Lisa Baylis is an educator, school-based counselor, facilitator and parent who has been sharing well-being strategies for over 20 years. She is a certified mindfulness and self-compassion teacher, who studied under pioneers Dr. Chris Germer and Dr. Kristen Neff. 

Lisa is the author of the book Self-Compassion for Educators, and the creator of the AWE Method--Awakening Well-being for Educators--which blends self-care, mindfulness and self-compassion.

Lisa identifies self-compassion as the ultimate act of self-care. Over the last few years, Lisa has made a commitment to deepen her own personal practice around mindful self-compassion, and to teach it to educators specifically. 

Lisa facilitates workshops, presentations, and retreats for educators providing both the theory and practice of self-compassion.

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Erin Mengeu is a passionate educator and mom of three beautiful and energetic kids. Erin's goal is to help educators and families implement strategies for developmental growth. She is a newly-published author of Slow Down! Children Are Learning! 

Erin has taught elementary school for 18 years and has a Master’s degree in The Art of Teaching. Her passion is teaching Kindergarten and helping teachers find strategies that honor and promote developmental growth.

Erin believes the most rewarding things in teaching are building relationships and watching kids gain independence and love for learning. She's passionate about implementing strategies for developing the whole child, and feels strongly about focusing on children's developmental growth to help them reach their highest potential.

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Tim Stephenson is a husband and father, high school teacher, author, blogger, podcaster and TEDx presenter, from Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

Tim has made a career out of teaching science, notably through an Astronomy course that he created. He made a commitment early on to interact with his students and curriculum in uniquely connective ways, with a stance of curiosity, excitement, and determination to uncover his students' potential.

Tim has thrived on being an educator that brings something just a little bit different to his students and school community--and over the years, Tim’s students have learned to expect the unexpected. He was thrilled when a group of his students nominated him for the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence, which he received in 2018.

Tim is also the creator of the Science 360 podcast on the Teach Better Podcast Network and the author of Beyond the Classroom--a book that is both a long-form manifesto of Tim’s purpose as a teacher, and also a love letter to the promise and potential of a life in education.

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The multi-talented Dennis Mathew is a husband, father, elementary school speech pathologist, singer-songwriter and author, from Mustang, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Dennis has worked with students in schools and through non-profit work for over 20 years. In 2018, he launched his authorship with Bello the Cello, followed by My Wild First Day of School and How Grizzly Found Gratitude. He is also a singer-songwriter with a music album for schools called “The Let’s Roar Experience”. Dennis’ work, school visits and performances bring social-emotional learning, critical thinking, conflict resolution and character development to life.

Dennis’ reach and influence are growing. His books and music have reached tens of thousands of students, and he continues to connect daily with other educators from all corners of the world. Even so, Dennis describes himself as just a guy who's still figuring out his story and his role in the world.

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Debbie Tannenbaum is a School Based Technology Specialist in Fairfax County, Virginia. Debbie loves learning and helping students and teachers use technology as a creative tool to activate and amplify student learning. 

Debbie has always loved using technology. She has a Masters in Educational Technology from Johns Hopkins University (2002). Before becoming a Technology Specialist, Debbie was a classroom teacher (mostly 4th and 5th grades) for 19 years after graduating from University of Maryland, College Park.

Debbie hosts tannenbaumtech.com and is a regular blogger. Her first book, TRANSFORM: Techy Notes To Make Learning Sticky (Road to Awesome, LLC), was published in 2021.

Debbie has four teenagers, an amazing and supportive husband, and a sweet dog, Brisket. She is also a runner and ran her second half marathon in May 2019.

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Dr. Courtney Plotts is a dynamic keynote speaker, author and professor.

Dr. Plotts is the National Chair of the Council For At-Risk Student Education and Professional Standards, the country’s only organization that provides standards for working with marginalized and nontraditional students in Kindergarten to college. Her role as National Chair includes training, consulting, and research.

Her subject matter expertise has been used in a variety of book publications. Most recently, “Small Teaching Online” by Flower Darby with James M. Lang, published in June 2019.

Dr. Plotts was recognized in 2017 by the California State Legislature for a bold commitment to change in education. She is currently in talks with higher education institutions to launch an institute that focuses on diversity and best practices in online teaching spaces.

Connect with Courtney!

Web: courtneyplottsphd.com

Melinda Arnost is a witty K-12 Intervention Specialist that is always thinking outside of the box. This curly-haired educator loves everything about teaching minus the paperwork and standardized tests. 

Melinda has her master’s degree in education, and is a Registered Behavior Therapist (RBT), a personal trainer for students with unique abilities and an autism guru. She has a passion for building relationships with her students and colleagues and can embrace inclusion in any type of setting. Melinda started an adaptive nonprofit ice skating program for individuals with unique abilities and runs marathons while pushing her pal, Annie, in a HOYT running chair. She believes people, regardless of their lack of ability, should feel included, supported and loved.  

Melinda lives in the woods with her husband who is an automotive enthusiast in Ohio. When she is not writing or teaching, she is busy running extreme distances, painting murals or trying to build her own secret garden

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Roots of Empathy (ROE) is a unique and impactful social-emotional literacy program reaching over 1 million young people globally.

Created by Canadian educator and child advocate Mary Gordon, Roots of Empathy leverages the influence of a local family and their baby, who is four months old at the start of the program. Parent and baby visit an elementary classroom once every three weeks so students can watch and observe the baby's growth, learn about their temperaments and celebrate milestone developments.

Episode 24 features three wonderful guests--all deeply connected with Roots of Empathy in Waterloo Region, Ontario.

Mary Wright is a Roots of Empathy program co-ordinator and trainer.

Jenn Veitch is an Early Childhood Educator and Roots of Empathy facilitator.

Jenny Smith, an educator herself, was a parent participant with her baby, Duncan--the Tiny Teacher.

Hedreich Nichols is a curriculum designer and Middle Years Program district edtech lead from North Texas. She is also an author and equity consultant helping teachers and districts amplify the voices of all students. With her Cherry Lake Publishing equity series books, What is Anti-racism? and What is the Black Lives Matter Movement?, as well as her upcoming Solution Tree title for educators, Hedreich uses her knowledge and experiences to ensure that educators have the skills and knowledge they need to create more equitable classrooms and campuses.

Hedreich also hosts a YouTube series and podcast, SmallBites, with the same focus. Between SmallBites and her work as a speaker and writer for teacher prep programs; educational publications and podcasts like Edutopia and Cult of Pedagogy; and in conferences like VASCD, CUE and AEILOC; Hedreich uses her voice to educate and create change around issues of access and equity in education. Connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin or Facebook to learn more.

Prior to becoming an edtech teacher, Hedreich was a music educator and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. She received her Master of Education at Texas A&M University.

Craig Randall's experience as a counselor, coach, teacher, and principal set him up perfectly to develop a model of teacher observation focused on building trusting relationships that spark teaching and learning growth. As the author of Trust-Based Observations, Craig is on a mission to change the world of teacher observations to a model of support that fosters risk-taking, innovation, and creativity.

Connect with Craig!

Twitter: @TrustbasedCraig