Balancing School Leadership & Wellbeing: A Principal's Guide to Sustainable Leadership with Dr. Nick Davies

In this episode of The Principal's Handbook,  Dr. Nick Davies (2024 Washington Assistant Principal of the Year) who shares strategies for maintaining wellbeing while serving as a school leader. Dr. Davies emphasizes two key areas for preventing burnout: maximizing work effectiveness through clear systems and priorities, and disconnecting from work to maintain personal wellness.

He introduces a powerful alignment exercise that helps leaders connect their core values, goals, and passions, while also stressing the importance of mindfulness practices and basic health fundamentals like sleep, exercise, and healthy eating. The episode concludes with a discussion about how principals who model good work-life balance can positively impact their entire school community, particularly in retaining teachers and creating a healthier work environment.

Connect with Nick on Linkedin HERE

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Check out Barb's Instagram @BarbFlowersCoaching HERE for more tips and strategies!

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Click HERE to get a Free Checklist for Disconnecting from School

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

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Balancing School Leadership & Wellbeing: A Principal's Guide to Sustainable Leadership with Dr. Nick Davies