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In this episode of The Teacher Wellbeing Podcast, host Ellen Ronalds Keene returns after a hiatus to wish teachers a Happy New Year and to discuss her focus word for 2026: 'tend.' Ellen shares an invitation to a free, 90-minute webinar titled 'Beyond Teacher Wellbeing,' aimed at teachers navigating systemic challenges in 2026. This webinar will focus on support and understanding rather than self-improvement, offering a space for teachers who feel they are merely surviving rather than thriving. She also announces the preparation for Season 10 of the podcast, calling for guests who can share personal stories or insights into teacher wellbeing initiatives. Email [email protected] if you would like to be a guest on the podcast this year. Sign up for the Beyond Teacher Wellbeing webinar at https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/webinar Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

f you’re feeling stretched thin, emotionally fried, or like everything is just a bit much right now—you are not alone. This time of term can be intense, and it’s easy to fall into overwhelm. In this short and supportive bonus episode, I’m sharing three powerful tools I often use with coaching clients to help navigate these high-pressure weeks. One of them came up in a session just this morning and landed so strongly, I knew I needed to bring it to the podcast too. 🎓 Mid-Year Reset for Tired Teachers Workshop – Thursday 11 JulyA live, reflective, and supportive session to help you reset and recharge before Term 3. Can’t make it live? A replay will be available. Register Here: https://selfcareforteachers.thinkific.com/products/courses/midyearreset 💬 Coaching Support Available + Extra spots in the School HolidaysI’ve opened up extra intro coaching call spots during the break. Whether you’re working on wellbeing, work-life boundaries, or a career crossroads—this is a great time to explore whether coaching could support you. Please note: coaching prices are increasing from 1 July 2025. Book your intro call here https://ellenronaldskeene.as.me/discovery Thank you for being here—and for all the care and energy you’re giving, even when it’s hard. You’re doing better than you think. Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

This episode is a personal update, an update on what Self-Care for Teachers has going on at the moment, and an invitation to the Teaching Career Crossroads free class this Saturday. Sign up for the Teaching Career Crossroads webinar here. Join the waitlist to coach with me here. Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

Vote for me in the Spark Women in Business Grant here https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/spark Links mentioned:  - Grab an intro coaching call with me: https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/coaching - Get the free 30 Day Self-Care calendar: https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/calendar - Upgrade to the 30 Day Self-Care challenge: https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/challenge - Grab the Resilient Teacher Roadmap course: https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/roadmap Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

Happy 6th Birthday to the Teacher Wellbeing Podcast! It sure has been an amazing ride since I began the podcast in 2017. I could not have predicted where things would end up but I’m so proud of the 9 seasons that have been produced so far. In the time since I began the show, the teacher wellbeing industry has matured so much and is now mainstream in schools across Australia. And of course 6 years in and my personal and professional life look extremely different than when I started the show. In this episode I share a litte update! Links: Email me about being a guest on Season 10 or about Asynchronous Wellbeing & Career Coaching [email protected] How to Work in Wellbeing Training https://selfcareforteachers.thinkific.com/courses/how-to-work-in-wellbeing Before You Leave Teaching Course https://selfcareforteachers.thinkific.com/courses/before-you-leave-teaching Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

In this episode I share a personal update and some resources and links that are coming up for me in the next few weeks. Freebies Library http://selfcareforteachers.com.au/library 30 Days of Self-Care Audio Course http://selfcareforteachers.com.au/challenge Seasons of Wellbeing Webinar www.selfcareforteachers.com.au/seasons Sell Your Skills Online Webinar www.selfcareforteachers.com.au/sell-your-skills My other business perkdigital.com.au Strategic Self-Care Club instagram.com/strategicselfcareclub Gabbie Stroud Episode Katrina Bourke www.katrinabourkecoaching.com.au Daniela Falecki from Teacher Wellbeing www.teacher-wellbeing.com.au Meg Durham from Open Mind Education https://openmindeducation.com Adrienne Hornby https://adriennehornby.com.au Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

This is the last episode in Season 9 but we will be back for Season 10 sometime later in the year. In the meantime make sure you’re following me on Instagram @selfcareforteachers and get on the newsletter list so you stay up to date. And if you really resonated with this conversation about school wellbeing that Lisa and I had at the end, and if you’re the wellbeing person in your school, or you want to be, come and join me and other wellbeing champions at a virtual networking event on the 22nd March. Check out selfcareforteachers.com.au/wellbeingchampion for more resources in this area including a new freebie about common mistakes to avoid. As always remember that you are a person first and a teacher second and you are so worthy of your own care! Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

The Teacher Wellbeing Podcast is 5 years old today! If you have enjoyed the show, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app as a little birthday present! Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

This is a brilliant conversation with Katrina Bourke, a good friend to the podcast who has been on the show several times before. We discuss leadership sacred ground, what it is, why you need it and how we find it. Katrina also shares the power of deep self-awareness and why it’s also important that we understand and accept our shadow sides. Plus, we talk about what gets in the way of showing up as the best leaders we can be and advice for new and emerging leaders too. The Authentic Leader Deputy Principals, this one’s for you! Have you heard of The Authentic Leader? It's an online community of learning and connection exclusively for female deputy principals who want to lead well and live well. The Authentic Leader is a safe space to connect with other women who really understand what you do. It's a network full of wisdom and warmth where you can get help with managing workload, feeling confident, and the day-to-day highs and lows of school leadership. https://www.katrinabourkecoaching.com.au/workwithkatrina/ Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

In this episode we hear from a guest host, Ellie Huth, whose story you heard back in episode 2 of this season. If you haven’t yet listened to that I recommend you do so. Ellie shares with us how teacher wellbeing can be improved through high functioning professional learning communities. Check out the School Wellbeing Champions meetup and workshop here: https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/wellbeingchampion/ Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

In this episode I am sharing with you a clip from the Resilient Teacher Roadmap online course, and it’s really the metaphor that underpins the roadmap, about approaching our resilience and wellbeing the way an engineer builds a bridge: knowing and planning for it to flood and designing the bridge accordingly, not building a flimsy bridge and praying it doesn’t rain. You can find the Resilient Teacher Roadmap course in my online shop at anytime https://selfcareforteachers.thinkific.com/courses/roadmap But I also want to invite you to join the Resilient Teacher Group Coaching Program, which starts on 29th January or 1st February, depending which cohort you join. It’s a 6 month group coaching program for teachers wanting support, encouragement and community in building their resilience and wellbeing in 2022. Enrolment is open now, head to selfcareforteachers.com.au/resilientteacher You heard Emma share in the previous episode how being a part of the Resilient Teacher Group Coaching Program helped her make some changes in her life and improve her wellbeing as a person and as a teacher. And I’d love to support you this year to do the same. So here’s a little snippet of my approach and my clients have found it a really valuable metaphor to help them reflect on their resilience and wellbeing, set goals and seek support when needed. Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

Happy New Year teachers! In this episode of the Teacher Wellbeing podcast I have a fantastic chat with one of my past teacher clients, Emma. Emma shares so generously about the challenges she’s experienced with perfectionism, people pleasing and the martyr culture getting in the way of wellbeing. She’s spent a lot of time reflecting on this and unlearning these tendencies and shares some beautiful insights in this episode, including letting go of the need to be ‘super teacher’, recognising the difference between school-imposed deadlines and self-imposed deadlines, and the power of having trusted people to hold you accountable. Emma also tells us how a supportive principal and 2 supportive colleagues saved her teaching career, so I think it’s an incredible lesson that no matter your position in a school you can and do make a difference to the people you work with. The question is will it be a positive difference or not? There’s so much good stuff in this episode, including setting boundaries, the ancient Jewish practice of Sabbath, and giving yourself permission to do more things just for fun. Emma also shares a bit about her experience in the Resilient Teacher Group Coaching program, which is open for enrolment again right now. The Resilient Teacher is a 6 month group coaching program for teachers building their resilience and wellbeing in 2022. It’s 1 individual coaching session with me, and 12 fortnightly group coaching calls to support you throughout Semester 1 this year, beginning with a welcome call on Saturday 29th January 2022. Calls are held on Zoom so you can join from anywhere in Australia, on Tuesday evenings or Saturday mornings. You can go to www.selfcareforteachers.com.au/resilientteacher to find out more Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

In this episode of the Teacher Wellbeing Podcast I have a really interesting conversation with Gail Swift from Plans to Prosper Coaching. Gail is an educational guide and Kolbe Index Consultant who works with schools and teachers in the United States on bringing out their best when everybody is free to be themselves. Gail shares with us about something called conation, which the dictionary says is ‘the mental faculty of purpose, desire, or will to perform an action’. Gail explains how conation is different to cognition and also personality, but how all three are needed for success. We talk about how this plays out in classrooms and staffroom, and how understanding our ways of working can help us get along better. Gail shares some advice for school leaders trying to motivated disengaged staff, and we have a great chat about rethinking the way we approach staff meetings to make them more effective, efficient and engaging, which I’m sure is something we all want. Ultimately this episode is about closing the distances between us and building understanding, and learning to get along better in our families, teams and communities and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Gail! Reminder: now is a great time to put your name down on the waiting list to work with me when I come back from Maternity Leave in 2022. I’ll only be back part time so it will definitely be a case of first in best dressed and the waiting list for my 1:1 coaching or for the Resilient Teacher Group Coaching Program will be notified first when spots open up in my calendar: https://mailchi.mp/33f69a083043/work-with-ellen-waiting-list There is also a waiting list for School Wellbeing Champions too. In 2020 and 2021 I’ve run a number of meetups and workshops for School Wellbeing Champions, who are the amazing educators and staff members who are driving wellbeing initiatives from the ground up in schools. And in 2022 I plan to run some more of these, with options for both PD relating to wellbeing initiatives you can run in your school, and opportunities for networking, connecting and learning from Wellbeing Champions around Australia. So if that sounds like you, pop your name on the interest list at selfcareforteachers.com.au/wellbeingchampions and of course the link will be in the show notes and the description of your podcast app! Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

In this episode of the Teacher Wellbeing Podcast I have a really valuable and vulnerable conversation with Laura, who you may know from Instagram as @educatinglaura or from her podcast, After the Bell. Laura is a high school teacher from Victoria and we recorded this while in lockdown so there is a little bit of background noise from her kids but we all know the realities of lockdowns these days, don’t we? Laura tells us about her journey overcoming the martyr syndrome that exists in our education culture, and how that really played out for her in her first several years of teaching. For example she tells us about the problematic beliefs she had that made it such a struggle to make a change like taking work emails off her phone and feeling the pressure to be available 24/7, as well as the huge difference it makes to have a Principal who understands and actively supports teachers wellbeing as people first and teachers second. Laura also tells us about a couple of big personal wake up calls that started to really shift her focus on herself and what really matters in her life, and I do want to just share a content warning that we touch on pregnancy loss in this episode so just be aware of that as you listen. Laura also tells us about what wellbeing looks like for her these days and her top tips for early career teachers, and she has some really great tips to share. Just before I get to the interview, I want to let you know that now is a great time to put your name down on the waiting list to work with me when I come back from Maternity Leave in 2022. I’ll only be back part time so it will definitely be a case of first in best dressed and the waiting list for my 1:1 coaching or for the Resilient Teacher Group Coaching Program will be notified first when spots open up in my calendar: https://mailchi.mp/33f69a083043/work-with-ellen-waiting-list There is also a waiting list for School Wellbeing Champions too. In 2020 and 2021 I’ve run a number of meetups and workshops for School Wellbeing Champions, who are the amazing educators and staff members who are driving wellbeing initiatives from the ground up in schools. And in 2022 I plan to run some more of these, with options for both PD relating to wellbeing initiatives you can run in your school, and opportunities for networking, connecting and learning from Wellbeing Champions around Australia. So if that sounds like you, pop your name on the interest list at selfcareforteachers.com.au/wellbeingchampions Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.

In this episode we hear from a guest host, Ellie Huth, whose story you heard back in episode 2 of this season. If you haven’t yet listened to that I recommend you do so but Ellie does give a brief overview of her background here too. This episode is all about the power of knowing and using our character strengths for wellbeing. Ellie first tells us about her experience with her Employee Advisory Program, or EAP, which is where she was first introduced to the concept of Character Strengths, and then she went on to study them further as part of her Masters in Wellbeing. Ellie tells us what the character strengths are, the science behind using them for wellbeing and how we can find out about our strengths. This episode of the Teacher Wellbeing Podcast is brought to you by the 30 Days of Self-Care Challenge private podcast audio course: https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/challenge Sign up for the Self-Care for Teachers newsletter here.