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Real Talk School Leadership with Dan Mault
Real Talk School Leadership is a podcast for educators, administrators, and change-makers who believe schools can be better — and are willing to do the work to make it happen.
Hosted by Dan Mault, elementary school principal and Creativity & Change Leadership graduate student, this show dives into the real conversations behind leadership in today’s schools. Each episode explores creativity, organizational change, team dynamics, and innovation through the lens of everyday practice — from building strong staff cultures and navigating challenges to rethinking systems and empowering diverse thinkers.
Blending research with real-world experience, Dan shares reflections from the principal’s office, lessons from graduate coursework, and practical strategies grounded in frameworks like FourSight, the 4 Ps of Creativity, and collaborative problem solving. You’ll hear honest insights, actionable ideas, and stories from the field designed to help you lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose.
This isn’t about quick fixes or trendy buzzwords.
It’s about people.
It’s about process.
And it’s about creating schools where both adults and students can thrive.
If you’re ready for authentic conversations, thoughtful leadership, and practical creativity in education — welcome to Real Talk School Leadership.
Real Talk School Leadership with Dan Mault
Latest Episodes
Episode #9 - Finishing Strong: Practical Strategies for Engaging Students and Surviving the Last Weeks of School
The final weeks of the school year can feel like a whirlwind. Between report cards, field trips, awards ceremonies, classroom cleanup, assessments, and countless end-of-year tasks, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed while still trying to provide mea...
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Episode #8 - What Disney Can Teach Us About Schools: Designing Experiences That Engage, Motivate, and Inspire
In this episode of Real Talk School Leadership, we explore what might seem like an unexpected connection — what Disney can teach us about schools.From the moment you walk into a Disney park or resort, every detail is inte...
Episode #7 - Understanding People: The Key to Better Teaching and Stronger Teams
In this episode of Real Talk School Leadership, we take a step back from systems and strategies to focus on something that sits at the center of it all — understanding people.We spend a lot of time in education talking about cur...
Episode #6 - Creativity by Design: Rethinking What School Can Be
What does it really take to prepare students for a future we can’t predict?In this episode of Real Talk School Leadership, Dan Mault introduces the core ideas behind his upcoming book, Creativity by Design: A Practical Guide...
Episode #5 - Play = Problem Solving: Why Elementary Classrooms Need More Play, Not Less
In this episode of Real Talk School Leadership, we dig into something that often gets squeezed out of elementary schedules — play — and why research says that’s a mistake.If we truly want students who can think critically, solve complex ...