Episode Details

Title: What to Do When You Fall Off Track as a Teacher (No Shame Required)

Maybe you set a goal to leave school by a certain time, or to finally hold a boundary, or to do something that would help you live the life you actually want, inside and outside the classroom. Then a week or two later, you look up and you're completely off track. If that's you, there's nothing wrong with you. This is what happens when we're working against years of patterns, and it's more common than you think.

This is part 3 of a 3-part replay series pulled from the exact episodes that came out with my book two years ago, and they still hold up completely. We're covering the third and final step of the Inside-Out Teacher Framework: Align. Part 1 covered observing yourself, part 2 covered choosing your direction, and this episode is about what actually happens when you fall off track from what you chose, and how to get back on track without the guilt spiral.

WATCH the podcast episode here: https://youtu.be/m1uGVKn-9Nc

What Falling Off Track Actually Means (And Why It's Not a Failure)

If you've ever set an intentional schedule, a morning routine, or a boundary and then fallen right back into old habits, this episode is for you. You'll hear why the goal was never to do it perfectly, what "comeback rate" means and why it matters more than never falling off in the first place, and why community is one of the most overlooked parts of staying aligned with the life you want as a teacher.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

The difference between alignment and balance, why falling off track is a normal part of building new habits and not a sign you're doing something wrong, how to trade judgment for curiosity when you notice you've gotten off course, why owning your wins matters just as much as noticing where you slipped, the marble jar method for training your brain to keep going, and why finding the right community can make or break whether you actually stick with the changes you're trying to make.

New episodes of the podcast officially relaunched September 25th, and I'm hosting a masterclass at the end of October that goes even deeper into this framework. Get on the Teacher Brain Break newsletter so you don't miss either one.

Episode Timestamps

0:00 Why falling off track a week or two after setting a goal is so common

0:58 Podcast intro

1:05 Welcome to part 3, quick recap of observe and choose

2:00 What "observe" really means, a quick refresher

3:03 Fixating on what's outside our control vs. what we can actually observe

4:00 Leading from the inside out, and what's coming as new episodes launch

5:00 Why this is becoming a YouTube-first podcast

6:00 Comment for a chance to win a signed copy of the book

7:00 Coming off book launch week

8:00 Reader story: Hannah Guajardo, "clarity for my brain"

8:56 Endorsements from Gaspar Randazzo and Malia Hollowell

9:36 Reader story: Sarah Snyder, "my village"

10:00 Quick recap of observe and choose, then into align

11:07 Reading the book's "Align Yourself" section intro, the compass metaphor

11:47 Alignment vs. balance, and why this framework holds up as new tools get added

12:47 The tools that live under align: scheduling, routines, vision boards, boundaries

13:30 The habit tracker, ideal week, and urgent/important worksheets

14:03 Why you're not meant to do this perfectly, and the "comeback rate"

15:00 Trading judgment for curiosity when you notice you're off track

15:36 What increasing your comeback rate actually looks like

16:07 Why owning your wins matters (our brains default to the negativity bias)

16:47 The daily "three wins" worksheet

17:12 Giving yourself the same positive reinforcement you'd give a student

17:42