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Education speaker, author, coach
Beat Burnout and Thrive.
Simple steps to reduce stress and help your team thrive
According to the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2025, 86% of school leaders and 76% of teachers are stressed. The current climate in many schools is resulting in teachers feeling exhausted, unseen, and speeding toward burnout.
This level of overwhelm leads to high staff absence costs, poor retention, and inevitably impacts the students’ ability to learn, grow and flourish in their school careers.
In this interactive session, Rowena Hicks draws on her book Teach Flourish Thrive to help leaders and educators reduce stress, restore balance, and reignite a shared passion for teaching. Participants will learn practical, easy-to-implement strategies to create a thriving culture of well-being across their schools and teams.
Learning Objectives
Testimonials
This impactful session, based on the book Teach Flourish Thrive, will equip you to:
1. Discover 3 keys to going from overwhelm to thriving both as a teacher, a leader and an organisation.
2. Apply tools that improve productivity, energy, and fulfilment at work.
3. Identify opportunities to improve school culture and save resources by boosting staff well-being.
"This was so useful. I have so many ideas to take away and I’m so encouraged. Thank you, Rowena."
- Senco
The silent adversary: the impact of stress on school staff.
Current research shows that around 80% of school staff experience significant stress, often leading to negative outcomes like exhaustion and burnout, which affect both individuals and school communities.
However, some schools have successfully implemented strategies to foster a thriving environment. This transformative talk or workshop will provide attendees with three keys to beat burnout, enhance team cohesion, and leverage personal and team strengths to boost productivity and manage stress effectively, ultimately fostering a thriving school community.
What is the Best SEN Strategy?
It might not be what you think!
In 2023, the Early Years Alliance reported that 81% of early years educators were stressed about a work-related issue. The Teacher Wellbeing Index (2025) reports that 86% of senior leaders and 76% of teachers are stressed.
When we're exhausted and running on empty, when stress is unrelenting, we cannot effectively co-regulate the students who need us most. For children with SEN, co-regulation isn't optional, it's the whole intervention. This session reveals why you are the most powerful SEN strategy in your setting, and how to protect your wellbeing so you have regulation to give.
In this interactive session, participants will explore sustainable low-energy strategies, and leave with a personalised toolkit for creating thriving classrooms where both educators and students flourish.
Learning Objectives
Testimonials
1. Understand why YOU are the most powerful SEN strategy and how your nervous system impacts children's regulation.
2. Discover and discuss sustainable SEN strategies that prevent burnout while effectively supporting students.
3. Apply practical tools including Window of Tolerance, energy accounting, and co-regulation techniques.
"Such helpful strategies, really easy to apply. Thank you, Rowena."
- School leader
Why hire me? NOW
Approximately 80% of school staff report being significantly stressed.
According to the Education Support Partnership, there was a 27% reduction in stress-related absenteeism in schools that implemented comprehensive teacher wellbeing programs, positively impacting overall productivity.
While 50% of all staff consider their organisation’s culture has a negative effect on staff's mental health and wellbeing.
A survey by Education Support found that 36% of teachers reported experiencing burnout.
I speak to leaders and all school staff using 7 simple steps to reduce stress, enable teams to thrive together, find productivity, energy and ultimately joy in the role again. The talks are challenging to our assumptions, and require action both for individuals as well as for the whole school staff group.
I burnt out as a school leader in a role I loved with a great team. Using research based, tried and tested strategies, we work together to discover the freedom to be yourself, your best self, so that you can be your best version for your family, your pupils and the school.
A little more about me:
Having a love for my role, a masters and a specialism didn’t stop me burning out. Since then, I have read, researched, coached and taught individuals and groups about what I have learnt.
I discovered the 7 keys to beating burnout about 5 years ago, but I forgot that they applied to me too. I knew the theory, but I didn’t embed them into my everyday life. Being driven, a people pleaser and very conscientious, alongside being empathetic, a problem solver and having no boundaries, I now know this is a recipe for burnout if one doesn’t take notice.
In today's challenging educational climate, where burnout is rampant, my mission is to help educators find joy and purpose again. I offer leaders and also whole schools the strategies to enable them to love their role again, to buck the trends, to be able to flourish and thrive.
When you hear me speak, don’t expect to sit back and enjoy a gentle talk after which nothing changes. I believe strongly that we need to take action if anything is to change.
Small steps, regularly implemented can lead to significant change. I will challenge you, ask you to question your assumptions and actions and you will leave with a reminder of who you really are and what the potential of your role is. Remember, I am a primary school teacher at heart, so I bring energy, a requirement to engage and fun. I have lived what I teach. It's been a battle, but I am overcoming, and I want you and your team to as well.
