Antonio Neves knows what it is like to fear for his life. A while ago, he found himself on a plane, assuming it would be just an average flight, something he was used to having frequently as a motivational speaker. However, this one turned out to be just a little bit memorable. Partway through the flight, the passengers started panicking as smoke filled the plane. A pilot came on and made an announcement that nobody ever wants to hear: They would be attempting an emergency landing. Attempting? That wasn’t a good sign.

This is the story that opened Neves’ keynote at the 2025 Making Schools Work Conference in New Orleans. He spent his time on the plane calling a couple of people that mattered most to him, his wife and his mom. Knowing he might not make it, he wanted to make sure they knew he loved them. Obviously, he made it through – or he wouldn’t have been able to give his awesome keynote address – but it was a moment that changed how he looked at life.

You are the life-altering event that you’ve been waiting for.

He used this story to talk a bit about something he called a life-altering event. He pointed out that at some point, everyone will have one of these moments, and they often occur as an external crisis.

However, instead of waiting for our own almost-plane crash to happen, Neves said that“you are the life-altering event that you’ve been waiting for.”

If you want change to happen around you, you don’t have to wait for an outside trigger. You just have to act.

In his address, he discussed many ways that you can start making changes in your own life and several reasons why you might want to do so. I’ve pulled six lessons from his keynote that I believe apply directly to educators — whether you’re a teacher, principal, coach or district leader.

 

Lesson 1: Don’t Wait for a Crisis to Change Course

Neves reminded us that people often wait until something bad happens — divorce papers, a health scare, a layoff — to finally make changes. But why wait for disaster when we already know what matters?

He talked about a time when, while under a lot of stress, he started secretly smoking. One day, he was in an alley in LA having a cigarette when a man approached him and asked if he could have a smoke. So, Neves and this stranger were smoking and talking when the man noticed the garden glove that Neves was wearing.

“What is that?” he asked.

“Oh, this? My wife doesn’t know that I’m a cigarette smoker, so I wear this bright green gardening glove so she can’t smell the stench on my hands.”

 Neves then said, “This man looked at me like I committed a crime, and he said, ‘Hey man, you need to figure that out.’ And then he snatched my cigarettes and walked away.”

Neves called this another life-altering moment. By going to such extremes to cover up his actions, he clearly knew that he was doing something wrong, and yet he wasn’t taking steps to change it. He was waiting to get caught.

We all have aspects of our lives or careers where we are “living on autopilot,” as Neves called it. We know we need to make changes, but we are waiting until we are forced to do so to get on it.

For example, in schools, it’s easy to put off tackling problems until test scores plummet, staff turnover spikes or student engagement collapses. But Neves pointed out that you don’t need something bad to happen to you to make changes. Find the places that need to change before bad things happen. Then, work to change them. For educators, this could include things like trying new strategies before mandates require them or investing in staff and students before burnout takes its toll.

 

Lesson 2: Recognize When Windows Are Open — and Act Before They Close

Neves told the story of a young politician who was encouraged to run for president. Yet, everywhere he turned, people were telling him it was a bad idea. He was too young and too inexperienced. It was someone else’s turn first.

Not ready to give up on the idea, he went to a well-established politician who he knew and trusted. The senior politician told him that everyone else was right. The young man was too young and too inexperienced and may not have a great chance at winning.

 But, the mentor added, “The window for you… is open right now. Do not count on that window always staying open.”

With this one encouraging piece of wisdom, the young man pursued his dream.

Some windows only stay open for so long.

That man was Barack Obama.

Neves did not tell this story to make a political point. The politician in question did not matter. What mattered was that the man was successful despite all odds because he saw his window and acted before it closed.

For educators, the lesson is clear: Opportunities don’t last forever. As Neves put it, “Some windows only stay open for so long.”

• A student may only sit in your classroom for 180 days.
• A grant-funded program may only run for two years.
• A school leader may only have a short time of influence to move big initiatives forward.

“What window is open in your life right now that if you don’t take action on it, it could possibly close?” Neves asked.

Don’t let those opportunities pass your school by.

 

Lesson 3: Audit Your Last 30 Days as an Educator

One of Neves’ most practical challenges was what he calls the last 30-day test. He asked three blunt questions:

• “If your boss had to make a decision to rehire you based on how you showed up the last 30 days, would they immediately say yes or would there be hesitation?”
• “Based on the last 30 days of your relationship, would your partner recommit?”
• “Based on the last 30 days, would your kids immediately choose you as their parent?”

For educators, this test can be adapted:

• Would your students “rehire” you as their teacher based on how you’ve shown up this past month?
• Would your staff eagerly choose you again as their principal or instructional coach?
• Would your district leaders see your last 30 days as proof you’re the right person for the role?

While it is the beginning of the school year now, how would the answers to these questions change if you asked them in the middle of a semester or the end of the year?

This isn’t about guilt — it’s about recognizing patterns and recommitting to better choices for the next 30 days.

 

Lesson 4: Recommit Daily and Bring “Day One Energy”

Think back to your first day in your current role. You showed up early, full of energy, eager to give your best. Neves called this day one energy.

“You did more than was expected of you without expecting a pat on your back,” he said.

But over time, energy fades. In schools, this can be dangerous. When teachers go through the motions, students disengage. When leaders lose fire, staff morale drops.

Neves reminded us that great leaders don’t just commit once — they recommit every single day.

“Each and every single day,” he said, “they have to recommit to what they say is important.”

For educators, recommitment might mean showing up with renewed enthusiasm for lesson planning, re-centering on why you lead or re-engaging with colleagues as partners in the work.

 

Lesson 5: Play to Win, Not Just to Avoid Losing

To help make his next point, Neves compared two halves of a football game. He said to think about the first half of a football game where nobody knows what is going to happen. Maybe your team is on fire and can’t be stopped. At halftime they are up by a huge amount. They come out for the second half, though, and suddenly they are playing differently. Then, it’s near the end of the game, and the huge blowout they had going is suddenly a worrisomely small lead, or maybe they are even losing.

What happened?

In the first half, the team played to win — bold, aggressive, confident. In the second half, they played “not to lose” — cautious, hesitant, fearful.

“Those are two different ways to approach life,” Neves said.

If you are not close enough to the edge, then you are taking up too much space.

In schools, “playing not to lose” looks like doing the bare minimum:

• Meeting compliance requirements
• Recycling the same lessons
• Avoiding risks that might spark growth

It’s doing the same thing that you know will not hurt instead of trying something new that could be more impactful.

“Playing to win” means experimenting with instructional strategies, empowering teachers with new tools and giving students learning experiences that stretch them.

“If you are not close enough to the edge,” Neves said, “then you are taking up too much space.”

 

Lesson 6: Surround Yourself With Allies Who Give Energy

Neves shared how his college track coach once pulled him to the side and told him he was “doing absolutely horrible.” But instead of cutting him from the team, the coach pointed him toward two teammates, one of whom was a future Olympian and another a future championship-level runner, and asked why he wasn’t learning from them.

That conversation led Neves to distinguish between allies and thieves. Allies are people who “encourage you, inspire you, challenge you, push you, hold you accountable and test you to be the absolute best version of yourself.”

Thieves are those who drain energy and create drama.

In education, allies might be colleagues who challenge you to grow, mentors who push your thinking or staff who bring positivity to the building. Thieves are the “energy vampires” who complain without contributing.

The message for educators: Intentionally seek out allies — and be one yourself.

“What shows up when you show up to the room?” Neves asked us. “Do things get better or do they get worse?”

Be an ally and strive to make things better. Surround yourself with people who will help you make this possible.

 

A Final Reminder: It’s Just Water

Near the end of his address, Neves talked about how he gets to travel a lot as a motivational speaker. One trip that stands out to him is when he visited Juneau, Alaska.

Why?

Because of how much it rained while he was there.

Well, it wasn’t so much how often it rained – which he described as constant – but at how people reacted to the rain. Everywhere he looked, he noticed that the locals went around without umbrellas. So, curious, he went up to a man on the street and asked why. The man looked at him and said simply, “You know, man, it’s just water.”

For educators, this is a powerful reminder. Challenges, setbacks and frustrations will always come. But often, they are “just water.” They will pass, and the sun is still there — even if we can’t see it.

It’s just water.

“No matter where you stand today, I want you to know that the story is not over,” Neves said. “The best is ahead.  When you work and believe that the best is ahead, things begin to change. For the better.”

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