Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

.This is the second episode in Chanie Wilschanski’s Six Money Leaks series, and it’s all about a leak that quietly drains thousands from your school each year, schedule efficiency. Your payroll is your biggest expense, which means inefficiencies in your staffing schedule are some of the most expensive mistakes you can make. From unnecessary shift overlaps to inconsistent break cover...

Turn Underused Classrooms, Time Blocks, and Facilities Into Predictable Profit With Systems That Last This episode kicks off Chanie Wilschanski’s Six Money Leaks series, diving deep into the first profit drain most school leaders overlook: space optimization. Your school building’s square footage is either making money or silently draining it. If your classrooms feel full but your b...

In this solo episode, Chanie Wilschanski unpacks Three Money Truths every school leader must face in 2025. If your classrooms are full, your team is in place, and your calendar is set but you’re still feeling financial, mental, and emotional pressure you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re likely experiencing what Chanie calls survival success : a quiet, creeping strain that comes from hitting the...

In this strategic episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, Chanie Wilschanski sits down with longtime industry expert Kathy Ligon , founder of Hinge Advisors and the BOOST nonprofit initiative, to unpack what it truly takes to lead a financially sustainable school—without compromising your mission. Together, they explore how school leaders can align mission, metrics, and money, and why profit...

Most school leaders have said: “We just need to get on the same page.” But what if that phrase is actually sabotaging your culture, creating false harmony, and leaving you exhausted from holding standards alone? In this episode, Chanie dismantles the “same page” myth and explains why schools thrive on shared standards , not passive agreements. You’ll learn how to create clarity, build ownership, a...

In this client spotlight episode, Chanie Wilschanski sits down with longtime coaching client Niki Van Cleave, owner of Butterfly Bunch in Metro Detroit, to explore what it means to lead a school with sustainable systems, real accountability, and operational clarity—especially during seasons of personal and professional upheaval. Niki’s leadership journey spans two centers, a season of grief, incre...

As the school year gains momentum, it's easy for school leaders to fall into survival mode—abandoning the very rhythms that anchor sustainable growth, effective school operations, and confident leadership. In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast , Chanie Wilschanski breaks down the essential distinction between anchors and enhancers, and why understanding this difference is critical f...

In this timely solo episode, Chanie Wilschanski shares a powerful leadership truth every school owner and director needs to hear as the new year begins: what you tolerate in August becomes the culture you’re stuck managing by February. This isn’t just a motivational pep talk—it’s a wake-up call. As classrooms buzz with fresh energy and bulletin boards get a glow-up, your old leadership reflexes st...

From Burnout to Boundaries: Redefining Female Leadership in Private Education In this deeply honest and emotionally resonant episode, Chanie Wilschanski invites female school leaders into a transformative conversation about the “impossible standard” of leadership in education. She explores the emotional labor women carry, how over-functioning and people-pleasing lead to burnout, and why leading wi...

“Tough conversations aren’t about fixing everything immediately — they’re about understanding each other enough to keep moving forward.” What does it really mean to be present in a tough conversation? In this episode, we explore how presence—not just words or timing—shapes the quality and outcome of difficult conversations in leadership and relationships. Key takeaways: Why fully showing up physic...

“When enrollment is low, you don’t hire a marketing agency. You examine your identity.” What do you do when your enrollment numbers drop—but you know you're running a powerful, heart-centered program? In this episode, we unpack what it takes to rebuild enrollment without defaulting to expensive ad agencies or slick marketing campaigns. Key Takeaways Why throwing money at marketing is rarely the fi...

 “If you don’t decide or name the intention, the season will decide for you.” How do you move from chaotic, catch-up summers to ones that genuinely renew your family and your leadership? In this behind-the-scenes episode, Chanie shares the intentional framework her family uses to plan summers that serve as a map for the year ahead—grounding their values, relationships, and rhythms.  Key...

“Essentials are not what’s in your handbook. They’re what you do under pressure.” What do you protect when you're overwhelmed—not in a crisis, but in the daily fog of leadership? In this episode, Chanie explores the crucial distinction between what's urgent and what's truly essential —and why many leaders are still swirling in chaos, despite their experience and commitment. Key Takeaways : When we...

“We don’t light candles because we’re ready. We light them because it’s time.” What if energy isn’t something you wait for—but something you create? In this episode, Chanie opens up about walking through profound personal grief while still leading a team, running a business, and showing up for others. She explores the surprising shift that helped her lead from a place of clarity, even when she fel...

“You can delegate work, but you cannot delegate trust.” You’ve done everything right—checklists created, SOPs in place, team hired and trained. So why does it still feel like you’re the glue holding everything together? This episode is for the leader who has mastered structure but is still shouldering the soul of the school. We’re unpacking the hidden weight leaders carry, why systems alone aren’t...

How do you keep leading when life knocks you down? Grief, loss, and hardship don’t pause for leadership responsibilities—and yet, as school owners and leaders, we’re expected to keep showing up, making decisions, and guiding our teams, even in the midst of personal pain. In this deeply moving and powerful episode, I sit down with Evelyn Knight—TEDx speaker, childcare business coach, and center own...

You’ve checked the boxes. ✅ Built the center. ✅ Hired the team. ✅ Filled the classrooms ✅ Hit the revenue goals. On paper, everything looks like a dream. So why does it still feel… heavy? In today’s conversation, I sit down with school owner Bri McCarty for a powerful and honest look at the evolution of leadership—from proving and performing to leading with peace, clarity, and purpose. We expl...

What if the biggest difference between stress and stability wasn’t strategy—but emotional maturity? In this powerful episode, we explore how emotionally mature leaders rise above chaos, drama, and second-guessing to lead with confidence and clarity. From gossip and manipulation to inconsistent behavior and reactive decisions, emotionally immature environments drain energy and sabotage growth. But...

If drama keeps showing up in your school—it’s not a people problem, it’s a design problem. In this episode, Chanie unpacks how school leaders can move from managing chaos to designing a culture where drama simply can’t survive. Using real (anonymized) stories from our work with school leaders, Chanie breaks down five signs of drama-fueled leadership—like gossip, victimhood, and constant complainin...

What if you had a Culture Decoder — a way to see exactly why your school feels stuck in constant chaos? Every day, you're bombarded with decisions, interruptions, and team confusion. It's not just exhausting — it's cultural. The truth is, your school culture runs on hidden systems. And when those systems are reactive and unclear, maintenance becomes a drain instead of a strength. In the fourth epi...

The sixth and final episode in the 5 Gears series, today’s episode focuses on the Strategic Growth Gear. This episode looks a little different from others in the series because strategic growth is not just about building other systems or how to optimize other systems — it's about really understanding when and how to expand your impact. You’ll learn the four distinct paths of growth: Internal – Str...

Imagine if parents didn't just receive updates — they became your biggest champions. Let me tell you a story. For years, schools have been playing an exhausting game of "communicate and hope." Newsletters flying into inboxes. Random app notifications. Sporadic event invites. Parents scrolling, sighing, deleting. But what if there was a different way? A way where parents lean IN instead of tune OUT...

The fourth in the 5 Gears series, this episode dives deep into the Staff Culture Gear.  Here’s a surprising truth about staff culture: It's not just about having great benefits or competitive pay. A comprehensive retention ecosystem goes beyond the basics. Using Schools of Excellence’s Retention Intelligence Framework, we examine how school leaders can build an environment where staff can thr...

Why do some schools effortlessly attract families while others struggle — despite offering the same features, pricing, and programs? The secret isn’t more Facebook ads or another website refresh. It’s identity. In this game-changing episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, I sit down with marketing expert Veronica Romney , author of Identity Marketing , to break down why schools that market w...

Warren Buffett famously said: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who has been swimming naked.” Right now, the financial tide is going out. And many school leaders are about to be exposed. MYTH: As long as your school is mostly full, you're financially healthy. Many school leaders believe that high enrollment equals financial success. When your classrooms are full and parents seem happy,...