I've heard people say some comments like, well,
that's great for you, but I don't have intuition
or things like that. And, or I don't know how
to access my intuition. And I'm here to tell
you, every single person has intuition. We can
all access it. It is a muscle that you need to
practice and build in order to grow stronger.
It gets easier. So I've noticed a need to be
able to. Give a really tangible tool and strategy
to help people tap into their intuition and to
start making it part of their practice Have you
ever felt that quiet nudge Like something in
your gut is telling you it's time for a change
even if you're not sure what's next That's what
we're diving into today. This episode is all
about trusting your intuition recognizing the
signs when it's time to pivot, and having the
courage to take the next step, even when the
path ahead feels uncertain. I'm joined by Laura
Flowers, a school psychologist who has spent
18 years in education, but has been feeling the
pull towards something new. Through her work
as a life coach and Reiki master, she helps women
reconnect with their authentic selves and trust
their inner wisdom. In this conversation, we
discuss the growing challenges in education,
how intuition has guided her toward the next
chapter, and how you can start tapping into your
own inner knowing. Plus, she's sharing a free
28 -day journaling guide to help you strengthen
your intuition. So let's dive in. Thank you for
joining me for another episode of Life's Next
Lesson Plan. I'm Rachel and I started this podcast
during my 29th and last year as a high school
teacher. The goal of my work with Life's Next
Lesson Plan as well as my Live and Learn Patreon
is to create a connection where we are all teachers.
We all have lessons and stories to share that
can help others. I'm so fortunate to be able
to extend the four walls of my previous classroom
to an unlimited audience. where we can all learn
from each other. And my guests are some of the
most inspirational people with the best stories
and lessons I know, which is why I want to share
them with you. Their words are something everyone
should hear. It is my hope that you are able
to take away something from each episode to apply
to your own life, whether that be a career search,
path to a more fulfilling life, or new ideas
on current topics. This episode of Life's Next
Lesson Plan is sponsored by Litteratus. Litteratus
is more than just a bookstore. It's a hub for
connection, community, and incredible stories
waiting to be discovered. Rather than sending
my listeners to big online retailers, I want
to encourage you to support this beloved local
business. Whether you're picking up a book we've
discussed on the podcast or browsing their website
for your next literary adventure, Literatus has
you covered. Every week on the podcast, we dive
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And now I'm thrilled to share a way for you to
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By shopping at Literatus, you're not just buying
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who doesn't love the smell of fresh pages while
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the charm of your local bookstore visit? Stop
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online. Let's support the places that make our
town special. I'm so excited to have Laura Flowers
on the podcast today. It's been a fun little
journey because even though we don't know each
other in person, we met through a podcasting
group. We have found after I was on her podcast
recently that we actually have very similar paths
and interests and lives and goals. So it's been
fun getting to know her from a distance, but
I will let her give background a little bit for
you guys so that you can get to know her as well
before she shares her stories with us today.
Hi Rachel, thank you so much for inviting me
on your podcast. I'm really excited to be here
with you today. So a bit about me, my current
role or the current hat that I am wearing right
now is I am a transformational life coach and
I am a Reiki master practitioner and energy healer.
However, I didn't really start at that path.
And this is what you were alluding to. I also
wear the hat of being a school psychologist.
So I've been in public education field for the
past 18 years. So like you, Rachel, I've kind
of done some soul searching in the most recent
years and decided that there's more to me than
what I've been living as a school psychologist
for the past 18 years. So that's where I am right
now. Yeah, exactly. Again, it's funny the more
you talk to people, you hear the similarities
of the experiences that you're having. And I
appreciate you being open just about your journey
today because I know from feedback on the show
that a lot of people are sharing some of the
emotions that we have shared with each other.
So because we both spent a lot of time in education
and because this podcast is centered on education,
You have to have many, I know, memorable or funny
stories from your educational journey, but will
you share one with us today? Oh my gosh, Rachel.
There are so many. And reflecting back on this
and deciding, what do I want to share? And I
don't know if your audience or you'll appreciate
this, but this is just where I'm feeling called
to tell stories. So my role as a school psychologist
is I... have so many wild stories about the topics
that kids want to talk to me about, issues that
they're working through. But I keep going back
to, I have the really uncomfortable conversations
with students that other people do not want to
have at all. So like... If a student asks one
of their teachers, and I work in a middle school,
mind you, so we're at that age bracket of like,
we'll say 11 to 14 -ish year olds, so they've
got all kinds of questions about their bodies
and what's happening. So many of the students
that I've worked with over the years have come
with a lot of questions about things like, where
do babies come from? How do babies get out of
the body? Or what does this crude term mean about
like a reference to a different body part. And
so, and like, mind you, I'm having like social
skills groups teaching kids about, you know,
appropriate language, social skills, what to
do or say in different situations. And so I've
found myself a recurring theme for whatever reason,
and I bet many other school psychologists can
relate to this, is that I'm having to answer
a lot of those questions that before I went into
the profession, I thought that like, oh, these
are only for like home, like parents to be talking
about. But not the case, because I know because
I'm talking to parents. I'm like, so your your
kids are asking me to talk about this and ask
about this. Are you OK if I answer questions
in a factual way or is this something that you
want to me to refer back to you as the parent
to answer? And believe it or not, a lot of the
times parents are like, you're willing to talk
about that? Please. Yes, because I don't know
what to say. So I'm you know, a lot of my students
that might be on the autism spectrum, for example,
have these wild questions about like. remember
one boy an example he was like how did like I
understand how a baby gets into a mom's tummy
but like how hard is it for her to throw it up
like to get it out of the box like I don't know
I'm having like those types of questions those
types of questions and then I had I'm remembering
this one group where I was working with a bunch
of children that were more lower cognitive abilities
and unfortunately one of the boys in my group
Another boy in the locker room said, oh, it would
be really funny for you to say, and he said the
word boner. So he's like, go up to that kid over
there and say, I like your boner. And so you
could imagine that didn't go over well in the
locker room. So this gets brought to my group,
and they're like, but what does boner mean? I'm
like, oh my gosh, am I really having to now explain
what that word means to a group of middle school
students? This is like, I cannot believe I'm
getting paid to do this right now. I am now the
health teacher and. Right? Like, and you probably
know as an educator, you're wearing so many hats
that you don't go to school for. Like, it's just
kind of you're thrown into this role of educator,
like school mom, health teacher, motivational
speaker. Like, it's just all the things. So,
yeah, so many stories like that. And I just have
to laugh about it over the years. Wow. So many
thoughts. And I'm not surprised at all, of course,
having worked in education, but Do you think
because it's so interesting to me that with the
internet now having you know, very easy access
to answers Do you notice that it's been more
recently that you're getting these types of questions
or has it been the whole entire career? Would
you say? This leads the whole okay Yes, and like
there's pros and cons to having like readily
available Internet because that brings up a whole
other yes at all because we see as you know in
schools nowadays You can see what your kids are
looking at what they're searching for and so
I've had to have some difficult Conversations
with parents and your child was looking at this
Well, they were at home with their Chromebook
and so we could see all of that But these kids
I mean they have these questions and think back
to yourself when you are a middle school these
are normal questions and normal things to come
up it's just you know and I've been in education
for 18 years so I've had the experience of being
before the boom of technology and where everything
was readily available and now I'm also in it
where there is readily available but the questions
are the same it's just kids are getting access
to with either factual information or misinformation
that we're having to dispel. And those are interesting
conversations as well. Yeah, it's like throwing
up a child. Yes. Well, they come out, obviously.
Yeah. Wow. So. It's also interesting to your
point that they're coming outside of the home
to you and they must see you as a trusted adult
who's knowledgeable and like she'll have the
right answers right and they're not afraid to
ask. I'm trying to imagine myself in middle school
going up to an adult in the school right and
asking some of these questions so that just says
too like a lot about how they see your role and
obviously the groups that you form for them they
feel comfortable voicing these curiosities. For
better or for worse. Exactly. And you have to
master the art of keeping a straight face. Yes.
Imagine that. Yeah, exactly. You are like the
professional like, you know, like it. And so
you want to like not make kids feel embarrassed
for asking these kinds of questions. You want
to be able to create that safe environment so
that they are comfortable coming to you with
these questions. You know, and I laugh about
it now, but it truly is so important to be. calm
stable source for kids to know that they they
can come to you with anything because if they
don't come to a trusted adult You don't know
what they're gonna get there where they're gonna
get their information from and that in and of
itself is scary Exactly. Exactly. Wow. That is
really Interesting so you've been in education
for 18 years and I'm curious about your other
Path that you have been on as well with life
coaching So I'm wondering if you can talk a little
bit about when that came about and how you know
how that all looked as well for you I'd love
to talk about that so I'd say I've been very
happy as a school psychologist for probably like
the first 10 to 15 years of my career. So fulfilling.
Everything I ever wanted from it. I've just loved
it. But things started shifting both for me personally
and also in what I'm seeing of what it means
to be working in the public education system
that has been changing that. It really has been
feeling like things are not in alignment anymore
with what my core values are, what my vision
is for what it truly means to help students and
to help them thrive. I'm sure you can probably
relate. I'm guessing is that. I've found that
my role, my caseload has been growing and growing
and growing and growing. And we're not hiring
more, hence, mental health professionals. And
we're also not hiring more teachers whose class
sizes are growing too. So you can actually relate
to that. And with that, you know, there's increased
paperwork, increased need to attend meetings,
and it's just... been feeling very much like
I'm more of like working at a drive -through
window with kids coming through. They have 5
-10 minutes to me and I'm supposed to solve all
their problems and then you know I also have
to be present at all of these meetings and all
of the reports I need to write and everything
and I just really have felt like... I'm not helping
people the way I once was and it doesn't feel
good to me. And I started to have this question
a few years ago as like, is there something else
for me? Is there something more for me? But I
have no idea what that was. I just knew that
it didn't feel good anymore. And then so there's
been a lot of like questions like, okay, I have
so much background and experience in psychology
and mental health. And I've also really started
to grow my background in energy healing and pursuing
Reiki and using that outside of school. But then
I started thinking, like, I wish there was a
way that I can blend all of my experiences, all
of my background knowledge and use it to help
people in a way that feels more in alignment
with what I want to do. What could that be? I
don't know. And I could I could Share with you
like there were little nudges along the way and
there and there were some huge major unignorable
signs from the universe that I'm like you got
to do something else Laura so but I I stumbled
upon life coaching in a way and I actually had
my own life coach as well. I didn't really even
know what it was as a field but what I learned
about life coaching is that it is so open in
that you can use all of your background experiences
and expertise to help people and you don't need
to be stuck in the box of I am a psychologist
or I am a psychotherapist or I'm a mental health
counselor I'm an addiction specialist no no I
can infuse like my energy healing, my intuitive
practices, all of the scientific principles that
I've learned about psychology over the years
and I can blend it to help people achieve their
goals, whatever that is. And I've also been inspired
these past few years that I'm meant to be working
with adults because I myself, have felt stuck
in education and in my career like and wanted
to do something else and feeling kind of like
put in a box and I know so many of my colleagues
both in and out of education feel the same and
I feel so inspired to help people realize that
you do not need to stay in the box that you think
you need to be in that there is so much more
and even if you don't know what it is at this
exact moment There are ways that you can try
to figure out what it is that you're meant to
be doing that you're called to be doing. And
just because you have started on this career
path and society says you've got to finish it
out through retirement because you got to collect
your pension and you got to do all the things.
That's actually not true. You could still be
completely. happy, maybe even more happy than
you thought you could be in the path that you're
on if you let go of the parameters that have
been imposed upon you. And so life coaching,
energy work, I have found that those are just
two beautiful parts of what I've incorporated
into my life that has helped me to both grow
personally, but also to share and to help other
women is primarily who I work with, other women.
step into their own power and purpose. And so
that for me has been such an amazing ride, so
fulfilling and so much joy in my life because
of that. Oh, wonderful. I can relate obviously
so much to what you're saying. And I definitely
want to hear about some of the nudges that you
had, but I think before that what you just said,
would you? Maybe you're not able to, so just
tell me, but are you able to share just like
one of the encounters that you had that reminded
you like this is what I need to do and what,
you know, a successful outcome that you've had
with a client? Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. So
I'm thinking of one client in particular, and
I, she's a a mom, a stepmom and she had given
up her own career dreams to be a mother and she
was kind of unexpected. She went like literally
like within a couple of months of having no kids
and now she has four kids and she is rocking
it and being the best possible stepmom and now
she has her own children as well. but she's lost
track of like, but wait, I had this whole business
that I wanted to start and is it possible for
me to even do that? Is it selfish for me to do
that? I shouldn't do that. It's not okay. Like
everybody says that I should be so happy and
joyful just to have the opportunity to be in
this situation, to be a wife and mom, but it
didn't feel in alignment to her. Like she still
obviously deeply cares for her family, but I
also knew that there was this huge part of her
that she had kind of closed the book on. And
it didn't feel good like there was this annoying
thing like she like I just think I need to start
this business She's so passionate about it. It's
in her business is about all like nutrition and
fitness and and like looking at health from a
holistic path and so working with her we were
able to Really? Articulate why it is that she
keeps feeling these not just to go in this and
how she can Tangibly create a path to both be
the amazing mom that she is and have a kick ass
business that she's running from her house and
still able to like be present for her family
and helping the women that she knew that she
herself has felt called to do. And so she like
she's just completely blossoming and stepping
into her power. And seeing that to me is what
it's all about. It's because like when when women
are able to step into all of their gifts, it
doesn't just help them, it helps their community,
it helps their family, it provides like a role
model for their kids to show what is possible
that you can do so much and there's so many gifts
and we don't need to stay small like we can share
our gifts and it's nothing to be ashamed of or
to shy away from or to like feel like we shouldn't
be doing these things and I think as women sometimes
we get stuck in the, like, narrative that we've
got to be the wife and mom and we've got to stay
in this career, whatever. No. Like, you could
do more. Like, I want to shake things up. That's
what I'm all about. Absolutely. Yeah, I'm sure,
you know, she was so hyper -focused on that mom
identity that she lost sight of some of the other
identity as a professional, right, which happens
to women all of the time. And, you know, it's
because you want to do so. you know, many things
in this mom role. And then you're like, wait
a second, there was this whole other part of
me. Where did that go? Right? It got lost. Yeah.
Oh, that's fascinating. Oh, that's wonderful.
And I'll put your website in the show notes for
everybody. But what is the best way if people
are interested in your services, what's the best
way for them to find you? Is it your website?
Yeah, my website, which is, it's super simple.
It's just laurafflowersllc .com. You can check
out the type of work that I do through my coaching
and energy work. And I also, if you are interested
in even just having a conversation with me, there's
a link on there where you can click and just
book a free call with me, no pressure. And I
want to hear, like, where are you at in your
life? What are your goals? And, you know, would
working together make sense for you to help achieve
that? So there's that for you as well. OK, that
sounds like such fulfilling work. Definitely.
So I want to hear your nudges since I shared
mine with you on your show. You know, you said
there are some little ones and then some overt
larger ones for you. Yeah, yeah. So like. Oh,
so many little nudges. Okay, so in that occasion...
There's lots of initiatives that happen in education
like every year. There's like a new thing like
a new thing Okay, this year is all about equity
and next year is all about like pedagogy and
next year is like like there's so many things
that happen every single year that you're asked
to like Like you learn something beautiful in
one year and then the next you're like, okay
great We're gonna kind of table that and now
we're gonna learn something else but like along
the way some of these initiatives just like didn't
really feel like it was helpful from my students
group and so it just felt like kind of like um
the best like like an x feeling inside like it
just didn't feel right i wasn't excited about
it it felt like it was more busy work um and
it's just like paying attention to the signals
in your body um where if you are getting information
or being told that there's a new thing that you
have to do if if you pay attention to the sensations
in your body um Like for something that's not
in alignment, and a lot of it has not been in
alignment these past few years, like it almost
feels like a contracting feeling, like a tightness
in your chest. And so that could be, like I said,
whether it's like what the district is putting
down for what you're expected to do as an educator
and another thing that you have to add to your
plate. Or there's been instances just like we're
in my role where you're doing this really good
hard work and A lot of times it's really thankless.
So you might have poured your heart and soul
into something and maybe a colleague or a parent
doesn't understand it. And so they kind of throw
some shade at you and put you down for what you
are trying to add to the profession. So, and
that doesn't feel good either. So, so there's
like little microaggressions like that, um, that
I noticed. but then there's also been like the
really big ones and there was a huge one for
me about a year and a half ago which was really
like like it was that was it for me um in my
role as a school psychologist i do work with
a lot of kids that are struggling with behavior
regulation and one of my students who i adore
have no hard feelings towards him at all but
he was highly dysregulated and it ended up escalating
to the point where he did physically assault
me and i got a head injury from being thrown
into a wall essentially and I needed to take
a good amount of time off of work to recover
from my head and neck injuries. And unfortunately,
you know, not only did that not feel good, and
that to me was like a major flashing sign from
the universe. And in hindsight, it's a gift that
that experience happened to me because it was
all the validation I ever needed that like all
these small measures that I've been my kind of
ignoring. Like, no, like this is like you can't
keep doing this anymore, Laura. This isn't OK.
So as I'm off of work recovering and going through
all kinds of physical therapy treatments, neurophysical
therapy treatments, neurology appointments, this
and that, you name it, and it was a tough recovery.
I spoke with, and I'm thinking of one administrator
in one of the higher positions in our district
who will remain nameless, who when I was expressing
my frustrations and my sadness over what happened,
says to me, Laura, this is kind of what you sign
up for in this profession. And like that was
like a punch to the stomach. Like truly it took
my breath away. I didn't even know what to say.
And unfortunately I felt like this was validation
of what I've kind of known all along is that
I'm a number and I don't feel valued in many
aspects as being a human being and an educator
with a lot of knowledge and expertise to bring
to the table. And it just didn't feel good. And
I know that I am so much more than a number.
And I know that my beautiful colleagues are so
much more than numbers. And I don't want to be
a statistics anymore. So that to me was the big
one. Um, and it's sad, like I really have a lot
of heartache over that because I did love this
profession for so long and I'm sad that it has
kind of taken and gone down the path that it
is. I don't know that this is what it's like
everywhere, but it's my been my experience in
my part of the world. Um, but again, like you,
you choose how you want to look at situations.
And so that to me, like as hurtful as that comment
was to me. It was also a gift because it made
it super crystal clear that I'm on the right
path. And I'm thankful for that because it's
given me the courage and the validation that
I can step outside of my role as a school psychologist.
I can do something else. There is more for me
out there. You need to pursue that. And so that's
what I'm doing. Wow. That is a very large nudge.
And again, having been in education, unfortunately
not surprising. to me. I have heard, yep, similar
stories to that and I, like you said, the incident
is one thing and you almost, you know, you expect
certain behaviors out of kids, especially if
they are troubled and have issues, but the adults...
who are the professionals, that is sometimes
the more difficult pill to swallow. Yeah, so
I definitely understand what you're saying there.
Wow, thank you for sharing that. So what would
you say to someone, because I know there are
a lot of them out there who... their feeling
in their body and of course in their mind, like,
this is just, I will not be able to do this until
my retirement age. And maybe they haven't yet
had the large nudge like you did, but they feel
all of these small things in their body and their
intuition is saying, you know, this, I just don't
know. And maybe even, you know, I've heard people
having health issues and I know I certainly had
exhaustion and issues like that with anxiety,
what advice, especially because you're the professional
here, would you give to someone who's sort of
wrestling with this? So the biggest piece of
advice that I want to give, and I'm gonna bring
it right back to intuition, because I think that
for so many of us, especially in education, we
have been conditioned to not listen to those
nudges and to just, you know, keep being a good
worker and do the things, but you are doing that
at a risk and at a detriment to your own soul,
to your physical health, to your family. And
I don't want for other people to get to the point
where they need a huge nudge or hit on the head
like me. because you shouldn't need to get that
way. Your intuition is such a powerful north
star and I encourage anybody listening to really
tap into and get into a place where they're able
to really recognize when their intuition is showing
up and it can be both in your physical body sensations,
it could be in your thoughts and feelings, it
could be in your health, it could be in your
sleep. um there are so many ways but but it's
showing up for a reason and don't ignore it and
take some time to turn inward to be able to sort
out what is your intuition trying to tell you
and um really Really follow follow that path
follow like like if you're thinking maybe about
going down one path But not sure allow yourself
to take some time to really go down the rabbit
hole that path in your minds and in your in your
soul and imagine what? What it might feel like
if you pursue that path does that feel open and
expansive in light or does it feel? more contracting
and tight ends, um, restrictive. And a lot of
times like there, that's just one thing you can
do, but there are so many different practices
that you can do to get in touch with your intuition.
Um, so that's really a huge, huge takeaway. And
I know that it might sound super easy. It's scary.
Oh, believe me, I've been so scared because like
there's so much uncertainty when you choose to
step outside of the box, cause you don't know.
Um, but what I do know is that it what the way
things are going right now and if you're feeling
the same it doesn't work I can't sustain this
and if you have that sense of this can't be sustained
trust it and know that you have so many talents
and gifts and that if you choose a different
path or you choose to like recreate the role
that you're in in some way you can do it you're
not throwing away your gifts and your experiences
you are just finding a way to use it for a different
purpose and that's beautiful Absolutely. That
is such great advice. It's like a stepping stone.
You're not throwing away all of the work that
you've done and all of the tools you've accumulated.
You're using them for your great next step that
you're moving on to. Now that's really helpful
and it's so interesting that you mentioned showing
up in your sleep because I'm on spring break
right now and I started my spring break by going
to a college visit where my daughter has now
decided to go and in the first two nights In
this hotel, I woke up with school stress dreams.
And I can't remember the last time I had one.
I've had them in the past. And then I had another
one this week when I got home. So we're talking
about three in the span of six days. And I've
resigned from teaching. I mean, I'm still teaching,
but I'm like, what is that? Can somebody please
analyze me and tell me what this is about? Is
it like my body? I don't know, but. Yeah, that's
a real thing. It's so real. I'll tell you what
that is. That is your intuition telling you that
you've made the correct choice. Yay! Okay. I'm
like, where's this coming from? I'm not that
invested as I once was. Why am I suddenly worried
about this? Right? It's like you're reliving
the patterns that you've had for however many
years and it's showing up in your subconscious
and you're working through it. Like, that to
me is like... Oh yeah, you made the right choice.
Okay. That's what you're walking away from. Those
dreams don't feel good. And that's like you saying
goodbye to that chapter. Like, okay, let me just
flush it out. Let me just get the rest of it
out. Isn't that interesting? Pay attention to
your dreams. Cause like there are, there's so
much wisdom in our dreams. Yeah. Okay. Well that
I I definitely knew there was something to it,
especially because, you know, I can't remember
the last time I've had that. And you're like,
well, now I shouldn't be worrying about it. Like
I'm soon to be free. But yeah, that makes a lot
of sense. It's like another nudge, right? It's
another. Yeah. You're purging that school stress
energy right out of your body. Exactly. Oh, my
gosh. I think the, you know, I. I'm really, and
again, talking to more people who are in education
and having these feelings. I really thought that,
you know, we heard there's a teacher shortage
coming. There's, you know, public education,
which I was always a big proponent of, you know,
and obviously it has its critics. Like, I'm starting
to see now exactly what you're saying. Like,
is it sustainable? I thought... We had more time
before the tipping point because I believe a
tipping point is coming if it's not already here
but I thought we had more time and You know,
there's one thing from in the classroom or in
the office what you're seeing as far as you know
the big rumor in our school for next year is
every one in every four freshmen has paperwork
which is exactly what you're talking about as
far as like the workload and you know can you
help a student if every so many people need help
then i saw it on the other side when they posted
my position which They posted the first time
as an English and journalism job which we knew
journalism was going to be hard to fill and then
soon got zero applicants who were qualified for
that and went back and have now found Someone
who I can train who's already in the department,
which is the ideal situation so they reposted
the job as English only because now a part -time
person is now leaving in my department and no
qualified candidates, no qualified candidates.
I mean, seven in all for an English position
that when I was applying for English positions,
it was at least 100. And they have found one
person right out of college who they're gonna
be interviewing tomorrow in the time that we're
taping this. That was so eye -opening to me because...
I teach in one of the best high schools in the
state of Wisconsin. We're very much a destination
district. We have very high test scores. We live
in a great community that values education. I
guess that really was a wake up call to me. I
don't know if you, how you feel about like, I
knew it was coming. Everybody was talking about
it, but I'm like, are we already here? That's
a great question. Yeah, and I'm disappointed
but not shocked at what you shared about the
lack of applicants. I see that as well. We've
had so much turnover in my district in recent
years and it is very, very hard to find qualified
candidates that want the job. Okay, interesting.
Very hard. We have positions that, because we
can't fill them with a certified staff, have
had just like a never -ending stream of long
-term substitutes or building substitutes. you
know, which isn't helpful for our students also,
clearly. But it's sad. And I think even just
in conversations that I hear with my colleagues,
if they're talking about, you know, if they have
a high school age kid or college age child themselves,
who's thinking about going into the field of
education, the advice from the parent is often
like, please don't do that. You don't want to
go into education. And that to me is wild. Because
when I started the profession, Like it was like
you want to get into education. This is great
field. There's like so much promise in it and
it's it's valued It's respected it you got great
so many qualities But now like it's just the
educators are like the it is overwhelming. It
is unsustainable. It is thankless It is it is
Unhealthy, you know physically emotionally psychologically
and that's just so sad. Yeah, it's so sad because
people like you who are so gifted and qualified
that just can't make it to the end to retirement.
And that's a shame. And I would have thought
with COVID that I would have loved for the nation
to realize like, oh my gosh, we need our educators.
And in the midst of COVID, when parents didn't
have babysitters, they were like, yeah, we need
our educators. But now that COVID's kind of in
the rear -room mirror, it's just like... And
I've heard and I'm embarrassed to say members
of my own family, I've overheard conversations
where they refer to educators as babysitters.
And that is, and I'm in, and they have like someone
in the family who is like a strong advocate for
public education. But I think that's just like.
It's sad to me that the people that are entrusted
with raising the nation's youth, and it's going
to be the next generation for our nation, it
is so undervalued, the teaching profession. And
that shows up in teacher pay. That shows up in
how parents are feeling very entitled to undermine
teachers, to bad -mouth teachers in the profession,
both to their children and to their neighbors
and whoever will listen. It's like, who would
want to go into this profession anymore? Yeah,
it is. And again, you've been in the profession
two decades, I've been in it three, and I'm sure
people before us saw changes, you know, when
we were entering, but you didn't hear the kind
of talk now of warning people about going into
education. So you're in another state than I
am. And it's interesting, I appreciate your perspective
from outside my bubble, because I can talk to
the same colleagues every day who are, you know,
in my area. But it's interesting when you talk
to people in other districts and outside in different
states that they're seeing a lot of the same
things. So okay, interesting. Yeah, that tracks.
All right, well, we're gonna take a little break
here before we get into your lesson and we're
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keep me going. You know what that sound means
we're used to our bell now we're at the ask the
teacher anything portion of the podcast and The
first question is has creating a podcast changed
the way you listen to other podcasts Yes, definitely
now that I know kind of the structure of you
know typical podcast I know a lot of them stray
from this but I definitely listen to their intros
and their outros how they do that I listen specifically
to how they do their transitions I listen to
ideas for segments and how they handle that and
then I definitely because editing was the thing
I was most scared of I definitely pay attention
to a lot of their editing and I have to say that
some of the most popular podcasts I've been noticing
recently have been having some editing glitches
so it makes me feel a little bit better I guess
but yes I definitely am a little bit more discerning
and just the pieces of the podcast and how they
go together because now I'm sort of on that side
of it and then the second question is do you
ever struggle with imposter syndrome in your
new endeavors if so how do you handle it Yes,
in fact I talked about this I think early on
in episodes 15 and 17 where I talked about starting
a side hustle and then the next episode 17 I
talked about kind of building your brand and
expanding your side hustle and I definitely in
those episodes talk about at the beginning of
a journey when you're learning so much at one
time and you're doing something brand new it's
totally normal to feel some imposter syndrome,
like, who am I to do this? Or if it's not something
that you maybe have a degree in or went to school
for, I think it's pretty normal to feel that.
But I have to say that most of that has gone
away. I mean, it comes up when I'm learning or
doing something new. But then once I do it for
a while, it sort of goes away. And as far as
how I've handled that, You know, I've talked
about this before on the podcast is that I...
watch and study and learn from people who do
things well that I want to do. So if there's
something new that I'm learning, I ask questions,
I will sign up for an online course or a webinar
or a free guide, and I will learn as much as
I can from the experts in the field. So hopefully
that helps. Again, you can always submit your
Ask the Teacher Anything questions on Life's
Next Lesson Plan dot com. have a box for the
questions on the website as well as on Instagram
and Facebook. We are back from break and I'm
so excited that Laura has brought a lesson for
us today, something that we can take with us
if we are interested in exploring her ideas more
today. So tell us what you brought for us Laura.
Absolutely. So in working with different clients,
both within my coaching practice and also in
working and talking with my colleagues about
intuition. Again, you're noticing a theme with
me. I keep going back to intuition. I've heard
people say some comments like, well, that's great
for you, but I don't have intuition or things
like that. And or I don't know how to access
my intuition. I'm here to tell you every single
person has intuition. We can all access it. It
is a muscle that you need to practice and build
in order to grow stronger. It gets easier. So
I've noticed a need to be able to give a really
tangible tool and strategy to help people tap
into their intuition and to start making it part
of their practice. So I created a super simple
tool for people to use. It's a 28 day self discovering
journal. It is 28 days that you need to commit
to this five to ten minutes a day. It's not a
lot There's one prompt in each prompt that I've
created for each day is designed to help you
access more of your subconscious your your inner
thoughts and desires that might not be at the
surface sort through things and Really get more
familiar with how to access your intuition with
ease And it's just something super simple. And
like, because people, when they say you need
to start journaling is that will help you. They're
like, I don't know how to journal. That's for
kids. Like, I don't write a diary. No, it's journaling.
Is it like one of the most powerful tools available
for anybody to help you find clarity and direction?
And and I think that for people that aren't used
to journaling, giving them a blank book is feels
really daunting. And so that's why I decided
to create some prompts that are very simple prompts,
but powerful and direct into the point and they
serve a purpose to help you start to cultivate
that part of you. So I'm excited to share that
it's completely free and I'm happy to provide
it for your listeners if they would like to access
it. Yeah, that's so great. I will definitely
drop that in the show notes for them. ties perfectly
with what we've talked about today with how you
feel certain things in your body but you're not
quite sure what that means or you're not really
paying attention to it and this rather than just
I cannot journal with a blank page typically
even though I'm an English teacher and I teach
writing but it's like I always feel like I'm
supposed to have some sort of answer or so you
know and so having a prompt really even helps
me as an English teacher just getting that out
there. So yes that's awesome I'm definitely gonna
drop that. in the show notes and also I'd like
you if if you're willing to talk a little bit
about I know I found your podcast and listened
to it I love your podcast it's actually very
similar to mine and I have listened to multiple
episodes of it and really really really enjoy
it can you just talk a little bit about that
journey and how it sort of aligns with your other
work as well I'd love to. So I've created a podcast
called Rediscovering You and really it is exactly
what the title says and it's about helping people
Figure out what their next steps might be, coming
back to center if they've been feeling like living
a life that's misaligned. So in my podcast, I
have really tangible tools and strategies to
help you get back to who you are at your core,
what your values are, so that you can live a
life that feels really good to you in alignment.
And I love having guests on my podcast as well.
Rachel, I was so happy to have you on the podcast.
too but the guests that I invite on my podcast
are people that have not only talked the talk
but walked the walk so they might have been in
a career for so long or in a relationship for
so long or something happened where they're like
I need to make a change in my life and they did
it and there's so much wisdom to come from listening
to other people's stories because we can really
see bits and pieces of ourselves when we hear
other people's stories and it's empowering to
us to see that you know if this person who's
not a superhero like was able to do it then why
can't I do it and that's really what it is and
so I've been so excited to have guests from all
different backgrounds, like authors, entrepreneurs,
energy healers, educators. So people from all
walks of life. So on this podcast, I'm just so
happy to see what it's evolving into. There's
something for everybody. There truly is. So I
invite you to tune in if that sounds interesting
to you. I'd love to have you chime in and let
me know what your thoughts are. Absolutely. You
have a story to share. I'm just going to do a
little. Yeah. a compelling story to share where
you have created a big bold next step of your
life. I'd love to talk to you about potentially
being a guest so that you can inspire others
because I know that all of us have a story to
share and we can all learn from one another and
be lifted up by one another. So I invite you
to reach out to Yeah, absolutely. There's a spot
on Laura's website where you can have this discovery
call with her. And if you're not a hundred percent
sure, she can just talk you through like what
you might talk about on her show. And if you're
a listener of my show, like I said, I'm admitting
our, our podcasts are very similar and we always
find things at a point in our life that speak
to us. Right. So Laura's podcast definitely spoke
to me. So if you enjoy the content here, I know
you would really enjoy. the content of Laura's
podcast as well. So thank you so much for sharing
all of your wisdom with us today. I so appreciate
our connection that we have been able to build
from afar and hopefully we'll keep in touch.
I know we will. Thank you so much, Rachel. It's
been such an honor and enjoy speaking with you.
Tuning into your intuition isn't always easy,
but as Laura shared today, it's one of the most
powerful tools we have when facing big life decisions.
Whether it's a career shift, a personal transformation,
or just that feeling that something needs to
change, trusting yourself is the first step.
If Laura's journey resonated with you, be sure
to check out her free 28 -day journaling guide
in the show notes, as well as follow her on social
media to help you tap into your own tuition.
And as always, if you enjoyed this conversation,
share it with a friend, leave a review, or reach
out. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Remember,
you can follow my last days in the classroom
at Life's Next Lesson Plan on YouTube and catch
more content on my Live and Learn Patreon. The
focus for April is the empty nest, and I have
previous guest Reagan Zimmerman Shrestha on talking
about her transition to college and her role
as an admissions interviewer for MIT. And my
own daughter has actually agreed to an episode
from a senior in high school's perspective on
how she has approached her college journey as
well as her father's and my role in this transition.
That should be interesting. As always, thanks
for listening, and I'll see you next week on
Life's Next Lesson Plan.