Unapologetic Disrupter for Good Podcast

Over the past 10 years, I've helped SOOOO many people learn about the brain and how it impacts learning and well-being, which in turn changes behavior. With my master's degree in education and a background in coaching, I thrive on building brain and research-based, child-driven training and courses. Being an adventurer, I love to find nontraditional solutions and make sure that boundaries are push...

Dr. Marcus Matthews is an author, educational leader, and motivational speaker. He is executive director of Matthews-Fayne Foundation – a nonprofit that provides youth education initiatives, services, and resources. He is also a faculty member at American College of Mental Health Education in Baltimore, MD and assistant principal at Nicholas Hobbs Academy in Bartlett, TN. Matthews holds a doctorat...

Armed with a belief that every student can succeed, Smyth County Schools Superintendent Dennis Carter, Ed. D., works to ensure that children thrive in school and in the community. A former special education classroom teacher, he witnessed first-hand the potential growth and development in every student. He also sees the barriers that students face, preventing them from reaching their full potentia...

This episode was unique as I engaged three authors and experts in the field, Dr. Lori Desautels, Dr. Mona Delahooke, and Dr. Eric Rossen, in a conversation that spanned from the neuroscience into classroom practices.

James Moffett was the principal of Derby Hills Elementary School in Derby, Kansas, a fully functioning trauma informed school. Throughout his career, Moffett has taught various demographic groups, observing the differences and similarities in effective instructional and behavioral strategies. Ultimately, James realized what we all know, meaningful relationships enhance behavior and academic succes...

Alex is an educator, professional development facilitator, and author. Formerly she was a teacher and leader at a therapeutic school. Her first book Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education is coming out in May from W. W. Norton

Joe has been the victim of two separate violent anti-gay hate crimes and what began as a personal healing response to the trauma, he has transformed into professional involvement in the field of community and restorative justice. Since 2010, Joe has actively helped schools implement peer mediation programs and school-wide restorative practices. As a private consultant beginning in 2015, Joe has de...

I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change; I am changing the things I cannot accept (Angela Davis). This quote has been the driving force behind Dr. Gibbs’ passion to change lives through the power of a great education. Dr. Ricki Gibbs earned his B.S. in Elementary Education and M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University. He then went on earn a Doctor of Educ...

TJ wears a few different hats, but at his core he's a social worker and an advocate for students and teachers. Full time he serves as the Trauma Informed Specialist for Greenville County Schools in Greeenville, SC. He also owns TJ Rumler Consulting, where he provides training and coaching services to educators and entrepreneurs, as well as individual psychotherapy. His personal passions are chasin...

Amy Erin Borovoy is Edutopia's director of video. In this role, Amy combines her lifelong passion for education with nearly 25 years of experience in video production (15 of them with Edutopia!) to oversee all video-related endeavors and build Edutopia’s deep library of 700+ titles to inform and inspire educators. As the proud daughter of a retired public school teacher, she is grateful every day...

Kristin Hovious is an educator with over two decades of experience in vocational, adult education. She led one of the Chicago's Cortiva Institutes as both Education Director and Adjunct Faculty Member from 2006-2017. Her love of anatomy and the science of human development brought her to the work of social Emotional learning (SEL). Hovious is a Certified Positive Discipline Trainer, and served the...

Robb Kelly, PhD is a world-renowned addiction consultant who believes in treating the problem of addiction, not the symptoms. He has worked for many years helping addicts and alcoholics to RECOVER their lives from the disease of addiction. Based on his own experiences working with addicts and alcoholics over the last 20 years, a PhD in Psychology from Oxford University and as a recovered alcoholic...

Guy is the Founder and Executive Director for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR). Restraint and seclusion are outdated crisis management techniques used in schools across the nation. These interventions disproportionately impact disabled and minority children. The practices are dangerous and can lead to significant trauma and injuries to students, teachers, and staff. AASR's missi...

Known for her contagious enthusiasm, Becky Haas is a seasoned presenter on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study and is nationally recognized for her pioneering work in developing a trauma informed region throughout Northeast Tennessee/Southwest Virginia. Her seasoned presentation experience includes trips to Delaware presenting to state leadership at the invitation of their First Lady, a...

Sara is the Founder & CEO of Move This World, a social emotional learning program that provides over 1 million PreK-12 students and educators with video tools to strengthen their social and emotional wellbeing in order to create healthy environments where effective teaching and learning can thrive. Move This World ritualizes a daily practice of identifying, expressing and managing emotions through...

Emily Read Daniels has 20 years’ experience working with vulnerable youth. She holds a Master’s of Education in School Counseling and a Master’s of Business Administration in Organizational Sustainability. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner (SEP) in training. She is trained in SMART (Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Therapy) and has trained in Tr...

Judge Sheila Calloway has been the Juvenile Court Judge in Nashville since September 1, 2014. Prior to that, she was a Juvenile Court Magistrate from Jan. 2004 - Nov. 2013. Prior to that she was a Public Defender in both the adult division and Juvenile division from 1994 - 2003. Judge Calloway is originally from Louisville, KY. She attended both undergraduate and law school at Vanderbilt Universit...

*Trigger warning: Linda was a victim of a terrorist attack and explicitly recounts her experience. Linda Ragsdale is an award-winning children’s picture book author who runs the non profit organization, The Peace Dragon. She travels the world to teach peace through stories and activities to spark a compassionate view, voice and choice in addressing ourselves and the world. A recent widower, she ha...

As the Southern California community facilitator for ACEs Connection, Lara brings her deep understanding of the importance of schools as community drivers for change. Lara is an experienced educator and consultant who speaks nationally on implementing trauma-informed practices in schools and building holistic, trauma-responsive systems. Lara brings over two decades of experience at the local, stat...

Dr. Mary Susan is a native Tennessean who has been having a helluva good time since her arrival at Baptist Hospital in the late Spring of ‘84. She is the host of the popular Mama Bear Podcast- a space she created for fellow women raising kids with special needs. She is married to singer/songwriter Sean McConnell and is the mother to their 8 year old Ghanaian beauty, The Magical Abiella. As a forme...

Ross W. Greene is an American clinical child psychologist and New Your Times Best selling author of the books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings. Greene developed the model of intervention called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS). He has a Ph. D. in clinical psychology. Greene is founding director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance, and develope...

Danna Thomas discusses the importance of teacher well-being and mental health during this pandemic, but also moving forward! Danna Thomas is a former Baltimore City Public School teacher turned founder of a global initiative to support the mental health and wellness of educators. Her organization, Happy Teacher Revolution, is on a mission to increase teacher happiness, retention, and professional...

Jannah Bailey has been propelled into the spotlight by her brave advocacy for equality during a school board meeting in Montgomery, AL. https://www.wsfa.com/video/2020/03/12/jannah-bailey-pleads-increased-funding-mps/ Jannah says.. I have been the executive director of Child Protect, the children's advocacy center that serves Montgomery County, Alabama since April 2001. Our mission is to serve chi...

Mona Delahooke, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience caring for children and their families. She is a senior faculty member of the Profectum Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting educators, providers, and families of neurodiverse and vulnerable children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Delahooke holds the highest level of endorsement in the field...

Dr. Rossen and I discuss the connection between the role of trauma-informed education from the experience of a pandemic all the way to the classroom. Dr. Eric Rossen is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, a licensed psychologist in Maryland, and a credentialed National Register Health Service psychologist. He has experience working in public schools, private practice, and in professional n...