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The Leadership Shift Schools Aren’t Ready For Yet

In this episode of Evolution Stories, Christian Talbot speaks with Maria Gel, Head of School and founding team member at the Village School in Arlington, Virginia, a learner-driven microschool built around agency, purpose, and self-directed learning. Maria shares her unconventional path into school leadership, moving from brand building and tech entrepreneurship into education after searching for a school that aligned with her daughter’s needs. She reflects on the difference between marketing and market education, why introducing new school models requires trust and social proof, and what surprised her most when stepping into the head of school role. The conversation explores leadership during moments of low morale, how prioritizing educators can stabilize entire school communities, and why presence, transparency, and one-on-one relationships matter more than polished strategies. Maria also discusses lessons learned from a previous mental health startup that failed to launch, offering powerful insights into champions, timing, and reframing perceived failure. As the Village School prepares to launch a learner-driven high school in a credential-focused market, Maria reflects on the tension between traditional measures of success and the skills students need in an AI-shaped future. This episode offers a grounded, honest look at change leadership, agency, and what it means to build schools for the world students are actually inheriting.