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

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa Jackson explores the mindset of optimism and pessimism, how these perspectives shape our decisions, and how they influence career transitions. With a mix of humor, self-reflection, and insightful analysis, she shares personal anecdotes about her own tendencies, from hoarding supplies and skills to embracing lifelong learning. Van...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Vanessa focuses on managing stress, understanding the impact of yelling, and keeping up with evolving resume trends. Designed for educators transitioning to new career paths, this episode provides actionable insights and practical tips. In Our Segment on Stress Management:   Vanessa talks about how yelling, whether literal or metaphorical, can activate stress responses...

Send us Fan Mail In the segment on stress management, Vanessa starts with a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh, using the metaphor of a leaf's journey to emphasize resilience, adaptability, and interconnectedness. We are leaves on the wind.     Our hack today is all about how phoning a friend can make things better using basic math principles.  And in the segment on career transition and job search, Va...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa explores the top transferable skills that teachers already possess, making them highly competitive for jobs in 2025. These skills include emotional intelligence (EQ), data literacy, adaptability, project management, strong communication, and problem-solving. Vanessa explains how these abilities align with various career paths outside of education, such as...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast episode, Vanessa mixes of storytelling, sci-fi references, and actionable advice to emphasize the transformative power of discomfort in personal and professional development. Inspired by Michael Easter’s quote, “Do not go too comfortably into 2025,” She shares actionable strategies and personal stories that demonstrate how stepping outside our comfort zones leads t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa Jackson reflects on the often underestimated impact educators have on their students and communities, even when the recognition doesn't come immediately. She shares a personal story of reconnecting with a former student, realizing the lasting effect her teaching had – even when it wasn’t best teaching. Vanessa encourages tea...

Send us Fan Mail Vanessa explores the fascinating philosophical question of identity through the lens of the Ship of Theseus, connecting it to modern-day concepts like biological renewal, trauma's lingering effects, and societal perceptions. Drawing on inspiration from Gretchen Rubin's "Little Happier" segment and Marvel's WandaVision, Vanessa argues that identity evolves...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa interviews Rebecca Branstetter PhD, creator of the Thriving Students Collective, the Thrive-o-gram, and author of several books, including her new one:  Small Habits, Big Change. Vanessa and Rebecca talk about using the Thriveogram quiz to determine your archetype and how to use that as a springboard to effectively use the habits in the book, tailored to y...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa shares a personal milestone as her son earns his welding certificate, highlighting the rewarding opportunities available in skilled trades. She challenges the traditional “college equals success” mindset, emphasizing the value of career-focused paths that lead to stability and immediate employability in high-demand fields like welding, electrical work, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa Jackson explores the parallels between teaching and acting, inspired by John Lovitz’s "master thespian" character on Saturday Night Live . Vanessa delves into how educators often put on a performance—acting like everything is fine when it’s not, faking enthusiasm, and carrying the weight of stress alone. She emphasizes...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa explores the challenges introverted teachers face in extroverted environments and provides actionable advice for achieving personal and professional goals in the new year. Vanessa begins by celebrating the strengths of both introverts and extroverts, emphasizing the value each brings to education. She highlights the unique struggles introverted teachers fa...

Send us Fan Mail The holiday season is a whirlwind of activity, especially for teachers juggling classroom responsibilities, family obligations, and festive preparations. In this episode, we dive into the unique challenges of this time of year, offering insights on managing stress, preventing burnout, and embracing imperfection. Discover practical self-care tips to protect your well-being, like sc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa interviews her daughter, Michaela Riggs, about life growing up as a teacher.  Got questions for Michaela?  Send those to TeachersinTransitionCoaching@gmail.com   Save the Date!  The next resume workshop will be on November 24th at 2:00 Central time.  In this resume, you’ll learn the important pieces of a resume, how to write a resume that will get noticed,...

Send us Fan Mail However, the rapid rise came with challenges. Away faced scrutiny when reports surfaced about a challenging internal culture, revealing issues in leadership style, communication, and employee well-being. Some of this was rooted in apparent disconnect between stated core values and the actual practice of those values. This mismatch in values and mission added to a hostile atmospher...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa explores the growing gap between teachers’ expectations and the realities of today’s education system. She addresses the frustrations many teachers feel working in an environment that can sometimes feel like “child storage” rather than a place for true learning, where policies like social promotion often outweigh actual educational goals. Today’s mental he...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition , host Vanessa Jackson explores how to spend the "in-between times" in a way that reflects and supports your mental health. Drawing inspiration from a memoir by the bass player of her favorite band, Vanessa shares insights on how intentional activities during downtime can either enhance or drain our well-being.  Vanessa also shar...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa explores the calming power of art therapy—focusing on personal, creative outlets that bring peace and balance. From quilting to painting, art offers a way to soothe the mind and combat stress. We also touch on the importance of reducing social media distractions, particularly in the face of online toxicity. Plus, we discuss five...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Teachers in Transition , Vanessa Jackson discusses the often overwhelming feelings teachers experience, especially during tough times of the year. Vanessa reflects on the importance of recognizing these feelings as signals for change and personal growth, using the metaphor of crustaceans shedding their shells and the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which highlights im...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa talks about the effects of leadership on our mental health, a hack that might be both a hack and a job hunting tip about your email account, and finally we’ll talk about why your frustrations with the application process might not be about you at all.   And remember to send your comments, stories, and random thoughts to me at TeachersinTransitionCoaching@g...

Send us Fan Mail Today on the podcast Vanessa talks using a To-Don’t list as a way to ward off stress and improve resilience, a quick hack with magnets that creates beauty and safety and a continuation of potential interview question.  In part4 of that mini-series this week, Vanessa touches on some unusually questions that might get thrown at you.  Here are the questions from today’s Part IV:   1....

Send us Fan Mail Today on the podcast Vanessa talks about the cyclical nature of life and of job searches, she shares a recommendation from another podcast where they talk about interviewing and interviewing skills. Finally she goes through part three of her series on interview questions and things to think about when answering them.      Another song video from my favorite band about the cyclical...

Send us Fan Mail My apologies on the late drop and the delay with the transcript.  The internet in my area was not functioning as it should have been. Today on the podcast Vanessa talks a little about scorpions and how they can teach us how important it is to take are of ourselves, she shares a hack on increasing happiness while letting others around us know how much they mean to us, and we got ov...

Send us Fan Mail Today on the podcast Vanessa revisits the topic of Imposter Syndrome in a little more detail and shares some strategies to reframe those negative thoughts and feelings. She shares a couple of hacks unrelated to each other, but one of them has applications with frozen meat AND laptops.  And  Vanessa goes over some trickier, but common interview questions with some suggestions on ho...

Send us Fan Mail Today on the podcast we talk about Carrie Fisher – and why we should be more like Carrie!  In our Teacher Hack segment I talk about how to clear some brain, and I have a bonus segment this week about drawing a boundary.  Finally in our job hunting segment I talk about how to determine what skills you need when you have decided on which  Here’s a link to Carrie Fisher’s first memoi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Vanessa sits down with author, Starr Sackstein to talk about her new book, “Making an Impact Outside the Classroom” which is a book that explores when teachers may have lost their joy in the classroom and who might want to look at different options.  Vanessa shares a little hack to help you up that book count!     Links:  Starr’s TED Talk   and YouTube channel Her...