"Transforming Education with Equity, Inclusion, and Joy"
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Start the New Year Strong: A 90-Minute Strategy Session for Principals | RESERVE MY STRATEGY SESSION
Can I say I can probably guess what the weeks might be looking like in your school right now?
Behavior incidents all day, maybe students are even getting sent to the office on repeat. Another class that leadership has to scramble to cover because there’s no sub.
Maybe you’ve even gotten a resignation letter. Or worse, you’ve watched some of your greatest teachers and leaders mentally “check out” right in front of you.
Too many upset parents on the phone. Not enough time actually being a leader.
And somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re wondering: What am I doing wrong here?
Let me be very clear: It’s not you.
But the system you’re trying to lead within? It’s broken. And it’s breaking our teachers in the process.
Here’s what I know from firsthand experience working with school leaders across the country:
You can’t PD your way out of teacher burnout.
Another workshop on classroom management isn’t going to solve this. Not when your teachers are drowning.
You can’t incentivize your way out of a joyless building.
Pizza parties and jeans days are nice gestures, but they don’t address the root cause of why teachers are leaving.
And you definitely can’t manage your way into classrooms that actually thrive.
More checklists, more walk-throughs, more initiatives, they’re just adding weight to an already collapsing foundation.
So what’s the answer?
It starts with getting back to what actually works. And I want to help you do exactly that.
I recently hosted a masterclass specifically for school leaders who are tired of watching great teachers walk away—and I want you to have access to it.
In this session, you’ll learn:
This isn’t theory….
This is what’s working RIGHT NOW in schools just like yours.

I know how heavy this work feels. I know what it’s like to carry the weight of your teachers’ burnout, your students’ needs, and the pressure from every direction to “fix it.”
But here’s the truth: You don’t have to do this alone.
The answers you’re looking for? They exist. And they’re simpler than you think.
Joy isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation everything else is built on. And when you get that foundation right, everything else starts to shift.
Teachers stay. Behaviors drop. Students show up. And you finally get to lead instead of just manage crisis after crisis.
After you watch the replay, I want to hear from you.
What resonated? What’s one thing you’re going to try in your building? Hit reply and let me know—I read every message.
And if you’re ready to go deeper and get tailored support for your school, let’s talk. I work with leaders to build the kind of culture where joy isn’t an accident—it’s the strategy.
You became a leader to make a difference. Let me help you remember what that looks like.
Here’s to building schools where everyone, the students, the teachers, and you can actually thrive.

Dr. Deonna Smith is an advocate for educational justice, teacher and abolitionist. Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Deonna grew up navigating a system that was built to suppress and marginalize Black and Brown kids. Deonna’s passion for justice began early, as the only student of color in most places, and a first generation college student, Deonna experienced firsthand the corrosive nature of systemic racism. After completing her undergraduate degree Deonna sought to be the Black teacher she never had. Years in the classroom exposed just how deep the roots of systemic racism ran. Having a Black teacher wasn’t enough if you were working at a school that refused to confront racism, inequity and bias. As a teacher, Deonna saw how systemic racism impacted her students. As an administrator, she saw how it impacted her school and even the community.
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"Transforming Education with Equity, Inclusion, and Joy"