Episode 63 | Teaching, Parenting & Beating Burnout with Erin Shook

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Welcome to Lead with Hope, the
podcast where we explore the

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power of hope, leadership, and
resilience in today's world.

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I'm Brandy Kelly, and each week
I will bring you stories,

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insights, and actionable advice
from leaders, innovators, and

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change makers who are using hope
as their compass to navigate

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challenges, create positive
impact, and inspire others to do

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the same.
Whether you're a seasoned leader

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or just beginning your journey,
this podcast is here to remind

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you that no matter the obstacle,
hope is the fuel that can drive

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transformation.
So let's dive in and discover

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how you can lead with hope.
Hey everybody, welcome back to

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the Lead with Hope podcast.
I'm your host, Brandy Kelly, and

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today I'm honored to welcome my
guest to the show, Aaron Shook.

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Aaron is a high school teacher
with 17 years of experience and

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a passion for creating
supportive, balanced learning

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environments.
She is known for her innovative

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psychology instruction, and she
also equips students with vital

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life skills like time management
and resilience.

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A proud mom of four boys, Aaron
brings a unique perspective on

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balancing family, career, and
well-being, fueling her

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commitment to promoting both
physical and mental health for

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educators inside and outside of
the classroom.

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Welcome to the show, Aaron.
So Aaron, why don't we just

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start today with you sharing
your story?

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So I come from a family of
educators.

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My mom was a teacher and my
uncle and grandpa were

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principals and teachers.
So I kind of, I always knew that

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I wanted to be a teacher.
And for me, it was really

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solidified my senior year when I
took AP Psychology, had a

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fabulous teacher and just loved
the subject and content.

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So that's what I majored in and
that's what I went into.

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As far as my story, I've
actually done a lot of work

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recently and kind of examining
my own story with an education.

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I have really been in all areas
of education, mostly high school

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teaching, but I've done both
part time teaching.

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I stayed home for a little bit
of time.

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I've been, you know, a full time
classroom teacher.

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And so I feel like I've been
fortunate to kind of dabble in a

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lot of different areas there,
and I'll talk more about that

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later.
But I think that's a huge part

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of my story and kind of who I
want to help.

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I'm originally from the Chicago
suburbs, so I was used to

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teaching in large suburban
school districts with, I came

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from a district of 4000 students
to where I'm teaching now, which

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is about 700 students in a more
rural area.

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We moved due to my husband's job
and it was definitely a

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transition at first going from,
you know, just just a lot more

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opportunities in terms of, you
know, electives and everything

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that was offered and just kind
of different student population

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to where I'm at now.
But you know, I've really grown

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to love where I'm at.
I've been able to do a lot of

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new curriculum developments at
my school and that's really

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fueled my passion.
I'm teaching right now.

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You know, it's, it's funny how
everything ends up, you know,

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kind of working out.
But I'm teaching AP psychology

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and intro to psychology now,
which is exactly as a senior

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what I wanted to teach.
And it's definitely a subject

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area that once you get that,
it's very hard for teachers to

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leave it.
So it's kind of like you got to

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wait till somebody retires to
get those classes.

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So I'm super fortunate with the
students that I do teach now and

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just, you know, I'm passionate
about the curriculum and content

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that I teach.
Yeah.

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It sounds like a fun class to
teach.

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And we had the opportunity this
summer to coach at the SEL

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Summit together and you were
able to share some of the

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innovative things that you do in
your classroom to foster

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connection and you you implement
those SEL strategies.

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So do you want to talk a little
bit about that, Aaron?

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Sure.
I think when I like reflect back

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on I've been teaching for 17
years.

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So when I think back like my
teaching really shifted, I think

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the last over the last three to
four years, anyone who's been in

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education knows post COVID
things were different.

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So I think that's been really my
focal point is trying to build

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social connection in my
classroom against psychology.

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The content leads leads to that
very well.

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But I think that's more so than
curriculum.

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That's been my focus in my
classes.

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And from that, I've just seen,
I've seen enrollment in my

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classes, you know, skyrocket in
terms of that's, you know, I'm

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at a smaller school and that's
my full time schedule, which is

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pretty, pretty awesome.
And just, you know, like today

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we had my students had finished
up some presentations and a

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couple periods are I teach 4
sections of regular psych and I

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like to keep all the classes on
the same schedule.

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And some classes had more
presentations.

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So we had, I wanted to with two
of my classes, we had like 30

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minutes after the presentations
and so I didn't want to move on

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to the next lesson.
So what I do in those times is

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like non screen time.
And so I have a whole bunch of

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games and cards and puzzles and
play DoH and coloring and stuff

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like that.
And it's just so fun to watch

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high school kids play.
And that's just every time I do

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that, you know, which isn't as
often as I would like, but every

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time I do that, I just kind of
sit back and watch kids just I

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mean, I had like boys today
playing don't break the ice, you

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know what, the little Penguin
and like hammering away at the

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little ice cubes and stuff.
And it's just it's really cool

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to see that.
And I think that's that's like

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what's truly missing from a lot
of teenagers lives.

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And the more we can get them off
screens, off their phones and

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connecting with each other.
It's just it's been yeah, that

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that has been to me.
I think what, what has kind of

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like fueled my, you know, my
want to keep it's to keep

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getting better at what I'm
doing, you know, as a veteran

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teacher.
Yeah, that connection is so

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incredibly important with the
kids and and play I think

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fosters hope and possibility.
It fosters creativity and it's

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something I think is missing in
our kids lives, but it's also

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missing in the lives of the
adults that are teaching the

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kids.
We forget how to play as adults

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and it's so incredibly important
for our lives.

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So thinking about that, Aaron,
how do you play?

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How do you foster that hope and
possibility in your life?

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Well, as you mentioned in the
intro, I have 4 boys, so I feel

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like there's, there's a lot of
activity and play.

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And I, I echo what you're saying
though, too, because balancing

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the responsibilities of that
too.

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I, I think a lot of times as
moms and as females, we tend to

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be less of the ones to play.
And like, you know, I think of

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my husband, you know, definitely
sometimes seems like he gets to

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play with them more while I'm
managing a lot of, you know,

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other things.
But yeah, I think I mean that

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they they take up so much of my
time outside of school.

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I mean, they're involved in, you
know, a million different

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activities.
So we're constantly going to

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practices and games and that.
But I think that that is

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something so much and just kind
of thinking and reflecting like

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that.
That's huge because we, we don't

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often play as adults and, you
know, just like actually like

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being OK as a teacher, as a mom
to like let your guard down and

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laugh.
And, you know, like, it's like

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put, you know, like I have to
remind myself just because of my

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personality, like I'm a, I'm a
type A like a lot of teachers.

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I want to be in control.
I want to get stuff done if I

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have a task and you know, like
put that aside, like the dishes

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will still be there and rather
like, you know, sit down and

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play with the kids.
I think that's definitely an

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area that I could I could always
improve on.

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Yeah, I think we all could
though.

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I mean, and having fun with our
kids and showing them our human

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side.
I don't know.

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There's just so much goodness
there.

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So that's, I think that's a
great take away from this

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podcast, Erin, is that we need
to play, we need to have fun, we

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need to enjoy the journey
because we're not promised

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tomorrow, you know?
Yeah.

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Yeah.
Is sweet, but it's also short.

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Yes, just going to tap the
lights.

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These are automatic lights that
just went off.

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Yeah, I think that's that is so
true, Brandy.

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And I think when I think about
some of the current issues in

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education with teacher burnout,
so much of that probably could

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be lessened if if there was more
of that.

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And, you know, just like just
the the natural enjoyment that

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came from.
I mean, obviously like I teach

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psychology so I could get into
the release of like endorphins

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and dopamine and all that sort
of stuff.

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But like, yeah, I mean that
that's that's real stuff.

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And it is, and I do think play
is a protective factor.

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But you know, I know when stress
is high, sometimes I tell myself

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you deserve that retail therapy
or that, you know, that

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Starbucks coffee or those things
that I really enjoy.

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Maybe a manicure or pedicure.
What kinds of self-care things

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do you do for yourself?
How do you take care of you?

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Yeah, I I'm like huge into
working out physical activity.

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I, I love to start my day with a
morning workout and just, I, I

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look forward to every day with
at lunch, my teacher best friend

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across the hall from me.
We, you know, we eat our lunch

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super quick and then we have
about 10-15 minutes where we

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walk a couple laps on the track
outside.

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And it's just a really nice way
to get a break from school and

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just kind of talk about non
school related things.

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And I think that that to me is
is huge, just kind of like the

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physical activity aspect of my
life.

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I definitely love a good
pedicure too.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Facials.

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Facials are pretty good.
Yeah, and.

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Massages.
Yeah, I like all of the things.

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Yeah, I do too.
And yeah, they're, they're

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farther between appointments
than I would like to like to

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have, but yeah, that sort of
stuff.

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And just, you know, like I
really look forward to like kid

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free time when my husband and I
can get a babysitter and go out,

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you know, on a date just the two
of us.

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And just or just, but even like
spending I find as kind of the

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years go on like my ideal
weekend really is not having any

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plans and just kind of like
spending time at home with with

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my family.
Yeah, those are, those are when

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the memories are made, aren't
they?

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For sure.
So you've talked a little bit

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about your teaching and, you
know, kids today.

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I, I think they're the most
connected generation, but also

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the most lonely generation.
I think teaching today for the

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students, the teachers and the
leaders in, in our school

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districts, it requires
resilience.

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So can you share a time when you
were a student, faced a

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challenge and how you overcame
that and found hope on the other

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side?
Yeah, I think this, so much of

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this comes back to that kind of
like reflective moment a few

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years ago when I was really
thinking about kind of the

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question like how can I enjoy my
day more at school, you know,

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what are some sorts of things
like that?

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So that's where I think a lot of
the SEL stuff that I brought

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into my classroom has been so
huge and just kind of more like

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teaching kids, you know, like
more of the life lessons piece.

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I do so much with my AP classes.
I mean, it's a college level

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class for many students, it's
like, you know, might be the

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first time that they're getting
CS and stuff and that's, you

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know, so scary.
But just really trying to get

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them to understand that, like
learning is a process and that

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we learn from mistakes and all
that.

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I think we do such a terrible
job in education of from an

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early age, kids learn that like
failure is bad when in reality,

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it's not like it's, it's just
life is a constant series of

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like, you know, it, it like
fail, but then learn from it.

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And that's the piece I know
we're doing a huge push this

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year at our school just about
like grit and taking ownership

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over things because that
generation, yeah, they, they

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lost, they lost a lot of that.
And I think I'm just always

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trying to build in kind of that
that bigger life message with

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things.
And that's, that's what I hope

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more than anything that kids,
you know, take away.

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Yeah, 'cause in life you are
going to have to have grit.

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Life.
Life is so sweet, but it is hard

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at times too.
And if you are not conditioned

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to overcome challenges and to
utilize your coping skills, it

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is, it's, it's challenging.
And so I think it's a good thing

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that you guys are really pushing
that in your school.

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And I hope more schools do that.
And I hope we see a, a change

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with parents.
We have the, I don't know if

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you've heard of these phrases,
but the lawnmower parents, they

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mow over all the problem or the
helicopter parents.

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And sometimes it is our
inclination to swoop in and to

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save the day and to protect our
children from any kind of harm.

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None of us want our children to
be hurt, but they have to learn

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how to overcome those challenges
and develop that grit and

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resilience for sure.
And just learn even how to like,

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advocate for themselves.
I'm always so surprised with

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students who will be sitting in
a classroom with me and they

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won't, I'll get an e-mail from
them after rather than, you

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know, like talking to me in
person.

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So that that goes back to a lot
of that social communication,

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which I'm doing stuff this year
back to.

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Like I have like kids that are
standing at my door greeting

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other kids and like welcoming
them to class and like talking

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about stuff.
Like you look at somebody in the

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eyes, you know, and you you say
like, hello, good morning and

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stuff like that.
Because I think so much of that,

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yeah.
That that, that ability to like

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problem solve and I mean, not to
get into larger issues, but just

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like the ability to have like a
a disagreement or a different

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opinion with somebody else.
And that's OK.

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And you don't have to RIP each
other's heads off, but like, you

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can exist in the same space
together and hold different, you

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know, different beliefs.
Yeah, those are also important.

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I'm doing some work with the
local CEO, Makuba County CEO.

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Yeah, is so fun.
We are doing self-awareness

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assessments.
So, so far we have done a values

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assessment, we have done an
Enneagram, we have done the disk

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and just letting those kids
understand who they are and

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their blind spots, their fears,
their motivations, their

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desires.
It's been really interesting to

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see the conversation that they
have had around that and to

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begin to utilize that knowledge
to work in a team.

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Yes, yes.
But one of the things I love you

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said that your students are
greeting each day I.

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Love them.
Yeah, yeah, that's been so cool.

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Yeah.
With the CEO, something that

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those kids do very well is when
I leave, they shake my hand.

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And it's not that limp fish
shaking out of the hand, you

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know, it's a firm, full
handshake.

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And those are skills that I
think I'm starting to see coming

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back.
But we lost them for a while.

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So I commend you.
You are doing a great job

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teaching the things that our
kids are going to need in their

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life.
But as a teacher, with what you

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are seeing, if you were to pick
your top three skills that you

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would really like to teach and
how you teach them in your

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class, what would they be?
Yeah.

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No, that, that one definitely
going back to like the failure

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being feedback piece, just
learning from mistakes.

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Like in my AP class, I Ioffer
test corrections.

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And it's this, you know, some
people argue like why would you

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allow them to have like, you
know, a, a chance, you know, to

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redo it?
But it it's like they learn from

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00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:29,160
their mistakes that they make.
And I'm constantly like trying

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00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:31,920
to push them to be like
metacognitive about stuff, which

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is hard, you know, for obviously
for for teenagers.

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So I think that that would be a
big piece that, you know,

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failure's OK as long as you like
learn and grow and adapt from

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it.
Another gosh, yeah, 3 three

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pieces that I guess like.
And this is, I guess this is

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00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:04,960
going to kind of go back to like
this is going to seem

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counterintuitive maybe to what
we talked about before, but

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like.
Not everything has to be fun

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either.
And I think that's kind of when

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I think about like, teacher
burnout and sometimes like

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myself and my own feelings, like
I shouldn't be doing more than

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you are in this classroom
because obviously, like the way

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00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:29,040
memory works and learning, it's
like the more you do with

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00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,120
something, the better you're
going to retain it.

304
00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:36,120
So, you know, not everything has
to be, you know, this sometimes.

305
00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:38,280
Yeah.
Like in order to learn best,

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00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,080
it's just, you know, it it might
have to be on your own.

307
00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:44,040
It might not be super exciting.
And that's OK.

308
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You know, you might have to
struggle through reading a

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00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:52,080
passage and that.
So I think that and then I, I

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think I do have to go back to,
yeah, like that social, social

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00:20:55,960 --> 00:21:02,000
connection piece of just, you
know, learning how to like exist

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00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:07,040
in a space in society with other
people that, you know, like

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trying to understand.
I think empathy is something

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00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:18,400
that's really been lost quite a
bit over the last decade or so.

315
00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:23,640
So trying to get to teach that
piece too.

316
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Yeah, I think those are all
great.

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You know, failure's OK.
So teaching kids that early on,

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00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,600
I think that's a necessary
lesson to learn.

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Not everything has to be fun.
I mean, that kind of speaks to

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00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:38,000
the idea of ownership.
You know, you've got to take

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00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:46,240
ownership and have the tenacity
to commit to do the hard things.

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And that builds self efficacy
too.

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If we believe that we can do it
or if we believe we can't, we're

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00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:57,000
absolutely correct.
So we need to on building that

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00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,880
self efficacy.
And then of course, that social

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00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:02,960
connection and empathy, which is
huge.

327
00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:04,840
You're, you're preaching to the
choir there.

328
00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,880
I I think that is so incredibly
important.

329
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And if we don't feel seen, heard
or valued, you're done, you

330
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:20,360
know, move on.
Because everybody wants to feel

331
00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:22,680
important.
They want to know that they

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00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:26,680
matter, and they do.
And everybody's story matters

333
00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,360
too.
And that's I think why I like

334
00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:33,720
that first question so much is
because oftentimes people don't

335
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:35,840
get an opportunity to tell their
story.

336
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:38,400
Yeah.
Important.

337
00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,400
Or just yeah.
And like I said, I think that's

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00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:46,160
one of the biggest things as I
get older and do more things is

339
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:51,960
just trying to like reflect more
on my story.

340
00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:55,960
Yeah.
I mean you, you have several

341
00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,240
roles in your life.
How do you maintain an

342
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:04,000
optimistic outlook when things
get difficult or overwhelming?

343
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:10,840
Yeah, which and that's that's
like my newest area of focus is

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00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:14,680
really focusing in on the
well-being of educator moms

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00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:19,680
because I just think when you
take obviously being a mom, it's

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such a giving, a giving role and
demands so much energy.

347
00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:28,320
And then you couple that with
being a teacher or working in

348
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:33,800
education, it's like those are
two extremely energy demanding,

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00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:39,640
giving roles that I think if
we're if we're not careful like

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that, that leads to burnout.
So, so much of this is it sounds

351
00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,200
like so counterintuitive to like
what I feel like we're taught in

352
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,520
education, Like it's all about
the students and focus on the

353
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,720
students, but it's like you have
to take care of yourself.

354
00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:04,480
And that is, that's been kind of
my, my biggest thing after I had

355
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,880
my fourth son.
So he's 4 now.

356
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,760
So again, I, I really feel like
so much of this kind of when I

357
00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:19,080
began to focus more on me was
when like everything else kind

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00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,600
of, you know, yes, I focused on
myself physically, but then like

359
00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:27,200
that opened doors mentally, it
opened doors professionally.

360
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So I just, I can't say enough
about it's not selfish to choose

361
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:40,400
you first and everything else
like is going to come from you

362
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:45,280
choosing yourself 1st.
And I, I'm fully aware that

363
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:49,840
that's not the message that's
sent as a mom or as a teacher,

364
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:56,960
but that is, I think from, based
on my own experiences, like why

365
00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:04,320
I'm able to manage and do what
I, what I can is because it,

366
00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:11,080
it's my focus on myself.
And it goes back to what I call

367
00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:15,280
a system of hope.
You know, we have to prioritize

368
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:19,200
our well-being in order to take
care of others well.

369
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,680
And that includes things like,
you know, you talked about your

370
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:27,800
habits, your habits of physical
activity.

371
00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:33,880
It's so important.
I am a big proponent for

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journaling.
I try to journal, you know,

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00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:39,200
daily.
I don't always meet that mark,

374
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:43,320
but I try to journal daily.
And just that exercise of

375
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:49,440
putting all of your thoughts on
paper is both cathartic and it,

376
00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:53,440
it's freeing.
It allows you to clear your mind

377
00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:55,760
and to kind of have a fresh
slate.

378
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,560
Oftentimes I do my journaling in
the morning, but I've also heard

379
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,520
other people do like a brain
dump at the end of the day so

380
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:06,920
they can sleep well, you know?
So just finding those habits and

381
00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,440
doing it though I, I think it
all starts with mindset.

382
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:15,280
Yes, yes, I love to do.
I do in the mornings.

383
00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:20,200
I do like a 123 framework.
So I do like one word that I

384
00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:24,440
want to focus on like to kind of
guide my day.

385
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:30,040
Then I do two things that I'm
grateful for within the past 24

386
00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:33,000
hours, which I mean, the
gratitude research is, you know,

387
00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,720
just wild the, the impact that
has.

388
00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:40,280
And then I, I try to do three
things that I want to like

389
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:44,160
tackle today, whether it be
school or home.

390
00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:48,520
So yeah, I'm with you there.
And then I, I also too, I'm, I

391
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:52,480
constantly am like listening to
podcast reading.

392
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:57,360
I just think that that, you
know, and, and learning more

393
00:26:57,360 --> 00:27:01,040
about myself, like learning is
so important to me, which is,

394
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,440
you know, of course, like you
go, you're a teacher, you care

395
00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:06,720
about that.
But then again, once you start

396
00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:09,640
having kids and you get busy
with other stuff, that stuff

397
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:13,320
goes by the wayside.
So if I'm not like listening to

398
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,320
something or reading something,
I can tell right away that like

399
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,480
my, my mood isn't right.
Like I, I need to constantly be,

400
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,000
you know, learning and
challenged in that way.

401
00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:28,320
Yeah, my husband kind of cringes
when Amazon pulls up in our

402
00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:33,120
drive because invariably they're
bringing another book and I've

403
00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:36,080
got about, I don't know, maybe
10 over there that I haven't

404
00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,680
read yet.
But I see a book that I want so

405
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,760
I order it and it is.
I.

406
00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,800
I completely hear what you're
saying because I love to read, I

407
00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:50,720
love to learn, I love to listen
to podcasts, some of my favorite

408
00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:51,800
podcasts.
OK.

409
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,760
And you'll have to share yours,
but Craig Grishell, he has a

410
00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:57,960
leadership podcast.
OK.

411
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,680
Amazing.
It's probably my favorite

412
00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,880
podcast right now.
And then of course, I like to

413
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:08,720
listen to Jay Shetty's podcast.
That's a good one.

414
00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:10,160
And Mel Robbins, of course,
that's.

415
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,720
I feel like that's my go to.
Yeah, her stuff.

416
00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:17,960
Yeah, so podcasts are amazing.
And of course, the Lead with

417
00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,840
Hope podcast, right?
I mean, shameless plug right

418
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:21,320
here.
Yeah.

419
00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,040
There you go.
Should subscribe to Lead with

420
00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:27,400
Hope so they don't miss an
episode to hear amazing

421
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:31,640
educators like you Share your
story and give some you've given

422
00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:35,520
some really good strategies.
I mean that. 123 I set an

423
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:39,200
intention every day, but I like
that framework.

424
00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:42,840
I like that structure and it
makes it simple.

425
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:48,360
You know, just one word to focus
on two things, gratitude and

426
00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:54,080
then three things to tackle. 123
easy as that.

427
00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:55,880
Can't get any more simple, can
you?

428
00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:57,520
No, no.
Yeah.

429
00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:02,240
Now I think you have a new
project that you are working on,

430
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,280
something that's fueling your
passion these days.

431
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:06,080
Do you want to tell us a little
bit about that?

432
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,440
Sure.
So again, I'm, I'm trying to

433
00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:15,280
narrow my focus a little bit.
I'd say probably the last year

434
00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,000
and a half.
I've really, you know, kind of,

435
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,480
I enjoy what I do in the
classroom, but I'm, I'm looking

436
00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,760
to kind of like expand my reach
out outside of just my

437
00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:29,760
classroom.
So I, I feel like particularly

438
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:34,280
called to, again, based on my
own experience and being a full

439
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:39,760
time working teacher mom of four
to try to help other educator

440
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:45,760
moms, you know, better balance
these two very demanding roles.

441
00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:52,720
So I've been doing a few, a few
free webinars, which is looking

442
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:59,360
at like 3 like again, kind of
tactical steps to help beat that

443
00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:03,720
burnout.
And then I am going to in the

444
00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:08,400
fall, hopefully in the next
couple months be launching a

445
00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:16,520
group cohort of educator moms
where we'll work through a six

446
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:22,760
week program where we'll work
through these steps to unlocking

447
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:26,000
the burnout cycle.
I've created a framework and

448
00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:32,080
each week will be a live like
coaching call where we'll talk

449
00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:36,640
about the like the task at hand
for the week.

450
00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:40,080
There'll be some reflective
journaling and then there'll

451
00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,720
also be like a question and
answer call each week.

452
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,480
And then coupled with a
community of women who are in

453
00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:52,600
the, you know, same, same stage.
And, you know, I think that

454
00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:57,560
that's so important and why I
love all of the work related to

455
00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,280
SELI.
Just I always walk away from any

456
00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:06,000
conference or group just feeling
like rejuvenated because it's,

457
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:09,840
it's nice to share the space
with people who are, who get it

458
00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,960
right, who are in the same,
battling the same things.

459
00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:16,280
And I think there's so much
power and listening, like you

460
00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:18,600
said, like hearing other
people's stories and learning

461
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:20,640
from them.
Community.

462
00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:23,640
I think we all want community
and even the adults.

463
00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:28,520
I know our kids are struggling
with some mental health

464
00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:33,240
challenges, but you know,
sometimes burnout can be because

465
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,200
we've got some mental health
challenges as adults that we

466
00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:38,680
need to address.
And there's no shame in that.

467
00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:43,360
We have stigmatized anxiety and
depression and things like that.

468
00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:47,400
And, you know, hopefully one day
we can completely remove that

469
00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:51,720
stigma and people can feel free
to to get the help that they

470
00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:55,360
need and to ask for help.
I think asking for help is one

471
00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:58,160
of those strategies that is
right up there, you know, among

472
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:03,520
probably my top 10 for sure.
But we have to know who we are.

473
00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:05,880
We have to know what we want out
of life.

474
00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,240
And then we need to, in my
opinion, have the courage to go

475
00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:13,280
for it.
At Spark Hope Edu, I talk about

476
00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:17,280
the fact that we build
confidence, connection, and

477
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:20,080
courage.
So we have a very like mission.

478
00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:24,800
And as a working genius
facilitator, I believe that

479
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:30,560
burnout is in large part due to
the fact that we're doing too

480
00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:34,800
much of what is in our working
frustration instead of what's in

481
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,960
our working genius.
And so tapping into our working

482
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:44,080
genius and knowing what really
fuels our passion, I think

483
00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:47,000
that's key.
And I also think that it goes

484
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,600
back to what you're teaching
your students to advocate for

485
00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:54,800
yourself and it's workers or
leaders or whomever we are in

486
00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,680
the education space.
We need to know and get really

487
00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:03,600
clear on who we are and what we
want so we can advocate for what

488
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:07,720
fuels our passion because
there's so much that is within

489
00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:11,280
our circle of control.
Yes, we can change.

490
00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,480
We need to move out of our
circle of no control into our

491
00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:18,040
circle of control by getting to
know ourselves better and

492
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,200
advocating for what we need.
Yeah, I think that's so

493
00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:24,240
powerful.
And I think having worked in

494
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:28,200
education for a while now, I
think there's a lot of times

495
00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:33,600
like teachers, we we tend to
like complain and focus on the

496
00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:37,000
problems and not the solution.
So I love what you're saying

497
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,440
because that's one of the things
like I'm saying with we are

498
00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,280
we're kind of Co creators of our
own burnout.

499
00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:48,360
So if we are, then we can take
back ownership and control over

500
00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:51,520
exactly what you're saying.
What what's in my control?

501
00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:56,800
What can I get rid of?
And yeah, I I just love that of

502
00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:00,200
advocating your own needs.
Yeah, yeah.

503
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,960
Co creators of burnout.
I may steal that.

504
00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:04,480
I may borrow.
Borrow.

505
00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:06,360
We don't.
We don't steal an education, we

506
00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:07,800
borrow.
Right, right, right.

507
00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:10,199
No, I, I love to share.
I'm I'm not one of those

508
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:12,360
teachers that's gonna bite your
head off.

509
00:34:13,159 --> 00:34:19,800
So with your work with educator
moms fighting the burnout, other

510
00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:27,639
than getting in your group
cohort, is there anything that

511
00:34:27,639 --> 00:34:30,760
you want to share with them,
maybe something that is giving

512
00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:35,480
you hope right now that maybe
will give them hope?

513
00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:49,199
I guess, and this is kind of
what I was saying, what I was

514
00:34:49,199 --> 00:34:54,600
saying to you before.
I, I guess like I've been

515
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:58,320
feeling, if I'm being totally
honest and transparent, like

516
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:02,960
again, I, I love what I do, but
I've, I've been feeling a little

517
00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:06,360
discontented, you know, for the
last couple weeks in the

518
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:09,760
classroom and just kind of going
through the routine of teaching

519
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:14,200
and all of that.
And I think like, I just had

520
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:18,400
kind of like this last night
come to me and it's like, well,

521
00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:22,280
maybe there's a purpose behind
this discontentment that I'm

522
00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:24,080
feeling.
And so that's kind of been my,

523
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:27,520
that's been what I wrote down
today when I was thinking like,

524
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:30,760
what's the purpose behind my
discontentment right now?

525
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,720
And I, I think that that goes
back to what you're saying.

526
00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:39,080
If you know yourself and you
can, you know, you're truly to

527
00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:42,440
pay attention to how you feel
and like let that be.

528
00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:48,560
So that's kind of where I'm
sitting right now is just kind

529
00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:50,840
of being like hyper aware of
that.

530
00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:55,480
Yeah, and there are some free
tools out there that you can

531
00:35:55,480 --> 00:36:01,280
begin that journey of self
discovery if you just Google

532
00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:06,160
free Enneagram test.
That is an instrument that I

533
00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:13,600
have found very valuable and it
starts to show you your fears,

534
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:19,320
your desires, your motivation,
maybe your blind spots a little

535
00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:24,880
bit and start there.
But also invest in yourself.

536
00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:29,080
There are things, there are
programs, there are cohorts that

537
00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:33,560
you can get involved in.
Invest in yourself because if

538
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:38,680
you feel like you matter, you're
going to convey that to others.

539
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:44,240
If you don't feel like you
matter and you're letting that

540
00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:50,120
critic in your mind create that
narrative and you're portraying

541
00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:54,720
that image, then that's what
you're going to attract more of.

542
00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:59,320
So think it all starts once
again with our mindset.

543
00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,720
Yeah.
And I just want our listeners to

544
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:07,640
hear that you matter.
You matter and your story

545
00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:14,400
matters and there's somebody out
there that needs you, needs to

546
00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:18,200
hear your story.
And so I hope that the people

547
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,560
listening today will reach out
to you and to learn more,

548
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:25,320
especially if they're an
educator mom, about your cohort

549
00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:28,360
and the work that you're doing.
So how would they get in contact

550
00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:34,400
with you, Erin?
So I have AI am active probably

551
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,520
LinkedIn is the platform I'm
active on the most.

552
00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:42,560
I do have an Instagram teacher
Instagram as well.

553
00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:45,280
Will you just you'll drop the
links in the show notes.

554
00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:49,680
I sure will.
And then I also have, I do it

555
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:52,920
every other week.
I have a newsletter called Life

556
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:58,320
Graded where I just talked about
the, you know, balancing the

557
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:01,640
demands of parenting and
teaching and try again to just

558
00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:06,280
kind of give a story from, you
know, my own life and then some

559
00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:09,040
kind of practical how you can
apply it to your own life.

560
00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:11,320
So that comes out every other
week.

561
00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:15,320
So those are really the three
ways.

562
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:19,160
Yeah.
Yeah, and I will, I will drop

563
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:22,960
that in the show notes.
And I would highly encourage you

564
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:26,440
to connect with Aaron.
Aaron is an amazing educator,

565
00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:28,640
but she's an even better human
being.

566
00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:32,840
I have been very honored to get
to know you and to be able to

567
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:35,320
call you a friend.
So thank you for coming on

568
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,360
today.
And Aaron keep leading with

569
00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:38,920
hope.
Thank you.

570
00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:45,440
Thanks for tuning in to the Lead
with Hope podcast, where we

571
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:49,520
share stories and strategies to
help you rise, lead, and

572
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:53,600
redefine what's possible.
If today's episode inspired you,

573
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,960
please take a moment to like,
subscribe, and leave a review.

574
00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:02,320
Your support helps us reach more
leaders like you who are ready

575
00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,280
to lead with heart, purpose, and
resilience.

576
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:10,360
Don't forget to visit
sparkhopeedu.com for resources,

577
00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:14,680
upcoming events, and tools to
help you build a culture of hope

578
00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:18,840
in your life and leadership.
We're so grateful to be part of

579
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,400
your journey.
Until next time, keep leading

580
00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:22,840
with hope.