Have you ever felt like your body was moving at a pace that was not sustainable? This is a personal account of how a Black Woman educator learned to put herself first as a way of surviving burnout. Racquel Armstrong is a native of Cleveland, OH and is a Ph.D. candidate at The Ohio State University in Multi-cultural & Equity Studies. Her research sits at the intersection of race, gender, class and school leadership and focuses on the role of self-care in educational leadership practice and on disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline and racialized violence in schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wellesley College in Urban Studies-Economics, a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Business Administration from the Fisher College of Business. Beyond her scholarly work, Racquel serves as an Assistant Principal in Bexley City Schools and uses original poetry as a medium to spark dialogue around social justice issues. In her spare time, Racquel enjoys laughing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx