mindful_and_empowering_kids

06/03/2026

Schools winding down (although it probably feels like a tornado with all the end of year stuff going on). Luckily on the other side is SUMMER!!

If you are still looking for a camp option this summer, we added an additional week (week of July 20th) to the schedule.

Follow the link below for more information
https://forms.gle/uLKnrZwxENzpCwKFA

If you are currently signed up for summer camp, you will be receiving some information in the coming weeks!

Lastly, I'm still looking for a couple more volunteers for camp. If you child is over the age of 13 and would like to come help out, please reach out. I can give them volunteer hours for school!

WEEKS 1 and 2 are full!! I am so grateful and excited for this summer. Thank you!!!

I am thinking about adding another week. Send me a message if you are interested!

05/18/2026

Whether you are a teacher, a parent, a coach or basically anyone… this time of year is BUSY.

I know for me as soon as I cross something off the list, something else appears. It’s real and exhausting.

‼️Reminder - you have a pause button. Use it. However it works for you, just stepping away from the busy even for a couple of minutes resets your nervous system.

It does make the next thing a little easier

And kids and students need to see you use it just as much as you do. When we pause, we give them permission to do the same without judgement.

The lists and responsibilities will still be there.
So go ahead and take it 😮‍💨. Let them see it!

We got this! 💪🏻💪🏻

05/03/2026

It’s standardized testing season…..

A good reminder for parents…

A good foundational message to build your child up on during this time…

They are and will always be bigger than the test! Help them feel their shine until they can feel it for themselves beyond the test. 💪🏻💜

04/28/2026

End of year energy is real. 😮‍💨

Everyone is tired and patience is running thin. This is when the lesson matters least and the connection matters most.

When the room feels heavy — that’s your sign. Put the plan down and connect with them. Build or even rebuild the relationship and ground the room.

Because when students feel safe and seen, something shifts. The resistance softens. Not because you had the perfect activity — but because you chose them over the curriculum for a moment.

That’s what they’ll remember. Not the work.

They’ll remember you showing up for them when everyone was running on empty. After teaching for over 20+ years, I get it, it’s hard… but it’s so worth it. Our young people are looking for guides to help the navigate a school day in a safe and engaging way.

The lesson can wait. Connection first! 💜

04/22/2026

This time of year can feel like Trying to fit everything in between learning and the fun stuff can feel like you’re running on empty.

It makes sense after everything you’ve carried this year.

While the to do list seems like it’s insanely full, try coming back to what’s simple and steady each day. Structure is important, especially this time of the year.

‼️This is the time to tighten- not relax. Think back to the beginning of the year when setting the classroom expectations were critical to starting the year off strong.

These small shifts will go along way:

*Start the day with movement think strength (push ups, planks, squats and if you can get outside - holding on a bar) before anything- it doesn’t take long but resets students quickly and naturally (and it’s fun)

* Be Clear with simple expectations- they don’t need more talking to them
* Consistent follow-through- this is big! They are testing all boundaries this time of year
* Predictable routines they can rely on- especially for the younger students but even older ones whose nervous systems are racing-having a safe environment that’s predictable is huge.

⭐️Think shorter bursts, not long stretches (chances are their nervous systems are in overdrive and they are functioning in a sympathetic state over a parasympathetic state)

⭐️Give directions in small, manageable chunks. Again, they are getting input from every angle and depending on the time of day they could be at capacity.

⭐️Reset often. Re-anchor often. It doesn’t take long but needs to be intentional- not just checking a box .

Students don’t need more freedom right now,
they need more clarity and calm.

And you do too.

⚡️Movement levels out the playing field since we don’t know what everyone’s coming in with.
⚡️Consistency creates a sense of safety.
⚡️Predictability helps everyone stay a little more regulated.

So keep it simple. Keep it steady.
Let “good enough” be enough right now.

You’re allowed to finish the year with less pressure and more care—for your students and for yourself.

04/21/2026

When a child is dysregulated, their body is in survival mode. They are not giving you a hard time on purpose. They are HAVING a hard time.

Taking away movement is like telling someone having a panic attack to just calm down. It doesn’t work. It makes it worse.

Here’s what their body actually needs:
🏃 Movement — running, jumping, shaking it out. Their nervous system is flooded and the body needs a physical release.
🌬️ Breath — slow, nasal breaths signal safety to the brain. This is why outdoor air and open space matter more than we think.
🤝 Connection — a regulated adult nearby. Co-regulation before self-regulation. Social experiences (laughing, smiling, playing ) with their peers all help balance the nervous system.
🎯 Sensory input — swinging, spinning, heavy work. This organizes the nervous system in ways words never can.

The old way said: earn your recess.
The new way knows: recess earns their ability to learn.

A child who gets outside, moves their body, and feels safe will come back to the classroom ready to absorb everything you teach them.
A child who sits in a chair as punishment? They are still in survival mode. Nothing is getting in.

Please be mindful of taking away the one thing that helps. Let’s lean into it.

04/14/2026

This is not about the ice..

It’s about what young people are watching and noticing each day.

It’s so easy to mistake compliance for growth. We are living in a performative world where young people are heavily guided to perform.

And the part most people miss- this is their timeline, their time.

But what we see in the short term is not who they BECOME.

Who they become will show up later in life- in the choices that they make ON THEIR OWN.

Those choices aren’t going to be built on what you said or heavily guided but what you lived.

What are they learning from how you show up every day? Some will be good days and others won’t be - modeling how to ride the waves will be of most importance.

09/12/2025

This was the title of a main article in the Boston Globe in 2006. I was a contributor to this article.

That was almost 20 years ago.

It was an observation that felt important enough to put on the radar.

Fast forward 20 years.
It turned out to be a real thing.

Our young people are more anxious and stressed than ever. Have high performance expectations and numbers are in the millions of young people on some sort of medication to address these symptoms.

No where is the past 20 years has there been a focus on physiological contributors to prepare our young people with how to handle the modern day fast paced world filled with information overload.

In fairness, we were never educated to start there.

In working for over 20 years now with thousands of young people in varieties of settings (classrooms, sports fields, camp, private classes) and have 3 of my own teenagers, it is becoming blazingly clear, our young people need a physiological skill set to manage their days healthier.

Skills such as:
😮‍💨Breathing to regulate their parasympathetic system
😴Sleep to give their body the time it needs repair and prepare for the next day.
🧠Nutrition - fueling enough and customizing what is best for their individual selves
💪🏻Strength Training and Exercise - a plan customized to them

Imagine, if our young people (and adults too!!!) were equipped with a blueprint for their own self so they can build strength from the inside out- before they meet the challenges outside!

I’ve been working on something and excited to share more this weekend. Stay tuned!

09/11/2025

Remembering today 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Lets also remember what Sept 12, 2001 felt like?

We ALL came together for this country. It didn’t matter left or right- we were ONE!

We are ALL Americans!!🇺🇸❤️

Let’s do better for our youth.

They and the future of this country depend on it and deserve it! 🙏🙏🙏

“Everyone who can stand, stand now. If you can help others, do so.”~Welles Crowther (man in the red bandana) 🙏💜