Leading with both collaboration and expertise is hard. Too much of one can erode the other. Iโve been reflecting on that balance & how gender & transparency shape it.
#leadership #collaboration #womensleadership #transparency
This week, both kids were home sick. I made two pots of soup. The sky stayed gray. The work got real. Nothing dramatic, but something was shifting under the surface. I wrote about it. Two Pots of Soup, Weather, Work, and the Rest of It
#writinglife #reflection #lifelately #slowliving #personalesay
โIโm starting to see my journals less as records and more as terrain.โWhat if the old journals stacked in your closet werenโt just diariesโbut a kind of map? This piece is the beginning of a pilgrimage: A return to myselfbefore the love story
#Reflection #narrartive #story #growth
โLeadership is not about control. Itโs about creating spaces where people can tell their truths, and from those truths, imagine something new together.โ From "Like a Poet: A Personal Theory of Change in Five Movements" If you're holding space for transformation may this offer something meaningful.
Marriage Is an Infrastructure, Divorce an Excavation: When I left my marriage, I didnโt expect to lose the shape of my community, the texture of my days, or the ease of knowing where the salt lived in the kitchen. Read my essay to learn more.
Last week brought grief. The dismantling of the Dept. of Ed is not abstract to meโit's personal, it's about kids. I wrote through the anxiety, remembering Germany, my grandfathers, and what it means to stay in hard conversations. #Writing #Resistance #Hope
Iโve been thinking about the years I lived in Germany, how the history I encountered there feels relevant now. I used to imagine I wouldโve joined the resistance.Now, as an American, I wonder what choices Iโm making. #Resistance #Memory #WhatWeCarry #HistoryAndNow
What if childcare directors were seen as changemakers, not just managers? My latest piece explores how ECE leaders can drive equity + culture in early learning. #ECE #Leadership #Equity #CulturallyResponsive
I spent years interviewing early childhood educators. One voice still echoes: โPeople call us babysitters. Thatโs not what we do.โ This leader left direct service, and I wonder: where is she? Where is early childhood education headed? #ECE #Equity #EarlyLearning
What if leadership wasnโt about answers, but listening deeply enough to change the conversation? My elders taught me that leadership isnโt about titles. Itโs about connection. Coaching isnโt controlโitโs partnership. Are you making space to hear others, or just filling the silence?#LeadWithEmpathy
When do we get to claim an identity? When are we enough, as leaders, writers, or creators? Too often, we wait for titles or validation before stepping into who we already are. But leadership, like identity, is never finished. It evolves as we do.
Alt Text: A digital flyer with a dark red background promotes the "Save Our Services: LET US WORK Mass Call" event. The main text is in bold white and light blue, with "LET US WORK" in large, uppercase white letters and "MASS CALL" in bold outlined text. Below, the flyer highlights four featured speakers with circular headshots: Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Robert Reich (Former Secretary of Labor & Co-Founder of Inequality Media), Liz Shuler (President, AFL-CIO), and Maurice Mitchell (National Director, Working Families Party). The event is scheduled for Thursday, March 13th at 8PM ET / 5PM PT, with a call to action in bold: "Register: bit.ly/march13RSVP." On the left side, logos of supporting organizations are stacked vertically, including the Federal Unionists Network (FUN), AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), Working Families Party (WFP), and MoveOn. At the bottom, white text reads "+ more!!" indicating additional speakers. The flyer visually emphasizes urgency and collective action against federal worker layoffs.
๐จ Trump and Musk want to fire federal workers, gut public services, and hand our government to billionaires. Weโre not letting that happen.
๐ข Join us this Thursday at 8PM ET for a mass call to hear how we fight backโtogether.
Leading is personal. Who I am shapes the way I lead. Leadership isnโt just about strategy or efficiency; itโs about being aware of the impact I have. Leadership is a constant learning curve. #ReflectiveLeadership #InclusivePractices #CriticalPedagogy
When systems tighten their gripโthrough budget cuts, policy shifts, or fear-driven narrativesโitโs easy to feel stuck. Fight. Flight. Freeze. But what if leadership is also about building, even now?
#Leadership #BuildingForward #ResilientLeadership #NavigatingUncertainty #CultivatingChange
bell hooks (1994) reminds us that true leadershipโespecially in spaces like educationโis not about compliance. Itโs about transformation. Transformation takes time, reflection, and the ability to ask, "What are we actually trying to build here?"
Leadership in ECE is often overlookedโbut it shapes the future of early learning. Effective leaders foster collaboration, inclusivity, and growth. Leadership is deeply personal, shaped by values, experiences, and identity. When we lead with equity and reflection, we create lasting change.
Leadership in ECE isnโt just for directorsโitโs about influence.
Mentoring a colleague? Advocating for a child? Creating an inclusive classroom? That's leadership. My latest Substack explores how recognizing this can amplify your impact.#ECELeadership #TeacherLeadership #LeadWithImpact
Join Zaina Cahill for "Getting Involved: Practical Advocacy For Early Childhood Educators" on March 19, 5:30-6:30 PM, hosted by McNichol Early Childhood Education Lab.
Learn key policies, build an action plan, and connect with advocacy networks. A must for ECE advocatesโdon't miss it! #ECE #Advocacy