Weekly coaching, elite peer support, and bold tools to help you Do School Different. Make shifts FROM old, broken, and traditional ways of educating TO new, different, and creative ways.
Play-It-Safe-Principals follow the rules and lose their staff.
Ruckus Makers rewrite the playbook and build schools people love.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
You’re not here to manage. You’re here to Make a Ruckus.
That means:
This is not a course. This is not another sit-and-get PD.
The Ruckus Maker Mastermind has been operating for ten years. During that time we’ve mentored and trained hundreds of school leaders on their Do School Different journey.
What does it mean to Do School Different?
We help Ruckus Makers make shifts FROM old, broken, and traditional ways of educating TO new, different, and creative ways.
That can be a small shift like moving from traditional rows to learning centers. Or a big shift like purchasing an abandoned amusement park and turning it into a learning lab. And everything in between...
And when you make these shifts, people notice. Our members have consistently won Principal of the Year, Blue Ribbons, and other awards that matter. Our members have written books, started podcasts, and have spoken nationally at conferences.
“I just finished my 7th year as principal. This was the first year I felt balanced. Confident. In control. And my teachers noticed.”
“Before joining, I was ready to quit. After just a few sessions, I had a clear vision and real momentum. I didn’t just survive this year. I thrived.”
Every Ruckus Maker learns this 5-step operating system:
“I put into practice what the Ruckus Makers taught and all my beginning of the year stress was gone”
Most members expense it to their district. We’ll help you with that.
Apply today and we’ll:
The answer is NO unless you ask. Our members know this and many have successfully gotten their districts to pay for their mastermind membership.
Below are two different emails you can use as a template to send off to your supervisor.
The first email is formal and ROI-focused, the second is based on negotiation psychology and tactical empathy. Choose the template that matches your supervisor’s personality.
Subject: Request: District Support for Mastermind Membership
Hey {Supervisor’s Name},
There’s a professional learning experience I’d love to join — it’s called The Ruckus Maker Mastermind, and it’s unlike any PD I’ve seen.
The founder, Danny Bauer, wrote the bestselling book Mastermind (published by Corwin and AASA), and this community was built around that vision: a place where bold school leaders get the support they need to lead with courage, creativity, and clarity.
This isn’t sit-and-get. It’s a high-impact, peer-to-peer community where school leaders meet weekly to:
The results? Members consistently report higher teacher retention, stronger student engagement, and more meaningful leadership. Honestly, that’s what I want for our campus.
The annual investment is $3,500, and I believe this will directly strengthen how I lead and how we serve our staff, students, and families.
You can learn more here:
👉 https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind
Would the district be open to sponsoring this?
Thanks for considering it.
Sincerely,
{Your Name}
P.S. Some districts sponsor multiple leaders — it’s a smart way to build shared language, aligned vision, and leadership capacity across schools.
Subject: Would it be a ridiculous idea to support this?
Hey {Supervisor’s Name},
I came across a professional learning opportunity that might be exactly what I need right now — it’s called The Ruckus Maker Mastermind.
It’s not your typical PD.
It’s a weekly coaching and mentorship community for school leaders who are serious about solving real problems, retaining great staff, and reimagining the way school works — even within traditional systems.
The guy who runs it, Danny Bauer, literally wrote the book *Mastermind* (published by Corwin and AASA). Global school leaders are part of this, and the case studies are impressive — reduced burnout, better student engagement, and stronger school culture.
A few things that stood out:
The investment is $3,500 for the year.
Would it be a bad idea for the district to support this?
I understand budgets are tight, and this isn’t a small ask. But I wouldn’t bring it up if I didn’t think it would lead to meaningful results for our staff and students.
What would make you feel comfortable moving forward with something like this?
Thanks for considering it.
Sincerely,
{Your Name}
P.S. Some districts are sending teams to this together. Just something to think about if we’re trying to build leadership capacity across multiple schools.
“This mastermind changed my life. I found a place to grow, belong, and lead different.”
For too many school leaders, PD is Too-Little-Too-Late, Unhelpful, and Disconnected.
The mastermind redefines professional learning for school admin …
We offer Relevant, Responsive, and Results-Oriented Professional Development™.
Relevant because we talk about what is currently happening in educationa and what we anticipate the future to bring.
Responsive because we meet you where you’re at and help you solve your #1 challenge each week.
Results-Oriented because if you’re not applying what we teach and what you learn, it’s really just a waste of everyone’s time.
The The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ runs on the ABCs of Powerful Professional Development ®.
By intentionally integrating Authenticity, Belonging, and Challenge something magical and transformational occurs.
You can learn all about the value, transformation, and investment required to join the mastermind right by reading Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader where you can peek behind the curtain and find out about the Mastermind in detail.
Recently on the podcast, we have been highlighting Mastermind members’ stories, so that’s another great way to find out what we’re all about.
We currently meet weekly taking only four breaks throughout the year:
One week for Thanksgiving (USA)
Two weeks for Winter Holidays / New Years
One week for July 4
The last week of the year is off for The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ so we can host a group coaching call for The Principal Success Path™ (included in your mastermind membership).
You can count on investing about 2-3 hours a week in The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™:
2-3 hours because:
*Each weekly meeting is one hour
*We read one leadership book every two months – you’ll need about an hour a week to read and annotate.
*We have a private Basecamp platform. This is where the additional hour of time would come in. It’s not mandatory, but the conversation continues via Basecamp and again — you’ll get more out of the group, the more you engage.
You better believe it! The number one reason the mastermind thrives is the quality of the membership. So to that extent, I personally vet every applicant to uphold the quality of our community. There is a simple application, that you can fill out! It takes around ten minutes to complete.
Be honest, authentic, and yourself. We are very interested in:
80 leaders in the local school or central office. These leaders are in private, public, charter, and independent schools. Members are currently located in the following states and countries:
The mastermind is for people who believe:
And for people who want:
I promise that engaging in the mastermind will help you:
If you can relate to those ideas, you’re almost there … an ideal mastermind member has these five characteristics as well:
Maybe. The factors:
Every single time zone. Please refer to the application page to see current cohort offerings. As of Sept 9, 2022 there are nine cohorts. Most focus on N. American time zone (which works for early morning Australians and New Zealanders). We also have one cohort that focuses on Africa/Europe/Middle Eastern time zones.
Expect that you have found your tribe. If you are a rebel leader and ready to connect with a thriving community of authentic, innovative, and driven leaders, then welcome home ?
Meetings are (generally) every week for one hour. We share wins and offer accountability. We discuss leadership books from outside our industry. The “secret sauce” is the hot seat where a member gives the group context of a current challenge and we help her solve it. It’s magic.
That’s your call. We have original members still in the group from when we launched in 2016. I tell all new applicants to stick around for at least three months to see that our philosophy “sticks.” This will also give enough time to actually get to know other members and take action on what you learn in the mastermind.
After that the message is always the same — stay as long as you are growing and getting value from our community. If that ever changes, it is time to go.
Currently mastermind membership is $350/month. If you have the runway to invest for the year, we can offer a generous discount.
The mastermind is the best investment in your professional and personal growth available to you.
All kinds, but mostly books from outside our industry! My leadership approach is to expose you to great ideas and thinking outside of education. Let’s face it, you’re going to read plenty of education books without my help!
Here is a list of what we read (and will be reading) in the mastermind:
The mastermind offers a 90-day money back guarantee.
If you are not thrilled with your experience and believe that the mastermind is helping you become a more effective leader, then we will happily return 100% of your investment.
To qualify for a refund there are two agreements:
There isn’t an official policy. If you miss a number of meetings, you can expect me to reach out and make sure everything is okay.
Three principles to consider when reflecting on attendance:
I heard this quote the other day from Joel Weldon: “Success comes in cans, not in cannots.” Wow. Reminds me a lot of the power of the “Yes, and…!” in improv comedy.
And that’s the spirit behind a YesAQ. I learned about it from the altMBA and they cited the team at Basecamp who cited a rest stop in the Illinois-Wisconsin toll road. The leadership lesson: leaders empower and remove obstacles. So here is our giant list of questions that the answer is always “Yes” too.
As a chronically late student, Danny Bauer once told his Chemistry teacher a fib about saving an entire girl scout troop from a burning building to get out of a tardy.
Danny is not sure if it was the very made up story, the very real cookie he offered his teacher, or a combination of both that got him out of a detention that day …
That experience taught him it pays to develop your storytelling skills.
Danny has been telling stories since then, most recently on the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, ranked in the TOP 0.5% of 3 million global podcasts, and via his two bestselling books, Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader and Build Leadership Momentum: How to Create the Perfect Principal Entry Plan.
He also loves telling stories while facilitating in person leadership workshops at national conferences and for school districts.
Danny’s mission is to help Ruckus Makers Do School Different™.
Soniya, hailing from the culturally rich land of India, is a dynamic professional in the field of web services, crafting digital landscapes. Soniya’s journey into the world of technology is a testament to her unwavering passion and commitment to excellence, transforming ideas into impactful online realities.
Since 2022, Soniya has played an important role in supporting BLBS with her comprehensive website services.
She loves to travel and cook new recipes.
Music is an inspiring art form. Sound is conveyed via the air to the ears of living beings, and each being perceives it in its own unique way, eliciting a certain feeling. Dragan feels the same sensation every time he hears music, from infancy to now, as if it were a part of his existence that he couldn’t fathom living without. Dragan opted to deal with sound his entire life despite his formal degree, and today he is one of the most passionate audio producers you can meet and chat to about sound and music all day long. His enthusiasm for audio production, student-like thinking, and curiosity keep him continually mobile in generating new, quality, and enjoyable sound on a regular basis.
Dragan has been producing BLBS audio and video content since 2020.
My passion for both baseball and literature was the initial catalyst that led me into education. Growing up as a softball player and a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs from the North Side of the city, I developed a profound appreciation for the South Side of Chicago, not enough to convert me into a White Sox fan. As a National Board certified teacher, with over 16 years of experience on Chicago’s South Side, my journey as an educator has taken me from my roots in the Windy City to Virginia, as an instructional coach.
From the very beginning, I have been an unwavering believer in the philosophy of BLBS. My journey alongside Danny has been one of daring innovation and audacity, right from the moment he challenged me to say, “boom” and drop the mic during our initial city-wide professional development event. He has cultivated a team capable of winning a World Series, and I am deeply honored to be a part of this community of individuals who consistently push the boundaries and endeavor to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Premaria Mutambudzi is the BLBS Office Administrator, This is her 2nd year, she has served in the administrative field for 5+ years, Prim is originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She has been married for 7 years to her husband Takunda, and is blessed with two children.
Prim loves meditation, creative writing, poetry, and reading. In her spare time, Prim is a talented and creative Makeup Artist.
– Head Coach
SofĂa’s lifelong search for a profession that would “leave the world a little better than she found it” led her to study philosophy and comparative religions, become a teacher, lead schools and educational projects, work for the Argentine Ministry of Education, contribute as a volunteer in various NGOs and become personally committed to causes that raised awareness about the world’s challenges and the potential of education to overcome them.
She is a practically-minded idealist, a profound believer in people and their potential for good, committed to collaborative leadership environments, and instinctively and naturally drawn to create order and systems in seemingly chaotic contexts.
After more than 30 years in the classroom and almost 20 as a school leader, SofĂa now divides her time as Schools Development Manager for Cambridge University Press and Assessment, Executive Secretary for the International Confederation of Principals, Facilitator for the ESSARP Teacher Training Centre in Argentina and BLBS Mastermind Coach.
Each of her current roles allows her to travel near and far while contributing to her own lifelong learning, and that of school leaders across the world, in the slow way she cherishes: one experience, one adventure, one conversation and one relationship at a time.
– Head Coach
Once a roller derby ref, now enjoying “retirement”, Dan’s got some wild tales from the track. Picture this: Dallas, a Division 1 tournament, and Dan’s zipping around as an “outside pack ref” when suddenly, BAM! He gets bulldozed by “Ruthless Red” charging out of the penalty box. But did he stay down? Not a chance! Dan bounced right back up, finished the game like a champ, and jetted off to Barcelona for the World Cup, broken tailbone and all.
Bruises and broken bones couldn’t keep Dan out of the action. Those derby days weren’t just about dodging collisions—they taught him about grit, resilience, and leadership skills that he’s been flexing for 15 years as a school leader. Whether he’s coaching leaders as part of The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ team or dodging freight trains in the fast-paced world of roller derby, Dan is always willing to lean into the next challenge.
– Head Coach
Jason P. Dropik (Babaamii-Bines / Eagle Clan) is the School Administrator for the Indian Community School (ics-edu.org), in Franklin, WI, which serves Native students in the metro Milwaukee area. A member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (BadRiver-nsn.gov), Jason is committed to supporting students, families, staff, school/community leaders, and the community both near and far.
Having recently completed a two-year term as President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA.org), he advocated for and spoke on the importance of tribal sovereignty, policy, appropriations, and student support across the country. As a Board Member of NIEA, Jason continues with that work, championing training and providing information for schools and community organizations, while creating visibility and understanding of Indigenous perspectives.
His greatest passion is creating welcoming spaces for students to develop their identity, take pride in their language and culture, and to celebrate the rich legacy and the promising future of Indigenous communities.
– Head Coach
First and foremost, I’m a husband, father and son. I’m someone who is driven by my faith. I’m the Principal of A. Russell Knight Elementary in Cherry Hill, NJ. The Parks are animal lovers. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Some things that I’m loving at the moment is playing Pickleball and cooking for my friends and family. I also have the privilege and joy of serving as a BLBS Mastermind coach.
– Head Coach
Back in high school, Jesse used to painstakingly unthread the logos from his clothing and hats so that he wouldn’t be seen as part of the status quo.
He didn’t know it then, but that was the start of his journey as someone who finds unique ways of communicating ideas.
Then when he discovered his connection to youth with disabilities, he realized that he was among experts who’ve been finding ways to do things differently all their lives.
Leaning into these connections has brought him to become the Innovation Lead for a statewide project called I’m Determined – developing and producing animated videos and feature-length movies, facilitating events and building tools and resources for youth, families, and educators – all as ways to help students ink their journeys for the world to see.
As a leadership coach, Jesse is someone whose consistent presence is there to listen and add value and belonging.
– Head Coach
Leadership skills were evident as early as first grade for Paige Kinnaird when the teacher pointed out that “Paige is an eager beaver who completes her own work and then monitors what everyone else is doing.”
This taught Paige the importance of servant leadership. To never expect work from others that she is not fully committed to also putting forth the effort to accomplish.
Paige has used this as the central driving force of her work ever since… a willingness to be part of the work, not just driving the work.
– Head Coach
Karine Veldhoen, M.Ed., is the founder of Learn Forward™ and a creative force in education. While her name may be difficult to pronounce, her mission is simple, to champion extraordinary potential. As an educational leader (15 years) she created the first model Learn Forward™ school while simultaneously founding and serving as Executive Director of Niteo Africa. She’s taught Teacher Candidates at both UBC-O and UNBC and serves as a coach for Better Leaders Better Schools.
In all of her roles, she considers herself a modern-day pilgrim who stands for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Now, she dedicates her professional practice to championing EdLeaders to design thriving schools. When Karine is not carving new paths for education, you’ll find her with her husband and three children, her heart-song.