Beyond Mental Health: The Evolution Toward Human Sustainability

If you’ve followed my work for a while, you know that educator mental health has been at the center of almost everything I’ve done. From keynotes and coaching to frameworks and books, I’ve been relentless in pushing conversations that many systems weren’t ready for - and frankly, still aren’t. I’ve written about burnout before it was trendy. I’ve spoken about emotional labor in education when it was still being called a “bad attitude.” And I’ve watched as the system has both rejected and embraced the idea that educator well-being matters...as long as we are speaking of teachers' ability to practice their own self-care.

You may have noticed a difference in my website and branding recently, so I want to be very clear:

My heart-centered, take-no-garbage, change-the-system mental health advocacy isn't going anywhere.

I'm not leaving this work. I’m not softening my stance. I’m not moving on to something more palatable or politically neutral. I’m rebranding my consulting company, Divergent EDU, under a broader and more aligned term called human sustainability, because that is what this work has always been about.

For those of you who know me well, you understand how hard it has been the last few months watching contracts and work disappear as mental health was (for some - unexpectedly) named under DEI. Why? Because it's common for people with mental health issues to be discriminated against. The sudden backtracking of districts due to this felt like a personal affront because so much of me is wrapped up in my work. My very essence is reflected in my mental health advocacy work. But, it wasn't easy when I started speaking out against the way teachers were treated, the way that it impacted their mental health negatively, 10+ years ago. It didn't stop me then, it won't stop me now.

This was always human sustainability

When I first started naming and describing educator emotional disengagement, or mapping the hierarchy of needs required to support innovation, I wasn’t just naming isolated symptoms. I was tracing the outline of a much larger system that asks people to show up every day in roles that often don't allow them to be whole humans. We’ve built educational institutions that demand innovation without rest, excellence without boundaries, loyalty without support. And then we wonder why people leave when we want so desperately for them to stay.

Human sustainability isn’t a buzzword. It’s a reframing. It’s about creating environments where humans can function in alignment with how we’re actually wired, not as machines, but as emotional, complex, dynamic (and, like, super awesome) people. It’s the recognition that if we want students to thrive, our adults have to be able to breathe. Not just physically, but emotionally. Spiritually. Creatively.

So yes, I am still talking about mental health. I am still talking about burnout and disengagement, and the impossible emotional expectations we place on educators. But I’m also talking about policies, structures, and leadership practices that either support or sabotage our people. That’s the expansion. That’s the shift.

Why now?

I’m tired of watching systems applaud “resilience” while doing nothing to reduce the harm. Because focusing solely on individual wellness without addressing systemic dysfunction is like giving someone a leaking snorkel instead of pulling them out of the water.

Because the conversations I’ve been having behind the scenes with both educators and private sector leaders tell me that this isn’t just about schools. It’s about how we treat humans in every workplace. And the same patterns I’ve been naming in education are playing out across industries.

Human sustainability allows us to continue the discussion about culture and policy change with a common understanding that an organization's responsibility to its employees is to create the opportunity for people to leave an organization as happier, fulfilled, and more well-rounded humans than they entered. It lets us talk about leadership. It gives us the space to support organizations taking responsibility for the emotional ecosystem they’re creating, and that, especially after the pandemic, people deserve to work in spaces dedicated to healing. This isn’t a softer version of my work. It’s a sharper one.

A hill I’m still willing to die on

Let me be very clear: The decision to rebrand is not a decision to disengage from advocacy. If anything, it’s the opposite. We are watching policies roll out across the country that actively harm our people and limit our ability to address mental health in real, research-based, human-centered ways. We are watching public discourse weaponize words like "resilience" and "accountability" to silence conversations about emotional support and trauma-informed leadership.

I will not stop speaking out against that. I will not stop calling out systems that fail our people. This work is personal, and it always will be.

What this means moving forward

My work will continue to serve educators and education systems, but now also expands to serve organizations and teams beyond education that are ready to create cultures where humans can actually thrive. That includes the CORE Workplace Framework:

• Organizational consulting focused on retention, engagement, and leadership support

• Keynotes, workshops, and strategy sessions for districts and private sector teams

• And yes, continued thought leadership around educator mental health and healing

I’m still walking with educators. I’m just widening the road.

If you'd like more information, please reach out using the Contact button or book a free strategy session directly.