School Stories That Shape Your Leadership

Have you ever thought about how your school experiences continue to shape you as a leader today? From the sound of the classroom bell to the sting of a teacher’s red ink, our memories from school and college often run deeper than we realise.

In this reflective episode of The Fulfilled Leader, Jean invites you to pause and explore the surprising connections between your early educational experiences and how you now show up at work, in leadership, and in life.

Drawing on her own journey of revisiting childhood schools in New Zealand, Jean shares stories that reveal how formative those years still are. She then guides you through questions and practical reflections to help uncover your own patterns, strengths, and stories that may still be influencing your leadership today.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

• How early experiences of belonging or exclusion affect the way you connect with colleagues.
• The power of a teacher’s words, both encouraging and discouraging, and how they echo into adulthood.
• Why hidden stories from school can hold you back or quietly propel you forward.
• Ways to reframe old narratives so they serve your leadership now.
• Journaling prompts and practices to loosen the hold of unhelpful memories.

This episode is an invitation to reflect gently on your past. By bringing awareness to how your school years shaped you, you gain the freedom to choose what stories to keep, what to reshape, and what to finally release.

Because while our early experiences matter, they don’t have to define us forever. With awareness, compassion, and curiosity, you always have the power to choose anew.

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