Kristilynn Turney, Ed.D.Keynote Speaker, Salem Speakers Bureau · TEDx Ensley Ave ED 2026 I Dynamic Speaker & Presenter I Author I Transforming Schools Through Strategic Planning, Leadership Development, and School Improvement I Results-Driven Educational Leader | E

They Called Me a Problem Child. Then I Became a Principal.

10 May 2026 · 1 min

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A former problem child became a school principal by rejecting the label that once defined her. She now works with principals worldwide, arguing that the quiet beliefs we internalize about ourselves are the real limits we need to break.

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So here's my question for you today. What label are you still living under? Because the most dangerous labels aren't the loud ones, they're the quiet ones that we internalize. The ones that tell us to play it safe and be small. Shut up, Kristy. Those are the labels that we need and hear the most and internalize. I was once labeled a problem child. And then I became a principal. And today, I solve problems, build solutions, and support principals all around the world. And if belief can do that for one talkative kid from the class of 1995, just imagine what it can do for you.