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Feeling burnt out? You’re not alone.

You’re trying to lead, support, coach, and hold it all together—but it’s starting to show. That quiet dread. The blurred lines between work and, well, everything else.

Here’s the thing: burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means the system you’re operating in needs an upgrade.

What if the problem isn’t how much you’re doing... but what you believe about what you have to do?

Listen to this episode with April Little. We’re talking burnout, boundaries, belief systems—and how to actually build something better.

We're booking for the 2025-2026 school year! Check out our programs and services (including keynotes, PD's and the Academy)!
 

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If your school avoids hard conversations, you don’t have belonging. You have politeness.

We confuse being nice with building belonging. But “nice” often means silence, avoidance, and surface-level smiles. Comfort isn’t the same as safety. Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson coined the term psychological safety—the ability to speak up, take risks, and be vulnerable without fear.

In “nice” cultures, people feel comfortable... but not safe. Real belonging requires vulnerability, not just harmony.

 Listen to this episode to find out how to move your culture from polite silence to real belonging—and why discomfort might be the missing piece.  

Want more on this?
 👉 Head to the blog: “The Culture of Niceness is Not Belonging” for a deeper dive and practical ways to shift your school culture. 

 👉 Want to know what’s really holding your team back?
Take the Catalyst Mindsets™ Quiz to uncover which mindset is missing—and what to do about it.
Because sometimes, the problem isn’t the people. It’s the mindset gap.

[Take the Quiz now]
 

Research: Psychological Safety Comes of Age: Observed Themes in an
Established Literature 

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Casey Watts has spent over 20 years in education, and she’s got a sharp diagnosis: too many schools are stuck in quiet chaos—lots of strategies, zero clarity, and a fast track to burnout.

Enter the Clarity Cycle, a six-step game plan to cut through the fog: focus, cast vision, gain insight, provide feedback, celebrate systematically, and sustain. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not so much.

Watts drives home two must-dos: Leaders need habits of clarity, and celebrations aren’t optional—they’re fuel. If schools want real engagement, they need real alignment. Otherwise, they’re just spinning their wheels.

 *Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz.* 

Casey Watt's Info:

 All Things PLC Podcast Playlist

3 Reasons Teachers Keep Asking for More (and How To Solve It Without Spending a Dime!): A free webinar replay and resources!

LinkedIn |  Instagram  |  YouTube

Watch the unedited video version of the episode HERE on Youtube. 

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Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

Most schools say they want teachers who take initiative. But here’s the kicker—they’re still running a compliance culture that trains teachers to wait for permission. If you’ve ever wondered why schools feel stuck in resistance and disengagement, this is why. 

In this episode, we break down:

• Why compliance-driven leadership kills initiative (and what to do instead)
• The 3 essential elements of Ownership Mindset: Agency, Optimism, and Accountability
• The difference between constructive and destructive accountability—and why getting this wrong keeps schools spinning their wheels
• How accountability—when done right—builds self-regulation, not compliance 

If your accountability isn’t building ownership, it’s just compliance in disguise. 

Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap in your school? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**!

Catalyst Mindset Overview: Ep. 122: Why Growth Mindset Isn't Enough

Research: Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions

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Rolling out a new curriculum? Brace yourself—resistance, frustration, and missteps are inevitable… unless you do it right. Join Sean Lindsey and me as we break down what it really takes to get teachers, students, and families on board—without wasted effort or top-down mandates that fall flat.

We’re talking about:
The #1 mistake leaders make when choosing a curriculum – Teachers and students aren’t just checkboxes in your curriculum rollout. Use a rubric based on their actual needs—not just the shiniest new program. 

How to turn teachers into champions (not skeptics) – Training, time, and real support matter. Mass rollouts of a new curriculum to teachers without these? Recipe for disaster.

The secret to getting parents on your side before they push back – If parents don’t understand the “why,” they’ll resist the “what.” Learn how to engage them from the start.

How school leaders can do more than just cheerlead – Leaders who don’t get the curriculum can’t lead it. We’ll talk about how to remove barriers and create real instructional shifts.

Don’t gamble with your rollout—learn how to make it stick. 

Free Resources:

[FREE] Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

[FREE DOWNLOAD] Levels of Resistance

[FREE RESOURCE] Podcast Playlists (Episodes that focus on Resistance to Change)

Sean Lindsey Info:

LinkedIn  |  Reading Horizons  |  The Reading League

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We aren't here for wishful thinking—we stand for hope as action. Hope-centered leadership isn’t about toxic positivity; it’s about setting bold goals, creating real pathways, and owning the work. Inspired by Dr. Shane Lopez’s research, we fuse agency, optimism, and accountability into an Ownership Mindset that fuels change. Without hope, schools spiral into stagnation and burnout. We’ll break down the three essential drivers of hope—and the strategic actions you can take to embed them in your school. Leaders who clarify the vision, help people see multiple pathways to get there and keep people moving forward, create schools where students and educators achieve their full capabilities. The data doesn’t lie—hope isn’t just nice; it’s necessary.

*Related Episode*

#122: Why Growth Mindset Isn't Enough: The Five Mindsets You Need to Drive Change

Research:

• Hope and School Leadership
• Instilling Hope in Students

Use this podcast for FREE PD! [PODCAST PLAYLISTS]

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Dr. Kim Richardson and I discuss building leadership identity with intention. We look at people-centered leadership backed by the 24 character strengths —like love of learning, empathy, and bravery—not as soft skills, but as essential tools for leaders who actually want to make an impact.

Ethical leadership isn’t a suggestion; it’s a requirement. Richardson lays it out—bravery, honesty, social intelligence, and self-regulation aren’t optional if you want to lead with integrity. If you’re not reflecting on your strengths, you’re leading blind. Join us to learn more about:

• Knowing your top strengths. If you can’t name them, you’re not using them.
• Using strengths to build your team, not just yourself. This isn’t solo work.
• Leading with integrity. Ethics matter.

Leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about action. 

Use this podcast for FREE PD! [PODCAST PLAYLISTS]

Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

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Becca and Dr. Chris Jones cohost another episode where they explore how imposter syndrome affects everyone, especially our high-achieving coaches and leaders. Everyone experiences imposter syndrome, no matter their experience level. Here are the highlights:

• Different Reactions to Imposter Syndrome
  • People either overcompensate or underfunction when faced with imposter syndrome.
• Strategies to Manage Imposter Syndrome
  • Chris emphasizes the importance of recognizing and being yourself to manage imposter syndrome.
  • Self-regulation to prevent emotional dysregulation. Become a “professional noticer” to recognize when imposter syndrome is affecting behavior.
• Impact of Unnoticed Imposter Syndrome
  • Unaddressed imposter syndrome can lead to harmful behaviors like micromanagement or avoidance.
  • Operating under the weight of imposter syndrome harms both leaders and teams.
• The Role of Transparency and Vulnerability
  • Leaders admitting to imposter syndrome can foster authenticity and improve connections within teams.
  • Leaders should invite collaboration by admitting when they don’t have all the answers.
  • Be conscious of the stories you tell yourself and make an effort to change the narrative.

Here's the "How fascinating!" video clip!

[Catalyst Mindsets] Ep. #122: Why Growth Mindset Isn't Enough: The Five Mindsets You Need to Drive Change

Work with The Whole Educator! Check out our programs and offerings.

Check out our FREE RESOURCES here as well! 

Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

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Are you ready to lead with real impact? In their new book, "Coaching Education Leaders," Michelle Jarney, Michael Kim, and Nancy Gutierrez get real about their Facilitative Competency-Based Coaching (FCB) approach—a method designed to push school leaders out of their comfort zones and into real transformation. Their message? If coaching isn’t making people uncomfortable, it’s not working.

They break down the power of precision questioning—not just to make people think, but to expose blind spots, shift mindsets, and drive real behavior change. They dig into the Tailor Your Approach chart and Clutterbuck’s Levels of Dialogue, giving coaches a framework to move leaders beyond surface-level conversations and into deep, systemic change.

The Hard Truths:

• Coaching isn’t passive. If you’re just listening, you’re not coaching.
• Stop coaching for comfort—create inescapable learning moments that force self-insight and behavior shifts.
• Coaches must be adaptable. One-size-fits-all coaching doesn’t work.
• Questioning is a strategy, not a checklist. Purposeful questions expose hidden barriers and unlock change.
• Leaders need to be held accountable. Reflection is great, but action is everything.

[Catalyst Mindsets] Ep. #122: Why Growth Mindset Isn't Enough: The Five Mindsets You Need to Drive Change

Work with The Whole Educator! Check out our programs and offerings.

Check out our FREE RESOURCES here as well!

Let's Stay Connected!
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Contact Us

Send us a text

Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

Growth mindset? Oversold. It’s not the magic bullet schools think it is. Telling teachers and students to “just believe in improvement” without addressing what’s blocking them is like throwing seeds on dry, compacted soil and expecting a lush garden—without loosening the ground, adding nutrients, or ensuring there’s water, those seeds don’t stand a chance.

Becca reveals five Catalyst Mindsets™ —Value, Ownership, Belonging, Success, and Growth—that actually move people from burnout to engagement and from passive compliance to real action.

Value Mindset: If it doesn’t matter to me, I’m not investing energy. Connect initiatives to personal goals, or watch engagement stay surface-level.

Ownership Mindset: Stop waiting for someone else to fix it. Agency, accountability, and integrity drive real change.

Belonging Mindset: If I don’t feel like I belong, I’m not taking risks. Schools must create real psychological safety, not just “niceness.”

Success Mindset: If I don’t believe I can succeed, I won’t even try. Coaching must reinforce small wins and self-efficacy to build real confidence.

Growth Mindset: It’s a continuum, not a checkbox. Where someone falls on that continuum matters more than whether they “have” a growth mindset.

Coaches and Leaders: Your Challenge 

• Identify Resistance—Which mindset is missing?
• Make Change Manageable—Break it down into small wins that build confidence.
• Stop Asking About Growth Mindset—Ask where someone is on the continuum and coach them through the messy middle.

Growth mindset alone won’t move the needle. Change happens when we address the right mindsets, in the right way, at the right time.

Want more info? Check out these resources:

The Five Catalyst Mindsets™: Why Growth Mindset Isn’t Enough [BLOG]

Download the Catalyst Mindsets™ One Pager Here

Human Centered Academy

Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

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