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Jason Major has had a lot of job titles: sales, radio, then teacher, then instructional coach, data analyst, and now principal of Denver Elementary School in Chicago.
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But here's what actually gets me about Jason.
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The title keeps changing, and the person underneath it doesn't.
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He carries the same set of values into every single room he walks into.
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And you can feel it about four minutes into knowing him, or maybe even shorter.
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And somewhere in the middle of running an entire school, he wrote a book called Subplots and also started building workshops for other school leaders.
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Not instead of the job, but on top of it, without wrecking himself to do it.
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He is also someone that I know well because I've had the joy of coaching him through some of these things.
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So this is a conversation today between friends.
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Jason, welcome to First in Class.
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This is Teachers with Money First in Class.
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I'm Krista Jones, and this show is for the educator who's done accepting the story that financial struggle is the price of a meaningful career.
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Let's get into it.
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Thank you so much.
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That was quite a welcome.
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You undersold yourself too, by the way, you edited the book.
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I did edit the book.
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Thank you for bringing that up.
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I appreciate that.
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Okay, so Jason, you came to education from radio, I believe in 2004.
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How does a guy in radio end up as a school principal?
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That's actually pretty easy for two different facets.
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One, both my parents were teachers.
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My mom still is a teacher.
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She's 79 years old, and she's been teaching for 48 years.
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My dad is retired.
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He's still on the school board there.
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So it gets in your blood, for one, when you're a teacher and you grow up in a teacher family.
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And secondly, I absolutely despise my job in radio sales.
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Now, I so that made it very easy.
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I did have a radio show on the weekend, which I very much love doing that, but the sales part was absolutely terrible.
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If you're familiar with like the Sunday scaries, mine was like the Monday through Sunday scaries.
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I absolutely hated it.
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And when I finally stopped doing it, I started substitute teaching.
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And after like the first morning, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm going back to school to be a teacher.
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So I taught math.
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I ended up being a math coach and a data analyst and an assistant principal, and then became principal and start my 11th year with kids tomorrow.
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Amazing.
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Well, I'm wishing you a great school year coming in.
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So one thing that your book opens with is keep kids safe, help them learn, don't let the adults lose their minds.
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Everything else is a subplot.
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Where did that line come from?
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I think it was offhand.
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We work with an organization called Alliance for Decision Education.
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And I talked to two different people for that organization who used to be principals.
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And we'll just, I don't know, commiserate over what that job's like.
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And I said, you know, the whole thing subplots, especially when you're 11th year, like kids learning stuff is the main plot.
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But when I walk by every single adult in the school, because I've known them so long, I'm like, yeah, I got a subplot to that.
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I got a subplot to that.
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And like last week, it's the first week with teachers back.
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And I'm sitting there planning with the assistant principal our presentation for staff.
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And next thing I know, some guy from facilities is just sitting next to me, wanting me to check off 47 check boxes on how well the building was cleaned in summer.
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So it's just constantly something.
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Everything's a subplot.
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Have you ever come across any subplots that you felt like nearly took over your entire job?
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Oh, yeah.
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I mean, sometimes these investigations that you have to do with things with like district mandates, like we have an office called Student Protections that can take a ton of time.
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Just something coming up that's a big deal can just take away an entire day where, yeah, next thing you know, you're talking to kids and adults for three to four hours.
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So that would be one thing that would come up.
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And that happens often.
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It just does.
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So, Jason, you have worn a lot of hats in this field.
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What's the thing that has stayed the same through all these different eras?
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Just wanting kids to enjoy school, I think.
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I I I love being a principal.
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It's probably my favorite job I've ever had.
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But being a math teacher was just a joy all day.
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I could just come teach the kids math and go home without and that was it.
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And the kids love the class so much, and that's why my wife convinced me to go back to be a principal because I kind of wanted to just try to spread that throughout the whole school.
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So that's the thing.
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Just giving the kids a good experience and, you know, leaving the teachers alone and empowering them to do what they need to do for the kids too.
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Yeah, you know, I actually want to call that out.
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I saw on a recent post of yours, I think it was on LinkedIn.
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The the post I think was about how you guys were starting back at school weeks before the kids were starting.
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And you had made a casual aside about how I don't have any new staff this year.
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So what are we even gonna do during our PD meetings?
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And you had somebody in your comments calling that out, like, wait, like record scratch, you don't have any new staff this year.
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You had no turnover.
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What's your secret?
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I don't think there's a secret to that, actually.
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So uh we have great kids.
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It's a the school district.
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I love working for that.
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It's it's good pay, good benefits.
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We have good kids.
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We have a good staff.
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They like being there.
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That combined with this was one of the tougher summers I've seen as far as layoffs and looking to move for other schools.
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So it was just kind of all those things combined is what added up to that.
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But yeah, we have no nobody knew this year.
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Nobody that's incredible.
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That would be the dream for I think a lot of administrators.
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Yeah, hiring takes a long time.
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So, like summer, summer is just like a different job because you're planning for the next year.
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But what takes the most time is hiring.
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So not having any hiring during the summer really freed up a lot of time.
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Mm-hmm.
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So here's one thing that I want everyone listening to catch from this conversation.
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So much of the advice out there tells teachers and leaders that the only way to earn more or to have a bigger impact is to leave education, to walk out, go corporate, start over.
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And it's okay if people want to do that.
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That's totally fine.
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But Jason really did the opposite.
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He stayed in education and kind of sunk his boots down even further.
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He stayed and then became a principal and then continued to build the things that he wanted to build: a book, workshops, additional streams of income through those things, and influence and impact.
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And all of that on top of a job that already asks a lot of him.
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So before we get to the how do you juggle all this, I want to sit for a minute with the why.
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Why build something of your own alongside your work as an administrator instead of leaving to go do it?
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So I thought about this a lot.
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So, like my nature is I just like to help.
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So that's it.
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So I mentor principals, but there's also others I just help because I just like to.
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So that is just like the driving force of everything, wanting to help.
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So I started presenting.
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Even when I was a math teacher, I would present at professional development or conferences and stuff like that.
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So when I became a principal and got a little more experience, I was able to do that kind of stuff on the side.
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And then it ended up some of them being paid because there's something called administrator academies that principals have to do once a year so you can get compensated for.
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But I think it's now just scratching the itches of things I wanted to do like a long time ago.
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So, like I used to love writing when I was in the radio business and wrote for websites.
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And I kind of missed that and it went away when I was a teacher.
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So just bringing that back.
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And then just like speaking is another thing that I really like doing because I really like doing my radio show.
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So it's kind of a way to do on the side some things that have always been interesting to me.
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But I still really like my day-to-day principal life too.
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And that's actually very hard to give up, also, as you know.
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So it's like I'm not going to just stop doing that until it was something that was completely sustainable full-time, which is not even remotely a possibility right now, because I don't want to have to go chasing things.
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I think really learning what drives me and my values helps too.
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And I'm not someone that wants to just take something just to take it one, or going chasing down and being a hustler for things is just not something that interests me in the slightest bit.
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So I can just pick and choose things on the side while still being satisfied with my day-to-day life.
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That's incredible.
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And honestly, what a dream, you know.
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Now I want to take you back.
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You mentioned that you started doing professional development pre-presentations, conference presentations back when you were a math teacher.
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I one question I get a lot from teachers is I see people presenting at these conferences or, you know, presenting workshops, but I don't even know how to get started.
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Like, do you remember how you first got involved with presenting at math workshops or maths?
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I think the first time I did was when we just had a staff professional development.
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I think it presented something about analyzing the NWA test or something like that.
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And then that turned into I was very big into enrichment math and competition math.
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So I found a lot of enrichment stuff.
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So I think one of the ones I did multiple times was called, I'm done.
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Now what do I do?
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So it was about like what to give the kids after they finished their daily work.
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So like enrichment opportunities.
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And I don't really remember just anything that would come up with the district, I think, once they wanted a proposal for something.
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And a lot of times people don't put in to do it.
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So like start with just smaller stakes ones.
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It's it was always amazing to me how many people don't ask for help and just put their name in, because the worst they can be told is no.
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And a lot of times they're looking for people to do stuff.
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So they're thrilled to get your proposal.
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Yes.
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Thank you so much for calling that out because that used to be something that scared me so much that was so intimidating before I had ever presented at any conference or done any workshops or published in any, I was a music teacher in any music education publications.
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I was like so scared of the process and so intimidated by it.
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I have now been on the other side of that where I'm seeking out um presenters or I'm seeking out writers for publication.
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Oh my gosh, most of these conferences, you guys, and most of these publications, they are desperate for people to apply and desperate for people to submit their work.
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So I'm so glad that you called that out, Jason.
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And so it sounds like for you, you started at the district level just kind of giving, you know, little presentations here and there.
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And that helped you get some reps in of presenting.
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It sounds like probably I'm I'm just assuming here, based on my own experience and what I hear from other teachers, you probably started off doing this for free.
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And then that grew into paid speaking opportunities for you.
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And the first the first time I ever got paid for them was 2023.
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And that was just through a third-party organization.
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So I kind of just backed into it.
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I couldn't believe that I got compensated for it.
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Now the district will have me do stuff within the guise of my school district and they'll give me stipends for that now too.
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So that's kind of nice.
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But I had never been paid for anything, nor even expected to be paid for anything until fall of 2023.
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And then since then, I think it's three school districts and uh ASCD that I've done them on the side for.
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So it just happens like that.
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And something else I thought of too, as you're saying that is like ask people, ask people for help.
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Like in education, people want help.
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I one of the stories where I just started to get more connected was the head of like 50 schools was presenting at a staff professional development.
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And she goes, Hey, put me to work.
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I'd love to come visit your class.
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And so after the presentation, I go, Hey, will you come visit my class?
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She goes, Sure.
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Now, months later, she goes, I've given that to 2,000 teachers, and you're the first person that's ever asked me to come visit.
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Wow.
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And I bet she was thrilled to come to the city.
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She was thrilled.
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She was thrilled.
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And we developed a relationship.
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I still keep in touch with her today.
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This is 15 years ago.
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So, you know, people want to help, I think, especially in education.
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It's a helping field.
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So when people offer things, just ask, just and say yes to things.
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That's how you can get additional opportunities pretty quickly, is just by saying yes and just asking and seeing what's out there.
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Yes.
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And one thing that I know about you, Jason, is that you are so good at lifting people up and encouraging people to go for new opportunities.
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Maybe it's an assistant principal encouraging them to apply to be a principal of a of a school.
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So for a teacher or administrator who, you know, maybe they're thinking, yeah, I do want to start presenting, but I don't have anything unique to share.
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I don't have anything valuable to sell or share or whatever it may be, what would you say to them?
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You have something.
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I I still feel like I don't have anything, but it's like, I don't know.
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You just start sharing, find something.
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If you think about the course of your day, what is one thing?
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What is one thing someone's asked you to help for?
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Or is what is one thing, something that you have offered and someone has accepted?
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There, there's a niche for you right there.
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And I still don't feel like I'm good at doing this for myself at all.
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But yeah, there's got to be something you can put out there.
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And just do one thing.
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I love the tiny habits thing.
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Like just try a small experiment.
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Put something out there.
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See if someone else uses it.
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Try one within your own building.
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When something you've used in your classroom and you're going to ask another teacher to do it, well, if that one teacher did it, there's probably 10 others that want to do it too.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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And I think something that can creep up a lot for people, and I have experienced this myself, is something called imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon.
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That's something that you and I have talked a lot about as well, is that feeling of, you know, being an imposter.
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And so here you are.
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You are a published author.
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How did you get past the feeling of I have maybe nothing unique to share too?
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I have now published my own book.
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Because the impostor feeling never goes away, because I still feel like it's an impostor.
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That's the thing.
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You just have to remember to live with it because you're always going to continue to move your goalposts.
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So when I said I wanted to write a book someday, I didn't know it would be July of 2026, but now the goalpost has moved.
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Well, it hasn't sold that many copies, or not many people I don't know haven't bought it.
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Or, well, I don't know if people are actually liking it.
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Or I don't know if people are actually using it as I intended.
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So the goalposts keep moving.
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So you just have to plow forward and keep going.
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I would have never would have been blown away even four years ago to think that I had a book on Amazon that people are actually purchasing.
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But then you just move the goalposts and then it becomes, oh, okay, well, I have this.
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Now what's next?
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And you just got to keep going.
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Yeah.
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I get the and the imposter feelings never go away.
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I had it last week when stuff was going wrong during the first week, teachers back.
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Oh my God, I'm a total fraud, and people are going to find out.
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Meanwhile, you've been doing this job for over a decade.
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It just never goes away.
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Yeah.
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But it's like when when you've meet fellow impostors, that is great.
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Like my new assistant principal said she has imposter feelings.
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:26.639
They go, This is awesome.
00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:27.120
I got you.
00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:27.679
Don't worry.
00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:29.039
It's like you can do this.
00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:31.440
No, no, no one else knows what they're doing either.
00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:33.200
So we'll figure it out.
00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:34.799
Totally.
00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:35.360
Yeah.
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:35.840
Yeah.
00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:40.240
It is so great to meet someone else who is going through that that feeling.
00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:51.919
And then it's so clear for like when you're on the outside speaking to somebody who's going through those feelings of imposter syndrome, it's so easy to see their capabilities and everything they have to offer and everything they can do.
00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:56.799
And yet when we look at ourselves in the mirror, it can be so hard for us to see that in ourselves.
00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.960
Because you downplay, you downplay things that people give you as praise.
00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:13.840
But then any kind of remotely negative thing, even if it's a narrative you're creating in your head because someone's sitting there silently during a presentation, you're going to create a narrative that they found you out, and now this whole thing's going to come crashing down because you're an imposter.
00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:15.519
And it's just this vicious cycle.
00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:24.159
Though I did learn a tool recently called cognitive restructuring from this book where it's like list out literal evidence to the contrary, and that does seem to help too.
00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:27.759
And it's just something you can just be okay with having.
00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:28.399
That's a thing.
00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:38.720
Someone told me the day ago, oh, I think it was Brene Brown, said having imposter syndrome is good because it means you still don't think you know everything and you want to keep learning.
00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:39.840
So I'm like, you know what?
00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:40.399
Okay, cool.
00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:41.440
I'm embrace it.
00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:42.159
It's fine.
00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:43.840
That makes a lot of sense.
00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:55.919
It's like if sometimes if you're feeling a little bit too comfortable, maybe that's a good sign that you need to keep moving forward with your plans or your life or your ideas or whatever it is.
00:16:56.080 --> 00:17:03.519
If things are feeling a little too easy and a little a little too comfortable and you're not feeling like an imposter, maybe that's a bad sign.
00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.640
And it's time for you to kind of kick yourself in the ass and get moving.
00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:12.160
It's related to like, I always get very anxious right before the school year starts.
00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:13.680
And I've just been okay with it.
00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:26.799
It's like if I and now I'm like, if I didn't get nervous, that's when I would be nervous because it just means I'm probably either have apathy or something like that, or I'm not seeing what could possibly go wrong.
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:29.200
A little healthy anxiety is fine.
00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:30.240
Certainly.
00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:30.799
Yeah.
00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:35.119
One trick I learned, this was way back when I was in high school.
00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:43.759
I was the drum major of our high school marching band and I got to go to drum major camp, which was my initiation actually into the leadership development world.
00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:45.599
And I got addicted right away.
00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:49.119
I started reading like personal development books that were recommended to me then.
00:17:49.359 --> 00:18:09.200
But one thing that was really beneficial that I still think about all the time was one of our instructors at this drum major camp when I was 16 years old said, in your brain, the link between I'm feeling anxious or I'm nervous about this and I'm actually excited about this.
00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.920
They're actually very closely connected in our brain.
00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:14.240
So that's one thing that I try to remind myself.
00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:15.920
It's like a switch that I can flip.
00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:23.279
If I'm feeling nervous for something, I try to switch that flip on or switch it over to, hey, I'm excited, because it's the same.
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:25.759
Um, it it feels quite similar in my body.
00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:31.440
And then I can tell my brain, actually, I feel good about this rather than I feel like I'm gonna fail at this.
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:32.319
I love that.
00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:33.519
And it's very related.
00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:36.480
Like in my in my book, I talk about meditation.
00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:37.680
I do a lot of that too.
00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:49.519
And like that teaches you a lot to just recognize your thoughts as thoughts and emotions as sensations in the body and thoughts, and just to recognize them when you're going down roads, and it seems to help a lot too.
00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:54.160
So back to imposter syndrome and kind of this whole mindset work.
00:18:54.559 --> 00:19:02.799
What when when you have those days where the imposter syndrome kind of sinks back in, what do you tell yourself on those days?
00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:04.880
It just depends on the day.
00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:18.079
So sometimes when several things are off too, like you didn't sleep very well and and you're having the imposter syndrome, and maybe something in your personal life happened that day, that's when I'm like, you just need to shut it down.
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:24.319
I'll just be like, I'm not going to engage with these thoughts today at all because I'm gonna wait till tomorrow before I do so.
00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:32.400
Um that's usually the best strategy because when it gets to me the most is usually when like two or three things are going wrong at once.
00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:36.240
But it just a normal imposture, just be like, I don't know.
00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.720
It's just part of it and you just keep going.
00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:43.359
I really haven't figured out how to combat that, other than just accepting it's part of it.
00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:46.000
Yeah, that's been it the case for me too.
00:19:46.079 --> 00:20:01.440
And one thing that's really helped, and I I think that you brought this up earlier, or you alluded to it at least, was that even people who are that we see as being at the top of their game, people who are professional musicians, professional athletes, um, professional public speakers.
00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:07.359
What I have heard over and over and over again from these people is that they still get nervous.
00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:13.680
They still have nerves that that come over them when they're about to perform or or do whatever it is that they do.
00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:15.279
And that's just part of it.
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:21.920
And that really helped me recognize that there's nothing wrong with me if I'm feeling nervous or if I'm feeling like an imposter.
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.680
Like you said, it's just part of the game.
00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:26.400
It's just part of doing big stuff.
00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:30.640
And part of the imposter is even hearing things like people doing big stuff.
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.200
And yes, like, oh, I'm not doing anything big.
00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.920
But then that's exactly part of the imposter thing.
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:36.640
Right.
00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:38.400
And you are doing big things.
00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:41.920
And one thing I haven't shouted out yet is that you also just launched a podcast.
00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:45.039
You have so many incredible things that you're doing right now.
00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:45.920
Thank you.
00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:54.559
See, someone tried to teach me to just say thank you and to accept a compliment instead of letting the imposter thing kick over and like just justify things.
00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:59.119
Because I would say, yes, I did launch one, but it was one 20-minute thing and I did it two weeks ago.
00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:01.279
But I have two more books, so we'll just see where it goes.
00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:05.119
Again, I'm very much like the tiny experiment thing, let's just see where it goes.
00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:05.920
Mm-hmm.
00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:09.440
Yeah, I've heard that that's a really important skill to practice.
00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:13.119
And that's something that I've learned to practice as well is just accepting the compliment.
00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.480
We don't have to deflect it.
00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:20.720
Uh, Jason, you and I are both uh Midwestern folks, and that's something that Midwestern folks are really good at.
00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:22.400
Just deflect and move on.
00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:30.400
But it's important for us to accept the compliments and accept that it, you know, we are doing cool stuff.
00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:32.640
And being assertive too.
00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:37.119
I actually told the entire staff last week that my goal this year is to be more assertive.
00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.079
So that's it.
00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:41.359
So it is a work in progress, but it helps.
00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.039
Okay, quick pause.
00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:50.480
This one's for you if you've ever looked at a teacher resource and thought, I could have made that.
00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:51.680
Because you could.
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:54.480
You've been building lesson materials for years.
00:21:54.720 --> 00:22:06.880
The only thing between you and a teacher's big teacher store is the little decisions between an idea and a listed product combined with the courage to finally just start.
00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:09.839
That is what TPT Launch Lab is.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:17.359
You and I together will take 30 days to go from your someday dream to a real open store.
00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:25.359
When I opened the beta testing for this course, it sold out in under an hour and the feedback from teachers has been incredible.
00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:33.519
TPT Launch Lab is priced super low on purpose because money should never be the reason a teacher doesn't start.
00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:37.519
You listen to this show so you get the podcast friends price.
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:46.480
Use code podcast at checkout to bring the entire step-by-step course plus bonus guides and templates down to$20.
00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:53.680
That code is my thank you for being here so go grab it now while the promo code is still live.
00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:55.920
Link and code are in the show notes.
00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:11.359
Okay let's get back to the episode so there is a word that runs underneath everything that Jason builds and that is sustainable, sustainable pace.
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.519
So not hustle, not grind.
00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:27.519
And of course there are seasons where you're pushing harder or seasons where you're resting more but I love that his whole book leans on the idea that this is a marathon and you're allowed to protect yourself while you run it.
00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:31.440
So I want to get a little more practical about what that actually looks like.
00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:39.519
So Jason on a genuinely hard week what does sustainable actually look like for you?
00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:43.279
Making sure you're doing things for yourself and it is work of progress.
00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:49.839
You sometimes you're going to go into the week being like this is going to be tough and I just got to be prepared and be more well rested.
00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.599
So but making sure you're carving out times to do things as you like.
00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:54.960
For me it's early in the morning.
00:23:55.039 --> 00:24:00.799
So like I'll get up at five o'clock in the morning and I'll go for a walk and I'll drink coffee and I might do some writing and do a workout.
00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.240
So that's my time.
00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:30.319
So just making sure you're doing some of the activities you should be glad that you did that kind of fill your bucket whether it's social or physical or getting good sleep and knowing when to shut things down to one of the ones I always talk about is like if you're if at the end of the day you have 47 tabs open in your Google Chrome, like the best solution is to just X out of all of them and just go home because you're done.
00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.519
You can call it a day the work will still be there the next day.
00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:35.920
Yeah that's a very healthy practice.
00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:43.119
I'm curious have you always been a morning person or was that a habit that you're no that was like that was that was something that I built.
00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:50.880
And it's and I get up on my own accord so it is not like a hustle type it it I just get up on my own accord because I go to bed early.
00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:51.759
So that's my time.
00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:53.359
Other people like to stay up late.
00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:54.319
That's great too.
00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:59.839
You just want to find the time where you're productive do what you want to do and you're choosing your own activities.
00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:01.680
For me it's very early in the morning.
00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:11.519
It's really hard to say sustainable pace this week because there's something after school my kids have three flag football games and I have a late night at school and then we are traveling Friday.
00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:16.319
So like to think about sustainable every week being like that is not sustainable at all.
00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:23.920
So it's just like just knowing that there's going to be weeks like that and just not booking yourself too much when it's not like that.
00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:38.319
And one thing I always come back to as well is that there are just seasons of hustle and then there are seasons where things can be a little bit more uh normal we'll call it some uh variation of normal and that's okay.
00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:44.160
See, I would say that too it's like for me sustainable is like looking at the year as a whole summer is a little more laid back.
00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:49.440
That's what makes some of the weeks that are very intense sustainable as a whole.
00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:54.880
And especially it's like embracing the quiet I'm very much on like don't create work that you don't really need to do.
00:25:55.039 --> 00:26:03.039
If something doesn't make sense to do then you stop doing it like unnecessary meetings and unnecessary uh documents and all of this stuff that's just nonsense.
00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:04.160
That's where you're going to do it.
00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:08.400
And just making sure you're not staying in the building when it's empty just go home.
00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:10.720
So like if there's no kids there, go home.
00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:13.599
You don't need to just sit in the building when there's nobody there.
00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:15.119
Like that's what I'm talking about.
00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:18.000
That's the kind of stuff that can start to drain you after a while.
00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:23.359
I'm curious about your your process of writing your book and then also publishing your book.
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:26.319
I would love for you to share more of that journey with the listeners.
00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:38.160
And I'm curious what what what is your writing habit like well so when I would mentor principles I first of all I used to use a website called 750 words.
00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:41.839
The goal was just to write 750 words a day and that was it.
00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:46.640
And you would try to just keep a streak going and I think I had like an 1100 day streak.
00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:57.039
And then it ended but it became but towards the end it it was more about the streak than about the writing and I would I'm like no I I got addicted to the streak instead of remembering why I was doing it.
00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:03.440
So in the midst of doing that, I wrote like a I think it was probably a 20 page guide for a new principal.
00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:11.119
So when I would mentor a principal be like here I wrote this here's what your first three months are like just take it and I wrote that and people would like it.
00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:19.759
So I had a decent amount of stuff in the tank to start that I just had either that or just in journals that I write because I just do a lot of writing on my own.
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:27.039
So when I had this idea to make a companion guide for this book it was probably like 2024 and I would just write a passage here.
00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:35.200
Then I came into a book called Book of Alchemy which was a journal prompt book with like essays and I'm like that's the format I think I'd want for your book.
00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:45.039
And then when I hired you as a coach like a year ago I said I wanted to start a companion guide for my workshop because I want to just leave them with something so it's just not a one and done.
00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:53.440
And the companion guide then turned into I think 60 68 journal prompts that are over the course of a book.
00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:54.720
And that's what it was.
00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:58.400
And I think you and I had a deadline of like January to finish it.
00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:14.400
But like finishing it is just the beginning because you have to have edits and you have to have re-edits and you have to second guess everything you do and then you have to get it onto KDP on Amazon and then you have to get a print copy of that and then make last minute changes.
00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:21.039
So like it was a long time to get across the finish line but not really there's just a lot that goes into it.
00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:22.240
And you just do it.
00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:25.279
I think people people ask me is like wait how did you write a book?
00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:30.400
I don't know you just chip away a little bit I don't think there was any like habit that I did.
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:44.240
My thing was always sometimes I'd be in mo writing mode for like two weeks and I would crank up maybe 10,000 words in those two weeks where it's like I'm feeling it and I want to get as much in while I'm in this writing mode.
00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:48.640
And then there'd be a week where I wasn't feeling it as much but I just knew it would come back.
00:28:48.880 --> 00:29:02.319
Yeah I am always I think you and I have talked about this before actually I love hearing different people's creative process and especially writers because writing is something that the process can vary so much from writer to writer.
00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:06.160
Some people sit down with a timer and they write for an hour every single day.
00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:14.960
I'm talking like famous published incredible authors and other people work in like creative sprints like what you just described.
00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:16.799
And that's much how my brain works as well.
00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:28.000
Anytime I'm doing a creative project, I will like go heavy on it for a long time and I'll get a lot done in maybe a short amount of time and then go slow for a little bit after that.
00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:31.119
I think that's really interesting to hear more about that process for you.
00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:36.240
And yeah, thank you for calling out I know that I have a lot of future authors in my listener base.
00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:41.200
And so thank you for explaining a bit more about that process and everything that goes into writing a book.
00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:47.039
Yeah you can have all the words done which that's a huge undertaking in itself but there's so much that happens after that.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:51.519
The editing and then design the arranging of chapters like what order they go in.
00:29:51.599 --> 00:30:03.759
Yeah there was a lot there was a lot I do want to I do remember this now too when we first started working like a year ago it was probably month two when I was writing this companion guide which we thought would be just like a 25 page PDF.
00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:10.640
And I remember one of your notes said you know I do think you'll write a book one day and that it ended up being just write that.
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:14.240
Yeah finally we realized wait you have you have a book here.
00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:20.799
And you well and you did you s you go back to the imposter thing too where you s where I said book.
00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:23.839
It took me it took me like a month before I would call it a book.
00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:25.119
You're like no this is a book.
00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.680
You can call it a book it's okay there's nothing wrong with that.
00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:28.640
Yes.
00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:55.119
There's something that I want to name out loud and you brought it up but I will kind of pile on with that because I think it matters more than some people realize a lot of people who have done go back to the big things word phrase that I used before but a lot of people who maybe you are watching somebody else who's achieving something really cool that maybe you want to be doing there's a secret that a lot of these people have and a lot of these people have a coach working with them behind the scenes.
00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:58.640
And I have put real money into being coached.
00:30:58.799 --> 00:31:12.960
It's an ongoing thing that I do and I say that as someone who spent years believing that if I just worked harder or got more organized, that I would figure it out on my own or that I could you know push through and achieve these different goals of mine on my own.
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:17.920
And I think that that really turned out to be detrimental to myself.
00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:36.160
And I've realized that having someone in my corner who could see the whole board, who could see the whole vision and hold that vision when I couldn't and tell me the truth kindly and help me push through the imposter syndrome that changed dramatically what I was capable of building.
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:45.119
So I appreciate Jason you bringing up how when we started working together you had a companion guide and by the end of it you had a published book.
00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:47.680
I think that is so, so cool.
00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:48.400
Thank you.
00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:51.519
Yes the coaching does help because I can think of some other things.
00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:59.359
Coaching got me the book you said that I you had me make a website I did that you just floated out a couple ideas and I'm like oh that's actually a good idea.
00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:01.920
I'll combine this with that and make a podcast out of it.
00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:05.200
So like yeah it just helps to have that thought partner.
00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:15.599
And also when you know it's an established relationship too you don't feel I I never want to feel like I'm imposing on people too so it's like when you have a coach it's like yeah well this is their job to talk me through things.
00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:17.680
So it's actually kind of there you go.
00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:25.759
Totally and when you find the right coach you know that it's like it's their joy in life to walk you through those projects and those passions.
00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.000
And yeah, I I think it's really great.
00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:35.839
I'm grateful for the coach that I've had along the way and it's been incredible working with you Jason being on the other side of it.
00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:45.680
Yes it has and I I can think I pretty much have four coaches right now because I I hired this thing called Overcome which is about getting through the exact stuff that we're talking about.
00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:52.480
Then I have you I have like an informal one I have my former assistant principal who I hired to help me with my workshops.
00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:57.839
She's now retired so I would consider her a coach and I'm missing one more thing too.
00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:00.000
So yeah you can never have enough help.
00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:11.519
Yeah I totally agree and I am glad that since we're talking about coaching and the benefits of of having somebody in your corner like that, yes, having people across different sectors can be so beneficial.
00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:20.160
I like I have a therapist she's she's my coach in some ways you know I've hired on coaches in different seasons as I'm building certain things.
00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:25.119
You get different types of in inspiration I think from working with different people in different areas of your life.
00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:26.960
Some people might have a fitness coach.
00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:43.839
I know people who have like I'm I'm being dead serious I know people who have astrologist coaches I you know like people have all different types of coaches somatic movement coaches whatever it is that's going to help you move through to the next season and the next level of who you want to be then go for it.
00:33:44.319 --> 00:33:46.640
Okay Jason I have a question for you.
00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:54.400
I'm curious knowing everything that you know now what would you tell your 22 year old self?
00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:57.359
You can you can do things that you want to do.
00:33:57.680 --> 00:33:59.119
Why aren't you just trying?
00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:08.480
Why are you trying to go for proxies for things rather than just go for the thing you want and figure out what it is you actually want that's what I would say.
00:34:09.360 --> 00:34:37.679
It's it's very hard for me to even get into my 22 year old brain because it's just indistinguishable from who I am now someone who is terrified of their own shadow and thought could get into radio via sales that's how you would do an on you know an on-air thing instead of just saying well I'm just gonna try to do the on air thing so if there is something you want to do then just try to do it and really try to figure out what the things are that you want to do.
00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:56.000
What would you do if you couldn't tell anyone else that you were doing it what would make you happy what makes you tick what are the things that drive you and find things that align with that and try to do them because you might as well who cares just go for it because you can do it.
00:34:56.239 --> 00:35:04.079
Yeah and you can choose something to do with it literally right now you could find one tiny thing that you could do that moves you towards it.
00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:24.719
That's one thing that Jason is really good at I'm gonna shout him out is a lot of people get caught up in procrastination tasks where it's like okay there's something that I want to do let's say start a podcast and so I need to create a website and buy a domain name and get my brand in colors and pick out my fonts and stuff like that.
00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:29.519
And that's like fun, but it's like it's really just procrastination.
00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:33.039
We call we call it planning in our brain but it's really procrastination.
00:35:33.199 --> 00:35:36.639
One thing that Jason's super good at is just doing the damn thing.
00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:43.760
Like you decided you wanted to start a podcast and so you just recorded the podcast and you I love that you call it doing a small experiment.
00:35:43.920 --> 00:35:47.039
Let me just record it and see what happens and see if I even enjoy doing this.
00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:51.679
I'm not gonna buy a$300 microphone if I don't know if I enjoy even doing the podcast.
00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:58.000
And I think that's really, really inspiring and something it's a lesson that I'm working to learn from from you.
00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:06.480
And and in this era especially it's like it's very if you want to do something creative it sure is easy to put something out there right now because there's so many different outlets for it.
00:36:06.639 --> 00:36:20.320
And you can't worry about the numbers and this is what's hard for me now as I try to build things it's like you can't worry about your number subscribers and frankly I don't really care because it would never be a number that would satisfy me because I would always just compare to the one that's the next level up.
00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:27.599
What I like is putting things out there and hoping someone reads it and it either helps them or resonates with them and makes their day a little better.
00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:28.159
That's it.
00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:32.079
And if that happens even periodically then the whole thing was worth it.
00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:34.159
Yep totally agree.
00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:38.400
Such good advice so many great nuggets here from this conversation with Jason.
00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:53.519
So Jason will you please tell everybody where they can connect with you and where they can buy your book okay I'm on LinkedIn I post like one to two times a week that was this advice that this coach gave me like a year ago and I love doing that.
00:36:53.760 --> 00:36:56.960
That was you I'm so I'm on LinkedIn.
00:36:57.199 --> 00:37:06.159
I have a Substack it's also called Subplots subplots is like a life thing too so like I to be honest with you I don't know what that thing is.
00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:11.840
I used to have a website like very early blog and I love doing it I would post like every day.
00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:15.599
So the Substack I'm not used to this very very niche thing.
00:37:15.840 --> 00:37:24.880
So it's just kind of like all kinds of stuff from like my rules when I play pickleball open play to reviews of spas I've been to and then just stuff about school.
00:37:24.960 --> 00:37:26.880
So like it's all kinds of just random stuff.
00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:28.480
I really don't know what it is yet.
00:37:28.719 --> 00:37:34.320
And then I I started a podcast there's only one episode but that's on Spotify too.
00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:43.440
And then my book is on Amazon only and it's called Sublots and I would also say when people reach out asking for help, I just help them.
00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:44.239
I don't know.
00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:50.559
I even find myself responding to a lot of the salespeople that are clearly salespeople on LinkedIn just because I'm just curious.
00:37:50.800 --> 00:37:53.440
So yeah I just like reading and responding.
00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:56.639
I think that's everything that I'm out there on.
00:37:57.039 --> 00:37:57.519
Great.
00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:03.440
And yeah I'm inspired by you that you respond to the people who are selling to you inbound on LinkedIn.
00:38:03.679 --> 00:38:16.719
Not all of them not all of them I've gotten to the point where I I used to respond and I would be like hey thanks but I'm not interested and now I just I don't even reply anymore which I always feel a little guilty about but there's so many Sometimes I do.
00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:17.599
Sometimes they do.
00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:21.039
But you're also talking to someone I like answering spam calls.
00:38:21.199 --> 00:38:23.760
So like I I don't I don't know what to tell you.
00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:41.599
When people call and ask hey are you interested in selling your house I go yeah I'm interested in selling my house so yeah maybe I'm not the best person to ask about responding to LinkedIn sales but okay well everybody do reach out to Jason on LinkedIn or wherever you choose.
00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:54.559
And by the way I love the idea just I'm gonna give a little shout out Jason's book is genuinely fantastic and it would be a great gift to give to other administrators in your life.
00:38:54.880 --> 00:39:06.320
So if you're a teacher, you know, give the book to your principal or if you are an administrator who is listening it's a great gift to give as well or to buy for my gosh and if you do please email me and let me know.
00:39:06.400 --> 00:39:09.039
I love hearing from people I'll write you right back.
00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:10.079
Great.
00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:15.599
So Jason we will put as much contact information for you as we can in the show notes.
00:39:15.840 --> 00:39:18.639
Jason thank you so so much for your time today.
00:39:18.719 --> 00:39:21.920
This was a really fun conversation and I can't wait for everyone to listen.
00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:23.119
Thank you.
00:39:23.440 --> 00:39:30.239
Bye everyone I'm Krista Jones and this is First in Class.
00:39:30.400 --> 00:39:38.079
If you enjoyed this episode follow the show so you don't miss the next one and pass it along to a teacher friend who might be inspired by it.
00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:43.119
Quick note I'm not a financial planner and I'm not your financial planner.
00:39:43.280 --> 00:39:48.159
Always do your own research and talk to a professional before making money booth.
00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:49.840
See you next week
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.359
Jason Major has had a lot of job titles: sales, radio, then teacher, then instructional coach, data analyst, and now principal of Denver Elementary School in Chicago.
00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:16.239
But here's what actually gets me about Jason.
00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:20.559
The title keeps changing, and the person underneath it doesn't.
00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:25.920
He carries the same set of values into every single room he walks into.
00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:31.039
And you can feel it about four minutes into knowing him, or maybe even shorter.
00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:41.119
And somewhere in the middle of running an entire school, he wrote a book called Subplots and also started building workshops for other school leaders.
00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:46.479
Not instead of the job, but on top of it, without wrecking himself to do it.
00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:52.640
He is also someone that I know well because I've had the joy of coaching him through some of these things.
00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:55.520
So this is a conversation today between friends.
00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:58.479
Jason, welcome to First in Class.
00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:04.560
This is Teachers with Money First in Class.
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:12.959
I'm Krista Jones, and this show is for the educator who's done accepting the story that financial struggle is the price of a meaningful career.
00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:14.480
Let's get into it.
00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:19.920
Thank you so much.
00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:21.359
That was quite a welcome.
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You undersold yourself too, by the way, you edited the book.
00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:25.599
I did edit the book.
00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:26.879
Thank you for bringing that up.
00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:28.000
I appreciate that.
00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:34.159
Okay, so Jason, you came to education from radio, I believe in 2004.
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How does a guy in radio end up as a school principal?
00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:42.000
That's actually pretty easy for two different facets.
00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:43.760
One, both my parents were teachers.
00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:45.200
My mom still is a teacher.
00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:48.879
She's 79 years old, and she's been teaching for 48 years.
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My dad is retired.
00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:51.680
He's still on the school board there.
00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:57.359
So it gets in your blood, for one, when you're a teacher and you grow up in a teacher family.
00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:01.599
And secondly, I absolutely despise my job in radio sales.
00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:04.079
Now, I so that made it very easy.
00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:10.639
I did have a radio show on the weekend, which I very much love doing that, but the sales part was absolutely terrible.
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.840
If you're familiar with like the Sunday scaries, mine was like the Monday through Sunday scaries.
00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:17.120
I absolutely hated it.
00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:20.719
And when I finally stopped doing it, I started substitute teaching.
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And after like the first morning, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm going back to school to be a teacher.
00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:27.280
So I taught math.
00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:37.759
I ended up being a math coach and a data analyst and an assistant principal, and then became principal and start my 11th year with kids tomorrow.
00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:38.719
Amazing.
00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:40.960
Well, I'm wishing you a great school year coming in.
00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:51.360
So one thing that your book opens with is keep kids safe, help them learn, don't let the adults lose their minds.
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Everything else is a subplot.
00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:56.560
Where did that line come from?
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I think it was offhand.
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We work with an organization called Alliance for Decision Education.
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And I talked to two different people for that organization who used to be principals.
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And we'll just, I don't know, commiserate over what that job's like.
00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:16.080
And I said, you know, the whole thing subplots, especially when you're 11th year, like kids learning stuff is the main plot.
00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:21.599
But when I walk by every single adult in the school, because I've known them so long, I'm like, yeah, I got a subplot to that.
00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:23.039
I got a subplot to that.
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And like last week, it's the first week with teachers back.
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And I'm sitting there planning with the assistant principal our presentation for staff.
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And next thing I know, some guy from facilities is just sitting next to me, wanting me to check off 47 check boxes on how well the building was cleaned in summer.
00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:41.919
So it's just constantly something.
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Everything's a subplot.
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Have you ever come across any subplots that you felt like nearly took over your entire job?
00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:51.759
Oh, yeah.
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I mean, sometimes these investigations that you have to do with things with like district mandates, like we have an office called Student Protections that can take a ton of time.
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Just something coming up that's a big deal can just take away an entire day where, yeah, next thing you know, you're talking to kids and adults for three to four hours.
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So that would be one thing that would come up.
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And that happens often.
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It just does.
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So, Jason, you have worn a lot of hats in this field.
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What's the thing that has stayed the same through all these different eras?
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Just wanting kids to enjoy school, I think.
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I I I love being a principal.
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It's probably my favorite job I've ever had.
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But being a math teacher was just a joy all day.
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I could just come teach the kids math and go home without and that was it.
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And the kids love the class so much, and that's why my wife convinced me to go back to be a principal because I kind of wanted to just try to spread that throughout the whole school.
00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:50.720
So that's the thing.
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Just giving the kids a good experience and, you know, leaving the teachers alone and empowering them to do what they need to do for the kids too.
00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.839
Yeah, you know, I actually want to call that out.
00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:05.519
I saw on a recent post of yours, I think it was on LinkedIn.
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The the post I think was about how you guys were starting back at school weeks before the kids were starting.
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And you had made a casual aside about how I don't have any new staff this year.
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So what are we even gonna do during our PD meetings?
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And you had somebody in your comments calling that out, like, wait, like record scratch, you don't have any new staff this year.
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You had no turnover.
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What's your secret?
00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:29.120
I don't think there's a secret to that, actually.
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So uh we have great kids.
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It's a the school district.
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I love working for that.
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It's it's good pay, good benefits.
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We have good kids.
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We have a good staff.
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They like being there.
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That combined with this was one of the tougher summers I've seen as far as layoffs and looking to move for other schools.
00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:50.800
So it was just kind of all those things combined is what added up to that.
00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:54.079
But yeah, we have no nobody knew this year.
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Nobody that's incredible.
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That would be the dream for I think a lot of administrators.
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Yeah, hiring takes a long time.
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So, like summer, summer is just like a different job because you're planning for the next year.
00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.639
But what takes the most time is hiring.
00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:11.279
So not having any hiring during the summer really freed up a lot of time.
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Mm-hmm.
00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.439
So here's one thing that I want everyone listening to catch from this conversation.
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So much of the advice out there tells teachers and leaders that the only way to earn more or to have a bigger impact is to leave education, to walk out, go corporate, start over.
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And it's okay if people want to do that.
00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:33.199
That's totally fine.
00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:35.040
But Jason really did the opposite.
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He stayed in education and kind of sunk his boots down even further.
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He stayed and then became a principal and then continued to build the things that he wanted to build: a book, workshops, additional streams of income through those things, and influence and impact.
00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:55.199
And all of that on top of a job that already asks a lot of him.
00:06:55.439 --> 00:07:01.199
So before we get to the how do you juggle all this, I want to sit for a minute with the why.
00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:10.160
Why build something of your own alongside your work as an administrator instead of leaving to go do it?
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So I thought about this a lot.
00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:14.879
So, like my nature is I just like to help.
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So that's it.
00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:21.279
So I mentor principals, but there's also others I just help because I just like to.
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So that is just like the driving force of everything, wanting to help.
00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:26.560
So I started presenting.
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Even when I was a math teacher, I would present at professional development or conferences and stuff like that.
00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:35.759
So when I became a principal and got a little more experience, I was able to do that kind of stuff on the side.
00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:45.279
And then it ended up some of them being paid because there's something called administrator academies that principals have to do once a year so you can get compensated for.
00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:51.040
But I think it's now just scratching the itches of things I wanted to do like a long time ago.
00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:56.079
So, like I used to love writing when I was in the radio business and wrote for websites.
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And I kind of missed that and it went away when I was a teacher.
00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:00.800
So just bringing that back.
00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:06.000
And then just like speaking is another thing that I really like doing because I really like doing my radio show.
00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:11.600
So it's kind of a way to do on the side some things that have always been interesting to me.
00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:15.360
But I still really like my day-to-day principal life too.
00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:18.079
And that's actually very hard to give up, also, as you know.
00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:29.680
So it's like I'm not going to just stop doing that until it was something that was completely sustainable full-time, which is not even remotely a possibility right now, because I don't want to have to go chasing things.
00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.960
I think really learning what drives me and my values helps too.
00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:44.159
And I'm not someone that wants to just take something just to take it one, or going chasing down and being a hustler for things is just not something that interests me in the slightest bit.
00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.720
So I can just pick and choose things on the side while still being satisfied with my day-to-day life.
00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:50.080
That's incredible.
00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:52.159
And honestly, what a dream, you know.
00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:54.480
Now I want to take you back.
00:08:54.720 --> 00:09:02.159
You mentioned that you started doing professional development pre-presentations, conference presentations back when you were a math teacher.
00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:11.519
I one question I get a lot from teachers is I see people presenting at these conferences or, you know, presenting workshops, but I don't even know how to get started.
00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:16.720
Like, do you remember how you first got involved with presenting at math workshops or maths?
00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:21.200
I think the first time I did was when we just had a staff professional development.
00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:25.440
I think it presented something about analyzing the NWA test or something like that.
00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:32.720
And then that turned into I was very big into enrichment math and competition math.
00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:34.480
So I found a lot of enrichment stuff.
00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:37.600
So I think one of the ones I did multiple times was called, I'm done.
00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:38.639
Now what do I do?
00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:42.000
So it was about like what to give the kids after they finished their daily work.
00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:43.919
So like enrichment opportunities.
00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:51.360
And I don't really remember just anything that would come up with the district, I think, once they wanted a proposal for something.
00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:54.080
And a lot of times people don't put in to do it.
00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.200
So like start with just smaller stakes ones.
00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:03.759
It's it was always amazing to me how many people don't ask for help and just put their name in, because the worst they can be told is no.
00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:06.000
And a lot of times they're looking for people to do stuff.
00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:08.240
So they're thrilled to get your proposal.
00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:09.279
Yes.
00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:23.600
Thank you so much for calling that out because that used to be something that scared me so much that was so intimidating before I had ever presented at any conference or done any workshops or published in any, I was a music teacher in any music education publications.
00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:27.360
I was like so scared of the process and so intimidated by it.
00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:35.440
I have now been on the other side of that where I'm seeking out um presenters or I'm seeking out writers for publication.
00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:46.080
Oh my gosh, most of these conferences, you guys, and most of these publications, they are desperate for people to apply and desperate for people to submit their work.
00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.320
So I'm so glad that you called that out, Jason.
00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:55.519
And so it sounds like for you, you started at the district level just kind of giving, you know, little presentations here and there.
00:10:55.919 --> 00:11:00.000
And that helped you get some reps in of presenting.
00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:07.600
It sounds like probably I'm I'm just assuming here, based on my own experience and what I hear from other teachers, you probably started off doing this for free.
00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:11.279
And then that grew into paid speaking opportunities for you.
00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.080
And the first the first time I ever got paid for them was 2023.
00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:16.480
And that was just through a third-party organization.
00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:18.159
So I kind of just backed into it.
00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:20.399
I couldn't believe that I got compensated for it.
00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:25.519
Now the district will have me do stuff within the guise of my school district and they'll give me stipends for that now too.
00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:26.559
So that's kind of nice.
00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:33.600
But I had never been paid for anything, nor even expected to be paid for anything until fall of 2023.
00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:39.440
And then since then, I think it's three school districts and uh ASCD that I've done them on the side for.
00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:42.000
So it just happens like that.
00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:47.039
And something else I thought of too, as you're saying that is like ask people, ask people for help.
00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:49.360
Like in education, people want help.
00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:58.000
I one of the stories where I just started to get more connected was the head of like 50 schools was presenting at a staff professional development.
00:11:58.159 --> 00:11:59.679
And she goes, Hey, put me to work.
00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:01.279
I'd love to come visit your class.
00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:04.480
And so after the presentation, I go, Hey, will you come visit my class?
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:05.519
She goes, Sure.
00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:12.960
Now, months later, she goes, I've given that to 2,000 teachers, and you're the first person that's ever asked me to come visit.
00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:13.919
Wow.
00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:16.000
And I bet she was thrilled to come to the city.
00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:16.639
She was thrilled.
00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:17.120
She was thrilled.
00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:18.399
And we developed a relationship.
00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:19.840
I still keep in touch with her today.
00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:20.879
This is 15 years ago.
00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:24.480
So, you know, people want to help, I think, especially in education.
00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:26.720
It's a helping field.
00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:31.759
So when people offer things, just ask, just and say yes to things.
00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:39.279
That's how you can get additional opportunities pretty quickly, is just by saying yes and just asking and seeing what's out there.
00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:40.000
Yes.
00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:48.000
And one thing that I know about you, Jason, is that you are so good at lifting people up and encouraging people to go for new opportunities.
00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:52.960
Maybe it's an assistant principal encouraging them to apply to be a principal of a of a school.
00:12:53.200 --> 00:13:02.000
So for a teacher or administrator who, you know, maybe they're thinking, yeah, I do want to start presenting, but I don't have anything unique to share.
00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:07.039
I don't have anything valuable to sell or share or whatever it may be, what would you say to them?
00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:08.639
You have something.
00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:12.159
I I still feel like I don't have anything, but it's like, I don't know.
00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:14.159
You just start sharing, find something.
00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:16.720
If you think about the course of your day, what is one thing?
00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:18.960
What is one thing someone's asked you to help for?
00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:24.000
Or is what is one thing, something that you have offered and someone has accepted?
00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:26.080
There, there's a niche for you right there.
00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:29.440
And I still don't feel like I'm good at doing this for myself at all.
00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:33.200
But yeah, there's got to be something you can put out there.
00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:34.480
And just do one thing.
00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.080
I love the tiny habits thing.
00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.320
Like just try a small experiment.
00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:39.360
Put something out there.
00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:40.720
See if someone else uses it.
00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:42.320
Try one within your own building.
00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:49.279
When something you've used in your classroom and you're going to ask another teacher to do it, well, if that one teacher did it, there's probably 10 others that want to do it too.
00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:50.000
Yeah.
00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:50.480
Yeah.
00:13:50.559 --> 00:14:01.120
And I think something that can creep up a lot for people, and I have experienced this myself, is something called imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon.
00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:07.519
That's something that you and I have talked a lot about as well, is that feeling of, you know, being an imposter.
00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:08.720
And so here you are.
00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:10.720
You are a published author.
00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:16.480
How did you get past the feeling of I have maybe nothing unique to share too?
00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.879
I have now published my own book.
00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:23.519
Because the impostor feeling never goes away, because I still feel like it's an impostor.
00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:24.000
That's the thing.
00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:28.960
You just have to remember to live with it because you're always going to continue to move your goalposts.
00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:36.960
So when I said I wanted to write a book someday, I didn't know it would be July of 2026, but now the goalpost has moved.
00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:41.519
Well, it hasn't sold that many copies, or not many people I don't know haven't bought it.
00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:43.759
Or, well, I don't know if people are actually liking it.
00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:46.559
Or I don't know if people are actually using it as I intended.
00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:48.080
So the goalposts keep moving.
00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.399
So you just have to plow forward and keep going.
00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:56.559
I would have never would have been blown away even four years ago to think that I had a book on Amazon that people are actually purchasing.
00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:00.159
But then you just move the goalposts and then it becomes, oh, okay, well, I have this.
00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:01.519
Now what's next?
00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:03.440
And you just got to keep going.
00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:03.919
Yeah.
00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:06.159
I get the and the imposter feelings never go away.
00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:10.000
I had it last week when stuff was going wrong during the first week, teachers back.
00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:12.320
Oh my God, I'm a total fraud, and people are going to find out.
00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:15.279
Meanwhile, you've been doing this job for over a decade.
00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:17.440
It just never goes away.
00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:18.080
Yeah.
00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.799
But it's like when when you've meet fellow impostors, that is great.
00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:25.440
Like my new assistant principal said she has imposter feelings.
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:26.639
They go, This is awesome.
00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:27.120
I got you.
00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:27.679
Don't worry.
00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:29.039
It's like you can do this.
00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:31.440
No, no, no one else knows what they're doing either.
00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:33.200
So we'll figure it out.
00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:34.799
Totally.
00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:35.360
Yeah.
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:35.840
Yeah.
00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:40.240
It is so great to meet someone else who is going through that that feeling.
00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:51.919
And then it's so clear for like when you're on the outside speaking to somebody who's going through those feelings of imposter syndrome, it's so easy to see their capabilities and everything they have to offer and everything they can do.
00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:56.799
And yet when we look at ourselves in the mirror, it can be so hard for us to see that in ourselves.
00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.960
Because you downplay, you downplay things that people give you as praise.
00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:13.840
But then any kind of remotely negative thing, even if it's a narrative you're creating in your head because someone's sitting there silently during a presentation, you're going to create a narrative that they found you out, and now this whole thing's going to come crashing down because you're an imposter.
00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:15.519
And it's just this vicious cycle.
00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:24.159
Though I did learn a tool recently called cognitive restructuring from this book where it's like list out literal evidence to the contrary, and that does seem to help too.
00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:27.759
And it's just something you can just be okay with having.
00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:28.399
That's a thing.
00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:38.720
Someone told me the day ago, oh, I think it was Brene Brown, said having imposter syndrome is good because it means you still don't think you know everything and you want to keep learning.
00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:39.840
So I'm like, you know what?
00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:40.399
Okay, cool.
00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:41.440
I'm embrace it.
00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:42.159
It's fine.
00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:43.840
That makes a lot of sense.
00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:55.919
It's like if sometimes if you're feeling a little bit too comfortable, maybe that's a good sign that you need to keep moving forward with your plans or your life or your ideas or whatever it is.
00:16:56.080 --> 00:17:03.519
If things are feeling a little too easy and a little a little too comfortable and you're not feeling like an imposter, maybe that's a bad sign.
00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.640
And it's time for you to kind of kick yourself in the ass and get moving.
00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:12.160
It's related to like, I always get very anxious right before the school year starts.
00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:13.680
And I've just been okay with it.
00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:26.799
It's like if I and now I'm like, if I didn't get nervous, that's when I would be nervous because it just means I'm probably either have apathy or something like that, or I'm not seeing what could possibly go wrong.
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:29.200
A little healthy anxiety is fine.
00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:30.240
Certainly.
00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:30.799
Yeah.
00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:35.119
One trick I learned, this was way back when I was in high school.
00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:43.759
I was the drum major of our high school marching band and I got to go to drum major camp, which was my initiation actually into the leadership development world.
00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:45.599
And I got addicted right away.
00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:49.119
I started reading like personal development books that were recommended to me then.
00:17:49.359 --> 00:18:09.200
But one thing that was really beneficial that I still think about all the time was one of our instructors at this drum major camp when I was 16 years old said, in your brain, the link between I'm feeling anxious or I'm nervous about this and I'm actually excited about this.
00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.920
They're actually very closely connected in our brain.
00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:14.240
So that's one thing that I try to remind myself.
00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:15.920
It's like a switch that I can flip.
00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:23.279
If I'm feeling nervous for something, I try to switch that flip on or switch it over to, hey, I'm excited, because it's the same.
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:25.759
Um, it it feels quite similar in my body.
00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:31.440
And then I can tell my brain, actually, I feel good about this rather than I feel like I'm gonna fail at this.
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:32.319
I love that.
00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:33.519
And it's very related.
00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:36.480
Like in my in my book, I talk about meditation.
00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:37.680
I do a lot of that too.
00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:49.519
And like that teaches you a lot to just recognize your thoughts as thoughts and emotions as sensations in the body and thoughts, and just to recognize them when you're going down roads, and it seems to help a lot too.
00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:54.160
So back to imposter syndrome and kind of this whole mindset work.
00:18:54.559 --> 00:19:02.799
What when when you have those days where the imposter syndrome kind of sinks back in, what do you tell yourself on those days?
00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:04.880
It just depends on the day.
00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:18.079
So sometimes when several things are off too, like you didn't sleep very well and and you're having the imposter syndrome, and maybe something in your personal life happened that day, that's when I'm like, you just need to shut it down.
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:24.319
I'll just be like, I'm not going to engage with these thoughts today at all because I'm gonna wait till tomorrow before I do so.
00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:32.400
Um that's usually the best strategy because when it gets to me the most is usually when like two or three things are going wrong at once.
00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:36.240
But it just a normal imposture, just be like, I don't know.
00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.720
It's just part of it and you just keep going.
00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:43.359
I really haven't figured out how to combat that, other than just accepting it's part of it.
00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:46.000
Yeah, that's been it the case for me too.
00:19:46.079 --> 00:20:01.440
And one thing that's really helped, and I I think that you brought this up earlier, or you alluded to it at least, was that even people who are that we see as being at the top of their game, people who are professional musicians, professional athletes, um, professional public speakers.
00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:07.359
What I have heard over and over and over again from these people is that they still get nervous.
00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:13.680
They still have nerves that that come over them when they're about to perform or or do whatever it is that they do.
00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:15.279
And that's just part of it.
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:21.920
And that really helped me recognize that there's nothing wrong with me if I'm feeling nervous or if I'm feeling like an imposter.
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.680
Like you said, it's just part of the game.
00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:26.400
It's just part of doing big stuff.
00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:30.640
And part of the imposter is even hearing things like people doing big stuff.
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.200
And yes, like, oh, I'm not doing anything big.
00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.920
But then that's exactly part of the imposter thing.
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:36.640
Right.
00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:38.400
And you are doing big things.
00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:41.920
And one thing I haven't shouted out yet is that you also just launched a podcast.
00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:45.039
You have so many incredible things that you're doing right now.
00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:45.920
Thank you.
00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:54.559
See, someone tried to teach me to just say thank you and to accept a compliment instead of letting the imposter thing kick over and like just justify things.
00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:59.119
Because I would say, yes, I did launch one, but it was one 20-minute thing and I did it two weeks ago.
00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:01.279
But I have two more books, so we'll just see where it goes.
00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:05.119
Again, I'm very much like the tiny experiment thing, let's just see where it goes.
00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:05.920
Mm-hmm.
00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:09.440
Yeah, I've heard that that's a really important skill to practice.
00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:13.119
And that's something that I've learned to practice as well is just accepting the compliment.
00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.480
We don't have to deflect it.
00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:20.720
Uh, Jason, you and I are both uh Midwestern folks, and that's something that Midwestern folks are really good at.
00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:22.400
Just deflect and move on.
00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:30.400
But it's important for us to accept the compliments and accept that it, you know, we are doing cool stuff.
00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:32.640
And being assertive too.
00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:37.119
I actually told the entire staff last week that my goal this year is to be more assertive.
00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.079
So that's it.
00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:41.359
So it is a work in progress, but it helps.
00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.039
Okay, quick pause.
00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:50.480
This one's for you if you've ever looked at a teacher resource and thought, I could have made that.
00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:51.680
Because you could.
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:54.480
You've been building lesson materials for years.
00:21:54.720 --> 00:22:06.880
The only thing between you and a teacher's big teacher store is the little decisions between an idea and a listed product combined with the courage to finally just start.
00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:09.839
That is what TPT Launch Lab is.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:17.359
You and I together will take 30 days to go from your someday dream to a real open store.
00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:25.359
When I opened the beta testing for this course, it sold out in under an hour and the feedback from teachers has been incredible.
00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:33.519
TPT Launch Lab is priced super low on purpose because money should never be the reason a teacher doesn't start.
00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:37.519
You listen to this show so you get the podcast friends price.
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:46.480
Use code podcast at checkout to bring the entire step-by-step course plus bonus guides and templates down to$20.
00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:53.680
That code is my thank you for being here so go grab it now while the promo code is still live.
00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:55.920
Link and code are in the show notes.
00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:11.359
Okay let's get back to the episode so there is a word that runs underneath everything that Jason builds and that is sustainable, sustainable pace.
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.519
So not hustle, not grind.
00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:27.519
And of course there are seasons where you're pushing harder or seasons where you're resting more but I love that his whole book leans on the idea that this is a marathon and you're allowed to protect yourself while you run it.
00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:31.440
So I want to get a little more practical about what that actually looks like.
00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:39.519
So Jason on a genuinely hard week what does sustainable actually look like for you?
00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:43.279
Making sure you're doing things for yourself and it is work of progress.
00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:49.839
You sometimes you're going to go into the week being like this is going to be tough and I just got to be prepared and be more well rested.
00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.599
So but making sure you're carving out times to do things as you like.
00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:54.960
For me it's early in the morning.
00:23:55.039 --> 00:24:00.799
So like I'll get up at five o'clock in the morning and I'll go for a walk and I'll drink coffee and I might do some writing and do a workout.
00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.240
So that's my time.
00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:30.319
So just making sure you're doing some of the activities you should be glad that you did that kind of fill your bucket whether it's social or physical or getting good sleep and knowing when to shut things down to one of the ones I always talk about is like if you're if at the end of the day you have 47 tabs open in your Google Chrome, like the best solution is to just X out of all of them and just go home because you're done.
00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.519
You can call it a day the work will still be there the next day.
00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:35.920
Yeah that's a very healthy practice.
00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:43.119
I'm curious have you always been a morning person or was that a habit that you're no that was like that was that was something that I built.
00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:50.880
And it's and I get up on my own accord so it is not like a hustle type it it I just get up on my own accord because I go to bed early.
00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:51.759
So that's my time.
00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:53.359
Other people like to stay up late.
00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:54.319
That's great too.
00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:59.839
You just want to find the time where you're productive do what you want to do and you're choosing your own activities.
00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:01.680
For me it's very early in the morning.
00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:11.519
It's really hard to say sustainable pace this week because there's something after school my kids have three flag football games and I have a late night at school and then we are traveling Friday.
00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:16.319
So like to think about sustainable every week being like that is not sustainable at all.
00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:23.920
So it's just like just knowing that there's going to be weeks like that and just not booking yourself too much when it's not like that.
00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:38.319
And one thing I always come back to as well is that there are just seasons of hustle and then there are seasons where things can be a little bit more uh normal we'll call it some uh variation of normal and that's okay.
00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:44.160
See, I would say that too it's like for me sustainable is like looking at the year as a whole summer is a little more laid back.
00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:49.440
That's what makes some of the weeks that are very intense sustainable as a whole.
00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:54.880
And especially it's like embracing the quiet I'm very much on like don't create work that you don't really need to do.
00:25:55.039 --> 00:26:03.039
If something doesn't make sense to do then you stop doing it like unnecessary meetings and unnecessary uh documents and all of this stuff that's just nonsense.
00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:04.160
That's where you're going to do it.
00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:08.400
And just making sure you're not staying in the building when it's empty just go home.
00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:10.720
So like if there's no kids there, go home.
00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:13.599
You don't need to just sit in the building when there's nobody there.
00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:15.119
Like that's what I'm talking about.
00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:18.000
That's the kind of stuff that can start to drain you after a while.
00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:23.359
I'm curious about your your process of writing your book and then also publishing your book.
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:26.319
I would love for you to share more of that journey with the listeners.
00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:38.160
And I'm curious what what what is your writing habit like well so when I would mentor principles I first of all I used to use a website called 750 words.
00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:41.839
The goal was just to write 750 words a day and that was it.
00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:46.640
And you would try to just keep a streak going and I think I had like an 1100 day streak.
00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:57.039
And then it ended but it became but towards the end it it was more about the streak than about the writing and I would I'm like no I I got addicted to the streak instead of remembering why I was doing it.
00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:03.440
So in the midst of doing that, I wrote like a I think it was probably a 20 page guide for a new principal.
00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:11.119
So when I would mentor a principal be like here I wrote this here's what your first three months are like just take it and I wrote that and people would like it.
00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:19.759
So I had a decent amount of stuff in the tank to start that I just had either that or just in journals that I write because I just do a lot of writing on my own.
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:27.039
So when I had this idea to make a companion guide for this book it was probably like 2024 and I would just write a passage here.
00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:35.200
Then I came into a book called Book of Alchemy which was a journal prompt book with like essays and I'm like that's the format I think I'd want for your book.
00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:45.039
And then when I hired you as a coach like a year ago I said I wanted to start a companion guide for my workshop because I want to just leave them with something so it's just not a one and done.
00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:53.440
And the companion guide then turned into I think 60 68 journal prompts that are over the course of a book.
00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:54.720
And that's what it was.
00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:58.400
And I think you and I had a deadline of like January to finish it.
00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:14.400
But like finishing it is just the beginning because you have to have edits and you have to have re-edits and you have to second guess everything you do and then you have to get it onto KDP on Amazon and then you have to get a print copy of that and then make last minute changes.
00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:21.039
So like it was a long time to get across the finish line but not really there's just a lot that goes into it.
00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:22.240
And you just do it.
00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:25.279
I think people people ask me is like wait how did you write a book?
00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:30.400
I don't know you just chip away a little bit I don't think there was any like habit that I did.
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:44.240
My thing was always sometimes I'd be in mo writing mode for like two weeks and I would crank up maybe 10,000 words in those two weeks where it's like I'm feeling it and I want to get as much in while I'm in this writing mode.
00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:48.640
And then there'd be a week where I wasn't feeling it as much but I just knew it would come back.
00:28:48.880 --> 00:29:02.319
Yeah I am always I think you and I have talked about this before actually I love hearing different people's creative process and especially writers because writing is something that the process can vary so much from writer to writer.
00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:06.160
Some people sit down with a timer and they write for an hour every single day.
00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:14.960
I'm talking like famous published incredible authors and other people work in like creative sprints like what you just described.
00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:16.799
And that's much how my brain works as well.
00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:28.000
Anytime I'm doing a creative project, I will like go heavy on it for a long time and I'll get a lot done in maybe a short amount of time and then go slow for a little bit after that.
00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:31.119
I think that's really interesting to hear more about that process for you.
00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:36.240
And yeah, thank you for calling out I know that I have a lot of future authors in my listener base.
00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:41.200
And so thank you for explaining a bit more about that process and everything that goes into writing a book.
00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:47.039
Yeah you can have all the words done which that's a huge undertaking in itself but there's so much that happens after that.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:51.519
The editing and then design the arranging of chapters like what order they go in.
00:29:51.599 --> 00:30:03.759
Yeah there was a lot there was a lot I do want to I do remember this now too when we first started working like a year ago it was probably month two when I was writing this companion guide which we thought would be just like a 25 page PDF.
00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:10.640
And I remember one of your notes said you know I do think you'll write a book one day and that it ended up being just write that.
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:14.240
Yeah finally we realized wait you have you have a book here.
00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:20.799
And you well and you did you s you go back to the imposter thing too where you s where I said book.
00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:23.839
It took me it took me like a month before I would call it a book.
00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:25.119
You're like no this is a book.
00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.680
You can call it a book it's okay there's nothing wrong with that.
00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:28.640
Yes.
00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:55.119
There's something that I want to name out loud and you brought it up but I will kind of pile on with that because I think it matters more than some people realize a lot of people who have done go back to the big things word phrase that I used before but a lot of people who maybe you are watching somebody else who's achieving something really cool that maybe you want to be doing there's a secret that a lot of these people have and a lot of these people have a coach working with them behind the scenes.
00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:58.640
And I have put real money into being coached.
00:30:58.799 --> 00:31:12.960
It's an ongoing thing that I do and I say that as someone who spent years believing that if I just worked harder or got more organized, that I would figure it out on my own or that I could you know push through and achieve these different goals of mine on my own.
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:17.920
And I think that that really turned out to be detrimental to myself.
00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:36.160
And I've realized that having someone in my corner who could see the whole board, who could see the whole vision and hold that vision when I couldn't and tell me the truth kindly and help me push through the imposter syndrome that changed dramatically what I was capable of building.
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:45.119
So I appreciate Jason you bringing up how when we started working together you had a companion guide and by the end of it you had a published book.
00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:47.680
I think that is so, so cool.
00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:48.400
Thank you.
00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:51.519
Yes the coaching does help because I can think of some other things.
00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:59.359
Coaching got me the book you said that I you had me make a website I did that you just floated out a couple ideas and I'm like oh that's actually a good idea.
00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:01.920
I'll combine this with that and make a podcast out of it.
00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:05.200
So like yeah it just helps to have that thought partner.
00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:15.599
And also when you know it's an established relationship too you don't feel I I never want to feel like I'm imposing on people too so it's like when you have a coach it's like yeah well this is their job to talk me through things.
00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:17.680
So it's actually kind of there you go.
00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:25.759
Totally and when you find the right coach you know that it's like it's their joy in life to walk you through those projects and those passions.
00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.000
And yeah, I I think it's really great.
00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:35.839
I'm grateful for the coach that I've had along the way and it's been incredible working with you Jason being on the other side of it.
00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:45.680
Yes it has and I I can think I pretty much have four coaches right now because I I hired this thing called Overcome which is about getting through the exact stuff that we're talking about.
00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:52.480
Then I have you I have like an informal one I have my former assistant principal who I hired to help me with my workshops.
00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:57.839
She's now retired so I would consider her a coach and I'm missing one more thing too.
00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:00.000
So yeah you can never have enough help.
00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:11.519
Yeah I totally agree and I am glad that since we're talking about coaching and the benefits of of having somebody in your corner like that, yes, having people across different sectors can be so beneficial.
00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:20.160
I like I have a therapist she's she's my coach in some ways you know I've hired on coaches in different seasons as I'm building certain things.
00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:25.119
You get different types of in inspiration I think from working with different people in different areas of your life.
00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:26.960
Some people might have a fitness coach.
00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:43.839
I know people who have like I'm I'm being dead serious I know people who have astrologist coaches I you know like people have all different types of coaches somatic movement coaches whatever it is that's going to help you move through to the next season and the next level of who you want to be then go for it.
00:33:44.319 --> 00:33:46.640
Okay Jason I have a question for you.
00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:54.400
I'm curious knowing everything that you know now what would you tell your 22 year old self?
00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:57.359
You can you can do things that you want to do.
00:33:57.680 --> 00:33:59.119
Why aren't you just trying?
00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:08.480
Why are you trying to go for proxies for things rather than just go for the thing you want and figure out what it is you actually want that's what I would say.
00:34:09.360 --> 00:34:37.679
It's it's very hard for me to even get into my 22 year old brain because it's just indistinguishable from who I am now someone who is terrified of their own shadow and thought could get into radio via sales that's how you would do an on you know an on-air thing instead of just saying well I'm just gonna try to do the on air thing so if there is something you want to do then just try to do it and really try to figure out what the things are that you want to do.
00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:56.000
What would you do if you couldn't tell anyone else that you were doing it what would make you happy what makes you tick what are the things that drive you and find things that align with that and try to do them because you might as well who cares just go for it because you can do it.
00:34:56.239 --> 00:35:04.079
Yeah and you can choose something to do with it literally right now you could find one tiny thing that you could do that moves you towards it.
00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:24.719
That's one thing that Jason is really good at I'm gonna shout him out is a lot of people get caught up in procrastination tasks where it's like okay there's something that I want to do let's say start a podcast and so I need to create a website and buy a domain name and get my brand in colors and pick out my fonts and stuff like that.
00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:29.519
And that's like fun, but it's like it's really just procrastination.
00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:33.039
We call we call it planning in our brain but it's really procrastination.
00:35:33.199 --> 00:35:36.639
One thing that Jason's super good at is just doing the damn thing.
00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:43.760
Like you decided you wanted to start a podcast and so you just recorded the podcast and you I love that you call it doing a small experiment.
00:35:43.920 --> 00:35:47.039
Let me just record it and see what happens and see if I even enjoy doing this.
00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:51.679
I'm not gonna buy a$300 microphone if I don't know if I enjoy even doing the podcast.
00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:58.000
And I think that's really, really inspiring and something it's a lesson that I'm working to learn from from you.
00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:06.480
And and in this era especially it's like it's very if you want to do something creative it sure is easy to put something out there right now because there's so many different outlets for it.
00:36:06.639 --> 00:36:20.320
And you can't worry about the numbers and this is what's hard for me now as I try to build things it's like you can't worry about your number subscribers and frankly I don't really care because it would never be a number that would satisfy me because I would always just compare to the one that's the next level up.
00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:27.599
What I like is putting things out there and hoping someone reads it and it either helps them or resonates with them and makes their day a little better.
00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:28.159
That's it.
00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:32.079
And if that happens even periodically then the whole thing was worth it.
00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:34.159
Yep totally agree.
00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:38.400
Such good advice so many great nuggets here from this conversation with Jason.
00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:53.519
So Jason will you please tell everybody where they can connect with you and where they can buy your book okay I'm on LinkedIn I post like one to two times a week that was this advice that this coach gave me like a year ago and I love doing that.
00:36:53.760 --> 00:36:56.960
That was you I'm so I'm on LinkedIn.
00:36:57.199 --> 00:37:06.159
I have a Substack it's also called Subplots subplots is like a life thing too so like I to be honest with you I don't know what that thing is.
00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:11.840
I used to have a website like very early blog and I love doing it I would post like every day.
00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:15.599
So the Substack I'm not used to this very very niche thing.
00:37:15.840 --> 00:37:24.880
So it's just kind of like all kinds of stuff from like my rules when I play pickleball open play to reviews of spas I've been to and then just stuff about school.
00:37:24.960 --> 00:37:26.880
So like it's all kinds of just random stuff.
00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:28.480
I really don't know what it is yet.
00:37:28.719 --> 00:37:34.320
And then I I started a podcast there's only one episode but that's on Spotify too.
00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:43.440
And then my book is on Amazon only and it's called Sublots and I would also say when people reach out asking for help, I just help them.
00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:44.239
I don't know.
00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:50.559
I even find myself responding to a lot of the salespeople that are clearly salespeople on LinkedIn just because I'm just curious.
00:37:50.800 --> 00:37:53.440
So yeah I just like reading and responding.
00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:56.639
I think that's everything that I'm out there on.
00:37:57.039 --> 00:37:57.519
Great.
00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:03.440
And yeah I'm inspired by you that you respond to the people who are selling to you inbound on LinkedIn.
00:38:03.679 --> 00:38:16.719
Not all of them not all of them I've gotten to the point where I I used to respond and I would be like hey thanks but I'm not interested and now I just I don't even reply anymore which I always feel a little guilty about but there's so many Sometimes I do.
00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:17.599
Sometimes they do.
00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:21.039
But you're also talking to someone I like answering spam calls.
00:38:21.199 --> 00:38:23.760
So like I I don't I don't know what to tell you.
00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:41.599
When people call and ask hey are you interested in selling your house I go yeah I'm interested in selling my house so yeah maybe I'm not the best person to ask about responding to LinkedIn sales but okay well everybody do reach out to Jason on LinkedIn or wherever you choose.
00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:54.559
And by the way I love the idea just I'm gonna give a little shout out Jason's book is genuinely fantastic and it would be a great gift to give to other administrators in your life.
00:38:54.880 --> 00:39:06.320
So if you're a teacher, you know, give the book to your principal or if you are an administrator who is listening it's a great gift to give as well or to buy for my gosh and if you do please email me and let me know.
00:39:06.400 --> 00:39:09.039
I love hearing from people I'll write you right back.
00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:10.079
Great.
00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:15.599
So Jason we will put as much contact information for you as we can in the show notes.
00:39:15.840 --> 00:39:18.639
Jason thank you so so much for your time today.
00:39:18.719 --> 00:39:21.920
This was a really fun conversation and I can't wait for everyone to listen.
00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:23.119
Thank you.
00:39:23.440 --> 00:39:30.239
Bye everyone I'm Krista Jones and this is First in Class.
00:39:30.400 --> 00:39:38.079
If you enjoyed this episode follow the show so you don't miss the next one and pass it along to a teacher friend who might be inspired by it.
00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:43.119
Quick note I'm not a financial planner and I'm not your financial planner.
00:39:43.280 --> 00:39:48.159
Always do your own research and talk to a professional before making money booth.
00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:49.840
See you next week
