What if educator wellness wasn't a side initiative, but the design principle at the center of every school policy, schedule, and leadership decision?

In this episode, Kari and Mark sit down with Courtney Cook, PK-12 principal at Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School to explore what it really looks like to build systems that support the humans doing the hardest work in education.

From rethinking dress codes and meeting structures to knowing when to abort a well-intentioned initiative, Courtney shares honest, practical leadership lessons rooted in both research and real-world experience. This conversation encourages us to reflect on how our systems are currently designed, what we actually want them to do, and the small, consistent practices that can strengthen them. 

Views expressed are the co-hosts' own and not those of the University of Iowa or its College of Education.