I release today. I trust tomorrow. I choose what I become.

These are the words I return to each night.

There is a lot we cannot control right now. What we can control is how we help our nervous systems settle at night.

For 60 seconds, I repeat the same words. My breathing slows, my heart steadies, and my body gets the signal that it is safe to let go and rest.

I have never felt this much dread about what is happening in the world. And I have never felt this much inner steadiness.

These two truths live side by side. Sometimes one takes the lead, sometimes the other. Lately, in spite of the heightened chaos coming at us every day, steadiness is winning for me.

That is not accidental. It is a choice.

What if the secret to calmer, happier kids and easier days is… daring to play? I had the joyful experience of being on Jeremy's podcast, Improv Your Parenting, to explain how.

And if you are reading this thinking, I cannot meditate…I understand. I used to believe the same thing. I thought meditation meant sitting perfectly still, crosslegged, and forcing my busy mind to stop thinking altogether. It does not.

I’ve started practicing this simple technique every time I feel myself contracting mentally and physically. I call it SOFT. A gentle reminder to meet stress with presence rather than tension.

Courage must be summoned. It is not something that arrives uninvited. It is a quality of spirit that everyone already possesses, yet it remains dormant until we summon it with intention. When we actively invite it in, courage does what it was made to do: reclaim the wheel from fear and steer us back to steady ground.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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. 

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.

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.

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 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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.