village to raise a child
• Parent experience
• Intake conference - teachers asking parents to build relationships
• Families are our students’ first teachers. Teachers are spending many hours with our kids.
• Students grew academically over the pandemic because of the relationships with parents.
• Designing school.
• Data personalizes and depersonalizes all at the same time
• Teaching is a very personal project.
• If you think you don’t have anywhere to grow, you probably should get out of the field you’re in.
• Why their coaches do evaluations instead of the principal.
• How to be a transformative principal? Ask for feedback and be willing to be vulnerable to respond to that feedback.

About Dr. Sarah Ranney

Dr. Sarah Ranney has been with Lafayette Preparatory Academy (LPA) since 2014 and is a proud parent to an LPA 8th grader. She believes that every child has an inalienable right to attain an excellent education no matter their economic status, residential location, or background. Sarah joined LPA after four years working as an instructional coach with Teach For America where she focused on developing Early Childhood and Elementary teachers across the metropolitan area. She supported more than 300 teachers in more than 40 schools during her tenure there. Prior to Teach For America, Sarah spent several years in the classroom in the St. Louis Public Schools and an Independent, Private School. Sarah has an Ed.D in School Administration as well as an Education Specialist and Masters in School Administration from the University of Missouri- St. Louis, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Webster University, a Bachelor of Arts in Media Relations and a Bachelor of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a certified Teacher, Principal, and Superintendent. Sarah is also a Doula and Certified Lactation Counselor. She is also an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 362 and loves helping youth develop leadership skills in the great outdoors. When not at school, you might find her playing strategic games like War Chest or Settlers of Catan or hanging out in Tower Grove park with her family.

Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, Jethro Jones and guest Danny Bauer delve into the evolution of their collaboration on the 'Reject the Premise' book idea, discussing its transformation into a podcast series and the subsequent book writing process. They share valuable leadership lessons on knowing when to push forward and when to step back, highlight the drawbacks of feedback sandwiches, and emphasize the importance of not writing off people prematurely.

They reject traditional premises such as 'operate in isolation,' advocating for a supportive network, and 'give feedback sandwiches,' encouraging honest, inquisitive communication. A poignant discussion on finding the right place for staff members underlines the episode's focus on empathetic and effective leadership.

00:00 Introduction and Host Welcome
00:49 The Book That Almost Wasn't
01:07 Resurrecting the Idea as a Podcast
02:08 Leadership Lessons from Letting Go
03:06 The Importance of Being in Flow
04:05 If You Don't Like Someone, Move Them Out
10:43 The Custodian Story
14:38 Feedback Sandwiches Don't Work
19:29 Effective Feedback Strategies
20:18 Challenging and Supporting Superstars
22:12 The Importance of a Support Network
25:27 Personal Experiences and Insights
34:18 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.