Words matter.
They shape our beliefs, guide our choices, and clarify who we want to become.
For years, people have asked me why my blog is called The Compelled Educator, and why compelled became the word I chose to build my work, my writing, and my leadership around. It’s a strong word. A directional word. A word that points you toward action.
And the story behind it goes all the way back to the softball field.
Where It Started: A Coaching Lesson I Never Forgot
Before I was a principal, a speaker, or a character coach, I was a high school teacher and softball coach. I loved the years of coaching. The strategy, the competition, the laughter, the team bonding, and the chance to help young women grow not just as athletes, but as people.
At a coaching clinic I attended early in my career, I got to hear Jeff Janssen speak about his framework called the Commitment Continuum. Jeff Janssen is the author of several books, including Championship Team Building, Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches, and the Team Captain's Leadership Manual. While Championship Team Building and Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches were written over 20 years ago, their message is timeless and still applicable today!
In The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual, he describes the framework as a tool to help captains, coaches, and leaders recognize the range of mindsets and levels of commitment present on any team, because you can’t lead people well if you don’t first understand where they are.
If you’re not familiar with it, Janssen maps out six levels of commitment, showing how people move from resisting and reluctant on one end, all the way to compelled on the other.
- Resistant
- Reluctant
- Existent
- Compliant
- Committed
- Compelled
In coaching, I saw every level.
Players who were simply existing. Others who complied because that’s what the team required. Some who were committed and would give you everything they had.
But then — there were the few who were different.
The ones who didn’t need reminders.
Didn’t need pushing.
Didn’t wait for the energy to appear in the room — they brought it.
They were driven by something deeper.
Not pressure.
Not rules.
Not expectation.
Something internal.
Something almost unexplainable.
They were compelled.
And I remember thinking to myself, That’s it. That’s the level that changes teams. That’s the level that changes people.
The Word That Stuck With Me
It showed up in the leaders I served alongside as an administrator. It showed up in the educators I’ve had the privilege to mentor. And it showed up in school teams I’ve coached through the Hope Institute -- the ones who didn’t need someone to tell them how important the work was, because they already felt it deeply.
It showed up in the students who surprised everyone, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. Because something inside them said:
“This matters. Let me be part of it.”
And eventually, when I started writing publicly, I realized something:
The kind of educator I wanted to be, and the kind of leaders I hoped to encourage, were not people who were simply good at their jobs.
They were people driven by purpose.
People moved from within.
People guided by their values.
People who felt called to act, to serve, to grow, to make things better.
They were compelled.
So that’s what I named the blog.
Not because it sounded nice or unique.
But because it captured the heart of what I believe great leadership — and great education — is built on.
What It Means to Be Compelled
Being compelled isn’t about perfection.
It isn’t about endless energy or always knowing the next right step.
It’s about something deeper.
It’s about a sense of purpose that pulls you forward.
A belief in doing what’s right, even when no one is watching.
A desire to serve others because it’s who you are, not because it’s required.
Compelled people are internally motivated.
They take initiative.
They notice what needs to be done and step into it.
They don’t wait to be asked.
And perhaps most importantly…
They lead not from obligation, but from conviction.
That’s the kind of educator, leader, and mentor I strive to be.
That’s the kind of leadership I want to cultivate in others.
That’s the heartbeat behind everything I write and share.
Still Compelled After All These Years
It’s been many years since I stood on a softball field with a bucket of balls and a sun-faded lineup card tucked under my arm. But the lessons from those days long ago, and from the Commitment Continuum, still follow me.
And they still guide me.
Every blog post.
Every workshop.
Every podcast episode.
Every coaching conversation.
Every decision in moments of transition.
Because I believe this deeply:
Education needs compelled leaders now more than ever. Education needs leaders who don’t just respond to the moment, but rise to it.
That’s why I write.
That’s why I coach.
That’s why I lead.
And that’s why this space is called The Compelled Educator.
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