Breakaway Leadership
Breakaway Leadership is a six-month, virtual leadership development program designed for school leaders who want to learn skills and habits to set themselves apart from others.
By focusing on developing and improving all aspects of your well-being – mental, social-emotional, physical – you will learn new habits and skills that will enable you to perform at the highest levels of leadership 24/7 and come to the leadership table with a level of fitness that enables you to lead from a position of strength and clarity – all day every day.
Breakaway Leadership is paused for 2025-26, but may be offered again in 2026-27. If so, registration will reopen in early fall 2026.
About the Program
All School Leaders Welcome
Breakaway Leadership is open to all campus and district leaders! If you are an assistant principal, principal, central office administrator, assistant / associate / deputy superintendent, or superintendent, Breakaway Leadership is for you!
Speakers & Topics
Each session features nationally recognized speakers (one addressing health/wellness and the other focused on leadership issues) and focus on a theme/topic intended to inspire participants to reflect and change behaviors, as well as accountability group conversations designed to support individual success. Topics include mental health, social-emotional health, stress management, sleep, time management, weight management, exercise, and how each area affects participants’ leadership capacity.
Schedule
All six sessions are conducted via Zoom from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. In the past, sessions have been monthly, starting in mid-January and running through June. A specific schedule will be posted here when the next Breakaway Leadership cohort is planned.
What People are Saying About the Program
Breakaway Leadership was featured in the spring 2022 issue of TASA INSIGHT. Read the article.
“Breakaway Leadership was a truly insightful and inspiring program. It combined the best of leading a healthy lifestyle with the expertise of Wondr Health leaders, along with outstanding speakers! So many of their tips for healthy eating resonate with me. I’m grateful to be a part of this excellent program. I highly recommend it to our school leaders.”
“I greatly benefited physically and mentally from Breakaway Leadership. We learned about a variety of health topics through book studies, videos, articles, and interesting speakers. Our important work as leaders and educators has become more demanding with more stressors than ever. Learning ways to reduce stress through sleep hygiene and healthier nutritional practices has been life-changing for me. I highly recommend participating in Breakaway Leadership.”
Why Enroll?
In this video, Breakaway Leadership moderators Charles Dupre and Todd Whitthorne discuss why they’re excited about the program and how it can benefit Texas school leaders.
How Can Breakaway Leadership Benefit Your Team?
In this video, Rory Gesch talks about how his Alvin ISD team has benefited from participating in Cohort 1 of Breakaway Leadership. Gesch is deputy superintendent of operations in Alvin ISD.
How Can Breakaway Leadership Benefit You Personally?
In this video, Rory Gesch talks about how he has personally benefited from participating in Cohort 1 of Breakaway Leadership. Hint: He’s lost 70-plus pounds!
In this video, Terrell ISD Superintendent Georgeanne Warnock shares how her participation in Breakaway Leadership has helped her improve her overall well-being so that she can be a better leader.
In this video, former PSJA ISD Superintendent Jorge Arredondo talks about the importance of professional development that supports leader wellness and shares how his participation in Breakaway Leadership has helped him be a better leader.
In this video, Lytle ISD Superintendent Michelle Carroll Smith shares how TASA’s Breakaway Leadership program has helped her as a school leader and as a person.
CPE Hours
Breakaway Leadership offers up to 12 hours
of Continuing Professional Education credit.
Questions?
Jessica Arceneaux
Executive Assistant, Member Engagement & Support
512.477.6361
