The Blog
Ideas to impact, written down.
Practical AI workflows, systems thinking and the honest version of what it takes to run an organization with fewer wasted hours. 59 posts and counting.
Most popular
I Built an AI Content Engine: What I Automate, and What I Refuse To
The real content pipeline I run for KAIAK: research, brief, script, video, and the parts I keep by hand. Automate the drag, never the taste.
What I Built Before the Window Closed: My Fable 5 Receipts
I said the follow-up would show what got built, what it cost, and what met the real world. Here it is: three apps, a content system, and two skills.
Why Your AI Strategy Can't Be Delegated to IT
AI performs cognitive work—writing, analyzing, evaluating—not just tasks. That makes it a leadership issue, not a technology issue. What only you can decide.
Why AI Skills Are No Longer Optional for School Leaders
The gap between leaders who understand AI and those who don't is widening fast. Why AI literacy is now essential for school leadership.
The School Leader's Guide to AI in 2026: What You Actually Need to Know
92% of students now use AI. The comprehensive guide to navigating the opportunities, risks, and decisions that define your school's approach.
The Difference Between Running a School and Being Run By One
You became a leader to shape education. Now you spend 80% of your time on compliance, calendars, and complaints. When did that happen?
Latest
One Video Turned Into a Course Platform
Someone asked for a single presenter video. Five months later it teaches, answers questions out loud, and knows exactly what it knows. Here is how it grew.
How I Make Claude Answer From Your Own Documents
A generic chatbot guesses. A grounded, guardrailed assistant answers from your materials or admits it can't. Here is the difference, and how I build it.
Inside the Agent System That Runs My Content
One orchestrator, a fleet of subagents, and a self-correcting loop. The architecture behind a content pipeline that runs itself while I keep the taste.
The AI Re-Render Came Back Worse. So I Stopped Prompting and Started Editing.
A post-mortem on producing an AI-avatar sales video. The craft turned out to be in the cut, not the prompt.
I Built the Focus App I Actually Needed. In a Day.
A calm ADHD focus partner, built in a day. The real decision wasn't the code. It was refusing to charge until it can prove it works.
Rebuilding an Awards-Tier Interaction With AI Subagents
I took a studio site apart to see why it wins, rebuilt its signature interaction in a day, and walked away with a reusable extraction method.
I Built Production Infrastructure for a Silly App
The tech behind a pay-to-win throne is boringly serious. That's the point of a reusable skeleton.
Building Branded Video Content With Remotion (Without Being a Developer)
How I built 30 video compositions using Remotion and Claude Code — without writing the code myself. React renders video now, and you don't need to be a developer to use it.
All posts
One Video Turned Into a Course Platform
Someone asked for a single presenter video. Five months later it teaches, answers questions out loud, and knows exactly what it knows. Here is how it grew.
How I Make Claude Answer From Your Own Documents
A generic chatbot guesses. A grounded, guardrailed assistant answers from your materials or admits it can't. Here is the difference, and how I build it.
Inside the Agent System That Runs My Content
One orchestrator, a fleet of subagents, and a self-correcting loop. The architecture behind a content pipeline that runs itself while I keep the taste.
I Built an AI Content Engine: What I Automate, and What I Refuse To
The real content pipeline I run for KAIAK: research, brief, script, video, and the parts I keep by hand. Automate the drag, never the taste.
The AI Re-Render Came Back Worse. So I Stopped Prompting and Started Editing.
A post-mortem on producing an AI-avatar sales video. The craft turned out to be in the cut, not the prompt.
I Built the Focus App I Actually Needed. In a Day.
A calm ADHD focus partner, built in a day. The real decision wasn't the code. It was refusing to charge until it can prove it works.
What I Built Before the Window Closed: My Fable 5 Receipts
I said the follow-up would show what got built, what it cost, and what met the real world. Here it is: three apps, a content system, and two skills.
Rebuilding an Awards-Tier Interaction With AI Subagents
I took a studio site apart to see why it wins, rebuilt its signature interaction in a day, and walked away with a reusable extraction method.
I Built Production Infrastructure for a Silly App
The tech behind a pay-to-win throne is boringly serious. That's the point of a reusable skeleton.
Building Branded Video Content With Remotion (Without Being a Developer)
How I built 30 video compositions using Remotion and Claude Code — without writing the code myself. React renders video now, and you don't need to be a developer to use it.
The Workflow Document Nobody Writes (And Why It's the Most Important File in Your Project)
I built a tool, used it twice, then forgot how it worked. The simple document format that prevents this — and why every recurring process in your organization deserves one.
The Five-Layer AI Stack: One Tool Per Layer, No Overlaps
How I ship more with five AI tools than most people ship with thirty. The framework: one tool per layer — input, thinking, research, output, distribution — and never let them overlap.
How I Designed a Visual Brand System for 43 Blog Posts in One Weekend
The constraints, rules, and CSV-driven workflow that turned a visually inconsistent blog into a recognizable brand — without touching Canva once.
I Built a Featured Image Pipeline With AI and Node.js — Here's the Whole System
How I automated blog featured images using Google Imagen 4, a Node.js compositing script, and a CSV file. The full pipeline that produces consistent, branded images in under 10 minutes each.
From ChatGPT Prompts to a Production API: How I Automated AI Image Generation
I was copy-pasting prompts into ChatGPT to generate images one at a time. Then I built a 50-line script that calls an API instead. Here's why that single change transformed my workflow.
Claude Code Changed How I Build Things (And I'm Not a Developer)
How a non-developer used Claude Code to build image pipelines, video compositions, website redesigns, and automation scripts. The mental model shift that makes it work.
NotebookLM Ate My 200-Page Policy Document and Gave Me Answers in 10 Minutes
The one AI tool that can't hallucinate on your documents. I use NotebookLM to prep for board meetings, analyze policy handbooks, and build course content. Here's the exact setup — step by step.
39 Videos, Zero Film Shoots: My HeyGen Production Workflow
I've produced two full courses with HeyGen — here's exactly how to create your avatar, build your first video step by step, and the gotchas nobody mentions.
I Turned Rough Meeting Notes Into a Board Presentation in 60 Seconds
Gamma takes your bullet points, a document, or even just a topic and generates a full presentation with layout, images, and content. Here's the exact workflow — and where it falls short.
I Cloned My Voice for $22 — Here's Exactly How
Step-by-step: how I cloned my voice with ElevenLabs, paired it with an AI avatar, and used it to produce an entire video course. The exact settings, the real costs, and what I'd do differently.
I Gave Claude a Job Description and It Became My Best Thinking Partner
Claude Projects let you build a persistent AI workspace pre-loaded with your documents, style guide, and rules. Here's the exact setup I use for course production, policy drafting, and board prep — step by step.
10 Report Comments in 20 Minutes: The AI Workflow That Saved My Teaching Team
Most AI-generated report comments are generic garbage. Here's the exact prompt and verification process I taught 50+ teachers — step by step, with the settings that actually matter.
Why Your AI Strategy Can't Be Delegated to IT
AI performs cognitive work—writing, analyzing, evaluating—not just tasks. That makes it a leadership issue, not a technology issue. What only you can decide.
Is AI Making Students Dumber? What the Research Shows
One-third of students show AI dependency patterns. 57% of workers don't verify outputs. How to design learning that builds brains, not dependence.
How I Built an Automated Research Pipeline That Keeps Me Current Without the Tab Hoarding
A step-by-step walkthrough of using Claude Code to automatically search, summarize, and organize research digests on AI in education.
AI and Student Data: The Questions Every School Leader Should Ask
82% of K-12 schools experienced cyber incidents in 2024. What AI tools collect, what laws apply, and the 6 questions to ask every vendor.
The Parent Communication System That Eliminated Complaints
Parent complaints dropped 70% after I implemented this communication system. Most complaints aren't about problems — they're about uncertainty.
AI Tutoring: What the Research Actually Says
Headlines claim AI tutoring matches human instruction, but the Harvard study used custom AI with elite students vs. self-study. What research actually shows.
Why I Stopped Apologizing for Response Time
Every email used to start with 'Sorry for the delayed response.' Then I realized what I was actually communicating — and stopped.
How to Make Assignments AI-Proof (Without Banning AI)
69% of high school students use AI for schoolwork—banning it doesn't work. Five design principles that make authentic engagement easier than shortcuts.
The Meeting Audit: How to Reclaim 5 Hours a Week
Most leaders accept their calendar as fixed. It's not. Here's how I audited my meetings and reclaimed a full day every week.
Why AI Skills Are No Longer Optional for School Leaders
The gap between leaders who understand AI and those who don't is widening fast. Why AI literacy is now essential for school leadership.
What Parents Are Asking About AI—And How to Answer
Parents ask 5 core questions about AI in schools, masking fears about fairness and being out of the loop. What they're really asking—and how to respond.
How I Use AI to Prepare for Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations used to keep me up at night. Now I use AI to prepare, practice, and process them. Here's my system.
The Deepfake Crisis Schools Aren't Ready For
AI abuse imagery jumped from 4,700 to 440,000 reports in 18 months. 13% of principals report deepfake bullying. What leaders must do now.
The Board Report Template That Changed My Governance Relationship
I used to dread board meetings. Then I changed how I reported to them. One template transformed a tense relationship into a productive partnership.
Your School Needs an AI Policy. Here's a Framework That Actually Works.
60% of schools have no AI guidance and 60% of teachers say policies are unclear. A three-domain framework that provides clarity—plus a template.
68% of Teachers Have Zero AI Training. What That Means for Your School.
68% of teachers have zero AI training while 92% of students use AI tools. Traditional PD fails—here's what effective training looks like.
How I Built an IB World School from Scratch
In two years, we went from zero to IB authorization — PYP and MYP. Here's the real story of what it took, including the parts nobody tells you.
The 5 Systems Every New Head Needs in Their First 100 Days
Most new Heads focus on vision and relationships. But without these five operational systems, you'll drown before you can lead.
Why the AI Detection Arms Race Is Already Over
AI detection tools fail 94% of the time. Schools shifting from detection to assessment redesign report fewer integrity issues. What works.
I Trained 50+ Teachers on AI in One Semester — Here's What Worked
Most AI training fails because it starts with tools instead of problems. Here's the framework that got skeptical teachers actually using AI in their classrooms.
Why Most School Strategic Plans Fail (And What to Do Instead)
That strategic plan sitting in your Google Drive isn't failing because it's bad. It's failing because it was designed to impress, not to drive decisions.
The School Leader's Guide to AI in 2026: What You Actually Need to Know
92% of students now use AI. The comprehensive guide to navigating the opportunities, risks, and decisions that define your school's approach.
The No-Admin Inbox: How I Got to Inbox Zero Without Willpower
I used to spend 2-3 hours daily on email. Now I spend 30 minutes. The difference wasn't discipline — it was systems.
What I Wish I Knew Before My First Year as Head of School
Nobody prepares you for the loneliness. Or the imposter syndrome. Or the realization that you now own every problem in the building. Here's what I learned.
I Got 10 Hours Back This Week. Here's What I Actually Did With Them.
Everyone talks about 'saving time.' Nobody talks about the guilt of having unscheduled hours - and what to do with them.
The Tuesday Afternoon I Finally Left Early
For the first time in two years, I walked out at 3pm on a Tuesday. Not because I was sick. Because everything was handled. A short story about what that took.
You Don't Need More Discipline. You Need Fewer Decisions.
The problem isn't willpower. It's the 200 micro-decisions you make before 10am that leave nothing in the tank.
What I Stopped Doing When I Realized No One Noticed
Some tasks feel sacred. Then you skip them for a month and... nothing breaks. A confession about the busywork we cling to.
Stop Scheduling Meetings to Decide What to Meet About
Half your calendar is pre-meetings for meetings. The problem isn't time management - it's decision architecture.
The Inbox Zero Lie: Why I Aim for Inbox Fifteen
Inbox Zero is a flex for people with assistants. For the rest of us, the goal isn't empty - it's triaged. Here's what that actually looks like.
NotebookLM Ate My Board Report (And Made It Better)
You have 47 documents, 3 spreadsheets, and a week of meeting notes. The board wants a 2-page summary by Friday. Here's how I stopped drowning in sources.
The Difference Between Running a School and Being Run By One
You became a leader to shape education. Now you spend 80% of your time on compliance, calendars, and complaints. When did that happen?
What to Automate vs. What to Protect: A Leader's Guide
AI can write your emails, but it can't save your relationships. The 'Stakes vs. Verifiability' framework for deciding when to use a bot.
Your Notion Setup Failed Because You Built a Cathedral, Not a Kitchen
You spent a weekend building the perfect productivity system. By week three, you're back to sticky notes. The problem wasn't discipline - it was architecture.
How I Use Claude to Draft 20 Parent Emails in 15 Minutes
You've got a stack of individual parent updates to send, each needing a slightly different tone. Here's the system that gets me out of my inbox before dinner.
The 3-Folder Google Drive Structure That Survives the School Year
Most Drive structures fail because they are organized by Topic. Here is the 'Time Horizon' system that actually works for busy leaders.
The Template Library Every School Leader Needs
Stop writing the same five emails every week. I built a 'Private Dashboard' of high-stakes templates. Here is what is inside.
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