Though research suggests identity construction and articulation of personal motivations regarding actions may be as, if not more, important to determine whether an individual may be successful in a school leadership role, collectively we know relatively little about aspiring principals' motivations for becoming school leaders. Utilizing a narrative inquiry approach, this research addresses this gap directly. We find that aspiring principals in a turnaround leader preparation program (n = 9) presented three main motivations in their narratives regarding why they wished to become leaders in underperforming schools: (1) a desire to address perceived inequity, (2) a goal to catalyze educational change, and (3) a commitment to teaching and learning. Such findings allow us to consider how recruiting, developing and identifying leadership talent for high needs schools might need to be shifted to produce better outcomes for students and principals alike.