What actually shifts a school?

In this episode, Stacy sits down with lifelong educator and superintendent Jon Konen to talk about what it really takes to change school culture—from the inside out.

This conversation goes far beyond strategies and into the heart of education: relationships, regulation, accountability, and the courage to lead through resistance.

Together, they unpack what happens when schools stop focusing only on academics and begin to support the whole child—and the adults responsible for them.

If you’ve ever felt the tension between “what works on paper” and “what actually works with people,” this episode is for you.

🔥 “If we don’t address what’s happening beneath the surface, it doesn’t matter what we do with math or reading—nothing sticks.”

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

•  Why culture always outweighs strategy in schools 
•  The shift from academic-only interventions to whole-child approaches
•  What it really looks like to lead through staff resistance
•  How to build buy-in without forcing it
•  The role of accountability in a healthy culture (it’s not just “fluffy”) 
•  How relational practices impact: 
  •  Behavior referrals 
  •  Staff burnout 
  •  Student success 
•  Practical strategies for addressing “toxic” dynamics in schools 
•  Why connection must come before correction—for both students and staff
•  How to re-engage parents as partners, not outsiders 
•  The importance of co-regulation for leaders

💡 Key Takeaways

•  You don’t need everyone to buy in—just enough to create a tipping point
•  Relationships are not soft—they are structural to success
•  You can’t build culture from behind a desk—leadership must be visible
•  “Toxicity” isn’t a label—it’s a signal that something deeper needs attention 
•  Real change happens through consistency, not intensity

🛠️ Practical Strategy Highlight

The Daily “Thermometer Check”

Jon shares a powerful leadership practice:

•  Check in with staff daily 
•  Ask: “How can I support you today?”
•  Build relational “deposits” before making “withdrawals” 
•  Address concerns privately, with connection first 

Simple. Consistent. Transformational.

🌱 About Jon Konen

Jon Konen is a lifelong educator, superintendent, and consultant focused on transforming school culture through intentional, relationship-driven leadership. With experience spanning classrooms to district leadership, Jon brings practical, real-world strategies that help schools move from dysfunction to connection. He is the founder of Jon Konen Consulting and host of the Moving Mountains podcast, where he explores strategies to reduce toxicity and build thriving educational environments.

🔗 Connect with Jon

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jon.konen.2025 
• Instagram: @jon_konen 
• Website: (soon to be released) www.jonkonen.com

In this first-ever listener question episode of Chitty Chats with Stacy, we’re diving into something so many of us quietly carry:

👉 How do you start taking care of yourself when everyone else is used to you taking care of them?

Heather asks a powerful question about navigating self-care as a midlife mom, partner, and eldest daughter—and what it means to shift long-standing patterns of overgiving.

We also explore:

•  Why your nervous system feels “stretched” (the rubber band effect) 
•  How self-care is actually modeling, not selfishness 
•  What it looks like to reclaim time without guilt
•  The power of predictability and communication when setting boundaries 
•  How to begin saying “no” when you’ve never been shown how 

PLUS:
 A second listener question on how to stay grounded when your kids’ emotions feel like a rollercoaster—and what co-regulation actually looks like in real life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  How to recognize when you’re over-functioning 
•  Why boundaries feel uncomfortable (and why that’s normal) 
•  Practical ways to “dose” regulation into your daily life 
•  How to stay steady when others are not 

Key Takeaway:
Taking care of yourself doesn’t take away from others—it allows you to show up safer, steadier, and more present.

Have a question you want answered on the podcast?

📩 Email me: [email protected]

In this episode of Chitty Chats with Stacy, I’m taking you inside one of the most powerful professional experiences I’ve had in years—the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium.

After four days immersed in learning from leaders like Dr. Bruce Perry, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, and Dr. Dan Siegel, I walked away with insights that don’t just apply to clinicians—they apply to all of us.

We’re talking about:

•  The connection between trauma and what you consume (yes, even food)
•  Why some of your habits may actually be protecting your nervous system
•  The truth about ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and why this is a public health issue 
•  What therapists get wrong—and what actually helps people heal 
•  How dissociation shows up in everyday life
•  Why relationships—not techniques—are the real drivers of change
•  The hidden cost of over-functioning and burnout
•  Two powerful questions to ask yourself: 
  • What am I tolerating?
  • Where am I over-functioning?

This episode is both personal and professional—pulling back the curtain on what I’m learning, how I’m applying it, and what it means for you.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, clinician, veteran, or just someone doing the work of becoming more aware—this conversation is for you.

Key Takeaway:
You don’t need to be in therapy to have healing experiences—but you do need to understand your nervous system.

Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast?

📩 Email me at: [email protected]

What does it really mean to teach in rural America?

In this episode of Chitty Chats with Stacy, Stacy shares reflections from her recent travels to small communities in Montana and Colorado and dives into the unique realities of rural education. In many rural schools, educators wear multiple hats—teacher, coach, counselor, mentor, and sometimes the only consistent support system a child has.

With limited resources and fewer specialists available, rural educators often have to rely on their own understanding of child development, nervous system regulation, and trauma-informed practices to support students.

Stacy explores:

• Why understanding brain development is critical for educators today
• How stress cycles impact student behavior and learning
• Why many of today’s children are arriving at school with developmental delays
• The importance of educators understanding their own nervous systems
• How rural schools can creatively support students even with limited resources
• Why involving the community and parents matters more than ever

Rural schools face challenges that many people don’t fully understand—but they also have unique opportunities to build connection, creativity, and resilience.

Whether you are an educator, parent, or community member, this episode offers insights into how we can better support kids and the adults who show up for them every day.

If you live or work in rural America, this conversation is for you.

Last week, Stacy hit a wall.

In this deeply honest episode of Chitty Chats with Stacy, Stacy shares what happens when even someone who spends a career helping others through trauma reaches their own breaking point.

Between global conflict, disturbing news cycles, and the emotional weight many people are carrying right now, Stacy found herself overwhelmed with anger, grief, and exhaustion. As a trauma therapist who has spent over two decades working with survivors of violence, abuse, and loss, she reflects on a hard truth:

Humans were never designed to absorb endless streams of traumatic information.

In this conversation, Stacy explores the idea of collective trauma—how constant exposure to painful news and social media can overwhelm our nervous systems and stretch our internal “rubber band” to the point of snapping.

She also talks about:

• Why the modern news cycle is overwhelming our nervous systems
• The emotional load many women are carrying right now
• Why believing and supporting survivors matters
• The role men can play in changing harmful cultural norms
• How empathic adults and children may be absorbing the emotional energy of the world

Most importantly, Stacy shares what helped her find her footing again: stepping away from the noise, returning to the basics of regulation, and remembering that caring for yourself is not weakness—it’s necessary.

If the world has felt heavy lately, this episode is a reminder that you’re not alone—and it’s okay to step back and take care of your nervous system.

In this heartfelt episode of Chitty Chats with Stacy, licensed clinical social worker and Behavioral Health Officer Stacy Nation sits down with her husband Billy — a combat veteran with over 24 years of military service — for a candid and emotional conversation about men’s mental health, the military stigma around therapy, and the journey toward healing.

Together, Stacy and Billy pull back the curtain on what it’s really like to navigate trauma, marriage, and masculinity after years of deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE.
Billy opens up about his early years in the military, when seeking help meant risking your career, and shares how Brainspotting and therapy transformed his life decades later.

This episode is packed with insights for:

• 🪖 Veterans and active service members wrestling with the invisible weight of trauma.
• 💑 Spouses and partners who want to understand how to better support their loved ones through healing.
• 🧠 Anyone curious about brain-based therapies like Brainspotting — and why they reach parts of our story that talk therapy sometimes can’t.

Key moments include:

• The truth about mental health stigma in the military — then and now
• Why Brainspotting can unlock healing when words aren’t enough
• What “being strong” really means for men today
• How spouses can listen without judgment and help create safety
• The powerful reminder that “it’s okay to not be okay”

Stacy and Billy’s honest, grounded conversation offers hope, perspective, and practical takeaways for anyone navigating life after trauma or trying to love someone who is.

A year ago today, I was in the Middle East.

After nearly two years serving on full-time orders with the Wyoming Army National Guard — preparing soldiers for deployment, deploying alongside them, and supporting them through combat and operational stress — I’m finally ready to unpack what that experience did to me.

Because here’s the truth:

No one goes on deployment and comes home the same.

In this episode, I share:

• What it’s like to serve as a Behavioral Health Officer during deployment
• The emotional complexity of supporting soldiers while navigating your own stress
• The realities of reintegration (and why coming home can be harder than leaving)
• How my family, marriage, and business shifted while I was gone
• What I learned about nervous system regulation in high-stress environments
• Why nuance matters more than ever — in leadership, in the military, and in our conversations with each other

Reintegration is real.
Identity shifts are real.
And growth doesn’t happen without discomfort.

I talk about the privilege and the hardship of deployment. I talk about grief. I talk about change. I talk about what it means to wear a uniform and still hold nuance. And I share where I feel deeply called next — helping people learn how to sit with themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and hold space without judgment.

After more than 20,000 one-on-one conversations with humans, I know this to be true:

We don’t often sit with ourselves.
And we don’t often have someone willing to simply sit with us.

That’s where I’m headed.

If you’ve ever:

• Walked through a major life transition
• Felt like you came home to a different life
• Navigated reintegration after deployment, divorce, graduation, or loss
• Or sensed that you no longer fit neatly into one box

This episode is for you.

Thank you for being here.
Thank you for staying.
 Season 2 of Chitty Chats with Stacy begins now.

Today, Stacy express heartfelt gratitude towards educators. She encourages listeners to take a moment to appreciate their favorite teachers by reaching out with a message of thanks instead of spending their time on the podcast. 

Highlighting the significant shifts and challenges in education, Stacy acknowledges the dedication and hard work of educators, including their own 'army bestie' and their children's sports coaches, who go above and beyond their teaching duties. 

00:00 Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week

01:41 A Personal Shoutout to Influential Educators

02:21 Acknowledging the Extraordinary Efforts of Coaches

03:19 A Heartfelt Thank You to All Educators

03:53 Closing Thoughts and Call to Action

In this episode, Stacy reflects on the importance and value of friendship, sparked by a recent visit from a long-time friend. 

She recount the joy of reconnecting with friends from different phases of her life, including high school friends and a best friend of over two decades. 

Stacy speaker highlights the practices that have helped maintain these friendships, such as sharing daily gratitudes, and the unique connection felt with people from her small hometown.

00:00 Starting the Journey: Reflections on Friendship

00:37 Cherishing Long-Term Friendships: A Weekend of Reconnection

01:44 The Power of Gratitude in Friendship

03:06 Navigating Friendships Through Life's Seasons

04:06 Rekindling Connections: The Joy of Small-Town Ties

06:40 Contemplating the Impact of Social Media on Modern Friendships

07:41 The Enduring Value of Friendship

08:12 Invitation to Share Your Friendship Stories

In this episode of Chitty Chats, Stacy shares a training she has held titled "How Does Your Past Impact Your Teaching?". 

Stacy introduces the concept of how one's physiological and emotional blueprint, developed during early childhood, affects their responses and interactions in educational settings. 

The session covers the development of the brain, stress response systems, sensory systems, and techniques for emotional regulation, both for teachers and their students. 

Educators are encouraged to reflect on their own triggers, how they were wired through their own developmental stages, and how this impacts their relationships with students, particularly those they find challenging. 

Additionally, educators are prompted to consider who has influenced their teaching approach and to reflect on their reasons for staying in the teaching profession, despite its challenges. 

The workshop aims to equip educators with tools to improve their self-awareness and emotional management, contributing to a more trauma-informed educational practice.

00:37 The Impact of Your Past on Teaching

06:31 Reflecting on Your Teaching Journey

14:12 Understanding How You're Wired: A Look at Brain Development

24:44 Navigating Triggers in the Classroom

29:24 Exploring Emotional Responses Through Body Awareness

32:46 Understanding Children's Emotional Expressions

33:23 Navigating Feelings and Family Dynamics

34:53 Practical Approaches to Helping Kids Express Emotions

35:30 Case Study: Healing Through Emotional Expression

38:03 Sensory Systems and Classroom Dynamics

46:07 Personal Reflections and Professional Development