Independent School Moonshot Podcast

What if your school could double its revenue in just four years, without veering from its core mission? In this episode, Amy Jolly, Head of School at Applewild, shares how her team leveraged existing resources on campus to spark financial sustainability and programmatic growth. From launching a junior boarding program during the pandemic to expanding a preschool that more than tripled in size, Amy...

What if the key to school innovation isn't a new plan but a new mindset? This episode features  LEA-F.org 's Simon Holzapfel, a former head of school, and Jeff Burstein, who explore how independent schools can adopt entrepreneurial thinking at every level of their organization. Instead of waiting for the next strategic plan to chart a course, Simon and Jeff make the case for a...

Visit the episode page for all of our episode resources: https://www.moonshotos.com/transparency-in-action-summer-2025 . Jim Brewer, Head of The McGillis School, talks about their innovative approach to pricing and sustainability. He shares the journey McGillis embarked on to align tuition rates with teacher compensation and long-term financial stability. From transparency in financial goals to da...

How clearly are students helping shape, not just experience, your school’s culture? This episode features  Bill Preble, Professor of Education at New England College and founder of the   Center for School Climate and Learning . With 25 years of experience helping schools surface student voice, Bill outlines a research-based process where students gather data, identify climate gaps, and l...

In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast, Cara Gallagher, founder of  CGC Consulting  and an expert in psychometric insights and organizational behavioral methods, which she applies to help schools be more effective, explores the early signs of organizational misalignment, especially invisible resistance. Learn how passive behaviors like silence in meetings, missed...

Does a tuition reset fix enrollment or just mask deeper issues? In this follow-up conversation, Peter Baron, founder of MoonshotOS , and Kevin Folan, Head of School at Providence Country Day School (PCD) , unpack the strategic thinking behind their article "Rethinking Tuition Resets for Sustainability," published in the Winter 2025 edition of the NAIS Independent School magazine. The central idea?...

Rebroadcast episode – originally aired June 2024. Most schools don’t have a Chief People Officer. But should they? In this episode, we dig into what happened when Avenues: The World School brought one onto the leadership team. Min Kim, former CPO, and Diego Merino, former Head of Recruitment, share how aligning talent strategy with school-wide goals can improve organizational health and make recru...

What if the secret to enrollment growth isn’t doing more but doing it the right way? In this candid and insightful episode, Brendan Schneider, founder of SchneiderB Media, a longtime advocate for school marketers, and author of School Marketing the Right Way, pulls back the curtain on why so many independent schools struggle to market effectively, how his new book aims to close the knowledge gap,...

Saying yes can feel like leadership, but what if your most powerful move is saying no? In this must-listen episode, Julie Faulstich, founder and principal of Stony Creek Strategy and author of the Talking Out of School newsletter, explores why independent school leaders often struggle to say no and how that reluctance impacts trust, sustainability, and organizational focus. Julie shares practical...

In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast, Susan Perry, Associate Head of School for Wellness and Belonging at Forsyth Country Day School and Senior Consultant at Expo Elevate, returns to explore the role of feedback in school leadership. Drawing on research from the Harvard Negotiation Project and the Center for Creative Leadership, Susan unpacks why feedback is so difficult to g...

In this episode, Mattingly Messina, Founder of Throughline and Moonshot Lab Advisors, breaks down the potentially misaligned relationship between boards and fundraising in independent schools. Drawing from his experience as a trustee, former director of advancement, and consultant, he explains why the traditional board committee structure no longer serves schools and how it’s holding back strategi...

In this episode,  John Farber, former head of school and current managing partner at  RG175 , shares hard-earned insights from conducting over 60 leadership searches. He dives deep into the evolving expectations for heads of school, especially the growing demand for business acumen and strategic thinking. From managing up to building strong board relationships and financial fluency, John...

Auxiliary programs can be a school’s hidden powerhouse if built with intention. In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast,  St. Mark’s School’s  Director of Operations, Kristi Jacobi, and  Summer Programs and Auxiliary Revenue Collaborative's (SPARC)  Senior Advisor, Bob Rojee , share how they transformed an empty summer campus into a dynamic, revenue-generatin...

Is your school's "system" running on intention or tradition? Jason Kern, Senior Innovation & Operations Strategist at Mission & Data, unpacks the role of systems in driving strategic execution across independent schools. Whether it's your strategic plan, enrollment, meetings, or sunset decisions, Jason shares why the path to progress starts with how we work, not just what we work on. This...

You know that moment when it all clicks? When you finally understand how one decision leads to the next-why does a school that seemed stuck suddenly take off? That's this episode. David Lee, Head of  Daycroft School , shares the story of how his team rebuilt trust, grew community, and  nearly doubled enrollment (a 99% increase) in just five years . From personal touches in the admissions...

What makes teachers stay in your school? In this episode, Dr. Dennis Chapman shares the findings from his PhD dissertation, which explored teacher retention through the lens of servant leadership. Drawing on data from 2,000 independent school educators, Dennis reveals the seven leadership traits that matter most—and how school heads can lead with authenticity, trust, and purpose. At The Village Sc...

What if your school's success depended on adopting a true growth mindset? In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast, Trace Urdan, Managing Director and education analyst at  Tyton Partners , unpacks the sobering realities shaking up higher education and how independent schools can learn from them. Inspired by his Substack article " Surviving the Higher Ed Apocalypse ," t...

What if your school’s strategy wasn’t just a plan—but a competitive advantage? This case study dives into a conversation with Tom Olverson, author of Leading Through Strategy: How Business Principles Can Help Independent Schools Thrive , who brings a fresh, business-minded lens to independent school leadership. More than an interview, it’s a roadmap for schools ready to move beyond imitation and b...

How can independent school leaders embrace fundraising as a core leadership skill, even without formal training? In this episode, Jill Goodman, Jill Goodman Consulting, a consultant with decades of experience in independent schools and development strategy. Jill breaks down how school heads can shift their mindset around fundraising, build stronger donor relationships, and ensure that development...

What if the key to filling your school’s enrollment wasn’t just about more marketing but about truly understanding your market? In this episode, Annie Davis, Chief Product Officer at WeVideo, shares how independent schools can use market analysis to not only validate new programs but also uncover hidden opportunities for growth. What You'll Learn: Market Sizing is Critical:  Before launching...

In this episode, Steve Bristol, Incoming Interim Head of School at Chapin School and a consultant to independent schools, digs into the challenges around faculty sustainability. Steve has decades of experience and shares what he’s seeing in schools today—from the growing pressures on teachers to how COVID-19 sped up some concerning trends. He gets into practical ideas like using the “jobs-to-be-do...

What Is a School Operating System? (And Why Your School Needs One) Is your school’s strategic plan stalling or struggling to gain traction? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast, Peter Baron breaks down the five most significant stressors facing the independent school business model and introduces a game-changing approach: the School Operating System (SOS). T...

In this episode,  Hugh Jebson , Head of School at  St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School , shares how independent schools can approach leadership with strategic insight and strong business acumen while maintaining their educational mission. He discusses the impact of perpetual enrollment, transparent tuition models, and competitive teacher compensation on long-term school success. Wheth...

Note: This episode was originally an Expert Lab Coaching session inside Moonshot Lab, a membership community designed to help independent school leaders tackle complex business challenges in real-time. I’m making it available as a podcast episode to give you a feel for the kind of strategic conversations and problem-solving we do inside the Lab. In this session,  Dana Nelson-Isaacs ,  Fo...

What makes some schools thrive while others struggle to adapt? In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot podcast, I sit down with  Dr. Brett Jacobsen , President of the Southern Association of Independent Schools  (SAIS) , to explore how independent school leaders can think like entrepreneurs—not in the Silicon Valley sense, but in a way that fosters innovation, adaptabilit...