As those working in international education continue to navigate prolonged uncertainty, shifting policies, and the cumulative emotional labour of recent years, it has become increasingly clear that meaningful student support depends first and foremost on how we care for the people doing this supportive work. Staff in various roles, whether frontline workers, middle management, or senior administration, are being asked to absorb disruption, lead change, and sustain student-centered services, often while managing significant personal and professional strains.

This session invites participants to rethink leadership in international education through practices of relational well-being. Drawing upon certain interactive practices of attuned responsiveness, leadership is framed not as a position or title but as a shared dynamic of leading and following that emerges through care, connection, and collaboration with one another within complex systems.

Together we explore how to move from individual notions of resilience toward mutual and collective flourishing, where work teams can be supported in facing challenges and adapting to uncertainty. The session creates space to build upon what is already working well, pursue shared aspirations, and consider how caring, connected and collaborative work cultures can be intentionally sustained.

When staff feel supported, heard, and valued for their leading and following contributions, then organizations become better equipped to respond thoughtfully, ethically, and humanely to the evolving needs of international students.