As rewarding as leadership can be, it's also incredibly lonely.

When you're the person who people go to for guidance and support, where does that leave you in your times of need?

It's a question that many owners and directors I work with have grappled with, including Donna Rettle.

In 2016, Donna was hired to work under the Executive Director as the Director of Education at a preschool in upstate New York. Her talent, drive, and fresh perspective made her the perfect candidate to replace the Executive Director when she retired.

The only issue was, no one knew exactly when she would retire.

Although the Executive Director often talked about retiring, she never actually took the steps to make it happen. And this continued for years.

For Donna, this back and forth, will-she-or-won't-she situation was incredibly disheartening. She felt like she was being toyed with and would spend many nights in tears over the uncertainty of her future in the program.

And worst of all, she felt alone. As a director whose issue involved the Executive Director of the preschool, she had no one to consult or lean on for support.

By 2021, Donna had reached her limit. As much as she believed in the program and the work she was doing, she had had enough and was ready to move on.

But just as she was ready to walk away, something happened that changed Donna's perspective: She came across my guest appearance on the HiMama podcast.

Hearing about Schools of Excellence and the work we do with owners and directors suddenly made Donna feel less alone in her struggles. For the first time in five years, she realized she was part of a community—she just needed to find them.

In this week's podcast episode, I sit down with Donna Rettle to talk about her journey from being trapped in isolating limbo to becoming the successful executive director she is today. 

We chat about Donna's experience within the Schools of Excellence Director's Inner Circle membership program and how it transformed her life and leadership.

Join us for a conversation about:

• Donna's struggles before joining the membership
• Her experience being a part of the Director's Inner Circle
• How that experience impacted her leadership
• Her goals moving forward as the  executive director of her school

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

If Donna's story resonates with you and you're looking to transform your leadership just as she did, I encourage you to apply for our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you build the skills that will propel your leadership and school forward.

In addition to our membership programs, we have a variety of other resources for owners and directors who want to level up their leadership. One of our latest offerings is our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During this 90-minute online workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can achieve your goals while reclaiming your life and your time.

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent...