Dumpster Fire Chic
Because burnout doesn't go with your outfit.
Hey team. It’s been a busy morning. In fact, the phone has been ringing off the hook. Your burnout called and it wants a refund. Like, stat. Angry little thing.
If your recent days have felt a little less “cumbaya” and a little more arson-adjacent with a side of iced coffee, this one’s for you.
This is a love letter to the educators, creatives, change-makers, and leaders who keep showing up even when the group chat’s unhinged, your to-do list looks like a crime scene, and the universe clearly hit “shuffle” on your schedule. You’re holding it down with your makeup intact and nervous system mostly regulated. And that, my friend, is what I call Dumpster Fire Chic.
Not a glamorization of chaos.
Not a denial of overwhelm.
This is a reclamation.
🔥 So...What Is Dumpster Fire Chic?
Dumpster fire chic is a new term, but it isn’t a new aura. It’s the art of leading through missteps, meltdowns, and metaphysical plot twists without dimming your purpose.
It’s emotional intelligence with a smoky eye.
It’s holding your frequency while holding a coffee you forgot you reheated...twice.
It’s strapping on your emotional armor (made of glitter, grit, and one extremely well-timed boundary) while the world tries to test your patience and your Wi-Fi signal.
(⚠️Alert: Mercury is about to be in retrograde, so spotty Wi-Fi and other communication mishaps are about to be a thing until mid-August, folks.)
Dumpster Fire Chic is a vibe. A survival style. A state of grace under emotional construction.
What Dumpster Fire Chic Feels Like
If you’re anything like me, there have been a lot of days in my life when leadership hasn’t felt “empowering.” It’s been a list of unfortunate to-dos rather than an essence of being. It may feel like:
Finalizing lesson plans or strategy decks with one eye twitching as your iced coffee melts all over your desk.
Coaching teachers or calming classrooms while secretly Googling “jobs that don’t require decision-making or pants.”
Guiding everyone else’s emotional regulation while yours is hanging on by a single affirmation and a stale granola bar you found in your desk.
You are not failing if your nervous system is screaming, but your eyeliner is on point.
You’re just resilient with style.
Dumpster Fire Chic says:
You can be both confident and questioning.
Visionary and vulnerable.
Clear on your mission, even if today’s path led you to a dead end.
You don’t need to “fix it all” to be worthy of rest, recognition, or joy. But let’s be real, leading through chaos still requires a few strategies to help you carry out the mission without carrying the weight of the world.
Introducing the Dumpster Fire Toolkit
(A.K.A. how to not lose your stuff while still looking like you didn’t)
1. Breathe Before You Broadcast
Before you hit “send,” “join meeting,” or walk into conflict, honor the pause. (Seriously, I say it all the time for a reason.)
Breathwork isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a nervous system reset. Practice it before the dumpster catches fire, and you’ll build resilience that sticks. Let it become a part of your daily routine. When you wake up. As you make your coffee. On your way to work. Before you walk through the doors. The more we practice, the more organically peace-filled we become.
2. Name the Fire Without Fanning It
Not every crisis is yours to carry. We need to stop holding what isn’t ours.
Start by naming your feelings when you start to feel stressed. Name the situation, too. Instantly, you will begin to realize that perhaps a percentage of the energy you are carrying isn’t yours, or that a situation you thought you needed to handle actually falls within someone else’s domain. Handle what needs to be managed, or delegate and move on. Sometimes what feels urgent is just someone else’s unprocessed drama in your inbox. Choose to hold only what is yours to carry.
3. Pick Your Power Piece
That bold lip. That playlist. That outfit that makes you feel like Beyoncé and Brene Brown. Pick something—anything—that helps you walk into your day like the grounded visionary you are (even if you cried in your car 20 minutes ago).
Mine? Dressing my best when I feel my worst. It’s subtle energetic armor (and no one knows the difference but me.)
A Final Word from Your Dumpster Fire Fairy Godmother
You didn’t come here to suffer through chaos, passive-aggressive one-liners from your boss, or emails that multiply like gremlins.
You came here to lead from your truth, even if your truth is a little murky right now.
So, revisit your mission.
Pour a fresh cup of courage.
And take a breath that reminds you, you’re still the one for this work.
And remember: you are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work-in-progress standing beside a transformational blaze. You were meant to be here. This is the era of remembering why.
Want to Lead with Less Burnout and More Alignment?
If this message resonates (and your nervous system whispered “thank you”), let’s talk.
Whether you’re leading a school, a team, or a one-person revolution, you deserve support that honors both your ambition and your energy.
👉 [Click here to explore coaching with me]
Together, we’ll build your leadership from the inside out - clarity, courage, and calm included.
Because leadership doesn’t have to burn you out to be impactful.
In alignment, we rise. 💛
—Jess