The smile, the accolades, the calendar packed with purpose on paper it looks like fulfillment.

Michelle opens up about choosing a “safe” career in teaching for the security and steady validation it promised, only to discover that safety without self-connection can turn into a quiet numbness.

We explore how routine, compliance, and external praise can mask deeper wounds, and why so many high-achieving women mistake being needed for being known.

Together we walk through the hidden costs of autopilot in education: policies that push us to betray our values, the exhaustion of always performing “put together,” and the way unprocessed trauma reappears as overwork, rigidity, or disengagement. Michelle shares the pivotal question that changed everything, "What am I unwilling to feel" and offers a path back to presence through self-inquiry, boundaries, and compassion.

This is practical, honest talk about how to see students clearly by first seeing ourselves.

We honor the teachers who saw Michelle when home felt unsafe, and we translate their quiet genius into everyday moves: naming strengths precisely, being curious about behavior, and creating classrooms where dignity leads. If you’re an educator, leader, or high achiever who feels strangely empty despite all the gold stars, this conversation is a mirror and a map.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help more educators find their way back to connected, values-aligned work.

Message from Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh

I’m Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh, born in Jamaica, raised in a traditional Indian household where I never quite fit the mold. For over 40 years, I chased every expectation family, culture, society, collecting degrees, titles, and accolades. I had purpose and security, yet something was missing. I was achieving, not thriving.

As an award-winning global educator, Michelle finally realized that fulfillment doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from alignment. Today, she help high-achieving, culturally diverse women educators recognize how disengagement quietly steals their joy. Together, we break those patterns so you can redefine success on your own terms and lead with purpose, from fulfillment, not sacrifice.

That’s why I created this podcast, to tell my story honestly and unfiltered. The truths I buried, the patterns I tolerated, the lessons that set me free. But this isn’t just about me, it’s about you. Through these stories, you’ll see reflections of your own journey and uncover what’s been holding you back.

Join me as I disrupts disengagement, break the cycle of busyness, and learn to lead and live from a place of true joy and wholeness. It’s time to reclaim your power and thrive, not just survive.