Meet our team of coaches
At Ironwood, our coaches don't stand at the front of a room and talk at children. They ask hard questions, build real relationships, and hold high expectations, because they genuinely believe every child in the room is capable of more. This is what coaching looks like when it's done well.
Who we are
The studio team
Lindsey Dantzman
Lindsey founded Ironwood Education Studio after five years of homeschooling her four children and discovering that education, at its best, is a daily practice of curiosity, character, and growth. She built this studio for families who are done settling for ordinary and ready to raise young people who lead with purpose.
Krista Ash
Krista brings a background in Recreation Therapy and special education to everything she does at Ironwood. She's worked with children in clinical and classroom settings and knows firsthand that every learner has a different path to growth. Her job is to find that path and walk it alongside them.
Our coaches
A vision for education
"Great coaches aren't defined by what they know; they're defined by the questions they ask and the standards they keep. At Ironwood, our coaches model curiosity, integrity, and perseverance every single day. Not because it's in a job description, but because we believe young people become who they're around."
Inside Ironwood
Our culture
The culture at Ironwood is something you feel before you can explain it. Students are focused, but not rigid. The room is warm, but everyone is working. There's a sense of purpose here that doesn't need to be announced; it's just present every single day.
That's not an accident. Culture at Ironwood isn't handed down from the top; it's built daily by the coaches and learners together. We set high expectations, and we hold them. Learners help define what it means to do good work, treat each other well, and show up fully. Then they hold each other to it.
Families who visit often say the same things: "It feels like a real community," and "I wish this existed when I was a kid." We hear that and we don't take it lightly. It means we're doing something worth protecting.
This is a place where young people are taken seriously, their ideas, their struggles, and their growth. That's the culture. Everything else flows from it.
Get in touch
Connect with us
Have questions for our team? Reach out today to discover more about our support for children and families in the St. Croix Valley.