About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of leadership in early childhood education, focusing on invisible labor and the importance of systems and rhythms.

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Jessica Hampton and Katie Dank on Child Care Confidential, and about ten minutes in, Jessica said, "You just described my life." That's usually how these conversations go. We talked about what's in This Can't Be Normal, and specifically about why a bigger team can still leave a leader feeling completely alone. We got into the difference between systems, standards, and rhythms, why "getting buy-in" is often a leader avoiding a hard conversation instead of building real alignment, and why waking up at 2 am with your brain looping isn't a personality flaw. It's a drift, and it's a signal worth listening to. If you've ever felt like the only one actually working while everyone else gets to play pretend until things get hard, this conversation is for you. Why "protecting your energy" is the wrong goal, and what to do instead The real difference between systems, standards, and rhythms, and why only rhythms create safety What "performing confusion" looks like when a director avoids holding a standard Why proximity isn't accountability, and how leaders end up being the business instead of building one Why resistance to a new standard is often a sign the…

People in this episode

Host: Chanie Wilschanski

Guests: Jessica Hampton, Katie Dank

Topics covered

• invisible labor
• leadership
• team dynamics
• accountability
• energy management

Keywords

• leadership
• invisible labor
• team dynamics
• accountability
• energy management
• This Can't Be Normal

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: This Can't Be Normal

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

• 301. Are You Neglecting Your Team Without Realizing It? · July 16, 2026 · 32 min
• 300. The Delegation Dip Nobody Warns You About · July 14, 2026 · 38 min
• 299. Feed Forward: The Culture Tool You're Missing · July 9, 2026 · 31 min
• 298. You Built the System. Then You Broke It. · July 7, 2026 · 13 min
• 297. The Two Drama Symptoms That Kill School Success · July 2, 2026 · 22 min
• 296. From Survival Mode to Sustainable Excellence: A School Owner's Real Story · June 30, 2026 · 39 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast podcast page.