The Heartfelt Way

In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with speech-language pathologist Jodie Saba about how children develop communication, when a delay is worth watching and what parents can do to support communication development. The worry that your child isn’t developing “normally” is so real. And few areas of development can cause anxiety like speech and language. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with spe...

Rhonda Meyers shares tools that help children, parents and teachers build resilience when things don’t go to plan. Sometimes things just don’t go our way. When that happens, we have a choice: Wallow in self-pity or get up and try again. In this solo episode, Rhonda shares how children (and adults) build resilience through everyday struggles. She shares three steps for helping kids through frustrat...

Pre-K GSRP teacher Phil Zott shares how parents and teachers can stay calm and help children work through big feelings. When a child is melting down, our first instinct is often to make it stop. But behavior is communication. There’s something underneath the behavior that needs our attention. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with Heartfelt pre-K GSRP teacher Phil Zott about helping children th...

GSRP teacher Katie Pannecouk reflects on her first year in the classroom and what helped her grow on the hard days. Nothing quite prepares you for the first year of teaching.  You’re learning who your students are, what they need and how to establish a good classroom flow all at the same time. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with Katie Pannecouk after her first year teaching the Great St...

Kindergarten readiness goes beyond academics. Learn what to look for and how to help your child be in the classroom that’s right for them. Deciding if your child is ready for kindergarten can feel so stressful.  Is my child ready? Is kindergarten what’s best for my child right now? How do I know? Rhonda Meyers talks with Young 5s teacher Teresa Thompson and kindergarten teacher Abby St. Aubin...

Intentionality fuels strong teaching teams. Learn how trust, communication and shared responsibility create classrooms where everyone can thrive. A strong teaching team sets the tone for the entire classroom. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers welcomes longtime early childhood educator, coach and former Heartfelt team member Wendy Malkiewicz to talk about how to build strong teaching teams. Start by m...

Heartfelt summer campers share what they learned about creativity, starting a business and problem-solving. Sometimes adults need to give children the space to see what they’re capable of.  In this episode, Rhonda Meyers hands the microphone to Heartfelt’s fourth- and fifth-grade summer campers. What started as a few friends making bracelets grew into a student-run business complete with mark...

AI can take some of the mental load off parents. Listen for ways to save time on meals, schedules and everyday decisions. So many little things have to happen to keep a family moving.  Meals need to be planned, appointments remembered and calendars coordinated.  AI expert, author and entrepreneur Ethan King joins Rhonda Meyers to share ways that AI can lighten parents’ mental load. ...

Leadership isn’t about having every answer. Join Heartfelt’s Brittany Kay in the final episode of the Leadership Series on how to help leaders lead. Brittany Kay, Heartfelt’s Executive Director of Program Quality, joins Rhonda Meyers in this final episode of the Leadership Series. They reflect on what it looks and feels like to develop leaders. Brittany planned and ran Heartfelt’s leadership retre...

Taking time away prevents leading in survival mode. Listen to this final episode in the leadership series. The Heartfelt Way’s leadership series concludes in this conversation with Denise Palmer and Brooke Lewandowski on how and why to lead.  Denise never thought of herself as a leader. But over the last few years, she’s grown to love sharing her knowledge with other teachers and celebrating...

The leadership series continues with a conversation about core values, leading by listening and building respectful, reciprocal relationships. This episode of The Heartfelt Way continues the leadership series with Elizabeth Hall and Penny White, leaders from Heartfelt’s Rochester campus. They spoke with Rhonda Meyers about the core values, investment in teachers and community involvement that sets...

Leadership grows from vulnerability and hard conversations. Join two of Heartfelt’s leaders as they speak about growing in confidence and skill. There never is a right time to become a leader. Sometimes we think we’ll wait forever for the chance. Other times, we think we’ll never be ready. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers speaks with Heartfelt leaders Mayra Castro and Kiara Barahona. They reflect on...

Feeling unseen can take a quiet toll. Listen for five practices that help you reconnect with yourself. What happens when you stop waiting for someone else to make you feel seen?  In this solo episode, Rhonda shares five practices that changed the way she experienced her vacation and left her feeling more grounded as she returned to work. Say what you want. Rhonda points out that amidst our ro...

Vacation can be exhausting with kids. Rhonda shares three ways to spark curiosity for kids and make vacation memories that reenergize the whole family. Packing for vacation can leave parents feeling exhausted before they even leave the driveway.  In this solo episode, Rhonda Meyers shares three ways to help children stay engaged on vacation without breaking the bank. Create a discovery challe...

Growth can begin with one honest conversation. Listen to Alissa’s story about confidence, resilience and choosing to believe in yourself. If life does anything, it throws curveballs. This episode is about the growth that comes from recognizing and honoring your needs, especially when life gets messy. Heartfelt director Alissa Russell joins Rhonda to speak about her hard-won success story.  In her...

As Heartfelt celebrates 15 years, Rhonda reflects on gratitude, resilience and the people who made the journey possible. As Heartfelt Impressions celebrates 15 years in business, Rhonda Meyers takes a moment to reflect on the people, relationships and lessons that have shaped its journey. Rhonda challenges the idea that successful organizations are built by a single person. Instead, she honors the...

Careers in childhood go far beyond the classroom. Listen to learn about early childhood career paths, mentorship, and shaping a meaningful life. When most people think about a career in early childhood, they picture a classroom.  That’s only the tip of the iceberg. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers sits down with longtime friend and educator Betsy Spiker to explore the many directions a career in ear...

Learn how to maintain balance and work toward kindergarten-readiness this summer with Mary Jo Cloutier. Everything seems to happen during the last month of school. After all of the field days, performances and graduations, this time of year can feel more like drowning than thriving. Mary Jo Cloutier joins Rhonda for another episode to share three ways to bring more sanity to summer and help your c...

Children are shaped by every relationship. Learn how each adult has the power to help children feel valued, noticed and safe with Ryan Tedesco. When we think about the adults who shape children, we often picture family members and teachers.  But children are paying attention to everyone.  They notice who smiles at them. Who remembers their name. Who waves goodbye. And who makes them feel safe. In...

Miss Charlene shares what 20 years in infant care has taught her about responsiveness, trust and knowing every baby deeply. Infant care is relationship work. Every bottle, every diaper change, every moment on the floor is a chance to build trust. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers sits down with Miss Charlene, an infant teacher with 20 years of experience in the first year of life. Together they walk...

Early childhood leaders carry invisible pressure every day. Learn how to avoid burnout through rhythms and sustainable leadership with Chanie Wilschanski. Behind every staffing call, difficult conversation and licensing visit, early childhood leaders carry an immense emotional weight that’s often invisible. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers sits down with leadership coach, speaker and author Chanie W...

Rhonda reflects on the beauty of motherhood, its emotional labor and the longing to feel seen. Mothers notice things. They’re always scanning the room’s emotions, ready if someone’s in need. In this solo episode, Rhonda reflects on the tension many mothers experience between trying to care for everyone around them and desiring to feel seen.  Drawing from her own experiences as a mother and grandmo...

Learn tools for responding to children’s grief and loss with Heidi Friedel. It takes a quiet kind of courage to accompany a child who’s grieving. We adults just want to make their pain go away. But we can’t.  So, the work of just being with them starts. It’s hard, important work. In this conversation, Heidi Friedel joins Rhonda Meyers to talk about how grief and loss show up in young children and...

Co-teacher alignment changes outcomes for kids. Rhonda and her guests speak about what a strong teaching team looks like and how to cultivate it. When a strong teaching team is in action, you can feel it.  It’s in the care with which the kids put away toys, how things are labeled and in the teachers’ attunement to the other’s needs. Rhonda sits down with Brittany Reaume and Geanene Chalut in this...

Joy is possible even in the hardest moments. Carissa Orr shares how educators can cultivate it through curiosity and care. This work is heavy sometimes. In the middle of behaviors, breakdowns and things happening in our personal lives, joy can feel impossible some days. In this episode, Carissa Orr joins me to talk about what it really looks like to find joy when things are hard. She shares storie...