Show Notes

In this episode, I speak with Susan Norwood, a former 7-12th grade English teacher who, after 13 years, found herself facing burnout and anxiety. She knew she needed a change but wasn't sure what her "exit plan" was. Then, in a moment of true serendipity, a "we're hiring" banner popped up on a tool she already used and loved in her classroom: Membean.

Susan shares her journey from being a power user of the vocabulary platform to becoming a Customer Success Consultant for the company. We talk about the "in her head" fears of making the leap, the operational hurdle of translating a teaching resume into a corporate one, and the "fairy tale" shift to a company culture that encourages her to take a lunch break and sign off at the end of the day.

• The Tipping Point: Susan shares the moment she knew she had to leave the classroom, when the stress of "too many extra hats" led to weekly anxiety attacks on her drive to school.
• A Serendipitous "Exit Plan": How a "we're hiring" banner on Membean—a tool she had used and loved for three years—became the perfect opportunity at the exact right time.
• Translating Your Resume: Susan discusses the challenge of reframing her resume to focus on transferable skills. She realized a corporate job doesn't care "if you've taught 10th grade versus 12th grade... they want to know what you can do."
• The Power of Authenticity: As a former teacher who genuinely used and loved the product, her new role isn't "selling." It's authentically sharing her experience and saying, "Trust me, I get it."
• From "Always On" to "It's Okay": The biggest shift was mental. She moved from a high-anxiety job to a supportive company that told her, "It's okay to be done at the end of your work day."
• Your Two-Fold Advice: Susan's advice is to first give yourself "acceptance" that it's okay to shift, and second, to do the soul-searching to find something that "sparks a new passion" so you're moving toward joy, not just away from stress.

Episode Article

For many teachers, the idea of working for an edtech company whose tool they already use and love feels like a dream. My guest, Susan Norwood, is living that dream. After 13 years as a 7th-12th grade English teacher, she is now a Customer Success Consultant at Membean, a vocabulary company whose platform she "fell in love with" and used in her own classroom for three years.

But this "serendipitous" move wasn't just a happy accident; it was the "exit plan" she desperately needed. Susan describes hitting a wall during the 2021-2022 school year. "It was one of those," she recalls, "when you get to a point where you're having anxiety attacks 2 or 3 days a week on your drive to school, like it's not sustainable." It wasn't just post-COVID stress; it was the weight of "too many extra hats" and a lack of support, which was taking a serious toll on her mental health. She was hearing from colleagues, "I wish that I was brave enough to do that too," which highlighted how many educators were feeling trapped.

As she began exploring her options, she faced the first major hurdle for many veteran teachers: the resume. "I hadn't touched a resume in ages," she laughs, but the real work was in reframing it. "The biggest thing that I noted was... make sure your resume focus is on the skills you have that transfer out of the classroom," she explains. "No one's going to care whether you're working in a government job or a private company... whether you taught sixth grade versus eighth grade social studies... They want to know what you can do."

When she saw the Membean hiring banner, she was "giddy." She knew the product, she believed in it, and she could see how her skills fit. Today, her role is to talk to other teachers and administrators who are exploring the platform. Her experience as a teacher—and a user—is her greatest asset. Membean, she notes, "has specifically chosen to work with mostly former teachers... because we know what it's like in the classroom... We're not there to just sell them a product." Her conversations are authentic, allowing her to say, "Trust me, I get it," and mean it.

The biggest challenge, she says, was overcoming the "in my own head" fears and self-doubt. But the transition to a supportive, remote-work culture was a "fairy tale." She was suddenly in a job where her boss told her, "It's okay to be done at the end of your work day. You shouldn't be coming back and doing more work at 8 p.m.," and "Please go take a lunch break." Her advice to other teachers is twofold: First, give yourself the "acceptance" that it's okay to want something new. Second, do the "soul searching" to find what truly "sparks a new passion for you," so you're not just running away from teaching, but running *toward* a new source of joy.