There’s a moment in every woman’s life when she feels the quiet pull of something more. For some, it arrives like a whisper. For others, like a fire. And often, that moment comes not when life is wide open and carefree, but when responsibility, routine, and “shoulds” are stacked high around us.

In this week’s podcast conversation, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Sandy Breece, founder of School Founders Academy and a woman who embodies what it looks like to answer that call, even when no one else sees the vision.

More than 30 years ago, Sandy was a teacher and a mother of a middle schooler who didn’t quite fit the traditional mold. A kinesthetic learner, her son needed movement, hands-on learning, and a school environment willing to adapt to the child, not force the child to adapt to the system.

She had a radical thought for that time: What if I just build the kind of school he needs?

When she shared that idea out loud, others dismissed it. People she respected, colleagues, friends, other educators, told her it wasn’t realistic. That it had “already been tried.” That she should be grateful for the job she already had.

But here’s the part that stopped me:

She didn’t argue. She didn’t debate. She didn’t try to convince them.She simply placed one small classified ad in the newspaper. Just a few words, unsigned:

“Are you concerned about your middle schooler? Let’s talk.”

That single act of quiet courage drew in the very thing she needed…not approval, but community.A handful of parents called her. They didn’t know her plan, but they shared her concern.That was enough.

Those parents became the first circle.The circle became a movement.And that movement became a fully functioning school called Telesis Center for Learning, Inc., which still thrives 33 years later.

Thousands of students have walked through its doors.Teachers have been transformed by it.And what began with one woman and a classified ad became a living legacy.

Sandy went on to write about her journey in the anthology “Power of Community — Courage, Compassion, & Collaboration Leads to Success” (March 2024), and now leads School Founders Academy, guiding others who feel the same pull to build something that doesn’t exist yet but should.

Dr. Sandy Breece🌐 schoolfounders.academy🔗 linkedin.com/in/dr-sandra-k-breece📌 facebook.com/schoolfoundersacademy

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