Caring for the carers: A self-compassion reset for ECE leaders
Mana
01:00:15
As a leader in early childhood education, you're used to holding it all together: supporting your team, managing operations, navigating compliance and ensuring quality outcomes. But when was the last time you checked in with yourself?
Join us for an honest conversation with Jo Maloney, founder of Conscious Positivity and author of Wellbeing Science in Early Childhood Education, as she shares practical strategies to prioritise your own wellbeing in a role that demands so much.
After 30 years supporting leaders in the sector, Jo understands the unique pressures of your position: the weight of responsibility, the constant problem-solving and the challenge of modelling wellbeing while running at capacity.
In this fireside chat with Hayden Rolls, Mana's Head of Partnerships, we'll explore:
- Why self-compassion is a leadership skill, not a luxury
- What burnout really is (beyond emotional exhaustion) and identifying the protective factors that help teams stay energised and effective
- Science-backed practices that fit into your already-full schedule
- How to lead with wellbeing as a strategic priority, not just a nice-to-have
- Managing burnout and compassion fatigue at the leadership level
This isn't about adding another initiative to your workload. It's about sustainable leadership that allows you to stay in the sector for the long haul.
Whether you're an Educational Leader, Centre Manager, Operations Manager or Area Manager, this session will give you permission to lead from a place of strength, not depletion.
Speakers
Jo Maloney
Founder, Conscious Positivity
Jo is the founder of Conscious Positivity. During her 30 years in the Early Childhood and Community Sectors she witnessed educator’s struggle with their wellbeing and the quality of care provided impacted.
This motivated her to explore educator wellbeing and ways to support individuals, leaders, and organisations to bring out their best and lead a flourishing life personally and professionally during challenging times. Jo offers this support in several ways including as a consultant, speaker, coach and author.
She has written the book Wellbeing Science in Early Childhood Education - How to Create Positive Change that is full of the science of positive psychology and practical strategies to support individual and team wellbeing . The other area that Jo has seen educators experience struggle is with children who present with challenging behaviours, an area that Jo is passionate about raising educators’ awareness and skills to deal with these in a consciously positive and practical way backed by trauma-informed social-emotional learning approaches.
Hayden Rolls
Head of Partnerships, Mana
My journey into education began with my first career as an OSHC Educator, where I discovered a passion for mentoring children. I then went on to study a Bachelor of Business Leadership and Commerce at Macquarie University, before joining Deloitte's strategy consulting team, with a focus on the education sector. A key highlight was leading the implementation planning for the Mental Health in Primary Schools Program across Victoria. Following this, I completed my Master's in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne, where my research centred on positive education for children. This journey ultimately led me to Mana, inspired by the opportunity to give every child an extraordinary start to life.
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Caring for the carers: A self-compassion reset for ECE leaders
01:00:15