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Brené Brown is an inspiring personal brand because she embodies authenticity, vulnerability, and a commitment to personal growth which are values that align with my own focus on empathy, self-awareness, and helping others. She openly shares her successes and challenges which builds relatability and trust.

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Featured Content

From Brené

A primer for navigating the progression of my written work.

By Brené Brown

From Brené

I'm not here to make people comfortable or to be liked. My purpose is to know and experience love. This means excavating the unsaid. In the world and in me.

By Brené Brown

From Brené

Cultivating meaningful connection is a daring and vulnerable practice-and one that isn't possible without being a good steward of the stories we tell and the stories we hear.

By Brené Brown

Conversations with leaders, change-makers, and those who help unlock the deeply human part of who we are.

Books by Brené

Looking to dive deep into reading and resources? Check out the hubs.

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Brené Brown is a researcher and storyteller who's spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.

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Clean, simple and warm (i.e. a picture of her front and center with a smile and doing what she loves, sharing her vulnerability).

She has a featured content section which shows that these are things she wants her audience to see and engage with.

A strong About section with real-life photos and a timeline of her experiences.

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Under her About section, you can find: "Stay awkward, brave, and kind."

Note to self: reflect on things I say to myself or out loud that I can "coin" to share with my audience that almost feels like a tagline.

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Krista is a long-time military spouse and coach that helps women find joy in their lives and be the best version of themselves.

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About – Krista Wells Consulting Services

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In my work as a coach, I channel all of my energy into helping other people create lives that are “beyond their wildest dreams.” Because if you have a vision and you manifest that vision, anything is possible. It all starts with aligning with your authentic self.

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Krista has a soft approach to her visuals right off the bat. Easily digestible tabs to access her resources. Her Work With Me tab is particularly intriguing as she has a space for both military spouse and those looking for more general career and life support. This highlights how being a military spouse is not ones entire identity and how our lived experiences can connect with many audience types.

Multiple font sizes which is easy on the eyes.

She has client testimonials easily accessible along with some of her more professional affiliations highlighted as well. Though she does not have her code of conduct or ethics explicit, having shared those helps imply it.

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Under her About section: You deserve a lifestyle that is joyful.

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Angela’s mission is to help teachers live a more purposeful and conscious life. Through her mentorship, countless teachers have learned to take charge of their time and energy so they can prevent burnout and stay in the profession they love for years to come.

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Welcome!

ANGELA WATSON

Founder/Editor-in-Chief

Join over 92,000 teachers who receive our Sunday night emails, and get inspired + informed for the week ahead. Sign up here:

Welcome!

ANGELA WATSON

Founder/Editor-in-Chief

Join over 92,000 teachers who receive our Sunday night emails, and get inspired + informed for the week ahead. Sign up here:

What's Truth for Teachers all about?

We're a collective of educators who collaborate around a shared set of values and purpose.
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Diverse perspectives

We feature K-12 teachers with a wide range of identities, lived experiences, teaching experiences, and educational contexts. We seek to highlight voices that are often missing from the dominant narratives in education.

Sustainable workloads

We help teachers use mindset and productivity tools to create balance and find a sustainable approach to their workload. We prioritize energy-giving tasks to help teachers maintain their enthusiasm and creativity.

Teacher + student agency

We find the overlap between what's best for educators and what's best for kids, and support teachers in activism and advocating for positive change in their classrooms, schools, and communities.

Holistic wellbeing

We work to create schools that prepare kids to be informed, conscious citizens, and we value more than just the academic instruction, as the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of children and educators are interconnected.

Mission
Statement

The encouragement, motivation, and practical teaching strategies you'll find here are grounded in these core beliefs:

We believe classroom teachers have a unique and essential expertise that must be centered in discussions about education. Decisions about teaching should not be made without teachers. So, we use our platform to amplify the voices of classroom practitioners.

We seek out a diversity of perspectives and honor the wide range of experiences teachers have in K-12 schools. We focus on teachers in the United States, but welcome and learn from the voices of educators around the world. We encourage them to speak openly and transparently about all they are experiencing.

We believe in the relentless pursuit of truth by uncovering history, facts, and experiences that have been obscured or whitewashed. We look to see whose perspectives are missing from common narratives and how that's shaped what we believe is true. We are constantly learning and growing, and sharing that process with other educators.

We believe that who teachers ARE matters just as much as what they DO. Therefore, we focus not only on professional development, but also personal development. We delve deeply into topics of mindset, unpacking personal bias, habits for strong mental health, and overall teacher wellbeing. The goal is to provoke self-examination and help educators be the best true version of themselves.

We work to be inclusive but aren't afraid to take a stand on divisive issues when needed. When deciding whether to tackle a controversial topic, our guiding question is, "Who benefits if we choose to stay silent about this?" We stand with folks in the margins and work for justice, accountability, and equity.

We believe in a humanized approach to education, addressing not only the needs of the whole child but the whole teacher. The physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of both children and educators is our central concern, and does not come secondary to academic goals.

We believe the status quo is not best serving the needs of teachers or kids, and push one another to reimagine what's possible. We do not believe in martyring ourselves to meet impossible expectations or overburdening students with irrelevant assignments and excessive testing. Instead, we support teachers in focusing on what makes the biggest impact for kids, and setting boundaries on how much time they-and their students-dedicate to less impactful tasks.

We believe there is a huge overlap between what's best for kids and what's best for teachers, and work to offer solutions that serve the best interest of both. Kids learn best from happy, supported, balanced teachers. So, we reject the tendency to pit teachers' needs against those of students, and instead look for the alignment between them.

We believe teaching is inherently impacted by the larger political, cultural, societal, and institutional frameworks that our schools operate within. So, we don't shy away from discussing current events, and work to inform and equip educators to navigate systemic challenges.

We believe that a free high quality public education is not only the right of every child, but essential for the greater good of a nation. We respect parental choice, and support teachers working in private and charter schools. We also have a deep passion for strengthening our public school system through equitable learning conditions for kids and sustainable working conditions for educators.

We actively look for solutions that make teaching more effective, efficient, enjoyable, and equitable. We seek to help teachers find a sustainable approach to their work in order to maintain their enthusiasm and creativity. We support them in identifying practices that make the best use of class time and help meet the needs of all students, without burning out.

We believe our mission is up for questioning but not up for debate. We invite healthy discussion initiated in good faith for the purpose of clarification. We encourage pushing one another's thinking to include additional perspectives. And, we welcome all educators in this space. In the interest of cohesion and forward progress, we focus on the needs of educators who share our core values. We do not compromise the work of our community to center the perspectives of those who are disinterested in (or opposed to) our goals.

If you feel energized and excited after reading this ... you've found your community of educators. We're glad you're here!

Sign up to be part of this community, and we'll send you an encouraging message every Sunday night.

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Resources from Angela Watson

As founder of Truth for Teachers, Angela has created a growing collection of articles, podcast episodes, online courses, books, and curriculum resources designed to help educators live a more purpose and conscious life:

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See what our writers are sharing

We speak honestly about the realities of the educational system, and discuss practical ideas that are working currently in classrooms around the nation.

Meet our Writers

Iowa City,
IA

16 Years
Experience

Jennifer is currently working with students and teachers on building-wide academic inclusion. Her passion is building literacy supports that include...

Learn More About This Writer

ENROLLING NOW

Maximize your contractual hours, so you're not working endlessly on nights and weekends.

Our 40 Hour Workweek programs offer online personal + professional development for educators who want to focus on what really matters and simplify the rest.

Over 48,000 teachers have used 40 Hour to get organized, streamline routines, give kids ownership of the classroom, and be truly intentional about how they use their instructional, contractual, and personal time.

We also offer a 40 Hour Instructional Coaching program and 40 Hour Leadership for school administrators to help shift norms and expectations school-wide.

What teachers are saying

Angela's podcast is my motivation each week! She has not forgotten what it's like to be in the classroom. Every teacher will appreciate her words of encouragement.

A.Y.

What teachers are saying

I love how Angela simplifies things. I have not mastered that skill yet. Soooo glad to feel like I'm on the path to a normal life and schedule. Getting closer! (So not there yet, but I'm ok with that as long as I am making progress and not stuck in the same rut I've been in for THIRTEEN years!!!)

Abigail Sarmiento

What teachers are saying

Angela is not only an advocate for teachers, she is the voice of hope, a soundboard for truth, and the guru of positive thinking and practice in a challenging profession. Listening to Angela is like detoxing for the teaching mind and soul; a recommended prescription for anyone in the profession.

Ava W.

What teachers are saying

I have followed Angela for years through her books and website. She has a way of looking for the positive without denying the issues we face. I enjoy her practical solutions and pro-active ideas.

Christine

What teachers are saying

The topics Angela chooses to address are those matter to teachers. With so many struggles and challenges we face, she provides realistic advice. She's that voice that reminds you of your worth and value as an educator.

E. Lopez

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If you enjoy this, check out the NEW Truth for Teachers Daily Encouragement Podcast. New & exclusive episodes drop daily from Mon-Fri (approx. 20 eps each month)! Each one is a 3-5 minute uplifting message and is ad-free. You can also interact with Angela and other subscribers via QA, polls, voice messages and more in Spotify! Cancel anytime.

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Meet our Founder

Angela Watson, Editor-in-Chief

Angela is a National Board Certified educator and has a masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She created the first version of this site in 2003, when she was a classroom teacher herself. Now with 11 years of teaching experience and more than a decade of experience as an instructional coach, Angela oversees and contributes regularly to the resource collection here, and hosts the Truth for Teachers podcast. Angela also provides coaching and consulting services, creates online courses, and designs curriculum resources.

Angela believes in challenging the narrative of the overworked and unappreciated educator who sacrifices to the point of burnout. Through the Truth for Teachers writers collective, she aims to center the voices of classroom practitioners in finding more sustainable approaches to high-quality K-12 education.

Join our
community
of educators

If you are a teacher who is interested in contributing to the Truth for Teachers website, please click here for more information.

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Truth for Teachers: Real talk from K-12 educators

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Check out our growing collection of articles, podcast episodes, online courses, books, and curriculum resources designed to help educators live a more purpose and conscious life.

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She uses soft colors and simple fonts while including a photo of herself with a smile. She has a strong logo that matches her brand palette. Angela also includes a timeline of her works in her About section.

Her overarching message seems to be giving educators the power to enjoy their work without burnout. She highlights this by including resources of many types like a podcast, courses, curriculum and more which provides tangible value.

Her code of conduct and ethics are not explicit but she does share places where she is featured which shows her dedication to integrity and credibility.

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No explicit quotes or taglines I could find on her website.

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About Brené. Brené Brown. (2024, June 5). https://brenebrown.com/about/

About. Truth For Teachers. (2024, March 15). https://truthforteachers.com/about/

Krista Wells Consulting Services. (n.d.). https://kristawells.com/

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Each of the three personal brands have supportive and motivating tones. They are mindful of the complexity of the words they use which appeals to a broader audience.

Each woman uses real-world experiences to shape their brand and how they connect with their audience.

Each have action oriented focuses that focus on the long-term.

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Build resources that are practical for my audience

More explicit mission, vision, values and goals statements sprinkled throughout my content along with a code of conduct and ethics that can be referenced so my audience understands what to expect from my work.

Include a photo of a smiling me - I personally was drawn to that on each of their pages.

Use Canva to develop a brand palette for colors, font and logo.

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Reflect and refence results here to lean into strengths that also drive my personal values

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Who is A Defender (ISFJ)?

A Defender (ISFJ) is someone with the Introverted, Observant, Feeling, and Judging personality traits. These people tend to be warm and unassuming in their own steady way. They're efficient and responsible, giving careful attention to practical details in their daily lives.

Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.

Brian Tracy

In their unassuming, understated way, Defenders help make the world go round. Hardworking and devoted, people with this personality type feel a deep sense of responsibility to those around them. Defenders can be counted on to meet deadlines, remember birthdays and special occasions, uphold traditions, and shower their loved ones with gestures of care and support. But they rarely demand recognition for all that they do, preferring instead to operate behind the scenes.

This is a capable, can-do personality type, with a wealth of versatile gifts. Though sensitive and caring, Defenders also have excellent analytical abilities and an eye for detail. And despite their reserve, they tend to have well-developed people skills and robust social relationships. Defenders are truly more than the sum of their parts, and their varied strengths shine in even the most ordinary aspects of their daily lives.

Defenders are true altruists, meeting kindness with kindness-in-excess and engaging with the work and people they believe in with enthusiasm and generosity.

The Gift of Loyalty

Among Defenders' most distinctive traits is loyalty. Rare is the Defender who allows a friendship or relationship to fade away from lack of effort. Instead, they invest a great deal of energy into maintaining strong connections with their loved ones - and not just by sending "How are you doing?" texts. People with this personality type are known for dropping everything and lending a hand whenever a friend or family member is going through a hard time.

Defenders tend to feel most energized and effective when they're showing up for someone who needs their help.

Defenders' sense of loyalty doesn't stop with their nearest and dearest - it often extends to their communities, their employers, and even family traditions. But the intensity of their commitment and desire to serve can have its downsides. Other people may take advantage of Defenders' helpful, hardworking nature, leaving them feeling burned out and overworked. And Defenders may feel guilty or stressed when they contemplate changes - even necessary changes - to themselves, their relationships, or the way they've done things in the past.

The Highest of Standards

For Defenders, "good enough" is rarely good enough. People with this personality type can be meticulous to the point of perfectionism. They take their responsibilities personally, consistently going above and beyond and doing everything that they can to exceed others' expectations.

Defender personalities are known for their humility, and they rarely seek the spotlight.

But what happens when Defenders' efforts go unnoticed or unappreciated? While Defenders tend to underplay their accomplishments, that doesn't mean that they don't enjoy recognition - or that they're fine with being taken for granted. Unless they learn to stand up for themselves, Defenders may find themselves quietly losing their enthusiasm and motivation, eventually becoming resentful toward the people who just don't seem to appreciate them.

Showing Up for Others - and Themselves

Although they're Introverted, Defenders have a deeply social nature. Thanks to their ability to remember the details of other people's lives, Defenders have a special talent for making their friends and acquaintances feel seen, known, and cherished. Few personality types can match Defenders' ability to choose just the right gift for any occasion, whether large or small.

Dedicated and thoughtful, Defenders find great joy in helping those around them build stable, secure, and happy lives. It may not be easy for people with this personality type to show up for themselves in the way that they show up for other people, but when they do, they often find themselves with even more energy and motivation to do good in the world.

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Introduction | Defender (ISFJ Personality) | 16Personalities

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Who is A Defender (ISFJ)? A Defender (ISFJ) is someone with the Introverted, Observant, Feeling, and Judging personality traits. These people tend to be warm and unassuming in their own steady way. They're efficient and responsible, giving careful attention to practical details in their daily lives. Love only grows by sharing.