Katrina Klooster Coaching

09/04/2026

As an ambitious, dedicated teacher it’s easy to wake up 15 years down the road and wonder who you are outside of being a teacher.

If you’re anything like me, teaching hasn’t just been a job for you.

It’s been a significant part of your identity and you’re really proud of the work and impact you’ve made.

It’s how you think of yourself and introduce yourself to people you meet.

So when being a classroom teacher suddenly doesn’t seem to fit the vision you have for your next 15 to 20 years, it can feel so confusing and destabilizing.

And it makes sense that you’d be asking yourself what else you’d even do.

But you’re not really asking a simple career question when you’re a teacher who enjoys teaching and enjoys her students but realizes this isn’t it anymore.

You’re asking an identity question that’s dressed up as a simple career question.

That’s why thinking about it more isn’t creating any more clarity for you.

You’ve been trying to answer the surface question without understanding what’s underneath it first.

This lesson cost me a lot of money and so much time and extra unnecessary work.

If I were you, here’s what I would do instead…

Pause and do the foundational work of figuring out who you are outside of being a teacher first.

Explore your values, get clear about what you’re interested in now, understand what you’ve outgrown, figure out your non-negotiables, understand what you’re wanting and needing more of this season, get curious about what you want to learn more about and do, and understand the identities, habits, roles, and things you’re ready to let go of moving forward.

Stop trying to skip the foundational steps to get somewhere “better.”

That’s not how this works if you want to make a really aligned next move.

Save this and set aside some time to come back to it weekend.

I’d love to hear what you learn!

teacher career transition | midlife career change for teachers | what’s next after teaching career| teacher career change after 40 | detach from teacher identity
life outside of teaching | teacher work life balance

08/26/2026

I enjoyed teaching and my students.

I never wanted to or planned on experiencing any of these signs.

Which makes sense why I tried so hard to busy myself enough to ignore them that I ended up burnt out with shingles.

I wish someone would have shared these 7 signs and let me know that they meant I was ready for a new chapter because I really thought something was wrong with me.

I don’t want you to feel the same as I did so I’m sharing these with you.

If you’re a teacher who’s experiencing any of these it likely means you’ve outgrown the classroom and are ready for more.

If this is you and you want help figuring out what’s next, I have 2 one on one coaching spots open. DM me for the details.

08/18/2026

I didn’t understand what I was experiencing when I realized teaching wasn’t it for more and I was ready for more.

It was such an unsettling experience that I spent a long time trying to distract and busy myself enough to outrun everything I was feeling.

Guilt. Confusion. A grief I couldn’t explain for a job I still enjoyed, students I still enjoyed, and work I knew was making an impact.

Turns out nothing was wrong with me. I was in the process of changing and growing because deep down I knew I couldn’t see myself teaching in a classroom for another 15 years.

I wish I would have known more about the stages of transition and how the first one starts with an ending.

So I’m sharing more about that with you.

If you’re in the messy middle right now of letting go of what used to make sense, without knowing yet what’s next, save this.

Nothing’s wrong with you.

You’re moving through the stages of transition.

And it’s natural to feel uncomfortable so give yourself some grace and take your time.

If you know a teacher who might be quietly going through this alone, please share this with her so she can feel less alone too.

08/17/2026

The biggest lesson I’ve learned about outgrowing my teaching career, and it is NOT what you think…

I heard that little voice inside saying

This isn’t it anymore.
This can’t be it.
There has to be more.

But I had no idea what else I do and, if I’m being really honest, I was terrified of who I would be if I wasn’t a teacher.

So much of my identity was wrapped up in being a teacher. I enjoyed teaching, I was effective, and teaching gave me a great sense of meaning and purpose.

So it was really confusing to know inside that this wasn’t it for me anymore.

I’ve never felt as unsettled at any other point in my life.

So, instead of listening to that little voice, I tried everything I could to outrun it until I burnt out and ended up with shingles.

That taught me one of the greatest life lessons… that little voice inside is worth listening to and when you first hear it, let it be enough to listen to it and trust it without having to do anything with it yet.

If you’re a teacher who enjoys teaching and enjoys your students, but knows you were meant for more, you’re in the right place.

I help teachers walk through the unfamiliar phases of outgrowing this season and transitioning into a new one.

I help you normalize feeling lost, guilty, uncertain, and afraid because they are important parts of the transition process.

Then I help you build the courage to strategize what’s next.

If you’re in the messy middle where you feel disoriented and unsure of what’s next, I’m so glad you’re here.

08/15/2026

You’ve outgrown teaching and you keep spinning in your head trying to figure out what else you could do.

But thinking about something more doesn’t create clarity.

It creates more thinking, analysis paralysis, confusion, and feelings of being stuck.

To get unstuck and find clarity you have to start taking action.

I’ve had so many conversations with teachers these past couple weeks who want to know exactly what to do by they don’t know what else they want to do and don’t know where to start.

So here’s a question to help…

In your current teaching situation what makes you really mad?

Now go a layer deeper… what makes you really sad?

Find the thing that makes you so mad and sad that you’re already doing things in your classroom to solve this problem and create strategies and solutions to make this better.

And what you’re doing is working.

This is likely something you don’t even realize is your area of expertise because it’s so close to you and it’s just how you do things and who you are.

But other people often notice it and ask you for help with it.

THAT is your area of expertise, the thing you’re really good at, and the unique value you bring to the work you do.

Start paying attention to what that is for you.

That’s your gold. And whatever your expertise is, it will travel with you into the work you choose to do next.

I’m considering offering a very small group coaching program for teachers who know they’ve outgrown teaching and want help figuring out what’s next. If you’d be interested in joining, DM me the words WHAT’S NEXT.

08/11/2026

08/10/2026

I enjoyed teaching and was good at it.

I worked in a good district with great students, colleagues, and support.

And I still knew, for years, that I’d outgrown it.

I didn’t say that out loud for a long time because I thought something had to be wrong for wanting more to be justified.

I kept thinking, “This can’t be it. There has to be more.”

What I didn’t know then that’s so clear to me now is that I’d outgrown what I was doing and I didn’t fit in the system anymore.

If you’re sitting in that same quiet, unsettled place where you enjoy teaching and nothing’s really wrong but you’re still restless…

You’re not ungrateful and nothing’s wrong with you.

You’ve outgrown this and you’re ready for more.

Share this with a teacher you know who was meant for more.

I help teachers let go of the shame, give themselves permission to make a change, create options, and get clarity in what’s next.

08/05/2026

Hi I’m Katrina!

I’m a former teacher who’s building a portfolio career.

If you’re a teacher who’s interested in creating options for yourself inside or outside of education without burning everything you’ve built down, my page is for you.

I help teachers stop feeling guilty for wanting more, figure out what they want, get clear on what their expertise and skills are, and start taking action to create options and build what’s next.

Give me a follow and tell me in the comments (or DM if you’re a more private person like me) what you’re struggling with the most and you’d like me to share more about.

Thank you so much for being here! 🫶🏼

If you want a free resource to get you started, head to the link in my bio and click the link for the Guide to What’s Next.

07/31/2026

No one talks about the shame and guilt of not wanting to teach anymore.

At 37 I stood in my classroom surrounded by my high school students and knew this wasn’t it for me anymore.

I had this little voice inside saying, “This isn’t it. There has to be more.”

But I was so confused. I’d loved being a teacher. I had a great district and I worked with great colleagues, students, and families.

But I couldn’t picture myself teaching for 15 to 20 more years and I had no idea what else I’d do.

So I did what seemed responsible at the time and I stayed. I worked harder. I volunteered more. I drank more coffee in the mornings and another glass of wine at night. And I shoved my feelings down and told myself it was just a season I was going through that would pass and I should just be grateful and happy like everyone else.

Until I myself burned out and got shingles.

Because it wasn’t just a season I was going through and it didn’t pass.

I’d outgrown being a teacher and I didn’t have a way of understanding that yet or understanding who I was if I wasn’t a teacher.

If you’re in a similar place right now where you know you can’t keep teaching but you feel guilty and don’t know what else you’d do, I’m glad you’re here.

Follow along as I share the lessons l’ve learned along the way as I started separating my identity from the role of teacher and creating options, a portfolio career, and a smart, strategic exit plan after 40.

And head to the link in my bio if you’d like my free guide to figure out what’s next.

07/29/2026

Here are the 5 questions…

But first, everything changed when I stopped telling I had no idea what else I could do.

Really. Our brains are super computers but they’re only as powerful as the questions we ask them.

When you tell yourself you don’t know what else you’d do, your brain believes you and it shuts you down from exploring any other options.

So stop telling yourself you don’t know what else you’d do. (And stop saying you’re JUST a teacher. Teaching is what you do but you’re so much more than that.)

Here are 5 questions I started asking myself to figure out what else I might want to do…

1. What have I done throughout the last 25 years that I’m really good at?
2. What have I done throughout the last 25 years that I really enjoyed doing?
3. What have I done throughout the last 25 years that gave me energy and lit me up?
4. What have I outgrown and what do I no longer want to do?
5. What have I not done yet but I find myself curious or excited about learning or trying?

6. EXTRA CREDIT: What are other people doing that makes me envious or jealous? (Instead of judging them, I used this as a tool to uncover what I secretly wanted more of in my life.)

Now, the key is to not stop here. Having ideas about what you might want to do is the first step.

The next step is to take one of those ideas and do something with it.

I like starting small and treating it like an experiment so it’s fun and I actually follow through.

Pick one thing and act like a scientist gathering data. Treat it like an experiment, start small, take that first tiny step, and keep building on that.

You will be amazed at how much you can change your life in 6 months if you keep doing this.

If you’re a teacher who’s 40 something and you know teaching isn’t it for you anymore but you’re not sure what else you’d even do, I’m so glad you’re here.

Head to the link in my bio to grab my FREE GUIDE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ELSE YOU’D DO.