In this episode of Mindful School Marketing, Aubrey and Tara sit down with Jason Craige Harris, a strategist, conflict mediator, and mindfulness teacher who works at the intersection of culture, leadership, and institutional life. Jason brings deep wisdom to the conversation about what it truly means to lead with steadiness in uncertain times.

From navigating school crises to making high-impact strategic decisions, Jason shares how resilient leadership begins with inner work. He explains why suppression is not the same as steadiness, why naming emotions actually changes brain chemistry, and how leaders can balance urgency with reflection in their schools.

If you’ve ever felt stretched thin as a school leader, marketer, or team member, this conversation offers both practical tools and grounding perspective.

• Why resilience is not about “powering through”
• How naming emotions reduces reactivity and builds steadiness
• The difference between proactive routines and in-the-moment micro practices
• How anxiety spreads in organizations and how leaders can stabilize a room
• The tension between transactional leadership and relational leadership
• Why schools need both mechanics (strategy, timelines, accountability) and dynamics (listening, reflection, psychological safety)
• The importance of pre-action and post-action reviews for major decisions
• Jason’s “4 S’s” framework: Soul, Story, Strategy, and Steadiness

In this special live episode of Mindful School Marketing, we recorded a panel discussion straight from the Small School Leaders Conference. Tara and Aubrey are joined by experienced independent school marketers who are in the work every day, navigating small teams, limited budgets, and constantly changing expectations.

We are joined by Lori Kriegel (Chief Communications Officer at Wooster School), Andrea Jenkins (Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing & Communications at St. Luke’s Episcopal School), and Barb Doyle (Director of Marketing and Communications at Renbrook School)

This conversation pulls back the curtain on what school marketing really looks like right now. From outsourcing decisions and content systems to AI, paid advertising, and faculty collaboration, this panel shares what’s working, what’s challenging, and how small school marketing teams are adapting in real time.

• What school marketers would outsource first and why data keeps coming up
• Where additional budget would actually go if marketing teams had the choice
• How small schools stay consistent with content without recreating the wheel
• Practical ways marketing teams are using AI for content, research, and strategy
• What paid advertising is working and how schools measure success
• How marketing teams collaborate with faculty to source photos and stories
• Why community and peer networks matter so much in small school marketing roles

In this episode of Mindful School Marketing, we dig into one of the most complex and timely questions facing independent and private schools today: should your school participate in voucher or ESA programs. This conversation is especially relevant for school leaders navigating financial pressure, enrollment strategy, and mission alignment as school choice expands across the country.

We are joined by Steve Salvo, Head of School at St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School in Tampa, and Michael Christopher, consultant with Independent School Management (ISM). Together, they bring both a lived leadership perspective and a national consulting lens to help schools think clearly about what is at stake, what questions must be answered, and how to approach vouchers with intention rather than pressure.

In This Episode

• What voucher and school choice programs actually look like across different states
• The non-negotiable questions boards must answer before saying yes to vouchers
• Financial planning risks, including sustainability if voucher funding changes
• How vouchers can impact mission, admissions, faculty, and program integrity
• Best practices for communicating voucher decisions clearly to families and staff