Hi, friends. Today's episode will be a little
different. For the first time in 29 years, I'm
not prepping for a new school year. I've officially
closed the chapter on my time in the classroom.
And I'm now in this strange and sacred in -between,
transitioning toward a new role, a new identity,
and a whole new lesson plan. I've decided that
this will be my last episode of season one of
Life's Next Lesson Plan. And I'm still undecided
if there will be a season two of Rachel 2 .0.
I'm going to see how I'm feeling in my next chapter
and honor that. But I wanted to end this season
with a heartfelt thank you and a reflection on
what this podcast journey has meant to me. So
today, no interviews or big production, just
me, a mic, and a letter I wrote to you, my listeners,
my community. and my fellow travelers. If you're
in your own season of change or standing at a
crossroads, I hope this brings you some clarity,
a little courage, and maybe even a few laughs.
Here is my letter to you. Dear listeners, as
I wrap up this first season of Life's Next Lesson
Plan, I want to take a moment to say thank you.
Thank you for showing up week after week, for
listening with open hearts to my incredible guests
and to the stories I've shared from my own journey.
Whether you were tuning in during a walk, your
commute, or in the quiet of your own home, I'm
so grateful you made space for these conversations.
This podcast was born, of course, in a season
of change when I was standing at the edge of
one identity and leaning into the unknown of
another. And while I've shared many lessons here,
the biggest one has been this. You don't actually
have to have it all figured out to take the next
step. Of course, I always thought the opposite.
As I close out 29 years in the classroom and
58 podcast and Patreon episodes later, and I
move towards something new, I want to leave you
with a few reminders. Trust your intuition. Especially
when it whispers, I think it's time. Be brave
at the crossroads. You already know more than
you think. Reprogram your mind to expect good
things because what you focus on grows. Seek
moments that wake you up inside. Find the wonder.
Make time for joy. and give yourself permission
to evolve. You're not stuck and it's never too
late. And now, because no great journey is without
a few surprises, I'm going to talk about the
humbling lessons I've learned from 58 podcasts
and from being a brand new podcaster. I've learned
who my real cheerleaders are. Hint, some of them
are not who I expected. and some were waiting
in the wings with pom poms and snacks. I learned
that social media is basically a second language
I didn't speak that fluently. I learned that
YouTube has its own secret society of rules,
formats, mysterious thumbnails, and algorithms
I may never fully understand. I learned that
I say the words like and so more than any one
human probably should. Like, so much. If you
really want to find out how you sound, record
yourself and play it back week after week after
week and edit after edit after edit. I learned
that editing isn't nearly as bad as I feared.
Once you stop cringing at the sound of your own
voice, of course. And most importantly, I learned
that truly meaningful conversations don't require
polish or big celebrities. They just require
openness and the courage to be a little vulnerable.
And with that, I don't know exactly what comes
next for this podcast or if I'll do a season
two, Life After Teaching or not, but I do know
my work continues. You'll still be able to find
me sharing reflections, resources, and real moments
on the Life's Next Lesson Plan Instagram and
YouTube, where I'll continue exploring what it
means to live, learn, and leap forward. You can
follow my empty nest journey, my camping adventures,
my health journey in my 50s, and the struggle
of what that looks like. I definitely have to
give one last thank you to all of my amazing
guests that joined me on the podcast. It was
really exactly what I needed during this transition.
I pictured it being, you know, my wise elders
guiding me through the transition. And that definitely
happened. But also what happened was connecting
with all the former students. I had had who had
made such a profound difference on me and on
my career, and to hear their lessons and their
successful journeys helped me more than they
will ever know. I had so many unexpected firsts,
along with all the expected lasts. So many, sadly,
disappointing things happened in this last year
of education, which the silver lining of that
is it just confirmed that I made the right choice,
but just eye -opening things that are going on
in education that were just such a downer that
reconnecting with these amazing young people
was exactly what I needed. And I met all of these
invigorating, inspirational people I had never
met before whose lessons reminded me of what's
possible in the next chapter. So many people
stepped out of their comfort zones and did their
very first podcast with me, and it was so special.
And to have that forever is just such a gift.
So thank you again. And I'm going to do one last
plug for those of you navigating your own transition.
I'll have my website up with all of my freebies
from past episodes, but if you go to Life's Next
Lesson, you can still download my free identity
journal. I think, you know, if you're wondering
where to start or what questions to ask yourself,
it's very short and to the point and definitely
some of the questions that helped me through
this transition. So one last thank you for walking
alongside of me. Keep learning, keep listening
to yourself, and always, always be willing to
rewrite the plan. With deep gratitude and fewer
filler words, take care.