Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

• 262. Growth Is the Job: Why Leadership Development Isn’t a Perk — It’s the Work

  Leadership in early childhood has long been treated like an “extra,” a bonus you get after the fires are out and the classrooms are staffed.But here’s the truth:Leadership development isn’t a perk.It’s the job.Because calm doesn’t grow you, discomfort does.In this episode, Chanie names a trap many school owners fall into: waiting for life to “settle down” before investing in their own growth. But settled never comes. Systems will always need refining, enrollment will always ebb and flow, team members will always cycle — and your center needs a leader who is growing while leading, not after everything is perfect.Inside this conversation, Chanie breaks down:What You’ll LearnWhy comfort creates complacency, but discomfort builds capacityThe cycle school leaders get stuck in: conditional growth (“once things calm down…”)How one owner shifted from task-completion to capacity-building, transforming her entire leadership team’s cultureWhy professional development is oxygen, not dessertThe difference between intensity bursts and predictable development rhythmsHow your growth becomes the ceiling, or the expansion, of your teamWhy sustainable leadership is built on consistency, not perfectionChanie also shares real examples from the field, the predictable patterns that show up in every school’s culture, and the practical rhythm shifts that move leaders out of survival mode and into mastery.If you want to grow your school, you must grow you.Because your team will not outgrow you, they grow through you.Resources Mentioned✔️ Take the Money Leaks Diagnostic Identify where your school is unintentionally losing profit and begin building the rhythms that stabilize your financial health. 👉 schoolsofexcellence.com/moneyleaks

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• 261. You’re Not Out of Energy — You’re Overholding: How School Leaders Create Energy on Demand

  You can’t call in tired when you’re the leader.Even on the days when your body aches, your brain is foggy, and every text feels like one more demand — leadership still needs you. Parents still email. Licensing still calls. Staff still need direction.And in that fatigue, it’s easy to believe the lie: I just need a break. I just need a new system. I just need to get through this week.But energy isn’t something you find. It’s something you create.In this deeply personal episode, Chanie unpacks what it means to create energy on demand — not from caffeine or quiet, but from rhythm, breath, and emotional containment. She shares how leaders can shift from guarding what’s left to generating what’s needed, and how to stop being the emotional battery for everyone around you.If you’ve ever said “I’m just so tired,” this episode will help you see that your exhaustion isn’t from doing too much — it’s from holding too much.You’ll LearnWhy you’re not one vacation or system away from feeling aliveThe truth about emotional fatigue and over-holdingHow to reframe your story and create energy in the middle of chaosThe science of energy creation and how your body chemistry responds to posture and languageHow to install transition rhythms between work and homeWhy “protecting your energy” keeps you in survival mode — and how to shift to creation modeSimple morning, end-of-day, and transition rhythms that restore peace and focusKey Insights“You’re not exhausted because you’re doing too much. You’re exhausted because you’re holding too much.”“Energy isn’t found in quiet. It’s created through rhythm.”“You don’t need rest to be restored — you need rhythm to be renewed.”“You are not a battery pack to be drained. You are a lighthouse — a generator of light and calm.”Memorable Quotes“Waiting for energy is like waiting for clarity — it never comes until you take action.”“You don’t protect energy. You create it.”“You close your laptop not because the work is done — but because the day is.”“Leadership still needs you when you’re tired, but you’re not powerless. You can create energy, on demand.”Reflection PromptsWhere are you still acting as the emotional battery for others?What transition rhythm would help you leave work restored instead of depleted?How can you practice creating energy through breath, posture, or language this week?Episode ResourcesPre-order Chanie’s new book This Can’t Be Normal — coming soonTake the 5 Gear Diagnostic to identify which area of your leadership is most drained — Enrollment, Staff Culture, Parent Engagement, Financial Health, or Strategic Growth. schoolsofexcellence.com/diagnostic

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• 260. The Invisible Weight of Memory: How Systems and Rhythms Protect School Leaders from Burnout

  If your brain feels like a filing cabinet that never closes, you’re not alone.For many school leaders, memory becomes the hidden system — the thing holding birthdays, licensing dates, parent notes, staff needs, and the million invisible details that make your school run. But here’s the truth: your brain was never meant to be the system.In this powerful, personal episode, Chanie shares how her once-reliable memory began to fail — and how that moment became the turning point for her leadership. Forgetting wasn’t a crisis; it was clarity. It revealed that her business had outgrown her brain and was ready for real systems and rhythms that could carry the weight sustainably.If you’ve ever said, “I just have to remember to…” — this episode will help you see why forgetting is not failure. It’s a signal that your leadership is evolving.You’ll LearnWhy memory-based leadership leads to burnout and anxietyHow your brain becomes a false “system” when trust in processes is lowWhy stress pokes holes in memory — and what to build insteadHow rhythms create psychological safety and operational stabilityHow to shift from mental management to systemized leadershipPractical examples of where you may be leading from memory (and how to stop)How to trust your systems and rhythms — even when it feels uncomfortableKey Insights“Your brain and your memory are not the system. Systems and rhythms hold excellence at scale.”“The brain is for having ideas, not holding them.”“Forgetting isn’t failure — it’s feedback that your leadership is ready to evolve.”“When you lead from rhythm instead of recall, you build peace into your operations.”Memorable Quotes“My memory made me feel safe. But safety doesn’t come from remembering — it comes from trusting the rhythm.”“Your leadership isn’t breaking down. It’s breaking open — to a simpler, more sustainable way to lead.”“Forgetting wasn’t the problem. It was the most generous wake-up call from God.”“The brain is for having ideas, not holding them. Systems are what keep those ideas alive.”Reflection PromptsWhere in your leadership are you still using your memory as a safety net?What’s one area where you could install a rhythm to replace recall?How does over-reliance on your brain create invisible weight in your day?What would it look like to trust your systems — even when your instinct is to double-check?Episode ResourcesLearn more about Chanie’s upcoming book This Can’t Be Normal, where she unpacks how rhythms replace over-functioning and burnout.Take the 5 Gear Diagnostic to identify which area of your leadership carries the most invisible weight — Enrollment, Staff Culture, Parent Engagement, Financial Health, or Strategic Growth. schoolsofexcellence.com/diagnostic

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• 259. Timeless Marketing Strategies for Childcare Leaders: What Still Works (and What to Leave Behind)

  In early childhood education, it’s easy to feel like marketing changes faster than you can keep up. But the truth is, while tactics evolve, the fundamentals of trust, rhythm, and authenticity never go out of style.In this episode, Chanie sits down with longtime friend and industry leader Nick Williams, CEO of Childcare Business Growth, to discuss the timeless marketing strategies that stand the test of time.They explore how to create authentic content, follow up with confidence, and use AI and systems to reclaim your time — all while staying true to your school’s values and mission.If you’ve ever felt like your marketing is a moving target, this episode will help you return to the anchors that actually drive enrollment.You’ll LearnWhy authenticity always outperforms the latest trendHow to position yourself as the local expert families trustThe power of consistent follow-up rhythms in enrollmentHow to centralize communication without losing personal connectionThe role of AI in buying back time and simplifying marketing systemsHow to track baselines and lead sources to make smarter decisionsWhy clarity on your values attracts your ideal familiesHow to stay ahead of change without losing your focusKey Insights“Sales is service. You’re not pushing — you’re inviting families into something that matters.”“If you want consistent enrollment, follow up on the platforms your parents actually use.”“There’s no money in being neutral. Your values are your magnet.”“AI should help you work smarter, not harder. Use it to reclaim time for leadership.”Memorable Quotes“Marketing doesn’t need to be frantic — it needs to be rhythmic.” — Chanie Wilschanski“Be authentic. Be visible. Be the local expert. That’s timeless marketing.” — Nick Williams“The best marketing strategy isn’t about chasing trends — it’s about building systems that keep working while you lead.” — Chanie WilschanskiReflection PromptsWhich part of your marketing is built on rhythm — and which still feels reactive?Are your systems making your brand more human or more complicated?What would it look like to be known as the trusted local expert in your community?Episode ResourcesExplore Nick’s work at childcarebusinessgrowthlive.comTake the Schools of Excellence 5 Gear Diagnostic to identify your biggest growth opportunity in:Enrollment, Staff Culture, Parent Engagement, Financial Health, or Strategic Growth 👉 schoolsofexcellence.com/diagnostic

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• 258. The Invisible Weight of School Leadership

  Leadership is heavy in ways no one talks about.We expect long hours, enrollment pressure, staff turnover, and parent demands — but the invisible weight of leadership isn’t in the spreadsheets. It’s in the emotions, expectations, and energy you absorb every day.In this powerful conversation, Chanie redefines burnout and exposes why the “fix-it-fast” advice doesn’t work. Because burnout doesn’t come from working too hard, it comes from becoming the system.If you’ve been the leader who holds everyone else’s fear, absorbs everyone’s disappointment, and smiles while suffocating inside, this episode is your permission to stop.Learn how to trade survival for sustainability by building rhythms that distribute the weight, not systems that keep you holding it all.Join the live workshop, Delegation Isn’t the Finish Line: Ownership Is to learn how to build rhythms that hold you steady.Register at: schoolsofexcellence.com/delegationWhat You’ll LearnWhy traditional definitions of burnout miss the real causeThe difference between working hard and becoming the systemWhy “fix-it-fast” solutions (like pizza parties) don’t actually workHow to identify invisible labor, and stop carrying what’s not yoursThe power of rhythms to distribute emotional and operational weightWhat it means to be an “all-seasons leader” — not just calm-weather leadershipKey InsightsBurnout doesn’t chase weakness — it preys on competence.The body keeps score when you carry what’s not yours to hold.You don’t need to get stronger — you need to be held.Systems alone can’t save you; rhythms sustain you.Calm isn’t forever. Leadership is who you are under pressure.Memorable Quotes“Burnout isn’t working too hard, it’s becoming the system.”“If burnout can find you because you’re extraordinary, then rhythms can hold you because you’re extraordinary.”“You don’t need to get stronger. You need to be held.”“Leadership isn’t what happens in the calm. It’s who you are when the pressure knocks.”Reflection PromptsWhere are you holding what isn’t yours to hold?What invisible weight are you carrying for your team or school?What would change if your leadership wasn’t a solo sport?Next StepTake the Schools of Excellence 5 Gear Diagnostic to identify your biggest growth opportunity in: Enrollment, Staff Culture, Parent Engagement, Financial Health, or Strategic Growth 👉 schoolsofexcellence.com/diagnostic

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