Kathryn M O'Connell Edu

In moments of uncertainty, I pay close attention to where I choose to place my energy.

Today, I am celebrating the start of my second cohort of Neuro-Shine Technology™ Level 1 and focusing my energy on the possibility that coaching brings to the world.

After class; I felt that familiar excitement signal in my body that says...
This work matters!

As my heart breaks for the oppressed, teaching others through an ICF-accredited course feels like taking action to make the world a better place.

My heart can see how coaching can humanize our communities and, hopefully, as is my goal: to humanize education.

I care about creating space and time for humans to develop the skills to sit with complexity, hold emotional truth, and create the conditions for a client’s inner truth to emerge without force, performance, or fixing.

Neuro-Shine Technology™ does this by integrating NLP and neuroscience, emotional intelligence and heart-science, and leadership communication with advanced coaching skills.

This is why I teach coaching:
When the mind, heart, language, and nervous system are working together, influence becomes natural.

If you’re feeling the pull to coach or to deepen how you lead, there is still time to join one of our cohorts.

For many, these are hard times, and coaching can help.

There is space for you. PM me.

With care and compassion,
Kate

is now live, and we’re currently shaping our very first event in Cambodia.

WomenEd began as a simple idea: that women in education thrive when they are seen, supported, and connected, not in competition, but in community.

If you’re a woman working in education in Cambodia (or connected to the region) and you’re curious about leadership, growth, community, this space is for you. PM me to join our Telegram Group.

More details coming very soon.
For now, I just wanted to say: we’re here: Lex Hamilton, Takayo Kajino, Natasha Hilton, Hackett

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

hashtag បានចាប់ផ្តើមដំណើរការហើយ ហើយពេលនេះយើងកំពុងរៀបចំ ព្រឹត្តិការណ៍ដំបូងរបស់យើងនៅកម្ពុជា។

WomenEd ចាប់ផ្តើមពីគំនិតសាមញ្ញមួយ៖ ស្ត្រីក្នុងវិស័យអប់រំរីកចម្រើនបានល្អបំផុត នៅពេលពួកគេត្រូវបានមើលឃើញ គាំទ្រ និងភ្ជាប់គ្នា — មិនមែនក្នុងការប្រកួតប្រជែងទេ ប៉ុន្តែក្នុងសហគមន៍។

ប្រសិនបើអ្នកជាស្ត្រីដែលកំពុងធ្វើការក្នុងវិស័យអប់រំនៅកម្ពុជា (ឬមានការភ្ជាប់ជាមួយតំបន់នេះ) ហើយអ្នកមានការចាប់អារម្មណ៍លើភាពជាអ្នកដឹកនាំ ការរីកចម្រើន សហគមន៍ ឬជំហានបន្ទាប់ក្នុងដំណើររបស់អ្នក — កន្លែងនេះគឺសម្រាប់អ្នក។

ព័ត៌មានលម្អិតបន្ថែមនឹងមកដល់ក្នុងពេលឆាប់ៗនេះ។

សម្រាប់ពេលនេះ យើងគ្រាន់តែចង់ប្រាប់ថា៖ យើងនៅទីនេះហើយ។

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

Many people wonder about coaching until they hear someone describe how it shifted their clarity, confidence, or direction.

The Luminary Launch Webinar introduces an integrated approach combining NLP, ICF core concepts, Neuro-Shine Technology™, and live, hands-on learning.

If you’d like to understand coaching through lived experience, these stories are a powerful place to start.

Luminary Launch Webinar Join the NeuroShine Technology (NST) Faculty discuss the success story from joining the NST Level 1 Coaching Education course to become an ICF Certified Coach.

Educators, Teachers and Leaders!

TIES 2026 is coming! February 7, 2026!

A new year is a great opportunity to refresh your approach to learning. I have to admit, I haven't missed a TIES yet.

This year’s focus is on practical, hands-on inquiry grounded in the realities of teaching in the age of AI.

TIES is where educators come to:
• spark new ideas
• learn from people doing the work (think Trevor MacKenzie, Kimberly L. Mitchell and Guy Claxton)
• and leave with approaches you can use immediately

It’s always energizing.

If you’re looking for professional learning that gets you excited, for FREE, this is it!

You don't have to ask your school for permission or find funding; you just need to clear Saturday, February 7th, and register. Link in the comments!

Hope to see many of you there.

With care and compassion from Cambodia,
Kate

It was the morning of my birthday recently. My kids and I were heading to my favourite hotel for a long, indulgent breakfast. The kind with good coffee, sunlight, and nowhere to rush to. In the tuk tuk on the way there, my son asked me a question I didn’t expect.

"So mom, in all your 53 years, what is the most important thing you have learned?"

The question actually choked me up, and once I gained composure. I answered,

"We think the hardest things we’ll ever do are outside of us. We think we have to: Work harder. Get the job. Earn more. Prove something.

But the hardest work is the inner work. Noticing our patterns. Taking responsibility for our reactions. Changing behaviours that once protected us… but now limit us. That inner work is the hardest of all."

It’s also the work I keep returning to — personally and professionally.

So this year, I am deciding to write it down.

I’ve started a monthly newsletter with three sections:
• What I’m thinking
• What I’m doing
• How I can help

It’s called The Human Advantage on LinkedIn. If we are connected on LinkedIn - I would love your thoughts.

If we aren't, I have the extended version, or expanded version on Substack of the 'What I’m thinking' section.

Finding Flow... When Working Harder Isn’t the Answer

Happy New Year! 💫
As we create goals for 2026, what do you wish for your leadership? Do you feel pulled to grow your leadership in new and inspiring ways - that maximize your professional and personal potential?

Over time, I’ve come to see that the deepest shifts in leadership come from how we listen, how we hold space, and how we stay grounded when the work is complex or humanly tender. That’s the heart of coaching.

It is my belief that coaching, when practiced with depth and integrity, has the capacity to humanize education.

On January 27, 2026, I’ll be teaching the Neuro-Shine Technology™ Coaching Certification – ICF Level 1 (ACC Path) with the Academy of Neuro-Shine Technology. https://lnkd.in/gQ5CAtYS

This pathway supports leaders and educators to develop presence, discernment, and ethical practice; foundations that quietly shape trust and long-term impact.

If this resonates with where you are right now, I’d love to welcome you into this cohort.

Happy New Year!

✨ Happy Holidays! ✨

A small invitation as we head into the new year…

I’ll be facilitating the International Baccalaureate workshop Leading the Learning (Category 1) in Singapore, and we’re one participant away from running the workshop.

If you are or know IB Leaders :

at a candidate school's beginning their IB leadership journey
or
at a school interested in exploring IB leadership and learning more deeply

This could be a wonderful opportunity to pass along.

📍 Location: UWCSEA, Singapore
📅 Dates: 30 January – 1 February 2026

Leading the Learning is a powerful starting point for leaders who want to align vision, culture, and learning—grounded in IB philosophy and real-world practice.

If someone comes to mind, I’d be grateful if you shared this with them—or feel free to reach out with questions.

🔗 Workshop details & registration:
https://www.ibo.org/en/event/205087?wsid=974efc1a-ece7-4424-9ebb-ab7004e6775f

Warmly,
Kate
Thanks in advance!

www.ibo.org

You're already doing some version of coaching.

Maybe it's in how you support your team. Or maybe it's in how colleagues seek you out or how students or clients lean on you when things get complicated.

You're good at holding space, at asking the question that shifts something and at seeing what others miss.

And somewhere in the back of your mind, there's a quiet wondering:
Could this become something more intentional?

Then the practical questions arrive:
Which certification actually opens doors?
Will I feel legitimate calling myself a coach?
Is this ICF-aligned in a way that matters professionally?
Or am I just adding another thing to my resume?

I get it. I've been there.

I became an NLP coach in 2020, already working with people, already making an impact. But when I saw a role I wanted that required ICF accreditation, I realized: certification isn't just about knowledge... it's about being taken seriously in spaces that matter.

That's why I'm inviting you to a conversation on December 22.

We're launching the Academy of Neuro-Shine Technology™ faculty-led cohorts, and this isn't a sales pitch. It's a real conversation with people who've walked this path — educators, consultants, practitioners who once sat exactly where you might be sitting now.

We'll talk openly about:
– Why ICF accreditation actually matters
– What makes Neuro-Shine Technology™ different from other programs
– The doubts we had and how we moved through them
– What shifted when we made coaching official, not just informal
– How this work integrates with teaching, consulting, and leadership

You'll walk away with:
✔ Clarity on whether this is your next chapter
✔ Real insight into what ICF accreditation opens up
✔ A felt sense of whether this academy is the right fit

📅 December 22
⏰ 11:00 AM EST | 11:00 PM ICT
🔗 Link in the comments
If you've been quietly paying attention to that nudge, let's talk.
You're already doing some version of coaching.

Maybe it's in how you support your team. Or maybe it's in how colleagues seek you out or how students or clients lean on you when things get complicated.

You're good at holding space, at asking the question that shifts something and at seeing what others miss.

And somewhere in the back of your mind, there's a quiet wondering:
Could this become something more intentional?

Then the practical questions arrive:
Which certification actually opens doors?
Will I feel legitimate calling myself a coach?
Is this ICF-aligned in a way that matters professionally?
Or am I just adding another thing to my resume?

I get it. I've been there.

I became an NLP coach in 2020, already working with people, already making an impact. But when I saw a role I wanted that required ICF accreditation, I realized: certification isn't just about knowledge... it's about being taken seriously in spaces that matter.

That's why I'm inviting you to a conversation on December 22.

We're launching the Academy of Neuro-Shine Technology™ faculty-led cohorts, and this isn't a sales pitch. It's a real conversation with people who've walked this path — educators, consultants, practitioners who once sat exactly where you might be sitting now.

We'll talk openly about:
– Why ICF accreditation actually matters
– What makes Neuro-Shine Technology™ different from other programs
– The doubts we had and how we moved through them
– What shifted when we made coaching official, not just informal
– How this work integrates with teaching, consulting, and leadership

You'll walk away with:
✔ Clarity on whether this is your next chapter
✔ Real insight into what ICF accreditation opens up
✔ A felt sense of whether this academy is the right fit

📅 December 22
⏰ 11:00 AM EST | 11:00 PM ICT
🔗 Link in the comments
If you've been quietly paying attention to that nudge, let's talk.

I’ve just returned from the hashtag Leadership Conference in Bangkok and am contemplating... Where does the heart of Leadership live? After inspiring sessions and conversations, my new theory is that leadership lives in our connections.

I am on a mission to Humanize Education, and I firmly believe that leadership is a deeply human act. It's a continual practice of listening, learning, and connecting with other humans.

In rooms filled with global school leaders, I met people who are holding both vision and vulnerability and who deeply care.

Leaders, who are asking brave questions about what it means to lead with humanity in a world accelerating with AI.

Who are choosing courage over certainty, and collaboration over competition. That’s what fills me with hope for the future of education.

To everyone I met (old friends and new ones alike): thank you for the laughter, curiosity, and shared commitment to human-centered leadership.

If you were at hashtag too, what connection, conversation, or insight stayed with you?
Let’s keep the dialogue alive. 🌱

Kristy Csensich Ross Dawson Dr. Michael Johnston Dr. Lynne Morrin Robert Service

Looking for your next International School position? Are you ready for recruitment season?

The landscape of international school recruitment is changing fast! What do you need to know to be successful in getting your next position? Get some answers today with the Navigating the Changing Landscape of International School Recruitment Symposium (October 2025). It is FREE!

I have a 20 minute breakout session: Interview Success for International Educators: How to Stand Out with Confidence and Clarity

Wednesday, 15 October 2025 (TODAY!!!) 16:00–18:30 (HKT)
Register here https://lnkd.in/gSA_hHGf

In this session, I’ll share:
✨ What top recruiters are really listening for
✨ The 3 biggest mistakes candidates make in interviews
✨ How to communicate your impact with confidence and authenticity
✨ Proven frameworks to help you connect, not perform

If you’re a teacher, coordinator, or school leader applying for your next role this session will help you show up with clarity, confidence, and calm presence.

Sustainable leadership starts with sustainable self-care. Right?
We can’t sustain a vision if we don’t sustain ourselves.

After weeks of leading workshops (IB, TBO, Vision to Impact, etc...) across China, Vietnam, Singapore, and Korea (twice), which entailed navigating airports, (including the brand new airport in Phnom Penh), weather delays and reroutes around tropical storms, an emergency Passport (mine is full), emergency visas (oh I love you Visas to Vietnam), hotel rooms, time zones, and facilitation and evaluations on the move—I came home to Cambodia tired but full. (And I leave again in a week.)

I love coaching, facilitating, speaking, and I LOVE to travel.
AND I know loving my work isn’t enough to stay well.

For years, I’ve over-committed myself, worked hard, and used my mind of a yogi and meditator to cope. More accurately, yoga and meditation have been my way of recovering, not recharging.

I’ve started approaching my well-being with more intention.

This week, that looked like:
- Early morning walks & coffee at my favorite café with Benji (my four-legged co-coach) (Barista 240)
- Family breakfasts with the kids before school
- A midweek massage (Bliss Spa)
- A scheduled mid-day nap (yep, even on a weekday)
- Carving out Wellness Wednesdays to recharge mid-week
- A dinner planned with Jan-Mark Seewald

Because sustainable leadership requires sustainable habits.
And rest isn’t a luxury; it’s a leadership strategy.

This message feels especially important as I prepare to speak at the
55th Annual EARCOS Leadership Conference 2025 alongside Ross Dawson,
where we’ll be exploring the theme:
“The Future of Leadership: Thriving Leaders, Flourishing Schools.” (Join us!)

What do you do to proactively protect your well-being, especially during busy seasons?