Podcast PD with Kristina

In this deeply personal episode of The Token Economy , Kristina shares the story she is finally ready to tell — growing up as an eldest daughter in a changing world, becoming an educator and school leader through crisis and instability, navigating pregnancy loss, postpartum depression, medical trauma, COVID, motherhood, divorce, and professional identity shifts. This episode explores what it means...

Episode 1: What Did It Cost to Show Up Here? In the first episode of The Token Economy , Kristina begins with the story she was handed: born in the 1980s, raised in a working-class family, taught to value hard work, loyalty, resilience, and doing what was expected. Through personal reflection, she begins to unpack the invisible “tokens” she learned to earn and spend in order to be seen as good, su...

What you say—and how you say it—shapes everything. In this episode, we break down the small, everyday moves adults make that either escalate behavior or create calm, connected classrooms. Real talk, real strategies, and shifts you can use immediately.

In this episode of Podcast PD with Kristina , we shift the focus from students to something just as important—but often overlooked: the emotional experience of educators. Teaching is more than lesson planning and instruction. It is emotional labor, constant decision-making, and ongoing nervous system regulation. Drawing on research in emotional labor (Hochschild), decision fatigue (Baumeister), po...

In Episode 6, we take the next step in trauma-informed practice and focus on what to do when behavior escalates despite strong Tier 1 supports, clear routines, and intentional teacher language. This episode is grounded in staff feedback and real classroom experiences, addressing one of the most common challenges educators shared: how to respond in the moment when one student’s dysregulation impact...

In Episode 5 of Podcast PD, we shift the focus from responding to behavior to preventing it. This episode explores the role of strong Tier 1 classroom systems in creating environments where students feel safe, regulated, and ready to learn. Drawing on brain science, trauma research, and the CASEL social-emotional learning framework, we discuss how predictability, relationships, clear expectations,...

In this episode, we explore what happens after a behavior incident and how educators can support students in repairing relationships, reflecting on what happened, and building the skills needed to handle situations differently next time. The episode focuses on moving beyond punishment and using brief repair conversations that strengthen accountability, self-awareness, and trust. We discuss: Why be...

Episode 3 Say This, Not That: De-Escalation Scripts That Work In this practical episode, we focus on the language educators use when student behavior begins to escalate. When a child is dysregulated, the thinking brain goes offline and tone, body language, and word choice can either escalate or calm the situation. This episode introduces the CALMS Method —Calm your voice, Align your body, Limit yo...

Episode 1 What Happened to This Child? Understanding Behavior Through a Trauma Lens In this episode, we explore how childhood trauma and chronic stress impact brain development and student behavior. Grounded in the work of Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and current brain research, this episode reframes challenging behavior as communication rather than defiance. Listeners will learn how trauma affects the...

Episode 2 When Transitions Trigger: Supporting Student Regulation in the Classroom This episode focuses on one of the most common classroom challenges: transitions. Based on staff survey feedback, we explore why transitions can trigger dysregulation for students whose nervous systems are living in chronic stress. Using brain science and practical classroom strategies, listeners will learn how pred...