Jessica Cabeen
SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP SPEAKER & AUTHOR
I know it can be demanding.
As a leader, speaker, and author
Trying to be everything for everyone, all the time, is not sustainable. I know what it feels like to lead from urgency, carry too much, and wonder if there is a better way to keep showing up without losing yourself in the process.
That is why my work helps leaders create intentional space, clarify what matters most, and lead at a steadier, more sustainable pace.
Are you ready to stop running on empty and start leading with intention?
It is hard to protect what matters.
As a leader with a life
It is hard to prioritize quality time with those closest to us.
When everything feels important, it becomes easy to give your best energy to the loudest demands instead of the people, priorities, and purpose that matter most.
I help leaders stop treating exhaustion as the cost of impact and begin building healthier rhythms around their time, energy, decisions, and commitments.
Are you ready to lead with more clarity at work and more presence in the life you are building?
Words shape culture.
As a writer, speaker, and leadership voice
The words leaders write, speak, and share have power. They can create clarity, build trust, strengthen connection, and move people toward what matters most.
My books and resources help leaders communicate with more intention, lead with greater care, and use their voice to create sustainable impact — one message, one conversation, and one small action at a time.
Are you ready to use your words to lead with more clarity, courage, and care?
Sustainable leadership is personal.
As a leader who has had to learn a steadier way
Leadership does not happen in isolation. It is shaped by our losses, our responsibilities, our relationships, and the quiet moments when we realize we cannot keep leading from depletion.
My work helps leaders create healthier rhythms, make more intentional decisions, and build lives that can sustain the impact they are called to make.
Are you ready to lead with more clarity, purpose, and peace?
Why are we here?
Leadership has never been more demanding, but exhaustion cannot be the strategy. Too many leaders are carrying constant urgency, full calendars, unclear priorities, and the quiet pressure to keep showing up for everyone else while losing themselves in the process.
Jessica’s work helps leaders and teams slow down enough to think clearly, clarify what matters most, and build sustainable rhythms that support both meaningful impact and a healthier life.
With deep experience in education leadership, Jessica brings practical insight, humor, and real-world stories that resonate with leaders, teams, schools, districts, and organizations.
Work With Me
Jessica Cabeen speaks, writes, and advises leaders on sustainable leadership, clarity, purpose, and building healthier rhythms of impact. Her work helps leaders move beyond urgency culture and lead with intention — without sacrificing themselves in the process.
With deep experience in education leadership, Jessica brings practical insight, humor, and real-world stories that resonate with leaders, teams, schools, districts, and organizations.
Her humor and examples of what to do (and what not to do) resonate with educators across the globe.
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Latest Blog Posts
Even when I’m away from work, I find myself thinking about school. How do I stop carrying work into time with my family?
Dear Dr. Cabeen, Even when I'm away from work, I find myself thinking about school. How do I stop...
How do I actually unplug without feeling like I’m falling behind?
Dear Dr. Cabeen, I know I need rest, but I also feel guilty when I'm not working. How do I...
How do I create healthier technology habits without disconnecting completely?
Dear Dr. Cabeen, Summer is finally here, but I still find myself constantly checking email,...
Jessica is the Principal of Alternative Educational Programs and Austin Online Academy in Austin, Minnesota. Before that, she was the principal at Ellis Middle School and the “Happiest Place in Southeastern Minnesota”, the Woodson Kindergarten Center. She has been an assistant middle school principal, a special education assistant director, and a special education teacher.
Jessica was awarded the NAESP/VINCI Digital Leader of Early Learning Award in 2016, in 2017, was named the Minnesota National Distinguished Principal and was the 2021 DIVE Principal of the year.
She is a NAESP Middle-Level Fellow and a Future Ready Principal. Jessica is the author of Hacking Early Learning, Balance Like A Pirate, Unconventional Leadership, Lead with Grace: Leaning into the Soft Skills of Leadership, and Principal in Balance (2023).
But by far her favorite space is the one that involves being with her husband Rob, two sons Kenny and Isaiah, and of course the family dogs Herman and Harvey . Jessica can be found on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @JessicaCabeen and on her website: jessicacabeen.com