Choose Love Movement

“Healthy brains means a healthy humanity.”

Scarlett Lewis is joined by Dr. Kate Truitt, clinical psychologist, applied neuroscientist, and internationally recognized expert in the fields of stress, trauma, and resilience. She is the author of “Healing in Your Hands,” a groundbreaking book about trauma. Dr. Truitt has dedicated her life to advancing the treatment of trauma and stress-related disorders.

Dr. Truitt specializes in a powerful trauma technique called Havening. She discusses with Scarlett how Havening can help us self-regulate as parents and educators and face challenges from a stable state. Havening helps us calm our sympathetic nervous system and keep our ‘logic and reasoning’ part of our brain online, even during conflict. Kate talks about how to meet our children’s needs, as well as our own, in this era of violence and school shootings and how our brains are working FOR us, all of the time! What a relief to know that through Havening and self-compassion we can heal, feel good and get to be the best version of ourselves! Listen to this powerful podcast.

In this episode, Scarlett Lewis speaks with Aaron Stark, a mental health advocate who planned but did not follow through with a school shooting in 1996. Aaron’s TED Talk, ‘I Was Almost A School Shooter,’ has over fifteen million views. In this episode, Aaron gives valuable insight on the pain that turns children into cold blooded killers. He talks with Scarlett about his childhood, being homeless, how he was bullied and then became a bully himself. He said he was expressing his pain and hurt outwardly. Aaron said, “When you have nothing to lose, you can do anything and that is a terrifying thought.” Aaron was able to turn his life around when he finally felt seen and supported.

Aaron talks about shooters wanting to be seen and how they are in a tremendous amount of pain which leads to these actions. Scarlett and Aaron discuss how to prevent school shootings and the importance of, "giving love to those you feel deserve it the least." Listen to this powerful podcast and how you can ' Choose Love'  and become part of the solution.

Scarlett Lewis reflects on the past ten years of the Choose Love Movement which was started to honor her son, Jesse. Jesse was murdered in the Sandy Hook tragedy. Since that day, Scarlett has dedicated her life to keeping our kids safe in schools and advocating for their health and wellbeing. Listen to the key points Scarlett has learned during the last decade spent researching ways to be part of the solution. Now in over 11,000 schools, homes and communities in 120 countries there will be many more adventures in the next 10 years. Listen to this podcast to learn why it’s important that everyone comes together to be part of the solution and choose love today and every day.

Scarlett speaks with Lisa MacKenzie, our Choose Love CA ambassador and one of our curriculum writers for the Choose Love for School Program. While piloting the original Choose Love Enrichment Program several years ago, Lisa discusses how she has taught Choose Love programming to her students with 'Nurturing, Healing, Love.' Lisa has used choose love to successfully stop the school to prison pipeline in her district.

"I'm in my office chair upside down and they are screaming. Another bomb! Another bomb! And I think that I am going to die." Scarlett Lewis speaks with Amy Downs, author of Hope is a Verb: My Journey of Impossible Transformation. Amy was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which a total of 168 people were killed including 18 of her 33 co-workers. When Amy's building exploded, she fell 3 stories and was buried alive for 6 hours. Amy's book talks about how she was a victim but she was able to transform her life with hope. Amy says, "Hope is the jetfuel that propels you to the moon. You have the ability to change your future."

Amy says that a new person emerges after a tragedy and she embraces and loves the person she is now. She encourages everyone to reassess and see what you can do to move forward instead of sitting back to blame yourself or others in difficult times especially when you feel like a victim. The person you are after a tragedy can be a better version of the person you were before the tragedy which is called post-traumatic growth. Scarlett and Amy discuss how we all have the power to move forward which will bring hope alive in our spirit and then allow us to help others dealing with pain. Listen to this inspiring podcast today.

Scarlett Lewis speaks with Melanie Hempe, founder of ScreenStrong. Melanie shares the journey of her son’s screen addiction to video games and why she started this foundation to empower parents to delay toxic technology. She educates parents on helping kids to break bad screen habits and how to reclaim your kids from screens. Parents need to know which screens are okay for kids and which are toxic. ScreenStrong coaching is backed by evidence-based science. Melanie said, “Because of development and because of the way brain works, screen addiction is the most trying parental issue in our culture. And it affects everything.”

Listen to this podcast to find out how to save our kids from screen addiction and get ScreenStrong in your children’s schools.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is the founder of a new field of scientific evidence termed ‘killology’ which has made contributions to not only our understanding of killing in war, but “the root causes of the current ‘virus’ of violent crime that is raging around the world and the process of healing the victims of violence, in war and peace.”

Dave and Scarlett discuss children’s access to violent video games, school safety and teaching our kids to trust police officers. Dave talks about keeping kids safe and educating our children about sleep management and media violence. Dave shares the three most important statements you could ever say to a child: 'please tell me what’s wrong', 'I’m sorry this is happening to you' and 'I will do everything in my power to help you.' This communication of love and caring is so important because the opposite of evil is love.

Listen to this empowering podcast today.

Scarlett Lewis speaks with actress Eva LaRue about navigating grief after the loss of her ex-husband, John Callahan during the pandemic and helping her daughter, Kaya, process her own grief. Scarlett talks with Eva about how to move through and process grief. Scarlett and Eva talk about the Choose Love Formula (Courage+Gratitude+Compassion-in-Action=Choosing Love) and how forgiving yourself and feeling compassion for those around you is important in the grieving process. They discuss learning through these difficult experiences and how it's a tremendous opportunity to grow and help others.

Scarlett Lewis speaks with Lenny O’Keefe about his Cops and Canines program. Lenny and his dog, Liberty, visit schools for special events, classroom visits or stopping by to read a book. Lenny has a message that goes along with Liberty’s visit and that message is Choose Love. Lenny knows that the unconditional love we receive from our pets is something that fits right in with the pillars of the Choose Love Movement, Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Compassion-in-Action.

Scarlett Lewis and Kristine Carlson discuss loss and the importance of moving forward, carrying our loved ones with us and returning to joy to experience life. Kristine is the co-author with her late husband, Dr. Richard Carlson of the New York Times bestselling Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books. She was featured as the subject of a biopic Lifetime movie based on her book, Heartbroken Open: A True Story of Coming Alive Again After Profound Loss.