There are six cohorts to choose from:
“I just finished my 7th year as principal. This was the first year I felt balanced. Confident. In control. And my teachers noticed.”
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.”
“The other day, I got a high five from a teacher during a walk-through. She told me, ‘We did it.’ That ‘we’ includes me, because I had been part of her growth.”
John Tanner
“The guidance and support at the very beginning of my mastermind experience has really helped me mature and set a clear vision of what I wanted, which was to build trust.”
Demetrius Ball
“I recognized that self-criticism was getting in the way … The mastermind experience is incredibly validating. It definitely has grown my confidence.”
Stacey Green
“I wanted to build a school where kids come every single day and they feel loved and cared for and seen and heard. ”
Jessica Gamble
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.
