Brittany Nicole Wade

I attribute my success to hard work, coffee, and the values my family instilled in me. I grew up in a family that valued education, service, and experiences. My grandparents were educators, my mom was a nurse, and my dad built his career in insurance, but each of them showed me in different ways what it means to work hard, care about people, and keep learning.

I was an avid reader growing up, and my family really fed that love of knowledge and curiosity. I think education has always been my way of putting good back into the world.

Whether I’m working with young people, coaching teachers, or supporting adults, what drives me is the chance to see change happen in real time. There is nothing like watching someone gain confidence, make a connection, or realize what they are capable of. Knowing that my work can make a difference every day is what keeps me grounded, motivated, and grateful.

The best advice I ever received was to get to know the people around you, especially the people you are trying to influence or support. At the end of the day, your credentials are not what will impress people. How much you know will only take you so far. What matters most is whether people trust you, feel respected by you, and believe you care enough to understand them.

If you want people to learn, collaborate, and help create an environment where great things can happen, you have to start with relationships. You cannot just walk in, throw content at people, and expect meaningful change. You have to listen first. You have to build trust first.

So for me, it is relationships first, always. Everything else comes second. And I think that also means giving yourself and others grace, remembering that we are all human, and allowing it to be okay to be human.

Know your own strengths. I think we often undervalue ourselves, and sometimes it takes an outside perspective to help us recognize what we bring to the table.

There is power in honestly acknowledging what you have accomplished, what you know, and what you are capable of doing. So many of our skills are transferable. They may not fit neatly under one job title, but they show up across our careers, our homes, our communities, and our daily lives. Even running a household is strategic planning at its finest.

For me, it comes down to trusting yourself. Trust that your experience counts. Trust that your skills have value. Do your research, prepare well, and stay open to learning, but do not underestimate yourself. When you start to own your strengths, it opens the door to opportunities you may not have seen before.

Right now, there is a lot of uncertainty in education, and I think many people are carrying a real fear of the unknown. Educators are navigating pressure from every direction: funding concerns, policy changes, safety concerns, staffing shortages, and growing questions about the future of teacher preparation and advanced degrees in the field.

Across my national network, I hear from educators who are doing their very best in circumstances that feel increasingly heavy. In some communities, there are real fears connected to immigration enforcement and the impact it has on students, families, and school communities. In others, the concern is funding, burnout, or whether there will be enough qualified teachers to meet students’ needs.

Education is at a breaking point in many ways. We are seeing fewer young people enter the profession, while schools are already facing critical teacher shortages. At the same time, questions about professional programs, graduate degrees, and the affordability of advanced preparation could make it even harder for educators to continue growing in the field.

I do think we are going to see a lot of change. But even in the middle of all of that, educators keep showing up. They still love kids. They still teach. They still create safe, meaningful spaces for learning. That is what makes educators, and really anyone in public service, so remarkable. They are resilient, not because the work is easy, but because they believe the work matters.

Authenticity is one of my biggest values. I believe in showing up as who you are, with what you have, and creating space for other people to do the same. I think we live in a world that often wants people to rush through hard things, cover up the messy parts, and move on before they have had time to process or grow. But I have learned that you can be authentic and still be motivated, hardworking, responsible, and committed to excellence. Those things can exist together.

My values have also shifted more deeply toward community, relationships, and human impact. I have always felt like my work was human-centered. Teaching is one of the most human-centered things you can do, and that foundation still shapes how I lead, coach, design, and solve problems.

Honesty matters deeply to me. Even when conversations are difficult, I believe people deserve transparency and clarity. Trust is built when we are willing to be honest with one another. I am also someone who naturally questions the status quo. I want to understand why something is accepted, who it is serving, and whether there is a better way forward. I do not question things just to complain. I question them because I believe better systems are possible. And when I see a gap or an opportunity, I am usually going to find a way to help move it forward.