Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

Are you prioritizing your mental wellbeing?

If you’re anything like the many directors and owners I’ve worked with, your answer probably depends entirely on the season.

Student enrollment? Staff hiring?

“Forget about it, Chanie.”

I know—I understand how it goes. When we’re caught up in a constant state of hypervigilance, we find it diffucult to slow down, rest, and take in life’s little pleasures.

For me, I experience this struggle more than ever when I’m out in nature with my family. 

Instead of taking in the sights, breathing the fresh air, and appreciating the small moment of peace, I’m worrying about which of my kids needs to eat and whether I packed the sunscreen. 

But as I’m sure you realize, it’s when you’re busiest that you need to focus the most on your mental wellbeing. 

This week’s podcast dives into the topic of learning how to prioritize your mental wellbeing. 

In this special bonus episode, I sit down with members of our Director's Inner Circle & Owner's HQ to find out where they’re struggling and offer strategies for bringing more mindfulness into their lives.

We talk about:

• The connection between fear and control
• How trauma affects your present reactions
• Avenues for regaining composure under high anxiety and stress
• …and more!

When you learn to prioritize your own mental wellbeing, the benefits don’t stop with you. By changing the way you operate during stressful seasons, you transform the way you show up for your staff and your school. 

This creates a positive ripple effect throughout your school culture, impacting not only the commitment, accountability, and loyalty of your teachers and staff, but also the quality of your partnerships with parents.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Creating a school of excellence starts with you. To support you on this journey, we’ve compiled a series of resources aimed at helping you be the most effective leader you can be. Learn more about our School Leadership Tool Kit here: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/school-leadership-tool-kit/

The Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ is the #1 community & training program specifically designed for early childhood school leaders and owners who are committed to building schools of excellence. You get 24/7 access to exclusive templates & training to help you motivate your staff and build a collaborative culture that positively impacts the lives of children. Plus the support & accountability you need to create massive momentum.

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

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Has a difficult conversation with someone at your school ever left you feeling guilty?

Me too.

I can recall times when the guilt was so intense that I just couldn’t shake it. 

As a school leader, you can’t avoid difficult conversations. 

Whether it’s with teachers who aren’t getting along, admin staff falling short of their performance goals, or something else, avoiding the problem is worse than confronting it. 

When those conversations get uncomfortable or don’t go well, it’s so easy to take it personally and feel isolated—as if you’re the only school leader out there  who can’t hold your staff accountable and handle difficult situations. 

That’s when guilt creeps in, with shame and self-criticism following right behind.

These feelings will only drain you emotionally, lead to burnout, and stifle your ability to navigate through the kinds of challenges you’re bound to face.

That’s not what I want for you.

You deserve support to let go of those feelings. It will take time, but it's possible—especially when you have a community to lean on.

With the power of community, you will be supported by a powerful grounding force. An aligned community can relate to your challenges, elevate your mindset, and show you grace when you fail.

With the right community, you can trade isolation for belonging and anxiety for peace. 

You’ll be able to handle the challenges and tolerate the discomfort that inevitably comes with school leadership. You’ll become a more resilient and empathetic leader, too.

This week I’m opening up a conversation about how to overcome the challenges of leading a team with three incredible school directors and owners—all of whom are members of our Owner's HQ or Director's Inner Circle programs.

In the third and final episode of my podcast series, You Are Not the Only One, we’ll explore how being part of a like-minded community can help you show up differently as a leader and transform the culture of your center.

This is a conversation about:

• Navigating tough situations with the staff at your school
• Overcoming perfectionism and the urge to people-please
• Trading self-reliance for a genuine community of belonging
• Surrounding yourself with people who can remind you of your greatness

This episode is for you if you need help with difficult conversations at your center and are looking for ideas for approaching them more boldly, honestly, and confidently.

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

Communicating with parents can be challenging, but you can still find joy and celebration in your work. If you’re ready to learn more, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ Program or Director's Inner Circle. Inside you’ll find the support you need to do hard things and a community of like-minded school leaders to share in your wins along the way.

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

As a mom of four, it often feels like I’m supposed to have all the answers.

Whether it’s a homework problem, an argument with a friend, or making the monster under the bed go away, my kids trust that I’ll know exactly what to do.

When people look to you as a leader, it’s easy to put pressure on yourself to get it right every time. You may even fear that getting it wrong could have disastrous consequences.

But in reality, decision-making is a skill that you build over time. 

And that means two things: 

The first is that you’re going to make mistakes. Trust me, I know—I make them all the time!

But the second is that, like any skill, there are things you can do to become a better decision maker and show up for your team in a more impactful way.

In this week’s bonus podcast episode, I explore different ways you can learn to make better decisions, so you can continue building a school of excellence. 

We’ll talk about:

• How the way you frame problems affects your decisions
• Why you shouldn’t rush into decisions
• The power of reflecting on your choices
• The benefit of seeking wise counsel 

Becoming a better decision maker isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about learning the strategies that will lead you to make more informed decisions.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

 Decision-making and other types of mindset development are something that everyone on your team can benefit from. Help teachers think about their work in a new way with our Reflective Questions for Teachers: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/reflective-questions-for-teachers/

The Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ is the #1 community & training program specifically designed for early childhood school leaders and owners who are committed to building schools of excellence. You get 24/7 access to exclusive templates & training to help you motivate your staff and build a collaborative culture that positively impacts the lives of children. Plus the support & accountability you need to create massive momentum.

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

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

How do you respond to difficult situations with parents?

I know many resourceful school leaders just like you who Google solutions. But this approach is limited by what you can find on your own, and there’s always some trial-and-error involved with going it alone.

When I need new ideas and solutions, I prefer to lean into the power of community. Instead of going it alone, I ask, “Who can help me?”

It’s not always easy to ask for help, but it’s worth it.

Seeking community opens me up to broader support to navigate difficult situations. Plus, I gain insight from wider perspectives—including people who have gone before me.

I want you to have community support too. You need it to build a school of excellence. And in this current “cancel culture” society, community is more important than ever.

This week I’m opening up a conversation with two school leaders about creating a safe space to talk about anything with parents.

In the second episode of my new podcast series, You Are Not the Only One, we’ll explore how you can speak up to guide parents, share your center’s values, and communicate the unique vision you have for your school.

This is a conversation about:

• Overcoming self-criticism and the urge to self-censor
• Navigating tough situations with parents
• Leaning on a community of like-minded school leaders

If you’re looking for support to navigate tough conversations and uphold your school’s values, you won’t want to miss this episode.

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

Communicating with parents can be challenging, but you can still find joy and celebration in your work. If you’re ready to learn more, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ Program or Director's Inner Circle. Inside you’ll find the support you need to do hard things and a community of like-minded school leaders to share in your wins along the way.

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

There are few things more heartwarming than seeing a child beam with confidence after overcoming a challenge.

You can see the shift happen almost instantly—their eyes light up, they smile widely, and they stand just a little bit taller.

It’s as if they believe that from that moment forward, they can do anything they set their mind to.

Whether a child in the classroom or a staff member on your team, the key to building a person’s confidence is showing them that they’re capable of doing hard things.

In this week’s bonus podcast episode, I provide several tips to help you start creating and nurturing a confident team. 

We’ll talk about:

• My go-to strategy for encouraging independent decision-making
• Why you should start talking less (counterintuitive, I know!)
• The role of gratitude 
• The best confidence shortcuts (HINT: There aren’t any!)

It’s time to start nurturing your staff’s confidence, so you can build a team that wants to stick around for the long-term.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

P.S. I dive even further into nurturing confidence in my 90-minute, on-demand Confidence & Resiliency training, which shows school leaders how to support their staff and build cultures of excellence. You can learn more here: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/confidence-resiliency-training/

The Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ is the #1 community & training program specifically designed for early childhood school leaders and owners who are committed to building schools of excellence. You get 24/7 access to exclusive templates & training to help you motivate your staff and build a collaborative culture that positively impacts the lives of children. Plus the support & accountability you need to create massive momentum.

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

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

As a leader, you need to learn how to separate yourself from your team. Because if you try to stay at the same level as your teachers or the other staff, your business will implode.

In this special three-part series titled You Are Not the Only One, we open the closed doors to real stories of real people so we can start to normalize the struggle, the joy, the grief, and the milestones of what it takes to build a school of excellence. I hope that through this series, you'll be able to release some of the shame and guilt that you have associated with leadership. I hope that you can laugh and connect, and find relevance in some of the similar challenges.

Links mentioned:

The Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ is the #1 community & training program specifically designed for early childhood school leaders and owners who are committed to building schools of excellence. You get 24/7 access to exclusive templates & training to help you motivate your staff and build a collaborative culture that positively impacts the lives of children. Plus the support & accountability you need to create massive momentum.

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

It’s lonely at the top. PERIOD. But thankfully, you no longer have to go it alone. We’ve compiled a series of resources to shorten the learning curve and support you on your leadership journey. Learn more about our School Leadership Tool Kit here.

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

When was the last time you felt truly seen?

I’m talking about the type of connection where you feel heard, validated, and unafraid of being judged—where you feel safe enough to be fully vulnerable.

For me, it was when I met up with my friend from high school during a conference in Dallas. We rented an Airbnb, ordered takeout, and hung out just like the old days.

We spent 18 hours in that Airbnb, but only 5 of them were spent sleeping. For the other 13, we connected on a level that had me opening up about things I hadn’t talked about in more than a decade.

Why? Because I trusted that not only could I be honest with her, but she would also be honest with me.

Having relationships that are mutually vulnerable is essential to developing self-awareness, which is a core component of building schools of excellence.

In this week’s bonus podcast episode, I offer a series of tactical tips for building self-awareness for yourself and your staff. 

These are the same strategies I use with members inside my Director's Inner Circle & Owner's HQ, where school leaders learn how to support their staff and build cultures of excellence. 

In addition to the impact of genuine friendships, this episode covers:

• The importance of knowing your priorities
• Why you should get comfortable with receiving feedback
• Self-awareness as a skill (that takes lots and lots of practice!)

When you increase your capacity for looking inward, you create a ripple effect of change outward. And that is the mark of an effective school leader.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

While self-awareness is an important aspect of school leadership, it’s not the only one! Check out our Time Management and Accountability Bundle to improve your time management skills and learn how to hold staff and parents accountable.

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Today’s episode will help enlighten you on planning the school year with discernment and wise decision-making filters. Because if we don't filter, everything becomes important, we then lack focus, and it's difficult to plan and be prepared. This invites chaos, uncertainty, and a lot of ambiguity into the day or year and doesn't allow us to follow through and be accountable. Understanding your business objectives, setting clear financial goals, investigating the impulse of projects and stress testing the calendar for this upcoming school year will certainly put you in good form throughout the school year.

Tune in to learn more about:

• Understanding the business objectives
• Setting clear financial goals
• Auditing your expenses
• Defining and scoping projects
• Stress testing the calendar

…and so much more!

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Join the conversation in our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolsofexcellencelounge

To download the worksheet, and PDF to guide you through the whole process of planning the new school year with wise decision-making filters HERE.

The Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ is the #1 community & training program specifically designed for early childhood school leaders and owners who are committed to building schools of excellence. You get 24/7 access to exclusive templates & training to help you motivate your staff and build a collaborative culture that positively impacts the lives of children. Plus the support & accountability you need to create massive momentum.

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

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

This episode is from a live training where I share with you an interesting topic of the paradox of self-reliance and community.

Full schedules are not full lives. As leaders, we have to recognize that no one is coming to check on us or manage our workload. When we are stuck in our stories, our minds are trying to protect us and the ego wants to make our story unique to us; nobody has this level of difficulty.  We need to lean on a community and realize that we are not alone, but we also need to know how to rely on ourselves. 

Schools that stand the test of time are those that can evolve and reinvent themselves, and self-reliance and community are integral pieces to the long-term sustainability of your school.

Tune in to learn more about:

• Thinking independently and embracing your individuality
• Why self-reliance and community are integral pieces to the sustainability of your school
• How to create a community of self-reliance with your team 
• Coaching the concept of self-reliance and building community 
• Difference between being needy and asking for support

…and so much more!

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Join the conversation in our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolsofexcellencelounge

I invite all of you interested in leaning into the community to our owner's group, our legacy mastermind for our highest tier of owners:

http://chanie.me/jointhedic 

The Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ is the #1 community & training program specifically designed for early childhood school leaders and owners who are committed to building schools of excellence. You get 24/7 access to exclusive templates & training to help you motivate your staff and build a collaborative culture that positively impacts the lives of children. Plus the support & accountability you need to create massive momentum.

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

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

In today's episode, I share a compelling practice of self-love and self-recognition; writing a letter of gratitude to yourself. Writing this letter to yourself is a radical opportunity to pause and appreciate who you are and where you've been while providing inspiration for your next stage of growth. Gratitude is a huge part of the School of Excellence Framework and as a director or owner, it is important that you realize that it is very different from gratitude for others. When we show ourselves gratitude, we give ourselves permission to reflect on and accept everything that we've been through.

In a nutshell, I talk about:

• Why it is important to show gratitude to yourself, for things that you have done or have to do
• Leaning into your emotions, fully expressing them to get space for other beautiful emotions
• The 6 incredible steps on how to write a gratitude letter to your former self

        …and so much more!

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Access the free resource to write your letter of gratitude and appreciation here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IjWtyucqwAyXRGYHy8bLwnsPn9wBoGEv/view?usp=sharing

Join the conversation in our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolsofexcellencelounge

The Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ is the #1 community & training program specifically designed for early childhood school leaders and owners who are committed to building schools of excellence. You get 24/7 access to exclusive templates & training to help you motivate your staff and build a collaborative culture that positively impacts the lives of children. Plus the support & accountability you need to create massive momentum.

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

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 partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.