Maximize Your Day

Teach Boldly, Live Fully: Finding Joy in Year One

Jessica Rosario-Fortis Season 3 Episode 33

First-year teaching is often described as one of the most challenging times in an educator's career. In this inspiring episode of Maximize Your Day, I sit down with joy and fulfillment coach, Eugénie Ducatel, to explore how new teachers can overcome burnout and find confidence, resilience, and joy in the classroom.

Eugénie shares her journey from burnout as a high school teacher to becoming a certified life coach, equipping educators with strategies to balance demanding workloads, build strong support systems, and prioritize self-care. We discuss the pitfalls new teachers face, like perfectionism and isolation, and how small mindset shifts can lead to big transformations.

Learn practical self-care techniques, communication strategies, and how to create a sustainable work-life balance, all while embracing your passion for teaching. Whether you're a new teacher or know someone navigating the education system, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you thrive.

Stay tuned for Eugénie’s upcoming program and discover how to maximize your career while nurturing yourself and your students.

Send us a text

Now that you've listened to my Maximize Your Day Podcast, it's time to grab some of my client's favorite tools to crush their goals and maximize their results. Start here --> DOWNLOAD MY GUIDE today!

Another way to support the podcast is to leave a review. Your feedback helps us to continue creating valuable content and reach a wider audience.

Thank you for your support!

Jessica Rosario
Certified Executive Coach & Business Consultant

P.S. Want to be a guest on the Maximize Your Day Podcast? Apply here!

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Hello and welcome to the Maximize your Day podcast, a place for entrepreneurs who are building their business in pursuit of freedom and flexibility to do the things they love. I'm your host, jessica Rosario. I'm a New Yorker turned Floridian who knows a thing or two on how to effectively manage your time while juggling multiple priorities. I'm an ex-corporate leader who walked away from my nine to five-ish to launch and grow my business. In this podcast, I share insights on mindset, business productivity, habits and strategies to help you take control of your to-do list and maximize your day, which will help you feel more confident and less overwhelmed and getting more done in less time. I'm so excited you're here. Go ahead, listen in. I am so excited you're here, go ahead, listen in.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Hello everyone, I am so excited to be able to share with you an interview that I had with Eugenie Ducatel, and Eugenie is a joy and fulfillment coach who really helps teachers prevent burnout and just build their confidence, boost joy and just really honing into the purpose that they've set for their lives, and so I had an amazing pleasure to be able to record with her an interview, and I can't wait to be able to share it with you, because you will see that if you follow her and you're going to be able to follow her you'll see the information in the show notes.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

If you follow her, you will be able to spot who she is on social media immediately, because of the joy and just the happiness that she just portrays, and I just absolutely loved this interview. So go ahead and listen in. Welcome back to the show. So today I have the joy and pleasure of interviewing Eugenie Ducatel, and I loved working with her at several points in my life. We met through IPEC and so we're both certified coaches through IPEC, and there was something about her that we just connected in one of our group coaching programs and we just headed off ever since, and so I can't wait for her to share her story. And so, ugenie, go ahead and introduce yourself.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Yeah, hi. Thanks, jessica. Yes, it's always been a pleasure to connect with you, so my story is kind of simple in a way. I am a high school teacher by trade and I'm a former people pleaser and and I used to experience, you know, mental health, doubt, and so that made it sometimes difficult at work, because I basically became a perfectionist to get approval, to seek approval, and in the teaching world that's impossible you can't get everyone's approval so I just ended up falling into the cycle of working incessantly at lunch hours, after school, during weekends people knew my first name at Starbucks at 6am on a Saturday morning, and so, yes, I experienced a professional burnout in 2018.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And I had to radically shift my perspective into health, because I realized very quickly that without my health, I had nothing, and so I had to help with therapy.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

But the one person who really helped me was a life coach and who was recommended by one of my colleagues, and I had basically never heard of a life coach. To be honest with you, it was a very obscure thing, but he really helped me move from a place of just discontent, anger, into a place of empowerment and health, and I learned some strategies and then after that, I thought, well, this is an interesting thing. I want to be that person who supports others in incredible health and joy so that they can enjoy their time on this beautiful planet. Right, there's just no point in suffering if there's ways that you can rekindle your passion, put a little bounce in your step and smile through your day. So I became a certified life coach, and so I've been working on that for the last two years now, and so I have clients, I'm building programs, I've done speaking engagements in universities for teacher candidates, I have an exciting program for first year teachers in September, and so, yeah, I'm just enjoying this process right now, and that's it.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

I love that. I love that and I appreciate you sharing that background, because one of the things that we've all noticed, you know, throughout this entrepreneurial journey, is that many times when we are trying to solve a problem or help someone else in, you know like, let's say, in your case, finding more fulfillment, enjoying their life is because you were able to develop that for yourself, and so we are our own best first clients, and so what we learn through how we manage ourselves and manage our emotions and and just how we carry ourselves through life is just so powerful when it comes to being able to serve others, because we've been there and done that, and so I love that you shared that story and I know that you have a heart for teachers and why you know obviously I'm speaking just from my personal experience with Eugenie is that I noticed that you were doing workshops in the very beginning of their teaching career.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Why do you think that is important for you to support and mentor them at that level?

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Yes. So first-year teachers are going to go through probably the most challenging time of their lives. That's a full-on reality, whether they approach it with joy and purpose and confidence, or through suffering and fear and anxiety and imposter syndrome. It doesn't matter how you slice it. It's going to be the most demanding time of their lives, time wise. And and very often, just, they don't have some of the tools that I have developed throughout the years.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And oh my gosh, jessica, honestly, if somebody had helped me out in the beginning, I would have avoided so many pitfalls, I would have avoided a lot of hurt, you know.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So I want to be that person who holds their hands but also gives them the tools that I now possess in communicating in an empowering kind of way with difficult parents, with difficult students, how to have empowering language around asking for help.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So releasing a lot of limiting beliefs that if you ask for help you are going to be seen as an incompetent teacher. So, you know, basically just raising their energy levels into a place of opportunity, cooperation, strong communication skills and definitely releasing so much fear and anxiety around that first year teaching. And also, let's be honest, I really like them to have a tiny bit of a life outside of school, which seems to be a again limiting belief that if you're a first year teacher, you will live, breathe, sleep, drink, teaching, and so you know. Part of that is mainly true, but there's also a really important component that your brain needs to reset into doing things that that person loves to do outside of school. So, basically, avoiding pitfalls and but being prepared and having those tools that will save them time, that will save them anxiety and that will prevent some of those pitfalls that we do fall into in our first year teaching.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Yeah, and so since you brought that up so quickly on, you know some of those pitfalls. What are those pitfalls that they experience in the first year of teaching?

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So, yeah, some of the pitfalls are definitely the limiting beliefs that they go in. They assume that if they do certain things, that they're going to be seen as less competent. So there's what we call, in coaching, the gremlin, that little voice that tells them that they're not good enough and it's ego based and so, in order to appear like they're competent, it's they're going to stand in their own way. And one of the biggest ones is definitely which is an ego thing, right? So if they can release that ego and learn to just be more self-compassionate and realize that it is their first year teaching, then they will be able to reach out for help.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And in this day and age, you know the course materials already exist. Someone has already taught whatever it is that they're going to be teaching that year. So it's just that little step of hey hi. So how to have the social skills to go ahead and look for their what I call the dream team, the people who are going to be there for them, the people who will have the material that is already set up, that is already created lessons, plans and everything and just ask for help. So that's one of those very basic things to do, but it's shifting them in that limiting belief that they will be seen as competent people by asking for help, right, it's like almost like who's in your tribe, right yeah who's in your tribe?

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Yeah, I love that. I love that.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

I talk about that all the time, I know and nobody does it alone, jessica, especially in a school, right, you're going to need the team, you're going to need your colleagues, you're going to need the help from the librarian, because she holds, or he holds, all the secrets to where the books are, who teaches what at what level. You're going to need the help of the secretaries big time, so you make sure you get in with those secretaries and validate and appreciate all the work that they do. The custodians they know where everything is in the school, so you know you get friendly with them as well, and so you basically get together. Even the principals, right, the administrators, the EEDs, so the special ed teachers, who will know which students have special needs, and they will be able to come into your class to support you, and so that's not an option, that's their job. So, recognizing that if you have 10 students out of 25 that have individualized educational plans, it's a, it's a obvious thing that they need to be in that classroom to support you, and and so that's one thing.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So the another pitfall is, um is dealing with parents and fearing communicating with parents. So the fear around, you know, oh no, and resisting and putting off, you know. So putting off communicating with parents, and so that is something that I want to encourage them that, no, this is an opportunity to support that child and to support you in being the best teacher you can be, and so to not put that off, because then it just gets worse and worse and worse, and it's better to nip it in the bud right away and say I'm on it, let's communicate about this, let's make this about the child and me being the best teacher I can be. How are we going to do this Right? It's about also, to be honest, one of the pitfalls is to think that you can manage a difficult parent on your own in a tiny little room in the school. That is a. That is not a healthy. That is not a healthy thing to do, because I have been really severely put down by parents, criticized, and it was very traumatic for me and it's not necessary. So, even if it's, all you have is the support of a colleague, every year a teacher has a plan that they work on. So for a first-year teacher is how to communicate optimally with a parent to support students, and so that can be said right away, to explain the other person in the room, to monitor the quality of the conversation and make it a collaborative, empowering, solution-based, instead of blaming and angry in that kind of environment. So that was a big pitfall for me.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And, of course, the main pitfall of all is, yes, you're going to work, but you're not on your own and self-care is absolutely crucial. So don't sacrifice your sleep, you know. Take days off and not sick days. Take health days that if you're taking days off, you're not a competent teacher that you should be able to and this is important. I'm going to put this in quotes you should be able to take it.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

That is such a punitive, mean, wow, judgmental thing that teachers do unto themselves. And so why is anybody taking it? On their first year teaching, when they could be taking a health day? It usually involves on their first year teaching when they could be taking a health day. It usually involves, to be honest, grading papers or prepping, and so it's a day off. That is not really a day off, but there's going to be so much work that it's okay to take a few days to catch up. Nobody's going to judge you, and if the kids at school end up watching podcasts or you know short films or do some research on their own, there is nothing wrong with that? Nobody's going to see them as a bad teacher. Those are some of the pitfalls right.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Yeah, I love that and I love how you close it with self-care, because obviously, the first three they make total sense, but the last one, which is realistically the simplest one, the one that we all talk about giving yourself grace and giving yourself time and disconnecting and recharging right is the one that we do the least. Exactly, yeah, so necessary, exactly.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And in teaching, as you know, through our coaching school, teachers are full on level four people. They're all about service, they're all about caring for others, experiencing great satisfaction from seeing others succeed. But unfortunately, at that level four, supposedly, people are also supposed to fill up their own cup, which, in teaching, because of the reality of the job you know, people are holding their bladders, people don't finish their lunches, people are up at 5, 6 am and they go to bed especially first year teachers at 8, 9 pm, and so how do you take care of yourself in circumstances that basically do not promote health care? If I may say something, even really highly controversial schools are made to burn people out. So how do you set yourself up for success in a system that is not made for self-compassion, in a system where there's a lot of judgment, in a system that prones provincial testing and Canada's provincial testing and schools are highly, highly criticized if the results are not high.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So all this falls onto the shoulders of a teacher. It is insane pressure, and so how do you? Basically, I see it as a raft and you're like whitewater rafting and it's insane. And you've got your little people on your boat and you're trying to keep it together. How do you manage your health in conditions like that's ways? And the number one way is to recognize that the teacher is the core person in their lives. They have to put themselves first. Once that mind shift happens, everything falls into place. Classroom discipline even.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

You know like, especially as a high school teacher, it's you know knowing how to say hey, kid, right now you're on my last nerve, so you're asking you know you're working with me right now or you're working against me and putting yourself first so that you can provide quality education for everyone else in the classroom, knowing that you will also figure out what's going on with that one student. And it's usually because they're not engaged. There's reasons right. So again and this is I'm smiling because I'm like, oh my gosh, you know this is lacking in universities and I'm working with professors in different universities in Canada right now how do we equip teachers to recognize this, have the awareness of it and also give them actual coaching tools to ask the student what is going on right now, Without judgment, without anger. You should be paying attention, but actually digging deep. And same thing with the parents recognizing that it's not easy being a parent to a teenager who is not doing as well as they could be. So there's all this beautiful supportive coaching techniques that will support everybody.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

The teacher working with difficult colleagues this happens too right. How to avoid difficult colleagues? To be honest, some of them are just energetically not going to support you. So knowing to recognize those people and lovingly not be around them is going to promote self-care as well. So there's just so many ways that we were just not taught in university. I agree.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And yeah and so. So, hopefully, I'm sensing a wind of change, though slight wind, a little breeze of change, if you will and how to optimize their magic. These people are pure magic. They have this incredible mind with a beautiful passion for their subject matter and also for young people, and so how to make that the magic space, the core of teaching, and kind of letting all the other stuff kind of fall into the background and not impinging into that very sacred space?

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Yeah, I love that.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

I love that because and it's so true, and in today's world where, especially post pandemic, I'm seeing that the education system is really lacking on, you know, recruiting teachers and you know teachers that are passionate about working with kids, because kids are not easy, and when you talked about, you know, being a parent to a teenager, that might not be giving their best.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Trust me, I've been there, done that. Yeah, I had those days and I never had the opportunity to, you know, to connect with a teacher, unless it was a bad thing, right, there was no nurturing of, like you know, this is what they can do better. And I don't know, to connect with a teacher unless it was a bad thing, right, there was no nurturing of like you know, this is what they can do better, and I don't know like, it was just a different environment a few years ago and then getting hit by a pandemic, making everything virtual didn't help, because then I suddenly became the teacher. So that was very difficult, but nonetheless, you know, I definitely see how, um, teachers will definitely lead to burnout if they're not, if they're not monitoring what they're doing, or, if they're, if they don't have self-awareness. And so my, my next question would be how could someone um identify that they are leading to burnout and they are leading to a crash?

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And so and this is the kind of a tricky situation with a teacher who is going into burnout Usually it's very difficult to catch yourself as you're burning out. That's why I want to do a lot of preventing, a lot of preparing to even avoid being there entirely. But a sure-tail sign is you no longer want to be in the classroom, you're no longer enjoying your job, you're thinking of what else could I do with my life instead of teaching. So those are dead giveaways that there's some serious stuff happening. A teacher who no longer feels like doing anything honestly, that's depression setting in. A teacher who has sacrificed all their lunch hours, you know, working at home on weekends and still not feeling that there are quote unquote catching up. A person who will sacrifice their, their diet. A person who is kind of withdrawing in themselves instead of reaching out. So it's actually quite difficult for a person who is starting to go down to catch themselves.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

But there's, there's a way's, you know, I call it the halt system. Are you hungry? Are you angry? Anger is a big one, or despair, anger is. It doesn't matter what I do, it's never good enough. When you get to that point, you got to stop and reset, pull away, take a few days off, absolutely Regroup and nurture your soul. The halt is also are you lonely?

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So if all you ever do is teach, teach and there's, you know your marriage is suffering in the background because your husband or wife never sees you or your children never see you. I have so many stories, you know, of divorces happen. Parents who take more care in preparing lessons and teaching their own students and neglecting their own children and their own children's grades slip and they fall through the cracks. So there's this really severe imbalance in the teaching world and that's like the biggest limiting belief, to be honest, is that once you're a teacher, that's all you are.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Teaching is your life, yeah, and so that's severely imbalanced and course, all the other aspects of your life kind of fall to the side and so, again, just educating, educating, educating and saying no, of course it's going to be a huge part of your life. Let's be honest, right, because, especially in the first few years, right, one teacher out of three is going to drop out of the career after five years. And so, yeah, to answer your question, I really want to drop out of the career after five years. And so, yeah, to answer your question, I really want to work on building the awareness even before they start teaching, so that when they get to that point of what's the point, I just don't even enjoy this.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

I've had teacher colleagues just circle around the school in tears yeah before they can even like park in the parking lot to face the day. So even before you get to, that you know plastering a smile on your face.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Yeah, it's great.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

It's not great, right. So, recognizing all that and in my so like having this, education, that, and even proning taking those holidays, um holidays I call them health days and then, and just like planning for a massage because teachers have benefits, wait for it, so many benefits, especially in ontario, where I live in canada. They never use them because, they're too busy.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

so those health days could be getting those massages and then also planning for therapy ahead of time, Because you're like what? I don't need a therapist, but you will. You will need to talk to somebody who is not in a school, or a coach, such as myself, who can help you see straight into the turmoil of the day so that you can bring some calm into that right.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Yeah the turmoil of the day so that you can bring some calm into that right. So I really believe in building the awareness, building the person to realize that they are number one in their lives and then watching out for those signs so that they can experience all of the joy that teaching can bring right and not the fear and the anxiety and the BS. To be honest, there's so much of it.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

I love that. And, ugenie, what are some practical steps that they can take? Say that they're feeling everything you talked about in the HALT, your HALT method. What is something that they can implement today?

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Today. So today, right now, like because I'm going to be starting my program mid-august, because I want to start them before school even starts. So today is, you know, already setting up a plan of self-care. Yeah, so, finding a therapist even before school. Start finding a massage therapist even before school. Start setting up on the schedule. They will do this in their first few weeks of school, because usually other teachers will be Finding a massage therapist even before school starts.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Setting up on the schedule, they will do this in their first few weeks of school, because usually other teachers will be teaching maybe the same class and even if they don't set up every three weeks a day off, and so planning those days. They're also called easy days. They usually fall on a Friday, which is great, and have it set up so that it's a research day, or it's a you know, watch a movie, what are the themes day, or it's collaborative tasks day, so that you don't have any really work to leave for a supply teacher and or very minimal, and also it's a. It's an easy day for students. So the steps to prepare for all that is yeah, that's what I want to do is I want them to have the awareness and I really want them. I will be not just want them. I will be working on limiting beliefs, dismantling those right away, right, and also explore their own perfectionism, because, I mean, teachers are all perfectionists. Let's be honest.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

They're all A-type achievers. I'm a recovery perfectionist myself, me too.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Me too. And it's work. It's always work. It's not something that you achieve overnight. And it's releasing this idea of you're going to have an Oscar nomination class every day, three times a day. Let's make it a good class instead of a great wow class, right?

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So checking in with your ego, checking in with the inner critic, because there's going to be just having the awareness that there's the outside pressure and how to roll with it, but there's also, and more importantly, the I'm going to save everyone syndrome, yeah, and there's going to be, and if I can't, I'm a failure. So this like black and white thinking if I do this, I'm a good teacher, if I don't do this, I'm a terrible teacher and kind of give this compassion of being in the zone in between I don't want to call it the gray zone, because it's actually a very happy zone. It's a happy zone to not be stuck between black and white and to be in the human. I'm doing the best I can, my students are doing the best they can, the parents are doing the best they can and releasing all of that really, really heavy energy, draining energy of judgment towards ourselves and towards others. So really educating, building the awareness and having that mindset of compassion, you know like teaching them even just affirmations, teaching them even how to meditate. Just five minutes before I always have the Hussein Bolt you know who he is right the 100 meter sprint from Jamaica In the Olympics. I always go for the 100 meters because it's just like so amazing to watch. It's like on your marks gets it, the gun goes and the guy runs his 100 meters in like less than 10 seconds. He's amazing. Wow, teaching is like that.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

You, you start your day full-on like adrenaline and it's just so. No, start your day with five, ten minutes of silence and peace, because the day is going to start soon enough, by the way, and it's going to be busy, but having this peaceful foundation of today is going to be okay. And just breathing into that and releasing the anxiety around today, I can face any challenge. No one's going to die today, right, and having this, I'm doing the best around. Today, I can face any challenge. No one's going to die today, right, and having this, I'm doing the best I can. So, practicing this tiny bit of meditation before it all starts.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And of course, exercise is so important, and a teacher might not be able to do three hours of exercise a day? Let's be honest, I don't think that's realistic. But squeezing in a nature walk? Let's be honest, I don't think that's realistic. But squeezing in a nature walk, squeezing in a half hour yoga online, so they can even there's gyms in high schools. So after school, just go to the gym for 20 minutes, half an hour, sit on that bike, do a few weights, get your endorphins flowing. That's like free medication that we all have access to, right? So how to set yourself up for that, right?

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

Love it, I love it, right, love it, love it, love it, oh my gosh. And you know it's crazy, because it's even given me a different perspective about the teachers that my children had. You know, it's like, yeah, if I couldn't handle two at home, I can't even imagine how they handled. You know, sometimes 20, sometimes 30 in a classroom, right? So that I think that's, I can't even imagine how they handled. You know, sometimes 20, sometimes 30 in a classroom, right? So I think that definitely is giving me a different perspective. And so, Eugenie, I heard you say something. You have a program coming up soon, yes, and I want you to share what it is that you have coming up for any listener that might say, oh my gosh, I definitely need to connect with her.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Yeah, listener that might say oh my gosh, I definitely need to connect with her, yeah, so this, this I'm smiling as as you're talking about my program, because I see it as a a wonderful opportunity to support these first year teachers into avoiding the pitfalls, but not, you know, but also just really rewiring what society says about teachers and just dismantling all those limiting beliefs, right, re programming them I don't know if that's the right word shifting their mindset around. Yes, I am the most important person in this classroom, you know, and so really focusing on their health, but I also want to give them strategies, strategies that did not have um coaching tips, how do you approach with questions, questions. So I'm going to give them kits a kit with dealing with a difficult parent or even preventing because a lot of it is prevention, and how to approach a parent when things are starting to get difficult, in very collaborative, empowering ways, not being afraid to reach out to a parent, right? So? So, basically, it would be a. It is going to be. I've already started it and I have a few people lined up. It's going to be set up where we will have a weekly meeting, not too long because they're first year teachers, so they won't have too much time to hang out in a Zoom, so about half an hour where there will be some exploration of how do I take care of myself, but also giving them very valuable tips, actual coaching strategies, so that they can be in their week and just use those.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

So like meditation, like I've mentioned before, how to build your dream team right away, how to, even before school, you leave nothing to chance, nothing. You already have all of your students. People have taught them before. Of course you have to be careful not to judge a young person before you've had the experience to being with them. But you'll know for sure that Joe and Lindsay cannot be seated together because it's going to be an atomic bomb. So if you know this ahead of time in your class layout, you don't put them together. This is preventable from the start, right? So so teach them all these little strategies and I want to support them. So before school starts, all the way till just after the first report card, because the first report card is hugely anxiety inducing for first teachers, like oh gosh, I have to meet with the parents, so how do I handle that? Right, so we can do like mock interviews where we could just role play and role play different scenarios, so that they feel more prepared and universities don't teach that which which is insane.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

So I can't wait to be able to share your program, because I am sure if someone is listening today and feeling like, wait a minute, this is something that I need to look into Maybe not a first year teacher, but maybe a current teacher that's like, oh my gosh, I wish I had that when I was a first year teacher. And so I can't wait to see what comes out of, out of you know, the, the, the, the people that are listening, and the, the interview and all of the insights that you've shared. And so you guys, you're going to see her contact information. Inside of the show notes I'll add a link to her program as well. So if you want more information about Eugenie and her program for first year teachers, feel free to reach out to her.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

And what I love about Eugenie is that if you still have a question on the program, perhaps that you're not feeling like it aligns with you in some way, shape or form, just reach out to her. She's more than willing to kind of you know cater it and maybe explain it in more detail so that you're able to make a better decision, to be able to work with her or perhaps is not working in the group coaching program and you do want to work with Eugenie one on one. That's always an option too, and so, oh my gosh, ugenie, this was so fun and I really appreciate all the insights.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

I'm definitely going to take note of your halt method because I think it's powerful, not just for any of us, and so I would like for you to share my final question that I always ask my audience, and it's how do you personally maximize your day?

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Yeah, so thank you, that's a great question. So how I maximize my day is definitely because maximizing your day, yeah, so thank you, that's a great question. So how I maximize my day is definitely because maximizing your day means you're not wasting time and you're focused, right? So in my case is practicing meditation, exercising um and sleeping, because if I'm doing all of those three things, then my mind is calm, my mind is open to the opportunities, my mind is solution-based instead of being stuck in an anxiety-induced or just like problem environment, right? So taking good care of myself is actually very optimizes my day. That's one of them.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

And also is boundaries, learning to say no, learning to ignore the noise there's so much noise and, again, if you have that calm, creative space in your mind and you know, and you're focused and you know what you want to do with your day, then it becomes an act of love for yourself to say no to other people, which used to be very difficult for me and I would take on too much and then I burnt out. So if somebody says, oh, you should be doing this, oh well, thank you for considering me. That's very flattering, but I already have a prior engagement. That's my favorite thing to say. I have a prior engagement. They don't need to know that my prior engagement is going to my yoga class A lot of hot yoga. It's really good for me. They don't need to know that my prior engagement is having dinner with my family that is healthy for me, connecting with my people or going for salsa lessons.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Or going to my salsa lessons, baby, you know it. That is pure joy and it yes. And so those prior engagements are about taking care of you and it doesn't have to be like an academic oh yeah, I'm taking a class to be whatever. No, your prior engagement, your only engagement, is towards you, your mental space, accessing what I call your magic right. So, whether you're a teacher or just a human being because I also coach other people I don't coach just teachers.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

I coach people into developing those healthy boundaries so that they can create this healthy space for themselves and build this confidence and compassion for themselves. That's truly what I do. Like you said, I'm a joy and fulfillment coach for teachers, but also just for anybody. So I do have one-on-one clients that are dating right now and need some help with that. So it has nothing to do with teaching, but they're experiencing great, great success as well.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

So love that Awesome, so it was so fun having you on my show today. I was really looking forward to it. Thank you so much for being here and for sharing with my audience.

Eugénie Ducatel, Life Coach:

Yes, and I and I just want to say that you know, for me, you are also a very inspiring figure in my life and I'm so glad that we got to connect through our coaching school, through IPEC, and we've had multiple opportunities later You've even supported me with your coaching to build my speaking engagements, so that was really, really helpful, and so, yeah, I just wanted to thank you as well for being so awesome.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

I appreciate you. Thank you, Eugenie. You're welcome, as always. Thank you so much for listening in. Don't forget to subscribe to the show to be notified the second a new episode is released and share with your friends who believe could benefit from listening or even better just post a screenshot of the episode in your stories and tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

Jessica Rosario, Executive Coach:

I would love to hear your feedback, answer questions and I'm always open to your topic suggestions, so you never know if your topic will be next. So then, until next time, go ahead, maximize your day and own it.