Are you leading your school while secretly running on empty? In this episode, we’re diving into what principal burnout really looks like—and what you can do when you’re exhausted but still expected to lead with clarity, confidence, and calm. Whether you’re already feeling the weight of constant interruptions, decision fatigue, and emotional exhaustion, or you want to prevent burnout before it takes hold, this episode will help you reset. Barb breaks down burnout warning signs, the six burnout profiles she sees most often in principals, and three high-impact resets you can implement this week to reclaim your energy and protect your time.

You’ll learn how to set simple, realistic boundaries, build protected work blocks into your day, and use the TEA Cycle to shift the thoughts fueling your overwhelm. Barb also shares strategies for rebuilding your mental and physical energy—so you can reconnect to the parts of leadership you actually love. If you want practical tools for recovering from or preventing burnout, this episode is your roadmap back to feeling grounded, capable, and in control again.

Check out The Principal's Burnout Toolkit

Learn more about today's sponsors, Renaissance, Playworks and IXL:

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.