We’re Back with a Mid-Year Pep Talk and Check In [Episode 152]

Lauren 0:08
You got into this profession to make a difference in your students’ lives, but you’re spread thin by all the things that keep getting added to your to do list. I can’t create more hours in the day, but I can invite you into my counselor clique where you’ll finally catch your breath.

Lauren 0:22
Come with me as we unpack creative ideas and effective strategies that’ll help you be the counselor who leaves a lifelong impact on your students. I’m Lauren Tingle, your high school counseling hype girl here to help you energize your school counseling program and remind you of how much you love your job.

Lauren 0:39
Hello. We are back. Ready to record a podcast. Back in the saddle. Got my headphones on, my mic hooked up. It feels good. I’m not gonna lie. It’s been three months since I was in your podcast player, but I’m back better than ever. I don’t know if I should say better than ever I’m back. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what the future would hold for high school counseling conversations for this podcast.

Lauren 1:04
It definitely takes a lot of energy to prep and record and get it edited and get it out. And I mean, also, if I’m being honest, like it feels hard to find quiet space to record an episode. My house is loud all the time three girls. I mean, I’m telling you someone or two thirds or all three are always crying at once. I really have to carve out some intentional time to make it happen.

Lauren 1:32
And if you listen to the very last episode at the end of October before I took a break, you might remember I have never taken a break in 150 episodes, which is actually insane. Like, when I say that out loud, I feel like, what was I doing? So the show started back in 2022 January, 2022. And I have had weekly episodes since then. I really just never took a break because I thought, when is the right time to take a break?

Lauren 2:00
Like, yes, I have wanted to take a break. I’ve been tired before. There have been weeks when I haven’t felt like recording a podcast, but it feels like, okay, summer, people catch up on past episodes. December, when they’re off from school, like that time, December, around Christmas. Winter Break feels like a natural time for me that I would kind of disconnect and take some time to rest. But also I tell myself in my brain that that is a time when people want to listen to podcasts. They’re driving in the car. They’re taking a road trip to see family. So it just it always confused me on when I should do that, or when would be the right time to do that.

Lauren 2:35
But you know what? I just said, that’s what we’re doing. And I took a break, and I was like, we’ll experiment and see what happens. Will it all come crumbling down if I don’t have a podcast? I don’t think so, and I really don’t think it was. So I realized, it’s my podcast. I get to make the rules, so thank you for obliging that and letting me take a break. No one said anything. No one complained. It was fine. Maybe you didn’t even notice I was gone!

Lauren 3:01
Taking a break gave me some space to gather some of the very few brain cells that I have. I joke that I have no brain cells, and I mean, it’s true. The third kid really just took away some of my mental capacity. For a while there it was hard to form sentences. I do feel like I’ve come out of a fog, and having a tiny bit of a break gave me some space to gather and kind of come up with some more creative energy.

Lauren 3:28
I was able to open up my phone and jot down ideas when I would have them. I always have an ever growing ongoing list of topics for the podcast. So that was actually kind of refreshing, like I’m not out of ideas. You always have stuff that you want me to talk about. I still have things that I can talk about. So it was encouraging to just have a little bit of space to be inspired to brainstorm again and think about what kind of episodes we’re going to have in 2025 for the podcast.

Lauren 3:58
Listen, I always have DMS open, or anytime that you get an email from me and you just want to hit respond and say, I would love a podcast episode about this, or let’s talk more about this. I read all of those. I add them to my list. I’m the one on the other end reading and responding to those. So even if we chit chat back and forth and I might ask you some thoughts or issues about whatever that topic is. Know that I’m writing that down and taking it into consideration for future episodes for the podcast.

Lauren 4:29
In terms of what is coming up for the podcast, I have some fun and exciting guests being booked. I go through burst of energy with that too. Everyone’s schedules are different, obviously. So when you add another person, or even like two people to interview, like a group of three of us, to the mix, then that adds another layer of getting an episode done and getting it out. Which is fine, it’s worth it to make that scheduling happen. It’s really fun for me to get to interview different people with different perspectives. So I’m always glad when I do it.

Lauren 4:59
I just have to have some energy to make it all happen. So for this year, here is what I’m thinking. Yes, we’re gonna have some guests. We’ll have some solo episodes. I always want these podcasts to provide value to you. I would be lying if I said I’m confident all the time in putting out new episodes. I do get a little self conscious. I do struggle with imposter syndrome, hoping that you never walk away from a podcast episode thinking like, Why did I listen to that? I did not get anything from that. That was a waste of my time.

Lauren 5:31
I don’t know. That’s just a personal problem that I have that I probably need to work on. If you are listening, then I hope that you’re walking away with either an action step or a tangible item like that you got a PDF to your inbox. So you’re like, I’m gonna go use this, or you’re referred to another podcast episode or a playlist or a blog post, like, there is something that you’re going to take away, whether that’s some inspiration or a new idea or what have you.

Lauren 5:57
So I need to tell myself that people are listening. I can see downloads. People are actually listening. And just continue to grow my own confidence in this. Like I said, it’s just a sometimes I can get in my own head about, like, Is this even worth it? Do people even care?

Lauren 6:16
If you’re looking for a past episode or a past topic? Again, you can always DM me. I feel like I have a running Rolodex of episodes in my brain, and I usually know where to find it, but if you just search either on my website or literally just Google and see what comes up, like Counselor Clique, High School Counseling Conversations, insert topic here, you’ll probably find an episode. And especially if you do not find an episode, that’s what I want to hear from you. I want to know what you’re not finding that I need to come up with a solution for for you.

Lauren 6:44
I think a theme that you’re going to hear for this year with the podcast is me saying, If you like this podcast, please share it with a friend. That’ll probably be like your call to action to you a lot, because I think that your opinion holds so much value. You sharing a specific episode with a co counselor, your administrator, a counselor from another high school in your area, your district director, or school counselors within your district, I don’t know your entire department.

Lauren 7:12
When you do like a little mini PD with an episode, all of that stuff is so valuable. Just like think about the word of mouth and the impact that that can have. That’s how I find new shows to listen to. Someone tells me you have to listen to this episode and sends it to me in a text message. I think that Apple does a great job of being able to just even share a specific episode with somebody else. So I share episodes like that with people all the time.

Lauren 7:35
I would encourage you, if you find value in High School Counseling Conversations, that you would just share this with a friend. Another let’s call it a theme for the year that I’ve been thinking about is offering more exclusive things just for my email list. So if you are getting emails from me already, then great. You will just stay tuned for what pops into your inbox this year. If you’re not on my email list already, consider this you’re assigned to go ahead and make that happen. I want you to go to counselorclique.com/challenge.

Lauren 8:06
Whether you’re on it or not, maybe I’ll send it out to you if you’re already on my list. If you’re not, this is how you’re going to get this free resource. This is a four day email advocacy challenge, is what I like to call it. It is perfect if you are someone who is looking to do the most while simultaneously doing the least during National School Counseling Week. So go to counselorclique.com/challenge, and I have some email templates ready to go for you to send out to all your people.

Lauren 8:38
Okay, lastly, I guess we’re just going to continue with this theme thing. Lastly, maybe a personal theme that I’ve kind of decided on for the year. I kind of picked a word of the year. I’ve done that the last couple of years, and it’s been fun to look back on and to thread all of my goals and thoughts and how I steward my time, like through that word of the year. So I think I’ve landed on the word cultivate, and that’s going to go into my personal life and work life. And I don’t know, maybe as a high school counselor, you want to take a word into your year to thread some commonality between your work and your home life.

Lauren 9:18
And maybe you’re aspiring to do the same thing in both of those, and maybe one word can help you think through your goals in both of those. That’s kind of what I’m doing right now. So for cultivate, I’m thinking of it in terms of you all and what Counselor Clique can do to serve you. I don’t think I’m coming up with lots of brand new, brand new stuff to put out there for you. I’m trying to cultivate and better what I have in front of me to help you better do your jobs.

Lauren 9:46
I want you to have passion and purpose in what you’re doing every day as a high school counselor, because it is such meaningful work, and so if I can cultivate what I’ve already done for you to make that better and to make that more meaningful for you, then I think that I am doing my job right now. And then, personally, I’m trying to cultivate just a slowness. This is always something that I have to really work at.

Lauren 10:12
You know, whenever you see someone, you’re like, how are you doing? And they’re like, I’m really busy. It’s like, that’s our default. I’m talking about me, but I’m talking about a lot of relationships with people around me are busy all the time. We’re perpetually busy. And I think stopping to cultivate a slowness, like more of a walking pace than a hustling and running and sprinting pace is very anti what I’m usually all about, like it goes against my nature to slow down. And maybe that resonates with you too.

Lauren 10:45
I am re listening to an audio book that I have listened to in the past that I absolutely love. It’s called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. Forewarning, if you care or not. It’s a Christian perspective. The author is a pastor, and he offers just this perspective that we are all hustling and running and running and running, running ourselves into the ground and like, for what expense?

Lauren 11:12
And I just listened to an example that he gave. He said, years ago, we thought that with technology, we’d all be working 20 hour weeks. We’d have all of this free time, and it’s like, no, we found ways to fill our time, and so just actively pressing against the busyness, the noise, it’s something that’s really hard for me, and I don’t know why I’m telling you this, other than I feel like I have to work really hard at it, and maybe just so you would know that you’re not in isolation if you’re working hard at that too, whether that is in your personal life, your professional life, or the way that both of those meet together.

Lauren 11:48
That’s what I’m listening to, that’s what I’m learning. That’s what I’m reading. Let’s shift gears into school, counseling world, and talk about you for a second. I’m sitting here thinking of all the hard stuff you’re doing right now in second semester, we’ve shifted gears, come back from winter break, you’ve hit the ground running. If you’re on a block schedule, that means that you are in schedule change season again.

Lauren 12:07
Like you already were exhausted by that in the fall, and then you do it two times a year. You are tired of saying no to those schedule changes, or you’re tired of being the bad guy who always has to say no, even when admin makes the changes behind your back and doesn’t support you. That is exhausting. Maybe you are finding yourself working through lunch yet again, you look up and you look at the clock and you realize I haven’t stopped to go to the bathroom all day.

Lauren 12:32
What other job do you do that in? I don’t know when I would tell my husband that that is what we do as high school counselors. We move so quickly, like I was just saying, we’re so busy we don’t even stop to take care of ourselves and eat lunch, eat a snack, go to the bathroom, finish a bite before somebody is walking in or having another conversation. You’re still responding to parent emails at this point in the year, they don’t stop.

Lauren 12:55
I recently laughed where I saw a post somewhere with something like I left you a voicemail and you didn’t call me back. And I just thought, why is that so common? Are all of these voicemails from parents going to some cloud out in the middle of nowhere where I don’t get them back? You know, you’re like, Well, I would call you back, but I have no record of you calling. And I laughed because I didn’t realize this was such a common experience across the board with high school counselors, but you are responding to parent emails. You’re responding to parent voicemails.

Lauren 13:26
There isn’t really a season where that slows down, and sometimes those can get really stressful when you are trying to actively step away and separate work from home and you peek at your email, or you peek at that voicemail that came through, transcribed to your email and you are worried about what you’re walking into the next day. I just want to tell you that I see you. I know that that doesn’t slow down at different times of the year, and it ramps up it feels like once you have taken a little bit of a break, over winter break, and you’re coming back and you’re wondering, Why do these people need me all the time?

Lauren 13:59
And then, of course, at this point in the year, as you are always doing, you’re still just trying to do your job with integrity. You want to do a job that is worth someone saying that’s a job well done. Students are different because of what you’re doing. You matter in the school. I’m telling you that, if no one else is telling you that that what you’re doing matters. You’re giving students the support that they deserve and the support that they need.

Lauren 14:23
Often in times when no one else is giving that to them and no one else sees them, I’m just proud of the work that you’re doing. If I could insert your name here, I would have a personal podcast to you telling you that that what you’re doing matters. You’re juggling so many students, it is rare that a counselor has not enough students, or this tiniest little caseload. No, you are juggling so many students, and they all have individual and very important needs.

Lauren 14:50
There’s only one of you to go around, even if you’re part of a team, there’s only one you. You have your own caseload of students, and they are pulling you in 1,000 different directions. I was gonna say 100. No, it’s more than that. You’re being pulled in so many different directions at all hours of the day. It’s like, how are your neurons even firing in your brain at such a fast rate? How are you able to complete even one task in a day? The only answer is, you’re super human.

Lauren 15:15
That’s that’s probably the fact of the matter, that you are getting through tasks because you are able to multitask like nobody else. I think that is a unique skill of a school counselor. Not only are you adaptable and flexible, but you do 100 things at one time. Okay, so going into the semester, we’re a few weeks in, you’ve probably got an idea of what’s coming up on your calendar. I am going to link a reel that I posted in the show notes that might give you some encouragement on how you can tweak just some small habits with your team to get moving forward together on the same page.

Lauren 15:48
I love a fresh start to a new year and a new semester, especially because it gives you the opportunity to hammer down what you want to accomplish. It gives you some time to reflect back on what you’ve done and just make some tiny changes in habits that could make a big impact on what’s still to come of the school year. Like you know this in working with students, you’re telling students all the time, hey, it’s a fresh semester. You have new teachers, you have new classes, you have a new opportunity to start fresh, get good grades, like you’re doing that preaching to your students already. So it’s time to ourselves.

Lauren 16:21
A new school schedule is the ultimate runway to achieving your goals as the high school counselor, because you get that fresh start too. So I challenge you, what are you hoping to accomplish this school year before the end comes? Like it sneaks up on you so fast, especially if you have responsibilities with seniors that start so early and all of a sudden you are thinking about the end of the year right now.

Lauren 16:44
I’ve personally always found it more helpful to have fewer goals than too many goals. Like you should be able to name what those goals are and not forget about what they are like you don’t have that many of them. It’s easier to manage. It’s easier to remember what the goal is and what you’re shooting for. I’m sitting here saying this, and I’m thinking, what if I send over a quick PDF checklist to you on my email list of a few things that you could reset for your new year, a few things that you could think about, maybe just like a quick little checklist, a one pager.

Lauren 17:13
I’m going to make a note right now, and I’m going to put something together for you and send it over. If you want more support this year on strengthening your school counseling program, aligning your actions to your goals. You know, like taking steps to make classrooms get on your calendar or make small groups happen. A lot of you on Instagram are saying that was a goal for you this year. I really ultimately want you to be able to make an impact on your students without running that hamster wheel over and over again and just being so exhausted like being proactive instead of reactive, so that your students can feel what it’s like to have an amazing school counselor who who is able to do it all.

Lauren 17:51
I don’t know that we’ll ever get to that point where we can do it all, but if that is something that you’re hoping to make more of a journey towards, then I’d love for you to join us inside the Clique Collaborative. It’s my high school membership. It’s PD driven. You kind of choose your own adventure inside with video and audio, and you choose what you want to learn about.

Lauren 18:10
There’s a bunch of different categories. There’s over 25 videos. You know, you don’t have to watch them all. You probably won’t watch them all. I don’t know that anyone has watched them all, but I want it to be an option for you to just engage in some relevant high school counseling, professional development, if that is something that could help you get to those goals this year.

Lauren 18:28
The point of this episode was really just to say, Hey, I’m back. This is what I’ve been up to. And then also to look at you, you know, hypothetically speaking through this podcast, and say, I see you, I hear you. I love interacting with you on Instagram. We’ve had some great comments in DMs recently, and then, just to encourage you, you’ve got this it’s a fresh start. It’s a second semester.

Lauren 18:49
Whether your year looks like focusing on refining some of the ways that you work right now or cultivating some slowness at home, I’m here for it. I’m excited for you, and I’m excited for our upcoming episodes and our year together. So thanks for listening to the podcast. If you listen to this episode and you thought High School Counseling Conversations is a podcast I want to check in with each week, or at least read the title and see if it’s something that pertains to me, go ahead and smash that follow button where you listen to your podcast and your podcast player so that every time there’s a new episode on Mondays, it pops in your podcast player and you’re reminded to listen. I’ll see you next week.

Lauren 19:28
Thanks for listening to today’s episode of High School Counseling Conversations. All the links I talked about today can be found in the show notes and also at counselorclique.com/podcast. Be sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcast, so that you never miss a new episode. Connect with me over on Instagram. Feel free to send me a DM @counselorclique. That’s C-L-I-Q-U-E. I’ll see you next week!