144. Carrying the Weight: Leading Through Tragedy Without Losing Yourself
04/23/25 • 27 min
Some days in education leave scars on our hearts that never fully heal. On the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident that claimed the lives of five nursing students, I'm taking you behind the scenes of crisis leadership on a college campus.
When I was serving as Dean of Students at Georgia Southern University, I couldn't have known that an urgent summons from our police chief would plunge me into one of the most challenging experiences of my career. From the frantic moments of identifying victims to the heart-wrenching task of notifying families and supporting a grieving campus community, this episode offers an intimate look at the realities of campus crisis management.
Beyond sharing memories of our five nursing students - Caitlyn, Morgan, Emily, Abbie, and McKay - I'm opening up about what I wish someone had told me about caring for myself while caring for others. Crisis leadership exacts a toll that many administrators silently bear, often at great personal cost. Drawing from my experience across multiple campus tragedies, I share critical wisdom about establishing your foundation before crisis hits, knowing when to take essential breaks during the chaos, building trustworthy teams that can withstand pressure, and why seeking professional help afterward isn't optional.
Whether you're an administrator, counselor, teacher or leader who has faced tragedy or wants to be prepared when it comes, this conversation offers both practical guidance and permission to acknowledge your own humanity. Crisis may be part of our work in education, but it doesn't have to cost us our wellbeing.
Have you supported others through crisis? I'd love to hear what helped you navigate those difficult waters. Share your experience or reach out for support - we're stronger when we acknowledge that even the helpers need healing.
Upgrade to Premium Membership to access the Disrupting Burnout audiobook and other bonus content: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1213895/supporters/new
Some days in education leave scars on our hearts that never fully heal. On the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident that claimed the lives of five nursing students, I'm taking you behind the scenes of crisis leadership on a college campus.
When I was serving as Dean of Students at Georgia Southern University, I couldn't have known that an urgent summons from our police chief would plunge me into one of the most challenging experiences of my career. From the frantic moments of identifying victims to the heart-wrenching task of notifying families and supporting a grieving campus community, this episode offers an intimate look at the realities of campus crisis management.
Beyond sharing memories of our five nursing students - Caitlyn, Morgan, Emily, Abbie, and McKay - I'm opening up about what I wish someone had told me about caring for myself while caring for others. Crisis leadership exacts a toll that many administrators silently bear, often at great personal cost. Drawing from my experience across multiple campus tragedies, I share critical wisdom about establishing your foundation before crisis hits, knowing when to take essential breaks during the chaos, building trustworthy teams that can withstand pressure, and why seeking professional help afterward isn't optional.
Whether you're an administrator, counselor, teacher or leader who has faced tragedy or wants to be prepared when it comes, this conversation offers both practical guidance and permission to acknowledge your own humanity. Crisis may be part of our work in education, but it doesn't have to cost us our wellbeing.
Have you supported others through crisis? I'd love to hear what helped you navigate those difficult waters. Share your experience or reach out for support - we're stronger when we acknowledge that even the helpers need healing.
Upgrade to Premium Membership to access the Disrupting Burnout audiobook and other bonus content: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1213895/supporters/new
Previous Episode
143. The Invisible Labor: Why Educators Need Burnout Prevention Now
When was the last time your school implemented a crisis plan—not for students, but for the faculty and staff who are drowning in invisible labor?
Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson (PBJ) tackles this urgent question, revealing a troubling paradox in education: we meticulously plan for every student crisis while having zero systems in place to prevent, respond to, or recover from faculty burnout.
Drawing from her dissertation research on campus crisis management, PBJ introduces a groundbreaking approach to educator burnout using the National Incident Management System (NIMS) framework. This episode focuses specifically on prevention—the crucial first phase that can halt burnout's devastating progression.
Through four essential prevention strategies—early warning systems, workload analysis, institutional culture development, and resource allocation—PBJ provides a practical roadmap for educational leaders at all levels. She challenges us to move beyond empty "people first" rhetoric and implement tangible support mechanisms that acknowledge the unaccounted labor weighing down our educators.
"It does not count until you count it," PBJ emphasizes, highlighting how mentoring moments, emotional support, and crisis interventions remain invisible in workload calculations. These missing pieces explain why traditional employee satisfaction surveys fail to capture educators' true experiences.
Whether you're a school administrator with budgetary authority or a team leader with limited resources, this episode offers actionable steps to begin preventing burnout today. PBJ's message is clear: "Stop focusing on what you can't do... Do what you can do and do it now."
Ready to disrupt burnout in your educational setting? Download the STOP Plan to incorporate micro-breaks into your routine and create sustainable rhythms of rest for yourself and your team. The education crisis is real—but with these prevention strategies, we can start building solutions that truly put our people first.
Upgrade to Premium Membership to access the Disrupting Burnout audiobook and other bonus content: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1213895/supporters/new
Next Episode
145. Are You Prepared for the Burnout Crisis You Know Is Coming?
Facing burnout in education requires the same level of preparation we give to potential fires. We don't just try to prevent fires—we install alarms, conduct drills, and create evacuation plans because we understand fires might happen despite our best prevention efforts.
Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson (PBJ) presents a powerful framework for addressing burnout as the legitimate crisis it is. Drawing from the National Incident Management System used by the Department of Homeland Security, she outlines how educational institutions can move beyond mere prevention to develop comprehensive preparedness plans for when burnout inevitably occurs.
The preparedness phase requires four critical elements: training programs that equip everyone to recognize burnout symptoms, response protocols that outline clear steps when burnout appears, resource identification that catalogs all available support options, and simulation exercises that practice response scenarios. Each component builds organizational capacity to address burnout effectively rather than reactively.
PBJ emphasizes that managers need specialized training to lead during high-pressure periods without transferring their stress to team members. She recommends cross-departmental collaboration where different units support each other during their busy seasons, creating an institutional safety net. Most importantly, she shares the principle "Nothing for them without them"—reminding leaders that effective burnout solutions must include input from those they're designed to protect.
If you find yourself thinking "I can't stop because everything will fall apart," you're precisely the person who needs to stop most. Grab the STOP plan from the show notes to incorporate essential microbreaks into your rhythm of work. Building burnout preparedness isn't just compassionate leadership—it's responsible stewardship of the human resources that make our educational institutions function.
Upgrade to Premium Membership to access the Disrupting Burnout audiobook and other bonus content: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1213895/supporters/new
Disrupting Burnout - 144. Carrying the Weight: Leading Through Tragedy Without Losing Yourself
Transcript
Good thing I had to drive across campus and that gave me a few minutes for me to pray , like that gave me a few minutes . Lord , I don't know what I'm walking into , I don't know what's going on , but you know and I trust you
Speaker 1Y'all work with me today . Okay ,
Speaker 1hey friend , I am Dr Pat
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