Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast

Julia Chambers integrates all of the skills she acquired over the course of 3 master's degrees in art history, museum studies and public art studies, museum directorships, consulting projects, not-for-profit board leadership, world travel, and being a mother to 3 delightful young men into running Mimbleball -- which turned out to be precisely the skill set needed to help design, manufacture, promote, theoretically analyze, and share the sparks of joy, ice-breaking connection, and essential calming comfort that are manifest in Mimbleballs.

Mathew Portell, Dr. Tyisha Noise, Ingrid Cockhren, Julie Kurtz, and Dr. Julie Nicholson, our author team, experts in psychology, education, leadership/administration, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), have come together to support and strategize mitigating school stress by co-authoring a book for Harvard Education Press, which will be published sometime in 2025. With extensive experience in research and practical application, we offer evidence-based strategies tailored to address the unique challenges educators and students face. Through our collaborative efforts, we aim to cultivate supportive learning environments that promote well-being and academic success. Join us on March 27, 2024, from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm to discuss this journey as we share our book and the innovative approaches to reduce stress and enhance the educational experience for all stakeholders.

Katie and Halley, sisters and co-workers, partner with the Neurosequential Network in coordinating the NME Trainer Program and are co-directors of a non-profit organization called Educational Access Group. Halley is a former teacher. Katie hails from the public health sector, and their work supports schools, educators, and youth-serving organizations in sustainably implementing the NME and brain-based approaches across their buildings and systems through the S.I.T.E. Framework. They are passionate about infusing trauma-informed practices into schools, organizations, classrooms, and sport.

Dr. Tyisha J Noise has approximately 24 years supporting, nurturing and creating success with underserved populations from coast to coast in both nonprofit and educational settings. Dr. Noise has served as a special and general education teacher, high school administrator and middle school principal. She has extensive experience building systems to support best practices and has been a passionate coach of teachers and leaders in academic content as well as special education, athletics and leadership. Her primary research has been focused on how trauma informed schools and leaders can cultivate better and more equitable outcomes for students in underserved communities. Her passion project is creating faith based content and products to uplift, encourage and inform young children and their families through her company HeavenSent Kids. Dr. Noise received her doctoral degree in Education Leadership from Azusa Pacific University and currently serves as Coordinator of Equity & Access with the Los Angeles County of Education where she will support Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives on behalf of the counties 80 LEAs and over 300 charter school as we pursue more equitable outcomes for our nearly 2 million students.

Bethany has been an educator for 27 years. She taught kindergarten, first, second, and third grades and also served as an academic/instructional coach. Bethany spend 12 years serving as a building administrator-7 years as an assistant principal and 5 years as principal. For the last three years, she has been mentoring program specialist at Arch Ford Education Service Cooperative, where she supports novice teachers across 27 districts. Bethany works with novices in various areas through professional development sessions and coaching cycles. She also supports schools and districts by facilitating learning on relationship-based classroom management, family engagement, and communication, and trauma-informed approaches that support staff, students, and families. Bethany is the handler for an educational assistance dog, and together, they promote working dogs in schools for mental wellness, behavioral, and academic support.

Ginger Healy, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker. She has worked as a child abuse investigator, hospital social worker, social service supervisor at an international adoption agency, and school therapist. She is currently the director of programs for the Attachment & Trauma Network. She co-anchors the podcast "Regulated and Relational" and speaks nationwide on trauma-informed schools, therapeutic parenting, and community engagement. Ginger is the author of Regulation and Co-Regulation: Accessible Neuroscience that Brings Calm into the Classroom, and her newest book is a companion workbook to the first called Regulation and Co-Regulation Accessible Neuroscience and Connection Strategies for the Classroom and Beyond. This workbook dives deeper with a chapter for parents, a chapter for building communities, a chapter on nurturing neurodivergence, and more. It is rich with ready-to-implement strategies, reflections, prompts, scripts, and activities to help students reach optimal performance by healing nervous systems in the classroom and beyond. This podcast episode will discuss her new book and the upcoming Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference.

Kris Jenkins has taught our youngest and most vulnerable learners for almost all of her forty years in education! A heart-wrenching trauma early in her young life led to a lifetime of ripples in giving back to other children and their families. Kris wholeheartedly believes that children must feel loved, nurtured, safe, and supported before true learning occurs. In addition to being a full-day preschool teacher, Kris is a published author and the family engagement coordinator for her elementary school.

Dr. Julie Nicholson- For as long as she can remember, she had an insatiable thirst for learning. She always sought knowledge with a passion, whether it’s new ideas, skills, or technologies. This drive to learn and make a positive impact on a large scale has fueled over two decades of leadership and social impact work. Julie holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Michigan and an MBA with concentrations in finance and data analytics from St. Mary’s College of California. Her career spans over twenty years in educational leadership, with a primary focus on expanding equitable opportunities for underserved children, youth, and families. Julie Kurtz is an author and international speaker consulting and training on trauma and resilience. Julie is the Founder for the Center for Optimal Brain Integration®. She has extensive experience working with youth of all ages. She is a Licensed Therapist in CA and has worked as a Director of Non-Public Schools, Residential Treatment Facilities, Foster Care, Adoption and Homeless Youth Centers, Education and Early Childhood. She trains and consults throughout the United States in school districts ranging from Early Childhood to Grade 12. Ms. Kurtz is the author of several books on trauma and resilience, as well as an award-winning children’s book on building self-awareness and resilience.

Hey, hey, hey! Mathew Portell, founder of TIENetwork and podcasting pro, is BACK! After taking a little breather, he's ready to dish out the hottest updates and have a chatty catch-up with his #TIENetworkCast listeners! And guess what? It's his first solo gig on the podcast! So, let's show some love to this work and join in on the livestream.

Sean Pritchard is the CEO and founder of INHABIT, a wellness and peak performance company based in New Jersey that serves education systems, businesses, and sports programs. Through Sean's own struggles with his mental health in college, he came across meditation, and it changed his life. From working in tech sales, coaching youth sports, and being a personal trainer - Sean has used these experiences and his trainings/certifications in wellness to create his own methodology called the INHABIT Method that brings together breathwork, mindfulness, visualization, exercise, and other self-care practices to help people feel and perform their best.

Esohe Roland grew up in Nashville, TN and received both her Bachelors and Masters in the Middle Tennessee area. She has a heart and mind for educating. She got her start in the education field in the Metro Nashville Public School system and was also a student in MNPS throughout middle and high school. Her passion for education has led her to write her first book, "Dear First Year Teacher" She saw the decrease in teacher retention and wrote this book in hopes to assist in turning the teacher retention rates around. She aims to help all first-year teachers have a successful year. Not only to have a successful year but also an effective first year that will lead to many more years in the education field.

This unique episode was recorded live at the fourth annual Trauma Informed Educators Network Conference! Listen to Robin Cogan, Carey Sipp and over 70 others share their thoughts! Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN), currently in her 22nd year as a New Jersey school nurse in the Camden City School District. Robin is the New Jersey Director for the National Association of School Nurses representing the New Jersey State School Nurses Association. She is proud to be a Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow and past Program Mentor. Robin is the honored recipient of multiple awards for her work in school nursing and population health. These awards include, 2019 and 2020 National Association of School Nurses President’s Award, 2018 NCSN School Nurse of the Year, 2017 Johnson & Johnson School Nurse of the Year, and the New Jersey Department of Health 2017 Population Health Hero Award. Robin serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, where she teaches the next generation of school nurses. She was presented the 2018 Rutgers University – Camden Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty. Robin writes a weekly blog called The Relentless School Nurse. Robin’s work is included as a case study in The Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030. You can follow Robin on Twitter at @RobinCogan. Carey Sipp, Director of Strategic Partnerships for PACEs Connection, helps decision makers at organizations and coalitions realize the benefits of partnership in the PACEs (positive and adverse childhood experiences) movement to prevent and heal childhood trauma and create positive childhood experiences. She is also skilled at building relationships and making available the connections, learning, and data to accelerate and expand the movement to prevent and heal trauma. The author of a book on breaking multi-generational cycles of addiction and abuse, The TurnAround Mom, Carey was writing about the health implications of what she called “toxic intensity” before learning, in 2000, about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). A lifelong student of the sciences, Carey is drawn to learn daily about brain development, health and leadership. With all humility, she calls herself a cautionary tale and a success story in what positive and adverse childhood experiences can do to a human. She is an avid believer in post-traumatic growth, big ideas, and the power of good people working to change the world.

School Crisis Recovery & Renewal Leora Wolf-Prusan serves as the Project Director for the School Crisis Recovery & Renewal project and as the School Mental Health field director for the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC); previous roles include the national field director of a SAMHSA initiative (ReCAST-Resilience in Communities After Stress & Trauma) in addition to many other projects. Wolf-Prusan is dedicated to work focused on educator mental health, wellness, and trauma-informed approaches to education and operates through a framework in which public health, social work, and education intersect. Her research examined the impact of student death on teachers, what factors contribute to teachers building resiliency, and what supports teachers need from the school system in the event of a student homicide or other traumas. She received a BA in international relations and a BA in Spanish with a minor in Social & Ethnic Relations from the University of California, Davis; a teaching credential from Mills College; and an EdD in educational leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her work in school crisis recovery and renewal is motivated by and dedicated to educators and youth who envision schools as a platform for community and connection.

A Response to Book Banning Born in Canada, Zetta Elliott moved to the US in 1994 to pursue her PhD in American Studies at NYU. She is the author of over thirty books for young readers, including the award-winning picture books Bird and Melena’s Jubilee. Dragons in a Bag, a middle-grade fantasy novel, was named an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book and was selected for the 2021 Global Read Aloud. Her poetry has been published in several anthologies, including Show Us Your Papers, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, and New Daughters of Africa; her young adult poetry collection, Say Her Name, was named a 2020 “Best of the Best” title by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was nominated for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. Her picture book, A Place Inside of Me, was named an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Poetry Book by the National Council of Teachers of English. Elliott advocates for greater diversity and equity in children's literature; her essays have appeared in Blavity, The Huffington Post, and Publishers Weekly. She currently lives in Chicago, IL.

Ginger Healy MSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker with almost 30 years of experience in the field. Ginger has worked as a child abuse investigator, hospital social worker, and school therapist. She spent 15 years as the social service supervisor at an international adoption agency and was able to travel to provide support for orphanages all over the world. This job continues to inform her work on attachment and trauma needs in children. She is currently the director of programs for the Attachment & Trauma Network. She co-anchors the podcast “Regulated and Relational” and speaks nationwide on trauma-informed schools, therapeutic parenting, and community engagement. Ginger is also the author of Regulation and Co-Regulation: Accessible Neuroscience that Brings Calm into the Classroom. Ginger is married and has four children, her greatest teachers about developmental trauma and special needs.

Today’s educators need the training to support trauma-informed practices in the classroom. The Emory & Henry College's Creating Trauma-Informed Resilient Schools course provides targeted and convenient professional development to offer tools to create resilient school communities. A new online trauma-informed care in the classroom course is offered by Emory & Henry College’s Department of Education. The course was filmed with a live audience and is offered in eight modules. Module 1: Basics of Trauma, ACEs, and Keys to Using a Trauma-Informed Approach Module 2: Trauma-Informed Care: Prioritizing Self-Care and Workplace Wellness Module 3: Addressing Trauma and Race in the Classroom Module 4: Strategies for Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms Module 5: Building Resilience and Promoting Protective Factors Module 6: A Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed Resilient-Focused Schools Module 7: Building a Trauma-Informed Resource Library Module 8: Lessons Learned from Smyth County in Their Journey Dr. Frederick: Dr. Frederick is originally from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education Social Studies from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She began her teaching career in an urban school division in Austin, Texas, and taught middle school history for three years before moving to Virginia. In 2005 Dr. Frederick earned her Master’s in Education in School Administration from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. During this time she also began teaching middle school social studies in Washington County, VA. In 2014, she moved into school administration as a middle school assistant principal. Dr. Frederick earned her Doctorate of Education from East Tennessee State University in 2019 in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Analysis. In 2018, Dr. Frederick joined the Education Department faculty and teaches Human Growth and Development, Assessing for Learning, Pracitcum in Education, and Student Teaching Seminar. Dr. Frederick also serves as the Neff Center's Director for Teacher Education, Education Department Chair, and CAEP Lead. Dr. Frederick currently lives in Abingdon, Virginia with her husband and their two sons. Becky Haas: Becky Haas is an international advocate and trainer on using a trauma-informed approach, the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) study. She is a pioneer in creating trauma-informed communities. Guest speakers include educators effectively using trauma-informed practices in their school systems.

Having it easy" is never a phrase you would use to describe Logan Taylor's childhood. Raised by his grandmother in low-income housing and with an absent father and barely-there mother, Taylor struggled as a child and young adult. Add to these issues sexual abuse, drug addiction, a horrible car wreck, multiple suicide attempts, and crippling anxiety, and it's hard to imagine how he ever made it. And yet, he not only persevered but has also used the memory and pain of these experiences to help other at-risk kids and poverty-stricken families day. Taylor is an author of educational journals for students, an entrepreneur, and a popular speaker who has made it his life's work to help students and teachers maximize their potential."Never accept the life given to you ... If you want to change it, you can actually change it;' he says. Taylor has spoken to thousands upon thousands of people worldwide, inspiring them to be great and find their purpose in life. Through the magic of YouTube, he's motivated even more students and adults, with more than 8 million views of his videos. Taylor is also the founder of Y.B.Normal?, a organization that helps struggling youth in schools and implements curriculum and journal writing that focuses on social-emotional development. In addition, he leads community outreach events. One that he is particularly proud of is called Cut the Hate and Share the Love. This annual outreach initiative provides haircuts, clothing and shoes, and hot meals for the homeless community and people less fortunate. Leaving an environment better than the way he found it is Taylor's goal. He is certified in Social Emotional Learning from the University of Colorado and ACEs certification Taylor is currently working to obtain a master's degree as a therapist. Dr. Martin Luther King said, "Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve and I am honored to be able to do my part. Logan Taylor has proven this to be true. He lives his life by the mantra of Y.B.Normal?, when you can be extraordinary.

Dahron Johnson works with a hospice serving mid-TN. Throughout her career, in faith spaces as much as in clinical & research ones, she has advocated persistently for keeping the voices of patients and their communities of care central to their own journeys. She is the chair for a regional community advisory board for LGBTQ health; a member of a state-wide council focused on resources and support for those with intellectual & physical disabilities; and serves as a community member on a board overseeing research efforts with Veterans. Dahron also works closely with the Tennessee Equality Project, supporting their community education & outreach efforts, as well as testifying before TN General Assembly Senate and House committees on multiple occasions.

Dr. Erika is a university professor, family therapist, and mom of 3. She holds a master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy, a doctorate in Child Development, and two postdoctoral fellowships in Child Psychiatry and Infant Mental Health. She is the Associate Editor of the Infant Mental Health Journal and serves on the editorial boards of Adversity and Resilience Science and Infancy. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed research papers and book chapters for professional audiences. She has also written articles for parents that have been seen in PBS Newshour, Marketwatch, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Improving student outcomes is AJ Crabill’s focus. He serves as Conservator at DeSoto, Texas ISD. During his guidance, DeSoto improved from F ratings in academics, finance, and governance to B ratings. He’s also Faculty at the Leadership Institute of Nevada and Director of Governance at the Council of the Great City Schools. He served as Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency. He spearheaded reforms as board chair of Kansas City Public Schools that doubled the percentage of students who are literate and numerate. Crabill is a recipient of the Education Commission of the State's James Bryant Conant Award.