We opened with an Acknowledgement to Country, grounded in the story of the macadamia plantings along the Nerang River and the Kombumerri people whose Country we are privileged to share. It was a fitting beginning to a day rooted in respect, story, and deep listening.
Lauren opened with Sanctuary's vision and the story of Simba — his journey back to his purpose, his pride, and his pride lands. It is a story about what happens when a leader remembers who they are and chooses to return to it. She spoke about pressure not as something to fear, but as a privilege — a sign that what you are doing matters. And she made a promise to every Director in the room: her role, and Damian's, is to ensure that every leader feels valued, supported, and like Sanctuary is truly home. Because when our leaders feel that sense of belonging, our teams and families feel it too.
Our Directors then shared their reflections from the first quarter; we heard story after story of teams showing up with care, creativity, and deep commitment to children and families. Then they spent some time looking forward, planning out what their quarter two initiatives would look like. What needs to stop, start, continue. How they will take their learnings from this first quarter and apply it to the next.

What struck the room was not any single initiative, but the thread running through all of them: intention. The best outcomes — for children, for families, for teams — always began with a leader who was present, clear, and connected to their purpose.
That thread led us into the most powerful session of the day.
We explored the difference between two kinds of leaders. A diminisher — one who, often without realising it, takes over, solves the problem, handles the situation — and in doing so, quietly signals to their team that they don't quite trust them to do it themselves. And a multiplier — one who asks questions instead of giving answers, who listens before speaking, who sees every challenge as an opportunity for someone on their team to grow.
The difference sounds subtle. The impact is anything but.
When a leader is a diminisher, the entire centre is limited by what that one person can carry. When a leader is a multiplier, the whole team grows and that growth flows directly into the experience of every child and every family who walks through the door.
We then turned to something that neuroscience has confirmed but that every educator already knows instinctively: emotions are contagious.
Our brains are wired with mirror neurons, which means the feelings a leader carries into a room are absorbed by the people around them — often before a single word is spoken. A leader who arrives anxious passes that anxiety to their team. A team that is anxious passes it to families. Families carry it into their child's first moments in care.
But the reverse is equally true. A leader who arrives grounded, warm, and clear creates the conditions for a team to feel safe. A team that feels safe shows up with confidence. And a family that is met with calm, genuine confidence begins to trust — and that trust is the foundation of everything.
We gave this idea a name: the emotional thermostat. Every leader sets the temperature in their centre. Not once, but dozens of times a day — in the hallway, in a difficult conversation, in the moment before a team meeting begins. The question we left with was simple but searching:
