Episode Details

In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, we welcome author, coach, and educator Elena Aguilar, along with Jeremy Stoll and Ted Dondlinger from Westside High School, for a conversation about emotional resilience, educator well-being, and the power of teachers supporting teachers. The episode highlights Westside High School’s ongoing use of Elena Aguilar’s book Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators and its accompanying workbook. Ted shares how the work began during a difficult post-COVID season, when he was searching for something that could help him and his colleagues process the weight of the work and reconnect with hope, purpose, and one another. What started as a book study has grown into a meaningful, recurring space for reflection, connection, and support among educators. Elena shares the story behind Onward, including how her decades of experience as a teacher, coach, and leader shaped her focus on educator resilience, burnout, agency, compassion, gratitude, and belonging. She explains why the book is organized around the rhythm of the school year and how its monthly structure helps educators return to the practices they need at different points in the year. This episode is a powerful reminder that educator well-being is not simply an individual responsibility. It is strengthened through connection, shared language, purposeful reflection, and school cultures where educators are invited to care for themselves and one another. Resources Mentioned Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar https://www.brightmorningteam.com/resources/books/onward The Onward Workbook: Daily Activities to Cultivate Your Emotional Resilience and Thrive by Elena Aguilar https://www.brightmorningteam.com/resources/books/onward Elena Aguilar’s work on transformational coaching and educator resilience https://www.brightmorningteam.com/ Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska https://whs.westside66.org/