University can prepare graduate teachers to plan lessons, interpret curriculum and assess learning, but it cannot fully prepare them for the complex reality of stepping into their first HPE classroom. Workload, student disengagement, diverse learning needs, behaviour, inclusion and personal wellbeing can quickly make early-career teaching feel more like survival than thriving. Drawing on my first years of teaching HPE in a regional Victorian secondary school, this session brings together the lessons I wish university had taught me, a neurodivergent perspective on education, and a practical toolkit for building sustainable and inclusive practice. Using Multi-Tiered Systems of Support as an organising framework, the session explores how Game Sense, explicit teaching, predictable routines, student voice, relationship-centred practice and movement can provide universal support for all students while creating additional pathways for those requiring targeted assistance. The session also turns the lens towards the teacher. It offers honest reflections on workload, professional identity, mistakes, experimentation and the challenge of developing a sustainable teaching practice while completing the graduate and VIT journey. Participants will leave with adaptable strategies for increasing engagement, supporting neurodiverse learners, and protecting their own capacity to remain effective. More than a collection of teaching tips, this session presents a realistic roadmap for moving from surviving the early years of HPE teaching to creating classrooms and careers in which both students and teachers can thrive.