21. Stories of Resilience with Kerstin Brinson

The first positive COVID case in Seattle Washington was announced in February 2020.  As the rest of the nation went about their regular lives, Kerstin Brinson - the executive director at Kids Center - felt disbelief and shock as she bore witness to people going about their regular lives while it was already wreaking havoc on her 2 locations.  As a leader of 50 teachers, over 100 families, and 150 children, she holds great responsibility for their well-being. On top of that,  Kerstin is the wife to Jimmy and mother to Jenna who is 22, and Cassidy who is 6, who both come to the centers every day.  Kerstin shares her experiences as the news began to spread throughout America, and even as the pandemic overstayed its welcome.  She talks about: Why her survival instinct are so high and how the muscle memory of survival served her during those critical moments The kind of leadership skills that came in handy as COVID transferred how schools operated How to trust your decision-making capabilities and some of the critical decisions that Kerstin had to make Some of the mental health challenges that the pandemic brought forth, and how Kerstin and her team handles them Self-care tips that helped Kerstin stay afloat amidst a pandemic that wreaked havoc to the world’s economy The stigma associated with burnout, and how to change this narrative Why the decision to involve  managers in the decision to lay off some of her teachers was one of the best decisions she made How being vulnerable to her managers helped them open up and share some of their greatest concerns ...and so much more! --------- Sign up for the Build to Last Workshop HERE A FREE 4-day sprint on June 1-4, 2021 to help you remove overwhelm and interruptions to building a calendar and life that serves your personal and professional leadership goals. What You Will Learn in Build to Last Workshop on June 1-4: #1: How to create a sustainable calendar that has priorities and projects that move your school forward You deserve to have more time for family and the quality of life you want. #2: The habits for a culture of excellence So you build a rhythm for how to design culture every day and you don’t wait for problems to happen. #3: How to create boundaries and finish your to-do list So you can leave work every day confident that that day's work is done. #4: The Four Types of Interteam Conflict So you have the tools and scripts to navigate difficult conversations and have positive results. Click HERE to Sign up for the Build to Last workshop More about the show: If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and a beautiful quality of life. Mentioned in this episode:School Leadership ToolkitSchool Leadership Toolkit: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/toolkit/School Leadership ToolkitSchool Leadership ToolkitSchool Leadership...