Teachers in Transition: Career Change and Real Talk for Burned-Out Teachers

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt like teaching has become one long marathon...where everyone expects you to sprint? In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa shares an unexpected lesson from a 3,000-mile solo road trip. She planned to write, record podcasts, and make progress on her business. Instead, she spent most of the trip managing recovery, sleep, hydration, and a very opinionat...

Send us Fan Mail What if one of the best career lessons for teachers came from a 1993 comedy? In this Moviesode, we're looking at Dave , starring Kevin Kline—not as a political movie, but as a modern fairy tale about leadership, service, and remembering that every job is temporary. As Dave unexpectedly steps into one of the most powerful roles in the world, he doesn't rely on political e...

Send us Fan Mail This week’s encore episode covers three very different—but deeply connected—parts of surviving and transitioning out of teaching: finding laughter where you can, helping people understand invisible learning differences, and getting honest about the financial realities of leaving the classroom. First, Vanessa makes the case for laughter as more than a pleasant distraction. A real l...

Send us Fan Mail Why do so many teachers get sick the minute summer break starts? In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa Jackson explores the “teacher flu,” summer burnout recovery, the reality of unpaid summer labor, and practical ways educators can use AI in a job search without expecting it to do the whole transition for them. ***  Raise your hand if you have ever made it to summer...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa explores how the books we loved when we were young helped shape what we notice, value, question, and carry into adulthood AND how our own stories  can help us write a better resume. From Erma Bombeck and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple to Nancy Drew, The Boxcar Children, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Divergent, and...

Send us Fan Mail LinkedIn isn't just a job board anymore. In this episode, Vanessa Jackson explains why LinkedIn has become the world's largest professional Rolodex and what teachers need to do differently in 2026 to be found by recruiters and hiring managers.  In the Perspective Pivot, Vanessa answers the question no one was a asking: What does a Sharpie marker have to do with healing,...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Teachers in Transition, Vanessa Jackson explores the exhaustion that comes from navigating modern educational systems — from locked doors and “performative safety” to Teacher Incentive Allotment frustrations, burnout, networking, and why so many teachers feel emotionally depleted by May. What begins as a bizarre experience trying to enter a secured school campus turns...

Send us Fan Mail What do traffic jams, poker strategy, and applicant tracking systems have in common? More than you’d think. In this episode, Vanessa unpacks decision-making under uncertainty—why the “fastest” route isn’t always the best one, and how both life and job searches can punish us for not being able to predict the future. We talk GPS stress, Annie Duke’s poker-based decision framework, n...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Teachers in Transition , Vanessa Jackson explores the warning signs teachers learn to ignore — in our bodies, our stress levels, and our careers. What started as a routine dental cleaning turned into an unexpected root canal… and a much bigger realization about burnout, chronic stress, and how educators become experts at functioning while damaged. Vanessa shares the s...

Send us Fan Mail Teacher Appreciation Week is here… but what do teachers actually need? In this episode of Teachers in Transition , we go beyond pizza parties, jeans passes, and “heroes work here” posters to have a real conversation about appreciation vs. value. If you’ve ever felt seen for a week but stretched thin the rest of the year, this one is for you. We break down: Why “Teachers are heroes...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Vanessa talks about a tax no one warns teachers about: the hidden toll of testing season. If you are extra tired right now, emotionally thin, strangely drained, or wondering why you still feel exhausted after a weekend, this episode is for you. She also shares a practical Teacher Hack for tired humans and explains why many educators who find this show are already in the...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re a teacher thinking about leaving the classroom but feeling stuck because you “don’t know what you would do,” this episode is for you.     In this episode, Vanessa breaks down one of the biggest myths in career transition—that teachers don’t have transferable skills—and explains why the real issue isn’t a lack of skills… it’s a lack of visibility.   You’ll also get a simp...

Send us Fan Mail Teachers are more valuable than you’ve been told, and if you feel like you’ve lost your sparkle, it might not be you… it might just be the lighting.   This week, Vanessa shares a story about Llanite , one of the rarest rocks on Earth (found only near Llano, Texas), and why it’s the perfect metaphor for teachers whose skills have been overlooked for so long they’ve started to overl...

Send us Fan Mail An AI robot named Plato got pitched as the future of classrooms… and Vanessa is not buying it. In this episode, she breaks down why teaching can’t be automated, why things like Plato keep showing up, shares a junk-mail hack that saves your sanity, and walks you through the resume tactic that helps employers understand your better. What You’ll Hear in This Episode Why “AI works whe...

Send us Fan Mail Ever been told, “You’re just a teacher”… and felt your stomach drop? This episode is your reminder that “just a teacher” is not a truth — it’s a label that makes your skills invisible. In today’s Moviesode, Vanessa uses the 1988 film Working Girl to unpack what happens when someone is wildly capable… but kept out of the room because they don’t have the right title, credentials, or...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re a burned-out teacher wondering how to leave teaching but you don’t have clarity yet, this episode is your nervous system’s permission slip to slow down and get oriented—before you start “fixing your resume” for a job you don’t even want. Vanessa connects Brendan Fraser’s comeback story to something teachers know in their bones: you can’t self-care your way out of an unsa...

Send us Fan Mail Why do capable teachers often feel anxious about leaving the classroom?  It may have less to do with confidence and more to do with cognitive overload.   In this episode of Teachers in Transition, Vanessa explores the connection between confidence, anxiety, and cognitive overload, and why teachers often carry an impossible amount of mental tracking in their daily work. You’ll also...

Send us Fan Mail What do pancakes have to do with changing careers? More than you might think. Anyone who has ever made pancakes knows the truth: the first pancake is almost always a mess. The pan isn’t quite hot enough. The batter spreads oddly. You flip it too soon or too late. And yet… we never panic about the first pancake. We expect it. So why do we expect perfection when we’re trying somethi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition, we’re talking about the fear that shows up when you’re ready to leave teaching—and what to do when you’ve been applying for jobs and hearing nothing back. You’ll learn how to stop letting fear run the show, how to steady your nervous system enough to make clear decisions, and how to shift your job search strategy so you’re not relying onl...

Send us Fan Mail Big Rocks, Small Peeps, and What ATS Systems Really Do to Teacher Resumes In this episode, Vanessa talks about the physics of “yes” and “no,” how scope creep quietly expands your workload, a Peeps-inspired morale hack, and a deep dive into how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) actually interpret teacher resumes outside the classroom. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything...

Send us Fan Mail What if being labeled “difficult” wasn’t a flaw — but a sign that you refused to walk away from your integrity? In this episode of Teachers in Transition, Vanessa continues her anti-shame crusade with a powerful conversation about boundaries, conviction, and why educators who speak up are often misunderstood. Inspired by Toby Ziegler from The West Wing , this episode explores how...

Send us Fan Mail Many teachers don’t leave the classroom and instantly feel better—because your nervous system doesn’t clock out just because you did. In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa unpacks Complex PTSD (CPTSD) in a practical, non-diagnostic way: how chronic stress, constant vigilance, emotional suppression, boundary erosion, perfectionism, and moral injury can train your body...

Send us Fan Mail Are you a teacher who feels constantly stressed, exhausted, or overwhelmed—but can’t quite explain why it feels so heavy?   In this episode of Teachers in Transition, Vanessa Jackson uses a familiar question— “On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?” —to explore how teachers slowly normalize burnout, emotional overload, and chronic stress without realizing how much it’s costi...

Send us Fan Mail Boundaries, Burnout, and Why You Shouldn’t Write Scripted Lesson Plans at Home” Are you a teacher on the edge of burnout, wondering if your skills have value outside the classroom? You're not alone—and this encore episode is for you. In this encore presentation, Vanessa Jackson dives into lessons we can learn from the late, great Carrie Fisher (yes, General Leia), especially...

Send us Fan Mail Originally aired in May 2024, this encore episode might just be more relevant now in January 2026. If your New Year energy already feels like it’s running on fumes, take this as your permission slip to pause. Vanessa explores the emotional and physical exhaustion teachers face—and how lack of sleep, overcommitment, and guilt get tangled together. She shares a powerful metaphor abo...