Schools of Excellence

In this timely solo episode, Chanie Wilschanski shares a powerful leadership truth every school owner and director needs to hear as the new year begins: what you tolerate in August becomes the culture you’re stuck managing by February.

This isn’t just a motivational pep talk—it’s a wake-up call. As classrooms buzz with fresh energy and bulletin boards get a glow-up, your old leadership reflexes start creeping back in. The skipped 1:...

From Burnout to Boundaries: Redefining Female Leadership in Private Education

In this deeply honest and emotionally resonant episode, Chanie Wilschanski invites female school leaders into a transformative conversation about the “impossible standard” of leadership in education. She explores the emotional labor women carry, how over-functioning and people-pleasing lead to burnout, and why leading with warmth shouldn’t come at the cost...

“Tough conversations aren’t about fixing everything immediately — they’re about understanding each other enough to keep moving forward.”

What does it really mean to be present in a tough conversation? In this episode, we explore how presence—not just words or timing—shapes the quality and outcome of difficult conversations in leadership and relationships.

Key takeaways:

• Why fully showing up physically and emotionally is the first ...

“When enrollment is low, you don’t hire a marketing agency. You examine your identity.”

What do you do when your enrollment numbers drop—but you know you're running a powerful, heart-centered program? In this episode, we unpack what it takes to rebuild enrollment without defaulting to expensive ad agencies or slick marketing campaigns.

Key Takeaways

• Why throwing money at marketing is rarely the first step when enrollment declines
• H...

 “If you don’t decide or name the intention, the season will decide for you.”

How do you move from chaotic, catch-up summers to ones that genuinely renew your family and your leadership? In this behind-the-scenes episode, Chanie shares the intentional framework her family uses to plan summers that serve as a map for the year ahead—grounding their values, relationships, and rhythms.

 Key Takeaways:

• Why summer can’t just b...

“Essentials are not what’s in your handbook. They’re what you do under pressure.”

What do you protect when you're overwhelmed—not in a crisis, but in the daily fog of leadership? In this episode, Chanie explores the crucial distinction between what's urgent and what's truly essential—and why many leaders are still swirling in chaos, despite their experience and commitment.

Key Takeaways:

• When we believe our circumstances dictate o...

“We don’t light candles because we’re ready. We light them because it’s time.”

What if energy isn’t something you wait for—but something you create?

In this episode, Chanie opens up about walking through profound personal grief while still leading a team, running a business, and showing up for others. She explores the surprising shift that helped her lead from a place of clarity, even when she felt completely depleted—and why great l...

“You can delegate work, but you cannot delegate trust.”

You’ve done everything right—checklists created, SOPs in place, team hired and trained. So why does it still feel like you’re the glue holding everything together? This episode is for the leader who has mastered structure but is still shouldering the soul of the school. We’re unpacking the hidden weight leaders carry, why systems alone aren’t enough, and the critical role that ...

How do you keep leading when life knocks you down?

Grief, loss, and hardship don’t pause for leadership responsibilities—and yet, as school owners and leaders, we’re expected to keep showing up, making decisions, and guiding our teams, even in the midst of personal pain.

In this deeply moving and powerful episode, I sit down with Evelyn Knight—TEDx speaker, childcare business coach, and center owner—who has walked through profound lo...

You’ve checked the boxes.

✅ Built the center.

✅ Hired the team.

✅ Filled the classrooms

✅ Hit the revenue goals.

On paper, everything looks like a dream.

So why does it still feel… heavy?

In today’s conversation, I sit down with school owner Bri McCarty for a powerful and honest look at the evolution of leadership—from proving and performing to leading with peace, clarity, and purpose.

We explore what happens when you stop building from hu...

What if the biggest difference between stress and stability wasn’t strategy—but emotional maturity?

In this powerful episode, we explore how emotionally mature leaders rise above chaos, drama, and second-guessing to lead with confidence and clarity. From gossip and manipulation to inconsistent behavior and reactive decisions, emotionally immature environments drain energy and sabotage growth.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Throu...

If drama keeps showing up in your school—it’s not a people problem, it’s a design problem.

In this episode, Chanie unpacks how school leaders can move from managing chaos to designing a culture where drama simply can’t survive.

Using real (anonymized) stories from our work with school leaders, Chanie breaks down five signs of drama-fueled leadership—like gossip, victimhood, and constant complaining—and how they drain emotional and m...

What if you had a Culture Decoder — a way to see exactly why your school feels stuck in constant chaos?

Every day, you're bombarded with decisions, interruptions, and team confusion. It's not just exhausting — it's cultural.

The truth is, your school culture runs on hidden systems. And when those systems are reactive and unclear, maintenance becomes a drain instead of a strength.

In the fourth episode of the 5 Gears series, we unlock...

The sixth and final episode in the 5 Gears series, today’s episode focuses on the Strategic Growth Gear. This episode looks a little different from others in the series because strategic growth is not just about building other systems or how to optimize other systems — it's about really understanding when and how to expand your impact.

You’ll learn the four distinct paths of growth:

1. Internal – Strengthening what you already have....

Imagine if parents didn't just receive updates — they became your biggest champions.

Let me tell you a story. For years, schools have been playing an exhausting game of "communicate and hope." Newsletters flying into inboxes. Random app notifications. Sporadic event invites. Parents scrolling, sighing, deleting.

But what if there was a different way? A way where parents lean IN instead of tune OUT?

The fifth in the 5 Gears series, thi...

The fourth in the 5 Gears series, this episode dives deep into the Staff Culture Gear. 

Here’s a surprising truth about staff culture: It's not just about having great benefits or competitive pay. A comprehensive retention ecosystem goes beyond the basics. Using Schools of Excellence’s Retention Intelligence Framework, we examine how school leaders can build an environment where staff can thrive and grow.

What you’ll learn:

1. W...

Why do some schools effortlessly attract families while others struggle — despite offering the same features, pricing, and programs?

The secret isn’t more Facebook ads or another website refresh. It’s identity.

In this game-changing episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, I sit down with marketing expert Veronica Romney, author of Identity Marketing, to break down why schools that market with identity — not just benefits — win ...

Warren Buffett famously said: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who has been swimming naked.”

Right now, the financial tide is going out. And many school leaders are about to be exposed.

MYTH: As long as your school is mostly full, you're financially healthy.

Many school leaders believe that high enrollment equals financial success. When your classrooms are full and parents seem happy, you might think you're doing great. Th...

When was the last time you looked at your enrollment numbers and thought, “This is fine?” Many school leaders mistake “not terrible” for “optimal” — and it's costing them more than they realize.

One of our clients, Missy, thought her multi-location program was doing “fine” too. Her center wasn't full, but that was just the nature of that location ... or so she thought.

After implementing three specific systems, that same center enrol...