Many school leaders reach a stage where things are “running.”

Schedules hold. Classrooms open. Systems work.

And yet — they’re still looped into decisions they thought were delegated.

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast, Chanie Wilschanski names the critical difference between a school that can run without its leader and a school that can think without its leader — and why most leadership burnout lives in that gap.

You’ll learn why delegation alone doesn’t create freedom, how discernment stays trapped inside the owner’s body, and what it actually takes to externalize thinking so leadership weight doesn’t default upward.

This conversation is especially for school leaders who feel tired even though they’re “not doing that much anymore.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. The difference between a school that runs and a school that thinks
2. Why leaders get pulled back in even after delegating well
3. What discernment really is — and why it can’t stay centralized
4. How leaders over-function without realizing it
5. Why rhythms (not reassurance) redistribute thinking
6. What has to be shared before leadership can truly step back

This episode reframes leadership freedom — not as leaving sooner, but as staying long enough to teach the school how to interpret reality without you.

If this episode named the invisible weight you’re carrying, you’re not behind — you’re in a stage most leaders don’t even realize exists.

You can download Chapter 1 of This Can’t Be Normal for free and read it privately, without pressure or urgency.

👉 Download Chapter 1: thiscantbenormal.com

Leadership doesn’t unravel because you did something wrong.

It unravels because disruption is inevitable — and most school leaders were never taught what to return to when it arrives.

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast, This Can’t Be Normal author Chanie Wilschanski names the hidden forces that quietly destabilize even the strongest schools — after the systems are built, the team is capable, and the fires are mostly quiet.

Many school leaders reach a stage where things look good on paper… yet still feel fragile underneath. This episode explains why that tension exists — and why stability doesn’t come from tighter control, more systems, or more oversight.

You’ll learn the three disruptive forces that every school leader faces (and cannot prevent), why disruption isn’t a personal failure, and what mature leadership looks like when growth brings uncertainty instead of calm.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why strong systems alone don’t guarantee stability
2. The three disruptive forces that impact every school (earthquake, wind, fog)
3. Why disruption feels personal — even when it isn’t
4. What school leaders must return to when change destabilizes the team
5. How rhythms, not control, restore steadiness during growth

This conversation is for school leaders who have done “everything right” — and still feel the weight when change arrives.

If this episode named something you’ve felt but couldn’t articulate, you’re not alone.

You can download Chapter 1 of This Can’t Be Normal — free — and read it privately, slowly, and without urgency.

👉 Download Chapter 1: thiscantbenormal.com

Many school leaders ask for consistency.

What they’re really asking is:

What holds when I’m tired?

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, Chanie explores why leadership often breaks down on ordinary days — not in moments of crisis — and why motivation, systems, and training alone can’t carry culture, standards, or accountability.

This conversation introduces one of the most important leadership distinctions:

Systems create structure.

Standards create clarity.

Only rhythms create safety.

You’ll hear:

1. Why leadership that depends on energy and motivation is unsustainable
2. What rhythms are — and what they are not
3. How predictable patterns shape behavior more than policies or explanations
4. Why teams follow what happens consistently, not what’s written
5. How rhythms reduce over-functioning and restore shared ownership
6. Why leaders often resist rhythms — and where real relief actually lives

If things only work when you’re watching, reminding, or rescuing, this episode will help you understand why and what’s missing.

📘 Download Chapter One of This Can’t Be Normal

Explore the deeper leadership patterns behind over-functioning, exhaustion, and invisible weight thiscantbenormal.com