You don’t need another system or vacation to feel alive again. You need rhythms that restore you — even when leadership still needs you.
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Episode Overview
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 Learn
- Why you’re not one vacation or system away from feeling alive
- The truth about emotional fatigue and over-holding
- How to reframe your story and create energy in the middle of chaos
- The science of energy creation and how your body chemistry responds to posture and language
- How to install transition rhythms between work and home
- Why “protecting your energy” keeps you in survival mode — and how to shift to creation mode
- Simple morning, end-of-day, and transition rhythms that restore peace and focus
Key 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.”
Discover your school's hidden breaking points
Stop Guessing & Start Knowing
with The 5 Gears Diagnostic
Reflection Prompts
- Where 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 Resources
- Pre-order Chanie’s new book This Can’t Be Normal — coming soon
- Take 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
About Chanie Wilschanski & Schools of Excellence
Chanie Wilschanski is the founder of Schools of Excellence and a sought-after mentor for early childhood and private school leaders. Her work is grounded in building operational systems, emotionally intelligent leadership, and sustainable rhythms for long-term success. Through her podcast, trainings, and membership program, Chanie helps private school and ECE leaders lead with confidence, build high-functioning teams, and step into their full leadership potential—without burnout or chaos.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with another school leader ready to move beyond survival mode and into intentional, systems-driven leadership.
