The Blog
Social Emotional Learning for Compassionate Empathy
I was recently interviewed by Jessica Breitenfeld on LinkedIn Live and we had a great conversation about how the brain works to create habits and thought patterns. We dug deeper and discussed having compassionate empathy with ourselves and others.
STOP and DROP©: An Exercise to Self-Regulate in an Emotionally-Charged Situation
By aligning with your body’s stability, you energetically offer the other person a way to regain their homeostasis. When you STOP and DROP into your body, your rational, calm self becomes the non-reactionary, guiding force in the situation.
Silver Linings Talk Show
I had the honor of being featured on the Silver Linings Talk Show! In this episode, I discuss my Social-Emotional Learning program for youth and young adults, and my current role as the education director of an anti-bullying SEL program for grades 5-12.
Applied Improv and Autism
Want a sure-fire way to improve mental health, emotional well-being, and social connection? My students and teachers (grades 2-12) love improv for these very outcomes! Having fun while experiencing and learning essential skills that bring us together is a win-win!
Viva the Vagus: An Exercise to Regulate the Breath and Soothe the Heart
This exercise is a heart soother with its bilateral healing touch. It helps you transport yourself to a calm and healing space when you are looking to comfort difficult emotions and overwhelm
The Long Payoff of Short Activities During Online Sessions
Even on a good day, teaching online can induce head pounding, fog braining, energy-draining symptoms. This simple five-minute activity at the beginning of an online session has the power to energize students (and teachers), help everyone to be present and focused, and bring all into a belonging mindset.
Guided Exercise to Sit Still and Listen to What Arises
Anyone up for moving mountains? And by that I mean, sitting still and listening to whatever arises. Let's do this together in this short mindfulness video.
4 Social Emotional Learning Strategies to Use in the Classroom Now
Can't stop talking about the transformational power of social-emotional learning! Thanks, Vicki Davis, for helping me spread the work on your 10 Minute Teacher Podcast.
How to Take Your "Emotional Temperature"
Tuning in to what’s going on within and sharing how you feel connects you to yourselves and to others. No matter how you are feeling, being aware is always a great first step to managing emotions.
How to Playfully Cultivate Self-Acceptance with Students
How can we help our students be playful with their self-acceptance and their future? By experiencing it, of course! This is a great opportunity to harness the power of imagination to create self awareness and hope.
Cultivating Resilience Through Disappointment
Sometimes being disappointed becomes a block to desiring what you want because you subconsciously or consciously don’t want to feel that pain again. Being brave about life, taking risks, and dreaming of what we want, is the fire that inspires us.
The Motion of our Emotions
Our emotions are a form of energy. If you stop them, you block them. If you feel them, you heal them. They are meant to move through us. They are meant to inform us.
Teaching Your Students That There’s No Courage Without Fear
Self-regulation is about allowing the fear to have a place at our table. Courageously, we feel what we feel and go forward anyway. When our students have these experiences of being socially successful, they learn to be brave with their lives.
The Effects of Engaging Our Students in Problem-Solving
Engaging our students in problem-solving empowers them to be a "solutions person" in future situations. Here's the story of a great experience I had with a student.
Creating Joy with Children Through Improv
When we played this game, we noticed a clear change of energy in the group. As each person shared what brought them joy and as they heard that joy repeated by another, their face seemed to brighten. Our shoulders lifted and our voices became lighter.