2026 Independent School Leadership Forum

At the heart of great leadership is the ongoing practice of leading ourselves. The most influential leaders know that self-awareness isn’t something you master once. It’s a practice you return to throughout your life. Leading Self means continually rediscovering who you are, noticing how you’re changing, and paying attention to the inner patterns that quietly shape your leadership. In this energizing keynote, executive coach Michelle Bostian, MSW, BCC, PCC, CMP invites leaders into that lifelong practice. She shares a simple, repeatable method for coaching yourself in real time. It is one that helps quiet the noise, examine assumptions, recognize repeating patterns, and make choices aligned with the leader you want to be.