Meditation for educators and the art of giving 85% (with Danny Bauer)

I have a love/hate relationship with meditation and mindfulness. I know I should do it. I even talk about why it’s beneficial. But I never want to do it…even though I feel better if I do. If that sounds familiar, you won’t want to miss episode 124 of the “De Facto Leaders” podcast.That’s why I invited Danny Bauer to talk about the impact mindfulness has had on him as a teacher, leader, and thought leader in the field of education. You’ll also appreciate this conversation if you tend to go full throttle at the beginning with big projects, but quit them because the initial pace was unsustainable (I know I’m personally guilty of this). Danny Bauer is a Principal Development and Retention Expert, a best-selling author, and Founder of Better Leaders, Better Schools, also known as the Chief Ruckus Maker. He’s the host of the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, ranked in the TOP 0.5% of 3 million global podcasts. His latest book is “Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader”, co-published by Corwin and the National School Superintendents Association (AASA). His mission is “to connect, grow, and mentor every school leader who wants to level up.”In this interview, we discuss:✅The “mastermind” concept, why it’s so powerful, and how it can bring a much-needed sense of belonging to professional development in education. ✅How he used meditation to decrease disciplinary write-ups, and other benefits to creative problem-solving. ✅Why planning in 90-day chunks is such a powerful way to reach long-term goals.✅How to use the 85% rule to show up as your best self for your students. To learn more about Danny’s work, connect with him at https://betterleadersbetterschools.comGet his latest book, “Build Leadership Momentum: How to Create the Perfect Principal Entry Plan” here: buildleadershipmomentum.com You can also connect with him on his social media accounts here:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danevanbauer?ref=bookmarksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Dannyevanbauer/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdannybauer/Medium: https://alienearbud.medium.com/In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program for related service providers who want to take a leadership role in implementing executive functioning support. You can learn more about the program here.  Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:Learn more about Renaissance:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.