Have you ever received a gift that changed the way you think or act?
Perhaps it was a book, or an experience, or something that didn’t just sit on a shelf, but actually made a difference in your life.
A few weeks ago, a coaching client asked me: “Do you think a package of leadership coaching sessions could be a gift for my husband this Christmas?”
What a thoughtful gift.
Not a gadget or a sweater, but space to reflect, grow, and think about work and life in a meaningful way.
She later shared:
“I bought my husband a package of sessions with Kristine for Christmas, and he’s looking forward to starting. Coaches who truly understand the international school landscape are hard to find, which makes her support an exceptional and thoughtful present.”
Her words stayed with me and inspired me to offer coaching gift certificates this season.
These sessions are for anyone ready to:
Lift their level of leadership and have a thought-partner to enhance the impact of their current work, or
Dream about taking a professional leap, exploring what’s possible next (inspired by my book The Leap Year).
🎁 With Black Friday coming up, I wanted to offer a small way to make giving (or receiving) coaching even more meaningful. Any package purchased Nov 28–Dec 5 comes with an extra session.
If you or someone you know could benefit from reflective, practical coaching, whether to grow in their current role or take a leap, feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to share details.
Stealing a quiet moment in a whirlwind semester.
Grateful for the work and creative projects that have fueled me.
Big projects ahead, but for now… pause. 💛
I’m so grateful to all who’ve supported me as a first-time author! Your encouragement and kind words have made this journey so meaningful. 💖
If you’ve read the book and enjoyed it, I’d love for you to help me reach more readers by leaving an Amazon review.
Who will be review # 20?
Thank you for being part of this leap with me!
There’s still time to join The Leap Year Book Club!
One reader said it best:
“You don’t feel like you’re being lectured to—you feel like you’re having a heartfelt conversation with someone who’s been there, taken the leap, and lived to tell the tale.”
That’s exactly what the In Conversation with the Author series is. It was created to be a warm, relatable space to reflect, connect, and figure out what’s next.
Whether you’re mid-move, rethinking your role, or quietly dreaming of something new, you’re not alone. A wonderful group of kindred spirits is already signed up. We’d love to have you with us!
📘 Get your copy of The Leap Year https://bit.ly/3FMKdCE
🗓 Register for the 3-part book club (Open to all) https://lnkd.in/giGG2AYN
Our first Zoom gathering will be on September 1, 2025 @ 12:30-1:30PM UTC
Because change is easier (and more inspiring) when you don’t go it alone.
What does it mean when my sketchbooks keep getting physically larger?
The pages aren’t just multiplying, the actual dimensions are growing.
Maybe it means the ideas want more room to stretch.
Maybe it means the questions are getting bigger than the margins.
Maybe it means the work I’m part of simply can’t be contained in a smaller frame anymore.
As this school year begins, I’m filling these larger pages with:
🎨 Coaching conversations with private clients (both new and returning).
🎨 Collaborations with schools deeply committed to the social and emotional growth of children and the adults who care for them.
🎨 Supporting school leaders and middle leaders as they shape thriving communities.
🎨 Work with ISCA, through the Academy, conferences, webinars, trainings, and resources like our standards, learning progression, and SEL toolkit.
🎨 Continuing to support readers of The Leap Year as they bring the ideas to life in their own contexts.
🎨 Sharing and learning at conferences, sometimes as a keynote, sometimes as a presenter, always as a listener.
This year’s sketchbook is physically larger because there’s more to hold, more to notice, more to dream.
Here’s to a new school year of blank, wide-open pages, ready to be filled.
Career transitions can feel like both a leap and a balancing act, especially when you’re navigating work, life, and everything in between.
I recently came across this thoughtful review of my book on Amazon, and it stopped me in my tracks because it showed me that these experiences are more universal than we often realize.
“Having gone through a career transition and leap year myself, I found this book to be a great representation of all the emotions and learnings that come with that first year... The anecdotes make it relatable and the author does a great job of giving tangible exercises to work through yourself.”
When I wrote this, my hope was to create something useful (part encouragement, part guide) for anyone standing at a career crossroads, considering entrepreneurship, or heading in a new direction.
If you’re in that space, I would love for The Leap Year to be your guide.
And if you’ve already read it and are looking for a space to reflect, connect, and talk about how the lessons apply to your own life, you’re warmly invited to join In Conversation with the Author. It’s a small-group discussion space for readers navigating their own leap.
Grab your copy of The Leap Year
https://shorturl.at/5qQMi
Register for the book club series (Open to all! ISCA members & non-members)
https://lnkd.in/giGG2AYN
What are you reading this summer?
If you’re like many educators I know, it’s not just beach reads.
It’s books that help you think, dream, and figure out what’s next.
One year ago, I published The Leap Year. This is a book for anyone standing at a crossroads, wondering where to go from here.
Now, during this rare pause in the school year, summer isn’t just for rest. It’s also when the big decisions take shape:
Stay or go?
Shift roles or routines?
Start something new?
That’s the spirit behind In Conversation with the Author. The Leap Year Book Club is a 3-part series to reflect, connect, and gather around the questions that shape our lives.
Whether you’re mid-move, rethinking your role, or quietly dreaming of what’s next, you’re not alone.
📘 Grab your copy of The Leap Year https://bit.ly/3FMKdCE
🗓 Register for the book club series (Open to all! ISCA members & non-members)
https://lnkd.in/giGG2AYN
Because change is easier when you’re surrounded by people who get it.
#TheLeapYear #BookClub #InternationalEducation #CareerTransitions #ISCA #SummerReads
I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
In my previous roles as Director of Learning and Curriculum Coordinator, I led school-wide curriculum review and development across subject areas, supported by clear standards and structured processes.
There were strong systems in place to guide that work.
But when it came to Social-Emotional Learning, I’ll admit, it was a blind spot.
I knew SEL mattered.
I saw its importance in student wellbeing and success.
But I didn’t yet know how to lead it with intention, strategy, and school-wide impact.
That realization became a turning point.
Since then, I’ve spent years diving deep into the work of embedding SEL into the heart of school culture, not as an add-on, but as a foundation for thriving communities.
And through the work that I get to do with International School Counselor Association (ISCA)we have created something I wish I had access to back then:
🌟 The ISCA SEL Leadership Institute 🌟
A two-day, hands-on workshop designed for school leaders who want to move beyond good intentions and lead SEL with clarity and confidence.
📍 Bangkok, Thailand 📅 November 21–22, 2025
You’ll walk away with: ✔️ A shared SEL vision rooted in your school’s mission and values ✔️ Strategic planning tools from the new ISCA SEL Toolkit ✔️ Practical ways to embed SEL into curriculum, policy, and culture ✔️ Inspiration and insights from like-minded professionals
Bring your team. Build your vision. Lead with purpose.
Let’s make SEL more than a program. Let’s make it a way of being.
/isca-sel-leadership-institute-a-strategic-approach-to-sel-implementation/
There’s something special about sitting together, sharing stories, and realizing you’re not the only one standing at the edge of something new.
When we gather (really gather), walls come down, ideas flow, and change starts to feel a little more possible.
That’s the spirit of In Conversation with the Author – The Leap Year Book Club Series.
If you’re navigating a move, shifting roles, starting something new, or dreaming of what’s next, this 3-part series offers space to reflect, connect, and grow...together.
📘 Grab your copy of The Leap Year
https://bit.ly/3FMKdCE 🗓 Register for the series
https://lnkd.in/giGG2AYN
Open to all: International School Counselor Association (ISCA) members AND non-members welcome. Because change is easier when you’re surrounded by people who get it.
