Intentional Mental Fitness Ep. 130

August 20, 2025 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Season 8 Episode 130

Listen to us as we discuss what we learned about mental fitness from our guest, Alyson Schaefer.

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

Mental health– for teachers, for our students, and for our humanity in general continues to be a concern. What is our role in the mental health arena? Can educators be part of the solution? How can we possibly add another thing to our plates?

While debates about how to solve the problems around our mental wellness remain at the forefront of discussions in this country, there are no simple solutions.

Today, we are following up on last week’s discussion of mental fitness. What is our role? Let’s talk about it!

Introduction

Last week on the podcast we interviewed our guest Alyson Schaefer, who is a mental health advocate. Today, we’re sharing our thoughts and takeaways on this important topic.

This is not a word-for-word transcript. Here, we highlight discussion topics. For the best experience, we suggest that you listen to the episode.

Mental health, Mental Illness, and Mental Fitness

What is the difference? These words are not interchangeable.

Mental health is how we act, think or behave. We all have mental health. Mental illness is your mental health is unhealthy, like an illness.

Mental fitness is your ability to handle life’s challenges. It is the ability to be resilient. Mental fitness, like physical fitness can be improved. You are not either mentally fit or not mentally fit, it is something that you can change. Just like you don’t start out with physical fitness by running a marathon, you don’t build mental fitness in one huge leap either. You can start small when improving mental fitness. Even a minute or two can help you gradually improve.

Mental fitness implies that you can also be better, you can learn and work on it. You can become more resilient for example by learning new strategies.

We like the analogy of filling your water cup. You should think about your mental fitness as something you do every day, just like we fill our water cup everyday.

The Importance of Filling Your Cup

Our guest talked about the importance of filling your cup by doing something every single day that brings you pleasure or happiness or peace or fulfillment. We all want to do those things, but we don’t always take time for them.

We also note that what fills your cup is not necessarily the same as what fills other’s cup. Maybe for you it is reading a good book, or walking the dog. Maybe it is taking a quiet lunch alone in your classroom so you can settle your thoughts. Others love being at a loud party with friends, which fills their cup. We also find our fulfillment in different things. Just because social media says we should meditate or do yoga, doesn’t mean those things will be the best choice for us.

We have an entire episode on the topic of real self-care. You may want to listen to that episode to help you understand what your self-care should look like in order to be most meaningful to you.

Normalize Mental Health

In general, we are all discussing mental health much more than we did in the past. Yet talking about mental health is not yet normalized.

Alyson also reminded us to bring our students along on our journey, for example if you need a mindful minute, invite your students to take a mindful minute as well. Maybe you have a personal mantra, and a class mantra. It is like a think-aloud we would use in learning situations.

Teachers are doing a good job of talking about empathy, self-regulation, and social social awareness. These kinds of discussions help to normalize that we all experience challenges.

We can help students to understand that challenges are normal. We will all have difficult days and maybe even terrible things that happen in our lives. There is a perception that these things just happen to me and I can’t handle it. Some people believe that life is supposed to be easy and perfect. Students need to recognize that we will all have challenges and that we can all learn to deal with them.

Start small, with intentional daily activities. For example, a mindful minute, or doing something you love to do. You can always add things, and you can always take things away. If something is working, do more of it; if it isn’t working, take it away. Forced relaxation doesn’t help any one.

Invite students in to your strategies and practices.

Create Space for Students’ Mental Fitness

This is not about adding a new mental fitness curriculum. It is about understanding how our mental fitness improves. These are all things that many teachers know and do, and they can all be a part of building mental fitness in our students.

Create a comfortable, safe environment.

Build relationships with students; get to know and understand them.

Use active listening, pay attention.

Be authentic, be real, be who you really are. Living into your values is a great way to live and a good role model for students.

Some other strategies include meditation, body scans, and mantras.

Students can learn to recognize their own power and recognize that they have power. Empowerment strategies removes the “victim” label. You learn to not be a victim, but to be empowered. You learn to handle challenges rather than be controlled by challenges. Those kinds of messages can be important for students as they build their mental fitness.

Conclusion

We find that many of these ideas are very much connected to what we see as good teaching. You know a lot of these things, and they are doable and manageable. You likely have the skills already to help students with their mental fitness.

No one has the skills to fix all the problems in the world, but we can all contribute in some positive way.

Mental fitness is something we can do and we can be intentional about it. We can practice and we can get better at it.

Inspired Together Teachers Network Facebook Group

Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to live inspired lives.

Mental Fitness with Alyson Schaefer Ep. 129

August 13, 2025 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Season 8 Episode 129

What is the difference between mental health and mental fitness? Listen to this episode to find out!

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Every day, you pour energy, empathy, and effort into your students—but how often do you check in on yourself?

In recent years, mental health has taken center stage in public conversations, classrooms, and staff meetings. The growing awareness is long overdue: stress, anxiety, and burnout are no longer silent struggles—they’re now widely recognized challenges in schools across the globe. And while we focus heavily (and rightly) on student well-being, one critical group is often overlooked: teachers.

The emotional weight of teaching—especially in today’s fast-paced, high-pressure education system—can take a serious toll. That’s why it’s time to talk about mental fitness—not just for our students, but for ourselves. Building mental strength and resilience isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity for thriving both in and out of the classroom.

Note:

These show notes are not a word-for-word transcript. Here, we highlight the key topics. For the best experience, we suggest that you listen to the episode.

Introduction:

We are happy to bring you today’s guest, Alyson Schaefer.

Alyson Schaefer is a passionate mental health advocate, seasoned educator, and visionary leader dedicated to fostering resilience and well-being in individuals and communities. Alyson has over 30 years of experience as a high school teacher.

Driven by her personal experiences and a deep belief in the transformative power of education, Alyson founded Fitness 4 The Mind, a non-profit organization focused on promoting mental health and resilience. Through educational workshops and community outreach initiatives, the organization raises awareness and empowers individuals of all ages to prioritize their mental well-being.

In addition to her non-profit work, Alyson is the founder of Education Beyond the Classroom, which addresses issues such as mental health, online safety, and human trafficking. Alyson provides resources and education to schools, businesses, and communities to create safer and more supportive environments.

Alyson’s dedication to advocacy, education, and community impact inspires others to take action and create meaningful change, fostering a healthier, more compassionate world.

Show Topics:

What inspired you to pursue topics connected to mental health after you left teaching?

Alyson’s journey began many years ago when she was teaching and found herself having a panic attack. It was very difficult and she found there was no one to talk to about it. She has also seen the suicides in schools and feels that we need to do something to help prevent suicides.

Mental Health versus Mental Fitness

Mental health is how we think, act or behave. We all have mental health.

Mental illness is when our thinking or actions or behavior is challenged due to some type of mental illness.

Mental fitness is the ability to handle life’s challenges, building and being resilient. It is having coping skills in place. We understand that life is not always going to be easy, but we have the tools to manage the challenges. It isn’t just thinking about our mental health but doing something about our mental health. We are actively taking care of our mental health.

It is not unlike physical fitness, it is an ongoing effort.

We all need to build up our ability to handle challenges. We should be normalizing that we all have challenges and it is expected rather than challenges being thought of us something abnormal.

Teachers have challenges every single day, they need a mental armor to help them deal with challenges.

Alyson discusses giving students a questionnaire to help her to connect with her students. She asked them about their challenges or what they wanted her to know about them. You can support students better when you understand their challenges.

This is also a useful idea for connecting with our teaching teams. What kinds of support do they need? How can we support each other? Teachers need to support each other, which helps us to build resilience.

We’ve had guests on the podcast who discussed working with trauma informed education and another who talked about mindfulness education. We’ve also talked about stress and ways to reducing stress. That seems like an ongoing conversation that we all need. These are ongoing practices that help teachers and students with their mental health.

Adopting a Mental Fitness Routine

Alyson compared mental fitness to physical fitness. We go to the gym or exercise to help our physical fitness.

We also need to build a daily habit for focusing on our mental fitness. We can start by adopting small daily activities, such as taking a mindful moment. This also includes whatever you do for self-care.

Mental fitness includes being present, living and paying attention in the moment. Focus on the here and now.

Strategies for Mental Health

Start out with small daily activities so that they are achievable- like SMART goals.

For example, start with a daily mindful minutes. Then add things that offer you self-care as you build the routine. You can also remove things that aren’t working for you, which is equally important.

” You need to fill our cup like you fill your water bottle- every day.”

What fills your cup? Understand yourself and what you need. For example, eating a quiet lunch in your room or going for a walk may be a way you fill your cup.

Mantras can also be a way to remind you of your needs or something that helps you get out of the thinking pattern you are in. Her example, was to remind herself of her power. This is also something that you can teach students. At Inspired Together Learning, we often talk about
“My 3 Words” which is choosing three words that remind you of who you want to be in the world and putting those words in a place where you can see them often. ( We link to this below.)

The Power of Teachers as a Role Model

The things we do for our own mental health will often be reflected in our students. Sometimes we teach them those things, other times they just pick things up from us.

We are all more powerful than we know. We do have influence on students. Sometimes you will know how you influence students, but sometimes you will never find out. Either way, you are modeling for them. How you deal with challenges is a chance for them to see and learn ways to handle challenges for themselves.

Strategies Teachers Can Use to Focus on Mental Fitness

Give students questionnaires to get to know them and their challenges.

Create a comfortable safe, supportive environment. Put up motivational posters. Focus on “No blame and no shame.”

Normalize talking about mental wellness. Share fun facts. Talk about how our failures build resilience.

Normalize therapy, it is not just for people with mental illnesses. Many of us need someone to talk to who might help us clarity our thoughts.

Talk about empathy, discuss empathy in situations as it comes up.

Meditation- use a video or do a verbal meditation with reflection. Apply it to life.

Do a body scan for yourself or with students.

Bring students along with you. Let them share and model strategies. Talk with them and listen.

You can do these types of things throughout the day or connect it to existing content lessons. It doesn’t need to be a curriculum, it can occur by noticing opportunities and being intentional in talking about or modeling mental fitness concepts.

Closing

If our audience walks away with just one message or takeaway from this conversation, what would you like it to be?

As a teacher, be authentic and as real as you can with your colleagues and students. Be who you are. We often think teaching is a thankless job, but many, many people are very thankful for what you do. Remember that you do make a difference. Remember why you do what you do.

Quote:

” You need to fill your cup like you fill your water bottle- every day.”

Alyson Schaefer

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Fitness 4 The Mind Website

Related Podcasts:

Real Self Care

Trauma Informed Teaching

My 3 Words Strategy

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Inspired Together Teachers Network Facebook Group

Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to live inspired lives.

Mindful Education: Creating Calm in a Chaotic World Ep. 116

May 14, 2025 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Season 8 Episode 116

Check out this episode as we recap our take aways from episode 115 Mindfulness is Magic with Molly Shreiber. We talk about resilience, breathing, core values and much more!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

Have you ever had a good conversation with someone and really wanted to talk to someone else about it?

Last week we talked with Molly Schreiber of Challenge to Change, Inc. about mindful education. There were so many good ideas, that today we are extending our conversation and sharing our take aways and key insights.

In this episode we discuss the power of resilience, breathing, aligning to core values, presence, transformation and teacher impact. If you’re looking for less stress and more calmness in your life, this episode is for you.

Whether or not you’ve listed to last week’s episode yet, please join us today because we are exploring mindfulness education, something that can help every teacher both in the classroom and at home.

In this episode:

This is not a word for word transcript. Here we share some highlights. For the best experience, please listen to the show where we tell stories and give more examples.

Recap of last week’s episode:

Last week our guest on the podcast was Molly Schreiber, CEO of Challenge to Change, Incorporated.

Challenge to Change is an organization dedicated to teaching Mindful Education. Molly shared her personal journey, which is an inspiring story of resilience. She also shared strategies for teachers to incorporate mindfulness in classrooms. There is a growing awareness to mindfulness in education, which aligns with other current areas of focus such as trauma informed education and social and emotional learning.

Today, we are extending that conversation by adding in our own insights and examples.

Podcast discussion topics:

The Power of Resilience

Molly’s story as an example of the power of resilience. Left with three young children after the death of her young husband, she had a choice, roll over and cry and just give up or turn her experience into something powerful.

It’s a reminder of the power of resilience. It is easy to give up. It is easy to close your eyes and shut out the negative things in the world. It is easy to look for excuses for why something isn’t working out for you or why something can’t happen.

Molly’s pain led to her movement to bring mindful education to schools. It is a powerful example of experiencing something horrific, and being able to deal with it and move on in a positive way. It is the definition of resilience.

What Molly was doing was setting the tone. We’ve often talked about how it is in our power to set the tone. Molly’s action set the tone for her children and eventually for hundreds of other teachers and students. She was leading by example and teaching others to lead by example.

The Power of Breathing

Molly spoke of breathing as a free and resourceful tool. So often we forget what a resource our breath is for us.

Molly started going to yoga, just for an hour break from her three babies and discovered the breathing in yoga was calming her and ultimately changing her, helping her feel more in control.

When we become unregulated, which is another topic she discussed, our bodies are in such a fight or flight mode we aren’t even considering the power of deep breathing. For example, imagine yourself in a dark scary alley. What happens to your breathing?

When we are dysregulated, even if the threat is perceived and not real, our breathing changes. Staying in that hyperalert bodily change for too long is how we get into chronic stress.

When we become unregulated, and our bodies are in a flight or flight mode, we can get back into control by breathing.

Molly also gave examples of how she discusses breathing with students and teaches them to breathe intentionally.

Raising Happy, Healthy, Safe Kids

Molly said her noble goal is “raising happy, healthy, safe kids who make the world around them better than they found it.”

Many teachers can relate to that idea. Most of us went into education to help students and that is usually what is keeping us in the field.

We want to acknowledge some of the things teachers are doing that align with that goal.

Seeing kids for who they are and helping them grow
Recognizing individual potential and helping students seeing it
Being a sounding board for students who need a safe place to talk
Helping students to deal with big emotions in positive ways
Service learning projects
Helping students to understand people of all different backgrounds so that there is more understanding and less fear in the world
Teaching them to love learning so they will continue to grow throughout their life

All of these are things good teachers do; they are integral to good teaching. It is part of a teacher’s integrity- what is integral to you and the things that you value.

When Your Core Values are Rocked, You Feel Unregulated

Molly talked about the KCG model (know yourself, choose yourself and give of your yourself). She talked about bringing it back to your core values.

This is a discussion we have had on the podcast. We’ve read and followed noted educator Parker Palmer for years. We can connect the discussion of core values with Parker Palmer, whom we admire greatly in his work on teacher integrity- staying true to what is “integral” to you. He is essentially saying that as teachers we need to stick to our core values. When we feel things are “off” it is usually because we are compromising something that is “integral” to us, one of our core values is compromised.

We’ve done core values exercises at our workshops. There is a relationship between feeling stress and being out of alignment with things you feel are important. When your purpose is compromised, you will feel uncomfortable and likely, stressed.

Here is a challenge, if you have not identified your core values (which are likely the same across your work and home life) take the time to do it. It will explain a lot about what in your work and home life make you comfortable or uncomfortable.

Being Inside Your Body

Molly realizing that parents and teachers were busier and busier in anxious and stressed and that their feelings would trickle down to children.

When you feel that stress in your body, you need a way to let it out. You need to get back into your body and learn to release that stress. If you don’t release the stress, you will feel more and more hurt or stress in your body. Your body will eventually yell at you!

How can we be more present in our own bodies? And how can we be more present in this world that we live in? You need to pay attention to your body. That’s where mindfulness comes in.

Mindfulness is Magic

“Mindfulness is magic.” This was a direct quote from Molly. She talked about mindfulness being transformative. We agree which is why we have given it so much attention, directly or indirectly, on this podcast. Transformation and magic are something we all want in our life. By being more mindful and by teaching kids to be more mindful, we can transform.

One common response is, ” I don’t have time for mindfulness. I’m too busy.” The more that you say that, the more that you probably need it! The idea of being centered is good for you both mentally and physically.

When you think you don’t have time for mindfulness, think about a few minutes rather than hours. You can find a few minutes in your day to stop and breathe deeply. You can have a mantra, such as ” I am calm, I am at peace” and allow yourself to say it in the car after school before you drive home. You can find a few minutes to listen to a relaxation meditation for five minutes before you fall asleep.

You can find free resources on Molly’s website, https://www.challengetochangeinc.com/

Conclusion:

Mindfulness is a great practice for students and teachers. If you haven’t already listened to last week’s episode, it’s not too late, the link is below.

Quote:

You often feel tired, not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks light in you.”

Alexander den Hejer

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Molly has many resources for teachers on her website www.challengetochangeinc.com

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Episode 115 Mindfulness is Magic with Molly Schreiber

Episode 9 You Set the Tone

Episode 7 Prevent, Eliminate and Reduce Stress

Send me the free guide!

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Inspired Together Teachers Network Facebook Group

Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to live inspired lives.

Mindfulness is Magic with Molly Schreiber Ep.115

May 7, 2025 by Inspired Together Teachers 1 Comment

Season 8 Episode 115

Check out this episode as we discuss the power of resilience, how breathing changes stress and increases your control, why mindfulness is magic, and why you don’t want to disconnect from your core values!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

If you are like most teachers, you struggle to juggle it all. Your to-do list is long, and there are hundreds of things competing for your attention. It’s no wonder that many of us feel overwhelmed and exhausted.

Join us today as we welcome our Guest Molly Shreiber, former teacher and owner of Challenge to Change Incorporated, which empowers teachers and students to live mindfully and embrace health, happiness, and a positive mindset.

In our discussion we talk about the power of resilience, the importance of breathing, mindful education, and how disconnecting from our core values causes dysregulation.

Don’t miss this powerful episode as Molly shares why she believes mindfulness is magic!

In this episode:

This is a summary of the key things we discussed in the show, not a word-by-word transcript of the show. for the best experience, we encourage you to listen to the episode.

Introduction to guest:

We are delighted to welcome our guest, Molly Schreiber. Molly is a former elementary school teacher in Dubuque, Iowa. In addition to a Master’s Degree in Education from Western Illinois University, Molly is an E-RYT 500 yoga instructor, a Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher, and a certified sound healer.

Molly’s heart has always been in education, and working with students and school personnel remains at the core of her mission. Molly is CEO of Challenge to Change Incorporated, which offers teachers a variety of ways to implement mindfulness education into their schools and classrooms.

Challenge to Change holds a core belief: the power to change and create a fulfilling life resides within us. That is also a core belief of ours at Inspired Together Teachers. We are delighted to welcome Molly to the Inspired Together Teachers Podcast.

Discussion topics:

Molly’s Powerful Story of Finding Mindfulness, Being Present, and Her Breath

We begin the show by inviting Molly to share her personal story, and what caused her to start her company. It is a heartbreaking story, but also a story of resilience. Molly shares how she first started with yoga, and how she began to understand the power of breathwork and mindfulness and how it was making her a better person. She also shares the tragedy of the death of her young husband and how in a minute, everything in the world changed.

She developed her goal of raising healthy, happy children. She needed to recreate her entire life.

Molly returned to her job as a first grade teacher. She found a missing link in education, people were so much more hurried and anxious and needed some kind of relief. Texting was becoming more and more prevalent. She realized that the emotions and feelings of the adults were bound to trickle down to children.

Molly then created her company, Challenge to Change, Inc. They work with over 216 schools with mindfulness education. They are also working in workplaces, trauma facilities, and juvenile deliquency centers.

Molly discusses the need for mindfulness tools to help us to keep coming back to ourselves. Tools like breath work and visualization will help us to keep regulated.

Using Simple Mindfulness Education Practices That Have Big Impact

We often talk about living with intention on this podcast. We call it The Inspired Life. The idea that change comes from within is a powerful one. You’ve said that it isn’t something we find externally—it is a choice we make every day.

Understanding that we have choices in how we act and react can be transformative.

Molly gives examples of how teachers can make small choices that could have big impact in their lives.

She says the number one tool is our breath. We can learn to use an anchor breath to help us control ourselves. She describes how they teach this to students and how teachers can teach it to their students. Molly calls breath the greatest technology we have.

Another example is a “yoga nap”, where they put eye pillows on the students eyes and they listen to a story that relates to a lesson they’re taught or a tool they have been taught. It is a way to help regulate their energy. There are free resources for this on Molly’s website www.challengetochangeinc.com. We’ve also linked to it below.

Mindfulness Practices for Teachers

Molly is a Mom with active children as well as a successful business owner, author, and podcaster. She understands what it means to be busy. In her advice for teachers, she offers the idea that you need to know who you are and what is important to you, and what your core values are. When you become disconnected from your core values, you become dysregulated. Dysregulation leads to many emotions and feeling and even has impacts on our bodies. Stress is one example.

Molly shares the 6 Seconds in Emotional Intelligence model as a model they use. This model incorporates KCG- know, choose, give.

The first step is “K”, knowing. We have over 70,000 thoughts a day, and the human default is to notice the negative. When you really know yourself and your core values, those negative ideas won’t rock you so much. You can stay regulated when you are living your core values, you understand and control your feelings. The emotions won’t take you down a negative road or create neural pathways that are negative and which then connect you to negative patterns.

The “C’ is making healthy choices. For example, we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. The people we hold closest to us affect how we act and think. What is the nature of your interactions with others? What is your “lounge talk” and how can you make the choices that are healthy for you?

“G” is giving of yourself. Who are the people you really want to give to? Who are the people in the different roles in your life? Who do you want to be closest to you? Are those the people who are getting the most energy? How do you want to give of yourself to others in a way that is healthy for you?

One of the best things teachers can do is to take a pause, or take a step back and pull yourself out of a situation for a minute. It is simple, but allows you to stay regulated.

Another good idea is to keep a gratitude journal, or just simply write down what you are grateful for each day. Gratefulness practices keep you focused on the positive things in your life.

Mindfulness is Magic.

If people would walk away with one main idea from today, what would you want that idea to be?

Molly’s suggestion for the one thing she would most like the audience to take away from this discussion is “mindfulness is magic.” It can help teachers and students. She shares examples of how students used mindfulness strategies to deescalate and self-regulate.

Conclusion:

Molly’s website has many free activities and links to useful resources. She also has videos on You Tube and on all of the social media channels.We have linked to those below.

Recap:

Mindfulness has an important positive role in helping teachers and students. Mindfulness doesn’t have to take a lot of time or cost a lot of money. Simple things such as being present, breathing, and learning to take a pause can help you avoid dysregulation. Understanding exactly who you are and being in alignment with your core values is also important because when you stay connected to yourself, it is easier to make the choices that will keep you healthy.

Quote:

” Mindfulness is magic.”

Molly Schreiber

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

The Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 7 Prevent, Eliminate and Reduce Stress

The Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 26 Who Influences You?

The Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 47 Creating Your Life’s Vision

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Website: https://www.challengetochangeinc.com/

Email: molly@challengetochangeinc.com

You Tube: Challenge to Change Inc.

Tik Tok: Challenge to Change, Inc.

Instagram and Facebook: Challenge to Change Inc

Would you like less stress and more joy in your life? We’ve got something new for you and it’s free!

Send me the free guide!

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Inspired Together Teachers Network Facebook Group

Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to live inspired lives.

Start Your New Year From a Place of Strength Ep. 97

January 1, 2025 by Inspired Together Teachers 2 Comments

Season 6 Episode 97

Listen to this episode and join our free four week workshop

Elevate Your Life 2025.

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

Are you ready for 2025? We want you to elevate your life and teaching so you are living your best teacher life! This year, we want to be intentional about what we do- and how we live. This is an ongoing goal, and the purpose of this podcast- to help you live your best work life and home life so you can live your best life.

We are going to start the year by challenging you to examine what you do and how you think. Join us to gain clarity on what you want in life and how you want to show up in the world.

You’ll learn habits and strategies that will support and sustain you on even the toughest days. Let’s make this year, our best yet. It’s time to live an inspired life, and we’re going to start from a place of strength.

This is the first in a series we’re calling Elevate Your Life. You can just listen to these four episodes or you can download our free workbook with places to write your answers, additional activities and links to videos and more. Find out more in this episode.

In this episode:

This is not a word-for-word script. On the podcast, we share examples and stories. For the best experience, listen to the podcast episode.

Before we start:

We’ve created free workbook, Elevate Your life in 2025, which has a place for you to write your thoughts.

The workbook also has additional exercises that you can do to take today’s podcast on starting your new year from a place of strength to the next level. Head over to inspiredtogetherteachers/elevate to download the workbook.

Introduction:

How would it feel to start your new year from a place of strength? We often don’t pay as much attention to our accomplishments as much as our failures or the things we didn’t do. You probably have a lot of “I didn’t…” or “I should…” thoughts. You may even feel some guilt around things you didn’t do.

Confirmation bias is a psychological concept that says that our brains are wired to see only what we tell it to see. When you focus on negative things, such as your failures or losses or negative emotions, you see and feel more negative things. Fortunately, the opposite is also true.

Oprah says, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” This week we want to focus on the things in our lives we can celebrate!

The lesson is that if you want to have more positive, affirming, or joyful experiences you have to look for those kinds of things.

How does it sound to start the year from a place of strength?

Michele: It’s easy to feel bad about yourself starting the new year. We indulge in too much food and drink and our exercise program gets lost. In our optimism for the new year, we are probably reminded of all of our failures. New year’s planning and goal setting is a tradition for me, but I can easily see my failures and the things I wanted to accomplish but didn’t accomplish in the last year.

Paula: I agree. New Year’s so often is about trying to forget all that we didn’t accomplish last year as the catalyst for what we want in the new year. I would much rather start from a place of strength than a place of regret.

Let’s talk about how to start your year from a place of strength.

In this episode we will offer a few different activities to help you figure that out. Here is the first:

**How do you want to feel in the next year?**

If you understand the ways you want to feel and how you get those feelings, you are more likely to engage in activities that make you feel all the good feelings. How does that work?

Think about your best memories from the last year. What happened in those events that made you feel something you want to feel?

Consider other times when you felt positive feelings or emotions. For example, you were at peace, or felt especially loved or cared for. Think about experiences which made you feel alive, those times when life was fun and exciting and you felt energetic and like you could conquer the world.

What are some events, people, places, or things that made you feel strong positive emotions?

How can you get at those positive feelings in the next year?

You can spend some time with this, and our free guide, Elevate Your Life 2025 will help you with all of the activities in this episode and the coming episodes. You can get your free Guide, Elevate Your Life 2025 by going to our website at inspiredtogetherteachers/elevate.

Make a Win’s List

Our second activity is to create a win’s list.

These wins can be big or small wins in any area of your life or work. They might be external things, such as running a 5K, painting a room in your house, taking a family vacation. They also might be internal things, things that no one else would see but that are meaningful to you such as finally letting go of your anger towards someone, or making progress on your health by drinking more water.

Think back to things you accomplished- or steps you took that move you into a direction you want to go. What are you proud of? What did you get right? What did you do that helped someone? What did you stop doing that wasn’t serving you?

It doesn’t have to be something that feels like a win to the world, it only has to feel like a win to you!

Creating your wins list will remind you of your best self and the things you can do. It will get you in a positive mind frame for starting the new year from a place of strength.

In one of the activities, you will examine your personal strengths and gifts. We all have unique gifts and talents, but we often don’t recognize them or realize that we have strengths that others do not have. When we are good at something, we often enjoy doing it When we enjoy things, we want to do more of them.

In another activity, we use a moving analogy. Think about the times that you physically moved to a new classroom or a new home. You likely discarded some things before moving. You boxed up other things to take with you into the new space. We want to take the best with us, and discard the rest.

Based on the activities we have done so far, what do you want to “box up” and bring with you into 2025?

The last activity in the Elevate Your Life 2025 workbook takes a look at the stories we tell ourselves- some of them are true, and some of them might not be true. We’ll help you examine those stories and create a new story for the new year.

Recap:

In today’s episode, we talked about starting the new year from a place of strength. Examining the feelings that brought you joy and happiness, is a good place to start because it helps you to understand the kinds of feelings you want to have in the future. We also talked about making a “wins list” which will help your mindset in focusing on what you are capable of. Lastly, we talked about several more activities, available in the workbook, that can help you start your new year from a place of strength.

Homework:

In true teacher fashion we end our podcast with homework. Our homework for you today is to go to our website at inspiredtogetherteachers.com/elevate and download your free workbook so that you can elevate your life in 2025!

Quote:

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

Oprah Winfrey

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Inspired Together Teachers Network Facebook Group

Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

This post may use affiliate links. If you purchase an item through our link, we will receive a small portion of the profit with no extra cost to you. This helps us to pay for the costs of bringing this free podcast to our community.

Season 8 Episode 130

Listen to us as we discuss what we learned about mental fitness from our guest, Alyson Schaefer.

Show Notes:

Introduction

Mental health, Mental Illness, and Mental Fitness

The Importance of Filling Your Cup

Normalize Mental Health

Create Space for Students’ Mental Fitness

Conclusion

Resources mentioned in this episode

Related Episode

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Share this:

What is the difference between mental health and mental fitness? Listen to this episode to find out!

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Introduction:

Show Topics:

What inspired you to pursue topics connected to mental health after you left teaching?

Mental Health versus Mental Fitness

Adopting a Mental Fitness Routine

Strategies for Mental Health

The Power of Teachers as a Role Model

Strategies Teachers Can Use to Focus on Mental Fitness

Closing

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Related Podcasts:

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Share this:

Season 8 Episode 116

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

Recap of last week’s episode:

Podcast discussion topics:

The Power of Resilience

The Power of Breathing

Raising Happy, Healthy, Safe Kids

When Your Core Values are Rocked, You Feel Unregulated

Being Inside Your Body

Mindfulness is Magic

Conclusion:

Quote:

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Share this:

Season 8 Episode 115

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

Introduction to guest:

Discussion topics:

Molly’s Powerful Story of Finding Mindfulness, Being Present, and Her Breath

Using Simple Mindfulness Education Practices That Have Big Impact

Mindfulness Practices for Teachers

Mindfulness is Magic.

Conclusion:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Would you like less stress and more joy in your life? We’ve got something new for you and it’s free!

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Share this:

Season 6 Episode 97

Listen to this episode and join our free four week workshop

Elevate Your Life 2025.

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

Before we start:

Introduction:

How does it sound to start the year from a place of strength?

In this episode we will offer a few different activities to help you figure that out. Here is the first:

How do you want to feel in the next year?

Make a Win’s List

Recap:

Homework:

Quote:

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

**How do you want to feel in the next year?**