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 perso ..read more

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 lear ..read more

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 stu ..read more

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 charac ..read more

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, TRAN ..read more

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 20 ..read more

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 an ..read more

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 W ..read more

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 podc ..read more

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 LinkedIn: trustbasedcraig Email: craig@trustbased.com Web: trustbased.com ..read more