It was the Spring of 2017, I was working full time as an Assistant Principal of a well known Charter Network, and tired would’ve been an understatement. I was in year 9, and wanted to be the forever educator that former students could come back and see decades later. However, with another school year on the horizon, and no summer break in sight I recall feeling depleted, overwhelmed, and weary. It got so bad that the stress began to take a physical hold on my body that summer. I dropped weight, fell into a depression, and began to suffer from anxiety, which was totally foreign to me. As most people do in dark times, I went home to visit my Mom.

After some nerves, many tears, and lots of hugs I confessed to my mom “I don’t think I can do this anymore”. I felt I was letting her down. As a single mom, she worked to put me through college, and here I was leaving a 10 year career that I worked tirelessly for, what would I do next? My mother stopped my thoughts and spoke over me, “Baby working that hard, and missing out on your life is never worth any price. You’ll figure it out, I support you”. With encouragement in tow, I left Rhode Island that November confident that leaving was right for me, my family, and my mental health. Keeping my secret was agonizing, and I wondered if leaving was the right thing too many times to count. Luckily, my inner voice continued to narrate that I needed to leap out on faith.

I spoke to my Principal in January of 2018, and though the conversation was a tough one, it was a necessary step. From that point on, I decided to focus on closing out my 10 year journey on a high-note, prioritizing my mental health, and loving on myself and family more. May 26th, 2018 was my last day of a decade long trip and it was bittersweet, but what happened after has been nothing short of amazing. Fast forward a year later, and I am now the CEO & Co-Founder of my own Educational Consulting Firm, Restore More. We help schools train teachers to enhance the Social-Emotional Development of students.

This is the work I am most passionate about, helping black and brown students better manage their emotions to thrive and be successful. It was the part of the job that fueled me most, and now I get to do it ALL day. This undertaking has been a wild ride and I can’t wait to share more as we travel the bumpy road of a social innovation start-up. With this blog we hope to educate, uplift, and unite communities, especially of color, by providing insight into our worlds & minds.

How My Burnout Led to My Dream Job by Claudine Miles