Liz Moyer Benferhat has spent nearly two decades in sustainable development, where she kept witnessing the same thing: burnout, grief, and an inner toll nobody talks about. What she found wasn't a problem unique to activists or policymakers. It was a human problem. In 2018, she launched We Heal For All to address what she saw as the missing piece in social change work: the emotional lives of the people doing it. Through her teaching, she demystifies emotions, what they are, how they move through the mind and body, and why understanding them changes everything. In her signature Circle model, participants process those emotions experientially, together, unearthing wisdom within what they feel. The work has helped hundreds of people, parents, professionals, healers, and everyday humans trying to make sense of it all, move through the world's pain rather than be flattened by it, and find their place in changing it. Her sustainable development work spans from grassroots programs in Africa and South America to SDG policy through the UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and her research has been published in Columbia University's Consilience Journal. She holds a Master of Public Administration in Development Practice from Columbia University and lives in the Bronx, New York. Her award-winning debut book, When the World Hurts: Why the World's Pain Makes Sense, and What You Can Do About It, is available now at wehealforall.com/book.
Headshot: hereWebsite & handleswww.wehealforall.comWhen the World Hurts: Why the World's Pain Makes Sense, and What You Can Do About It www.wehealforall.com/bookInstagram, Facebook: @wehealforall 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizmoyerbenferhat/

So, lets talk about PMS. I used to hate it. I used to think it meant something was wrong with me. I used to think it was this dumb thing and if I couldn't manage my emotions well enough during the hormonal imbalance, I deserved all the teasing.

After going through trauma and gaining a deeper understanding of the role of emotions, I've learned that our hormonal imbalances can become a gift for emotional literacy, and emotional expansion.

I hope you enjoy this episode!

Let me know what you think!

[email protected]

Our brains and nervous systems are brilliant. So brilliant that they can keep us safe even when threats we were once protected from are no longer in our lives.

This kinda sums up an adaptation our bodies make to try to protect us from danger. Gaining awareness of what adaptations our body has made and why, can help us change the pattern of our nervous system reactions.

With that said, beware of judging those adaptations as something that has gone wrong, or your body will just create more adaptations on top of adaptations that protect you from something that no longer exists.

This is why Adam McCormick suggests we intentionally look for the brilliance in our childhood adaptations. This will also help us find the brilliance in our current behaviors.

Here's Adam's book: https://a.co/d/07t5xAZQ

Lets connect! [email protected]

Do you know who you are? Like, really know who you are? Well, neither does anyone else. But, the closer you get to understanding your authentic self, the better you get at effortlessly lifting those around you. If your strength is depleated, your ability to teach decreases drastically, as does your awareness of how well you are teaching. Crazy right?!?!

This episode talks about the cost of not being ourselves, and begins to describe a crazy paradox we have as teachers where if it goes unnoticed, the likelihood of you being in burnout is so much greater!

You will leave this episode feeling hopeful and ready to see yourself and your students more clearly.

Adam McCormick's book: https://a.co/d/07HB73pa

Healing from trauma, and evidence based tools to develop self-compassion aren't actually that different. You'll take away tools to help yourself heal psychologically, somatically, and biologically from this episode.

Kristin Neff's Self Compassion book:

Stay tuned for my new website that will be launching soon: connectedteacher.org

Something I heard on one of Dr Aimie Apigian's podcast episode really stood out to me. Healing requires this three legged stool of finding emotional ealing, psychological healing and emotional healing. I wasn't really sure what that meant for me so I decided to explore it in this episode.

Understanding how these things are connected can mean the difference between a teacher in burnout or a teacher who is thriving.

Remember, I am not trained in IFS, and I am not a therapist and what I offer here on the podcast is not meant to replace that type of work. I love sharing my insights and thoughts and hope it is helpful in any way.

Here is the link to the podcast episode I mentioned, and stay tuned for my website that will be published soon!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biology-of-trauma-with-dr-aimie/id1658593616?i=1000725731306

Until then, email me at [email protected]

You're excited yet, calm, tired, yet proud, exhausted beyond words, yet able to keep showing up. These are examples of nervous system states that aren't quite so black and white. Knowing these mixed states can provide the clarity we need to know where to put our energy.

You'll leave with greater awareness around what is going on INSIDE of you, so you can better control and decide what goes on OUTSIDE of you.

Lets Connect!!!

[email protected]

Lisa Baylis wrote the book Self-Compassion for Educators because of life lessons and her passion for supporting teachers. She wanted a book teachers could find useful even with their busy schedules and overflowing plates.

This episode is full of golden nuggets you can implement in your life RIGHT NOW!

I'd love to hear your thoughts! [email protected]

Want to connect with Lisa? Check out her website https://lisabaylis.com/

Talk soon!

You will hear a section of Kristin Neff's book: Self-Compassion The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. You will likely be surprised at how damaging your inner critic can be to your overall wellbeing. It starts with your nervous system because when you're hard on yourself, it activates the threat system of your body. THIS is why being hard on yourself isn't actually getting you where you want to be.

Listen to this week's episode to learn more and hear some examples so you can gain awareness of the effect that being hard on yourself actually has.

Lets connect!

My email: [email protected]

I so badly wanted my students to achieve mastery and learn everything and do well on their end of year tests. This is a strength of mine, and I'm sure is one of yours too. Unfortunately, I overused this strenght on occasion, and tried moving my students a little faster than they were ready.

Plowing through is what felt safer. Was I a bad teacher. No. Could there have been a different, and maybe even better way? Sure. Accessing that better way starts by slowing down.

Slowing down can feel scary. Like, terrifying. This is when we have to train ourselves to intentionally stop, breathe in, and gain awareness of what stories our brain is telling us.

Slowing down might bring up uncomfortable emotions. Just know it is actually the way forward in a lasting sustainable way.

Talk soon!

[email protected]