Why No One Has Quit Her Company in 5 Years with Dr. Ilana Nankin

In a world where employees change jobs every 18 months, Dr. Ilana Nankin has had zero voluntary resignations in five years at Breathe For Change.

Ilana is a former public school teacher, holds a PhD in education, and is the co-founder and co-CEO of Breathe For Change, an organization dedicated to educator well-being and human-centered leadership. Since she stated the organization 10 years ago, they have trained over 20,000 educators to become more mindful, grounded leaders. What started as research into burnout has evolved into a company culture so strong that people simply don’t want to leave.

In this episode of Don’t Be a Jerk, we go deep into the specific practices behind that culture and why they work even in high-pressure, remote-first environments.

We cover:

• Why Ilana starts meetings with a two-word emotional check-in and how it takes less than 30 seconds

• How gratitude and appreciation rituals actually increase performance instead of lowering the bar

• The hiring mistake she made early on that nearly broke her culture

• Why psychological safety is the foundation for honest feedback and real accountability

• The moment she led a room of skeptical investors through a two-word check-in and why one later called it the best pitch he’d ever seen

• How these practices don’t cost time… they give time back

This conversation isn’t about being “nice.” It’s about building teams that perform with gratitude in mind, stay connected, and don’t burn out when things get hard.

If you’re a founder, leader, or manager trying to build something that actually lasts, this episode will change how you think about culture.