{"podcast":{"title":"Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast","slug":"schools-of-excellence-the-no-1-ece-private-school-leadership-podcast-1381040","podcast_index_feed_id":1381040,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/schools-of-excellence/","website_url":"https://schoolsofexcellence.com/podcast","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/3b7c149e-78c9-44fc-8902-2c92be1fc515/gW3JleuRVNHC0OkWarHYverr.jpg","author":"Chanie Wilschanski","episode_count":300,"summary":"If you are an Early Childhood director or childcare owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies - equipping school leaders to improve staff retention, increase teacher motivation, grow parent partnerships, create a collaborative culture, and enjoy a beautiful quality of life. Every week, Chanie shares the truth about childcare and early childhood school leadership for those striving towards excellence. If you are an early childhood or childcare school leader looking for strategies to grow your school, that are working TODAY, The Schools of Excellence Podcast is for you. In addition to weekly solo episodes, she'll also be inviting childcare and early childhood industry leaders to discuss the most pressing issues facing school leaders today. Don't miss an episode; subscribe today for everything you need for your school leadership journey!","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/schools-of-excellence-the-no-1-ece-private-school-leadership-podcast-1381040"},"episode":{"title":"268. The Hidden Cost of Being the Strong School Leader","slug":"268-the-hidden-cost-of-being-the-strong-school-leader","published_at":"2026-01-12T20:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/schools-of-excellence-the-no-1-ece-private-school-leadership-podcast-1381040/268-the-hidden-cost-of-being-the-strong-school-leader","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/schools-of-excellence-the-no-1-ece-private-school-leadership-podcast-1381040","url":"https://schoolsofexcellence.com/podcast","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/dc7c337a-2758-4d6e-ad22-ee39afa3fea9.mp3","summary":"There is a role many school leaders step into long before they ever receive a title. It’s the role of the strong one. The steady one. The one who handles it. In this episode, Chanie explores the hidden cost of being the strong leader —the invisible emotional weight carried by school owners and leaders who learned early that being useful meant being safe, valued, and connected. This conversation isn’t about burnout or failure. It’s about survival adaptations that once protected you, but may now be quietly costing you rest, connection, and being met as a human. You’ll hear: Why over-functioning is not a personality trait—but a learned survival strategy How leadership responsibility slowly becomes identity The invisible emotional labor school leaders carry that never shows up on an org chart The difference between being essential and being chosen Why strong leaders are often admired—but rarely supported Gentle questions to help you notice where you’re still earning safety through giving This episode is not a lesson and not a call to action. It’s a place to sit. A place to be honest. A place to let something unnamed finally have language. If parts of this conversation feel tender or emotional, that’s not a problem to solve. That’s information. And you don’t need to do anything with it right now. If you want language for what you’re already carrying, Chapter One of Chanie’s upcoming book, This Can’t Be Normal , is available to read. Download Chapter One: thiscantbenormal.com Mentioned in this episode: Staff Culture Infrastructure Vault Train your team on the fundamentals most teachers were never formally taught. $2,273 of proven staff training tools — yours for just $347: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/the-school-culture-foundations-vault/","meta_description":"There is a role many school leaders step into long before they ever receive a title. It’s the role of the strong one. The steady one. The one who handles…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":931,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/schools-of-excellence-the-no-1-ece-private-school-leadership-podcast-1381040/episodes/268-the-hidden-cost-of-being-the-strong-school-leader/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/schools-of-excellence-the-no-1-ece-private-school-leadership-podcast-1381040/268-the-hidden-cost-of-being-the-strong-school-leader.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}