The Next Level Teacher Podcast

In this episode of The Next Level Teacher Podcast, Brenna explores the science behind laughter and why humor may be one of the most overlooked tools for teacher wellness and burnout recovery.

Teaching is emotionally demanding, and while laughter isn’t a cure-all, it is a powerful way to relieve stress, regulate your nervous system, and create stronger classroom connections. Backed by neuroscience, humor can help teachers feel lighter, calmer, and more resilient—even during the hardest seasons of teaching.

In this episode, Brenna shares:😊 The neuroscience of laughter and stress relief 
😊 How humor impacts the brain and nervous system 
😊 Why laughter helps build classroom connection and emotional safety  
😊 The difference between coping tools and true emotional resilience  
😊 Practical ways to retrain your brain to notice humor again during burnout 
😊 Funny real-life classroom stories from Brenna’s own teaching experience 

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or stuck in survival mode, this episode is a reminder that joy still matters—and sometimes laughter is the first step back toward feeling like yourself again.

🎧 Listen now and discover why laughter may be one of the most underrated teacher self-care tools out there.

✨ Ready to build deeper emotional resilience and stay calmer in the classroom?
 Learn more about Brenna’s course, Calm in the Classroom, at:
brennanelsoncoaching.com/calmteacher

Why do so many teachers feel emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed, resentful, and burned out by the end of the school year?

In this episode of The Next Level Teacher podcast, Brenna explores the powerful concept of “powerful yeses” and “powerful nos” inspired by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and his book The Science of Scaling.

Teachers are often conditioned to say yes to everything:
➡️ extra responsibilities,
➡️ late-night emails,
➡️ emotional labor,
➡️ people-pleasing,
➡️ overextending themselves,
➡️ and constantly sacrificing their own needs.
But what if the real issue behind teacher burnout isn’t time management…What if it’s misalignment?
In this episode, Brenna breaks down:🔸 the difference between weak yeses and powerful yeses  
🔸 why weak boundaries create resentment and emotional exhaustion  
🔸 how teachers unintentionally abandon themselves in small ways  
🔸 why emotionally healthy teachers practice discernment  
🔸 how to say no without guilt, overexplaining, or shame  
🔸 why caring for yourself actually increases your capacity to care for others  
🔸 how intentional choices create a more sustainable teaching career 

If you’re a teacher struggling with burnout, overwhelm, or emotional exhaustion, this episode will help you rethink the way you say yes and no in both teaching and life.

Because emotionally healthy teachers are not the teachers doing the most.They’re the teachers making intentional choices with wisdom.

Mentioned in This Episode
Calm in the Classroom: Modern-day Solutions to Teacher Stress, Overwhelm, and Anxiety
The Science of Scaling

It’s May. The testing is endless. The behaviors feel bigger. Your patience feels thinner. And many teachers are wondering how they’re supposed to keep doing this year after year.

In this episode of The Next Level Teacher podcast, Brenna shares an honest and compassionate conversation about teacher burnout, emotional exhaustion, nervous system overload, and the thought patterns that keep so many teachers feeling stuck at the end of the school year.
If you’ve been thinking:
“I’m failing.”  
“I can’t keep doing this.”  
“This year broke me.”  
“I’m emotionally drained.” 

…this episode is for you.

You’ll learn why your emotions make complete sense under chronic stress and why feeling overwhelmed does not mean something is wrong with you.
This episode is a powerful reminder that a hard year does not make you a bad teacher; emotional exhaustion does not mean you are broken; and the way you feel today does not have to be the way you feel forever.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
✅ How chronic stress impacts teachers emotionally  
✅ Why your nervous system feels overloaded during the school year  
✅ The connection between thoughts, emotions, and burnout  
✅ Why teachers struggle to emotionally recover  
✅ How to create emotional safety from the inside out  
✅ What emotional regulation for teachers actually looks like  
✅ Why mindset work is not toxic positivity  
✅ How to stop carrying the emotional weight of the classroom alone 


Ready to Transform Your Classroom Experience? Check out Calm in the Classroom.Use the discount code: PODCAST to save $50

Ever feel like you know what would help your stress, overwhelm, or burnout… but you just can’t seem to make yourself do it?

In this episode of The Next Level Teacher Podcast, Brenna explores the concept of emotional inertia and the psychology behind why overwhelmed teachers often feel stuck—even when they desperately want things to feel different.

Using a hilarious story involving middle school boys, flying peanut butter sandwiches, and the law of inertia, Brenna introduces the powerful concept of behavioral activation: the idea that motivation doesn’t usually come before action… it often comes after.

If you’re a teacher struggling with:🔸burnout  
🔸emotional exhaustion  
🔸procrastination  
🔸overwhelm  
🔸lack of motivation  
🔸stress after school  
🔸avoidance habits  
🔸feeling disconnected from yourself …this episode will help you understand why that happens and how to gently start getting unstuck again—without toxic positivity, hustle culture, or pressure to “do more.”

You’ll learn:✅ Why avoidance temporarily feels good (but keeps you stuck)  
✅ The science behind behavioral activation and dopamine 
✅ How emotional inertia impacts teachers 
✅ Why tiny actions matter more than dramatic overhauls 
✅ The difference between true rest and avoidance 
✅ Practical ways to reconnect with yourself during burnout 

This episode is your reminder that you do not need to overhaul your life overnight.Sometimes healing starts with one walk, one shower, one text message, one glass of water, or just one supportive action.

Tiny actions create momentum.And momentum changes everything.

Ready for More Help? Check out Calm in the Classroom: Modern-day Solutions to Teacher Stress, Overwhelm, and Anxiety.

The Next Level Teacher Podcast - Episode 106 (Encore): The Truth About Your Students’ Test Results

It’s testing season—and with it comes a wave of pressure, stress, and self-doubt for so many teachers.

In this encore episode of The Next Level Teacher, we’re taking a different approach.
Instead of debating standardized testing or trying to “fix” the system, we’re
focusing on something much more powerful: your mindset around your students’ test results.
Because here’s the truth most teachers were never taught:
 👉 Test scores are neutral.
 👉 The meaning you give them is what creates your emotional experience.
Inside this episode, you’ll learn how to separate data from drama, avoid the trap of shame and blame, and respond to test results in a way that actually supports your growth—without tearing yourself down in the process.
✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
** Why your students’ test scores are not a reflection of your worth as a teacher
** How to apply the self-coaching model to testing season  The critical difference between data vs. the story you attach to it
** What “clean pain” vs. “dirty pain” looks like—and why it matters 
** How to take productive responsibility without spiraling into shame  
** Why you’re not actually chasing test scores—you’re chasing a feeling  
** A healthier, more grounded way to evaluate your impact as an educator 


💡 Key Takeaway:
A test score is just a snapshot—how a student performed on a set of questions on a single day.

It is not a complete measure of their growth… and it is definitely not a measure of your value as a teacher.
🎯 Ready to Go Deeper?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or just need support navigating this time of year, you don’t have to do it alone.
👉 Sign up for a free mini coaching session with me and we’ll work through whatever is on your mind—whether that’s testing stress, burnout, or a goal you’re working toward.

Click HERE to schedule! 
⭐ Help Other Teachers Find This PodcastIf this episode resonated with you, take a minute to leave a rating and a kind review. It helps more teachers discover these tools and create calmer, more sustainable teaching careers.

How often does your brain decide, within seconds, that something in your classroom is “bad”?

A lesson flops.
A student rolls their eyes.
You see a challenging class list.
And before the moment is even over, your mind has already written the ending.
In this episode of The Next Level Teacher, I’m sharing one simple word that can completely shift the way you experience those moments:
Maybe.
This tiny mindset shift creates space between what happens and what you decide it means. Instead of rushing to a worst-case story, “maybe” keeps you open, curious, and emotionally grounded.
Because the truth is: you do not know how the story ends yet.
And that uncertainty?
It can actually become one of your greatest sources of peace and power as a teacher.
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why your brain rushes to label classroom moments as “good” or “bad” ✔️ The powerful lesson behind the Chinese farmer story  How one word can interrupt catastrophic thinking  
✔️ Why “maybe” helps you stay calm, curious, and solution-focused  
✔️ How quickly labeling students or lessons can shape your future experience  
✔️ A simple way to keep your energy when things don’t go as planned 

What if the thing that’s making teaching feel so heavy… isn’t your students, your admin, or your workload—but where you’re placing your focus?In this episode of The Next Level Teacher, I’m breaking down one simple but powerful concept that can completely change how you experience your day in the classroom: your locus of control.

Because here’s the truth—teaching will always be unpredictable. But when you learn to shift your focus from what you can’t control to what you can, everything starts to feel lighter, more manageable, and a whole lot more empowering.
If you’ve ever found yourself thinking,

 “Why did that one moment ruin my entire day?”
 or
 “I just wish I could feel more in control…”
This episode is for you.
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
* The difference between your outer circle (what you can’t control) and your inner circle (what you can)  
* Why focusing on student behavior, admin decisions, or “perfect lessons” keeps you feeling stuck  
* The subtle mindset shift that helps you feel more grounded—even on hard days  
* How your brain’s “story” about a situation shapes your entire experience  
* A simple, in-the-moment question that can instantly shift your perspective  
* 3 practical ways to start reclaiming your energy and emotional control in the classroom 


🔑 Key Takeaway:

You don’t control what happens in your classroom.
But you do control how you show up to what happens.
And that’s where your power is.
❤️ Why This Matters for Teachers:

When your sense of a “good day” depends on everything going smoothly, you’ll constantly feel off-balance.

But when you anchor yourself in what’s actually yours to manage—your thoughts, your reactions, your perspective—you create stability, even in the chaos.
🎧 Ready to Feel More in Control of Your Teaching Day?

Press play and start noticing where your power really lives.
🔗 Next Steps:

If this episode resonated with you and you’re ready to take this work deeper, check out my course:
Calm in the Classroom: Modern-day Solutions to Teacher Stress, Overwhelm, and Anxiety, in which I teach you exactly how to manage your thoughts and emotions so you can feel calmer, more confident, and more in control (no matter what your students are doing).

In today's conversation, Brenna breaks down a powerful (and surprisingly simple) stress-relief tool that most teachers already have access to—but likely aren’t using in a way that actually supports their nervous system.
 Spoiler: it’s not another routine, strategy, or time-consuming habit. It’s reading. 

But not the kind you do for lesson plans, grading, or professional development. 

We’re talking about reading for you. 
In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ Why most self-care strategies only treat symptoms—not the root cause of stress
✅The difference between “escape-based” habits (like scrolling) and true nervous system regulation 
✅ What research says about reading and stress reduction (including a study showing up to a 68% decrease in stress) 
✅ How reading signals safety to your brain and helps you exit the stress response  
✅ Why teachers especially need this kind of mental reset  
✅ How reading can improve emotional regulation, empathy, and overall well-being 
 
Want to learn more about effective, long-lasting self-care?
Grab the free training for teachers! Click HERE! 

Episode Title: You Don’t Have to Fix Everything 
There’s a quiet pressure many teachers carry: the belief that if something is wrong in the classroom, it must be their responsibility to fix it. 
A struggling student.
A difficult behavior.
A child’s emotions.
A situation that feels bigger than you. 
Because teachers care deeply, it’s easy to start carrying the weight of everything that happens in the classroom. But that level of responsibility isn’t sustainable—and it was never meant to be your job. 
In this episode, Brenna talks about the difference between supporting students and owning their struggles, and why learning that distinction can dramatically lighten the emotional load teachers carry every day. 
You’ll learn: Why teachers often feel responsible for everything that happens in their classroom
What actually is your responsibility as a teacher—and what isn’t
A powerful mindset shift that helps you care without carrying the weight of it all
How setting emotional boundaries can help you show up with more patience and energy

You can be a caring, committed teacher without trying to fix every problem. 
Sometimes, the most sustainable way to teach is learning how to support students without carrying everything on your shoulders. 

Episode 101: Celebrating Small Classroom Victories Teaching is built on thousands of small moments—but most teachers move so quickly from one responsibility to the next that they rarely pause long enough to notice when something actually goes well. 

In this episode, Brenna shares a recent personal “small win” and explains why it’s so important for teachers to intentionally recognize the quiet victories that happen every day. 

Our brains naturally focus on mistakes, problems, and what still needs fixing. That’s helpful for problem-solving, but it can also make it feel like nothing we do is ever enough. 

When we intentionally pause to notice a small win—whether it’s a calm response to a challenging moment, a student finally participating, or simply getting through a hard day with kindness—we begin to train our brains to see a fuller picture of our impact. 
In this episode you’ll learn: Why teachers’ brains naturally overlook their successes
How small wins shape your experience of teaching
One simple reflection question to ask yourself at the end of the day

Because the life of a teacher isn’t defined by one big breakthrough. It’s shaped by the small victories we choose to see. 

Reflection Question:
What is one small win from today?