Brave on Purpose with Samantha Hamilton

In this episode,  Jethro Jones interviews Samantha Hamilton, an award-winning principal, national education consultant, speaker, and author. Samantha shares insights from her career, discusses her book 'Brave On Purpose,' and emphasizes the importance of courageous, empathetic leadership in education. The episode also touches upon the challenges of leadership, the role of faith in leadership, and tips for preventing burnout among educators.

• Brave on Purpose means choosing courage
• Intentional leadership when it’s easier to not have that. 
• LISA Academy - be seen
• Leaders can’t rely on titles to have trust.
• Help people feel seen, safe, and valued.
• Don’t have access to what happens day-to-day in schools
• Leadership on paper is different than leadership in real life.
• Can’t assume we know what happened right before.
• People first paper second. More info from Erika Garcia-Niles
• Power of delegation & perfectionism - sign up for Jethro’s email list.
• Interweaving faith into leadership.
• How to help principals who feel burnt out or stuck.
• What defines success today? 
• How to be a transformative principal? Give yourself permission to be human, pick one thing that you want to get better at tomorrow. Progress over perfection. 

About Samantha Hamilton

Samantha Hamilton (BarefootPrincipal.com) is an award-winning school principal, national education consultant, speaker, and author of non-fiction leadership books that inspire courage, connection, and culture change. With over two decades of experience in early childhood education and K-12 school leadership, she’s known for transforming vision into action and heart into strategy.

Born in Joplin, Missouri to two lifelong educators, Samantha began “teaching” both real and imaginary students by the age of five. That early calling grew into a career defined by faith, humor, and an unshakable belief that relationships—not rigid rules—are the foundation of lasting success. Whether she's leading a school community, coaching new leaders, or navigating chaos with compassion, Samantha brings grit, grace, and just the right amount of sparkle to shift the atmosphere.

She has served in both public and charter schools, taught multiple grade levels, and led schools through tornado recovery, staffing crises, major cultural transformations, and systemwide change initiatives. Her leadership philosophy is simple: people first, always. Her impact? Anything but simple.

Beyond the school walls, Samantha mentors aspiring leaders, develops curriculum, and trains educators nationwide on topics such as leadership resilience, school culture transformation, data-driven decision-making, and sustainable servant leadership. She is a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership and a proud wife, mom of three, and Christmas enthusiast who blends fun and focus into everything she leads.

Her debut book, Brave on Purpose: How Courage, Culture, and Connection Create Lasting Impact, is a love letter to educators and leaders navigating the real trenches of change. It invites readers to lead with clarity, courage, heart, and a little sparkle.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

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 technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve 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.