Before becoming a health and performance coach, Coach Jo spent years in education. She understands the unique demands of teaching not theoretically, but personally.

Long days. Constant decision-making. Limited breaks. Bringing work home. Putting students first.

My first year of teaching was something I’ll never forget. I received the job five days before the school year started and I was panicked. There was one particular day that changed everything. It was picture day, and I had woken up still feeling ill. “I couldn’t miss picture day,” I thought — this was my very first real teaching experience. I took DayQuil, hoping to feel well enough to smile in pictures. By the time I arrived at school I felt worse: dizzy, the room spinning, barely able to keep my eyes open. I told one of my students, “I don’t feel very well. If I pass out, please call the teacher next door.” In my medicine-induced daze, I had accidentally taken another serving of NyQuil. I made it through the pictures, then told my principal I needed the rest of the day off.

On the drive home, I started replaying my daily routine. Wake up at 6:30, leave by 7:00, arrive at school by 7:15, leave work at 6:00, pick up something to eat, grade papers until 8 or 9, get in bed by 10 — unless I had a university class that night. Every Friday I would feel a cold coming on, take NyQuil, sleep through Saturday, and grade all day Sunday. I hardly ate anything green. I hardly worked out. I was just trying to catch up and keep up.

This had to stop. Something had to change.

After seven years of teaching, I finally figured out the work-life balance a teacher needs to take care of herself and her students. We always hear, “You can’t take care of the kids if you don’t take care of yourself,” but no one really tells us how. That’s what The Healthy Teachers Collective is here to do.