The Educator Wellness Revolution Podcast by EmpowerEd

This episode of the podcast is a little different. It's actually part two of a longer conversation about supporting students with anxiety. Because it was such a long conversation, we wanted to separate it. If you haven't listened to part one - go do that now . In it, we discuss why students are feeling so anxious right now, and how adults can either further the anxiety or help them throu...

For the next two episodes of the podcast - we are doing something a little different. As you know, we typically highlight educator perspectives on themes related wellness. Although this is incredibly valuable (and truly why we exist as a podcast), there are times when we need to get even wider in our view to incorporate the ways that educator, student and family wellness intersect with each o...

On this episode, we're diving deep into a topic that we hear about often from our community: the unique and often overwhelming wellness challenges facing SPED, or special education, teachers. Of course, we know that the work of supporting our most vulnerable students comes with immense rewards, but we are also incredibly aware of how the complex pressures on SPED teachers are leading to an alarmin...

Today on the podcast, we’re highlighting what we like to call the “teacher extraordinaire.” If you’ve spent much time in a school, you probably know at least one educator like this. They’re the teachers who, in addition to managing their own teaching load, somehow also find time to organize birthday cards, baby showers, and teacher appreciation treats. If your school has a sunshine or hospitality...

For our first episode of 2026, we're discussing a topic central to both student achievement and educator well-being: effective family engagement. We know families are essential for student success, but too often the pressure for this falls on individual teachers rather than being supported by a systematic approach that creates consistent, empathy-driven interactions. We were so lucky to speak with...

Today, we’re talking about something that may not sound exciting on the surface, but is deeply important for educator and school wellness: the state of our school buildings. In a city like Washington, DC—where some schools are actual historical buildings—facility maintenance requires constant upkeep. Yet, citywide systems break down far too often. Most of our schools grapple with ongoing facility...

We are so grateful for the conversation we're sharing today about creating a positive school culture. In our years of educator wellness experience, we've seen how a school's culture can make or break a teacher's well-being. And yet, even when we understand its importance, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly why one school is thriving while another feels "toxic," especially when they exist with...

For the next few episodes of the podcast, we're going to focus on the federal interventions that have been happening since September 8th in Washington, DC. The current administration is enacting daily physical and political violence through ICE raids and increased police presence which is causing immense harm to and instilling ongoing fear in our residents. At EmpowerEd, we've been talking a lot a...

Today on the podcast we discuss a topic that is vitally important during this moment of federal takeover and ICE presence in Washington, DC: how to take care of ourselves during moments of grief, loss and uncertainty. Sadly, we are living through a moment where family members of students are being kidnapped and there is unprecedented interference with our governance as a city. Many of us...

We are so excited to kick off our fourth season of the Educator Wellness Revolution with an episode about how to strengthen educator teaming for both wellness and results! From early on in our lives, we are taught the importance of teamwork for achieving a goal. There is no "I" in team right? And yet in education, where our goals are so incredibly important, we often lose sight of h...

We’re wrapping up Season Three with a topic that’s big, complex, and absolutely critical: special education in our city and beyond. Because here’s the hard truth—decades of reform haven’t been enough. Too many students are still falling through the cracks, and that’s unacceptable. Today, we’re diving into this conversation with two powerhouse advocates: LaJoy Johnson-Law, Ward 8’s elected member t...

In this episode of the podcast we are focusing on the specific wellness needs of "specials" or intercore teachers in Washington DC. "Specials" covers the arts, like music and visual arts, as well as P.E., library/media, language programming, STEM activities, and more. As many parents can attest, specials are often what our kids talk about most at the end of the day, and can provide the kind o...

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, everyone! We are so grateful for all the educators in Washington, DC and beyond! To celebrate properly, we wanted to focus this episode on ways to reimagine teacher appreciation week beyond traditional gestures like food and gifts. For this, we invited the amazing teachers and EmpowerEd Fellows and Board Members, Jackeline Peña and Gabrielle Dubose, to share the me...

We're doing something pretty different on today's podcast. As we struggle to figure out a response to recent federal changes, we want to focus a podcast episode on the role wellness can play in our activism. It's really important to us to make sure we don't lose sight of the wellness focus we know is so important, even when the world is on fire. As we pondered who to invite into the discussion, we...

On this episode, we're talking about a subject we're extremely passionate about at EmpowerEd: pedagogy and how it can be better used to support teachers. During a time in society when more and more students seem to be checking out, how can teachers keep them engaged? Further, how does this kind of professional development add to teacher wellness, rather than land as one more initiative. To have th...

For the third part of our series this winter on effective teacher mentorship, we wanted to examine the school leader mindsets that put a teacher mentorship program into practice in an actual school environment.  We were so excited to speak with Lucas Cooke, a DCPS Principal at MacFarland Middle School where EmpowerEd has partnered over the past few years. Principal Cooke was a longt...

At EmpowerEd, we believe quality mentorship is a crucial, and often overlooked, educator wellness support, and we are excited to be currently supporting mentorship programs in several of our partner schools. In this episode, we speak with Jen Briones, Deputy Director of Policy and Research for DC's State Board of Education. For those who don't know, the State Board of Education is the only elected...

We are kicking off 2025 with something new - a three-part series on successful educator mentorship. Over our years of school partnership, we have continually heard the desire for more peer-to-peer mentorship to support both the personal and professional growth of teachers. It turns out that research backs this up. Studies have shown that nearly 92% of first year teachers with mentors return f...

Hello and happy holidays! To close out an awesome year for the Educator Wellness Revolution, we wanted to share a few thoughts on how educators can get the most self-care out of their winter breaks. Gracy Obuchowicz, a long time self-care coach and Director of Educator Wellness for EmpowerEd, offers three perspectives to help you feel rested and ready to start 2025.  In particular, she s...

Today's podcast is a heavier one for us. The recent election results were challenging for a lot of people, and, as education advocates in Washington, DC, we are definitely having a lot of feelings. There is just no way to sugarcoat the many potential threats this new administration brings to our education system, and our personal safety, in our nation's capital. To make sense of what happened and...

On today's podcast, we discuss conflict resolution in schools. There isn't a human environment where conflict doesn't play a vital role in people-to-people interactions. However, schools are concentrated places of conflict learning as students work to gain self and relational awareness. To ensure this student learning happens in a structured, positive way, teachers need a framework and toolbox of...

On today's podcast, we're featuring one of our truly visionary partner schools. DC Wildflower is a public charter teacher-led microschool. They operate with a small, committed staff of teacher leaders in a house they've bought and renovated in Washington, DC's Ward 7 neighborhood. We are joined by two of DC Wildflower's educators. Ebony Marshman is a founding educator at Wildflower, and one of the...

Today's podcast episode is about self-awareness - what is (and isn't), and the ways it affects accountability within a school staff, and ultimately, a school building. For a while now, we've felt that the key to unlocking a better work environment is helping individuals cultivate more self-awareness. With self-awareness, we are better able to see our growth areas, coach our colleagues in meaningfu...

Today's episode is about the specific need for wellness support for Black educators. Here in Washington, DC, we are proud to say that 55% of our educators and 63% of our school leaders are Black. These educators bring a huge wealth of experience and dedication to our school system, and provide essential support and mentorship to DC's Black students. And yet, despite DC's rich history and legacy of...

Welcome back to the Educator Wellness Revolution! We are so happy to be back to start our third season of the podcast! We decided to focus this first episode of our season on a concept we call human centered leadership. Over the past month, we've been able to work with a few leadership teams in our partner schools. In these sessions, we've explored how narrow definitions of leadership can impede s...