My Story: From Burnout to Balance
I've always been drawn to guiding, learning, and sharing knowledge. Even as a kid, I played “school” for fun, fascinated by the process of discovery. My journey as an educator began with adventure—teaching abroad in London, England, then in Italy. In 2006, I returned home and secured a permanent position with my school board. At first, I thrived. Creativity flowed, and I felt deeply engaged in my work. But by 2014, something shifted.
By 2018, I found myself longing for something different. I moved back to Italy, opened a yoga studio, and stepped into a version of myself that felt lighter, freer. I built a thriving business, experienced less stress, and discovered I wasn’t just a teacher—I was an entrepreneur.
Then, COVID hit. My family and I moved back to Canada, and suddenly, I was back in the classroom. But I had changed. The spark I once had for teaching in the traditional sense had dimmed. I found myself counting down to early retirement, dreaming of my return to Italy. Every. Single. Day. The truth was, my energy and heart just weren’t in the classroom anymore. And that felt like failure. I carried guilt for not being the teacher who lived for the job, who thrived on student interactions, who found endless joy in the classroom. But then, I realized something important: I had to honour my feelings. And that was okay.
By December 2023, I was at my lowest point professionally—exhausted, uninspired, and questioning everything. Teaching in the traditional sense was depleting me, while my side work—teaching yoga and building my Ayurveda business—made me feel alive. It didn’t make sense to me how someone who teaches about balance and well-being could be drowning in burnout. My body was sending warning signs—twitching eyes, constant illness, emotional exhaustion—but I wasn’t listening. Then, in January, something shifted. I realized I couldn’t keep carrying the same heavy energy into work. I had to integrate what I had learned from holistic wellness into my teaching life. These two worlds—education and well-being—could no longer exist separately for me.
Teacher burnout is real. Teacher guilt is real. We are constantly bombarded with impossible expectations—perfect classrooms, perfect lessons, perfect attitudes. But let’s be real: just because we don’t only identify as teachers doesn’t mean we don’t care. It doesn’t mean we don’t change lives. It doesn’t mean we don’t have our students’ best interests at heart. It simply means we are human.
Now, my mission is clear: To help teachers remember that they are more than their job. That their well-being matters. That joy isn’t just found in or out of the classroom—it starts from within. It starts with the daily, intentional practices that make us feel grounded, grateful, hopeful, and energized. This is the work that changed my life. And now, I’m here to share it with you.