012: The Back to School Wave

Let’s talk patterns.

Not polka dots or Pinterest boards.

I mean the real-life rhythms that run the show.

Sleep cycles. School calendars. Stress spikes. Tides. Hormones. Full moons. Freak-outs. You name it.

After 30+ years of coaching and parenting alongside families, I’ve seen this one a million times: The Back-to-School Wave 

It rolls in every single year.New routines. New teachers. New pressures. Schedules flip. Expectations rise. And stress? It doesn’t tiptoe in…it crashes.

Kids want to quit. Parents lose patience. Coaches feel the tension.

And nobody really knows why - -  except now you do. This isn’t chaos.It’s a pattern.

And once we name the pattern, we can lead through it, instead of just reacting to it.

As leaders (whether you’re a parent, coach, or mentor) our job is to spot it coming and help others ride the wave.

Here’s how:

• Talk about it - “Hey, this time of year can be tough. Totally normal.”

• Prep the people - Give your team (or your kids) a heads-up: change is coming.

• Don’t take it personally - Stress often shows up as attitude. Deep breaths.

• Bring the calm - You set the tone. Be the lighthouse, not the roller-coaster.

Here’s the kicker: Patterns make life easier, once we spot them.

The hard part? Pretending every challenge is brand new. It’s not. It’s a wave. And waves always pass.

So let’s lead like surfers: Balanced. Alert. Laughing even when we fall off the board.

You’ve got this. And more importantly, your people need you to know this.

Keep leading, - Casey  🎯Real Talk - Every year, back‑to‑school season sneaks up on families. And every year we’re reminded: kids (and parents!) don’t magically adjust overnight.

By Day 2, something's already missing a lid, socks have mysteriously disappeared, and someone’s crying in the carpool line (sometimes the kids, sometimes us).

Here’s the truth: they don’t need us to fix the storm. They just need us to be steady enough to get them through it - preferably with coffee in hand and a sense of humor intact.

Before: Straight outta Pinterest. After: Straight outta the first day of school.😆 🙃 🤪 😂

📸: https://www.upworthy.com/parents-share-hilarious-before-and-after-pictures-of-their-kids-first-day-of-school