November 21, 2024 • 36 mins
First-year teaching is often described as one of the most challenging times in an educator's career. In this inspiring episode of Maximize Your Day, I sit down with joy and fulfillment coach, Eugénie Ducatel, to explore how new teachers can overcome burnout and find confidence, resilience, and joy in the classroom.
Eugénie shares her journey from burnout as a high school teacher to becoming a certified life coach, equipping educators with strategies to balance demanding workloads, build strong support systems, and prioritize self-care. We discuss the pitfalls new teachers face, like perfectionism and isolation, and how small mindset shifts can lead to big transformations.
Learn practical self-care techniques, communication strategies, and how to create a sustainable work-life balance, all while embracing your passion for teaching. Whether you're a new teacher or know someone navigating the education system, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you thrive.
Stay tuned for Eugénie’s upcoming program and discover how to maximize your career while nurturing yourself and your students.
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Jessica Rosario
Certified Executive Coach & Business Consultant
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Rosario, Executiv (00:02):
Hello and welcome to the Maximize
your Day podcast, a place forentrepreneurs who are building
their business in pursuit offreedom and flexibility to do
the things they love.
I'm your host, jessica Rosario.
I'm a New Yorker turnedFloridian who knows a thing or
two on how to effectively manageyour time while juggling
multiple priorities.
I'm an ex-corporate leader whowalked away from my nine to
(00:24):
five-ish to launch and grow mybusiness.
In this podcast, I shareinsights on mindset, business
productivity, habits andstrategies to help you take
control of your to-do list andmaximize your day, which will
help you feel more confident andless overwhelmed and getting
more done in less time.
I'm so excited you're here.
Go ahead, listen in.
I am so excited you're here, goahead, listen in.
(00:55):
Hello everyone, I am so excitedto be able to share with you an
interview that I had withEugenie Ducatel, and Eugenie is
a joy and fulfillment coach whoreally helps teachers prevent
burnout and just build theirconfidence, boost joy and just
really honing into the purposethat they've set for their lives
, and so I had an amazingpleasure to be able to record
with her an interview, and Ican't wait to be able to share
(01:18):
it with you, because you willsee that if you follow her and
you're going to be able tofollow her you'll see the
information in the show notes.
If you follow her, you will beable to spot who she is on
social media immediately,because of the joy and just the
happiness that she just portrays, and I just absolutely loved
(01:39):
this interview.
So go ahead and listen in.
Welcome back to the show.
So today I have the joy andpleasure of interviewing Eugenie
Ducatel, and I loved workingwith her at several points in my
life.
We met through IPEC and sowe're both certified coaches
through IPEC, and there wassomething about her that we just
(02:02):
connected in one of our groupcoaching programs and we just
headed off ever since, and so Ican't wait for her to share her
story.
And so, ugenie, go ahead andintroduce yourself.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (02:13):
Yeah , hi.
Thanks, jessica.
Yes, it's always been apleasure to connect with you, so
my story is kind of simple in away.
I am a high school teacher bytrade and I'm a former people
pleaser and and I used toexperience, you know, mental
health, doubt, and so that madeit sometimes difficult at work,
because I basically became aperfectionist to get approval,
(02:36):
to seek approval, and in theteaching world that's impossible
you can't get everyone'sapproval so I just ended up
falling into the cycle ofworking incessantly at lunch
hours, after school, duringweekends people knew my first
name at Starbucks at 6am on aSaturday morning, and so, yes, I
(02:56):
experienced a professionalburnout in 2018.
And I had to radically shift myperspective into health, because
I realized very quickly thatwithout my health, I had nothing
, and so I had to help withtherapy.
But the one person who reallyhelped me was a life coach and
who was recommended by one of mycolleagues, and I had basically
(03:18):
never heard of a life coach.
To be honest with you, it was avery obscure thing, but he
really helped me move from aplace of just discontent, anger,
into a place of empowerment andhealth, and I learned some
strategies and then after that,I thought, well, this is an
interesting thing.
I want to be that person whosupports others in incredible
health and joy so that they canenjoy their time on this
(03:41):
beautiful planet.
Right, there's just no point insuffering if there's ways that
you can rekindle your passion,put a little bounce in your step
and smile through your day.
So I became a certified lifecoach, and so I've been working
on that for the last two yearsnow, and so I have clients, I'm
building programs, I've donespeaking engagements in
(04:03):
universities for teachercandidates, I have an exciting
program for first year teachersin September, and so, yeah, I'm
just enjoying this process rightnow, and that's it.
Jessica Rosario, Executive Co (04:15):
I love that.
I love that and I appreciateyou sharing that background,
because one of the things thatwe've all noticed, you know,
throughout this entrepreneurialjourney, is that many times when
we are trying to solve aproblem or help someone else in,
you know like, let's say, inyour case, finding more
fulfillment, enjoying their lifeis because you were able to
(04:37):
develop that for yourself, andso we are our own best first
clients, and so what we learnthrough how we manage ourselves
and manage our emotions and andjust how we carry ourselves
through life is just so powerfulwhen it comes to being able to
serve others, because we've beenthere and done that, and so I
(04:59):
love that you shared that storyand I know that you have a heart
for teachers and why you knowobviously I'm speaking just from
my personal experience withEugenie is that I noticed that
you were doing workshops in thevery beginning of their teaching
career.
Why do you think that isimportant for you to support and
(05:22):
mentor them at that level?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (05:24):
Yes .
So first-year teachers aregoing to go through probably the
most challenging time of theirlives.
That's a full-on reality,whether they approach it with
joy and purpose and confidence,or through suffering and fear
and anxiety and impostersyndrome.
It doesn't matter how you sliceit.
It's going to be the mostdemanding time of their lives,
(05:46):
time wise.
And and very often, just, theydon't have some of the tools
that I have developed throughoutthe years.
And oh my gosh, jessica,honestly, if somebody had helped
me out in the beginning, Iwould have avoided so many
pitfalls, I would have avoided alot of hurt, you know.
So I want to be that person whoholds their hands but also gives
(06:12):
them the tools that I nowpossess in communicating in an
empowering kind of way withdifficult parents, with
difficult students, how to haveempowering language around
asking for help.
So releasing a lot of limitingbeliefs that if you ask for help
you are going to be seen as anincompetent teacher.
(06:32):
So, you know, basically justraising their energy levels into
a place of opportunity,cooperation, strong
communication skills anddefinitely releasing so much
fear and anxiety around thatfirst year teaching.
And also, let's be honest, Ireally like them to have a tiny
(06:52):
bit of a life outside of school,which seems to be a again
limiting belief that if you're afirst year teacher, you will
live, breathe, sleep, drink,teaching, and so you know.
Part of that is mainly true,but there's also a really
important component that yourbrain needs to reset into doing
(07:12):
things that that person loves todo outside of school.
So, basically, avoidingpitfalls and but being prepared
and having those tools that willsave them time, that will save
them anxiety and that willprevent some of those pitfalls
that we do fall into in ourfirst year teaching.
Jessica Rosario, Executive (07:30):
Yeah , and so since you brought that
up so quickly on, you know someof those pitfalls.
What are those pitfalls thatthey experience in the first
year of teaching?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (07:41):
So, yeah, some of the pitfalls are
definitely the limiting beliefsthat they go in.
They assume that if they docertain things, that they're
going to be seen as lesscompetent.
So there's what we call, incoaching, the gremlin, that
little voice that tells themthat they're not good enough and
it's ego based and so, in orderto appear like they're
competent, it's they're going tostand in their own way.
(08:03):
And one of the biggest ones isdefinitely which is an ego thing
, right?
So if they can release that egoand learn to just be more
self-compassionate and realizethat it is their first year
teaching, then they will be ableto reach out for help.
And in this day and age, youknow the course materials
(08:24):
already exist.
Someone has already taughtwhatever it is that they're
going to be teaching that year.
So it's just that little stepof hey hi.
So how to have the socialskills to go ahead and look for
their what I call the dream team, the people who are going to be
there for them, the people whowill have the material that is
already set up, that is alreadycreated lessons, plans and
(08:47):
everything and just ask for help.
So that's one of those verybasic things to do, but it's
shifting them in that limitingbelief that they will be seen as
competent people by asking forhelp, right, it's like almost
like who's in your tribe, rightyeah who's in your tribe?
Jessica Rosario, Executive (09:04):
Yeah , I love that.
I love that.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (09:05):
I talk about that all the time, I
know and nobody does it alone,jessica, especially in a school,
right, you're going to need theteam, you're going to need your
colleagues, you're going toneed the help from the librarian
, because she holds, or he holds, all the secrets to where the
books are, who teaches what atwhat level.
You're going to need the helpof the secretaries big time, so
(09:27):
you make sure you get in withthose secretaries and validate
and appreciate all the work thatthey do.
The custodians they know whereeverything is in the school, so
you know you get friendly withthem as well, and so you
basically get together.
Even the principals, right, theadministrators, the EEDs, so
the special ed teachers, whowill know which students have
(09:48):
special needs, and they will beable to come into your class to
support you, and so that's notan option, that's their job.
So, recognizing that if youhave 10 students out of 25 that
have individualized educationalplans, it's a, it's a obvious
thing that they need to be inthat classroom to support you,
(10:10):
and and so that's one thing.
So the another pitfall is, um isdealing with parents and
fearing communicating withparents.
So the fear around, you know,oh no, and resisting and putting
off, you know.
So putting off communicatingwith parents, and so that is
something that I want toencourage them that, no, this is
(10:32):
an opportunity to support thatchild and to support you in
being the best teacher you canbe, and so to not put that off,
because then it just gets worseand worse and worse, and it's
better to nip it in the budright away and say I'm on it,
let's communicate about this,let's make this about the child
and me being the best teacher Ican be.
How are we going to do thisRight?
It's about also, to be honest,one of the pitfalls is to think
(10:57):
that you can manage a difficultparent on your own in a tiny
little room in the school.
That is a.
That is not a healthy.
That is not a healthy thing todo, because I have been really
severely put down by parents,criticized, and it was very
traumatic for me and it's notnecessary.
So, even if it's, all you haveis the support of a colleague,
(11:20):
every year a teacher has a planthat they work on.
So for a first-year teacher ishow to communicate optimally
with a parent to supportstudents, and so that can be
said right away, to explain theother person in the room, to
monitor the quality of theconversation and make it a
collaborative, empowering,solution-based, instead of
(11:42):
blaming and angry in that kindof environment.
So that was a big pitfall forme.
And, of course, the main pitfallof all is, yes, you're going to
work, but you're not on yourown and self-care is absolutely
crucial.
So don't sacrifice your sleep,you know.
Take days off and not sick days.
Take health days that if you'retaking days off, you're not a
(12:08):
competent teacher that youshould be able to and this is
important.
I'm going to put this in quotesyou should be able to take it.
That is such a punitive, mean,wow, judgmental thing that
teachers do unto themselves.
And so why is anybody taking it?
On their first year teaching,when they could be taking a
health day?
It usually involves on theirfirst year teaching when they
(12:31):
could be taking a health day.
It usually involves, to behonest, grading papers or
prepping, and so it's a day off.
That is not really a day off,but there's going to be so much
work that it's okay to take afew days to catch up.
Nobody's going to judge you,and if the kids at school end up
watching podcasts or you knowshort films or do some research
(12:51):
on their own, there is nothingwrong with that?
Nobody's going to see them as abad teacher.
Those are some of the pitfallsright.
Jessica Rosario, Executive (12:59):
Yeah , I love that and I love how you
close it with self-care,because obviously, the first
three they make total sense, butthe last one, which is
realistically the simplest one,the one that we all talk about
giving yourself grace and givingyourself time and disconnecting
and recharging right is the onethat we do the least.
(13:22):
Exactly, yeah, so necessary,exactly.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (13:25):
And in teaching, as you know,
through our coaching school,teachers are full on level four
people.
They're all about service,they're all about caring for
others, experiencing greatsatisfaction from seeing others
succeed.
But unfortunately, at thatlevel four, supposedly, people
are also supposed to fill uptheir own cup, which, in
(13:46):
teaching, because of the realityof the job you know, people are
holding their bladders, peopledon't finish their lunches,
people are up at 5, 6 am andthey go to bed especially first
year teachers at 8, 9 pm, and sohow do you take care of
yourself in circumstances thatbasically do not promote health
(14:07):
care?
If I may say something, evenreally highly controversial
schools are made to burn peopleout.
So how do you set yourself upfor success in a system that is
not made for self-compassion, ina system where there's a lot of
judgment, in a system thatprones provincial testing and
Canada's provincial testing andschools are highly, highly
(14:30):
criticized if the results arenot high.
So all this falls onto theshoulders of a teacher.
It is insane pressure, and sohow do you?
Basically, I see it as a raftand you're like whitewater
rafting and it's insane.
And you've got your littlepeople on your boat and you're
trying to keep it together.
How do you manage your healthin conditions like that's ways?
(14:52):
And the number one way is torecognize that the teacher is
the core person in their lives.
They have to put themselvesfirst.
Once that mind shift happens,everything falls into place.
Classroom discipline even.
You know like, especially as ahigh school teacher, it's you
know knowing how to say hey, kid, right now you're on my last
(15:15):
nerve, so you're asking you knowyou're working with me right
now or you're working against meand putting yourself first so
that you can provide qualityeducation for everyone else in
the classroom, knowing that youwill also figure out what's
going on with that one student.
And it's usually becausethey're not engaged.
There's reasons right.
So again and this is I'msmiling because I'm like, oh my
(15:37):
gosh, you know this is lackingin universities and I'm working
with professors in differentuniversities in Canada right now
how do we equip teachers torecognize this, have the
awareness of it and also givethem actual coaching tools to
ask the student what is going onright now, Without judgment,
without anger.
(15:58):
You should be paying attention,but actually digging deep.
And same thing with the parentsrecognizing that it's not easy
being a parent to a teenager whois not doing as well as they
could be.
So there's all this beautifulsupportive coaching techniques
that will support everybody.
The teacher working withdifficult colleagues this
(16:18):
happens too right.
How to avoid difficultcolleagues?
To be honest, some of them arejust energetically not going to
support you.
So knowing to recognize thosepeople and lovingly not be
around them is going to promoteself-care as well.
So there's just so many waysthat we were just not taught in
university.
I agree.
And yeah and so.
(16:39):
So, hopefully, I'm sensing awind of change, though slight
wind, a little breeze of change,if you will and how to optimize
their magic.
These people are pure magic.
They have this incredible mindwith a beautiful passion for
their subject matter and alsofor young people, and so how to
(17:00):
make that the magic space, thecore of teaching, and kind of
letting all the other stuff kindof fall into the background and
not impinging into that verysacred space?
Jessica Rosario, Executive (17:13):
Yeah , I love that.
I love that because and it's sotrue, and in today's world where
, especially post pandemic, I'mseeing that the education system
is really lacking on, you know,recruiting teachers and you
know teachers that arepassionate about working with
kids, because kids are not easy,and when you talked about, you
(17:35):
know, being a parent to ateenager, that might not be
giving their best.
Trust me, I've been there, donethat.
Yeah, I had those days and Inever had the opportunity to,
you know, to connect with ateacher, unless it was a bad
thing, right, there was nonurturing of, like you know,
this is what they can do better.
And I don't know, to connectwith a teacher unless it was a
bad thing, right, there was nonurturing of like you know, this
is what they can do better, andI don't know like, it was just
(17:56):
a different environment a fewyears ago and then getting hit
by a pandemic, making everythingvirtual didn't help, because
then I suddenly became theteacher.
So that was very difficult, butnonetheless, you know, I
definitely see how, um, teacherswill definitely lead to burnout
if they're not, if they're notmonitoring what they're doing,
(18:20):
or, if they're, if they don'thave self-awareness.
And so my, my next questionwould be how could someone um
identify that they are leadingto burnout and they are leading
to a crash?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (18:34):
And so and this is the kind of a
tricky situation with a teacherwho is going into burnout
Usually it's very difficult tocatch yourself as you're burning
out.
That's why I want to do a lotof preventing, a lot of
preparing to even avoid beingthere entirely.
But a sure-tail sign is you nolonger want to be in the
(18:56):
classroom, you're no longerenjoying your job, you're
thinking of what else could I dowith my life instead of
teaching.
So those are dead giveawaysthat there's some serious stuff
happening.
A teacher who no longer feelslike doing anything honestly,
that's depression setting in.
A teacher who has sacrificedall their lunch hours, you know,
(19:17):
working at home on weekends andstill not feeling that there
are quote unquote catching up.
A person who will sacrificetheir, their diet.
A person who is kind ofwithdrawing in themselves
instead of reaching out.
So it's actually quitedifficult for a person who is
starting to go down to catchthemselves.
(19:38):
But there's, there's a way's,you know, I call it the halt
system.
Are you hungry?
Are you angry?
Anger is a big one, or despair,anger is.
It doesn't matter what I do,it's never good enough.
When you get to that point, yougot to stop and reset, pull
away, take a few days off,absolutely Regroup and nurture
your soul.
The halt is also are you lonely?
(19:59):
So if all you ever do is teach,teach and there's, you know your
marriage is suffering in thebackground because your husband
or wife never sees you or yourchildren never see you.
I have so many stories, youknow, of divorces happen.
Parents who take more care inpreparing lessons and teaching
their own students andneglecting their own children
(20:20):
and their own children's gradesslip and they fall through the
cracks.
So there's this really severeimbalance in the teaching world
and that's like the biggestlimiting belief, to be honest,
is that once you're a teacher,that's all you are.
Teaching is your life, yeah, andso that's severely imbalanced
(20:40):
and course, all the otheraspects of your life kind of
fall to the side and so, again,just educating, educating,
educating and saying no, ofcourse it's going to be a huge
part of your life.
Let's be honest, right, because, especially in the first few
years, right, one teacher out ofthree is going to drop out of
the career after five years.
(21:00):
And so, yeah, to answer yourquestion, I really want to drop
out of the career after fiveyears.
And so, yeah, to answer yourquestion, I really want to work
on building the awareness evenbefore they start teaching, so
that when they get to that pointof what's the point, I just
don't even enjoy this.
I've had teacher colleagues justcircle around the school in
tears yeah before they can evenlike park in the parking lot to
(21:24):
face the day.
So even before you get to, thatyou know plastering a smile on
your face.
Jessica Rosario, Executive (21:31):
Yeah , it's great.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (21:32):
It's not great, right.
So, recognizing all that and inmy so like having this,
education, that, and evenproning taking those holidays,
um holidays I call them healthdays and then, and just like
planning for a massage becauseteachers have benefits, wait for
it, so many benefits,especially in ontario, where I
(21:53):
live in canada.
They never use them because,they're too busy.
so those health days could begetting those massages and then
also planning for therapy aheadof time, Because you're like
what?
I don't need a therapist, butyou will.
You will need to talk tosomebody who is not in a school,
(22:13):
or a coach, such as myself, whocan help you see straight into
the turmoil of the day so thatyou can bring some calm into
that right.
Yeah the turmoil of the day sothat you can bring some calm
into that right.
So I really believe in buildingthe awareness, building the
person to realize that they arenumber one in their lives and
then watching out for thosesigns so that they can
experience all of the joy thatteaching can bring right and not
(22:38):
the fear and the anxiety andthe BS.
To be honest, there's so muchof it.
Jessica Rosario, Executive Co (22:44):
I love that.
And, ugenie, what are somepractical steps that they can
take?
Say that they're feelingeverything you talked about in
the HALT, your HALT method.
What is something that they canimplement today?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coa (23:01):
Today .
So today, right now, likebecause I'm going to be starting
my program mid-august, becauseI want to start them before
school even starts.
So today is, you know, alreadysetting up a plan of self-care.
Yeah, so, finding a therapisteven before school.
Start finding a massagetherapist even before school.
Start setting up on theschedule.
(23:22):
They will do this in theirfirst few weeks of school,
because usually other teacherswill be Finding a massage
therapist even before schoolstarts.
Setting up on the schedule, theywill do this in their first few
weeks of school, becauseusually other teachers will be
teaching maybe the same classand even if they don't set up
every three weeks a day off, andso planning those days.
They're also called easy days.
They usually fall on a Friday,which is great, and have it set
up so that it's a research day,or it's a you know, watch a
(23:52):
movie, what are the themes day,or it's collaborative tasks day,
so that you don't have anyreally work to leave for a
supply teacher and or veryminimal, and also it's a.
It's an easy day for students.
So the steps to prepare for allthat is yeah, that's what I
want to do is I want them tohave the awareness and I really
want them.
I will be not just want them.
I will be working on limitingbeliefs, dismantling those right
(24:16):
away, right, and also exploretheir own perfectionism, because
, I mean, teachers are allperfectionists.
Let's be honest.
Jessica Rosario, Execut (24:24):
They're all A-type achievers.
I'm a recovery perfectionistmyself, me too.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (24:28):
Me too.
And it's work.
It's always work.
It's not something that youachieve overnight.
And it's releasing this idea ofyou're going to have an Oscar
nomination class every day,three times a day.
Let's make it a good classinstead of a great wow class,
right?
(24:50):
So checking in with your ego,checking in with the inner
critic, because there's going tobe just having the awareness
that there's the outsidepressure and how to roll with it
, but there's also, and moreimportantly, the I'm going to
save everyone syndrome, yeah,and there's going to be, and if
I can't, I'm a failure.
So this like black and whitethinking if I do this, I'm a
good teacher, if I don't do this, I'm a terrible teacher and
(25:11):
kind of give this compassion ofbeing in the zone in between I
don't want to call it the grayzone, because it's actually a
very happy zone.
It's a happy zone to not bestuck between black and white
and to be in the human.
I'm doing the best I can, mystudents are doing the best they
can, the parents are doing thebest they can and releasing all
(25:32):
of that really, really heavyenergy, draining energy of
judgment towards ourselves andtowards others.
So really educating, buildingthe awareness and having that
mindset of compassion, you knowlike teaching them even just
affirmations, teaching them evenhow to meditate.
(25:54):
Just five minutes before Ialways have the Hussein Bolt you
know who he is right the 100meter sprint from Jamaica In the
Olympics.
I always go for the 100 metersbecause it's just like so
amazing to watch.
It's like on your marks gets it, the gun goes and the guy runs
his 100 meters in like less than10 seconds.
(26:15):
He's amazing.
Wow, teaching is like that.
You, you start your day full-onlike adrenaline and it's just so
.
No, start your day with five,ten minutes of silence and peace
, because the day is going tostart soon enough, by the way,
and it's going to be busy, buthaving this peaceful foundation
of today is going to be okay.
(26:35):
And just breathing into thatand releasing the anxiety around
today, I can face any challenge.
No one's going to die today,right, and having this, I'm
doing the best around.
Today, I can face any challenge.
No one's going to die today,right, and having this, I'm
doing the best I can.
So, practicing this tiny bit ofmeditation before it all starts
.
And of course, exercise is soimportant, and a teacher might
not be able to do three hours ofexercise a day?
(26:57):
Let's be honest, I don't thinkthat's realistic.
But squeezing in a nature walk?
Let's be honest, I don't thinkthat's realistic.
But squeezing in a nature walk,squeezing in a half hour yoga
online, so they can even there'sgyms in high schools.
So after school, just go to thegym for 20 minutes, half an
hour, sit on that bike, do a fewweights, get your endorphins
flowing.
That's like free medicationthat we all have access to,
(27:19):
right?
So how to set yourself up forthat, right?
Jessica Rosario, Executive (27:22):
Love it, I love it, right, love it,
love it, love it, oh my gosh.
And you know it's crazy,because it's even given me a
different perspective about theteachers that my children had.
You know, it's like, yeah, if Icouldn't handle two at home, I
can't even imagine how theyhandled.
You know, sometimes 20,sometimes 30 in a classroom,
right?
So that I think that's, I can'teven imagine how they handled.
(27:43):
You know, sometimes 20,sometimes 30 in a classroom,
right?
So I think that definitely isgiving me a different
perspective.
And so, Eugenie, I heard yousay something.
You have a program coming upsoon, yes, and I want you to
share what it is that you havecoming up for any listener that
might say, oh my gosh, Idefinitely need to connect with
her.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (28:02):
Yeah , listener that might say oh my
gosh, I definitely need toconnect with her, yeah, so this,
this I'm smiling as as you'retalking about my program,
because I see it as a awonderful opportunity to support
these first year teachers intoavoiding the pitfalls, but not,
you know, but also just reallyrewiring what society says about
teachers and just dismantlingall those limiting beliefs,
(28:24):
right, re programming them Idon't know if that's the right
word shifting their mindsetaround.
Yes, I am the most importantperson in this classroom, you
know, and so really focusing ontheir health, but I also want to
give them strategies,strategies that did not have um
coaching tips, how do youapproach with questions,
(28:44):
questions.
So I'm going to give them kitsa kit with dealing with a
difficult parent or evenpreventing because a lot of it
is prevention, and how toapproach a parent when things
are starting to get difficult,in very collaborative,
empowering ways, not beingafraid to reach out to a parent,
right?
So?
So, basically, it would be a.
It is going to be.
I've already started it and Ihave a few people lined up.
(29:06):
It's going to be set up wherewe will have a weekly meeting,
not too long because they'refirst year teachers, so they
won't have too much time to hangout in a Zoom, so about half an
hour where there will be someexploration of how do I take
care of myself, but also givingthem very valuable tips, actual
(29:28):
coaching strategies, so thatthey can be in their week and
just use those.
So like meditation, like I'vementioned before, how to build
your dream team right away, howto, even before school, you
leave nothing to chance, nothing.
You already have all of yourstudents.
People have taught them before.
Of course you have to becareful not to judge a young
(29:49):
person before you've had theexperience to being with them.
But you'll know for sure thatJoe and Lindsay cannot be seated
together because it's going tobe an atomic bomb.
So if you know this ahead oftime in your class layout, you
don't put them together.
This is preventable from thestart, right?
So so teach them all theselittle strategies and I want to
(30:13):
support them.
So before school starts, allthe way till just after the
first report card, because thefirst report card is hugely
anxiety inducing for firstteachers, like oh gosh, I have
to meet with the parents, so howdo I handle that?
Right, so we can do like mockinterviews where we could just
(30:34):
role play and role playdifferent scenarios, so that
they feel more prepared anduniversities don't teach that
which which is insane.
Jessica Rosario, Executive C (30:44):
So I can't wait to be able to
share your program, because I amsure if someone is listening
today and feeling like, wait aminute, this is something that I
need to look into Maybe not afirst year teacher, but maybe a
current teacher that's like, ohmy gosh, I wish I had that when
I was a first year teacher.
And so I can't wait to see whatcomes out of, out of you know,
(31:06):
the, the, the, the people thatare listening, and the, the
interview and all of theinsights that you've shared.
And so you guys, you're goingto see her contact information.
Inside of the show notes I'lladd a link to her program as
well.
So if you want more informationabout Eugenie and her program
for first year teachers, feelfree to reach out to her.
(31:27):
And what I love about Eugenie isthat if you still have a
question on the program, perhapsthat you're not feeling like it
aligns with you in some way,shape or form, just reach out to
her.
She's more than willing to kindof you know cater it and maybe
explain it in more detail sothat you're able to make a
better decision, to be able towork with her or perhaps is not
(31:49):
working in the group coachingprogram and you do want to work
with Eugenie one on one.
That's always an option too,and so, oh my gosh, ugenie, this
was so fun and I reallyappreciate all the insights.
I'm definitely going to takenote of your halt method because
I think it's powerful, not justfor any of us, and so I would
(32:10):
like for you to share my finalquestion that I always ask my
audience, and it's how do youpersonally maximize your day?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (32:21):
Yeah , so thank you, that's a great
question.
So how I maximize my day isdefinitely because maximizing
your day, yeah, so thank you,that's a great question.
So how I maximize my day isdefinitely because maximizing
your day means you're notwasting time and you're focused,
right?
So in my case is practicingmeditation, exercising um and
sleeping, because if I'm doingall of those three things, then
my mind is calm, my mind is opento the opportunities, my mind
(32:43):
is solution-based instead ofbeing stuck in an
anxiety-induced or just likeproblem environment, right?
So taking good care of myselfis actually very optimizes my
day.
That's one of them.
And also is boundaries, learningto say no, learning to ignore
(33:04):
the noise there's so much noiseand, again, if you have that
calm, creative space in yourmind and you know, and you're
focused and you know what youwant to do with your day, then
it becomes an act of love foryourself to say no to other
people, which used to be verydifficult for me and I would
take on too much and then Iburnt out.
(33:25):
So if somebody says, oh, youshould be doing this, oh well,
thank you for considering me.
That's very flattering, but Ialready have a prior engagement.
That's my favorite thing to say.
I have a prior engagement.
They don't need to know that myprior engagement is going to my
yoga class A lot of hot yoga.
It's really good for me.
They don't need to know that myprior engagement is having
dinner with my family that ishealthy for me, connecting with
(33:47):
my people or going for salsalessons.
Or going to my salsa lessons,baby, you know it.
That is pure joy and it yes.
And so those prior engagementsare about taking care of you and
it doesn't have to be like anacademic oh yeah, I'm taking a
class to be whatever.
No, your prior engagement, youronly engagement, is towards you
(34:08):
, your mental space, accessingwhat I call your magic right.
So, whether you're a teacher orjust a human being because I
also coach other people I don'tcoach just teachers.
I coach people into developingthose healthy boundaries so that
they can create this healthyspace for themselves and build
this confidence and compassionfor themselves.
That's truly what I do.
(34:30):
Like you said, I'm a joy andfulfillment coach for teachers,
but also just for anybody.
So I do have one-on-one clientsthat are dating right now and
need some help with that.
So it has nothing to do withteaching, but they're
experiencing great, greatsuccess as well.
Jessica Rosario, Executive C (34:44):
So love that Awesome, so it was so
fun having you on my show today.
I was really looking forward toit.
Thank you so much for beinghere and for sharing with my
audience.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (34:58):
Yes , and I and I just want to say
that you know, for me, you arealso a very inspiring figure in
my life and I'm so glad that wegot to connect through our
coaching school, through IPEC,and we've had multiple
opportunities later You've evensupported me with your coaching
to build my speaking engagements, so that was really, really
(35:18):
helpful, and so, yeah, I justwanted to thank you as well for
being so awesome.
Jessica Rosario, Executive Co (35:23):
I appreciate you.
Thank you, Eugenie.
You're welcome, as always.
Thank you so much for listeningin.
Don't forget to subscribe tothe show to be notified the
second a new episode is releasedand share with your friends who
believe could benefit fromlistening or even better just
(35:45):
post a screenshot of the episodein your stories and tag me on
Instagram or Facebook.
I would love to hear yourfeedback, answer questions and
I'm always open to your topicsuggestions, so you never know
if your topic will be next.
So then, until next time, goahead, maximize your day and own
(36:07):
it.
Hello and welcome to the Maximize
your Day podcast, a place forentrepreneurs who are building
their business in pursuit offreedom and flexibility to do
the things they love.
I'm your host, jessica Rosario.
I'm a New Yorker turnedFloridian who knows a thing or
two on how to effectively manageyour time while juggling
multiple priorities.
I'm an ex-corporate leader whowalked away from my nine to
(00:24):
five-ish to launch and grow mybusiness.
In this podcast, I shareinsights on mindset, business
productivity, habits andstrategies to help you take
control of your to-do list andmaximize your day, which will
help you feel more confident andless overwhelmed and getting
more done in less time.
I'm so excited you're here.
Go ahead, listen in.
I am so excited you're here, goahead, listen in.
(00:55):
Hello everyone, I am so excitedto be able to share with you an
interview that I had withEugenie Ducatel, and Eugenie is
a joy and fulfillment coach whoreally helps teachers prevent
burnout and just build theirconfidence, boost joy and just
really honing into the purposethat they've set for their lives
, and so I had an amazingpleasure to be able to record
with her an interview, and Ican't wait to be able to share
(01:18):
it with you, because you willsee that if you follow her and
you're going to be able tofollow her you'll see the
information in the show notes.
If you follow her, you will beable to spot who she is on
social media immediately,because of the joy and just the
happiness that she just portrays, and I just absolutely loved
(01:39):
this interview.
So go ahead and listen in.
Welcome back to the show.
So today I have the joy andpleasure of interviewing Eugenie
Ducatel, and I loved workingwith her at several points in my
life.
We met through IPEC and sowe're both certified coaches
through IPEC, and there wassomething about her that we just
(02:02):
connected in one of our groupcoaching programs and we just
headed off ever since, and so Ican't wait for her to share her
story.
And so, ugenie, go ahead andintroduce yourself.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (02:13):
Yeah , hi.
Thanks, jessica.
Yes, it's always been apleasure to connect with you, so
my story is kind of simple in away.
I am a high school teacher bytrade and I'm a former people
pleaser and and I used toexperience, you know, mental
health, doubt, and so that madeit sometimes difficult at work,
because I basically became aperfectionist to get approval,
(02:36):
to seek approval, and in theteaching world that's impossible
you can't get everyone'sapproval so I just ended up
falling into the cycle ofworking incessantly at lunch
hours, after school, duringweekends people knew my first
name at Starbucks at 6am on aSaturday morning, and so, yes, I
(02:56):
experienced a professionalburnout in 2018.
And I had to radically shift myperspective into health, because
I realized very quickly thatwithout my health, I had nothing
, and so I had to help withtherapy.
But the one person who reallyhelped me was a life coach and
who was recommended by one of mycolleagues, and I had basically
(03:18):
never heard of a life coach.
To be honest with you, it was avery obscure thing, but he
really helped me move from aplace of just discontent, anger,
into a place of empowerment andhealth, and I learned some
strategies and then after that,I thought, well, this is an
interesting thing.
I want to be that person whosupports others in incredible
health and joy so that they canenjoy their time on this
(03:41):
beautiful planet.
Right, there's just no point insuffering if there's ways that
you can rekindle your passion,put a little bounce in your step
and smile through your day.
So I became a certified lifecoach, and so I've been working
on that for the last two yearsnow, and so I have clients, I'm
building programs, I've donespeaking engagements in
(04:03):
universities for teachercandidates, I have an exciting
program for first year teachersin September, and so, yeah, I'm
just enjoying this process rightnow, and that's it.
Jessica Rosario, Executive Co (04:15):
I love that.
I love that and I appreciateyou sharing that background,
because one of the things thatwe've all noticed, you know,
throughout this entrepreneurialjourney, is that many times when
we are trying to solve aproblem or help someone else in,
you know like, let's say, inyour case, finding more
fulfillment, enjoying their lifeis because you were able to
(04:37):
develop that for yourself, andso we are our own best first
clients, and so what we learnthrough how we manage ourselves
and manage our emotions and andjust how we carry ourselves
through life is just so powerfulwhen it comes to being able to
serve others, because we've beenthere and done that, and so I
(04:59):
love that you shared that storyand I know that you have a heart
for teachers and why you knowobviously I'm speaking just from
my personal experience withEugenie is that I noticed that
you were doing workshops in thevery beginning of their teaching
career.
Why do you think that isimportant for you to support and
(05:22):
mentor them at that level?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (05:24):
Yes .
So first-year teachers aregoing to go through probably the
most challenging time of theirlives.
That's a full-on reality,whether they approach it with
joy and purpose and confidence,or through suffering and fear
and anxiety and impostersyndrome.
It doesn't matter how you sliceit.
It's going to be the mostdemanding time of their lives,
(05:46):
time wise.
And and very often, just, theydon't have some of the tools
that I have developed throughoutthe years.
And oh my gosh, jessica,honestly, if somebody had helped
me out in the beginning, Iwould have avoided so many
pitfalls, I would have avoided alot of hurt, you know.
So I want to be that person whoholds their hands but also gives
(06:12):
them the tools that I nowpossess in communicating in an
empowering kind of way withdifficult parents, with
difficult students, how to haveempowering language around
asking for help.
So releasing a lot of limitingbeliefs that if you ask for help
you are going to be seen as anincompetent teacher.
(06:32):
So, you know, basically justraising their energy levels into
a place of opportunity,cooperation, strong
communication skills anddefinitely releasing so much
fear and anxiety around thatfirst year teaching.
And also, let's be honest, Ireally like them to have a tiny
(06:52):
bit of a life outside of school,which seems to be a again
limiting belief that if you're afirst year teacher, you will
live, breathe, sleep, drink,teaching, and so you know.
Part of that is mainly true,but there's also a really
important component that yourbrain needs to reset into doing
(07:12):
things that that person loves todo outside of school.
So, basically, avoidingpitfalls and but being prepared
and having those tools that willsave them time, that will save
them anxiety and that willprevent some of those pitfalls
that we do fall into in ourfirst year teaching.
Jessica Rosario, Executive (07:30):
Yeah , and so since you brought that
up so quickly on, you know someof those pitfalls.
What are those pitfalls thatthey experience in the first
year of teaching?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (07:41):
So, yeah, some of the pitfalls are
definitely the limiting beliefsthat they go in.
They assume that if they docertain things, that they're
going to be seen as lesscompetent.
So there's what we call, incoaching, the gremlin, that
little voice that tells themthat they're not good enough and
it's ego based and so, in orderto appear like they're
competent, it's they're going tostand in their own way.
(08:03):
And one of the biggest ones isdefinitely which is an ego thing
, right?
So if they can release that egoand learn to just be more
self-compassionate and realizethat it is their first year
teaching, then they will be ableto reach out for help.
And in this day and age, youknow the course materials
(08:24):
already exist.
Someone has already taughtwhatever it is that they're
going to be teaching that year.
So it's just that little stepof hey hi.
So how to have the socialskills to go ahead and look for
their what I call the dream team, the people who are going to be
there for them, the people whowill have the material that is
already set up, that is alreadycreated lessons, plans and
(08:47):
everything and just ask for help.
So that's one of those verybasic things to do, but it's
shifting them in that limitingbelief that they will be seen as
competent people by asking forhelp, right, it's like almost
like who's in your tribe, rightyeah who's in your tribe?
Jessica Rosario, Executive (09:04):
Yeah , I love that.
I love that.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (09:05):
I talk about that all the time, I
know and nobody does it alone,jessica, especially in a school,
right, you're going to need theteam, you're going to need your
colleagues, you're going toneed the help from the librarian
, because she holds, or he holds, all the secrets to where the
books are, who teaches what atwhat level.
You're going to need the helpof the secretaries big time, so
(09:27):
you make sure you get in withthose secretaries and validate
and appreciate all the work thatthey do.
The custodians they know whereeverything is in the school, so
you know you get friendly withthem as well, and so you
basically get together.
Even the principals, right, theadministrators, the EEDs, so
the special ed teachers, whowill know which students have
(09:48):
special needs, and they will beable to come into your class to
support you, and so that's notan option, that's their job.
So, recognizing that if youhave 10 students out of 25 that
have individualized educationalplans, it's a, it's a obvious
thing that they need to be inthat classroom to support you,
(10:10):
and and so that's one thing.
So the another pitfall is, um isdealing with parents and
fearing communicating withparents.
So the fear around, you know,oh no, and resisting and putting
off, you know.
So putting off communicatingwith parents, and so that is
something that I want toencourage them that, no, this is
(10:32):
an opportunity to support thatchild and to support you in
being the best teacher you canbe, and so to not put that off,
because then it just gets worseand worse and worse, and it's
better to nip it in the budright away and say I'm on it,
let's communicate about this,let's make this about the child
and me being the best teacher Ican be.
How are we going to do thisRight?
It's about also, to be honest,one of the pitfalls is to think
(10:57):
that you can manage a difficultparent on your own in a tiny
little room in the school.
That is a.
That is not a healthy.
That is not a healthy thing todo, because I have been really
severely put down by parents,criticized, and it was very
traumatic for me and it's notnecessary.
So, even if it's, all you haveis the support of a colleague,
(11:20):
every year a teacher has a planthat they work on.
So for a first-year teacher ishow to communicate optimally
with a parent to supportstudents, and so that can be
said right away, to explain theother person in the room, to
monitor the quality of theconversation and make it a
collaborative, empowering,solution-based, instead of
(11:42):
blaming and angry in that kindof environment.
So that was a big pitfall forme.
And, of course, the main pitfallof all is, yes, you're going to
work, but you're not on yourown and self-care is absolutely
crucial.
So don't sacrifice your sleep,you know.
Take days off and not sick days.
Take health days that if you'retaking days off, you're not a
(12:08):
competent teacher that youshould be able to and this is
important.
I'm going to put this in quotesyou should be able to take it.
That is such a punitive, mean,wow, judgmental thing that
teachers do unto themselves.
And so why is anybody taking it?
On their first year teaching,when they could be taking a
health day?
It usually involves on theirfirst year teaching when they
(12:31):
could be taking a health day.
It usually involves, to behonest, grading papers or
prepping, and so it's a day off.
That is not really a day off,but there's going to be so much
work that it's okay to take afew days to catch up.
Nobody's going to judge you,and if the kids at school end up
watching podcasts or you knowshort films or do some research
(12:51):
on their own, there is nothingwrong with that?
Nobody's going to see them as abad teacher.
Those are some of the pitfallsright.
Jessica Rosario, Executive (12:59):
Yeah , I love that and I love how you
close it with self-care,because obviously, the first
three they make total sense, butthe last one, which is
realistically the simplest one,the one that we all talk about
giving yourself grace and givingyourself time and disconnecting
and recharging right is the onethat we do the least.
(13:22):
Exactly, yeah, so necessary,exactly.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (13:25):
And in teaching, as you know,
through our coaching school,teachers are full on level four
people.
They're all about service,they're all about caring for
others, experiencing greatsatisfaction from seeing others
succeed.
But unfortunately, at thatlevel four, supposedly, people
are also supposed to fill uptheir own cup, which, in
(13:46):
teaching, because of the realityof the job you know, people are
holding their bladders, peopledon't finish their lunches,
people are up at 5, 6 am andthey go to bed especially first
year teachers at 8, 9 pm, and sohow do you take care of
yourself in circumstances thatbasically do not promote health
(14:07):
care?
If I may say something, evenreally highly controversial
schools are made to burn peopleout.
So how do you set yourself upfor success in a system that is
not made for self-compassion, ina system where there's a lot of
judgment, in a system thatprones provincial testing and
Canada's provincial testing andschools are highly, highly
(14:30):
criticized if the results arenot high.
So all this falls onto theshoulders of a teacher.
It is insane pressure, and sohow do you?
Basically, I see it as a raftand you're like whitewater
rafting and it's insane.
And you've got your littlepeople on your boat and you're
trying to keep it together.
How do you manage your healthin conditions like that's ways?
(14:52):
And the number one way is torecognize that the teacher is
the core person in their lives.
They have to put themselvesfirst.
Once that mind shift happens,everything falls into place.
Classroom discipline even.
You know like, especially as ahigh school teacher, it's you
know knowing how to say hey, kid, right now you're on my last
(15:15):
nerve, so you're asking you knowyou're working with me right
now or you're working against meand putting yourself first so
that you can provide qualityeducation for everyone else in
the classroom, knowing that youwill also figure out what's
going on with that one student.
And it's usually becausethey're not engaged.
There's reasons right.
So again and this is I'msmiling because I'm like, oh my
(15:37):
gosh, you know this is lackingin universities and I'm working
with professors in differentuniversities in Canada right now
how do we equip teachers torecognize this, have the
awareness of it and also givethem actual coaching tools to
ask the student what is going onright now, Without judgment,
without anger.
(15:58):
You should be paying attention,but actually digging deep.
And same thing with the parentsrecognizing that it's not easy
being a parent to a teenager whois not doing as well as they
could be.
So there's all this beautifulsupportive coaching techniques
that will support everybody.
The teacher working withdifficult colleagues this
(16:18):
happens too right.
How to avoid difficultcolleagues?
To be honest, some of them arejust energetically not going to
support you.
So knowing to recognize thosepeople and lovingly not be
around them is going to promoteself-care as well.
So there's just so many waysthat we were just not taught in
university.
I agree.
And yeah and so.
(16:39):
So, hopefully, I'm sensing awind of change, though slight
wind, a little breeze of change,if you will and how to optimize
their magic.
These people are pure magic.
They have this incredible mindwith a beautiful passion for
their subject matter and alsofor young people, and so how to
(17:00):
make that the magic space, thecore of teaching, and kind of
letting all the other stuff kindof fall into the background and
not impinging into that verysacred space?
Jessica Rosario, Executive (17:13):
Yeah , I love that.
I love that because and it's sotrue, and in today's world where
, especially post pandemic, I'mseeing that the education system
is really lacking on, you know,recruiting teachers and you
know teachers that arepassionate about working with
kids, because kids are not easy,and when you talked about, you
(17:35):
know, being a parent to ateenager, that might not be
giving their best.
Trust me, I've been there, donethat.
Yeah, I had those days and Inever had the opportunity to,
you know, to connect with ateacher, unless it was a bad
thing, right, there was nonurturing of, like you know,
this is what they can do better.
And I don't know, to connectwith a teacher unless it was a
bad thing, right, there was nonurturing of like you know, this
is what they can do better, andI don't know like, it was just
(17:56):
a different environment a fewyears ago and then getting hit
by a pandemic, making everythingvirtual didn't help, because
then I suddenly became theteacher.
So that was very difficult, butnonetheless, you know, I
definitely see how, um, teacherswill definitely lead to burnout
if they're not, if they're notmonitoring what they're doing,
(18:20):
or, if they're, if they don'thave self-awareness.
And so my, my next questionwould be how could someone um
identify that they are leadingto burnout and they are leading
to a crash?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (18:34):
And so and this is the kind of a
tricky situation with a teacherwho is going into burnout
Usually it's very difficult tocatch yourself as you're burning
out.
That's why I want to do a lotof preventing, a lot of
preparing to even avoid beingthere entirely.
But a sure-tail sign is you nolonger want to be in the
(18:56):
classroom, you're no longerenjoying your job, you're
thinking of what else could I dowith my life instead of
teaching.
So those are dead giveawaysthat there's some serious stuff
happening.
A teacher who no longer feelslike doing anything honestly,
that's depression setting in.
A teacher who has sacrificedall their lunch hours, you know,
(19:17):
working at home on weekends andstill not feeling that there
are quote unquote catching up.
A person who will sacrificetheir, their diet.
A person who is kind ofwithdrawing in themselves
instead of reaching out.
So it's actually quitedifficult for a person who is
starting to go down to catchthemselves.
(19:38):
But there's, there's a way's,you know, I call it the halt
system.
Are you hungry?
Are you angry?
Anger is a big one, or despair,anger is.
It doesn't matter what I do,it's never good enough.
When you get to that point, yougot to stop and reset, pull
away, take a few days off,absolutely Regroup and nurture
your soul.
The halt is also are you lonely?
(19:59):
So if all you ever do is teach,teach and there's, you know your
marriage is suffering in thebackground because your husband
or wife never sees you or yourchildren never see you.
I have so many stories, youknow, of divorces happen.
Parents who take more care inpreparing lessons and teaching
their own students andneglecting their own children
(20:20):
and their own children's gradesslip and they fall through the
cracks.
So there's this really severeimbalance in the teaching world
and that's like the biggestlimiting belief, to be honest,
is that once you're a teacher,that's all you are.
Teaching is your life, yeah, andso that's severely imbalanced
(20:40):
and course, all the otheraspects of your life kind of
fall to the side and so, again,just educating, educating,
educating and saying no, ofcourse it's going to be a huge
part of your life.
Let's be honest, right, because, especially in the first few
years, right, one teacher out ofthree is going to drop out of
the career after five years.
(21:00):
And so, yeah, to answer yourquestion, I really want to drop
out of the career after fiveyears.
And so, yeah, to answer yourquestion, I really want to work
on building the awareness evenbefore they start teaching, so
that when they get to that pointof what's the point, I just
don't even enjoy this.
I've had teacher colleagues justcircle around the school in
tears yeah before they can evenlike park in the parking lot to
(21:24):
face the day.
So even before you get to, thatyou know plastering a smile on
your face.
Jessica Rosario, Executive (21:31):
Yeah , it's great.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (21:32):
It's not great, right.
So, recognizing all that and inmy so like having this,
education, that, and evenproning taking those holidays,
um holidays I call them healthdays and then, and just like
planning for a massage becauseteachers have benefits, wait for
it, so many benefits,especially in ontario, where I
(21:53):
live in canada.
They never use them because,they're too busy.
so those health days could begetting those massages and then
also planning for therapy aheadof time, Because you're like
what?
I don't need a therapist, butyou will.
You will need to talk tosomebody who is not in a school,
(22:13):
or a coach, such as myself, whocan help you see straight into
the turmoil of the day so thatyou can bring some calm into
that right.
Yeah the turmoil of the day sothat you can bring some calm
into that right.
So I really believe in buildingthe awareness, building the
person to realize that they arenumber one in their lives and
then watching out for thosesigns so that they can
experience all of the joy thatteaching can bring right and not
(22:38):
the fear and the anxiety andthe BS.
To be honest, there's so muchof it.
Jessica Rosario, Executive Co (22:44):
I love that.
And, ugenie, what are somepractical steps that they can
take?
Say that they're feelingeverything you talked about in
the HALT, your HALT method.
What is something that they canimplement today?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coa (23:01):
Today .
So today, right now, likebecause I'm going to be starting
my program mid-august, becauseI want to start them before
school even starts.
So today is, you know, alreadysetting up a plan of self-care.
Yeah, so, finding a therapisteven before school.
Start finding a massagetherapist even before school.
Start setting up on theschedule.
(23:22):
They will do this in theirfirst few weeks of school,
because usually other teacherswill be Finding a massage
therapist even before schoolstarts.
Setting up on the schedule, theywill do this in their first few
weeks of school, becauseusually other teachers will be
teaching maybe the same classand even if they don't set up
every three weeks a day off, andso planning those days.
They're also called easy days.
They usually fall on a Friday,which is great, and have it set
up so that it's a research day,or it's a you know, watch a
(23:52):
movie, what are the themes day,or it's collaborative tasks day,
so that you don't have anyreally work to leave for a
supply teacher and or veryminimal, and also it's a.
It's an easy day for students.
So the steps to prepare for allthat is yeah, that's what I
want to do is I want them tohave the awareness and I really
want them.
I will be not just want them.
I will be working on limitingbeliefs, dismantling those right
(24:16):
away, right, and also exploretheir own perfectionism, because
, I mean, teachers are allperfectionists.
Let's be honest.
Jessica Rosario, Execut (24:24):
They're all A-type achievers.
I'm a recovery perfectionistmyself, me too.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (24:28):
Me too.
And it's work.
It's always work.
It's not something that youachieve overnight.
And it's releasing this idea ofyou're going to have an Oscar
nomination class every day,three times a day.
Let's make it a good classinstead of a great wow class,
right?
(24:50):
So checking in with your ego,checking in with the inner
critic, because there's going tobe just having the awareness
that there's the outsidepressure and how to roll with it
, but there's also, and moreimportantly, the I'm going to
save everyone syndrome, yeah,and there's going to be, and if
I can't, I'm a failure.
So this like black and whitethinking if I do this, I'm a
good teacher, if I don't do this, I'm a terrible teacher and
(25:11):
kind of give this compassion ofbeing in the zone in between I
don't want to call it the grayzone, because it's actually a
very happy zone.
It's a happy zone to not bestuck between black and white
and to be in the human.
I'm doing the best I can, mystudents are doing the best they
can, the parents are doing thebest they can and releasing all
(25:32):
of that really, really heavyenergy, draining energy of
judgment towards ourselves andtowards others.
So really educating, buildingthe awareness and having that
mindset of compassion, you knowlike teaching them even just
affirmations, teaching them evenhow to meditate.
(25:54):
Just five minutes before Ialways have the Hussein Bolt you
know who he is right the 100meter sprint from Jamaica In the
Olympics.
I always go for the 100 metersbecause it's just like so
amazing to watch.
It's like on your marks gets it, the gun goes and the guy runs
his 100 meters in like less than10 seconds.
(26:15):
He's amazing.
Wow, teaching is like that.
You, you start your day full-onlike adrenaline and it's just so
.
No, start your day with five,ten minutes of silence and peace
, because the day is going tostart soon enough, by the way,
and it's going to be busy, buthaving this peaceful foundation
of today is going to be okay.
(26:35):
And just breathing into thatand releasing the anxiety around
today, I can face any challenge.
No one's going to die today,right, and having this, I'm
doing the best around.
Today, I can face any challenge.
No one's going to die today,right, and having this, I'm
doing the best I can.
So, practicing this tiny bit ofmeditation before it all starts
.
And of course, exercise is soimportant, and a teacher might
not be able to do three hours ofexercise a day?
(26:57):
Let's be honest, I don't thinkthat's realistic.
But squeezing in a nature walk?
Let's be honest, I don't thinkthat's realistic.
But squeezing in a nature walk,squeezing in a half hour yoga
online, so they can even there'sgyms in high schools.
So after school, just go to thegym for 20 minutes, half an
hour, sit on that bike, do a fewweights, get your endorphins
flowing.
That's like free medicationthat we all have access to,
(27:19):
right?
So how to set yourself up forthat, right?
Jessica Rosario, Executive (27:22):
Love it, I love it, right, love it,
love it, love it, oh my gosh.
And you know it's crazy,because it's even given me a
different perspective about theteachers that my children had.
You know, it's like, yeah, if Icouldn't handle two at home, I
can't even imagine how theyhandled.
You know, sometimes 20,sometimes 30 in a classroom,
right?
So that I think that's, I can'teven imagine how they handled.
(27:43):
You know, sometimes 20,sometimes 30 in a classroom,
right?
So I think that definitely isgiving me a different
perspective.
And so, Eugenie, I heard yousay something.
You have a program coming upsoon, yes, and I want you to
share what it is that you havecoming up for any listener that
might say, oh my gosh, Idefinitely need to connect with
her.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (28:02):
Yeah , listener that might say oh my
gosh, I definitely need toconnect with her, yeah, so this,
this I'm smiling as as you'retalking about my program,
because I see it as a awonderful opportunity to support
these first year teachers intoavoiding the pitfalls, but not,
you know, but also just reallyrewiring what society says about
teachers and just dismantlingall those limiting beliefs,
(28:24):
right, re programming them Idon't know if that's the right
word shifting their mindsetaround.
Yes, I am the most importantperson in this classroom, you
know, and so really focusing ontheir health, but I also want to
give them strategies,strategies that did not have um
coaching tips, how do youapproach with questions,
(28:44):
questions.
So I'm going to give them kitsa kit with dealing with a
difficult parent or evenpreventing because a lot of it
is prevention, and how toapproach a parent when things
are starting to get difficult,in very collaborative,
empowering ways, not beingafraid to reach out to a parent,
right?
So?
So, basically, it would be a.
It is going to be.
I've already started it and Ihave a few people lined up.
(29:06):
It's going to be set up wherewe will have a weekly meeting,
not too long because they'refirst year teachers, so they
won't have too much time to hangout in a Zoom, so about half an
hour where there will be someexploration of how do I take
care of myself, but also givingthem very valuable tips, actual
(29:28):
coaching strategies, so thatthey can be in their week and
just use those.
So like meditation, like I'vementioned before, how to build
your dream team right away, howto, even before school, you
leave nothing to chance, nothing.
You already have all of yourstudents.
People have taught them before.
Of course you have to becareful not to judge a young
(29:49):
person before you've had theexperience to being with them.
But you'll know for sure thatJoe and Lindsay cannot be seated
together because it's going tobe an atomic bomb.
So if you know this ahead oftime in your class layout, you
don't put them together.
This is preventable from thestart, right?
So so teach them all theselittle strategies and I want to
(30:13):
support them.
So before school starts, allthe way till just after the
first report card, because thefirst report card is hugely
anxiety inducing for firstteachers, like oh gosh, I have
to meet with the parents, so howdo I handle that?
Right, so we can do like mockinterviews where we could just
(30:34):
role play and role playdifferent scenarios, so that
they feel more prepared anduniversities don't teach that
which which is insane.
Jessica Rosario, Executive C (30:44):
So I can't wait to be able to
share your program, because I amsure if someone is listening
today and feeling like, wait aminute, this is something that I
need to look into Maybe not afirst year teacher, but maybe a
current teacher that's like, ohmy gosh, I wish I had that when
I was a first year teacher.
And so I can't wait to see whatcomes out of, out of you know,
(31:06):
the, the, the, the people thatare listening, and the, the
interview and all of theinsights that you've shared.
And so you guys, you're goingto see her contact information.
Inside of the show notes I'lladd a link to her program as
well.
So if you want more informationabout Eugenie and her program
for first year teachers, feelfree to reach out to her.
(31:27):
And what I love about Eugenie isthat if you still have a
question on the program, perhapsthat you're not feeling like it
aligns with you in some way,shape or form, just reach out to
her.
She's more than willing to kindof you know cater it and maybe
explain it in more detail sothat you're able to make a
better decision, to be able towork with her or perhaps is not
(31:49):
working in the group coachingprogram and you do want to work
with Eugenie one on one.
That's always an option too,and so, oh my gosh, ugenie, this
was so fun and I reallyappreciate all the insights.
I'm definitely going to takenote of your halt method because
I think it's powerful, not justfor any of us, and so I would
(32:10):
like for you to share my finalquestion that I always ask my
audience, and it's how do youpersonally maximize your day?
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coac (32:21):
Yeah , so thank you, that's a great
question.
So how I maximize my day isdefinitely because maximizing
your day, yeah, so thank you,that's a great question.
So how I maximize my day isdefinitely because maximizing
your day means you're notwasting time and you're focused,
right?
So in my case is practicingmeditation, exercising um and
sleeping, because if I'm doingall of those three things, then
my mind is calm, my mind is opento the opportunities, my mind
(32:43):
is solution-based instead ofbeing stuck in an
anxiety-induced or just likeproblem environment, right?
So taking good care of myselfis actually very optimizes my
day.
That's one of them.
And also is boundaries, learningto say no, learning to ignore
(33:04):
the noise there's so much noiseand, again, if you have that
calm, creative space in yourmind and you know, and you're
focused and you know what youwant to do with your day, then
it becomes an act of love foryourself to say no to other
people, which used to be verydifficult for me and I would
take on too much and then Iburnt out.
(33:25):
So if somebody says, oh, youshould be doing this, oh well,
thank you for considering me.
That's very flattering, but Ialready have a prior engagement.
That's my favorite thing to say.
I have a prior engagement.
They don't need to know that myprior engagement is going to my
yoga class A lot of hot yoga.
It's really good for me.
They don't need to know that myprior engagement is having
dinner with my family that ishealthy for me, connecting with
(33:47):
my people or going for salsalessons.
Or going to my salsa lessons,baby, you know it.
That is pure joy and it yes.
And so those prior engagementsare about taking care of you and
it doesn't have to be like anacademic oh yeah, I'm taking a
class to be whatever.
No, your prior engagement, youronly engagement, is towards you
(34:08):
, your mental space, accessingwhat I call your magic right.
So, whether you're a teacher orjust a human being because I
also coach other people I don'tcoach just teachers.
I coach people into developingthose healthy boundaries so that
they can create this healthyspace for themselves and build
this confidence and compassionfor themselves.
That's truly what I do.
(34:30):
Like you said, I'm a joy andfulfillment coach for teachers,
but also just for anybody.
So I do have one-on-one clientsthat are dating right now and
need some help with that.
So it has nothing to do withteaching, but they're
experiencing great, greatsuccess as well.
Jessica Rosario, Executive C (34:44):
So love that Awesome, so it was so
fun having you on my show today.
I was really looking forward toit.
Thank you so much for beinghere and for sharing with my
audience.
Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach (34:58):
Yes , and I and I just want to say
that you know, for me, you arealso a very inspiring figure in
my life and I'm so glad that wegot to connect through our
coaching school, through IPEC,and we've had multiple
opportunities later You've evensupported me with your coaching
to build my speaking engagements, so that was really, really
(35:18):
helpful, and so, yeah, I justwanted to thank you as well for
being so awesome.
Jessica Rosario, Executive Co (35:23):
I appreciate you.
Thank you, Eugenie.
You're welcome, as always.
Thank you so much for listeningin.
Don't forget to subscribe tothe show to be notified the
second a new episode is releasedand share with your friends who
believe could benefit fromlistening or even better just
(35:45):
post a screenshot of the episodein your stories and tag me on
Instagram or Facebook.
I would love to hear yourfeedback, answer questions and
I'm always open to your topicsuggestions, so you never know
if your topic will be next.
So then, until next time, goahead, maximize your day and own
(36:07):
it.
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