Leadership doesn’t pause for grief, betrayal, or personal storms. In this deeply vulnerable conversation, Chanie sits down with Beth Cannon to talk about what it means to lead when life unravels. From walking through the terminal illness of a loved one, to staff exits and leadership mistakes, Beth shares her “discomfort zone” season and the messy middle of showing up for her people while falling apart inside.

This episode is not about perfection, it’s about presence. It’s about choosing honesty over image, showing up when you don’t have it all together, and finding systems and rhythms that carry your school (and your soul) through seasons of chaos.

• Why “waiting until everything is perfect” is leadership avoidance
• How to keep showing up when grief and business crises collide
• The difference between accountability and ownership in staff leadership
• Why leaders must choose honesty over image if they want trust and culture to hold
• How to find outer-circle people who can lead you through your own fo

• Culture isn’t built on polish. It’s built on consistency, clarity, and shared standards.
• Grief and leadership can coexist. You can hold heartbreak in one hand and still lead with purpose in the other.
• Leadership is a mirror. Staff accountability gaps often expose where owners haven’t built the right rhythms.
• You don’t wait for perfect conditions. Growth happens in the middle of the storm, not after it passes.

• “I wasn’t replacing a role. I was reacting to a wound.” – Beth Cannon
• “You have to choose honesty over image, because the day when everything is perfect doesn’t exist.” – Beth Cannon
• “Schools don’t need leaders who wait for the fog to clear. They need leaders who keep walking.” – Chanie Wilschanski

• Stops the cycle of waiting for perfect conditions before leading
• Models vulnerability without abdicating responsibility
• Builds staff trust through honesty and accountability, not polish
• Anchors leaders in rhythms that hold during grief, betrayal, or transition

• Reflect: Where are you waiting for things to “settle” before you lead?
• Revisit your staff accountability systems: Are they true ownership, or excuses and follow-up cycles?
• Connect with Beth Cannon: bethcannonspeaks.com | Instagram & Facebook: @bethcannonspeaks

Admin & Tech isn’t flashy like enrollment or emotional like staff culture—but it’s one of the biggest hidden profit drains in schools. In this finale of the Money Leaks series, Chanie breaks down how underutilized software, paper-based SOPs, missing automations, and messy file systems quietly torch your time capacity and cash. You’ll get a simple, CEO-level playbook to audit your tech stack, automate the right tasks, assign platform “champions,” and build rhythms that stop dependency and start true scalability.

👉 Take the free diagnostic mentioned in this episode: schoolsofexcellence.com/moneyleaks

What You’ll Learn

• The 5 Admin & Tech pillars that protect profit (workflows, utilization, automation, data & file systems, review rhythms)
• How to audit your tech stack and cut redundancies without chaos
• Why automation doesn’t replace people—it gives them back time for what only humans can do
• The “internal platform champion” model that prevents bottlenecks and builds team capacity
• A simple naming convention + 10-second file-finding standard that ends “final-final-FINAL-v6” madness
• How to move from dependency (it only works when Sarah’s here) to system (it works when anyone follows the rhythm)

SOE Playbook: 5 Concrete Moves

1. Run a Software Audit (30–45 min): List every tool, owner, cost, and actual use. Cancel redundancies, downgrade unused premium plans, and standardize what stays.
2. Assign Platform Champions: One trained “owner” per platform. Share quick wins, create 1-page SOPs, and stop knowledge hoarding.
3. Automate Repetitive Admin: Scheduling, reminders, links, confirmations, form routing, basic onboarding steps. Free people for gratitude, 1:1s, observations, feedback—the work only humans can do.
4. Lock File Hygiene: Cloud-first, consistent naming, and a structure anyone can understand. Measure success by: “Can someone find any file in ≤10 seconds?”
5. Quarterly Rhythm Block: Every 90 days: review tools, subscriptions, automations, and workflows. One block. Same calendar slot. Always.

Case Studies & Wins

• Sonia’s Tech Tangle → $4,000 Saved: She listed 19 tools; canceled 5–7 redundant platforms, downgraded others, and named champions for the rest—saving nearly $4K/year and loads of time capacity.
• The $9,000 Surprise: A leader who “couldn’t afford it” did a money leaks audit, canceled 3 subscriptions, and freed up $9,000—just by telling the truth in the tech stack.

Memorable Lines

• “If it takes more than 10 seconds to find a file, you have a leak—not a library.”
• “Dependency isn’t a system. It’s a risk.”
• “Automation isn’t about replacing people—it’s about returning time to the work only humans can do.”
• “When someone leaves, the brain of your business shouldn’t walk out with them.”

Resources

Free diagnostic: schoolsofexcellence.com/moneyleaks

In this client spotlight episode, Chanie Wilschanski sits down with longtime coaching client Niki Van Cleave, owner of Butterfly Bunch in Metro Detroit, to explore what it means to lead a school with sustainable systems, real accountability, and operational clarity—especially during seasons of personal and professional upheaval.

Niki’s leadership journey spans two centers, a season of grief, increased operational pressure, and the bold decision to consolidate into one location with strategy and purpose. The turning point? She stopped defaulting to survival mode and started anchoring into intentional leadership. With the support of the Five Gears Diagnostic and the Money Leaks Assessment, Niki clarified her school operations, strengthened her team culture, and created rhythms that hold—even in chaotic seasons.

What You’ll Learn

• What aligned school leadership looks like when the pressure is high
• How to identify stuck gears that are slowing down your school’s growth
• Why a no-spend freeze revealed unsustainable patterns and opened up team ownership
• How operational clarity and team systems reduce burnout and second-guessing
• What it means to move from micromanaging to leading with confidence

Key Insights

1. Survival Mode Isn’t a Long-Term Strategy
2. Niki’s story reminds us that running a school in constant reaction mode isn’t failure—it’s a signal. And it doesn’t have to be permanent.
3. The Five Gears Diagnostic Pinpoints System Gaps
4. Niki identified Financial Health and Strategic Growth as her stuck gears. That clarity helped her stop putting out fires and focus her energy where it mattered most.
5. Tightening Systems Reclaims Profit and Ownership
6. A no-spend freeze and new ordering protocols cut supply waste by over 50% and empowered her assistant director to take ownership of key systems.
7. You Don’t Need More Staff—You Need a Team You Can Trust
8. By equipping one team member to manage supplies with clear accountability, Niki eliminated micromanaging and babysitting staff while building sustainable team trust.
9. Anchored Rhythms Lead to Sustainable Leadership
10. Even during high-demand seasons like back-to-school, Niki prioritized personal anchors—prayer, movement, reflection—to stay grounded in intentional leadership, not reactive chaos.

Try This Instead: 3 Tools to Regain Operational Control

1. Run the Five Gears Diagnostic
2. Discover which area of your school is stuck—enrollment, staffing, parent communication, finances, or strategy—and stop scrambling by focusing on what’s slowing your momentum.
3. 🔗 Take the Diagnostic
4. Audit Your Money Leaks
5. Use this tool to expose where your school is hemorrhaging resources—supplies, staffing, or food—and implement systems that protect your budget.
6. 🔗 Download the Money Leaks Assessment
7. Commit to One Leadership Anchor
8. Pick one rhythm—a daily walk, a reflective pause, a team huddle—that gives you peace of mind and builds real leadership capacity when the pressure is on.

Memorable Quotes

“Different is scary—but different is good.” – Niki Van Cleave

“You don’t need another tactic—you need a system that aligns with your values.” – Chanie Wilschanski

“Anchored leaders build cultures that hold—even when they don’t.” – Chanie Wilschanski

Why This Matters for School Leaders

• Helps overwhelmed school...

When my husband Mayer and I still lived in NYC, he held a position at a college that was highly demanding (to put it lightly).

As part of his role, he was required to work 7 days a week, with very limited PTO. And when he did have time off, he fell ill—just like clockwork.

That wasn't a coincidence.

When we work ourselves to the bone without allowing ourselves proper time to rest and recover, we become more vulnerable to illness. 

Think of your well-being like a battery—if you don't plug it in to charge, eventually it's going to run out of power.

As a school leader, I'm sure you know this better than anyone. After all, professionals in the field of education are especially prone to burnout.

But what you may not realize is that recharging your battery is about more than taking a yearly vacation.

Because if you only give yourself time away once or twice a year, that break ends up being spent in a desperate attempt to recover from burnout… 

…rather than experiencing genuine moments of aliveness and connection with the people you love.

To move beyond survival mode and make the most of your time off for fun and travel, you need to plan for regular rest and recovery throughout the year.

That way, you won't be running on a near-empty tank while trying to enjoy all life has to offer. 

In this week's podcast episode, I'm discussing how to plan strategically for rest and travel as a school leader.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Why it's crucial to strategically plan for rest and travel
• The different kinds of rest you need to feel fully recharged
• How I manage my own recovery and travel throughout the year
• How you can plan for rest and travel in 2024

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.

No matter the industry, leaders are often afraid to be honest about why they're firing someone. They think that by sugar-coating the truth or dancing around the issue, they're protecting the person's feelings.

But the reality is that being dishonest doesn't help anyone but you. Rather than protect them, you actually protect yourself from uncomfortable feelings. 

In reality, the best thing you can do for everyone involved is to communicate with transparency and kindness—no matter the context.

Back in 2011, when I was working as a camp director in NYC, I had to fire a teacher after a very unfortunate incident.

It was a sensitive time for the Jewish community in that area because a child had been tragically abducted while walking home from day camp. Understandably, everyone in the city was on especially high alert.

So, when a teacher at my camp left a child alone in the bathroom and walked to a park two blocks away, I had no choice but to terminate her immediately.

I found the child in the bathroom while doing my rounds, walked them to the park where the teacher was, and fired her on the spot.

Now, in this particular situation, there wasn't much of a conversation, because I needed to act swiftly. But that didn't mean that I was unkind—or that I avoided addressing the reason she was being fired.

I simply told her that her error in judgment was unacceptable—and let her go. 

As a leader, you're going to have to fire team members. In fact, never letting go of employees is a sign that you're not cultivating a values-led culture. Because there will always be individuals on your team who simply aren't the right fit.

But at the end of the day, the reason you're letting them go doesn't matter. In every case, you owe it to them, to your team, and to yourself to navigate the conversation with poise and respect.

In this week's podcast episode, the final installment of a three-part series on firing, I provide tips on how to navigate termination communication in a way that preserves your center's reputation and maintains the trust of remaining team members.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What a termination conversation is really about
• Why handling a termination conversation well is so important
• How to prepare for and conduct the conversation 
• How to navigate the aftermath of firing a team member

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.

Many years ago (when my kids were a lot smaller), my husband Mayer and I took a trip to Niagara Falls. As usual, I had organized everything in advance, including reserving adjoining rooms for our family.

Because our kids were so young at the time, it was really important that we had that adjoining room. So, I made sure to call the hotel—both the day before and the day of the trip—to confirm that the rooms were available for us as planned.

But lo and behold, on the night we arrived at the hotel, the staff member on duty told us that there were no adjoining rooms left because we had arrived too late at night.

Mayer and I were livid. I had called to reserve in advance specifically because I knew we would be arriving late and wanted to make sure we got the rooms we needed. 

Yet here we were, standing at the check-in desk, luggage in hand, being told that it was our fault we didn't get adjoining rooms.

Why? Because the hotel staff refused to take responsibility for their mistake.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Throughout your career, I'm sure you've seen plenty of instances where team members didn't take accountability, shifted the blame, or reacted poorly to feedback.

And sure, even the best of us have some missteps along the way.

But when a team member's failure to take personal responsibility becomes a pattern of behavior,  it's a signal that it's probably time to say goodbye.

In this week's podcast episode, the second in my three-part series on firing, I dig deeper into personal responsibility and the other key reasons for deciding to let go of a team member.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The core evidence that should determine whether you fire someone
• Why documentation is essential throughout the decision-making process
• How to evaluate performance, coachability, mindset, and more
• How personality fit should factor into your decision

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.

No one enjoys having to fire an employee. 

In most cases it's uncomfortable and unpleasant to have to let someone go, especially if they didn't do anything "wrong."

But hanging on to a team member who's not the right fit for your center's vision and values can have some serious consequences… maybe more than you realize.

In the case of Janine, a Schools of Excellence Owner's HQ member, her reluctance to fire a toxic team member impacted her health and wellbeing. 

Janine was an owner who had what I like to call a "toxic genius" on her team. 

This team member was smart, reliable, great with kids and parents—everything you could want in an employee—but she also had a habit of stirring up gossip and putting others down.

Janine was torn about what to do. On the one hand, she knew the team member was negatively impacting her center.

But on the other, she had just opened up a fourth location and barely had the capacity to deal with her usual responsibilities—let alone go through the process of firing someone.

But instead of delegating the responsibility to her team member, a director, Janine insisted that she had to be the one to do it.

So, month after month passed by, and Janine continued to sit with the same dilemma. It wasn't just her mind, though, that suffered from her inaction. She developed high blood pressure and couldn't sleep more than 3 hours a night.

After an entire year of worsening health problems, I finally asked Janine: "When is enough, enough? When will you realize what you're losing by not letting this person go?"

If reading this reminds you of someone on your team, I want to ask you the same question: 

When is enough, enough? How long will you wait in the name of avoiding discomfort before you take action for the sake of yourself and your team?

So, what happened with Janine when she finally faced the truth?

She took accountability, let go of the toxic genius, and for the first time in a long time, she slept straight through the night.

In this week's podcast episode, the first in a three-part series on firing, I explore the true cost of hanging on to team members when it's time to let go.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The top 3 reasons we fire employees (HINT: It's not just about performance)
• The impact of keeping someone who needs to leave
• Why we have to prioritize ourselves and our team's wellbeing
• Action steps to take if you're struggling with letting someone go

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.

Every year, flu season seems to come as a surprise.

We know it’s coming. And yet, it always seems to catch us unaware, putting us into all kinds of highly stressful situations. 

Like having to find a sub for your subs' sub.

Seriously. I was dropping off one of my kids at school one day, and I didn't recognize one of the teachers. When I asked her who she was, she said "Oh, I'm subbing for Rachel."

Who's Rachel?

Well, as it turns out, Rachel was subbing for Britney… who was subbing for Sheera, who was subbing for Maria—the original teacher.

When I say I've seen it all, I mean I've seen it all. 

While this particular comically chaotic situation may have never happened to you, I know that as a center leader, flu season has left you scrambling to cope with crises like staff shortages, schedule interruptions, and many other impacts that hit the school. 

And it happens every. Single. Year.

So how do you prevent flu season from throwing an annual wrench into all your plans?

A strong, center-oriented insurance policy may give you the tools you need. Simliar to a flood insurance policy you go out and buy, this is something you hope to never use, but that’s there to protect you if needed.

This kind of proactive insurance policy allows you to prepare for understaffing without overburdening your staff. It gives you an efficient, flexible way of managing absences while also improving your staff’s overall wellbeing.

This week's podcast episode is one I’ve wanted to record for years. In it, we’re discussing proactive approaches to the dreaded flu season.

Join me for a conversation about:

• How to appropriately prepare for flu season
• What an insurance policy for flu season looks like
• The impact this season has on schools
• How to communicate preparations and alleviate concerns

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.

It’s easy to feel pulled down by the difficult happenings at your center.

This was the case for Ashriel Huber, second-generation legacy owner of A Child’s Touch in Colorado.

Her desire to make the previous owner proud, coupled with the stress of taking over a large center with many moving parts, led to dysregulation, impostor syndrome, and a sense that she could never give enough to move the needle.

When I met Ashriel at a conference, she felt stuck. She confided that she’d lost key members of administration, and lacked the processes and procedures that would calm the chaos.

More troubling, she felt as if she’d given her life to the center, staying late night after night to try and get ahead. She needed to gain the trust of her employees, and working hard seemed the best way to accomplish that.

After listening to her story, I grabbed a napkin and walked her through the Pyramid of Excellence. 

In her own words, that conference marked a turning point in how she thought about her role as owner. She joined the Schools of Excellence Owner’s HQ membership program and began working to shift her limiting beliefs.

With the support of other owners, she’s learning to build emotional resilience, allowing her to stay the course when challenges arise. Instead of living at the center, she’s dedicated several mornings to staying home and attending coaching calls.

Most importantly, she found connections with other leaders, which allowed her to form a community of peers. Instead of feeling isolated and alone, she could share her ideas, gain feedback, and take concrete steps forward.

Members of Ashriel’s staff have noticed a shift. They’ve commented on her growing confidence, and the atmosphere at the center is beginning to transition. Now she has the tools to separate caring for the individual from being a leader who expects people to do their jobs.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re struggling with impostor syndrome, or if the stressors of your center sometimes feel too daunting, I encourage you to listen to Ashriel’s story. You'll hear more about her journey and how the membership helped her gain confidence in her role as a leader.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The struggles Ashriel faced before joining the membership
• What she learned by being surrounded by other like-minded owners
• How her center looks now that she's a more confident leader
• What's next for her and her center

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.

Does the word “stress” make your chest tighten?

If so, you’re not the only one 

We tend to think of stress as a negative thing. But the truth is, it’s an integral part of being human. In fact, on last week’s podcast episode I introduced the concept of eustress—a type of positive stress that helps to motivate us.

This week, I want to talk about the tools we use to manage stress in the moment. Because stress is an unavoidable part of our lives, it’s up to us to keep ourselves regulated and ready to approach each situation.

Mornings are a perfect example. Getting four kids out the door is no small task, and it’s hard on the body. On top of that, my five-year-old is often up before I am.

Distress tolerance has taught me that, despite the chaotic demands of a morning full of decisions and preparations, I need a moment of silence. So I’ve set up a private space for myself in my bedroom where I can spend five minutes alone, with the door closed, before tackling the day.

The temptation to immediately jump into the day is strong, but I know from experience that my children and I are all better served when I take that five minutes.

Personal morning space is one of the self-soothing strategies I have in my distress tolerance toolkit.

In this week's podcast episode, I’m going to guide you through the development of a distress tolerance toolkit for yourself and your staff.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What a staff distress tolerance toolkit includes
• How to accept distress when it happens
• Steps to create an effective toolkit that empowers your team
• Strategies for personalizing your toolkits

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.

You’re no stranger to challenges.

Whether it’s helping fifteen children into their winter coats, navigating a difficult relationship with one of your teachers, or balancing a busy schedule, you have a lot on your plate.

It’s stressful. It may even be distressing.

Enter distress tolerance. Building your own, personal level of distress tolerance is one of the most powerful ways you can manage the inevitable challenges of life as a school leader.

Let me give you an example. 

Recently, my husband and son went on a road trip together, leaving me to solo parent our other three children. As luck would have it, during their trip I had an immovable dentist appointment on the same day my other children returned from camp early.

Typically, I avoid bringing my kids on errands at all costs. But this time, it was unavoidable. Based on the dentist’s available time slots, I had two options: 

1. Pick the earlier time slot and bring them directly to the dentist’s office, 
2. or choose a later time and take them home first.

Years of developing distress tolerance led me to pick the later time. 

Why? 

Because it allowed me the space to fill my cup and those of my children before we did something none of us wanted to do. I was able to bring my kids home, have a snack, and give them some personal mommy time before we headed to the dentist’s office.

Why am I telling you this story? 

Because this decision-making process was distress tolerance in action. As mundane as a schedule conflict might seem, it’s one of the most prevalent stressors that threatens to throw us off balance. 

And when we’re off balance, our entire team can feel it.

In this week’s podcast episode, I’m going to dig into distress tolerance and resilience in the childcare industry. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• What distress tolerance is
• How it helps us navigate difficult situations
• The correlation between stress and performance
• Strategies for building your distress tolerance as a leader

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 our society, conversations about grief are largely dominated by death and the experience of losing someone we love.

But death is far from the only time we deal with loss.

Anytime we go through periods of transition in our lives, we experience grief triggered by the loss of how things used to be. For leaders in early childhood education, these transitions happen on an almost daily basis.

Closing locations, letting go of teachers, saying goodbye to families, and even delegating responsibilities are losses that can create a sense of longing for the way things were.

And if you don't take active steps to move through that grief, you can end up stuck in old patterns that prevent you from growing as an individual and as a leader.

That's why in this week's podcast episode, I'm opening up a conversation about how to navigate loss and use it as a springboard for legacy. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• Widening our definition of grief
• Common forms of grief that leaders experience
• What can happen if you don't take the time to process your grief
• Steps for how to move through grief in a productive way
• 
  

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

While processing grief is a personal journey, it's significantly easier when you're surrounded by others who are on a similar journey. Our Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs are the perfect place to build a community of like-minded leaders who can support you through every season of your life. Plus, as a member, you'll also gain access to tools, resources, and coaching that can help you 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.

Roles and responsibilities are crucial to building a school of excellence. You can't weather the storm—let alone captain your ship—if your crew isn't clear on what they should be doing and when.

That's where developing a school org chart comes in handy. With a visual representation of the structure of your center on hand, you can clear up a lot of questions about what role each individual plays and who they should report to.

But that's not all your org chart should do.

Because the leaders, administrators, and teachers of your center aren't solely defined by where they fit into the hierarchy.

They're human beings with their own needs and abilities, and those elements need to be factored in when designing the structure of your school.

Don't get me wrong—hierarchy is important. But at its core, building an effective org chart is about understanding what fuels collaboration, efficiency, communication, and results.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm exploring how to create your school org chart so that it facilitates the roles, responsibilities, and relationships within your center. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• What a school org chart is
• The 6 things leaders get wrong when designing their org charts
• How to chart roles within your school
• Questions to ask yourself when creating your org chart

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

 Org charts are just one of the many foundational concepts we dive into within our Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs. As part of the membership, you'll gain access to a variety of tools and resources to help you build a school of excellence. Plus, you'll receive coaching and the support of a community that will take your leadership to new heights.

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 the school year gains momentum, it's easy for school leaders to fall into survival mode—abandoning the very rhythms that anchor sustainable growth, effective school operations, and confident leadership. In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast, Chanie Wilschanski breaks down the essential distinction between anchors and enhancers, and why understanding this difference is critical for school directors managing high-pressure seasons.

If you're facing a surge in enrollment, onboarding new staff, or navigating leadership fatigue, this episode will help you identify the systems, habits, and non-negotiables that protect your energy and peace of mind. Because running a private school, preschool, or early childhood center shouldn’t mean always putting out fires—it means leading with intentionality, clarity, and control.

• The difference between anchors and enhancers—and why both matter for sustainable school leadership
• How to identify the leadership habits that protect you from burnout, second-guessing, and resentment
• The hidden cost of abandoning your routines during busy seasons
• Why survival mode becomes the default when systems are missing
• A simple way to assess where your school needs operational focus

1. Anchors create stability during chaos

Anchors are the daily habits that ground you emotionally and mentally. For overwhelmed directors, these aren’t luxuries—they’re leadership tools. Anchors may look like prayer, walking, journaling, or quiet reflection. When the pressure is high, these are the habits that keep you rooted and resilient.

2. Enhancers elevate—but they don’t stabilize

Massages, time with friends, or a night out can be wonderful enhancers, but they can’t replace the foundational habits that regulate your mindset and sustain your ability to lead. Enhancers help you feel good, but they don’t create consistency.

3. Abandoning anchors leads to burnout

When school leaders drop their anchors in exchange for hustle, the cost is high. Leadership becomes reactive. Decision fatigue sets in. You feel stuck, anxious, and resentful. Rebuilding your rhythms later will require far more energy than simply preserving them now.

4. Your anchors are unique to you

Chanie shares her personal anchors—prayer, walking, and meditation—and encourages leaders to identify their own. The true test? If you still do it when you're sick, traveling, or exhausted, it’s likely an anchor.

5. Systems—not hustle—drive confident leadership

Real school leadership isn't about working harder. It's about installing rhythms and school systems that do the heavy lifting. When you lead from systems, not from stress, you create time freedom, better team accountability, and long-term sustainability.

"When you stop doing your anchors, survival becomes a habit—and it’s harder to come back from." – Chanie Wilschanski

"Anchors aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re lifelines."

"Leadership is about alignment, not exhaustion."

Step 1: Look at your stress habits

What do you continue doing when you’re sick, overextended, or traveling? That’s likely an anchor.

Step 2: List your daily wellness practices

Then separate anchors from enhancers. Anchors are essential and stabilizing. Enhancers are supportive, but optional.

Step 3: Choose one anchor to protect this season

Commit to it fully. That single action can create the clarity and consistency you need to lead well this fall.

• Reduces burnout, resentment, and emotional exhaustion in high-pressure seasons
• Helps you

This episode is from a Strategic Advisory from our Membership programs.

I know that the impending chaos of a new year is incredibly unsettling. You’re preparing for new kids, new teachers, new protocols, and new expectations, and you know everyone will look at you like deer in the headlights.

It's inevitable… and believe it or not, that's a good thing.

Confused? Stay with me.

When you operate under the assumption that the start-of-the-school year mayhem is avoidable, any disorder that occurs becomes a reflection of your competency as a leader.

The chaos becomes your fault, and it produces feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and even shame.

But when you recognize that chaos is simply an inherent characteristic of transition—not a result of your leadership—you give yourself the opportunity to take a deep breath, adjust your mindset, and create a plan for how to deal with the inevitable disarray of a novel environment.

In other words, the mark of a strong leader isn't the absence of mayhem. It's the presence of a calm and collected state-of-mind that helps you weather the storm.

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.

When you sit down to draw with a 4-year-old, you know you're not going to get the Mona Lisa. Kids don't have the capacity for things like perspective, texture, or—let's be honest—simply coloring within the lines.

So, if that's the case, then why do you expect perfection out of your most inexperienced teachers and newly hired staff?

In a world that glorifies immediate results, we've gotten used to demanding the very best out of everyone, all the time.

But life doesn't work that way.

People need time to adjust to expectations, learn new skills, and reach a certain standard, and that journey will look different depending on the person. 

Effective leaders recognize that everyone has a learning curve, and they provide the support their teams need to experience growth on a timeline that makes sense. 

That's what leads to excellence.

On this week's podcast episode, I'm addressing a topic that may be a difficult pill for leaders to swallow, but one of the most important lessons they can learn: The value of tolerating “good enough” for long enough to achieve excellence.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What it means to tolerate "good enough"
• The difference between expectations and standards
• The impact of setting realistic expectations
• Questions to ask yourself to identify what's good enough

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

 . You can work on more of the skills that make effective leaders by joining our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that can help you build and sustain a school of excellence. 

Or, if you're looking for easy-to-implement resources you can use to facilitate the growth of your team, check out our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you create more accountability among your staff and free up time to focus on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

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.

What does ambition look like to you?

Does it mean owning the best school in your city? Expanding your center? Retiring early?

Maybe it's none of those things… and that's okay.

Contrary to what we're made to believe, there's more than one charted path to success. Your destination can be whatever you want it to be—and the journey to get there can look however you want it to.

What's more, how you define ambition may change over time.

While you can achieve extraordinary greatness in multiple domains of your life, you won't be able to do it all at once. It's going to work in seasons, and it's up to you to decide what's worth pursuing at any given time.

How do you make that decision? 

That's what I'm discussing on this week's podcast episode. Together, we'll explore what ambition is to you and how you can achieve greatness in all areas of your life.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The definition of ambition and what it looks like to different people
• Why we get stuck on one view of success
• How different seasons influence your priorities and possibilities
• How to decide which goals to pursue

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

. Ambition is a major topic of conversation within our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, as it takes passion and drive to do the inner and outer work necessary to build a school of excellence. You can join the conversation, as well as gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community, by applying today. 

Focusing on big-picture goals is also a lot easier when you have the time to do it! With our Time Management & Accountability bundle, you'll get a series of tools and templates to help you become more productive and hold your team accountable. With the extra time, you can spend more time working on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

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.

What if I told you that you didn't have to be at your center 40+ hours a week?

Would you believe me?

The reality for a lot of owners is that the line between home and school is so blurred it's almost nonexistent. They spend so much of their time wrapped up in the day-to-day operation of their centers that they end up spending more time there than they do at home with their families.

This was the case for Ashley Corthell, owner of Daybreak Academy in Utah. When I first connected with her, she was spending 45+ hours per week at her school. During the few hours she was at home, she was too stressed to truly be present.

In Ashley's words, school was sucking the life out of her.

But all of that changed when she joined the Schools of Excellence Owner's HQ membership program. Inside the membership, Ashley built skills and gained access to resources and coaching that helped her adjust her mindset, better manage her time, and transform her school's culture.

With the support of other owners, she learned to use her hours at school more productively and set healthier boundaries, which made her more intentional about how and where she was spending her time. 

As a result, not only did the line between school and home become better defined, but Ashley was able to reduce the number of hours she spent at her center to just 10 hours per week!

And Ashley isn't the exception either. She's one of hundreds of owners and directors who have transformed their schools—and lives—thanks to the opportunities available in the membership.

So, when I asked you whether you thought it was possible to spend less than 40 hours per week at your center, it wasn't hyperbole. It was a question based on the very real experiences of leaders just like you.

If you're ready to start spending less time running your center and more time focused on its growth and development, I encourage you to check out this week's podcast episode. You'll hear more about Ashley's story and how the membership impacted her life and leadership.

Join us for a conversation about:

• The struggles Ashley faced before joining the membership
• What she learned by being surrounded by other like-minded owners
• How her center looks now that she's a more confident leader
• What's next for her and her school

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

If Ashley's story resonated with you, don't wait and apply for the membership today. Within the Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs, you'll gain access to the same tools, resources, coaching, and community that made such a huge impact on Ashley's leadership.

If you don't think you're quite ready for the membership, we have a variety of other resources that can help you become a more effective leader, such as our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you make better use of your time so you can spend fewer hours at school and focus on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

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...

I know that the impending chaos of a new year is incredibly unsettling. You’re preparing for new kids, new teachers, new protocols, and new expectations, and you know everyone will look at you like deer in the headlights.

It's inevitable… and believe it or not, that's a good thing.

Confused? Stay with me.

When you operate under the assumption that the start-of-the-school year mayhem is avoidable, any disorder that occurs becomes a reflection of your competency as a leader.

The chaos becomes your fault, and it produces feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and even shame.

But when you recognize that chaos is simply an inherent characteristic of transition—not a result of your leadership—you give yourself the opportunity to take a deep breath, adjust your mindset, and create a plan for how to deal with the inevitable disarray of a novel environment.

In other words, the mark of a strong leader isn't the absence of mayhem. It's the presence of a calm and collected state-of-mind that helps you weather the storm.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm helping you set yourself up for success by talking you through how to prepare for the chaos at the start of the school year.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Where the start-of-the-year chaos comes from
• How it shows up in your life and leaderships
• What can be gained by embracing the mayhem
• Strategies to help you plan for what's to come

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

An important part of navigating the chaos is having people you can rely on for support. In our Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs, you'll have the opportunity to connect with other like-minded leaders who can validate your experience and offer solutions as you work through the transition. As a member, you'll also gain access to tools, resources, and coaching that can help you build and sustain a school of excellence. 

Or, if you're looking for easy-to-implement resources that can help you remain focused, check out our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you make better use of your time so you can focus on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

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.

The first staff meeting of the year—we've all been there.

You go into the meeting filled with the ripe excitement of possibility, ready to share your ideas, goals, and expectations. You have all the energy of a student showing off sparkly new notebooks on the first day of school.

Then the meeting happens and… you end up word vomiting over your entire staff.

Sound familiar?

Without a doubt, the deluge of information comes from the very best of intentions. You're optimistic about the school year and want to set your staff up for success by telling them everything they need to know.

But in trying to enmesh every detail into a single meeting without structure—without purpose—you end up spewing information in all directions instead of uniting everyone under a common goal.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm walking you through how to prepare for your first staff meeting so you can start this school year off on the right foot.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The importance of creating structure for your staff meeting
• The three segments of a successful meeting
• What to discuss (and not to discuss!)
• Questions to ask your staff to promote teamwork and school values

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

While there's definitely a formula to running a successful staff meeting, it's also a skill that takes time to build. I can help you develop that skill within our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, which provides leaders like you with ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that can help you build and sustain a school of excellence.

Or, if you're looking for easy-to-implement resources that you can start using today, check out our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you make better use of your time—whether at staff meetings or at the desk in your office. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

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.

Take a moment to remember why you became a school leader.

If you’re anything like me and the leaders in my programs, you’re interested in leaving a legacy in your community.

You want to positively impact the next generation of children and the community you serve.

To leave a lasting legacy, you have to play the long game. 

The concept of legacy is one we’ll be exploring during this final episode of our five-part series of the Pyramid of Excellence. 

This week, we’re at the top of the Pyramid of Excellence: Aligned and Legacy Stages.

In the Aligned Stage, you’re introducing new initiatives and levels of programming to carry your center forward, while the Legacy Stage is all about your long-term vision and creating sustainability beyond your own tenure.

It’s time to go beyond the leadership development of the previous Integrated Stage and identify the people I call “lifers.” These are the “ride-or-die” individuals who will link with you to ensure the ongoing, long-term success of your center.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Developing a succession plan for your center with those most equipped to carry the torch
• Evaluating and refining the long-term sustainability of your center
• What it looks like to work in the Aligned vs. the Legacy stage
• Managing your stress, attitude, and capacity for discomfort
• The emotional journey of stepping into a new, legacy role

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

In the Schools of Excellence Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership program, we’re used to complicated emotions. By joining our community, you'll get tools, resources, and coaching to help you flourish, even in the face of complexity.

At the Aligned and Legacy Stages of your business, you’re also learning to hand over some of the responsibilities you’ve clung to. In the Delegate to Elevate Workshop, you’ll learn how to approach delegation in a way that will allow you to truly set yourself up for a legacy role. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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.

Many of the school leaders I meet are in the midst of growing their centers, and they all share one common challenge.

Balancing expansion with the quality of education.

Can you relate?

Striking this balance is no small feat, and it requires complete trust in your team. More than that—it’s crucial work for the long-term development of your center. 

The good news is you have the Pyramid of Excellence as a guide to help you think about how to expand your center while ensuring the quality of your programming.

It’s the primary focus of the next stage of the Pyramid of Excellence: Integrated.

To navigate this stage, you must get strategic, clarify roles and responsibilities, and hold yourself accountable.

Feeling comfortable within this stage is so important, because this is where most center leaders spend the vast majority of their career. 

We’ll explore the Integrated Stage in this week's podcast episode—the fourth in our five-part series about the Pyramid of Excellence. If you missed any of the previous episodes on Survival or Disordered, make sure you give them a listen first!

Then, join me for a conversation about:

• Practical tips and insights for navigating the complex Integrated stage
• Aligning your center’s team with the values of the company
• How to navigate this stage in a healthy, balanced way
• Developing a strategic plan for the next stage in the Pyramid

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

 At the Integrated Stage, it’s so important to find a support system. Within the Schools of Excellence Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, you’ll have access to a community of other owners and directors who are actively working through the Pyramid of Excellence, along with tools, resources, and coaching that will help you move forward with confidence.

Another important aspect of the Integrated Stage is delegation. You have a team and now it’s time to trust them! With our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop, you can learn how to hand off responsibilities, free up more of your time, and enhance your quality of life. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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.

Does any of this sound familiar?

• You know you need a strong team, but you don’t feel like you have the infrastructure to support it
• Constant questions are coming your way, pulling you in every direction
• Work-life balance has become a thing of the past, and your personal life is feeling the strain

If any of the above are true for you, your center might be in the Disordered Stage of the Pyramid of Excellence.

This is where you need to build communication and trust… but are also dealing with a lot of overwhelm. Everyone is busy, and slowing down feels impossible.

Fortunately, there’s some good news buried within that stress. For one, if you’ve recently entered the Disordered Stage, it means you’re growing. That’s something to celebrate!

More importantly, there are clear steps for moving forward.

In this week's podcast episode, we're continuing our deep dive into the Pyramid of Excellence by exploring the second phase of your center's journey through the pyramid: the Disordered Stage. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• How to build trust, communication, and transparency within your team
• The impact of the Disordered Stage on self-care, personal relationships, and work-life balance
• What to do to stabilize operations in a sustainable way that allows you to avoid burnout and maintain school culture
• Steps to move to the next stage in the Pyramid

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

Feeling like you’ve lost any sense of harmony between your center and your home is a challenging place to be. Finding this balance is a frequent topic in the Schools of Excellence Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and a community that will help you find the equilibrium you're looking for so you can continue building a school of excellence.

You can also learn how to create more space for your personal life through our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. In this 90-minute online workshop, I'll show you how to delegate effectively so you can better respond to your team’s needs, manage your schedule, and decrease your workload. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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.

Everyone starts somewhere.

You may have just opened a new center. Or maybe you’re coming through the other end of a crisis.

Either way, this major phase of transition has placed you in the first stage of the Pyramid of Excellence: Survival.

Survival isn’t inherently bad. In fact, it can be connected to beautiful moments of surrender, opportunity, and hope.

It’s also finite: Most centers only exist in Survival for a few months. During that time, there are a lot of questions and decisions to make.

In this week's podcast episode, we’re diving deep into this busy period of a center’s life to help you better understand what it looks like and what you can do to move through it as gracefully as possible.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What causes a center to hit Survival, even if they’ve been around for a while
• The different characteristics of a center at the Survival stage
• Specific steps for getting out of Survival and moving to the next stage

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

 If you’re feeling the pressure, this is a wonderful time to join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. No matter which stage your center is at, we can help you get the tools you need to thrive.

Or, if you’re looking for resources you can implement quickly, consider enrolling in our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. This 90-minute workshop will help you learn what to hand off, so you can start to calm the chaos. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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 this timely solo episode, Chanie Wilschanski shares a powerful leadership truth every school owner and director needs to hear as the new year begins: what you tolerate in August becomes the culture you’re stuck managing by February.

This isn’t just a motivational pep talk—it’s a wake-up call. As classrooms buzz with fresh energy and bulletin boards get a glow-up, your old leadership reflexes start creeping back in. The skipped 1:1s, the ignored red flags, the well-meaning rescues? They’re not small moments. They’re culture-setting decisions that will quietly shape your entire year.

You’ll learn how to lead with rhythm instead of reactivity, shift your team’s expectations through consistency (not speeches), and install rituals that hold your culture steady—even when the chaos kicks in.

• Why back-to-school energy masks deeper leadership reflexes
• The invisible patterns that shape school culture more than your speeches
• The difference between rescuing and rhythm—and how to choose wisely
• How to stop trading your boundaries for short-term order
• 3 specific August moves that build long-term ease and clarity
• How to lead without becoming the emotional center of your school

The kickoff speech doesn’t shape the culture. What you protect and what you let slide in August quietly creates the tone your team will carry into February.

Jumping in every time someone is overwhelmed might feel helpful—but it silently teaches your team that leadership equals emotional labor and unpredictability.

Your patterns will show up early. Canceling a 1:1, skipping an accountability moment, or “letting it slide” may seem harmless, but they’re the seeds of future burnout.

What you do consistently is what your team learns to expect. Stop trying to be everywhere—start being predictable in the right places.

If you want this year to feel different, you don’t need a new checklist. You need a new rhythm.

Here are three moves to make in August that will shape your leadership for the rest of the year:

Choose one leadership rhythm—like weekly 1:1s, classroom walks, or a team huddle—and commit to protecting it.

Even in chaos. Especially in chaos.

It tells your team: “We don’t abandon connection when things get busy. We anchor in it.”

Every Friday, ask yourself:

• What did I tolerate this week?
• What did I repeat on purpose?
• What culture am I writing through my actions?

Culture isn’t what you say on Monday. It’s what you normalize all week.

Pick one small rhythm that fuels you—like a lunch walk, a 5-minute journaling practice, or a coffee check-in with a mentor.

Because when you’re regulated, you lead from vision—not vigilance.

“Leadership isn’t what you say—it’s what you normalize.” – Chanie Wilschanski

“You don’t need more visibility. You need more predictability.” – Chanie Wilschanski

“Excellence is built through rhythm, not reaction.” – Chanie Wilschanski

• Prevents emotional and operational burnout midyear
• Creates team-wide predictability, not dependency
• Shifts the culture silently—through consistent, visible rhythms
• Keeps your...

For years, I've been developing, cultivating, and nurturing the mindset and skills of owners and directors in early childhood education so they can build and sustain schools of excellence.

But it wasn't until somewhat recently that I started to take a hard look at the processes I was using to help leaders. 

I wanted to distill them down into a repeatable, consistent framework that allowed leaders to better understand where they were at and what they needed to work on next. 

That’s how the Pyramid of Excellence was born.

It’s a trademarked system that allows you to see exactly where you are on your journey so you can lay the proper foundation for building a school of excellence.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm kicking off a 5-part series about the Pyramid of Excellence where I'll break down each part of the pyramid to give you deeper insight into what each stage looks like, as well as what you can do to move forward.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The 5 stages of the Pyramid of Excellence: Survival, Disordered, Integrated, and Aligned, and Legacy
• What each stage looks like from the outside and the inside
• How to gauge which stage you’re in along your journey to building a school of excellence
• What you can do to transition from one stage in the Pyramid to the next

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

Moving through the Pyramid of Excellence is no small feat. Every step of the way comes with unique challenges and opportunities. If you’re looking for support along the way,  join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you build and sustain a school of excellence. 

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.

Let me ask you a couple of questions:

When you're looking at making a big-ticket purchase to update the infrastructure of your school, how long does it take you to pull out the credit card?

What about when you're looking at investing in the professional development of your leadership team?

I'm willing to bet there's a pretty large discrepancy between your first answer and your second, and it's worth asking yourself why.

When you look at everything through a financial lens, it's much easier to measure the ROI of a new carpet in the toddler classroom than leadership training for your education director. 

But here's the thing: Humans aren't cash registers.

They have feelings, families, and goals—things that don't cleanly factor into mathematical calculations. And that means that "profitability" in the traditional sense isn't an adequate way of measuring ROI when it comes to your team.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm exploring the shortcomings of traditional ROI in education and leadership development and how school leaders need to change their perspective for the benefit of their teams and centers.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Why traditional ROI doesn’t work in the education field
• Rethinking ROI in a way that doesn’t solely encompass financials
• How to make more aligned ROI decisions

Once you stop using traditional measures of ROI to make every decision, you can start investing more in your team, which will not only help with retention but also the overall success of your center.

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

If you're looking for long-term support, join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you build a school of excellence. 

One investment that can make a huge difference for your center is enrolling in our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During the 90-minute workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can reclaim your time, improve your quality of life, and lead a high-performing team. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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.

For the first time in history, we have 5 different generations in the workplace: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.

And it's causing a whole lot of tension across various industries, including early childhood education.

But the source of this tension isn't the fact that there are 5 generations working alongside each other. Instead, the issue stems from the way we're choosing to address this unique time in history.

Whenever you bring different people together in one space, there are bound to be contrasting opinions, varying perspectives, and distinct ways of doing things.

What comes to mind as the perfect example is Passover—children, parents, grandparents (and even great-grandparents!) all in one room, coming together to commemorate a story that each generation experiences differently.

But do those differences prevent us from telling that story and celebrating together as a family?

Of course not! Quite the opposite, in fact. It's our differences that add nuance and develop  a deeper understanding of our heritage.

The same can be said within the context of the workplace.

Instead of seeing generational differences as something you need to overcome, manage, or fix, you should look at them as an opportunity to create a more inclusive environment that encourages personal and professional growth.

How you go about shaping that environment is what I'm exploring on this week's podcast. I'll take you through a detailed comparison of the 5 generations and discuss how you as a leader can navigate those differences within your center.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The 5 generations in our modern workforce
• The core characteristics of each generation based on their unique experiences
• How each generation compares in terms of communication styles and motivation
• Strategies for navigating generational differences to create an inclusive environment

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

If you're looking for support in navigating generational differences that you can rely on long-term, join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you level up your leadership, transform your culture, and build a school of excellence. 

One issue that comes up frequently with regard to generational differences is delegation, as different generations tend to prefer different management styles. If this resonates with you, I encourage you to attend our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During this 90-minute online workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can manage a high-performing team that will help you achieve your goals. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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,...

Do you know the difference between equality and equity?

It's a distinction that could be at the heart of some of the issues you're facing at your center. 

Equality is all about fairness. It's about treating each and every person exactly the same way. 

And while that may seem great in theory, in practice, it ultimately harms your center's culture and prevents you from maximizing your team's potential.

Let me give you a real-life example from a school leader who I'll call Lisa.

Lisa was leading a group of 30 teachers, and she was struggling with team accountability—specifically punctuality.

One of the teachers that was failing to show up on time was a single mom. Without any help at home, she couldn't find a way to get her kids to school and come to work on time.

Being the empathetic leader she is, Lisa could see that the issue was largely outside of the teacher's control. Plus, the teacher was otherwise very reliable and wonderful at her job.

So, to solve the problem, Lisa was willing to create a flexible schedule that would allow the teacher to stay late to make up for the missed time in the morning.

Except for one problem: fairness.

Even though she had come up with a reasonable solution, Lisa was afraid to implement it out of fear of being unfair to the other teachers.

The thing is, life isn't fair. Nor should it be!

Why? Because every single person is different. And by ignoring that fact, you risk denying what makes them unique and alienating them rather than lifting them up.

The solution, then, is to treat your team equitably rather than equally.

Unlike equality, which views everyone through the lens of sameness, equity is about seeing people's differences and providing them with what they need to succeed.

By recognizing that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, you can create a stronger and more cohesive team.

And isn't that the ultimate goal?

In this week's podcast episode, I'm exploring what I like to call "the fairness game," or the idea that treating people equally is the mark of good leadership. As you'll learn in the episode, this is far from the truth and can actually harm your center.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Why treating all employees fairly, or equally, is a bad idea
• The important difference between equality and equity
• How to create an equitable environment at your center
• Replacing fairness-based leadership with values-based leadership

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

  If you're looking for long-term support in creating a healthier school environment, join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you become a stronger leader for your center.

In addition to creating a more equitable environment, you can learn to maximize your team's potential by attending our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During the 90-minute online workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can develop a high-performing team that can support you as you work toward building a school of excellence. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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...

As a leader, you're responsible for a lot of people.

But what does that responsibility really mean?

Is it about taking on the problems of your team and staff? Or is it about helping them become the best professionals and individuals they can be? 

You see something I often see when working with owners and directors is their tendency to take responsibility for issues that don't belong to them.

They see a teacher struggling to manage their classroom or come to school on time, and their first reaction is to step in.

Why? Because seeing people in discomfort is uncomfortable, and we think that by taking on their pain, we're helping them in the best way possible.

But the truth is that when you intervene, you're actually taking away from their human experience and eliminating the opportunity for them to learn and grow.

The best thing you can do as a leader is learn to sit with the discomfort of watching others struggle, so you can support them to make their own decisions.

How? That's what I'm discussing on this week's podcast episode. 

Join me as I sit down with author, speaker, podcast host, and leadership coach Heather Chauvin for an enlightening conversation about emotional discomfort and how changing your perspective on it can help you become a stronger leader.

We'll be talking about:

• What Heather's learned from her journey through motherhood & cancer treatment
• Compassion fatigue and how it impacts leaders
• What practices you can use to learn to sit with discomfort
• How to help your team & staff learn to manage their own emotions
• Practical tips to help you take action toward developing stronger leadership

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

If you'd like to learn more about Heather and her journey, you can check out:

Emotionally Uncomfortable Podcast: https://heatherchauvin.com/podcast

TEDx talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/heather_chauvin_dying_to_be_a_good_mother/details

Dying to be a Good Mother book: https://heatherchauvin.com/book-order

Free resources from Heather: http://heatherchauvin.com/freegifts

You can also attend our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop to learn how to set healthier boundaries around your time. During the 90-minute online workshop, I'll show you how to delegate effectively so you can better manage your schedule, decrease your workload, and develop a high-performing team that can help you build a school of excellence. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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.

Let me know if this sounds familiar:

• You're emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted on a daily basis
• You feel disconnected from your work, your team, and your staff
• You're doing only what needs to be done to keep your center afloat

If you identify with these statements, you're not alone.

Exhaustion, disconnect, and reduced performance are the three core signs of burnout, and they're running rampant in early childhood education. 

But what's perhaps even more common than burnout itself is the denial about how to address it.

While not a medical condition, burnout is not something you can fix with pedicures, bath bombs, or weekend getaways.

Think about it—you didn't become burned out overnight. It's the result of ongoing, damaging behaviors like overworking yourself, failing to set boundaries, and prioritizing success over all else.

So, how can you expect to overcome it in just a couple of weeks?

The truth is that recovering from burnout takes years of intentional self-work.

It's a long and difficult process that requires a strong commitment to yourself, your team, and your staff.

But the end result is not only a stronger leader, but a stronger center.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm exploring the topic of burnout: what it is, why it happens, and how leaders can overcome it so they can create healthier cultures in their schools.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The primary signs of burnout
• The four pillars of burnout & burnout recovery
• How leaders in particular reach the point of burnout
• Strategies to work through burnout (HINT: They don't include taking a vacation)

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

If you're looking for long-term support in burnout recovery, join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you become a stronger and more grounded leader for your center.

One of the primary reasons leaders reach a state of burnout is because they try to take on too much on their own. You can work on combating this issue by attending our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During the 90-minute workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can reclaim your time and improve your quality of life. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

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.

I hear a lot of leaders say they'd love to provide advancement opportunities for their staff, but no one's interested in taking on more responsibility.

They insist that even with the promise of higher pay, staff members turn down the offer.

Why do you think that is?

The mainstream answer is that not everyone wants to be promoted—some people just want to show up, do their job, and go home.

While that may seem true on the surface, the reality extends far deeper.

At their core, people want to level up—they just lack the confidence to accept the opportunities that come their way.

Your job as a leader is to not only create opportunities for your staff to grow, but also give them the resources to be successful.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm closing out our multipart series on building a culture of retention within your center by focusing on promotion and how you can help everyone on your team and staff reach their full potential.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Why people don't "want" to be promoted
• The different types of growth opportunities available
• Strategies for building a culture of promotion
• How to know whether someone is ready to be promoted

I hope you've found this deep dive into building a culture of retention valuable. My hope is that by combining the strategies you've learned throughout the series, you start to see a difference in your center's retention and can create a team that's just as committed to building a school of excellence as you are.

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

If you're looking for more intensive support than a workshop can provide, I encourage you to join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you become a stronger leader for your staff. 

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.

A while back, I was working with a school that was having trouble with one of their new teachers. She was relatively new to her role, and although she was gentle and loving to the children, she was struggling with classroom management and transitions.

The owner and director of the center knew they needed to discuss the issue with the teacher, but they were afraid of initiating such a difficult conversation. In particular, they feared that if they tried to provide feedback, the teacher would leave her job.

If this situation sounds familiar, I'm not surprised. It comes up again and again among the leaders I work with.

One of the hardest parts of having difficult conversations is holding people accountable for their actions. We think that when we push people toward accountability, they'll leave and never come back.

But holding people accountable isn't about pushing people away—it's about creating stability, safety, and continuity inside your center, which are all things that significantly contribute to retention.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm continuing our multipart series on building a culture of retention within your center. 

This time, I'll be focusing on accountability and how you as a leader can better hold your staff—and yourself—accountable and increase retention.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Accountability and why we fear it
• How accountability is foundational to relationships
• The difference between a culture of blame and a culture of accountability
• How to create a culture of accountability within your center

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

if you're looking for support that you can rely on long-term, join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you as you build a school of excellence.

Get the Difficult Conversations Template here: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/difficult-conversations-template/

Get the Scripts Workbook here: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/script-workbook/

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.

One of our core needs as human beings is a sense of service which prompts us to help and support others. Put differently, we have an innate need to want to contribute in a meaningful way.

Yet the pattern I see in a lot of centers is that their culture is built around obligation rather than contribution.

In a culture of obligation, people see obstacles as burdens, changing demands as reasons to give up, and unclear directions as an excuse to wait to be told what to do. It's a type of environment where people are there because they feel they have to be.

On the other hand, in a culture of contribution, people view obstacles as situations to step up, changing demands as chances to collaborate, and unclear directions as opportunities to become a leader. 

In this culture, people aren't there because they feel they have to be—they're there because they want to be. They stick around because they want to contribute to something greater than themselves.

But that sort of environment isn't created out of nothing. It takes careful reflection on your part as a leader to cultivate a space where your team and staff want to show up in meaningful ways.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm continuing our multipart series on building a culture of retention within your center. 

This time, I'll be focusing on contribution and how cultivating this type of environment can create long-term benefits for your center. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• The difference between a culture of contribution and a culture of obligation
• Contribution and why it has a place among the 6 core human needs
• Why few people have contribution as part of their retention strategy
• 7 questions to consider when cultivating a culture of contribution in your center

This episode requires a lot of reflection, so you may want to listen more than once or save it for a moment when you can sit down and focus. But rest assured that the effort you dedicate to self-reflection now will help you immensely as you start to make changes within your center.

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

Looking for support as you work on developing a mindset of contribution among your team and staff? Our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs provide the perfect space to validate your struggles, learn from other leaders, and brainstorm solutions. Plus, you'll also get access to other tools, resources, and coaching that will help you on your journey to building a school of excellence.

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.

Do you remember when the only people on-call 24/7 were emergency workers?

Back then, there was a much clearer divide between work and life. Once you left the "office," you could focus your attention on whatever was happening at home until you returned to work.

These days, it's far less simple. We live in a world of instant gratification, where smart phones and watches and other devices ping and ding at all hours, programming us to always be on-call.

This has blurred the separation between our personal and professional lives, leading to enormous amounts of stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout within our centers.

But contrary to popular rhetoric, the answer isn't to return to a complete separation.

In fact, I don't think there was ever a real separation between work and home. So much of what we do professionally impacts our personal lives and vice versa.

What we need is to find harmony between the two worlds.

By creating space for your staff to enrich their lives through activities and experiences that exist beyond their professional lives, the more likely they are to feel fulfilled in their work and want to stick around.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm continuing our multipart series on building a culture of retention within your center. 

This time, we're focusing on quality of life and how it impacts your staff's performance, wellbeing, and willingness to stay.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The impact of instant gratification on our ability to create a work-life balance
• Why we need harmony rather than separation between work and home
• How to create that harmony within your center
• Specific strategies to encourage work-life harmony and integration

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

 Quality of life is an ongoing topic of conversation within our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. If you're looking to get support and solutions from other leaders who are on the same journey, I encourage you to fill out an application. In addition to an incredible community, members also gain access to tools, resources, and coaching that can help them build schools of excellence.

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.

From Burnout to Boundaries: Redefining Female Leadership in Private Education

In this deeply honest and emotionally resonant episode, Chanie Wilschanski invites female school leaders into a transformative conversation about the “impossible standard” of leadership in education. She explores the emotional labor women carry, how over-functioning and people-pleasing lead to burnout, and why leading with warmth shouldn’t come at the cost of boundaries or energy. Chanie offers practical strategies—and powerful mindset shifts—to help leaders reclaim their authority and redefine what it means to lead well.

• The impact of emotional exhaustion and over-functioning on female school leaders
• The “double-bind” dilemma: being warm vs. being decisive
• Why noticing feels like a leadership burden—and how to distribute it
• How rescuing becomes reactive leadership disguised as delegation
• The importance of identity work, not just strategy, to break burnout cycles
• How to create rhythms, boundaries, and systems that protect your warmth
• Simple journaling prompts to rethink your leadership posture

Women in school leadership hold not only logistical responsibility but also the emotional pulse of the building—staff, parents, students. This leads to heightened emotional exhaustion compared to male counterparts.

Hormonal responses like “tend-and-befriend” push women to soothe and rescue rather than set boundaries and enforce standards. Warmth is powerful… until it becomes draining without structure.

Bringing in supplies or stepping in during a lesson might feel supportive—but if not shared, it’s rescuing. True leadership distributes responsibility and builds capacity.

You see the trash that won't get emptied, the subtle shift in energy… and you carry it. That invisible “20%” needs leadership, not martyrdom. Build systems so teams learn to see.

Warmth becomes weaponized when it’s the only way you’ve learned to lead. When boundaries are in place, you're not being cold—you’re protecting your mission from burnout.

Your strategy is useless if your identity isn’t aligned. If “rescue leader” stays in your identity, you’ll recreate burnout cycles—even with perfect systems.

“You were meant to build a school that holds you.” – Chanie Wilschanski

“Excellence is built through rhythm, not martyrdom.” – Chanie Wilschanski

• Reclaim your authority and energy
• Build team culture around shared responsibility, not dependence
• Prevent burnout through healthy boundaries and accountability systems
• Shift mental load so your presence enhances, not depletes, the community

• Explore Leadership HQ coaching for ongoing support - schoolsofexcellence.com/consult
• Subscribe for future episodes on leadership rhythms, emotional clarity, and strategic systems

Chanie Wilschanski leads Schools of Excellence with a passion for cultivating soulful, effective leadership through intentional rhythms. Through podcasting and coaching, she empowers directors and owners to thrive with grace, clarity, and sustainable systems—never at the expense of...

What does it feel like when you belong?

It's not always easy to put into words, but when you know, you know.

Think about what it's like to go to the mall. Each of its stores has a unique environment and style that appeal to different types of people—you won't find the same crowd in Abercrombie & Fitch as you would in Old Navy.

The reason for that has to do with belonging.

Even if you can't explain why, you feel drawn to certain stores over others because in some way, they make you feel like part of a community—one that welcomes you in without judgment.

It's an experience that many leaders have had at our Summit of Excellence, including Sheila Smozynski. At last year's event, Sheila was deeply moved by the connection she felt with other owners and directors:

"This room is a safe space. I feel so supported! People shared hard things at the table, and there were tears. I feel I can relate, and most importantly, I belong here! I can share my story because no one will judge me. Chanie created an energy in the room where we all just want to connect and build relationships." 

Feeling like you belong is a powerful experience. It has the potential to make or break the way you feel about an entire community of people.

And that's exactly why it's so important that you nourish a sense of belonging among your staff.

Creating a culture of community in your center not only supports the health and well-being of your staff, but it also makes them want to stay—which is what so many owners and directors need during a time when staffing is such a hot topic within the early childhood education space.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm diving into the first of a multipart series on building a culture of retention within your center. 

To begin, I'm focusing on the role of gratitude and community in creating an environment that your staff are excited to be a part of.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Why retention continues to be a struggle for early childhood education programs
• Community and what it means to design a culture of belonging
• Why the way you were raised affects your mindset toward community
• How the gratitude matrix can make staff feel valued and appreciated 

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

I love doing these deep dive series together, but in truth, there's so much more to explore than I could ever put in a podcast. If you want to go even deeper in building a culture of retention and challenge yourself as a leader, our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs are the perfect space for you. 

You'll have the opportunity to grow alongside other leaders through a combination of tools, resources, and coaching that will help you build a school of excellence and leave behind a legacy.

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...

Within the early childhood education space, many owners have dreams of growing their centers but are hesitant about taking on investors. 

Oftentimes, their skepticism stems from the fear of their vision being compromised by a loss of control and misaligned values.

And while this is a valid concern, it's also misplaced.

Taking on an investor isn't like hiring a boss. It's not about handing over the power to the person with the most capital.

Instead, working with an investor is like building a partnership. The goal is to find a person who understands your vision and shares your values, so they can help you build your legacy.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm sitting down with my long-time collaborator and friend, Scott Wayman of Kangarootime, to chat about how to change the narrative surrounding investors and funding in the early childhood education space.

Join us for a conversation about:

• Scott's journey in building his business as someone from a modest background
• His experience finding Kangarootime's first investor
• What you should look for in an investor
• How to prepare your business for seeking out capital funding
• The latest exciting updates from Kangarootime

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

Capital funding and investment partnerships are just one aspect of building your legacy. Through our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, you can join other leaders who are working toward creating schools of excellence and gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will help you achieve your goals.

 Speaking of partnerships, this year I'm collaborating with Kangarootime by participating as a speaker at their annual Bounce conference for childcare owners and leaders. I'll be one of many experts and business owners presenting on topics related to the industry. You can find out more about the conference and grab your ticket here: https://www.bounceconference.com/registration

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.

​We all have limits to what we can tolerate… and what we can't.

Once, I was working with a director who went into a tailspin if the grapes at snack time weren't sliced. Whenever she saw that a staff member had forgotten to slice them, she would react with panic and anger. 

While un-sliced grapes may not bother everyone to such a degree, they pushed this director to her limits.

Whether it's fruit that's not cut or showing up late to meetings, everyone has different limits and triggers, and it's important to be aware of what they are—not just for your own sake but for the sake of your team and center.

Your triggers can cause you to react harshly out of the blue, pushing your team and staff into a state of hypervigilance. And once they've entered that state, they're more likely to make mistakes with the important tasks you delegate. 

This can lead you to think they're not fit for the role when, in reality, they just might need more patience and guidance to be successful.

So, how do you know when it's really time to fire someone?

This week's podcast episode is the final in a three-part series exploring the Delegation Dip and how you as a leader can respond—rather than react—to this phenomenon. This week, I'm talking about how your triggers may be causing you to fire quality team members too early and what you can do about it.

Join me for a conversation about:

• How the "hire slow, fire fast" paradigm lacks the nuance of reality
• Understanding the triggers that may cause you to overreact to performance
• How to know if you're firing too quickly
• The difference between standards and expectations

It's tempting to want to look at firing in a black-and-white way. But the reality is far less simple. Deciding when to retain a team member (or when to let them go) requires that you lead with discernment—a skill that you'll continue to build as you grow in your leadership.

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

Discernment is just one of the skills we work on in the Schools of Excellence Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. If you're looking to gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will help you take your leadership to the next level, I encourage you to apply today.

As a member, you'll also be able to take advantage of our new partnership with BetterHelp, the world's largest online counseling provider. We've partnered with BetterHelp because we value the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our leaders. So, together we're giving our members (plus their leadership teams and staff) one FREE month of counseling, as well as 15% off for all future sessions.

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.

What if I told you that training a new team member wasn't much different from coaching an Olympian?

Bear with me for a second.

When you coach your son's Little League baseball team, you're likely giving him and all his teammates one of their first introductions to the sport. That means you have to teach them every aspect of the game—from their batting technique to how to lose gracefully.

That's going to be very different from the experience of a coach who's training an Olympian, someone who's already the best of the best at what they do.

And yet… Olympians still need to be coached.

The difference between coaching Little League and coaching Olympians (aside from the obvious age and size difference) lies in what the athletes need to be coached on.

The same can be said within the context of your center. 

Do you see where I'm going with this? If not, keep reading.

Of course, every school leader wants to hire an "Olympian"—the team member who can hold their own and exceed expectations.

But hiring a top-notch employee doesn't mean that person doesn't need any training at all. In fact, falling into the trap of thinking you can leave them to their own devices is an example of neglect, and it happens all too often.

This week's podcast episode is the second in a three-part series exploring the Delegation Dip and how you as a leader can respond—rather than react—to this phenomenon. This week, I'm talking about neglect, which is the sneakiest reaction to the Delegation Dip.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What neglect is and why it happens
• The signs of neglect and how it develops over time
• Its effect on relationships in the workplace
• How to course correct once you've identified it

To be successful, every team member—whether closer to the Olympian or Little League end of the spectrum—needs loving guidance and support, no matter how capable they are. As a leader, it's up to you to ensure that no one gets left behind.

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

 At Schools of Excellence we're committed to supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our leaders. That's why we've partnered with BetterHelp, the world's largest online counseling provider, to give our members (plus their leadership teams and staff) one FREE month of counseling, as well as 15% off for all future sessions. 

If you aren't currently a member but would like to benefit from our partnership with BetterHelp, you can fill out an application for our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll not only have the chance to invest in your mental health but also gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will support you on your journey to building a school of excellence.

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.

Discernment is a topic I address here often, and for good reason: It's a key ingredient to many aspects of strong leadership.

One of the areas in which discernment is especially important is delegation.

Whether at home with your family or at school with your team, there are times to delegate and there are times to maintain ownership of tasks. 

Just as you wouldn't delegate the responsibility of driving your car to your 12-year-old son, you wouldn't delegate a high-level, mission-critical task to someone who's new to the school or their role.

And when you do decide it's appropriate to delegate a task, it's important that you keep in mind what I call the "Delegation Dip."

The Delegation Dip is a 3–6 month period where the one who's newly responsible for a task is still learning the ropes. During this time, no matter how qualified the person may be, they're likely to underperform as they learn how to meet (and exceed) expectations.

It can be extremely difficult for leaders to be patient during the Delegation Dip—usually because they care so deeply about the overall outcome. And that can lead to three different negative behaviors: micromanaging, neglecting, and hiring too soon.

This week's podcast episode is the first in a three-part series exploring the Delegation Dip and how you as a leader can respond—rather than react—to this phenomenon. Today, I'm discussing micromanaging, the first of the three most common negative reactions to the Delegation Dip.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The process of deciding when to delegate
• The Delegation Dip and the three most common ways leaders react to it
• What micromanaging looks like
• How you can avoid micromanaging during the Delegation Dip

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

As excited as I am about this podcast series, I'm really only able to scratch the surface of the Delegation Dip and the role it may be playing in your center. If you want to dive deeper into this and other aspects of leadership, you should apply to join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, where you'll gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will help you build a school of excellence.

In addition, as a member, you'll also have a chance to take advantage of our new partnership with BetterHelp, the world's largest online counseling provider. As part of our commitment to supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of our leaders, we're working with BetterHelp to give our members (plus their leadership teams and staff) one FREE month of counseling, as well as 15% off for all future sessions.

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 you go to a restaurant, the quality of the food is critical to whether or not you like the restaurant and want to go back. 

But food isn't the only thing that matters, is it? There are a lot of other aspects of the experience that are just as important, if not more so. The service, atmosphere, and cost are just a few things that come to mind.

Well, the same can be said about early childhood education. 

Just like the food at a restaurant, the children are the highest priority at your school. Their health, safety, and education are at the center of everything you do.

But the parent experience is also absolutely critical to a child's success, which means that they, too, deserve careful attention.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm sitting down with Ron Spreeuwenberg, the Co-Founder & CEO of HiMama, a software company that helps early childhood education centers manage their schools, engage parents, and support their staff.

During the episode, Ron and I chat about why the parent experience is so important to early childhood education centers and what you and your team can be doing to make it more of a priority this year.

Join us for a conversation about:

• The story and values behind HiMama
• Why parent communication and engagement is so critical
• How to better address the concerns of today's parents
• What early childhood education leaders need to be thinking about for 2023

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

 At Schools of Excellence we value the mental health and emotional well being of our leaders. That's why we've partnered with BetterHelp, the world's largest online counseling provider, to give our members (plus their leadership teams and staff) one FREE month of counseling, as well as 15% off for all future sessions. 

If you aren't currently a member but would like to benefit from our partnership with BetterHelp, you can fill out an application for our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll not only have the chance to invest in your mental health but also gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will support you on your journey to building a school of excellence.

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.

Raising tuition can be a touchy subject for owners. It's something you know you have to do—something you have the right to do—and yet you feel the need to justify it every time.

This was also true for Courtney Greiner, owner of Mini Mos Child Care and Preschool.

In the early years of running her school, Courtney struggled to find a balance between the desire to improve her center and the very real costs of running her business.

After exhausting every other possibility, Courtney finally came to the conclusion that she had to implement a tuition increase. It was the only way to keep the school running at the high standard her community deserved and set goals for future improvements.

At first, she felt beyond guilty. She knew many parents were struggling financially and didn't want to create more of a burden for them.

But eventually, Courtney realized that the parents were getting so much value for the tuition they were paying. Her teachers were incredible, the curriculum was exceptional, and the children were provided with all kinds of additional opportunities for enrichment.

Her center deserved to be well-funded.

In the end, it turned out that Courtney's anxiety was for nothing. After she raised the tuition, she saw that the parents didn't complain about the increase at all. Just as she had recognized the quality of the education her center was providing, so did the parents.

The only real obstacle that entire time was Courtney's own mindset.

In this week's podcast episode, I sit down with Courtney Greiner to talk not only about money mindset, but also the many other takeaways she has gleaned during her 5-year membership in our Owner's Only HQ program.

Join Courtney and I as we chat about:

• The state of her center before joining the membership
• How her personal relationships have changed since becoming a member
• Her journey to shifting her money mindset
• How the culture of her center has evolved
• Why you should bet on yourself and consider joining the membership too

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

 Courtney was hesitant to bet on herself at first, but once she did, she realized that an investment in herself was really an investment in her center. If you're ready to take an important step toward creating your own school of excellence, I invite you to fill out an application for our Owner’s Only HQ and Director’s Inner Circle membership programs.

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.

You already know that feedback is an important part of growth. All of us need to be given the chance to view our work critically so we can find the areas that need improvement.

This is especially true of you as a leader. To build a school of excellence, you need to be able to receive honest feedback from trusted members of your team.

But feedback—as its name suggests—is focused on the past. As a result, it often focuses too much on the mistakes that were made, and this understandably causes people to get defensive or shut down.

A different approach is to provide feedforward. In contrast to feedback, feedforward focuses on the future, pointing out opportunities for growth rather than mistakes.

This change in perspective not only reduces feelings of judgment, but also reinforces positive interpersonal relationships that make it easier to break through barriers and progress toward excellence.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm closing out our series on Decoding Your Culture by discussing how to use feedforward to drive growth among you and your team.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The difference between feedback and feedforward
• What feedforward looks like in conversation
• What to keep in mind when giving and receiving feedforward
• How to manage emotions when receiving feedforward
• How to discern from whom you should seek out feedforward

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

 In addition to reaching out to us with your questions and suggestions, you can continue your education and growth by joining our Owner’s Only HQ and Director’s Inner Circle. As a member, you'll gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will help you grow in ways you never imagined.

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.

Last week, I talked about drama and the toll it can take on the culture of your center. We started to identify the different symptoms of drama to look out for, including complaining about the small things, gossip, and playing the victim.

Another sign that drama has infiltrated your school culture is inconsistent actions and behaviors among your team. In other words, when someone goes from one extreme behavior to another—extremely forgiving to hyper-critical or exceptionally kind to highly rude.

These inconsistencies are difficult to spot because they require you to pay attention over a long period of time.

What's more, inconsistent actions and behaviors are also one of the most toxic patterns of drama, because they cause your team and staff to become hypervigilant—walking on eggshells in fear of unpredictable treatment and standards.

Without exaggeration, it can destroy your school's culture from the inside out.

So, how do you combat this insidious form of drama? By becoming an emotionally mature leader.

In this week's podcast episode, we'll continue our Decoding Your Culture series by furthering our exploration of the different types of drama and talking about how to combat it through emotionally mature leadership. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• Inconsistent actions and behaviors and what they can look like
• Manipulation and the widespread damage it causes
• Real-life examples of these types of drama in action
• What drama-free, emotionally mature leadership looks like

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

 If you want to achieve the level of emotionally mature leadership described in this episode, you should join our Owner’s Only HQ and Director’s Inner Circle membership programs. These programs are designed to provide you with the tools, resources, community, and coaching you need to grow into the type of leader you've always wanted to be.

As a member, you'll also have the opportunity to attend this year's Summit of Excellence (February 28–March 2),  which centers on building legacy through values-based leadership. The topics we discuss during the event will help you deepen your understanding of how to lead your school to excellence. I hope to see you there! Learn More: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/summit

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.

Gossip is a normal part of the human experience—I mean, who doesn't perk up their ears when they hear a juicy piece of information?

We all engage in at least some of the time because it plays an important role in our ability to connect with others. 

But… some individuals gossip significantly more than others. (I'm sure we can all name people in our lives who jump on gossip like hungry wolves devouring their next meal.)

And that craving for gossip is one of the telltale signs of drama, including within your center.

Drama is something you should be paying attention to in your school. It takes up the bandwidth of owners and directors and prevents the growth of a healthy culture.

Where there's drama, there's a misalignment of values. It’s only through shared values that you can build a school of excellence.

So, aside from gossip, what other signs of drama should you be looking out for?

In this week's podcast episode, I begin to explore that question in the second part of our Decoding Your Culture series.

Join me as I talk about:

• Drama and its impact on you as a leader
• Why gossip is one of the single most destructive forces in human relationships
• The compounding nature of complaining about the small things 
• How playing the victim affects the people around you

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

If the stories from today's episode resonate with you, I encourage you to fill out an application to join our Owner’s Only HQ and Director’s Inner Circle membership programs. 

As a member, you'll not only gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that can help you improve the culture of your school, but you'll also have the opportunity to attend this year's Summit of Excellence (February 28–March 2), which centers on building legacy through values-based leadership. It's a truly transformational experience you won't want to miss! Learn more: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/summit

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.

“Tough conversations aren’t about fixing everything immediately — they’re about understanding each other enough to keep moving forward.”

What does it really mean to be present in a tough conversation? In this episode, we explore how presence—not just words or timing—shapes the quality and outcome of difficult conversations in leadership and relationships.

Key takeaways:

• Why fully showing up physically and emotionally is the first act of care in a tough conversation
• How presence helps shift from reactive responses to genuine listening and connection
• The importance of preparing not just your message but the timing and emotional space for dialogue
• Why tough conversations are rarely “one and done” — they require patience and ongoing management
• How managing expectations about resolution can reduce pressure and open space for understanding

Tune in to explore how practicing presence and patience in tough conversations can transform leadership and deepen connection in all your relationships. Ready to transition from managing to truly growing your center? Learn more at https://schoolsofexcellence.com/profit/

Connect with Gene at https://genehammett.com/

When I talk about school culture, I'm not talking about Secret Santa gift exchanges, karaoke night, or the pingpong table in the breakroom.

Instead, culture is about the conversation that happens around the ping pong table. It's the set of shared core values and practices that define the day-to-day interactions and decisions in your center.

A healthy culture is essential to building a school of excellence, so keeping a finger on the pulse of your center's culture is something you should prioritize.

But how can you evaluate the state of your current culture if it's not about the gift cards and the pizza parties? How do you actually identify whether your team and staff are united under a set of shared core values and practices?

The best way to determine the health of your culture is by looking at the emotional behaviors happening in your center each and every day—and more specifically—your emotional behaviors.

Where's the focus of your stress? Your frustration? Your anger?

Emotions are data points that help you understand where there's tension and a mismatch of values. With that information in hand, you can evaluate the state of your culture and decide what you can do to pivot in the right direction.

Because starting with you is how you create the ripple effect that will inspire change in everyone else.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm diving into a new series called Decoding Your Culture. In the first episode, I'm looking at what culture is and how to evaluate what's going on in your own center.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What school culture is (and isn't)
• The easiest way to evaluate your center's culture
• How to understand the emotional behaviors involved in your school culture right now
• The importance of staying connected to the people you serve

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

 Culture is going to be a huge topic at this year's Summit of Excellence (February 28–March 2), which centers on building legacy through values-based leadership. If you're interested in diving deeper into culture and how you can create a healthier environment in your center, I encourage you to join us! Learn more here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/summit

While the event is limited to members, non-members can still attend by filling out an application to join our Owner’s Only HQ and Director’s Inner Circle membership programs today. As a member, you'll also gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will help you build a school of excellence.

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.

If you had to be brutally honest with yourself right now, where are you focusing the majority of your attention? 

On yourself? On your family? 

Or are you primarily focusing on your center?

If that's you, you're definitely not alone. Many of the owners and directors I work with have been in your shoes, including Aliyah Johnson-Roberts.

Back in 2020, Aliyah found herself so focused on her center that she was obliging herself to stay at school, even when she wasn't needed. Day after day, she found herself sitting at her desk well past 5pm instead of spending time at home.

It was not only affecting her well-being, but also her family's.

Then, in June of that year, Aliyah decided that enough was enough. She decided to join the Owner’s Only HQ with the hope that it could help her bring more balance into her life.

With the support of fellow owners, Aliyah started to realize that her mindset was at the root of her struggle. She recognized that while she had always looked at her students and staff as her responsibility, that wasn't true of her family. 

Once she came to that realization and learned to shift her mindset, she found the balance she was looking for. It not only improved her and her family's well-being, but also created a healthier school culture and the center’s most profitable year ever.

In this week's podcast episode, I invite you to examine your own mindset as I sit down with Aliyah to talk about her experience in our Schools of Excellence membership program. 

Join Aliyah and I for a conversation about:

• The status of her center before she became a member
• How she shifted the mindset that was keeping her anchored to her desk
• How the community she's found among other members has enriched her life
• The ROI her center has experienced since joining the program
• The goals she has for her center moving forward

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

If Aliyah's story resonates with you, I highly encourage you to apply for our Owner’s Only HQ and Director’s Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll not only experience the support of a like-minded community  of members just like Aliyah, but also gain access to tools, resources, and coaching that will help you on your journey to building a school of excellence.

As a member, you'll also be eligible to attend our 2023 Summit of Excellence. This year's members-only event focuses on building legacy through values-based leadership and includes a variety of special activities and experiences that you won't find anywhere else. You won't want to miss it! Learn more here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/summit

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 the midst of the pandemic, there were days when I wondered whether we'd ever return to attending in-person events. 

As helpful as Zoom was during that time, there was a silent collective agreement that virtual events could never compare to the energy and connection we experience when interacting with others face-to-face.

Fortunately, we've since gone back to in-person events, and it's been a welcome respite from the years of isolation.

But I've also noticed that the return to these events has impacted the way we see them. Post-pandemic, we view our time as more valuable, so we're more intentional about how and where we spend it.

And that means being particular about the events we choose to take part in.

The thing is, not all events are created equal. They all have different purposes and qualities that can impact your decision to attend, like cost, location, and networking opportunities.

So, how do you tease apart these differences to ensure you're spending your precious time wisely?

In this week's podcast episode, I dig into the different types of events and how to discern which ones to invest in based on your personal needs and goals.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The four most common types of events 
• What sets these events apart from one another
• Which factors to consider when deciding which events to attend
• Why our Summit of Excellence should be at the top of your list (HINT: It's one-of-a-kind!)

The most important takeaway from this episode is that while there are many valuable events out there, only YOU can determine which ones are best for you, your team, and the goals you have for your center. 

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

You can start practicing your discernment skills by choosing whether to attend our 2023 Summit of Excellence, which focuses on how to build legacy through values-based leadership. Learn more here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/summit

To make this year's event a truly special experience, we've limited attendance to members of our Owner’s Only HQ and Director’s Inner Circle programs. However, it's not too late for non-members to get tickets! All you have to do is fill out a membership application. 

By becoming a member, you'll not only get the chance to attend the event, but also take advantage of the tools, resources, community, and coaching that our programs have to offer. I hope to see you there!

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.