Does this resonate with you?
As we grow—both personally and professionally—building authentic, empowering relationships becomes more important than ever. I know it has for me.
Over the past 30 years, I’ve served as a classroom teacher, theatre arts teacher, special education consultant, Elementary Literacy Coordinator, coach, and administrator. At every step, one question kept calling to me:
What happens when educators lead from a place of purpose and alignment with their core values?
This question has been the thread through all my roles—from the classroom to the district office and back again. Early in my journey, I was deeply inspired by the concept of “leading from any chair,” from The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander. It affirmed my belief that no matter your title, you have the power to shape empowered, energized environments.
But I also learned this through lived experience.
After landing what I thought was my dream job—as an Elementary Literacy Coordinator in a large urban district—I hit burnout. A series of personal losses made it even harder to keep going. I realized I had been pouring from an empty cup. Something had to change.
So I returned to my creative roots and began teaching theatre to TK–6 students in underserved schools. What I witnessed was transformational. In those theatre classrooms, Social Emotional Learning wasn’t a program—it was alive in the room. Students lit up with curiosity, collaboration, imagination, and joy.
Teachers would tell me, “My students love coming to your class!”
That stuck with me. Why did they love it?
And more importantly, how could we create that same sense of joy—for the adults, too?
How do we reignite the curiosity, creativity, and love of learning students experience in the arts… for the educators themselves?
That question led me here.
Today, I support educators, leaders, and mission-driven professionals in reconnecting with their purpose, protecting their energy, and leading with intention. I call it Care-full Leadership™ —a movement to shift school culture by tending to the well-being of the adults in the room, so they can model the brilliance and harmony we hope to see in our students.
Whether you're leading a classroom, a team, or an entire system—your well-being matters.
Let’s build that space, together.
