In this special episode, I interview my co-founder Denise "Circlemamma" Holliday, and I sit down for a special segment called Restorative Real Life Moments. Denise and I had a conversation about an incident where another dog attacked her dog in the neighborhood by her mom's house, and we started talking about how she reacted vs. responded. We also talked about what she needs to repair hard, what some of those conversations look like, how did she pause along the way to even get to the point where the story ended. We are trying to do this Restorative Real Life Moments as frequently as we can to share who we are as human beings and the work we are trying to do and how it’s working and transforming us, but yet we are still humans.

Let’s dig in and learn more about reacting vs. responding.

[00:01 – 11:14] Opening Segment

• I share a brief introduction to today’s special segment. 
• Restorative Real-Life Moments.
• Let’s welcome Denise "Circlemamma" Holiday to the show. 
• Denise shares the 4 Fs and back story surrounding what happened to her and her dog-brother ‘Powder.’ 
• Denise talks about her reaction and responds when the incident occurred.
• The pause and moment of reflection when she got to the right state of mind.

[11:15 – 24:10] Reacting Vs. Responding

• We can get it wrong all day long, and we make decisions based on emotions that we call reacting vs. responding.
• Reacting from an emotional space.
• It would be up to us to find out how to make it right.
• Denise talks about the transformation trigger to her thought pattern and process of realization.
• The pause of clarity and reflection moment.
• The absence of rational thinking.
• Denise shares how her neighbor responded that helped her to get into her rational thinking and empathy.
• Patient and empathy.

[24:11 – 29:10] The Fix that Was Needed

• Denise shares about the fix and what needed to happen to make this right as possible.
• The plan of making sure it will never happen again.
• Denise talks about how her neighbor fixed the problem and stayed true to what he said he would do.
• We are all human; we do not have to be perfect and always be the right ones. But it’s about trying to make it right when the opportunity is there.

[ 29:11 – 36:02] Closing Segment

• Denise talks about the takeaways that she had grown and going from this event.
• I share my takeaways from the story.
• Self-growth and self-understanding.
• Responding more to things than react out of emotion
• Final thoughts and words of advice

Tweetable Quotes:

“We can get it wrong all day long, and we make decisions based on emotions that we call reacting vs. responding.” –  Denise "Circlemamma" Holliday.

“We are all human; we do not have to be perfect and always be the right one. But it’s about trying to make it right when the opportunity is there.” –   Denise "Circlemamma" Holliday.

“I am going to live my best life when I can respond more to things than I react to them out of emotion.” –  Denise "Circlemamma" Holliday.

Connect with Denise via email to [email protected]. 

Visit www.Rclfirst.com to join the Educator Circle Calls that happen three times a week! 

Join our Facebook Group for more stories and communication about our work. 

Want a FREE download of 25 GTKY questions? Visit

In this episode, I interview Veronica V. Sopher, the Chief Communications Officer of Fort Bend Independent School District. Veronica and I will be having a wonderful conversation about the art of communication, especially what leaders need to consider when they lead meetings and be in public or events. In addition, we also talk about what parents need to consider when communicating with the district, the power of social media, and many more. We will discuss not only the art of relationships but also the art of communication. 

Let’s dig in and learn more about becoming a better listener and connecting better across generations.

[00:01 – 07:25] Opening Segment

• Let’s welcome Veronica V. Sopher to the show
• The Flip 5! We take turns asking five GTKY questions

[07:26 – 20:57] The Power of Non-Verbal Communication  and Social Media

• Veronica shares a brief introduction about who she is and what is her current position
• The power and importance of Non-verbal communication 
• Veronica talks about her experience in working on non-verbal communication with leaders
• The face leaking
• The role and guidance of dealing with Social Media for school leaders
• The responsibility to engage folks in a positive way
• Veronica talks about her experience in dealing with the breach of unwanted posts on the social media of educators or schools
• The support of the other staff in protecting one another
• The speed up communication on campus and a bigger reach because of social media

[20:58 – 35:10] The Art of Communication 

• Why sometimes kids have difficult times trusting adults today, compared to 20-30 years ago
• The ability to quickly question their information and verify it themselves 
• Veronica shares some tips to consider when communicating with the school district and wanting to know more information
• Veronica talks about making your message so clear; it can not be misunderstood
• Have the core at the core
• Relationship and communication
• Veronica shares her opinion on building a community that is filled with an honest, open flow of communication and grace

[ 35:11 – 39:27] Closing Segment

• Veronica shares her final words and a closing message
• I share my takeaways from this interview
• Veronica shares her experience in building trust and communication with the parents
• Final thoughts and words of advice

Tweetable Quotes:

“Non-verbal communication is probably more powerful than verbal communication.” – Veronica V. Sopher

The district is starting to see how important communication is to the success of the district and the expectation of the parents.” –  Veronica V. Sopher

“Communication is part of building the relationship and the way to express it.” – Veronica V. Sopher

Connect with Veronica via email to [email protected]. 

Visit www.Rclfirst.com to join the Educator Circle Calls that happen three times a week! 

Join our Facebook Group for more stories and communication about our work. 

Want a FREE download of 25 GTKY questions? Visit www.rclfirst.com and sign up for our newsletter!