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

You've told them so many times. And nothing has changed. So what's actually going wrong?

In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski digs into the part of leadership that most school directors skip entirely: the messy middle between hiring and firing. She introduces the concept of drift, why it's inevitable in every team, and the four-step rhythm that brings everyone back to the standard.

• Why hiring and firing is often relief disguised a...

What happens when the success you worked so hard to build starts to feel like survival?

In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski joins radio host Nachum Segal on JM in the AM to talk about her new book, This Can't Be Normal. They cover the invisible weight of school leadership, why burnout is a rhythm problem not a workload problem, and what it actually looks like to lead a school sustainably, without running yourself into the ground.

I...

What does it actually look like to triple your income, have your most profitable year ever, and still be home for dinner?

In this member spotlight, Chanie sits down with Aliyah Johnson Roberts — owner of two early childhood education centers in Philadelphia — to talk about the real story behind her growth. A few years ago, Aliyah was sitting in her office until six o'clock every evening, not because anyone needed her there, but beca...

If a teacher called out tomorrow, do you know what it's actually costing your school? Not just money, your time, too.

In this bonus episode, Chanie breaks down why most call out policies collapse the moment pressure walks in the door, what it means to pressure test your school's infrastructure, and how to build a call out standard that holds even when you're short-staffed, short on sleep, and short on patience.

This one started as a ...

Your school isn't losing money because of bad teachers or wrong pricing. It's losing it in the patterns you've started to normalize.

Chanie Wilschanski breaks down four profit blind spots that quietly drain revenue from childcare centers and early childhood education schools — from the false comfort of high occupancy rates to the $100,000 follow-up mistake one school owner didn't see coming.

Get The Call Out Solution — A focused sys...

School owner Charlie Marcotty spent nearly 29 years building something remarkable and then watched it fracture under the weight of rapid growth. Eight allegations, four directors in three months, 50% staff turnover. In this episode, Chanie breaks down exactly how Charlie came back from the edge using rhythm-based leadership and what that means for every school leader who feels like they're barely holding it all together.

If Charlie'...

Summer enrollment feeling unpredictable? It's not about effort, it's about infrastructure. In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski breaks down why school leaders keep losing leads they already have, why families are waiting longer to commit, and what it actually looks like to build an enrollment system that converts delayed decisions and compounds over time. If enrollment feels reactive, this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned:

Enro...

Every year, school owners sit down with their accountants and ask the same dangerous question. In this episode, Chanie explains why "what should I cut?" is a shrinking strategy, and walks you through where your school is actually leaking profit right now.

Resources + Links Mentioned:

Reclaim $2,000+/month by fixing the money leaks without adding enrollment in the Increase Your Profit Workshop: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/fin...

Consistency sounds so simple. Show up. Do the thing. Repeat.

So why does it feel like standing at the edge of a cliff?

Consistency isn't boring. It's vulnerable. In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski explores why high-achieving school leaders resist steady rhythms, how perfectionism masquerades as inconsistency, and why return, not perfection, is what sustainable leadership is built on. If you've been doing the work and wondering why n...

What if the warmth you've been leading with is quietly stalling your school's growth? In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski challenges the belief that empathy alone creates change — and unpacks why consequence, not punishment, is actually the key to predictable safety, reduced burnout, and a team that rises on its own. A must-listen for school leaders who are exhausted from holding everyone else.

Resources Mentioned:

Every September feels like a fresh start. By March, it feels like everything is falling apart. If that cycle sounds familiar, this episode is going to reframe everything for you.

Chanie Wilschanski breaks down the real reason school leaders burn out every spring: heroics masquerading as infrastructure. She unpacks what real systems look like under pressure, introduces the five elements of infrastructure that every school leader need...

March is the mid-year mirror for school leaders, and it's showing you exactly what needs to change before May amplifies everything. In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski breaks down the difference between circumstantial challenges and infrastructure problems, shares a three-question framework to identify your patterns, and walks you through exactly how to install the standards and ownership your school needs to finish the year strong...

You finally exhaled. Things at school are good. The team is doing well. No fires. No panicked texts. No impossible parent meetings. And somehow, instead of leaning in, you quietly stepped back — because isn't that the goal?

This episode is rooted in the same rhythm-based leadership philosophy at the heart of my book, This Can't Be Normal: What to Do When Success Starts to Feel Like Survival, and it's one of the conversations I wish ...

Early childhood education promotes leaders faster than almost any other industry — and school leaders are paying the price.

In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski names a quiet but growing leadership crisis inside schools: teachers are promoted into leadership roles based on warmth, availability, and emotional labor — not relational stamina, discernment, or leadership infrastructure.

You’ll hear why early childhood lacks true leadership...

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:

1. “The wrong hire is expensive.”
2. “You should have vetted ...

Many school leaders reach a stage where things are “running.”

Schedules hold. Classrooms open. Systems work.

And yet — they’re still looped into decisions they thought were delegated.

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast, Chanie Wilschanski names the critical difference between a school that can run without its leader and a school that can think without its leader — and why most leadership burnout lives in that gap.

You...

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...

Many school leaders ask for consistency.

What they’re really asking is:

What holds when I’m tired?

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, Chanie explores why leadership often breaks down on ordinary days — not in moments of crisis — and why motivation, systems, and training alone can’t carry culture, standards, or accountability.

This conversation introduces one of the most important leadership distinctions:

Systems creat...

School leaders are often told that clarity creates relief.

That once the systems are documented…

once the SOPs are written…

once the team is trained one more time…

then the weight will finally lift.

In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski names the quiet truth many school leaders are living inside of: training transfers knowledge—but it does not transfer ownership.

You haven’t failed leadership.

You didn’t miss a step.

You believed a promise t...