If you're coming back from winter break and you want to start this next chapter with clarity and calm, then this episode is for you.

Hello, friends. Welcome to the Bride Morning podcast. I'm your host, Elena Aguilar. And in each episode, you will learn how to lead conversations that build connection and spark change.

Today we're talking about how to restart with intention. Because the truth is, coming back from a break can feel jarring.

Your inboxes might be full. your calendars might be packed,

and before you've caught your breath, you are back in it.

So I want to offer you a simple but powerful way to restart

before you hit the ground running.

Okay, let's get into it.

So when I think about this moment in the school year,

I think about a former coaching client who I'm going to call Ray.

So Ray was a school leader. I coached some time back.

And after winter break, he came into our first session looking surprisingly well rested.

And he told me that he had spent the holiday hiking in the desert. But the first thing he said was, I'm already behind.

He went on to list everything he hadn't done, no email to his staff, no PD planning,

no responses to the pile of messages that had built up.

And underneath all of that was a familiar feeling, guilt, that he hadn't started strong,

that he was somehow already failing.

So I asked him a question that I ask myself all the time.

What does starting strong mean to you?

He paused.

And then he said,

it means being aligned with my values,

...