School leaders will connect research-based strategies for finding meaning in our work with some common unconscious mental models that greatly impact staff morale. Through the careful correlation of empowered strategies and the roadblocks impeding resilience, participants will learn strategies to support educators transcend the stressors of the job. Further, we will discuss the impact of thriving professional learning communities on student outcomes and how unhealthy ones can stifle our professional passion. The first step to transform school climate and culture is to begin with one’s self. We’ll strategize ways for school leaders to facilitate a transformation that begins with connecting the pain of the present with the wounds of the past to transcend back into our purpose of preparing our students for the future.