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

Is drama quietly draining your school culture? In Part 2 of the Decoding Your Culture series, Chanie breaks down three signs that drama has taken root in your center, using real stories from real school leaders.In this episode:What drama actually looks like in a childcare center (it's rarely the big blowups)Why criticizing and complaining spreads from one person to an entire teamHow one director transformed her culture by addressing gossip in her own life firstWhat victim mentality looks like in leadership and how to shift itWhy you cannot separate who you are at home from who you are at workTune in for the stories and insight that will help you see your culture more clearly.Resources Mentioned:This Can't Be Normal by Chanie Wilschanski: https://thiscantbenormal.comAccess Chapter One of This Can’t Be Normal for Free: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one Connect With Us:Let's Chat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaniewilschanski/Mentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

Your school has a culture right now. The question is whether you actually know what it's saying.In Part 1 of the Culture Decoder series, Chanie Wilschanski breaks down what company culture actually is, what it isn't, and how to start reading the emotional data already showing up in your building. You'll learn:- Why perks and team events are not culture (and what actually is)- How to identify your school's core cultural tension- Why negative emotions are your most valuable data- The first step of the Culture Decoder framework- Why building stronger culture starts with observing yourself, not your teamResources MentionedDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-oneThis Can't Be Normal: What to Do When Success Starts to Feel Like Survival by Chanie Wilschanski — https://thiscantbenormal.comConnect With UsLet's Chat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaniewilschanski/Mentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

Hiring can feel like a test you’re supposed to pass.You check references.You trust your gut.You believe in someone.And then something happens — they struggle, disappoint you, drift, or leave suddenly.And the messaging comes fast:“The wrong hire is expensive.”“You should have vetted better.”“This is what happens when you trust too quickly.”In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski names the toxic hiring myth school leaders are swimming in: the belief that if you hire the “right person,” the problems stop — and you can finally rest.But hiring isn’t the moment you eliminate risk.Hiring is the moment you agree to lead humanity.This is not a tips-and-tricks episode. It’s a reality reset for school leaders who are tired of blaming themselves every time a hire doesn’t go exactly as planned — and ready to lead with steadier rhythms that can hold trust when life shows up.In This Episode, You’ll LearnThe hiring myth that turns leadership into a moral test of your intelligenceWhy “responsibility equals foresight” is a trap for school leadersWhat hiring actually means — and what it never meantWhy you can’t interview for grief, stress, burnout, or life disruptionsThe interview fallacy and why better questions won’t create safetyThe difference between trusting once vs. building trust through rhythmThe three post-hire rhythms that create predictable safety:Alignment rhythmsOne-on-one rhythmsRupture & repair rhythmsHiring is a choice.Leadership is a relationship.And when we stop trying to choose our way out of relational work, we build school cultures that can hold both standards and humanity.If this episode named something real — especially the invisible weight school leaders carry after a hire — This Can’t Be Normal is now available.👉 Grab your copy today: thiscantbenormal.comMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

Leadership doesn’t unravel because you did something wrong.It unravels because disruption is inevitable — and most school leaders were never taught what to return to when it arrives.In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast, This Can’t Be Normal author Chanie Wilschanski names the hidden forces that quietly destabilize even the strongest schools — after the systems are built, the team is capable, and the fires are mostly quiet.Many school leaders reach a stage where things look good on paper… yet still feel fragile underneath. This episode explains why that tension exists — and why stability doesn’t come from tighter control, more systems, or more oversight.You’ll learn the three disruptive forces that every school leader faces (and cannot prevent), why disruption isn’t a personal failure, and what mature leadership looks like when growth brings uncertainty instead of calm.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why strong systems alone don’t guarantee stabilityThe three disruptive forces that impact every school (earthquake, wind, fog)Why disruption feels personal — even when it isn’tWhat school leaders must return to when change destabilizes the teamHow rhythms, not control, restore steadiness during growthThis conversation is for school leaders who have done “everything right” — and still feel the weight when change arrives.If this episode named something you’ve felt but couldn’t articulate, you’re not alone.You can download Chapter 1 of This Can’t Be Normal — free — and read it privately, slowly, and without urgency.👉 Download Chapter 1: thiscantbenormal.comMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one