An Ecological Approach to Wellbeing
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What if the secret to transforming your school culture wasn't another initiative, but learning to tend to it like a terrarium? In this episode, Shane talks to Lori Cohen about her revolutionary ecological approach to wellbeing in schools. Rather than treating wellbeing as just another programme, Lori introduces a powerful terrarium metaphor that shows how all elements of school culture work together as an interconnected ecosystem.
Lori Cohen is an experienced school leader, instructional coach, and education consultant with over two decades in education. She's co-author of "Integrating Educator Well-Being, Growth, and Evaluation: Four Foundations for Leaders."
Key Takeaways
Wellbeing as Soil, Not Another Plant
Educator wellbeing is the foundational soil from which all other school improvements grow
Without healthy soil, nothing else can truly thrive
Ruptures Are Necessary for Evolution
Change requires some things to break down before they can be rebuilt stronger
What needs to "die" so something better can emerge?
The Fractal Approach to Change
Start small and deep rather than broad and shallow
Focus on one dimension rather than trying to fix everything at once
Allow successful patterns to naturally replicate and scale
The Eight Dimensions of Collective Wellbeing
Wage satisfaction and transparent compensation
Job stability and role clarity
Workload management and equitable distribution
Autonomy and self-efficacy
Inclusion in policymaking and decision-making
Community care and leadership modelling
Emotional intelligence (individual and collective)
Strong, supportive relationships that can be built, sustained, and repaired
Resources and Links
Connect with Lori:
Integrating Educator Well-Being, Growth, and Evaluation: Four Foundations for Leaders by Lori Cohen and Elizabeth Denevi (Routledge)
Additional Resources Mentioned:
Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Marie Brown
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Episode Partner
The International Curriculum Association: Learn more
Thank you for tuning in, and as always, if you found this episode useful, please share your experience. You can find me online on LinkedIn and Bluesky. My email address is shane@shaneleaning.com.
