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Hi, friends. Today's episode will be a little

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different. For the first time in 29 years, I'm

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not prepping for a new school year. I've officially

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closed the chapter on my time in the classroom.

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And I'm now in this strange and sacred in -between,

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transitioning toward a new role, a new identity,

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and a whole new lesson plan. I've decided that

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this will be my last episode of season one of

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Life's Next Lesson Plan. And I'm still undecided

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if there will be a season two of Rachel 2 .0.

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I'm going to see how I'm feeling in my next chapter

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and honor that. But I wanted to end this season

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with a heartfelt thank you and a reflection on

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what this podcast journey has meant to me. So

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today, no interviews or big production, just

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me, a mic, and a letter I wrote to you, my listeners,

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my community. and my fellow travelers. If you're

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in your own season of change or standing at a

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crossroads, I hope this brings you some clarity,

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a little courage, and maybe even a few laughs.

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Here is my letter to you. Dear listeners, as

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I wrap up this first season of Life's Next Lesson

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Plan, I want to take a moment to say thank you.

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Thank you for showing up week after week, for

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listening with open hearts to my incredible guests

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and to the stories I've shared from my own journey.

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Whether you were tuning in during a walk, your

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commute, or in the quiet of your own home, I'm

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so grateful you made space for these conversations.

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This podcast was born, of course, in a season

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of change when I was standing at the edge of

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one identity and leaning into the unknown of

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another. And while I've shared many lessons here,

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the biggest one has been this. You don't actually

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have to have it all figured out to take the next

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step. Of course, I always thought the opposite.

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As I close out 29 years in the classroom and

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58 podcast and Patreon episodes later, and I

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move towards something new, I want to leave you

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with a few reminders. Trust your intuition. Especially

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when it whispers, I think it's time. Be brave

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at the crossroads. You already know more than

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you think. Reprogram your mind to expect good

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things because what you focus on grows. Seek

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moments that wake you up inside. Find the wonder.

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Make time for joy. and give yourself permission

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to evolve. You're not stuck and it's never too

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late. And now, because no great journey is without

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a few surprises, I'm going to talk about the

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humbling lessons I've learned from 58 podcasts

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and from being a brand new podcaster. I've learned

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who my real cheerleaders are. Hint, some of them

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are not who I expected. and some were waiting

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in the wings with pom poms and snacks. I learned

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that social media is basically a second language

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I didn't speak that fluently. I learned that

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YouTube has its own secret society of rules,

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formats, mysterious thumbnails, and algorithms

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I may never fully understand. I learned that

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I say the words like and so more than any one

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human probably should. Like, so much. If you

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really want to find out how you sound, record

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yourself and play it back week after week after

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week and edit after edit after edit. I learned

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that editing isn't nearly as bad as I feared.

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Once you stop cringing at the sound of your own

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voice, of course. And most importantly, I learned

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that truly meaningful conversations don't require

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polish or big celebrities. They just require

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openness and the courage to be a little vulnerable.

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And with that, I don't know exactly what comes

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next for this podcast or if I'll do a season

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two, Life After Teaching or not, but I do know

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my work continues. You'll still be able to find

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me sharing reflections, resources, and real moments

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on the Life's Next Lesson Plan Instagram and

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YouTube, where I'll continue exploring what it

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means to live, learn, and leap forward. You can

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follow my empty nest journey, my camping adventures,

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my health journey in my 50s, and the struggle

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of what that looks like. I definitely have to

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give one last thank you to all of my amazing

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guests that joined me on the podcast. It was

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really exactly what I needed during this transition.

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I pictured it being, you know, my wise elders

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guiding me through the transition. And that definitely

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happened. But also what happened was connecting

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with all the former students. I had had who had

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made such a profound difference on me and on

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my career, and to hear their lessons and their

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successful journeys helped me more than they

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will ever know. I had so many unexpected firsts,

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along with all the expected lasts. So many, sadly,

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disappointing things happened in this last year

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of education, which the silver lining of that

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is it just confirmed that I made the right choice,

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but just eye -opening things that are going on

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in education that were just such a downer that

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reconnecting with these amazing young people

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was exactly what I needed. And I met all of these

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invigorating, inspirational people I had never

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met before whose lessons reminded me of what's

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possible in the next chapter. So many people

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stepped out of their comfort zones and did their

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very first podcast with me, and it was so special.

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And to have that forever is just such a gift.

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So thank you again. And I'm going to do one last

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plug for those of you navigating your own transition.

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I'll have my website up with all of my freebies

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from past episodes, but if you go to Life's Next

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Lesson, you can still download my free identity

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journal. I think, you know, if you're wondering

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where to start or what questions to ask yourself,

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it's very short and to the point and definitely

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some of the questions that helped me through

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this transition. So one last thank you for walking

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alongside of me. Keep learning, keep listening

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to yourself, and always, always be willing to

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rewrite the plan. With deep gratitude and fewer

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filler words, take care.