In this thoughtful and deeply human episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I’m joined by Dame Alison Peacock former headteacher and founding CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching to explore the realities of school leadership that are rarely spoken about openly.

Alison describes headship as “both impossible and delightful,” a phrase that captures the tension so many leaders live with every day. Together, we reflect on the unpredictability of leadership, the emotional load leaders carry and the pressure created by inspection, accountability and constant readiness.

This conversation moves beyond systems and structures and centres on people. We talk honestly about isolation in leadership, the myth of the heroic leader and how cultures of trust, collaboration and creativity are not optional extras; they are protective factors against burnout.

Alison shares powerful reflections from her own headship, including leading a school in special measures, and how shifting from control to emancipating teachers rebuilt agency, energy and collective purpose.

This episode is for school leaders, teachers and anyone in education who is holding responsibility alongside care and wondering how to do that without losing themselves in the process.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why school leadership feels both deeply rewarding and relentlessly demanding
• The impact of constant unpredictability and emotional readiness on leaders
• How inspection and accountability quietly shape leadership behaviour
• Why anchoring leadership to a nobler purpose changes everything
• The hidden isolation many leaders experience and why it matters
• Why leadership is not about being the hero, but enabling others
• What “emancipating teachers” looks like in practice
• How burnout begins with feeling unseen, unheard and disconnected
• Why valuing staff wellbeing is essential, not “soft” leadership
• How creativity protects against burnout and restores professional trust
• Why school culture is shaped in small, everyday moments
• What sustainable leadership really requires beyond endurance

Key Message

Leadership is not meant to be carried alone.

Burnout is not a personal failure.

Endurance is not the same as sustainability.

When leadership is rooted in humanity, creativity and shared purpose, it becomes possible to protect both people and outcomes. The tension between heavy and hopeful, impossible and delightful, is not a sign that something is wrong, it is the reality of leading well.

This episode is an invitation to lead with intention, connection and courage and to remember that how we lead matters just as much as what we lead.

Connect with Dame Alison Peacock:

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dame-alison-peacock-dl-dlitt-7b996b24

Would you like to talk about coaching options? 1:1 sessions or group? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/rowenaphicks/30min

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In this episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I’m joined by Bob Benson, a former secondary headteacher and now coach and consultant, to explore a deeply embedded belief in education: that strong leadership means pushing through, coping silentlyand toughing it out.

Drawing on lived experience, Bob reflects on the pressures of headship and how ongoing stress can quietly change who we are, pulling us away from the kindness and values that brought us into education.

Together, we unpack the realities of school life, constant reactivity, emotional labour and long hours and question the idea that being busy or visible equals being effective.

We also explore emotional honesty in leadership, the balance between vulnerability and oversharing and practical ways leaders can protect their wellbeing and model healthier boundaries.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why “toughing it out” is often confused with strength in education
• How leadership pressure can quietly reshape behaviour and identity
• The impact of stress on empathy, kindness, and decision-making
• Why emotional intelligence becomes harder but more vital in busy schools
• The difference between being busy and being effective
• How leaders can model healthier ways of working without guilt
• Why sustainable leadership matters for the future of the profession

Key Message

Toughing it out is not what makes leaders strong.Self-awareness, kindness and courageous boundary-setting are what sustain people and schools over time.

If you’re a leader or teacher feeling the pressure to keep going at all costs, this episode offers reassurance that doing things differently isn't a weakness, it's leadership.

Connect with Bob Benson:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bob-benson1educator.

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In this reflective and honest solo episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I talk openly about vulnerability, near-burnout, and what it has taken for me to finally slow down as 2025 comes to an end.

Inspired by Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability as courage, this episode explores how even positive things like building a business, publishing a book, pursuing passion projects can quietly push us back into old patterns of overworking, people-pleasing, and trying to prove our worth. I share how recognising those patterns early helped me step back before burning out again.

This episode is for teachers, leaders and anyone who feels driven to keep going, even when their body and mind are asking them to stop.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why vulnerability is not weakness, but a form of courage
• How passion and purpose can still lead to burnout if we ignore our limits
• The warning signs that show up when old habits return
• Why rest is more than sleep and what real rest actually looks like
• How learning to truly switch your brain off creates clarity and creativity
• Why prioritising yourself isn’t selfish, even when it feels uncomfortable
• The role of boundaries, saying no, and protecting your energy
• How imposter syndrome and the need to prove ourselves keep us stuck
• Why finding safe people and places matters more than ever
• How small, intentional positives help us and our teams thrive

Key Message

You don’t need to keep proving yourself to be worthy.

Rest is not failure.

Vulnerability is not weakness.

When we slow down, listen to ourselves, and choose to do things differently, we protect our wellbeing and create the conditions to show up with greater clarity, compassion

Follow me on:

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In this episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I’m joined by George Athanasiou, former headteacher and wellbeing consultant, for a powerful conversation about why so many educators are overwhelmed and what we can realistically do about it.

George talks openly about the exhaustion sweeping through schools, the guilt that keeps teachers pushing past their limits, and the pressure leaders face in trying to support everyone while barely holding themselves together. We explore how burnout builds slowly, why self-care must start with basic regulation like breathing and rest, and how mindset shifts only work once the body feels safe again.

George introduces simple but impactful strategies for protecting energy: taking genuine breaks, saying “no” without guilt, focusing on what actually matters, and finding small moments of creativity to reconnect with the joy of teaching. His Cha Cha Cha framework Children, Choice and Challenge offers a beautifully simple way to plan lessons that feel purposeful rather than draining.

We also discuss the role of technology and AI in reducing workload and bringing back the spark of creativity that many teachers feel they’ve lost.

This conversation is honest, practical and deeply human, a reminder that thriving isn’t selfish, it’s essential. And sometimes, the first step really is as simple as one breath, one boundary or one small act of kindness toward yourself.

Connect with George Athanasiou

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeeducationalconsultant

Website: https://www.educationalconsultancy.net/

Follow me on:

1. Instagram: @rowenaphicks

2. Facebook: Rowena Hicks

3. Linked In: Rowena Hicks

Email me: [email protected] 

Visit my website for Books, Journals, Free Community and lots of other interesting stuff: www.rowenahicks.co

In this episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I’m joined by Chloe Fox, an Alternative Provision Lead whose powerful reflections on belonging and community have resonated with thousands across education. After a viral LinkedIn post about the “real gatekeepers” in schools, Chloe has become a compassionate voice for putting humanity back at the centre of our work.

Together, we explore what sits behind the data we’re constantly asked to produce, the relationships, emotional labour and invisible work that truly shape school culture. Chloe opens up about her journey through burnout, losing herself in fear, pressure and perfectionism and the transformation that came when she pressed pause and rebuilt with support.

She returns to education with a renewed purpose:

to champion belonging, connection and authenticity as the foundations of thriving staff and thriving students.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How getting caught up in fear, metrics and accountability can disconnect us from our why.
• The reality of self-destruct patterns like constant availability and hyper-responsibility.
• What it means to “lose yourself” and how to find your way back.
• Why vulnerability is the most courageous form of leadership.
• How imposter syndrome shows up across education for support staff, teachers and leaders.
• The importance of psychological safety and honest conversations.
• Why community, belonging and relationships must come before data.
• Slowing down enough to notice stress responses before they become burnout.

Key messageIf staff feel seen, valued, heard and safe, everything else follows: wellbeing, behaviour, learning, teamwork, culture and outcomes.

Belonging isn’t a tick box. It’s something we feel.

Connect with Chloe:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloefoxpastoral/

Want to find out more about my new course 5 Minutes to Thrive? Go to my website at www.rowenahicks.com

Follow me on:

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⁠2. Facebook: ⁠Rowena Hicks⁠

3. Linked In: ⁠Rowena Hicks

Email me: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Visit my website for Books, Journals, Free Community and lots of other interesting stuff: ⁠www.rowenahicks.com

In this episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I sit down once again with Dr Adam McCartney, Educational Psychologist, to explore the quiet but powerful forces shaping staff wellbeing in schools today. This conversation looks beyond workload and policies, and instead examines what truly drives burnout identity, autonomy, culture, and the systems teachers work within every day.

Adam shares powerful insights from his work across schools and explains why so many teachers are silently struggling, even in environments that appear functional on the surface. Together, we unpack what leaders and teachers can do to shift from surviving to genuinely thriving.

We talk about:

• The silent epidemic of stress in schools and why it often goes unnoticed

• How budget cuts, loss of support staff, and unrealistic expectations are impacting staff wellbeing

• Why a clear vision and shared purpose can transform culture (and what happens when it’s missing)

• The role of communities of practice in strengthening collaboration, trust, and identity

• How teacher identity can become unhealthy and what educators can do to protect their sense of self

• Difficult conversations: why they matter and how schools can approach them safely

• The importance of autonomy and psychologically informed management systems

• A powerful real-life example of a teacher who went from nearly being dismissed to becoming one of the school’s strongest practitioners

• Practical steps for leaders who want to empower staff without burning themselves out

• How schools can create systems that work without relying on one person

• What healthy leadership looks like when it comes to pastoral care, role clarity, and trust

I especially loved the final story. Adam shared a reminder that the right support, structure, and trust can completely change a teacher’s trajectory. These moments show what’s possible when school systems prioritise people over pressure.

Connect with Dr Adam McCartney

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dradammcartney/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581143277228

Linked In:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-adam-mccartney-afbpss-647ab1221/

Podcast: https://www.dradammccartney.com/betweentwopsychs

Follow me on:

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Email me: [email protected] 

Visit my website for Books, Journals, Free Community and lots of other interesting stuff: www.rowenahicks.co

In this solo episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, it’s just me reflecting on what a truly thriving school might look like. This week, AI gave me a suggestion of what a “perfect day” in school could be, and honestly… It made me laugh. From calm mornings and joyful lunches to smooth lessons and a stress-free 5 p.m. finish, it painted a picture that felt miles away from reality.

So I started to wonder: what does a real day in school actually look like? And more importantly, what would it take for us to thrive within that reality of the chaos, the unpredictability, and the constant demands we face as educators and leaders?

Drawing on my 30+ years in schools around the world, including a story from a little school in Poland where children hid in cupboards on my first day, I explore the truth that schools are full of messy, marvelous humans. We care deeply, but that caring can come at a cost.

In this episode, I share my own experience of burnout, how I let work become my identity, and what I’ve learned since about boundaries, rest and the courage to switch off. I also talk about small, practical ways we can begin to change things right now: five-minute pauses, leaving work on time once a week, and remembering that our worth isn’t tied to how hard we work.

I also introduce 5 Minutes to Thrive, the course I created to help staff teams build reflection and wellbeing into their weekly routine. It’s not another wellbeing add-on; it’s about changing habits and mindsets so we can all become stronger, calmer, and more creative versions of ourselves.

In this episode, I explore:

• The difference between the “ideal” school day and our lived reality.

• Why it’s so easy to let work become our identity and how to stop it.

• The hidden cost of constant caring and why we need to switch off.

• How I learned to rest, reset, and reclaim balance after burnout.

• Why thriving teachers create thriving schools (and even better student outcomes).

• Simple challenges you can start today, like putting yourself first for just one hour this week.

Want to find out more about my new course 5 Minutes to Thrive? Go to my website at www.rowenahicks.com

Follow me on:

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2. Facebook: ⁠Rowena Hicks⁠

3. Linked In: ⁠Rowena Hicks⁠

Email me: [email protected]⁠ ⁠

Visit my website for Books, Journals, Free Community and lots of other interesting stuff: ⁠www.rowenahicks.com

In this episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I’m joined by Viv Grant, former head teacher, mother of three, author, and Director of Integrity Coaching. Viv brings deep emotional honesty, lived experience, and decades of leadership insight to a conversation about something many educators silently struggle with: what happens when we stop being whole humans in the profession?

We explore Viv’s journey from newly appointed head teacher (while pregnant!) to navigating burnout, emotional overwhelm, and the heavy expectations of school leadership. Viv shares openly about how the pressure to “be strong,” “please everyone,” and keep going no matter what led her to a breaking point and how this became the catalyst for the compassionate coaching work she now leads.

Together, we unpack why so many educators feel like cogs in a fast-moving machine, how identity gets lost behind the “teacher/leader suit,” and what it really takes to create school cultures where staff can feel safe, seen, and human again.

This conversation is both grounding and empowering, a reminder that you are more than your role, your results, or your resilience.

In this conversation, you’ll hear about:

• Viv’s pathway into headship and the emotional cost of always “being strong.”

• How personal identity, motherhood, and leadership intersect in powerful (and messy) ways.

• Why do many schools unintentionally encourage staff to compartmentalise who they are?

• The difference between reacting and responding and why self-awareness is the key.

• The five behavioural “drivers” (like please others and be perfect) that quietly shape our choices.

• How pausing, reflection, and permission to care for ourselves can shift everything.

• Why psychological safety matters more than any wellbeing initiative or bolt-on strategy.

• Viv’s journey through serious illness and how creativity helped her reconnect with her inner wisdom.

This episode is a tender nudge to remember:

Teachers and leaders are whole people with histories, emotions, identities, hopes, and lives beyond school.

When we create cultures where individuality is honoured and listening is prioritised, teachers don’t just survive, they thrive.

Connect with Viv Grant:

Linked In: Viv Grant FRSA

Want to find out more about my new course 5 Minutes to Thrive? Go to my website at www.rowenahicks.com

Follow me on:

1. Instagram: ⁠@rowenaphicks⁠

2. Facebook: ⁠Rowena Hicks⁠

3. Linked In: Rowena Hicks⁠

4.Email me: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Visit my website for Books, Journals, Free Community and lots of other interesting stuff: ⁠www.rowenahicks.com

In this episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I sit down with Hannah, headteacher at Orchards (TCAT). We begin by talking about her unlikely source of calm: her farm animals. Between ducks, pigs, chickens, and her kids playing in the mud, that space is where she truly disconnects and resets.

Together, we explore the emotional toll of teaching and leadership, especially the quiet burnout that comes from being constantly responsible for others. Hannah and I unpack what it means to lead human-first: to bring compassion, self-awareness, and honesty into a system that often forgets teachers are people too.

We also talk about what leadership really means, how it’s not about being perfect, but about being reflective and humble enough to keep learning. I share a five-minute meeting opener from my 5 Minutes to Thrive course that helps teams begin conversations with reflection instead of rush.

Hannah explains how she’s building a culture that models wellbeing, not just preaches it. At Orchards, every teacher gets one off-site PPA afternoon a week, and senior leaders are expected to actually take time themselves because showing balance is just as important as talking about it.

We dive into the loneliness of the DSL role and Hannah’s new book, The Honest DSL, written to name the hidden emotional weight of safeguarding and offer real solidarity. She also wrote The Honest Headteacher, both with Teacher Writers.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Why emotional burnout is increasing and how to respond with empathy and realism.

• What a truly human school culture looks like.

• How reflection and self-awareness can become a team habit in under five minutes a week.

• Why leaders must model healthy boundaries, not just talk about them.

• The importance of visible structures like off-site PPAs to show trust and respect.

• How to protect family life without guilt and reject toxic “either/or” narratives.

• Why safeguarding roles need community and emotional backup, not just training.

Connect with Hannah Carter:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/hannah-carter-73485774

Blog: https://theeducationimpactnetwork.edublogs.org/

Want to find out more about my new course 5 Minutes to Thrive? Go to my website at www.rowenahicks.com

Follow me on:

1. Instagram: @rowenaphicks⁠

2. Facebook: Rowena Hicks

3. Linked In: ⁠Rowena Hicks⁠

Email me: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Visit my website for Books, Journals, Free Community and lots of other interesting stuff: ⁠www.rowenahicks.com

In this episode of Beat Teacher Burnout, I sit down with Rebekah Alsey, a former headteacher and mum of five, who shares a deeply emotional and honest story about how her dedication to education ultimately came at the cost of her health.

Rebekah opens up about the moment everything changed: delivering an INSET day in 2023 when she suffered from Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as Broken Heart Disease, a stress-induced heart failure that feels just like a heart attack. Though she recovered, the experience left her physically and emotionally shaken, leading her to step down from headship in 2025.

Together, we explore the painful realities of burnout in school leadership, the culture of self-sacrifice that keeps so many teachers pushing beyond their limits, and the urgent need for emotional support and systemic change in education.

This conversation is raw, moving, and full of hard-earned wisdom. We talk about the love of teaching that drives leaders to give everything, the guilt of stepping away, and the practical ways schools can start putting people before performance.

In this conversation, you’ll hear about:

• How chronic stress and self-neglect can affect physical health

• The emotional toll of leadership and the cost of serving everyone else first

• Why coaching and supervision should be standard practice in education

• How imposter syndrome fuels overworking and exhaustion

• The importance of psychological safety and vulnerability in schools

• Redefining what success means in education

• Creating time and space for reflection as a leader

• Why caring for yourself helps everyone around you thrive
  

Rebekah’s story is a powerful reminder that passion without boundaries can break even the strongest hearts, and that stepping back isn’t failure but an act of courage and self-preservation.

Connect with Rebekah:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-alsey-848518128/

Want to find out more about my new course 5 Minutes to Thrive? Go to my website at www.rowenahicks.com

Follow me on:

1. Instagram: ⁠ @rowenaphicks⁠

2. Facebook:  ⁠Rowena Hicks⁠

3. Linked In: ⁠Rowena Hicks

⁠Email me: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Visit my website for Books, Journals, Free Community and lots of other interesting stuff: ⁠www.rowenahicks.com