Positively Leading

Curious to know if you are Thriving, Surviving or Stuck? Click here!
In this episode, Jenny Cole completes the trio of energy sources from her career decision-making matrix with the one most people underestimate: working style. Using the DISC framework, she unpacks the four styles, what energises and drains each one, and why nice people can inadvertently wear each other out. Jenny shares her own lightbulb moment, along with a coaching story about a principal, a kindy relocation and a simple shift in language that got the job done fast.
She then ties working style back to the energy versus impact matrix, showing how a style mismatch can leave you overwhelmed or underutilised. With a reminder that no style is better than another, Jenny invites you to notice where your style is honoured and where you're fighting against it.
Did you know there is more? You can access every episode, show notes, links and more via my website Positively Beaming.

Curious to know if you are Thriving, Surviving or Stuck? Click here!
Why do some days leave you buzzing while others leave you flat? In this episode of Positively Leading, Jenny Cole explores the second of the three energy sources from the career decision-making matrix in Teach, Lead or Leave: your values. Jenny explains the difference between the aspirational words on the front office wall and the real values you feel in your body when someone treads on them, and why that tight chest in a staff meeting is often a value being stepped on rather than a sign that you're "the problem". Through personal stories and client examples, she shows how values act as your roots when schools keep shifting, and how misalignment can quietly drain your energy and keep you stuck.
Grab your journal for three powerful questions to uncover your values, plus a simple week-long challenge to become a detective of your own reactions.
Did you know there is more? You can access every episode, show notes, links and more via my website Positively Beaming.

Curious to know if you are Thriving, Surviving or Stuck? Click here!

Ever wonder why two teachers can do the exact same job, yet one thrives while the other burns out? In this episode of Positively Leading, host Jenny Cole unpacks the crucial difference between a skill and a strength. 
Drawing on positive psychology research from Gallup, the VIA Institute, and more, Jenny explains why being good at something isn't the same as it giving you energy, and why chasing weaknesses often backfires. Through personal stories and real client examples, she shares six practical questions to help you uncover your own core strengths, plus a warning about the "shadow side" of overusing them. If you're feeling overwhelmed, underutilized, or just plain stuck, this episode offers the foundational first step toward redesigning work that truly sustains you.
Did you know there is more? You can access every episode, show notes, links and more via my website Positively Beaming.

Curious to know if you are Thriving, Surviving or Stuck? Click here!

In this episode of Positively Leading, host Jenny Cole introduces the Career Decision-Making Matrix from her book Teach, Lead or Leave - a simple but powerful framework built around two key factors: your energy and your impact. 
Jenny walks through the four quadrants educators can find themselves in - Thriving, Underutilised, Exhausted, and Disengaged - explaining the warning signs of each and the pathways forward, from stretching and pivoting to resting or planning an exit. Whether you're feeling restless, exhausted, or unfulfilled, this episode offers a clarifying tool to help you honestly assess where you are right now, and why knowing that is the essential first step toward figuring out what needs to change.
Did you know there is more? You can access every episode, show notes, links and more via my website Positively Beaming.

Curious to know if you are Thriving, Surviving or Stuck? Click here!

You've been good at your job for years. You've been happy in it. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, it just stops fitting - even though nothing about the role has actually changed. Sound familiar?
In this episode of Positively Leading, Jenny explores a career conversation that rarely gets the airtime it deserves: life stage. Drawing on stories from her coaching practice - a deputy principal drowning under the weight of leadership and young children, a head of department grieving the loss of predictability, a teacher navigating chronic illness and the identity she built around her classroom - Jenny unpacks why the role that energised you at 25 might quietly deplete you at 45.
This isn't about burnout or a bad school. It's about evolution, not revolution - and giving yourself permission to want something different at different points in your career, without guilt.
Did you know there is more? You can access every episode, show notes, links and more via my website Positively Beaming.