Wellness for Educators

Lori Maxfield
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“Wellness for Educators” is a podcast featuring Lori Maxfield, a retired teacher from central Pennsylvania. It is a place where educators feel valued and appreciated for their service to the future generation. "You need to be well to teach well. "That is the motto. Health and wellness is important for all educators. They need to take time to take care of themselves. This podcast will be updated monthly during the school year. (August- May) Wellness for Educators will provide tips to help educators experience life beyond the classroom.

  1. há 4 dias

    Episode #26 Season 4 Financial Calm For Teachers

    Send us Fan Mail Money stress is loud, even when you never say a word about it, and for educators it can spill into sleep, focus, and the energy you bring to students. We sit down with Scott Fritz, a longtime elementary teacher who got pulled into personal finance out of necessity while adopting two children, and we talk through what actually helps when money feels tight and confusing. He’s practical, honest, and focused on the habits that reduce stress instead of adding more rules to your life. We start with the foundation: budgeting that begins by tracking your expenses for a few months, then sorting them into categories so you can see patterns clearly. From there, Scott explains how defining what you truly value makes it easier to cut spending that does not serve you, and why it matters that a partner shares the same vision. We also dig into automation and visibility using budgeting and personal finance apps that aggregate accounts, with examples like YNAB, Monarch Money, and Fidelity Full View. Then we get tactical: building an emergency fund of about three to six months of living expenses, using a separate high-yield online savings account, and understanding the basic difference between CDs and a Roth IRA. For newer teachers juggling student loans, rent, and credit cards, Scott walks through the debt avalanche method, calculators that clarify your payoff timeline, and a simple 24-hour rule to slow impulse buys in an Amazon-ready world. We close with big-picture teacher financial planning: learning your contract and salary scale, starting early with options like a 403(b) or 457(b), when a fee-only financial advisor can help, and why estate planning and digital passwords are an overlooked form of wellness. Scott will be back in January, so send us the questions you want answered, then subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators can find it. Scott Fritz's Information Below: Financial Literacy for Employees of Pennsylvania Public Schools Scott was a guest on the following podcasts: Financially Independent Teachers Podcast (episode #49 aired 1/23/2022) Teach and Retire Rich Podcast (episode 302 aired on 12/29/2023) The Teacher Money Store (episode 104 aired on 12/10/2025) Budgeting apps mentioned include YNAB (You Need A Budget),  Monarch Money, and Every Dollar Thanks for listening!

  2. 26 de ago.

    Episode #25 Season 4 Dream Bigger Than The Classroom

    Send us Fan Mail I hit publish on my first YouTube video and immediately learned a humbling lesson: the first frame that showed up on Facebook had my face frozen in the weirdest expression. No editor, no tech team, no shortcuts. Just me, rereading instructions, fixing the thumbnail, and reminding myself that growth often looks awkward at first. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by technology, nervous about being seen, or tempted to quit when something looks imperfect, you’ll feel very understood here. We also zoom out from the tech moment into what it represents: courage, identity beyond the classroom, and the power of dreams to protect our wellness. I dedicate the video to my dad on his 98th heavenly birthday, share why Durham, North Carolina, has become the top listener city, and talk about what it means to put your passion out into the world even when you don’t know who’s listening. Along the way, I reflect on travel goals, the idea that experiences can make us “richer,” and why educators need something to look forward to that is not tied to grading, meetings, or email. Then I get honest about the dreams that didn’t happen: a bed and breakfast, becoming a flight attendant, even being in a commercial. Each near-miss becomes proof that disappointment can redirect you rather than defeat you. The dream that stayed with me for 30 years is educator wellness: encouraging teachers, helping schools build wellness programs, and walking beside educators as they learn sustainable self-care and work-life balance. If you want a motivational reset for the school year, a nudge to keep dreaming, and a reminder that you need to be well to teach well, press play. Subscribe, share with a fellow educator, and leave a review so more teachers can find this support. YouTube Video  https://youtu.be/_96_M-tCIzU Thanks for listening!

  3. 19 de ago.

    Episode #24 Season 4 Be A Bridge Builder

    Send us Fan Mail Walls go up fast at school. Bridges take courage, patience, and a decision to keep connecting even when it would be easier to shut down. As we open season four of Wellness for Educators, I’m sharing the mindset that’s guiding me into the 2026-27 school year: become a bridge builder, because you need to be well to teach well. I tell the story of doing something that genuinely scared me, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and why that kind of bravery translates to classrooms and staff rooms. We talk about leaning on colleagues, mentors, friends, and family, and how a new school year is your clean slate to adjust what didn’t work last year. If you want practical teacher self care, this starts with small choices: breathe, stay calm, set clear expectations, and refuse to take every tough moment personally. We also dig into one of the biggest drains on educator wellness: difficult relationships. I share ways to build connection with disruptive students and how to work toward unity with coworkers you don’t always see eye to eye with. You’ll hear the “radiators vs drainers” idea for protecting your energy, plus a reminder to look for tiny joys you might be missing. I also introduce you to Frida, a 100-year-old “radiator” who models warmth and encouragement, and I wrap with a lighthearted teacher survival kit you can keep in your back pocket. If this gives you a boost, subscribe, share it with a fellow educator, and leave a review so more teachers can find support. What bridge will you build first this year? Thanks for listening!

  4. 27 de mai.

    Episode #23 Season 3 Finish Strong And Rest Well

    Send us Fan Mail We close out season three by naming the real stress of the final school weeks and choosing a mindset that honors what went right for us and our students. We also pull together the most practical wellness takeaways from the season so we can step into summer with more rest, more joy, and less burnout.  • end-of-year stress reframed through gratitude, student growth, and small wins  • simple connection habits like board games and phone-free time  • resilience through determination and support systems  • healthier food choices and cutting back on processed foods  • the power of silence for nervous system reset  • doable self-care steps and using insurance perks  • fitness snacks, posture, and core focus for sustainable movement  • courage, clarity, and community that turn dreams into reality  • supporting student anxiety while protecting educator energy  • summer recovery through rest, play, nature, and laughter  • using leftover energy to organize, donate, and prep for next year  If you have a friend who you think could benefit from this podcast, please pass it along.  Until that time, please practice self care.  Thanks for listening!

  5. 6 de mai.

    Episode #22 Season 3 How Teachers And Administrators Build A Stronger School Team

    Send us Fan Mail Negativity can feel like background noise in a school building, but it quietly drains the people doing the work. I sit down with Matthew Palmer, an elementary assistant principal in South Carolina, to talk about educator wellness from a leadership perspective and to name what many teachers feel but rarely say out loud: schools run best when we stop criticizing roles we don’t fully understand and start acting like one team. Matthew shares what challenges him most as an administrator, especially the moments when an early childhood teacher is doing everything possible for a struggling student and still feels overwhelmed. We dig into the “priceless moments” that keep educators going, why small gestures matter more than big one-week celebrations, and how daily appreciation can shift a school’s culture. We also tackle difficult parent interactions with a clear, practical takeaway: if a situation is getting tense, stop emailing and pick up the phone or meet face to face to prevent misunderstandings and rebuild trust. We reflect on post-pandemic changes in student behavior, particularly in pre-K and kindergarten, and what schools can do with early intervention and stronger behavior supports. Matthew also explains how learning walks and peer observations can strengthen relationships, spread great teaching ideas, and replace comparison with encouragement. We close with real-world self care for educators, including boundaries, movement, letting go of late-night replaying, and a mindset shift that sticks: are you living a “get to” day or a “going to” day? If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators can find the support they deserve. Thanks for listening!

  6. 8 de abr.

    Episode #21 Season 3 Put The Phone In The Bucket And Breathe

    Send us Fan Mail Phones, pressure, and rising anxiety are not abstract trends. They’re showing up in real classrooms, in real kids, and in the adults trying to support them without burning out. I sit down with Dr. Dana Sarvey, a double board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, to get clear on what’s happening to youth mental health and what educators can realistically do next. We start with a practical question schools face all the time: what’s the difference between a child psychologist and a child psychiatrist? Dr. Sarvey breaks down training, roles, neuropsych testing, and prescribing, then connects it to what she’s seeing most often in her practice, especially depression, anxiety, panic, and OCD that frequently overlap. We also talk about seasonal mood changes and why some students look like different people once routines shift and the weather improves. Then we take on the big, uncomfortable topics: the increase in psychotropic medication for kids and teens, what the numbers actually show, and why medication is only one slice of a much bigger treatment plan that includes therapy and strong environmental supports at school. We also dig into social media and adolescent mental health, including research on depression, self-perception, and academic impact, plus concrete guardrails and why delaying exposure can matter. Along the way, we reflect on the lifelong imprint teachers leave and how to help students regain perspective when perfectionism and competition take over. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share with an educator or parent, and leave a review so more people can find Wellness for Educators. Thanks for listening!

  7. 4 de mar.

    Episode #20 Season 3 Leap To Switzerland, Teach With Heart

    Send us Fan Mail What if a single yes could reshape how you work, live, and care for yourself? We sit down with Kelly Donovan—middle school physical and health educator and well-being coordinator at International School Basel—to trace her leap from Pennsylvania to Switzerland and the lessons she carried across oceans. From the first spark in Mexico City’s international classrooms to a serendipitous invite that opened a door in Basel, Kelly shows how courage, clarity, and community can turn a dream into daily life. We explore the emotional arc of moving abroad—the honeymoon highs, the homesick lows, and the steady rise into adaptation—and the practical supports that made it real: a city voucher for German classes, cross-border routines, and rituals that keep family close. Inside school walls, Kelly walks us through SEE Learning, the Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning framework developed at Emory University. The team began by training teachers in cognitively based compassion practices, proving that student well-being sticks when adults embody it first. The rollout spans early years to grade 12, aligning language, habits, and goals around compassion, resilience, and systems thinking. We also dig into the culture that sustains hard work: leadership that values the person behind the teacher, real holidays with zero email pressure, and a ski week in the Alps that forges trust and grit. Kelly offers a clear path for educators curious about working overseas—mindset shifts, where to find roles (Search Associates and TES), and how to navigate partnerships, logistics, and fear. She closes with daily wellness anchors—movement, rest you don’t have to earn, cooking at home, and the simple act of noticing—as tools any teacher can adopt, anywhere. If this conversation sparks your own leap of faith, hit follow, share with a colleague who needs hope, and leave a review to help more educators find their way. Thoughts from Kelly below: SEE Learning Search Associates TES klc9793@gmail.com  Thanks for listening!

  8. 4 de fev.

    Episode #19 Season 3 Small Habits, Big Energy: Rethinking Fitness For Busy Educators

    Send us Fan Mail The school day starts before sunrise and ends long after dismissal, and somewhere between lesson plans and parent emails, your back is tight, your energy is low, and sleep keeps slipping. That grind doesn’t have to be your baseline. We invited Pilates and fitness specialist—and former professional dancer—Lane Groser to help us build a smarter, simpler path to feeling strong, mobile, and rested. Lane traces her journey from the studio to coaching and shares a clear framework any educator can use: train your heart with cardio, protect muscle and bone with strength, and safeguard ease with mobility and balance. She cuts through the noise about protein rules and trend-chasing and returns to fundamentals that fit a busy life. You’ll learn posture cues you can use at your desk today—stack ribs over hips, sit on your sit bones, keep a gentle core tone—so your back stops doing all the work. Lane also reframes “core” as a 360-degree system where abs and back share the load, reducing tension and improving alignment. Motivation gets a makeover with three practical methods to beat procrastination: the cleaning method to spark momentum, the boundary method to anchor sessions between fixed events, and the five-minute method to lower the start barrier. We dig into stretching and balance for injury prevention and aging well, and we close with a candid look at sleep. Lane offers a realistic target of eight to nine hours, a calming gratitude wind-down, and a simple fix for early wake-ups: go to bed earlier and give your body the opportunity window it needs.You’ll leave with tools you can use tomorrow: small movement “snacks,” short strength sessions at home, posture resets between classes, and a kinder weekly review using your wearable. Stronger alignment, steadier energy, and better sleep help you teach with patience and joy. If this helped, follow the show, share it with a colleague who could use a boost, and leave a quick review so more educators can find it. Check out Lange Grosser Fitness www.lanegrosserfitness.com instagram.com/lanegrosserfitness facebook.com/lanegrosserfitness Thanks for listening!

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Sobre

“Wellness for Educators” is a podcast featuring Lori Maxfield, a retired teacher from central Pennsylvania. It is a place where educators feel valued and appreciated for their service to the future generation. "You need to be well to teach well. "That is the motto. Health and wellness is important for all educators. They need to take time to take care of themselves. This podcast will be updated monthly during the school year. (August- May) Wellness for Educators will provide tips to help educators experience life beyond the classroom.

Informações

  • Criado por
    Lori Maxfield
  • Anos de atividade
    2024 - 2026
  • Episódios
    26
  • Classificação
    Livre
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Wellness for Educators
  • Site do podcast
    Wellness for Educators

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