About

Helping You Move Beyond the Classroom

Helping transitioning teachers heal from burnout, find motivation, and rediscover their purpose beyond the classroom with clarity and confidence. With a transition and clarity coach supporting you through your transitions, you can find deeper understanding, increase self-awareness, align with your values and aspirations, and take steps forward with confidence, despite any challenging situations you may be facing.

How it all started…

I’m Jess and when I was in 3rd grade I made the decision that education defined me.

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher because school made me feel like I mattered. School felt like where I belonged.

But teaching soon led me down a path of proving myself, overachieving, people pleasing, and burnout.

When I started having panic attacks in front of my students and colleagues, I knew something had to change. I was bleeding out, and the bandages I always used weren’t working anymore.

So, I did something so many teachers, leaders, parents, don’t do:

I put myself first! I started to heal myself from the inside out. And made the decision to make shift and begin my transition out of the classroom.

As I was healing…

I watched from the sidelines as my fellow teachers continued to struggle like I did.

What did I see?

Overwhelm from doing it all, all of the time and feeling unappreciated
Unrealistic expectations and demands placed upon teachers
Anxiety, stress, and exhaustion
Imposter syndrome
Sunday scaries

Their childhood dream no longer served them, it became a source of stress and at some point lost themselves along the way – lost their purpose.

They were desperate for more. But didn’t know if they could move beyond the classroom. What would they do next? And for those who did leave the classroom, many of them were still fighting with old habits, and teachers brain, not being able to turn off at the end of the day.

So, I developed resources to provide support to help teachers in transition. No matter where you are in your journey, so you can find clarity and feel confident in wherever you go next!

I'm ready to move beyond the classroom!

“It’s not just a physical process of getting a new job. I’ve had to put in energetic work around shedding my teacher identity – mind, body, spirit. It’s been an emotional process!”

Jessica Madenford

My mission is to help you move beyond the classroom with confidence

The Journey To Here specializes in the overall well-being of teachers who are transitioning out of the classroom by providing 1:1, group, and self guided coaching as well as a membership to support transitioning teachers on their journey to find purpose beyond the the classroom.

“Giving me the opportunity to speak with other teachers I know are feeling just as tired, burnt out as I am was truly eye opening. Teachers tend to strive for perfection in all we do and that is so unrealistic. This workshop allowed me to recognize the similar feelings and concerns I have to other educators, which was very beneficial!”

Jacquelyn

“Jessica understands the demands of teachers and is uniquely qualified to provide insight into educators’ mental state. Her caring and calming voice make me feel a connection to her despite being on Zoom. I left the session feeling renewed and relaxed. My five-year-old even benefitted when she practiced one of the meditations guided by Jessica! The hour flew by and I hope to learn more from Jessica in the future.”

Krishana

“Jessica Madenford saved my sanity! The systems she helped me put in place were very helpful, and even better, she helped me get to the bottom of some of the issues that were causing me to self sabotage my life. I highly recommend her!”

Kristin