Runaway to Resilience: The Relaunch of iLEAD + Misti Blue

Two years ago, iLEAD was born as a space for instructional leadership and strategy - built to strengthen schools, sharpen educators, and move the needle for students. That hasn’t changed. But I have.

Today, iLEAD is joined by Misti Blue - two spaces, one person, one story, one mission. iLEAD is the educator in me. Misti Blue is the human in me. Together, they reflect both the strategy and the soul it takes to lead well and live well.

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From Runaway to Resilience

At 14, I walked away from home and from school. What followed were years marked by instability by couches, detention centers, and survival on instinct and grit. By every statistic, I was not supposed to make it. Yet even in the hardest places, I discovered resilience.

Four years later, I returned home older, tougher, and with a child on the way. The world saw failure. But my parents saw possibility. They stood beside me, reminding me that my story wasn’t over. With their support and my son as my reason to fight harder, I earned my diploma and began rewriting my life’s trajectory.

That trajectory took me to Southern Methodist University, where I earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees sometimes with Matchbox cars rolling across the desks beside me. It carried me into classrooms as an inner-city teacher, into leadership roles as an administrator, and eventually into consulting across the nation.

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The Two Spaces

iLEAD lives in my professional work - the structure, the systems, and the leadership that change outcomes for schools and districts. Misti Blue lives in the other side - the resilience, the faith, the personal leadership it takes to stand when life doesn’t go as planned.

Both are true. Both are needed. Because leadership without humanity becomes hollow, and humanity without structure can lose its way. Together, iLEAD and Misti Blue remind us that strategy and soul belong in the same room.

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Why This Matters

This relaunch isn’t just about me, it’s about what’s possible for all of us. For the student who feels unseen. For the teacher who wonders if their work matters. For the adult who thinks it’s too late to start again.

The truth is, comebacks aren’t reserved for a chosen few. They are written in the middle of struggle, failure, and grit. They are sustained by faith, community, and the quiet belief that tomorrow can look different than today.

Runaway to resilience is my story. But it can be yours too.

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Moving Forward, Together

As I relaunch the podcast, I want to invite you into both spaces. To the educators who follow iLEAD - you’ll find the tools, systems, and strategies to build stronger schools. To those drawn to Misti Blue - you’ll find the stories, encouragement, and truth-telling that remind you your hardest chapter doesn’t define your whole book.

Two spaces. One story. One mission. Whether we’re rebuilding schools or rebuilding lives, the work is the same: to build people, restore hope, and move forward—together.

Welcome to Runaway to Resilience.

The comeback kid story continues,

and, now, it’s for all of us.

Listen to the relaunch, Runaway to Resilient Leader, podcast episode, here.