When she isn’t writing books or coaching educators, you’ll most likely find Dr. Tina Boogren hitting the pavement, riding the Peloton, and prioritizing her own well-being. A long-time Solution Tree and Marzano Resources associate, Tina has spent her career serving others, discovering her true passion for professional wellness along the way.
Read on to learn how this self-proclaimed “gold star junkie” became a self-care expert for educators.
Iowa and “Aha” Moments
Born in Texas, Tina made the move to Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the young age of two. Living right across the street from her elementary school, she has fond memories of phenomenal teachers and even occasionally sneaking home in the middle of the day. Tina attended Cedar Rapids Community Schools all the way through high school. In fact, her relationship has come full circle as she is able to work with them as a coach today.
After high school, Tina went to college at the University of Iowa, just down the road in Iowa City. She had no intentions of being a teacher. In fact, she was going to college to become a writer. As a senior English major, she wasn’t quite sure what job she’d find with her degree after college. Lucky for us, Tina had an “aha” moment and landed on teaching. The rest is history!
From the Classroom to Crowds
From there, she tacked on a secondary teaching license and did her practicum in a small town in Iowa at the high school level before student teaching middle school in the Cherry Creek School District in Colorado. While she preferred the content of high school English, Tina fell in love with middle school kids. And that’s right where she stayed for the rest of her time in the classroom!
Tina went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver and earned a PhD through the University of Denver. It was when she was finishing up her PhD that she was first hired on at Marzano Research. Diving headfirst into educational research, Tina quickly succeeded. Dr. Robert Marzano thought she would make a great associate, so she made the shift. Years later, Tina still works with both Marzano Resources and Solution Tree to serve educators.
While she was a shy kid growing up, Tina has busted out of her shell. Now, she loves being in front of a crowd. It shows…Tina’s enthusiasm and charisma is undeniable!
The Pandemic and Podcasts
A goal-oriented, gold star junkie, Tina is a real go-getter. Always on the move, Tina’s life took a dramatic turn when the pandemic hit. Not being able to work with educators in person meant way less travel. This allowed Tina to take on new projects, like starting her own podcast.
Every Monday, Tina puts out a bite-sized, 10 minute or less episode all about self-care. Each time, she gives listeners an invitation to participate in a professional wellness activity for the week.
The Self-Care Slowdown
In a lot of ways, it took the pandemic to drive home Tina’s love for self-care and her urgency to spread her message to her fellow educators. Throughout her career, she began to catch on to the importance of taking care of yourself. With her fast-paced lifestyle, Tina felt herself burning out. Between an intense travel schedule and saying yes to everything, she was burning the candle at both ends…and down the middle.
She realized that educators are asked to do too much and often forget to meet their basic needs along the way. Tina began a reboot of her own life, including eating healthier, getting exercise, sleeping more, meditating, journaling, and more. She felt so much better! Tina’s personal journey down the pathway of wellness led her to writing two self-care books. She discovered that when educators feel better, they do better at their jobs and in their personal lives. In turn, their students are better served as well.
A Beautiful Solution
Besides writing books, leading workshops, and popping in book studies for guest appearances, Tina has begun a partnership with fellow Solution Tree author Tim Kanold. The project? Start a professional wellness center! This exciting endeavor is in the works now and will soon be offered as a solution through Solution Tree.
Tina’s message of self-care is her way of giving back to the educational community. Through her work, she hopes others will be empowered to take care of themselves and to be at their best for their students. What an amazing mission and an even more amazing impact!
New Episode Coming Soon
Tune in to Episode 13 of Inside the Treehouse on April 23. Listen to a great conversation with Publisher and President of Solution Tree International Douglas Rife.
