Building a Healthy School Ecosystem through Leader Wellness

School leadership is a privilege. It’s also one of the most demanding jobs in education. Every day, leaders are pulled in countless directions—supporting teachers, responding to parents, guiding students, managing operations, and keeping pace with board members, legislators, and community expectations. With so many people relying on us, it’s easy to let our own health and wellness slip.

The problem is that when we don’t take care of ourselves, it shows. Stress builds up, patience runs thin, and the energy we share with our teams becomes negative. Leadership wellness isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Without it, we can’t sustain the focus, clarity, and resilience that this job requires.

But here’s the deeper truth: leadership wellness doesn’t stop with leaders. It flows outward. When leaders are well, teachers feel supported and balanced. And when teachers are well, students thrive. Schools are ecosystems. If one part of that ecosystem is struggling—whether it’s the leader, the staff, or the students—the whole system is impacted. A sick root eventually affects the entire tree.

We’ve both seen how quickly wellness falls off the list when things get busy. That’s because the whirlwind of leadership doesn’t naturally include time for exercise, rest, or reflection—you have to intentionally create it. For one of us, that means blocking workouts directly onto the calendar so they don’t get pushed aside. For the other, it’s staying active through biking, hiking, and outdoor goals. However you approach it, the key is building rhythms that restore energy, because your wellness sustains everyone else’s wellness too.

And wellness isn’t just physical. Leadership can be lonely. The higher you go, the fewer peers you have who understand the weight of your responsibilities. That isolation makes it even more important to build networks of support. One way we’re tackling this is through LinkedLeaders, a platform designed to connect administrators with peers who “get it.” Sometimes the most valuable form of wellness is simply knowing you don’t have to carry it all alone.

At the organizational level, modeling wellness matters just as much. At IDLA, for example, staff created the IDIG Fitness program to encourage movement and connection through step challenges, optional 5Ks, and other activities. When leaders demonstrate that wellness is a priority, it gives permission for teachers and staff to prioritize it too. And when teachers are cared for, they’re able to show up with more energy, patience, and creativity for students.

We don’t claim to have it all figured out—far from it. But we are convinced of this: leadership wellness is not optional. If leaders burn out, schools suffer. If leaders stay healthy—physically, mentally, and emotionally—schools are stronger, more stable, and better equipped to serve students. Healthy leaders foster healthy teachers, and healthy teachers nurture healthy students. That’s the ecosystem in action.

So we encourage leaders everywhere: make wellness part of the job, not an afterthought. Protect your time. Build habits that fuel you. Find your community. And give yourself permission to be human.

Because when leaders take care of themselves, the ripple effect strengthens the entire ecosystem—staff, students, families, and ultimately, the future of our schools.

Listen: The Case for Leader Wellness

NGLC is grateful for our collaboration and partnership with EDU Café Podcast that brings fresh voices and insights to the blog. Listen to the EDU Café episode where Jeff Simmons and Mike Caldwell talk about leading with clarity, balance, and connection. Hear why wellness is not a “nice-to-have” for school leaders, but a critical part of sustaining strong, thriving schools.

Photo at top by PeopleImages.