As educators and school leaders, you shape the hearts, minds, and spirits of your students EVERY day.
To do this work well requires a clear head, rested body, focused mind, creative spirit, and, let's be honest, a GOOD bit of patience.
Let's Start With Radical Honesty
You got into education to have an impact.
You devote countless hours to hone your craft.
You create a classroom environment and community conducive to learning, asking questions, stretching, and growth. You want to bring your best every day.
What called me to education was the partnership with my students. The privilege to walk alongside them as they figured out who they are, what made them tick, and who they wanted to become.
Along with this mission comes awesome responsibility. It is future-shaping at its foundation.
And the reality is that the demands of school life are endless.
It's easy to land in a space of constant overwhelm - trying to manage the needs of so many people and entities. It's easy to lose ourselves as we seek to serve others.
- - - Let's Get Real - - -
To have the impact on our students that we seek, paying attention to and honoring what we need MUST come first.
When we're exhausted, overscheduled, frantic, and struggling to juggle all of our commitments, that is the version of ourselves that we bring to our students and colleagues.
It's not malicious, nor is it intentional. It's been the cost of doing business.
That "cost" is TOO high and isn't sustainable. We knew this well before COVID and know it now even more clearly.
- - - Where to Begin - - -
Expand the familiar conversation around employee morale, school culture, retention and turnover to INCLUDE how we are showing up for ourselves (this is what impacts how we live, lead, teach, create, and relate to one another).
Engage the leadership team, faculty and staff in a series of conversations to highlight what's going well and CELEBRATE those things, then identify what needs our collective attention.
It's likely boundaries - how and where we say yes and no.
It's likely what we do as dedicated, experienced professionals that work against us (overscheduling, multitasking, working around the clock)
It's likely noticing old thought patterns around self-worth and overcompensating to quiet the thoughts.
It's likely supporting each other to rest, refuel, and reflect.
It's likely learning what support looks like and asking for it.
We need to position ourselves for success so that we bring our best every day. This is our job and our responsibility.
Our institution needs to position us for success by taking a close look at school culture and the impact it has on every family, student, staff, and faculty member.
- - - What It Looks Like - - -
A Keynote followed by my signature workshops
* Empty Cup to Full Cup: Strategies to Prevent Burnout
* Discovering an Untapped Resource & Maximizing Your Impact
A 4 week workshop series focused on mindset, reducing stress & overwhelm, advocating for what we need, and creating powerful connections.
A 6 month coaching program for new faculty (you do great work in orienting them to your institution, this focuses on creating a foundation of rest, energy, focus, boundaries, and mindset).
Group coaching for leadership teams designed to empower your team to live and lead from a place of opportunity and abundance.
A voice from the inside...
Bringing over 20 years of experience and insight in independent schools and higher education, together we can shift the culture of your institution to one that TRULY and FULLY aligns in words and actions with your mission.
It begins with a candid conversation about the spoken & unspoken core values that are present in the school community. Are the values of self-sacrifice, martyrdom, serving others, and neglecting ourselves taking root?
It means expanding the conversation around school culture, employee morale, retention, and turnover to include how we are living and leading (perhaps setting the stage for others to follow our example of running ourselves ragged).
It requires courage and vulnerability to explore the example of leadership we are putting forward. It necessitates taking responsibility for the role we have in shaping the school culture and how our actions may be creating unintended results.
I’ve worn MANY hats during my time in education including tutor, volleyball coach, classroom instructor, resident dean, club advisor, counselor, advisor, committee chair, Dean of Community Life, Academic Director, and Dean of Students. I have loved it, and I have lived it. As a result, I know firsthand that working in education can be overwhelming. It can be the proverbial drinking from a fire hose week after week, year after year.
The foundation of my work combines educational training, deep experience working in independent schools and higher education, and certifications as both a health and life coach. My professional experience in the public and private, profit and non-profit sectors complements that education, allowing me to transfer lessons across business industries, organizational structures, and leadership teams.
If it's time to change the conversation and get serious about keeping talented team members, reducing turnover, and nurturing a culture that encourages bringing your best, reach out today.