The Chalk Full of Life Podcast

Taking a break can be HARD. Especially when you love what you do. Whether it’s taking a sick day or a mental health day. A maternity leave or a sabbatical. Or committing to not bringing work home in the evenings or on the weekends. Taking a break sounds awesome. But it’s not always as easy as it sounds. I’m about to take a Big Break right now. And it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’ve been experiencing a rollercoaster of mixed emotions. And it’s requiring me to manage my mind on a whole new level. If you’re feeling like you need a break, too... I’d encourage you to listen to your head and your heart. The only person you need permission from is yourself. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to master the art of taking a break from your schoolwork without feeling guilty.How to break free from a “Have To” mentality.How to consciously choose more of what you want in life by questioning your own thoughts and beliefs. Dear Loyal Listener, Please be sure to listen all the way to the end of this episode. I’m sharing a little love note with you… To let you know how much you’ve meant to me on this Chalk Full of Life journey… And where the journey may be taking us next. Always Cheering You On, Kelli

My husband and I have been through some HARD times. We’re talking rollercoaster moments, for sure. But over the last 16+ years, we’ve learned A LOT. Especially in the past few years. Here are 3 of the best lessons we’ve learned. RELATIONSHIP LESSON #1: We don’t make each other happy. What the other person says or does is never the source of our happiness. Our happiness comes directly from our individual thoughts. So... the more we manage our own minds, the happier we are. Individually. And together. RELATIONSHIP LESSON #2: We’re happiest when we let go of our expectations. When we consciously drop: -- all the “he shoulds” and “she shoulds”... -- and the desire for each other to learn mind reading techniques... We free up so much mental and emotional energy to truly enjoy each other’s company. RELATIONSHIP LESSON #3: Unconditional love is hard, but it’s worth it. We don’t HAVE to love each other. We CHOOSE to love each other. Not because the other person is following our individual unwritten, unspoken manuals for being the Perfect Spouse... But because focusing on LOVE is so much more fun. Regardless of what the other person says or does. When we decide that there are no conditions for our love… We simply get to love each other because that’s what we want to do. Is a great marriage (or any other kind of relationship) easy? Heck no. Especially when you’re so consumed with school that you feel like you have nothing left to give.  #beenthere #donethat But taking the time and energy to figure out how to have an amazing relationship is one of the most rewarding things you could ever do. In this episode, you’ll learn: The most common challenges of a teacher marriage when at least one spouse is a teacher (as seen from both sides of the relationship).The ultimate solution for the struggles you face in your marriage as a teacher.How your relationship can improve dramatically when you take full responsibility for your needs and consciously choose to love your partner unconditionally. Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash

My oldest son likes to invent and design his own board games. I love seeing his 10 year old brain bursting at the seams with creativity and enthusiasm. And I think his love of board games is rubbing off on me... Because I had a MAJOR light bulb moment the other day about a board game. The Ultimate Board Game. It felt like an epiphany. So simple. But so powerful and true. This is what I realized. Life is like a board game. There are rules for how the game works. And so often, like outraged preschoolers, we want to complain about the rules. We don’t think the rules are fair. We have ideas about how the rules could be “better.” But when we get fixated on how much we don’t like the rules… We miss out on all the fun. We forget that we could have spent our time WINNING rather than complaining. If we could only let go of how we “wish things could be…” We’d find that the rules of the game actually allow us to win whenever we want. If we could actually embrace the Game of Life the way it’s meant to be played… We could get really excited about the fact that... We’re 100% in charge of whether we’re winning or losing All. The. Time. It doesn’t matter how anyone else moves their pawns. And it doesn’t even matter which cards you pick up along the way. Winning is available to you at every moment of every day. It doesn’t matter if you have a challenging class. It doesn’t matter if your spouse isn’t helping out at home. It doesn’t matter if your kids are whining. And it doesn’t matter how many papers you have to grade. YOU get to decide what winning means for you. No one else gets a vote. You get to be in charge of how you think and feel about EVERYTHING. And you get to create whatever results you want. I can’t think of a more amazing game to play than the Game of Life. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why my favorite new metaphor for your #teacherlife is to think of it like a board game.Why it doesn’t do any good to argue with the already established Rules of Life.How to make winning inevitable in your teacher life Every. Single. Day.

Which one matters more? … Professional Development? … Or Personal Development? Which would you say? Obviously, the goals of these two different types of PD are different. The goal of your teacher PD is to improve your efficacy in your work as a teacher... While the goal of Personal Development is to improve allll the areas of your life. So take a quick sec to reflect on this. Which one do you give more focus and attention right now? And... is that how you want it to be? I’m not asking in order to insinuate a “right” or “wrong” answer. I’m asking because awareness is the first step toward creating everything you want in your life. So I’d encourage you to take this opportunity to get clear right now. Are you spending more time improving your teaching career or improving your life? Personally, I love both options. And I believe they’re both entirely valid at different times in a teacher’s life. The question is… which one do you want or need the most right now? Do you clearly understand the difference between these two different options? And do you know how they can help you in very different ways? Maybe you’re not sure which one should get more attention right now... So I’d love to help you sort this out. If you’re feeling like you can’t “keep up” with the lightning fast changes in the world of education… Or you’re feeling inadequate compared to alllll the things you see other teachers doing… Or you’re wishing you had more time for other priorities in your life outside of school (without dropping the ball)... Personal Development is the place to focus. On the other hand… If you’re looking for a new strategy to use with your students or you’re working toward a new degree or certification, Professional Development is what you need. The problem is… Too many teachers are looking for Professional Development to give them personal results like: Feeling more confident as a teacher.Being more organized.Being an excellent manager of your time.Eliminating stress and overwhelm. Unfortunately, these areas aren’t being addressed in professional development opportunities for teachers today. If you want to continue to grow as a teacher AND love your life even more as time goes on, be sure to tune in for this episode. In this episode, you’ll learn: The biggest difference between Professional Development and Personal Development -- and why this matters if you want to be less stressed and have more free time.Why Personal Development is where your focus needs to be if you want to feel more confident and relaxed, and have more time outside of school WITHOUT having to do more or prove yourself to anyone.Three steps you can take today to make the most of your Professional Development AND Personal Development so you can continue to grow as a teacher, but also love your life even more as time goes on. JOIN THE MOVEMENT

You know Bob Ross, right? The painter with the amazing hair and the put-you-to-sleep soothing voice. Yeah, I actually have a friend (and a husband) who both listen to his videos sometimes when they’re trying to fall asleep. True story. I mean, how can you not love this guy? I’m mesmerized by how effortlessly he paints. And I love his nonchalant take on imperfections. If you make a mistake in your painting... No problem! “It’s a happy accident!” Bob chuckles. According to him, it’s a perfect opportunity to make a cute little birdie in the sky. But what about mistakes in Real Life? Do we actually see our mistakes as happy little accidents? What if our mistakes are giving us results that we reeeally don’t want? And what if we’re making detrimental mistakes without even realizing it? Well, my intention here is definitely not to stress you out.But I’ve gotta tell you something. I see teachers making this ONE REALLY BIG MISTAKE All. The. Time. without knowing it. And the reason I want to point it out is because I want to help you avoid it. Because it is 100% avoidable. And it’s definitely worth avoiding because it’s the #1 cause for why you might take a lot of action to try to solve a problem, only to find that you didn’t get the result you wanted. Or you did get a great result at first, but it didn’t stick. Some examples of this would be… trying a new diet and getting some results, but ultimately giving up on it in the end.trying a new exercise routine and getting some results, but feeling like it’s too hard to keep it going.trying a pretty new planner to get organized and better at prioritizing your time, but finding that the planner didn’t really help you fix anything.trying to improve a relationship by saying or doing things differently, but ending up feeling like nothing much changed. If you’ve experienced any of those frustrations after trying so hard to make a change… I know the root cause of why it’s been such a struggle. But do you? Or have you been thinking the things you’ve struggled with changing will always continue to be a struggle? Well, the great news is... There’s a much better (and much more effective) way to make lasting changes in your life It’s’ 100% in your control. And it’s not complicated. In this episode, you’ll learn: The #1 biggest mistake teachers are making today without even realizing it, and how it has everything to do with your life at school, at home, and everywhere in between.Exactly how to avoid this #1 mistake if you want to live your best life in and out of the classroom.The powerful changes you’ll immediately start noticing in yourself when you’re no longer trapped by the #1 mistake. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently.

Are you ready for a sing-a-long? I think you know this one… It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeear... With the kids filling in bubbles... And everyone telling you, “State testing is here!” It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeear! Or maybe we should replace the word “wonderful” with “stressful?”Not because it’s particularly stressful to hand out all the No. 2 pencils… And walk 79 laps around your classroom while the bubbles are being filled in... But because you’re left wondering if you’ve done enough. If your students are actually going to try their hardest. If they’re actually going to take their time and check their work. And if they’re actually going to remember all the things you’ve worked so hard on together this year. Now it’s just a waiting game. It’s out of your hands. And all there is left to do is just hope... Until it’s time to gear up for a brand new round of test anxiety next year. But is that really the only option you have? Do test scores and teacher evaluations have to cause you stress and turmoil? Is this just a part of what it means to be a teacher today? Does anxiety over all the numbers have to be the norm? Nope. I know I might be making some waves here… But this is what I truly believe. None of the scores have to cause you any emotional pain. You do NOT need to be stressed over your students’ scores or your teacher evaluation scores. The stress isn’t serving you. It’s not making you a better teacher. And it’s not making you a better parent, spouse, or friend. So why hang onto it? In this episode, you’ll learn: Why your students’ state test scores (and your teacher evaluation scores) don’t ever need to stress you out again.How a simple shift in your thinking can make a world of difference in your approach to the mandatory testing and evaluations in your school district.The 3 steps you can start taking today to release yourself from the stress of all the scores that don’t have to define your worth as a teacher. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently. (Re)discover the life you thought you signed up for. Say goodbye to the #teachertired and say hello to the very best version of yourself. A tribe of teacher wellness warriors is launching soon! Get all the tools, strategies, and support you need to reclaim your time, restore your happiness, and transform your mental, emotional, and physical health. Click here to be first in line.

If you listen to The Chalk Full Of Life podcast on the regular, you might find this as funny/enlightening as I do. At LEAST once a month... When I find myself in some sort of tailspin or end-of-the-world drama… My dear ‘ol hubby likes to tell me:“I know a really good podcast episode I think you should listen to.” And, of course, he’s referring to my OWN podcast. “Haha, you’re so funny,” I tell him. I love/hate it when he points me back to my own words because… He’s totally right. I need the same coaching that I give on the podcast. I think it’s so interesting that the help we give others is often the same help we need ourselves. It’s kind of like looking for your glasses when they’re right there on your face. On this week’s episode, I’m going to tell you about the #1 skill I bet you’re already teaching your students. That might not sound too exciting, but here’s why it really is. It also happens to be the most important skill you can use to make any change you want in your own life. But if you’re like me, you might need someone else to point out that amazing skill you’re always teaching… So you can use it to your own advantage. I’m telling you… there are HUGE advantages to gain from this one skill. Wanna have more time with your family on the weekend? Wanna leave school earlier each day? Wanna start a new exercise routine? Wanna get your papers graded faster? This ONE skill is the starting point for allll of those changes. In this episode, you’ll learn: The #1 skill you teach your students that you can use to make the most massive difference in your own life.How to shift from living a surface level life to achieving your fullest potential and reaching your highest fulfillment.How you’ll know you’ve been successful with using this skill to make positive changes in your life. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently. (Re)discover the life you thought you signed up for. Say goodbye to the #teachertired and say hello to the very best version of yourself. A tribe of teacher wellness warriors is launching soon! Get all the tools, strategies, and support you need to reclaim your time, restore your happiness, and transform your mental, emotional, and physical health. Click here to be first in line. Check out Betsy Potash's podcast, The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast.

Do you ever wonder how your significant other would tell the story of your teacher life? Like, if your partner was on the Ellen Show and she asked what it’s like to be married to (or date) a teacher... What do you think your main squeeze would say? Well, I don’t think I ever fully pondered that question until this week. Why? Because I handed the mic over to my husband this week on the podcast! I told him he could share whatever he thought would be helpful for our Chalk Full of Lifers… So Brian decided to tell my story -- from HIS perspective. He wanted you to hear what it was like to be married to me while I was in the classroom. And how nothing really changed when I left. How I carried my workaholism with me when I started working from home. How I didn’t change my poor eating or exercising habits. How I thought I was doing it all because “that’s just the way it had to be.” And because I thought it was what I had to do to help support our family financially. He’s seen me at my best and my worst. He was there during my full-blown panic attacks, my chronic exhaustion, and many years of ongoing anxiety. He’s also seen me go through a pretty radical metamorphosis over the past couple of years. In this week’s episode, you won’t get any specific “take action” steps. So what WILL you get? You’ll get to hear from a husband who knows what it’s like to be married to a teacher who always wanted to be great in the classroom AND great at home… But who seriously struggled in both areas. You’ll hear how he felt like he was constantly being pushed to the bottom of my priority list. How my stress put a real strain on our marriage. And you’ll find out what finally “clicked” for me to start making changes in my life, and what ripple effects of goodness that’s created for our family. But what I hope the most? I hope you’ll start believing that the changes I’ve made in my life are 100% available to you, too. In this episode, you’ll learn: What it was like to be the husband of a workaholic teacher.Why Brian believes that leaving the classroom WASN’T the answer to changing Kelli’s mindset, unhealthy behaviors, or give her any more free time with her family.How real, lasting changes ARE possible if you’re willing to do things differently than what you see most teachers doing… and why it’s so worth it for the sake of your family. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently. (Re)discover the life you thought you signed up for. Say goodbye to the #teachertired and say hello to the very best version of yourself. A tribe of teacher wellness warriors is launching soon! Get all the tools, strategies, and support you need to reclaim your time, restore your happiness,

Ok, I’ll admit it. I love me some Bachelor. (Even though it’s been a couple seasons since I’ve watched.) The drama gets me every time. Don’t get me wrong... I’m not a fan of drama in my owwwn life. But there’s this “I-just-can’t-turn-my-head-away-from-the-train-wreck” feeling that comes over me when it comes to watching reality tv. Know what I’m sayin? Drama’s fun when it’s on tv. Or in a movie. But Not-So-Much when it’s in your house. Or in your hallway at school. It’s exhausting. Can I get an amen? It feels like The Drama is following you everywhere you go when… Your toddler throws an epic fit about putting his jacket on.Your Little Miss Drama Queen stirs the pot of emotions in your classroom.Your coworkers turn the faculty room into Gossip Girl Central. But the truth of the matter? The Drama doesn’t have to affect you. At All. You get to be 100% in charge of your drama-meter. You can let everyone around you go crazy pants. While you stay cool as a cucumber. Are you sick of allll The Drama? I’ve got your back. Calmer waters are waiting for you, my friend. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to pinpoint the drama in your life that’s driving you bonkers - so you can get rid of it.The difference between drama vs. math in your teacher life.How to de-dramatize any challenge, frustration, conversation, or situation you encounter out of the blue (or that’s ongoing) in any area of your life. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently. (Re)discover the life you thought you signed up for. Say goodbye to the #teachertired and say hello to the very best version of yourself. A tribe of teacher wellness warriors is launching soon! Get all the tools, strategies, and support you need to reclaim your time, restore your happiness, and transform your mental, emotional, and physical health. Click here to be first in line.

You don’t need a permission slip. But I’m going to give you one anyway. And more importantly… I’d like you to consider giving one to yourself. Why? Because... Teachers are really good at giving evvverything to evvveryone else. But how good are you at giving yourself what you really need? We get so caught up in going, going, going… Giving, giving, giving... And doing, doing, doing… That we keep thinking we need to Do MORE. And Be MORE. But I think what we reeeally need most often is to… Do LESS. When you do LESS, you free up your 2 most valuable resources: Time & Energy. And when you have more Time & Energy… You’re able to show up as the best version of yourself. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. “That sounds great! I’d love to do less! I’m sooo exhausted, BUT…” And then you could go on to give me a gigantic list of reasons why you can’t do less because there’s so much you HAVE TO DO. I get it. I’ve been there. But I’d like to offer the thought that maybe the “have to” mentality isn’t serving you. What if it’s a sneaky little thought that sounds legit, but it’s actually a form of self-sabotage? (Remember last week’s episode?) So here’s what I’d like to recommend. If you love the “idea” of doing less, but you don’t see HOW it could possibly work for you… I’d like to invite you to consider some new thoughts. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why selfish is the new selfless when it comes to being a great teacher and showing up as your best for your family and friends.Why doing less actually allows you to be more in every area of your life - both in and out of school.How to make doing less a habit that will help you step into the best version of yourself. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently. (Re)discover the life you thought you signed up for. Say goodbye to the #teachertired and say hello to the very best version of yourself. A tribe of teacher wellness warriors is launching soon! Get all the tools, strategies, and support you need to reclaim your time, restore your happiness, and transform your mental, emotional, and physical health. Click here to be first in line.

When I was a kid, I loved choreographing dance and rollerblade routines that my friends and I performed for sold-out (parental) audiences in my driveway. I also loved directing, performing in, and filming my own spin-offs of fairy tales. (Yeah, my mom has the embarrassing video footage to prove it.) One of my Academy Award Winning silliest performances was Little Red Riding Hood. We had my dog, Greta, play the part of the wolf. She was pretty convincing. I swear you couldn’t tell the difference between her and my grandma. (Just kidding, Grandma.) But seriously. Do you know what really IS convincing? We have these pretty little thoughts. Thoughts that SOUND really well-meaning, caring, and noble. But they often do us more harm than good. Thoughts like… “I just want everyone to be happy.” “These kids deserve better.” “I need to do better.” “I should ________.” “I shouldn’t ________.” Without us even realizing it, these pretty little thoughts can morph into poison. Like the wolf who LOOKS like Granny… Our pretty little thoughts might SOUND good at first… But when you peel back the top layer to see what’s really going on underneath… You might find that they’re NOT serving you at all. In fact, these thoughts might be holding you back from showing up as the the best version of yourself at school, at home, and in your personal life. They might be the reason why you feel frustrated all the time. Or the reason why you feel like you’re never doing enough. Or being enough. So let’s catch these pretty little thoughts before they can do any more damage. Let’s take a look at the thoughts that look innocent on the outside... But may actually be holding you hostage on the inside. If you wanna make sure you’re not unintentionally showing up as the wolf in your own thought life… You’ll wanna listen very carefully with a wide-open mind. In this episode, you’ll learn: What pretty little thoughts sound useful to us as teachers, but how they’re more like poison when you discover what they’re actually doing to you.How to distinguish between good-sounding thoughts that are actually serving you vs. the ones that are harming you.The 3 steps you can take right away if you discover you’ve been holding onto a thought that’s been doing you more harm than good. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently. (Re)discover the life you thought you signed up for. Say goodbye to the #teachertired and say hello to the very best version of yourself. A beta tribe of teacher wellness warriors is launching soon!

Some days I roll out of bed, get dressed, and feel like a million bucks. Other days, I curse my skinny jeans for being too skinny.

We’re about to go waaay beyond lighthearted jokes about being #TeacherTired. Are you ready? This week’s episode is pretty heavy. And raw. It’s not the topic I planned to share with you. But when you have a light bulb lightning-bolt-striking-your-head-and-heart moment, you’ve gotta just go with it, you know? Let me cut straight to the chase. A few days ago, I was listening to a podcast (not CFOL!)... And I got one of those knock-the-wind-out-of-you feelings of conviction. It completely stopped me in my tracks (or rather… stopped me from continuing to put the laundry away. #busted). Here’s what happened. I heard just a few sentences that hit me like a ton of bricks... Because something dawned on me out of the blue: ⚡#1 ➡️I was being a complete jerkwad. That was ROUGH admitting to myself. But the convicting words I heard were exxxxactly what I needed to hear… Even though they felt like a dagger twisting through my heart. So I backed up, and listened again and again… And then an even bigger realization dawned on me: ⚡#2 ➡️There’s been a recurring pattern in my life that needs to end. Now. If you’re feeling #TeacherTired... To the extent that you’re fearing that you’re missing out on too much of what really matters in your life… I’m pretty sure we’re kindred spirits. And I’m positive this episode is for you. If you’re feeling like things are a bit out of whack in your life right now… Trust me. You’re not alone. In this episode, you’ll learn: My 3 most devastating moments from the past 5 years (that have everything to do with feeling like a failure in my personal #TeacherLife).How to receive the exact messages you need to hear and learn the exact lessons you need to learn in your own perfect timing.How to decide what your best next step should be when you experience a wake-up call moment that makes you realize you need to make a big change in your life. JOIN THE MOVEMENT TRUTH: You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness to be a great teacher. DARE: Regret-proof your #teacherlife by doing things differently. (Re)discover the life you thought you signed up for. Say goodbye to the #teachertired and say hello to the very best version of yourself. A beta tribe of teacher wellness warriors is launching soon! Get all the tools, strategies, and support you need to reclaim your time, restore your happiness, and transform your mental, emotional, and physical health. Click here to be first in line. Wanna join a community of teachers who are exploring what it means to live your best life in AND out of the classroom?

I totally bombed my first teaching job interview. And that was just the first of maaany more #TeacherFails to come. For starters... There was that time I showed up at the wrong building for an important meeting.

Do you remember your first interview for a teaching job? I remember mine… and it was AWFUL. I remember being stunned when I saw the huge boardroom table filled with about 15 administrators… all staring… at ME. And that’s about all I remember.   Because I think I went into shock.