Discover the keys to thriving in the often high-stress world of education, as Charles Williams, a seasoned educator and advocate for workplace wellness, joins us to unravel the complexities of mental health in our schools. Imagine your mind as a car's dashboard, with warning lights that too many of us ignore – Charles guides us through the crucial early detection of these signs, offering strategies from his recent workshop that are essential to preventing educator burnout and fostering a positive learning environment.
Navigating the challenging terrain of personal boundaries in leadership, we delve into the art of aligning them with our deepest values and life's purpose. Through an insightful conversation with Charles, we examine the balance between standing firm on our commitments and respecting the limits of our staff. We tackle the weighty issue of 'teacher guilt,' encouraging brave choices that protect our irreplaceable roles within our personal lives and families, and discussing how leaders can create environments that better align with their ideals.
Finally, we address the ever-present quest for work-life balance, sharing candid stories and practical tips to safeguard our personal time from professional encroachment. Our talk emphasizes the importance of administrators in shaping a culture that honors these boundaries, enhancing the effectiveness and presence of educators in both their classrooms and homes. By recognizing and managing stress—distinguishing between its positive and negative forms—we provide strategies for personalized stress relief that can lead to a more fulfilling career in education. Join us for this transformative discussion, and take a step towards a healthier, more balanced approach to your educational calling.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
Discover the keys to thriving in the often high-stress world of education, as Charles Williams, a seasoned educator and advocate for workplace wellness, joins us to unravel the complexities of mental health in our schools. Imagine your mind as a car's dashboard, with warning lights that too many of us ignore – Charles guides us through the crucial early detection of these signs, offering strategies from his recent workshop that are essential to preventing educator burnout and fostering a positive learning environment.
Navigating the challenging terrain of personal boundaries in leadership, we delve into the art of aligning them with our deepest values and life's purpose. Through an insightful conversation with Charles, we examine the balance between standing firm on our commitments and respecting the limits of our staff. We tackle the weighty issue of 'teacher guilt,' encouraging brave choices that protect our irreplaceable roles within our personal lives and families, and discussing how leaders can create environments that better align with their ideals.
Finally, we address the ever-present quest for work-life balance, sharing candid stories and practical tips to safeguard our personal time from professional encroachment. Our talk emphasizes the importance of administrators in shaping a culture that honors these boundaries, enhancing the effectiveness and presence of educators in both their classrooms and homes. By recognizing and managing stress—distinguishing between its positive and negative forms—we provide strategies for personalized stress relief that can lead to a more fulfilling career in education. Join us for this transformative discussion, and take a step towards a healthier, more balanced approach to your educational calling.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
Welcome to Teachers Ed Podcast, a place where the best and brightest in education come to be inspired to learn to connect and grow. And, as always, I want to start by thanking our sponsor. Be Well Teacher Box, a gift box to help educators focus on their mental wellness. If you use code TEACHERSED, you can get $7 off. If you haven't, please like, subscribe and leave a review. This will help me get in front of more educators that are just like you, so let's get started. Front of more educators that are just like you, so let's get started.
Speaker 1:Today's guest is Charles Williams. He is a dedicated educator with nearly two decades of experience. He has made impactful contributions in various capacities, including being a teacher, assistant principal and a principal within the K-12 sector. His unwavering commitment to fostering equity is highlighted through his advocacy work with the equity offices of both the city of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Charles extends his passion for promoting inclusive narratives as the host of the Counter Narrative Podcast and as a former co-host of the educational show Inside the Principal's Office. In addition to his educational endeavors, charles is the founder of a consulting firm where he thrives as a best-selling author and is celebrated for his compelling workshops and motivational keynote speeches.
Speaker 1:I can tell you firsthand. I have heard Charles present. I have heard him speak. He is dynamic, he is a man. When I say a man for the people, I mean educators, leaders, counselors, whoever in the educational space. If you have not heard Charles, I would recommend finding a way to hear him, whether it's at your school or at a conference. Charles, thank you for joining me. I am happy to have you on the Teacher's Ed podcast. How are you doing today?
Speaker 2:Man Edward.
Speaker 2:I'm going to have to ask you to just do my intro. All the time you could be the hype man because I'm sitting there. I was like that's me, that's amazing. No, thank you. Thank you so much for allowing me to be in this space. I'm honored to have been able to meet you. I remember sharing space together. I think the first time we actually connected was Vegas, and so I was like, man, this guy, this guy's doing some amazing things. So those words coming from you mean a whole lot, and I cannot wait for this conversation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm excited, man. I appreciate you taking time. I know you're busy, I know you got a lot of other things going on, so let's jump right in. I know one of the big things that I wanted to get you on and talking about, because I've been in a lot of educational spaces and workplace wellness is something that is just struggling and I know I've you know I've seen the work you've done, I know that you are strong in that space. So I really would just kind of like to hear you know some of your thoughts about workplace wellness, and I know there's teachers that listen, that are tired right now. They're burnt out. You know I want to open the floor up to kind of let you give an introduction to where you are in that space, and then we'll kind of go through from there.
Speaker 2:Yes, I completely understand the concept of being burnt out. Right, you're tired, you're overworked, you're overwhelmed. For us, right at the time of this recording, spring break is in a few days, so you know, I see it around the building, and not just with staff, right, but even with the students, and so I think one of the things, though, that I've really focused on right, there's a lot of people talking about wellness and workplace mental well-being and things like that, but what I've noticed is that a majority of these individuals come from a space of being reactive, right, like the idea of somebody saying, well, I need to take a mental health day, and there's nothing wrong with us having mental health days, but the fact is, like, that's not going to fix the problem. Like you don't get to take a day off and then come back. At least for me as a school leader, if I took a day off and then came back, I'm going to have, like, well, twice as many emails and other issues, like they didn't go away.
Speaker 2:So my hope is and the work that I've started to do is, instead of being reactive to spaces is how do we, how can we be proactive, how can we avoid burnout? To begin with and I know sometimes people are like that's not possible. And it is. It absolutely is, if we understand. And so one of the things I was just doing this past Saturday was hosting a workshop for school leaders across Chicago, and one of the things that we're talking about then is to say well, you know, just like the dashboard warning lights on your car, I mean, ed, like how many times have you been driving? And that empty fuel light comes on and you're like nah, I know my car.
Speaker 2:I'm good for another 10 miles. We ignore it, right? We just keep pushing through. We push it sometimes, but we do the same things to ourselves, right? That low pressure tire comes on, the oil light comes on, whatever it is that comes on, and we're like, nah, nah, we're good, we can keep going.
Speaker 2:And before we know it, right, the car's in the shop broken down and it has to take a few days to get repaired. But you know what, if we were to pay attention prior to, right, there's that little sticker that says, hey, your oil needs to be changed at this time. If we pay attention to that and make sure that we are taking care of things, guess what? My car's not going to break down because the oil went bad, because I took care of it prior to, and so I think that is the space that I want us to get into. One aspect of that is being proactive, but I think the other part of that and I know I'm saying a lot here, but I'm sure we'll dive in is really reframing what it means to do this work.
Speaker 2:I think that we have created. We complain about these toxic spaces that we're in, but I think a lot of it stems from the things that we've created. So if we've created these and we've allowed these things to occur because I believe in that concept of what you permit, you promote, then it is our job to break that. And that's one of those spaces I'm pushing back. I'm telling my school leaders to tell the district leaders no, because what's going to happen if we all collectively like, no, we're not okay with this.
Speaker 2:Every time you put something on my plate, I need you to take something off. Right, they're not going to fire everyone, and if they do, I mean I don't want to challenge that, I want to see what would. But my guess is is we could create a movement where we change what it means to be school leaders. We could change what it means to be teachers. We could change this toxic space that has been created because we've made ourselves martyrs to this field. Right, and there's nothing wrong with being passionate and dedicated, but there's no reason that we need to be martyrs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and hearing what you're saying, one of the things that I've shared with educators is I'm 41.
Speaker 1:When we were younger, it's like it was a badge of honor to just overwork yourself Like, oh I, you know I worked six like the grind culture that you know how they would now. But what I'm hearing with you is really drawing boundaries as a educator. But also it starts with the leadership and I think one of the challenges that I have seen and this is not even mental wellness, it's just schools in general is we've learned from the leaders in front of us. So right now you have a lot of principals that learn from principals, who learn from principals who learn from principals. What advice would you give? Because right now there's a lot of people that are transitioning into leadership, because leadership is retiring, leadership is going to other fields what advice would you give someone that is a newer school leader, whether it's a principal, assistant, principal, dean, whatever that position is? What advice would you give them for them to be a catalyst to change and to create a safe environment that's not toxic for the educators in their building?
Speaker 2:So I think one of the things that the first things that people should do is understand your boundaries, right. And when we talk about boundaries, for me, when you define a boundary, it means understanding and not just knowing, but also then communicating, like what are your capacities? And that typically stems from understanding your core values, your beliefs, your purpose, your why, whatever term you want to use. But to say these are my boundaries, right, and to say I think that we were afraid of that right. Because if we create a boundary, kind of like you and I were talking about prior to jumping on here, if I say, look, this is my boundary, and then something comes along that challenges that boundary, what's going to be important is how do I respond to that? Because the moment that I say, okay, well, here's my boundary, but I guess I'll let this thing slide, guess what? It's no longer a boundary, right, and so I believe that people will respect you way more if they understand hey, I know Ed believes in these things, right. And when challenges present themselves, when these conflicts have presented themselves that challenge those boundaries, he said he has stood firm man. I respect this dude for that right, but so oftentimes we're worried about that. It's going to make us look weak. We're worried about the fear of the missed opportunities, whatever it might be, and we let those boundaries down and we expand them a little. And then we expand them a little more, and a little more, and a little more and before we know it we're like we don't. We don't even know where those boundary lines Right. And so I think if you're a new leader, come in and understand that right and recognize the boundaries of your staff. Recognize, as long as they're, you know, I guess, understandable that's not even what I'm looking for. As long as they're feasible, right, recognizing those boundaries and the capacities and saying, hey, if I'm willing to say I have boundaries, then I must recognize that my staff have boundaries. It's not fair for me to have these expectations. If I'm leaving the building early because I got to take care of my family, to say, hey, staff, I got to leave early to take care of my family. But you know what I need you to then pick up my slack Like, no, if that's something that collectively we have families and understand, guess what? As a school leader, I'm going to set this boundary for all of us. Look, you know what? 3.30, we're done, whatever it might be, and I'm just giving an example, but that is, I think, one of those first places and I get it as a new leader because I used to be in that space. It is hard to do that because you're so worried about this culture that has been built.
Speaker 2:And I will tell you, ed, that my youngest baby, she's 20 years old. I've spent the last decade sitting in the principal's seat, a little over a decade. Do you know how much time of her life I have missed, right, and that's my youngest. I, my, my wife and I we have five girls. How much time I have missed because I didn't know how to set boundaries, because I was chasing after this dream, because I was trying to do all of these things and guess what? I finally obtained it. But I can't get that time back, right, and so I have to understand now, look, I'm setting boundaries. You know what?
Speaker 2:She graduates next month, with her and associates, and I was like I'm taking off, I'm not worried about it, I'm not asking permission, I'm telling you, right, because one of my values is my family. I'm going to be out, don't bother me, I'm not taking my work, I'm not doing calls, I'm there for my baby. But I think I'm comfortable enough doing it now because I've been in this space. But I'm telling you, as a new leader any new leaders watching this you too can do this. And I will say this and I know this is probably one of the hardest things that if they don't value it, if they don't respect it, then maybe that is not the space for you. Too often we force ourselves into spaces that don't accept us for who we are and value us for what we're bringing to the table. If that is not the space, then find a new space.
Speaker 1:And I love it. And if there's one thing that I think teachers can stand on right now is that you're not replaceable. I am someone that tells teachers we all are replaceable. In a sense, I'm the executive director of school and someday someone will have my job. There's no denying that. But as an educator, like yes, your job is great, that is, for some people, their purpose and you know it's their passion. But ultimately, being a father, being a mother, being a friend, being a brother, absolutely that is something that should. There's nothing that should overtake that.
Speaker 1:And one of the things I had to learn was and I heard someone else say this and I've just it stuck with me it's don't give your job the best and give your family the rest. Like, our families deserve better than just getting the crumbs on the plate at the end of the day. And that is something that I think a lot of educators struggle with. And I see this on TikTok and maybe you can answer this, because I know what someone listening to this is going to say. I see it in my comments when I post videos about this type of stuff. There's a thing teacher guilt. Like yes, it's easy to say, draw the boundaries, but like when I draw them and I don't get things done, I feel guilty. The educator that's listening, that has that teacher's guilt. Like what would you say to him or her?
Speaker 2:So I think one of the first, I think, something that immediately came to mind is the concept of a trade-off right and the guilt's not going to go away. Guilt is a normal feeling. So I think, first and foremost, recognize that it's not going to go anywhere. Right, you own it, embrace it, but understand this like, where's the? Is the guilt coming from? There's this concept of a trade-off Every time you say yes to something, you have to say no to something else.
Speaker 1:Carl, say that one more time. People need to understand that, because you only have so much bandwidth in a day and in life.
Speaker 2:Only so much.
Speaker 1:I don't want people to miss that say that only so much.
Speaker 2:I don't want people to miss that. Yeah, yeah. Every time you say yes to one thing, right, you have to say no to something else. And so you have to ask yourself if that extra project, if that extra task, if it's night school, whatever it might be that you're like, I value my, my, my students, right? So I want to do these things and I get it because you're passionate and you're dedicated and I commend you for that.
Speaker 2:But every time you say yes, what are you saying no to? Are you saying no, hon, I can't be home and spend time with you tonight. No, you know, to my child, I can't come home and help you with homework because I'm at school helping my students with their homework, right? Are you saying yes to working on a Saturday program, but you're telling no to your friends and your family, those who have supported you throughout all of this. Hey, no, I can't be with you. And if you can really sit in that space and be like I'm okay with that, then that's fine.
Speaker 2:But more often than not, that guilt that you have, guess what? As you said earlier, we are replaceable, but not Because if you say no to working after school, guess what, there's going to be somebody else who can do that, somebody else who can do that trade-off, right? And so don't sit there in your guilt. You are not obligated to do this work. And again, I say that coming from a space, because I get it so many times. I've said yes to things, but guess what? That guilt was gone from that side. But guess what? Now I have guilt from the other side. So you're not going to get rid of guilt by doing that. So just ask yourself what guilt do I want? What guilt can I live with? What guilt is going to go away eventually? Right? Because, like we've talked about, our jobs are temporary, our families are not. So which guilt are you OK with? What is that trade off? What are you willing to say yes to? What are you willing to say no to, yes to what are?
Speaker 1:you willing to say no to yeah, and I think, as a teacher, it's like don't be so driven to raise everyone else's kids that you're missing out raising your own, absolutely, and all of this energy, and I understand it Like that's our job, like our job is to give these kids the best that we have while we're there, but also making sure that we're not giving our classroom, our school, the best. And then you know you're there, but also making sure that we're not giving our classroom, our school, the best. And then you know you're missing.
Speaker 1:You know your child's recital, you're missing basketball, or you're just home from and when you're home and I think that's the other thing is when you draw those boundaries, making sure that you're able to be present with the people at home. You're not at home at the dinner table, like I got these 30 assignments that I got to grade, while your child needs help with their homework, or while they don't even need help with homework, while you can just sit and spend some time with them. Like we don't, we don't want to look bad. There's a saying I don't remember exactly, but something like your child will not remember all those overtime hours you work, but they will remember the time that you missed at their events or at whatever, and it's I think, that guilt is something I hear so often from teachers and I totally understand it, because you want to be the best at what you do.
Speaker 1:Like you know you're called to be a teacher and you want to do that, but you're also called to be a parent or a friend if you even if you don't, I think there's a guilty with people that don't have kids. It's like, like, even if you don't have kids, it doesn't mean that your work should still revolve around teaching because you just don't have a kid or a family or you're not married. Like you still have a life and family and people that love you and you can spend some time with.
Speaker 2:Like don't allow school to absorb all that time you know, and I just want to also say, cause I think a lot of times when we have these conversations, people envision, or they talk, or they, they, they think it's like it's an all or nothing. And by no means am I saying that when we say about boundaries, like so, for example, one of the things that for the longest time I said I would tell my wife, cause she would, she'd be so upset. You know, every day you come home, you're working, you're working, you're working, you're working, you're working. You go to school, you're working as a school administrator, you're coming home, you got the hustle grind going on. So even I said, look, tuesdays and Thursdays, those are the only days right. When I come home, tuesdays and Thursdays are the only days that I grind it out right. Mondays, wednesdays, fridays are date nights, right, right, and so it's okay to find some type of balance, but then that was my boundary.
Speaker 2:If somebody was to come along and say, hey, can you, can you record something on Monday, or can you do this session on a Wednesday, I'd be like, nah, you got to fit it into a Tuesday or Thursday and that if that doesn't work for you, then I'm sorry, and it's not going to work for me, either because I've promised this other time to my family, right, and so I just wanted to say that, because it's a weird thing that we do in ed. It's like either, or it's very rare that we say an, and it's like it's okay to have a little bit of both. But again, once you set those boundaries, stand firm in them, and I know it's one of the hardest things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so there was a school that I was at and just hearing the things you're saying, there was a school I was at in Wisconsin earlier, shout out to Reed Elementary in Oshkosh, wisconsin, and when I was there I was so impressed with the principal because she was having conversations. There was an all staff meeting before we did a professional development and she was telling them like listen, stop sending me emails at 7pm, at 8pm, like it was interesting to see because she was like I'm drawing boundaries for myself, but sometimes I think in leadership we also have to draw the boundaries for our staff. Do not. And I think I want to say their district has some sort of toggle on their systems where at certain times they can't do certain things. And maybe I misheard that, but she was dead set Like after this time, I don't want you emailing, I don't want you in the school, you know, on the website, none of that stuff.
Speaker 1:Like that is your time to spend however you want, but it can't be spent doing education. I was very impressed because I'm like I think that's what some administrators need to do, because people are going to burn themselves out regardless. Like I got to get it done. I got to get it done. But like no, you are more effective when you're rested and in a good mood than you are when you just burn your wick all the way to the end. So when I, when I was there, I was just so impressed with the culture she was building, because she was not only drawing boundaries for herself, but she was drawing boundaries for staff. Like after this point, please, I don't want to see any emails, I don't want to see any of this, because I need you guys to take that time for your family. And it was noticeable how the staff looked up to her, how they respected her, and I think that type of leadership goes a long way. So I do want to shout out Principal Eisen, schenck, you're ever listening to it, shout out to her.
Speaker 1:She was absolutely incredible. So one of the questions, the next question I would ask in in this is you know you were talking about really being proactive what are some of the ways? I know some of the things that I like to do, but I would love to hear from you what are some of the ways you would encourage educators to be proactive in taking care of themselves. I know you know the not responding emails. Like, what are some of the things that you would recommend or that you've heard of some educators doing that really helped them? Because I think teachers hear it and we push it and especially from COVID, we've been pushing it. But, like, what are some actionable steps that someone listening can take and start to execute to really be proactive?
Speaker 2:with their wellness, your needs. But I think, in being proactive, it's understanding well, what are my stressors, right? So when we talk about stress, you usually have two types of stress. You have eustress right, which is this idea of saying, you know, sometimes we talk about like hey, like we got a deadline right and it pushes me towards, it, gives me that oomph that I need right. So stress in small doses isn't always a bad thing. Well, what happens is that if we don't manage that stress accordingly and it turns into distress right, and that's when things become an issue. So, for you know, and it could be little things, I think, when we think about burnout, like it's not just one thing, it wasn't like I had a fight with a colleague and all of a sudden I'm burnt out, like it wasn't that fight, maybe that was the catalyst, it was the tipping point, but there were a bunch of other little things that led up to that. And so I think for me it's understanding what are your triggers, what are your stressors Right, and and and modern um, recognizing those things. And so, when they do pop up, then asking yourself so this is part of the workshop that I do, one identifying those stressors. But then also, what is it that I need, right?
Speaker 2:So one of the things that I loved, you know about beautiful weather is my wife and I. We go on these walks. We have a trail near our house, and so we'll go for a three-mile walk. Right, it passes this little man-made lake. Right, you're in nature and it's just the two of us, right, and sometimes we aren't talking. Sometimes we talk about whatever it might be. She's an educator, so sometimes it's work-related, but whatever it might be, but that's our theme. Other people like to go for a run.
Speaker 1:I promise you, if she and I went for a run, we'd probably be more stressed than prior to, right, you sound like me with my wife, like I ain't going to walk all day with you, right, but me with my wife like I walk all day with you, exactly.
Speaker 2:Exactly Right. So I think it's it's identifying for me, it's identifying those two pieces. What are the things that stress me out? And so how can I try to avoid those things? Or at least if I know it's unavoidable, right? So, for example, maybe it's sitting in traffic, right, chicago has one of the worst traffic spaces, right? I had a friend who was like hey, I'm, I'm only going to be like 20 minutes away from you. I think I'll swing down and see you for lunch. And I was like yeah, no, that's not how traffic works here.
Speaker 1:Like it takes 30 minutes to go five miles away.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly Like. So if I know that traffic is one of my stressors, right, then my, my thing is all right, I'm not going to be able to avoid it. But what can I do? Maybe it's listening to, maybe it's listening to a type of music while I'm sitting in traffic, right, maybe it's it's it's listening to an audio book. Maybe it's saying okay, once I get to work, I'm going to take a quick, you know, 10 minute walk around the building, just through the hallways, to decompress and to center myself, whatever it might be, but it's understanding what is that stressor? And then what is that thing that I can do to alleviate that stress? Because so often, right, if traffic is a stressor, right, I don't leave my house on time. So now I'm in traffic, I'm running late, my stress is building. I get to work, I don't give my time to decompress, right, I'm running into a meeting or something, and it's just it's building and it's building. So it's recognizing what is it that's going to cause me damage and being very, very, very intentional about how am I going to alleviate that, because you can't avoid stress, but you can be very intentional about how you respond to it. And so, without giving very, very specifics right, because everybody has their own thing. I think those two things, if we do that, then that's important. And doing so I will add this piece in doing so in a healthy way, to be honest.
Speaker 2:You know, a few weeks ago I had COVID right, and so I was on my medicine, I was taking things. It hit me pretty hard, so all that week I didn't have a single drink at all because I was on my medicine. So I was like you know what, let me just try something here, right? So that following week I still wasn't feeling so well. I went a whole nother two weeks. Then I said you know what, let me just try. And for I think, probably about a month now, I haven't had anything right. And I've noticed this change.
Speaker 2:And one of the things people talk about are how do we health? You know, how do we help respond healthily? Right, because a lot of times we resort to unhealthy practices because it temporarily relieves that stress but it creates other issues. And so this is just once again one of those promises, dedications to my, my family and others. Like I'm going to try to be as healthy as possible and live as long as I possibly can. And it's been a little easier than I imagined. My good friend Mike Earnshaw. He is a uh, an ambassador for athletic brewing, which is like a non-alcoholic beer, right, and I was like all right.
Speaker 1:I'll give it a shot Very good, you know.
Speaker 2:So it's, there are options. I just wanted to throw that out there because I know people may joke like, yeah, I had a stressful day, so I'm going to go, you know, indulge in whatever you know item it might be, and just you know not. Not, I'm not dissing anybody who does those things. Just be cautious and mindful that whatever you're doing actually helps you and it's not just a bandaid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's funny you say that. So I'm closing it on 10 months without a sip of alcohol and I wasn't drinking a ton prior. So that's how I know about the athletic brewing, because the few times I've had a non-alcoholic beer, I've had those and it is outstanding. But one of the things that I just learned was I track my sleep. I'm big on track. I'm just a data nerd in general, like data. Everything I do is in a school is data driven. If there's data, I want to know about it, because that's how you can make, in my opinion, how you can make your best decisions. So I track my sleep and what I learned was, even with just a glass of wine. So my resting and I'm not going to get too into this because I'm going to end up losing people's attention, but my resting heart rate is 52 beats per minute. I have a glass of wine, my resting heart rate is 68 beats per minute that night. And my sleep I may feel like I sleep better, but I wake up and my body was working so hard to get that wine out of me.
Speaker 1:So alcohol, getting alcohol out of my life was probably one of the best decisions that I've ever made. And that's coming from someone who used to have a glass of wine every night. You know, sometimes two, sometimes three shoot maybe a bottle or two down a night, and I would. It was my way of decompressing. And then I started to realize, like man, I feel worse the next day and then I show up to work and I feel I don't feel rested, which then made, made my fuse a little shorter with students, with staff members, with parents, and then, ultimately, once I saw, once I just completely cut out of my life, is I just sleep better? And ultimately, when it's all said and done, you know, burnout is not something that people do intentionally. It's something that happens on accident because, like you said, we're not intentional with noticing what those warning lights are on our dashboard and taking little steps. Now, it's okay if someone's like, let me have a glass of wine or let me have a beer. I would never tell someone to just cut that out if that's something that they enjoy doing.
Speaker 1:But can you limit it a little more? Or can you do it on a Saturday? So then you're recovering on a Sunday and not doing it on a Tuesday when you know you have a long day at work the Wednesday, and I think those are things that people don't realize how much it affects them. Because you have a few drinks, you sleep very well. You're like, wow, I was knocked out, yes, but your body was trying to process and there's a lot of science behind that and I don't want to go too deep into that. But that was one thing for me that I noticed. When I cut that out, my sleep has just improved so much, which ultimately has just made me better in everything else that I do, because I feel just a little bit more rested. So that's one of the things.
Speaker 1:I know, man, we're going to be getting ready to close up. I know I've been. I got to get you back on because we've got some leadership conversations that we've got to have. But this one just ran up to the limit, which is good, because I know, in the times I've spent in education, this is the topic that teachers and educators are struggling with the most. It's like they feel overwhelmed, you know they feel burnt out, they're tired, they have 10 extra duties, you know.
Speaker 1:But I think some of the tips that you shared as far as being intentional drawing boundaries, like in, not even just drawing them, standing on them, like it's one thing to draw, people are like, well, I've drawn them, and then when people cross them, you don't tell them to get back. It's like, no, I've drawn them, this is the boundary that I'm drawing. The answer is no. So I think those are some valuable tips. I think those are some valuable tips. What is the final thing that you would share with the educator that's listening? That it could be a leader, educator, whoever it is that just is struggling still like you've given them some tips. You've given them different things that they can do in their buildings, different things they can do outside. But what is the final thing? If you could say anything to teachers out there that are listening, that are having a hard time, what's the last thing you would say to them as we get ready to close out?
Speaker 2:So you know, one of the things that I say oftentimes when somebody, when I get this question like what is the last thing that you want to say Is that it's this right?
Speaker 2:There are so many different things in this world that you can be. The most important thing is to be true to you, Know who you are, know your purpose, know your values, know your boundaries, like we talked about and just be true to you and, as tired as you are, as struggling as you might be, that at the end of the day, if you sit in those spaces, you're going to feel a whole lot better at the end of the day because you know where you stood. You stood firm in those spaces and I would tell you that you will find yourself eventually. Maybe it's not happening right now, Maybe it's not tomorrow, Maybe it's not even at the end of the school year, but eventually you will find your place yourself in a space where you can truly be you, and when that happens, it will make all the difference. But you will never, ever get there if you don't know who you are, because you will not know where you need to be. So again, just be true to you.
Speaker 1:I love it. Thank you, charles, for coming on. For those that are listening, charles, can you let the audience know where they can find you on social media and what I would tell anyone that is listening? Your staff is struggling. Charles is the person that can help you. I have seen his work. I will not put my stamp of approval on just anyone. He is dynamic. If you are looking for any support in these spaces, please connect with Charles. Charles, can you let them know where they can find you on social media website? Any plugs that you want to give? I want to give you that opportunity to do that as we wrap up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no man, I appreciate it. So the easiest way to find me on social media, my handle is at underscore CW consulting. You can find me all over the place. Twitter's probably the space where I'm most active, but you can definitely find me If you connect with me. I will definitely connect back with you. Shoot me a message, I will respond.
Speaker 2:You know you've got the website CW consulting servicecom. Everything is linked on Twitter and all the other spaces. They're all linked together. You know YouTube pages. I even have an Instagram and a Tik TOK, but I don't know what the heck to do with those. I'm tapping into my children to help me with that one. But yeah, you know, and of course I think we mentioned you know, there's a podcast, there's a, there's a book out there. So you know, just, I'm trying to add as much value as I can to this space, right, and so if you can get that passively by following me and just reading some of the stuff, great. If you, as I said, if there's something you need that I need, I can support you. Let me know. I'd be more than happy to help as long as I can, and I want to make sure that I'm adding value. So, again, just thank you so much for giving me this space. I appreciate you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you for coming on, and he definitely does add value. I'll make sure that his information is in the description of this episode. Charles, man, it's an honor to have you on here. I appreciate you for being on here, but, man, I just appreciate you. I have been in educational space for 18 years. I've been to so many conferences, I've been around so many people that are consultants and I can say there's a lot of people out there that don't have the true heart for education that you do. So, man, I just appreciate your, your like true dedication to the craft and making sure that you know you're trying to, like you said, you're trying to bring value to a space that needs value more than it ever has. So thank you for coming on Again. If you guys haven't, please like subscribe, make sure you go give Charles a follow, Check out the things that he's doing Again. Those will be in the bio of this episode and we appreciate you all for tuning in and we will see you next Sunday. You.