Simply Bee Classroom for Educators

Most educators have one thing in common: a deep desire to take care of their students and their own family members.  Fulfilling this desire, however, frequently prevents the educator from meeting their personal physical, mental health and wellness goals. 

Here at Simply Bee, we know that bees help their hives become successful through individual work for the greater good. The same idea applies to educators. If you work hard to take care of yourself first, it directly impacts your hive (e.g. your classroom and your family). The same is true on the flip side, though. If you don't take care of yourself, your hive suffers. 

Our 4x4 Wellness Model for Educators will help you discover hidden hours in your day, sustain your energy through food and exercise, shift to positivity and care for yourself through mindfulness and yoga. Read below to learn more!

What We Solve

Having balance in life is hard to achieve, and for many educators, balance seems even more out of reach. We've talked with teachers about their "bad days" and most admit that on those days they feel stressed, overwhelmed with tasks, isolated, tired, sluggish, useless and anxious. They feel as if their buttons are constantly being pushed, they're overreacting, highly irritable and have no energy left for their personal life.

Our team of experts understands these pain points and will work with you through our 4x4 Wellness Model for Educators to help you discover how you can make changes to positively impact your personal and professional life. 

What We Achieve

Think about the "good days" you have as an educator. How do you feel during or after a good day? Maybe you feel clear-minded, present, balanced, motivated, patient, energized, productive and proud of how you're making a difference. These "good day" feelings are your deep desires as an educator and as a person. Once we identify and work to  solve your pain point issues, you are better able to achieve these deep desires. 

4x4 Wellness For Educators Program

16 Step Online Training Program

Mindset 

Mental skills are the foundation to success, which includes managing time to feel like there is enough time in a day to "get it all done" and have gas left in the tank for spiritual, physical and emotional health. Our day is filled from morning to night. Between lesson planning, teaching, grading school work and taking care of your personal to-dos, it's hard to imagine you have any "hidden" hours in your day. But you do! And we can help you find them.

Healthset 

Physical health is important to sustain energy through food exercise. Mood and emotions impact the way you make decisions about food. We approach nutrition and exercise from a mental wellness viewpoint. So when those "bad days" pop up more frequently than the good days and you're feeling tired and unmotivated, you have the tools to help you not spiral out of control.  

Soulset 

Spiritual health to connect to the purpose of educators work and more.Once you're able to identify extra hours in your day to focus on your overall health and nutrition, it's important to continually care for yourself. Mindfulness and movement are two of the best ways to practice self-care. You don't have to be an expert yogi to feel the positive effects of gentle movement, breathing and deep relaxation techniques. 

Heartset

Emotional health emphasizes the importance of educators' experiences and how they feel about themselves, their students and environment. Restoring a positive outlook on day to day activities boosts mood and improve the interactions between educators and their students. 

Meet Our Experts

Audrey Grunst, LCSW

Owner, Adolescent & Adult Therapist and Mental Performance Coach

Audrey Grunst is the owner and therapist at Simply Bee. Audrey earned her MSW at Loyola University Chicago in 2011 and is certified in Change Management from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Audrey combines over 10 years of clinical experience with her business background to help others improve mental health including anxiety, perfectionism and performance. She is the owner of SHEBE, online community for female athletes and was the former mental performance coach for Northwestern Women’s Volleyball Program.

She presents on a variety of issues including emotional intelligence and anxiety management. Audrey has presented at over 100 different schools, nonprofits, and conferences.

Audrey has extensive training in skill based therapy including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Family-based Therapy for Anorexia, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She uses these skills in her strategy formula to promote change.

Prior to Simply Bee, Audrey was a director at Eating Recovery Centers. While at ERC Insight, Audrey build several programs and managed a team of over 20 employees and two locations. She participated in a three-year study with University of Chicago, measuring the outcome of eating disorder treatment using FBT and DBT. Audrey was also a Division I volleyball player at Loyola University Chicago.

Stephanie Smith, M.A., M.Ed., IIN Certified 

Resident Health & Nutrition Coach

Stephanie grew up outside of Boston and now resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband and two daughters. She has been an educator for over fifteen years and has experience as a teacher, a coach, and an administrator. Since an early age, she's been interested in the connection between nutrition, performance, and mental health. She studied holistic nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is a certified IIN Health Coach who is passionate about helping children and adults live their happiest and most vital lives through health and wellness. 

Stephanie's education includes a Master of Arts from Dartmouth College and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from American College of Education. In addition to working as a health coach, she currently teaches sixth grade. 

Stephanie Bersh

Resident Yoga Instructor

Stephanie Bersh is the yoga practitioner within the Simply Bee Wellness team. Her passion for wellness is grounded in the practice of yoga. She uses breathing exercises, yoga postures and energy work as tools to help clients access deep relaxation, stress reduction and to release emotional and physical blockages. Clients learn to connect body, breath, and mind in order to improve their overall well being.

Stephanie specializes in yoga postures that promote grounding, relaxation and growth along with supported restorative poses that release tension in the mind and body.  In addition to yoga, Stephanie is a certified Reiki teacher and uses the practice of Reiki as another healing modality. She is also passionate about self love and is a facilitator for the Embody Love Movement.

She hosts workshops and retreats for tweens, teens, and adult women, guiding them to reconnect with their bodies and practice self love and self compassion as part of their overall wellness journey.

"Simple practices can bring significant changes into your life. We focus on breath, body movement and postures. Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation." -Stephanie

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