One of the most common beliefs I hear from teachers, who are quietly considering a move beyond the classroom, goes something like this: “I’d love to leave… but I’d have to take a pay cut, so I can’t.” It sounds practical and responsible and there’s an element of common sense with this thinking too. However, let’s take a few moments …
Five Gentle Reminders When You’re Feeling Stuck
It can feel deeply uncomfortable when you reach a crossroads in your career or life, especially if you’re used to being competent, capable, and clear on behalf of everyone around you. Teachers often tell me they feel “restless but unsure” … “tired but unable to stop” … “longing for change but afraid to make the wrong move”. What follows is …
Hope Is an Action: Stepping Forward at the Crossroads
“Hope does not need to be merely a passive wish; it can be an active force to propel us forward.” Robert Redford For many teachers, hope can feel like an unspoken emotion held quietly between challenging days, shifting priorities, and the pressure of caring for so many others. Redford’s words invite us to reimagine hope not as a feeling we …
When Hierarchical Thinking Holds Us Back
The quickest way to sabotage our influence, quickly followed by a loss of confidence, is through hierarchical thinking. This is where we unconsciously rank people by status, money, or power. Like it or not, education runs on hierarchy. Titles, pay scales, leadership structures are all built into the system. Over time, it is easy to internalise these structures and start …
Identity: The Missing Piece in Your Teaching Career?
When I work with teachers who are re-evaluating their careers, they often start by wanting to focus on what’s wrong (or right) with their immediate day-to-day challenges, then want to move onto their skills, and (lack of) opportunities. They ask questions such as: Do I need a new certification? Should I apply for leadership roles? Would a different age group …
A Gentler Way to Think about your Future
Some of the challenges that coaching clients bring to our sessions boil down to the question: “What should I do with my life?” It’s certainly a question I’ve asked myself over the years when my career seemed to be heading off track. The question can feel overwhelming because the words carry both the weight of possibility and also the burden …
The Long and Winding Path
For many teachers, the end of the school year brings a pause; a breath between the busyness of school life and the quiet of summer. Truth be told, it used to take me at least two weeks just to quieten my mind and to start feeling normal again! For some, the pause also brings a deeper question to the surface: …
Beyond the End Zone
This month’s blog is a discussion prompted by the popular saying: ‘The end zone is for the ego; the journey is for the soul’. It got me curious because my coaching blends transactional outcomes (goals) with personal transformation (who we truly are, aka the soul). My curiosity became inspired enthusiasm which in turn prompted me to write! At one time …
At the Crossroads
If you are a teacher, chances are you’ve had that nagging thought: Maybe there’s a better way. Maybe the better way is a different teaching role or a different school. Maybe it’s a completely different career. Maybe it’s stepping away from the classroom for good. And then, without warning, another thought creeps in: Maybe what I have is good enough. …
Time Optimism – A double-edged sword
As someone deeply invested in personal development and coaching, I’ve often encountered the concept of time optimism—the belief that we can accomplish more in a given time frame than is realistically possible. Now, I appreciate that some of you will already be rolling your eyes at this point and thinking ‘not another label people can pin on themselves’ so let …










