Episode 80 | Stressed Leaders Stay in the Game: Burnout, Purpose and Thriving in Leadership

1
00:00:09,650 --> 00:00:12,050
Are you a leader who feels the
stress?

2
00:00:12,130 --> 00:00:16,329
Our guest, Dan Stecken, A
Superintendent who knows what it

3
00:00:16,329 --> 00:00:19,610
takes to thrive under pressure.
We'll dive into his unique

4
00:00:19,610 --> 00:00:23,170
approach to Wellness,
vulnerability, and the Stressed

5
00:00:23,170 --> 00:00:27,410
Leaders Retreat he founded to
help educators build the stamina

6
00:00:27,610 --> 00:00:30,730
for passionate, purposeful
leadership.

7
00:00:30,850 --> 00:00:35,240
Before we jump in, a quick thank
you to Craig Williams, founder

8
00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,600
of Commissary, our legacy
partner.

9
00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:42,160
If you have ever felt like your
story, your message, or your

10
00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:47,040
brand needs clarity, Commissary
exist to help you with all of

11
00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:48,760
that.
They work with people who want

12
00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,200
their voice to reflect their
values and their purpose.

13
00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,440
You can find their link in
today's show notes and on the

14
00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,280
Spark Hope website.
Thank you to Commissary for

15
00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,000
their belief in the power of
story to create connection,

16
00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,640
clarity, and hope.
Welcome to the Lead with Hope

17
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,520
podcast today, Dan.
Hey, thank you for having me on

18
00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,080
Brandy.
I'm excited to be here.

19
00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,360
Tell us about you.
Who are you?

20
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,360
Who am I?
Well, I'm a 45 year old guy,

21
00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,760
live in the Midwest South,
Chicago about an hour

22
00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:25,040
Superintendent, husband, dad,
you know all the fun stuff.

23
00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:29,600
Former former varsity head
coach, once ran a decade plus

24
00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,680
long travel baseball, softball
program, done a little bit of

25
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,560
everything.
Obviously, I love to serve and

26
00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:41,520
I've I really take great joy and
just supporting other people's

27
00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,840
leadership capacities.
My story, which eventually

28
00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:49,400
became my book stress leader
stay in the game is basically I

29
00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,040
was writing a book to myself
from five years ago.

30
00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,240
My my first year as
Superintendent.

31
00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,360
I was so jacked.
I was excited for the role.

32
00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,480
I I have a sticky note on a
picture back by my desk that

33
00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,040
says, remember five years ago
you dreamt of being in this

34
00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,080
seat?
And I love this job.

35
00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,639
But I learned quickly in my
first year that even though I

36
00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:14,280
was ready for it and I had a
great mentor, the stress of the

37
00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:18,800
job became overwhelming in my
first year as a Superintendent.

38
00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,760
When I talked to some of my
colleagues that I became really

39
00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:26,120
good friends with, I found out
that I thought I was drowning,

40
00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,480
but they were in even worse
spots than I was.

41
00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:32,240
And when one of your, you know,
your good friends is getting

42
00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,120
death threats, when 1 is going
through a messy divorce, another

43
00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,400
is going through a substance
abuse problem.

44
00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,520
And then there's me who just
internalized everything and put

45
00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:47,840
up a wall to block a reality
that I'm suffering from any

46
00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,520
stress whatsoever.
I used to joke and it's a bad

47
00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,160
joke.
I used to say I'm too blessed to

48
00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:54,920
be stressed.
Truly.

49
00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:58,520
At Seneca High School, I met at
the one of the best districts in

50
00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,920
all, all of the Midwest are so
blessed.

51
00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:03,640
But I was afraid to admit that I
was stressed out.

52
00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,480
I was afraid to admit that I was
serving everybody and everyone

53
00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,480
and not myself.
And my book happened sort of by

54
00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:16,000
accident because I wanted to
create a system, some type of

55
00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,240
event to help support some of
those friends that I talked to

56
00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,360
you a little bit just a few
minutes ago about.

57
00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,960
I knew I had four or five people
in my immediate network that

58
00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,080
were sort of dying on the vine,
and I wanted to do something to

59
00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:32,160
help them out.
So the retreat kind of grew out

60
00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,280
of that concept.
And then creating the

61
00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,480
curriculum, the activities, the
speaking engagements, the

62
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,480
keynotes, it just sort of became
a book.

63
00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:45,400
And while I love my job, I love
almost every part of it.

64
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,120
When I quit coaching softball,
there was a small piece of me

65
00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:54,720
that just kind of went away and
I I lived for spring softball in

66
00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:59,480
Illinois and I loved what I what
we built at Seneca, which is now

67
00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,560
a powerhouse annual championship
program.

68
00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:04,880
And I was on the ground level of
that.

69
00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,280
But a small piece of me going
into full time administration

70
00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,000
and no longer coaching it just
kind of collapsed and stressed

71
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,440
leaders sort of filled that
void.

72
00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,839
And now it's filled it to the
point where my national network

73
00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:21,880
has grown so much.
And when I go to conferences and

74
00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:23,800
meet people for the first time,
they're like, oh, you're that

75
00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:26,520
stress leader guy.
Like, yeah, that's me.

76
00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,400
So that's exciting.
And I'm excited to see where it

77
00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,120
goes.
But I'm I'm most excited to

78
00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:35,240
continue to help people in my my
immediate network at our

79
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,000
retreats that we host.
Yeah.

80
00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:41,440
And Dan, you are definitely that
leader that serves seen that

81
00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,640
first hand.
You support the people in your

82
00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,360
network and I'm very privileged
to call you a friend and I

83
00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:51,040
appreciate being in that network
with you.

84
00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:56,480
But when you talk about, you
know, pivoting from coaching to

85
00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,320
just focusing on the
administration and then finding

86
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:03,880
stress leaders and that filling
a void, talk to us about the

87
00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:08,760
role in finding your passion and
your purpose to sustain that

88
00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,960
resilient leadership.
Because if we're being honest,

89
00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:16,320
if you're in a leadership role,
especially the higher up you go,

90
00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,240
you're a stress leader.
You're absolutely right there.

91
00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,560
It's just a reality.
What is that role that you have

92
00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,920
found in your life and in your
leadership where passion really

93
00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,680
fuels your purpose?
Yeah, that's a great question.

94
00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,000
First off, thank you for the
compliment.

95
00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,000
That means a lot to me coming
from you, Brandy.

96
00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,560
But I think that passion and
purpose is something that over

97
00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,400
the last couple years, I've been
a lot more reflective on my own

98
00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:47,200
journey and my own path and why
I do the things that I do.

99
00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,640
And, and again, I am blessed my
my Monday through Friday

100
00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,960
day-to-day job here at Seneca
High School because I can go out

101
00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,840
and be immediately out of my
office with students, with staff

102
00:05:57,840 --> 00:05:59,520
members.
And that's not true for a lot of

103
00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,040
superintendents.
Those are the moments that bring

104
00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:05,520
me joy, not having to discipline
paraprofessionals for acting

105
00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,240
like children.
But but the passion and purpose

106
00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:12,080
outside of these walls, which is
kind of hard for me even to say

107
00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,800
because I live in this town.
I'm a mile from the school.

108
00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,080
My kids go here.
Seneca has been my life for the

109
00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,120
last 22 plus years, half of my
life.

110
00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:27,360
And I was that head coach that I
did it 12 months a year and I

111
00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,360
was a teacher that always tried
to make my instruction exciting

112
00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,760
and vibrant and meaningful.
I didn't have many days where I

113
00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,600
just got worksheets out.
I, I was always trying to push

114
00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,440
the envelope.
So to have something beyond

115
00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:44,440
Seneca has been really eye
opening for exactly what you

116
00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:47,080
asked.
That passion, that purpose.

117
00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,320
And at first you, you get a
little bit worried about, oh,

118
00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,680
what will people think if I try
to do something different,

119
00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,760
something on my own.
And, and I, well, I love my

120
00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,640
little town and my little
network locally and in Northern

121
00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,520
Illinois, there's not a lot of
progressive ideas happening

122
00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,640
outside of this area or inside
this area.

123
00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,280
Excuse me.
And while our school is dynamic

124
00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:10,800
and amazing, I wanted to do
something that was different.

125
00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,960
I love going to conferences and
learning, but I hate going to

126
00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:17,520
conferences where I just sit and
listen and then everybody meets

127
00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,720
at the lobby bar.
You know, there's a place for

128
00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:21,280
that, but I wanted something
different.

129
00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:25,680
So the the passion has been
seeing these stress leaders

130
00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,920
retreats grow from the first
iteration to the second last

131
00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:35,560
summer and now planning our
third year of this in 2026 and

132
00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:39,480
expanding to a new market.
I'm really excited about that.

133
00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,480
Then the purpose behind it is
when I just sit and listen, the

134
00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:47,400
other people talk about their
stressors, I genuinely worry

135
00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,880
what is the future of leadership
in school districts going to

136
00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,640
look like?
And then to add to that, my wife

137
00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,800
Kerry is a dynamic nursing
director.

138
00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,440
Healthcare is going through the
same thing, the burnout and you

139
00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:03,800
sort of worry, you know, I have
a 17 year old daughter that

140
00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,760
wants to be a nurse and follow
in her mom's footsteps.

141
00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:08,920
And what's, what are schools
going to look like?

142
00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:11,520
What is the hospital system
going to look like in 5 to 10

143
00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:13,560
years?
And so the concept of these

144
00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:17,200
retreats in these leadership
roles that the purpose is to

145
00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,760
keep our leaders thriving, to
keep them in the game.

146
00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:23,640
In my book, Stress Leaders Stay
in the Game is exactly what I

147
00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:27,960
want to do is is support and
fulfill leaders to realize the

148
00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:32,159
impact that we have and how
important it is for us to

149
00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:34,480
support those people who depend
on us.

150
00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:36,760
Absolutely.
And you know, when you think

151
00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,080
about your children and the
legacy you want to leave for

152
00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,400
them, right?
It's not necessarily about us

153
00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,400
right now.
It's about we want to leave this

154
00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:48,200
situation better than we found
it.

155
00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:49,840
That's what leadership's all
about.

156
00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:54,000
And the benefactors of that are
going to be our children and our

157
00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,400
grandchildren is important that
we support and we help the

158
00:08:58,400 --> 00:08:59,960
people that are in the roles
now.

159
00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:03,160
But it's even bigger than that.
And I'm glad you said that, Dan,

160
00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:07,120
because I think we need to start
thinking outside of ourselves

161
00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,720
and our small network and expand
so that we can build that

162
00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,880
capacity and people can thrive
in leadership roles because what

163
00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:18,040
we focus on is what we grow.
And yes, there's a lot of

164
00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:21,480
negativity in leadership, but
there's a lot of things to be

165
00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,840
grateful for as well.
And so let's amplify that and

166
00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:30,120
help people sustain resilient
leadership in the here and the

167
00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,760
now and beyond.
Yeah, you'd summarize that well.

168
00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,000
And it's, it's such a powerful
message that what I see in the

169
00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,520
Superintendent world is that,
you know, a lot of people do

170
00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,160
just want to stay in their sort
of small confined network.

171
00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:46,720
And, you know, maybe rightfully
so.

172
00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,520
It's not how I'm wired.
But you, you always have that

173
00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,440
fear, that worry of I've got a
bull's eye on my back.

174
00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,920
That's a reality.
Whether it's board members,

175
00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:59,160
community members, even some
sometimes sadly, internal folks.

176
00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,760
You know, that it's, it's tough
being the, you know, it's I, I

177
00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,120
used to laugh.
It's a line from the show suits

178
00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,600
where he says, you know, it's
lonely at the top, but it was

179
00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,160
pretty lonely at the bottom,
too.

180
00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:10,960
Yeah.
Yeah, you got to pick your

181
00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:12,320
heart, right?
Yeah.

182
00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:14,280
Absolutely.
Take your heart.

183
00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:18,240
You know, in in our world today,
whether you're talking about

184
00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:23,360
leadership or even our kids, you
know, mental health is a factor.

185
00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:27,560
And I think we have to foster a
workplace culture, a school

186
00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:30,760
culture that prioritizes mental
health and well-being.

187
00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:33,640
So as you sit in that
Superintendent, Superintendent

188
00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:37,240
chair today, from your vantage
point, what would you say are

189
00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:42,080
the key benefits in fostering a
school culture that prioritizes

190
00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,680
prioritizes mental health and
Wellness?

191
00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:46,680
Oh, that's a, that's a great
question.

192
00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:53,000
And I, I, I'm so proud of my
student services department.

193
00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:58,960
I've got a rock star psych Joe
rock roar who who comes up with

194
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,040
so many ways to support,
especially those students most

195
00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,120
in need.
We've got a social worker,

196
00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,040
Samantha League and these two
women.

197
00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,320
I, I, I can make a list right
now of a dozen programs they've

198
00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:14,280
created for our little school of
400 kids that have even gone

199
00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:17,200
beyond our school into our
community and our larger

200
00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,480
community.
Some county wide initiatives

201
00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:21,920
that they're doing right now.
We're doing Thanksgiving

202
00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:23,800
baskets.
We have, we have over 90

203
00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,960
families who voluntarily said,
yes, we need help and we want,

204
00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:30,880
so we have all of our homerooms
creating these, these

205
00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:33,920
Thanksgiving baskets that will
even deliver or they can pick up

206
00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,400
up.
So we've got that going on next

207
00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:36,840
week.
And there's so many.

208
00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,440
We have a, we, you know, our
mascots are fighting Irish.

209
00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,440
So we have this dedicated room
in our school called the Irish

210
00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,880
Care Closet that's got clothes,
deodorant, hygiene, food, just

211
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,160
there's so many programs that
these two ladies have created

212
00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,840
and they come to me with these
new ideas and I see it.

213
00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:55,920
I mean, I'm out in front of our
office every single day and at

214
00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:59,960
the end of the day and you just
see some of these kids and I

215
00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:02,360
only get a glimpse because I'm
not in a classroom every day.

216
00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,880
I'm not, I'm not in the social
worker room with these kids, But

217
00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,640
we've got a lot of kids that are
that come from some tough, tough

218
00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:10,320
situations and they need
support.

219
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,040
But then I'll tell you too, I've
I've reflected differently on

220
00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,600
this in my leadership capacity
in this chair, but even as a

221
00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:17,880
dad.
So Brandy, you know me pretty

222
00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,240
well and you, you know that if
you had to diagnosed me with a

223
00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,120
sickness, it's probably
workaholic.

224
00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,200
I've been that way since I was a
teenager.

225
00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,960
I, I worked all through college.
I've always coached multiple

226
00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,240
sports.
I, I do everything and anything.

227
00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:33,920
I, I come to this school on
Saturdays and Sundays to work

228
00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,600
because it's quiet.
But I got a 17 year old daughter

229
00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,560
who I will view and she does the
same things.

230
00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,400
She's a three sport athlete,
she's an FFA officer, she's an

231
00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:49,440
NHS, She has she's a CNAI.
Kind of the other day I was

232
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:51,720
telling my wife, I kind of
stepped back from this and I was

233
00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,040
like, man, it's true.
Your kids have all the greatness

234
00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,320
in you, but they have all the
character flaws too.

235
00:12:57,520 --> 00:12:59,480
And she's a workhorse.
You know, she had her first

236
00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,840
basketball game last night and
she had to get warned twice by

237
00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,240
the referees for being too
violent out there.

238
00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:07,760
And she just plays physical.
She plays hard, but that's how

239
00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,760
we do things in our house.
And you, you, you say that and

240
00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:12,920
it's like a, it's like a, a
badge of honor.

241
00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:14,360
We're, we're stacking, we're
tough.

242
00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:16,760
This is what we do.
But then if you back up and try

243
00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:19,520
to reflect, and that's what my
writing has really, really

244
00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:21,600
opened my eyes to the last few
years.

245
00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:26,560
It's not really always healthy.
It's not healthy to work 100

246
00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:29,880
hours a week.
And even though it is part of

247
00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:34,080
what I would consider my passion
and it's a it's a purpose too,

248
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,320
you do need some me time where
you're just not working, but

249
00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,240
you're, you're doing things with
your wife, doing things with

250
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,880
your kids that don't focus on
work or sports or whatever.

251
00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,400
My son loves to hike.
And I just said to my colleague,

252
00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:51,440
I need to take him hiking more.
I love to hike too, but there's

253
00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:53,160
never enough time.
You know, you got to make the

254
00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:54,640
time.
You've got to make it a

255
00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,440
priority.
So sitting in this chair, what

256
00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,240
you're asking me, I see that.
I see that from our kids most in

257
00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,680
need, but I see it from our high
Flyers too.

258
00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:06,680
And I I think that's a big piece
that doesn't get discussed

259
00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:10,560
openly is the high Flyers that
are the workaholics that they

260
00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:12,640
need attention to, they need
support as well.

261
00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,320
They do, and it hits a little
bit different whenever it's your

262
00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,040
kid, right?
I mean, because and when I say

263
00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:22,080
that, I mean when you're the
workaholic, that's one thing.

264
00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,520
But when you're seeing those
same things in your kid, my

265
00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,840
family's the same.
My husband and I are first born,

266
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,520
which has been interesting for
marriage, by the way, but that's

267
00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,360
a whole nother show.
But you know, we're we're both

268
00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:40,560
workhorses and our kids are too.
Now, as I'm watching my daughter

269
00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:45,320
become a mother and to be an
adult and watching that play out

270
00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,200
in her life, it hits different.
And that's what I'm hearing you

271
00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,600
say.
But one of the things I love

272
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,960
about you and your leadership is
you talk about your book and

273
00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,560
I've, I've put it up here on the
screen.

274
00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,360
Can you see it?
Yeah, yeah.

275
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:03,920
Stress leaders stay in the game
and something that I learned

276
00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,360
when I was writing my book Lead
with Hope is it is an

277
00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,880
opportunity to reflect.
It's almost cathartic in a way

278
00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,560
that you're able to pour out
your heart and your soul in this

279
00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:20,960
book and share it with, with the
world as your story, helping

280
00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,120
other people, serving other
people.

281
00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:28,320
And it's super powerful.
But I, I do think it is also a

282
00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:30,320
way that we can take care of
ourselves.

283
00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:34,120
And yes, sometimes it feels like
work, but it was kind of a labor

284
00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,920
of love.
Yeah, and and you touched on it

285
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,640
at the intro vulnerability.
I would, if I'm being honest

286
00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,080
with you and your listeners,
that's the first time in my life

287
00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,360
that I've probably truly been
vulnerable.

288
00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,840
I somewhat, I don't laugh.
I get a little bit almost cringy

289
00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,520
because people will tell me
like, wow, you're so vulnerable

290
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,720
on that.
And I'm like, yeah, that's not

291
00:15:55,720 --> 00:16:00,360
normal.
And not sure why, but ever so a

292
00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,040
funny story is I wrote the book
without ever talking to a

293
00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:06,840
publisher, without ever seeking
an editor.

294
00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,840
I just wrote it and I wrote it
as part of supporting these

295
00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:13,040
ideas for our retreat.
And so when I finally got it to

296
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,040
the point where I'm like, OK, I
think this is pretty good.

297
00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,600
Like I'm going to, I'm going to
send this to a couple publishers

298
00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,160
and just see what they say.
One publisher that I was really

299
00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,720
excited about who IA Titan in
the educational leadership

300
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,800
community, who owns his own book
publishing company.

301
00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,480
He called me and we had about an
hour and a half conversation

302
00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:32,560
about my book and his team read
my book and they loved it.

303
00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:36,400
And he cautioned me and said,
you're too vulnerable in this

304
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,240
book, Dan.
And he said, I, I just, I'm just

305
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,560
a little bit worried that your
leadership journey if that, if

306
00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,680
somebody read this book and saw
how vulnerable you were, that

307
00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:49,480
they might think less of you.
And I and I, I, I took that in

308
00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,920
and I said, well, with, with all
due respect, I wrote this book

309
00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,400
to myself as a stressed out
leader.

310
00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:00,120
And I think the vulnerability
vulnerability piece is important

311
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,640
because if there's a leader out
there like me or like some of my

312
00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:07,359
friends that I wrote this book
about as well and it helps them,

313
00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:11,680
then it did its job.
And so I wouldn't want to mask

314
00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:15,839
that or hide it or, or sort of
whittle it down to be less

315
00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:18,000
vulnerable because I don't think
there's anything in there that

316
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,520
really would like, you know,
question my character or

317
00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:22,839
anything.
But it definitely is vulnerable.

318
00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:24,800
And I want leaders to read that
and get that.

319
00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:28,400
And so ironically enough, he
passed on publishing my book,

320
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,600
which was OK because he was very
helpful in the conversation

321
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:33,960
about career goals.
But now the people who read my

322
00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,120
book thank me for being so
vulnerable and thank me for

323
00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,280
that.
So I'm like, that was worth it

324
00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,520
and I'm glad I stuck with my
stuck to my guns and stuck with

325
00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:46,120
my heart as why, you know,
what's the purpose of the book?

326
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,720
It's to help leaders who are
stressed stay in the game and

327
00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,520
make some, some good change in
habits to continue to stay in

328
00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:56,160
the game.
So that's a, that's a unique

329
00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,640
story that I, I, I reflect on
that a lot, especially as I

330
00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:02,720
write on sub stack all the time.
Now for other leaders.

331
00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:06,200
I, I think about, you know, just
just Monday, actually, I had a

332
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,560
fellow Superintendent who I
haven't spoken to and probably

333
00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:13,000
four or five months reach out to
me by e-mail Monday morning at

334
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,800
6:00 AM on my Monday morning
reset that I do.

335
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,760
And she said, you have no idea
how badly I needed to read this

336
00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:20,000
this morning.
Boom.

337
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,640
That's, that's like that, that's
like that moment when you see

338
00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:24,560
the light bulb go off and a kid
when you're in front of a

339
00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,880
classroom or you're just like,
oh, man, that's, that's why I do

340
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:29,840
this.
And it's, you know, I'm

341
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,280
certainly not getting rich off
of it, but it's, but it's that

342
00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,440
purpose that that I, that I
love.

343
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,000
It is.
It's all about helping other

344
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:40,040
people with the story that only
you can share.

345
00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:42,400
And I personally love the
vulnerability.

346
00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,440
I think that it is refreshing
and it's much needed.

347
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,800
And I think that when people go
to the Stress Leaders retreat,

348
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,040
that's one of the things they
take away from that retreat is

349
00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:56,040
they're really able to
authentically connect with other

350
00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,520
leaders.
And the thing that I also love

351
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,760
about the Stressed Leaders
retreat is it's not just

352
00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:04,600
educational leaders in that
room.

353
00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,480
It's any leader can come to the
Stress Leaders Retreat.

354
00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:13,080
And I guarantee you that if you
go to the Stress Leaders retreat

355
00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:17,880
this summer, you are going to
leave feeling transformed,

356
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,600
reinvigorated, and ready to take
on the world.

357
00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:26,240
Because you know that you have
had that opportunity to reflect

358
00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,400
and reset.
And you also have a network now

359
00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,920
around you that you can reach
out to when you do the Telegram

360
00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:35,720
posts.
And everybody shares their

361
00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,800
journey of doing hard things,
whether it's workouts or other

362
00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,960
posts that they put in there.
And it's just a powerful network

363
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,440
that I would encourage people to
connect with to attend the

364
00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,680
Stress Leaders Retreat.
And I'm going to go ahead and

365
00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:54,520
throw up to the website of
Stressed Leaders Retreat.

366
00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,320
It just got a very brand new
facelift.

367
00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:01,680
But anything you need to know
about the Stress, Leaders

368
00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:06,560
Retreat, staying in the game,
Tools for leaders upcoming.

369
00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,480
Events, testimonials, you name
it, it's all here.

370
00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:12,760
And the videos are beautiful.
They are very, very well done,

371
00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:14,360
Dan.
Man, you're just giving me

372
00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:15,160
chills.
Brandy.

373
00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:17,680
Yeah, yeah.
I, I, I, I think about those,

374
00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:21,600
those retreats we've had and I,
I'm like the I feel like I'm,

375
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,680
I'm like the kid in the candy
store at these events because I

376
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,840
get, I feel like I get more out
of it than the than the people

377
00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:30,600
in attendance get.
Obviously you're speaking to the

378
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,640
value in it, but I just, I get
so much out of it that I'm blown

379
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,000
away by it every year.
And yeah, you're right.

380
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:42,240
The videos that Jake Carr put
together for us and just all the

381
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,360
speakers and the connections and
it's it's so cool.

382
00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:49,600
And, and last year having
healthcare professionals, small

383
00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,000
business owners, entrepreneurs,
of course, we had teachers,

384
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,200
principals, A superintendents,
we had accountants, we had a

385
00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,400
fireman.
We had so many different people.

386
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:02,480
But isn't that why we do what we
do?

387
00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,160
I mean, why should we confine
ourselves to, I'm only going to

388
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,880
talk about education when and
there's so much more to

389
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,640
leadership And there there's so
many similarities in leadership

390
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,480
in different, different
industries.

391
00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:18,200
We're all typically struggling
through the same, same issues.

392
00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:20,920
But yeah, I like the
vulnerability piece too, because

393
00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:24,640
it's a safe space where you can
truly just, you know, sort of

394
00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,680
take off that cloak of armor,
you know, that that suit of

395
00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,640
armor and, and just be open.
And yeah, what I'm so excited

396
00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:33,480
for next year.
Already planning it and

397
00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:37,280
releasing the website and my
website designer, Rex Rebecca

398
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:41,000
Milburn out of Tulsa, OK Man,
she did just a great job with

399
00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,760
the whole thing.
And it's it's, I'm so proud of

400
00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:45,720
it.
It's it's really exciting to see

401
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,560
where it grows in your three to
where it goes down the road

402
00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,520
someday.
Yeah, it's definitely a

403
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,120
beautiful website and I want to
encourage the listeners to go to

404
00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:59,520
Stress leaders dot com and check
that out today.

405
00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,120
Dan, you're doing some great
things in the world and I think

406
00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:06,160
it all stems back to what we
started out with.

407
00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:09,440
You love to serve.
You love to serve and help other

408
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:13,520
people, and it definitely shows.
Let's pause for just a moment

409
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,680
because I want to tell you about
a partner who truly aligns with

410
00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:22,560
the heart of this podcast.
Here on Lead With Hope, we

411
00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:26,160
talked a lot about clarity,
clarity of purpose, clarity of

412
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:30,240
voice, and clarity of direction.
And that's exactly where

413
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:33,920
Commissary comes in.
They help leaders, educators,

414
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:38,240
and change makers uncover the
story behind their work and

415
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:42,480
share it in a way that feels
honest, meaningful, and deeply

416
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,320
aligned with who they are.
If you've ever felt the nudge to

417
00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:50,080
write a book, refine your
message, or build a brand that

418
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:55,120
actually reflects your values,
not just your resume, Commissary

419
00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:59,920
doesn't rush you or box you in.
They walk alongside you, helping

420
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:03,200
you shape your story with
intention and integrity.

421
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,720
You can learn more by clicking
their link in the show notes for

422
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,320
visiting them through the Spark
Hope website.

423
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,800
A big thank you to Craig
Williams at Commissary for being

424
00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:17,320
a legacy sponsor of this podcast
and for investing in stories

425
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,480
that matter.
Because when we share our

426
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:24,440
stories with clarity and hope,
real change happens.

427
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,520
If you're feeling overwhelmed by
mounting demands and

428
00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,560
expectations as a leader, then
we should talk.

429
00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:34,520
I'm Doctor Brandy Kelly and I
help leaders use hope as a

430
00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,640
strategy through my signature
framework, A System of Hope.

431
00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:43,080
With over 20 years in education,
including being a two time

432
00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:47,600
Principal of the Year, I partner
with busy leaders who are

433
00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:52,400
exhausted and frustrated by the
constant added responsibilities.

434
00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,480
Ioffer the Hope Fueled
Leadership Kickstart, which is a

435
00:23:55,480 --> 00:24:00,200
short, powerful private coaching
experience designed to help you

436
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:04,480
clarify your vision so that
every decision is aligned to

437
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:08,000
your goals, gain confidence and
decision making even when you're

438
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,720
under pressure, and to build
lasting connection and community

439
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,440
to strengthen your team and your
support system.

440
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:20,720
This gives you a clear road map
to maximize your resources, your

441
00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,280
people, and your impact as a
leader without burning out.

442
00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,280
You can find a link to learn
more about the Hope Fueled

443
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:29,280
Leadership Kickstart in the show
notes.

444
00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,720
I know you are putting a lot of
hope out in the world.

445
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,520
You're giving hope to people who
call you on the phone, who send

446
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,640
you emails, who share their
stressors and their stories with

447
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,360
you.
But I'm curious what's giving

448
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,480
you hope right now?
Yeah, What I would, I love that

449
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,360
question that I knew you're
going to ask something like

450
00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:50,560
that.
I, I, I can't just pick one

451
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,080
thing.
I mean, there's, there's some

452
00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,280
really, really, really exciting
things that we are doing our

453
00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:57,720
school right now.
We've got this women's

454
00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,360
leadership thing that is just
exploding with our student, my

455
00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:04,480
Superintendent committee, and
I'm excited about that.

456
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:08,360
And then I am taking a very
bold, courageous step in my

457
00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:12,480
career with a project at my
school that is occupying a lot

458
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,520
of my time.
But I'm exciting because I think

459
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,960
it's going to be a, a game
changing, life saving future for

460
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:22,440
our tiny small town and school
districts or developing A

461
00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,080
subdivision ourselves.
It's been an interesting

462
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:29,120
journey, but it's exciting.
And, and then in just in my, my

463
00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:33,160
personal life, I, I just feel
like I, I've grown quite a bit

464
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,440
as a, as a, as a man in the last
few years.

465
00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:38,440
And that's pretty vulnerable to,
to say.

466
00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:40,920
I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm
proud of the things I did years

467
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:44,400
ago, but just my own personal
development and my commitment

468
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,680
to, to working out and eating
healthier and making better

469
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:51,440
decisions in my life, whether
that be not rage monstering at

470
00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:54,880
my children as often as I used
to.

471
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,600
Just, you know, it's a, it's a
weird season for me to see my

472
00:25:57,600 --> 00:25:58,960
kids.
My daughter's a senior.

473
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:00,120
She's going to be going to
college.

474
00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:04,160
She wants to go to a big SEC
school far away, happy and

475
00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:07,360
excited for her, but scared to
death to, you know, my little

476
00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:12,120
girl's going to go 11 hours
away, you know, and then my son

477
00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:19,000
is 12 and 13 here in a couple
weeks and he has more charisma

478
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,640
and humor than I could ever have
hope to have.

479
00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,880
And I see him as I, I feel like
that kid is going to move

480
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,640
mountains.
And, you know, being a parent

481
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:34,160
is, is the hardest job in the
world, but it gives me hope

482
00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,320
because I'm so proud of those
two kids.

483
00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,400
And then, you know, my wife,
who's always just the dutiful,

484
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,920
loyal soldier in the background.
She's, she's the engine that

485
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:45,520
makes it all go.
And she's doing some amazing

486
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:47,920
things in her life.
And I just feel like it's maybe

487
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,480
a little cliche, but you know,
we're in our 40s and we're doing

488
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,440
some pretty exciting things in
our personal lives, our

489
00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:59,600
professional lives, our family.
And I think that that stressed

490
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:01,200
leaders has been a big part of
that.

491
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:05,240
Because when you are vulnerable
and you are reflective about who

492
00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,400
you are, who you want to be,
what you're trying to build,

493
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:10,360
what you're trying to build too,
I think this is a lot.

494
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:13,640
I think you have the opportunity
to take a deep look into the

495
00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:18,400
mirror to see my truly living
the life that I want to live.

496
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:22,920
And I feel like the four of us
in our household are all kind of

497
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,960
getting to that answer in a
unique manner, even 45 year old

498
00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,840
dad and mom and two kids that
are going to conquer the world

499
00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:34,600
hopefully someday.
So that gives me hope is all

500
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,080
those great things happening in
my life that make me not rest

501
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:42,200
very often, but they give me a
lot of hope for what's to come.

502
00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,400
You have a lot to be proud of
with you know.

503
00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:48,560
What's most important, of
course, is the family with your

504
00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:50,760
wife.
I've met your wonderful wife.

505
00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,840
She's an amazing human being,
she is.

506
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,760
Definitely you, definitely she.
I definitely married up.

507
00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,240
You frequently say that.
I've heard you say that before.

508
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:01,040
Dan, you're a smart man.
Yeah.

509
00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:04,720
You have a lot to be proud of
with your wife and your children

510
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:09,000
and the Stress Leaders Retreat.
Now, if people on the show want

511
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,640
to get in touch with you, they
want to talk to you, they want

512
00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:13,880
to learn more about your book,
or they want to learn more about

513
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,320
the Stress Leaders Retreat.
How would they get in touch with

514
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:18,240
you?
I think the easiest way is just

515
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,560
go to stressleaders.com.
There's a contact us, there's

516
00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,200
links to the book, there's links
to for the retreat to sign up.

517
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,760
I'm really excited.
June of 2026, we'll have our

518
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:32,080
stress leaders event in my areas
of rock country and Illinois

519
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:37,320
here about 6570 miles southwest
of Chicago at a beautiful venue

520
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,800
at Camp Arimoni.
And then the following week

521
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:43,080
we're headed to the Indianapolis
area, still finalizing some

522
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:47,520
details on the the venue and and
some some additional speakers.

523
00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:50,400
But man, I'm so excited to see
what happens with this and, you

524
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,440
know, stepping out outside of
your own little area to a new

525
00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:56,160
world here.
I'm I'm, I'm just so excited to

526
00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,200
see what happens with it all.
And we've already, I've already

527
00:28:58,200 --> 00:28:59,920
gotten a lot of great feedback
on the website.

528
00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:04,880
We just went live and some, some
some direct messages on LinkedIn

529
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,800
and Twitter about it.
So it, it's pretty exciting.

530
00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,040
I'm you talk about hope.
It gives me a lot of hope and

531
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:14,920
excitement for next summer.
Yeah, so exciting, so exciting.

532
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,720
And Dan, I am grateful that you
came on the show today.

533
00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:19,960
I love talking about all of
these things.

534
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,760
It's about doing hard things.
It's leaning into the discomfort

535
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,360
and learning and growing and
becoming the best version of

536
00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,200
you.
And so I just want to say thank

537
00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:32,480
you for coming on the show today
and sharing your story and all

538
00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:34,880
of the exciting things you have
going on.

539
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,520
Yeah, hey, thank you.
You know, it's five O 5 this

540
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,920
morning when it was raining
outside and I was in my bed.

541
00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,240
I didn't want to get out of bed.
But we find that that that that

542
00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:45,640
discomfort.
And I was glad I came here to

543
00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:49,240
lift before work.
And the whole day has been just

544
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,360
a great series of successes
because I got out of bed at five

545
00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,040
O 5.
Even though I didn't want to, I

546
00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:55,920
did.
So, yeah, I know I appreciate

547
00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,120
you having me on.
And it's always great talking to

548
00:29:58,120 --> 00:29:59,600
you, Brandy.
And you know, I'm one of your

549
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:01,520
biggest cheerleaders.
I love hearing about all the

550
00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:04,080
success you're having and can't
wait to see what the future

551
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:06,480
brings.
And I think of the word hope

552
00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:08,240
sitting behind you on your
screen.

553
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:10,640
Man, you, you are a bundle of
hope.

554
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,840
I'm excited to see what happens.
Well, thank you, Dan.

555
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:17,480
As we close today, remember
this.

556
00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:21,640
The world needs your leadership
now more than ever.

557
00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:26,520
If this conversation encouraged
you, challenged you, or reminded

558
00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:30,320
you that you're not alone,
here's one simple way you can

559
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,840
help us spread hope.
Follow the Lead with Hope

560
00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:35,640
podcast and leave us a five star
rating.

561
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:39,840
Those few seconds help this
message reach leaders who need

562
00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,920
it most.
And if today's episode resonated

563
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:46,800
with you, share it with a friend
or a colleague, someone who

564
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:51,040
could use a reminder that they
matter, that their work matters,

565
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:54,680
and that hope still belongs.
In leadership, Change doesn't

566
00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:58,000
start with systems or titles, it
starts with you.

567
00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:02,240
Fuel your life with hope,
embrace your purpose, and never

568
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:06,640
underestimate the power of your
light to lead the way for

569
00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:09,080
others.
I'm cheering you on always.