Podcasts about soul shoppe

Conflict is inevitable, but how leaders handle it makes all the difference. In this episode, vicki abadesco! shares a real-world example of a well-known organization struggling with team conflict and how small miscommunications can escalate when left unresolved. She explains how our upbringing shapes our approach to conflict and why developing emotional intelligence is essential for effective leadership. Through her work with both executives and young children, vicki highlights the importance of clear communication, emotional awareness, and accountability in building strong teams and relationships. vicki also introduces practical tools like the "emotional balloon" and the "cleanup process" to help individuals recognize their emotions, take responsibility for their actions, and repair relationships when mistakes happen. Whether you're leading a team, raising a family, or simply striving to communicate better, this episode will provide insights and strategies to help you lead with empathy, transparency, and authenticity. vicki is a nonprofit leader and mentor renowned for her unwavering commitment to growth and lifelong learning. Through her organization, Soul Shoppe, she and her team have touched the hearts and minds of over one million elementary school students with their conflict resolution and peacemaking curriculum. vicki has created a lasting impact, nurturing a generation of emotionally intelligent individuals who can build strong relationships and foster inclusive communities. You'll discover: Why conflict resolution is a critical leadership skillHow early life experiences shape communication habitsThe "emotional balloon" metaphor for managing emotionsA 5-step process for acknowledging mistakes and making amendsHow teaching emotional intelligence to kids can inspire better leadership in adultsCheck out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedInFollow Meredith on TwitterDownload the free ebook Listen Like a Pro

In this inspiring episode of The Ultimate Coach Podcast, Ipek Williamson welcomes the incredible vicki abadesco!, an internationally recognized leader in social-emotional learning and empathy-based education. As the co-founder of Soul Shoppe, a nonprofit focused on empowering young people and adults with essential life skills, vicki! shares how her personal journey has shaped her mission to create a more compassionate world.vicki! opens up about her early life, how the challenges she faced became the foundation of her work, and her belief that our greatest wounds can become our greatest gifts. She introduces us to transformative tools like "The Cleanup" and "The Emotional Balloon," designed to help children and adults process emotions, repair relationships, and express their needs authentically. vicki! also shares her honor of being a fellow at the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT, and how this experience continues to influence her work today.This conversation will leave you inspired by the wisdom young people bring, the power of nurturing our inner child, and how empathy can truly transform relationships and communities. Don't miss this heartwarming exploration of creating a kinder world, one child—and one moment of connection—at a time.About the Guest: vicki abadesco! Is a nonprofit leader and mentor who is renowned for her unwavering commitment to growth and lifelong learning. Through her organization, Soul Shoppe, she and her team have touched the hearts and minds of over one million elementary school students with their conflict resolution and peacemaking curriculum. vicki! has created a lasting impact, nurturing a generation of emotionally intelligent individuals who can build strong relationships and foster inclusive communities.https://soulshoppe.org/ IG: @soulshoppershttps://www.facebook.com/SoulShoppe About the Host: A beacon of change and a catalyst for transformation, Ipek Williamson is a multifaceted professional who seamlessly integrates two decades of corporate expertise with a diverse skill set as a coach, mentor, speaker, author, meditation advocate, and teacher. Her mission is to guide individuals through the complexities of modern life, helping them find deep peace and harmony. Ipek's coaching approach, rooted in Core Values, Mental Fitness, and Mind Mastery, empowers clients to unlock their hidden potential and confidently embrace change with joy.Beyond coaching, Ipek's influence spreads through her 100+ meditations on the Insight Timer App and live meditation sessions, where she shares transformative wisdom. Her impact extends to workshops, courses, and training sessions for individuals, groups, and corporations. As a Change Champion, Ipek Williamson is dedicated to promoting positive change, nurturing inner calm, and empowering others to script their own transformation stories.ipek@ipekwilliamsoncoaching.comhttps://linktr.ee/IpekWilliamsonhttps://ipekwilliamsoncoaching.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ipekwilliamson/The Ultimate Coach Resourceshttps://theultimatecoachbook.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theultimatecoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theultimatecoachbookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14048056YouTube:

The daughter of Filipino immigrants, vicki abadesco! has become an internationally recognized leader in the field of social-emotional learning, anti-bullying, and creating a more empathy-based world. Vicki brings over 35 years of experience teaching life skills to young people and adults. More importantly perhaps, vicki is a gatherer, storyteller, leader and community builder. She is a fellow for the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT. In 2000, vicki co-founded an extraordinary organization, Soul Shoppe, that has impacted over 600,000 young people across the United States with its work. In a world of Highland Parks, Uvaldes, Buffaloes and AK 15s, we need more vicki abadescos! Why empathy was always a core value for me. How my upbringing in a tough community shaped my adult choices. What I know about teaching self-management tools to youth. How I stay centered and energized while running a not-for-profit organization. https://www.vickiabadesco.com/ (www.vickiabadesco.com) https://soulshoppe.org/ (www.soulshoppe.org)

At the age of 14, Don Miguel Jr. apprenticed to his father Don Miguel Sr. and his grandmother, Madre Sarita. From that early age, he was called upon to translate Madre Sarita's prayers, lectures and workshops from Spanish into English. In this way, through constant repetition and review, he learned the content of her teachings in both languages. Through interpreting for Madre Sarita, Don Miguel Jr. came to understand the power of faith. He saw first-hand how she manifested her intent to heal people, both physically and spiritually. Don Miguel Jr.'s apprenticeship lasted 10 years. When he reached his mid-20's, his father intensified his training. At the apex of this power journey don Miguel said to his eldest son, “Find your way out. Go home and master Death by becoming alive.” For the past 13 years, Don Miguel Jr. has applied the lessons learned from his father and grandmother to define and enjoy his own personal freedom while achieving peace with all of creation. Today, he is married and has two young children. As a Nagual, he continues to pass along the wisdom and the tools of his family's traditions in helping others to achieve their own personal freedom and optimal physical and spiritual health in his lectures and workshops. Miguel Jr. has taken the lessons of his father and grandmother, and discovered his own personal path to freedom. Being able to apply his teachings to the world around him gave Miguel Jr. a new understanding of the lessons his father and grandmother had passed onto him, once again giving him the desire to pass on this awareness through his books. He is the author of the books: “The Five Levels of Attachment”, “Living a Life of Awareness”, “The Mastery of Self”, and “The Don Miguel Ruiz's Little Book of Wisdom”. He also co-authored the book, “The Seven Secrets to Healthy, Happy Relationships” with his dear friend, HeatherAsh Amara. He now helps others discover optimal physical and spiritual health through his books, so that they may achieve their own personal freedom. #donmiguelruiz #shaman #awakening #spirituality #spiritualhealth

Don Jose Ruiz was born in Mexico City, Mexico and was raised in Tijuana, Mexico. When he was 21 he came to live in the U.S. with his father, don Miguel Ruiz. From a very young age don Jose was guided by many teachers present in his life including, his mother and father, his grandmother Sarita, and several other Naguals. Through masterful guidance by his teachers and amazing life experiences with precision synchronicity, Jose came to 'silent knowledge'; he witnessed the world as it is, without any story. In his early twenties, don Jose lost his eyesight. In his process of surrendering, he learned the value of learning to listen; to listen to his inner wisdom and integrity and to see different perspectives, while knowing nothing is personal. He had a renewed love and gratitude for life ~ and he found acceptance, happiness and abundance; he found bliss. He grasped a true understanding of faith, love, gratitude and humility. Through his surrender and faith, in concert with modern medicine Jose recovered his eyesight. Like his father, combining new insights with ancient wisdom, don Jose Ruiz is dedicating his life to sharing the ancient Toltec wisdom by translating it into practical, everyday life concepts that promote transformation through truth, love and common sense. don Jose teaches and lectures across the United States and around the world: Power Journeys to the pyramids of Teotihuacan, Palenque, Tulum and Coba; workshops with guest don Miguel or other teachers at Omega ­ NY, Austin, and Vancouver. don Jose Ruiz has now collaborated with his father don Miguel Ruiz on a new book that offers a fresh perspective on the Four Agreements, and a powerful new agreement for transforming our lives into our personal heaven: The Fifth Agreement. The Fifth Agreement takes us to a deeper level of awareness of the power of the Self, and returns us to the authenticity we were born with. In this compelling sequel to The Four Agreements, we are reminded of the greatest gift we can give ourselves: the freedom to be who we really are.

Have you ever thought about going to Hollywood and being in "show business?" My guest today, Alexia Melocchi, is a seasoned professional who has touched all aspects of the Hollywood experience. She is also a global force in the entertainment industry. Alexia has an amazing gift of being a unifier and connector and people. Alexia has a podcast entitled "The Heart of Show Business" which is the perfect encapsulation of her wisdom and experience. She interviews many people who are successful in various ways in Hollywood. We had a wonderful conversation about Hollywood, living an authentic life, and what it takes to be successful in Hollywood. Enjoy.

"AND NO ONE SAW IT COMING." A haunting and evocative memoir from a woman widowed twice by suicide. More, it is a story of awakening, healing, love and courage.

The Producer of the Heart Show Business Alexia Melocchi brings extensive expertise and knowledge about show business. If you have ever wondered what it takes to get into show business, what it is like behind the scenes, and how you can maintain your soul at the same time, Alexia will shares this with us and much more.. It is an entertaining and inspiring conversation.

Let's talk about what it takes to be well. It's not just what you eat, but what you think, and how you spend your energy. Jo E Sutton is a powerful holistic health counselor, among many other traits. She is a wise spiritual teacher, an accomplished author, trainer, and teacher. What I love the most is that she makes wellness fun and enjoyable.

WARNING!! It just got juicy and you will be inspired!!! Jo-E Sutton Segment 2 posted!!! Jo E is on fire sharing her wisdom and insight about wellness and well being. She has authored many books, and also offers amazing free downloads on her website www.loveyourwaytohealth.com

ON FIRE!! Part 3 is the down and dirty on loving your shadows..plant based or meat based.. lowering the bar to up-level your life... personal and intimate discussions that will challenge your ideas about food and wellness and relationships. www.loveyourwaytohealth.com #healthandwellnesscoach #commonsensepsychic #loveyourwaytohealth #shadowwork

The famed actress Shirley Maclaine brought awareness to the general public about the " The Camino" in her book entitled. She organized a pilgrimage and spoke of healing and the benefits of this journey. In today's episode we meet a successor, Olivia Rose Elliott. Olivia is an educator, actor, producer, and the founding director of Star Walkers Foundation. Born and raised in Wisconsin, has lived in four countries, and has three liberal arts degrees. In 2018, Olivia founded Starwalkers.org with the vision to offer women who have faced egregious acts of violence and discrimination the opportunity to come together to harness the transformative healing and uplifting power of pilgrimage. Visit Star Walkers website at https://www.starwalkers.org/.

The author of Safe to Love Again talks to us about the neurology of love, attachment styles, and we can find love and soulmates at any age.

Harriet Tubman Wright, MS, MA is a life-long learner, spiritual sojourner and cultural creative. She lives her values of freedom, justice, peace, wholeness, creativity, community and service through liberating engagement with others. Harriet guides spiritual women leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers to fulfill their Soul's Calling, so they can live healthy, purposeful, and prosperous lives. She leads them to express their true essence and share their soul-aligned gifts to transform communities, businesses, and organizations. She believes that we must use our innate power as conscious, spirited, creative women to help heal humanity and the planet. In doing so, we co-create a new paradigm of Feminine Presence and Legacy of Conscious Social Change. Harriet is an accomplished Speaker/Storyteller, Published Author/Poet, Person-Centered Expressive Arts Facilitator, Metaphysician, Ritual Artist, Initiated Elder and Priestess. She engages business, professional and cultural groups with dynamic, interactive talks on Feminine Leadership, Soul Power, and Holistic Health inspiring audiences to undertake a vitalizing change in their lives, organizations and businesses. “Just as Harriet Tubman was called to free hundreds of people from the bondage of slavery, I am called to liberate women to transform their businesses, workplaces, communities and the world…and prosper doing so. As we attain sustainable balance and harmony between our inner and outer environments and experience deeper joy and peace within, we will evolve ourselves, the people we serve and our planet.” - Harriet Tubman Wright

Greg Liotta, M.S.W. has been instrumental in the life of many celebrities in recovery, and even more people without a following. Although he serves in many capacities he has a particular focus currently on men's well being. His perspectives are welcome and needed in today's world. Ground breaking approaches toward wellness. A life long student of the human experience, and how we all can heal and find more fulfillment in our moments and our lives. Enjoy the wisdom and insight of this powerful healer. Bonus surprise: He's also an AMAZING artist.

From his home in Maine to Navajo and Lakota communities in the west to Ukraine Kevin Hancock takes the reader on a personal journey of 15000 miles where he learns how to empower people. The Seventh Power is an exploration of a new model of leadership in which individual voices are heard and the human spirit is celebrated. The principles Kevin puts to work in his 171 year old family business offer an enlightened way forward for all institutions.

What happens when we die? Can we connect with loved ones after they pass? As a medium, Jennifer Rose answers these questions for us, and shares some uplifting thoughts, ideas and experiences that will give us all hope about what is to come.

A delightful conversation with Erica Morizio. She's an Influencer, Athlete, Health and Wellness expert, Financial Consultant and all around inspiring person. Is there anything she can't do? She epitomizes courage and tenacity, and makes it look easy, when we we all know it isn't. In this episode we cover a variety of topics and include some basic "girl talk" for the fun of it. Enjoy this delightful exchange with this amazing change maker. www.ericabrawner.com

This is the third and final segment of my interview with healer and shaman, Corrina Porterfield. Corrinaporterfield@gmail.com We learn much more about the work she does, and how it helps us heal and evolve into the highest representation of our self.

This is the 2nd of 3 segments of my interview with Healer and Shaman, Corrina Porterfield. Last segment she talked about her time with indigenous healers in Belize. In this segment she delves more into practices that heal. Enjoy.

Have you ever talked with the plants or trees? Our first guest, Corrina Porterfield has. She is a remarkable health and wellness person, with an MS in Health Program Management. She began at Lockheed Martin helping people get fit. Then, she moved in to yoga, pilates, massage, meditation, which led her into training with indigenous healers in Central America where she learned a completely new way to relate to her body and wellness.

The truth about relationships, why they work and why they don't, and why they change with Nayaswami Asha. Also, what we can do to create harmony, and what is out of our power to influence. What is the bigger picture around relationships at this time in history. Riveting commentary from one of the spiritual directors of Ananda World wide.

Love and Relationships - What's going on in culture today that is making connection so challenging? Is it our approach, the status of the world, not enough time? There are no accidents, but this clip is part of a spontaneous intimate conversation between Asha Nayaswami and I before her actual interview began. It is pure gold in my view. Quite enlightening as to why dating, coupling and coming together and staying together is such a challenge at this time in history. Enjoy. Asha's actual full interview will air soon. Asha was a spiritual seeker since her early youth. While studying at Stanford University in 1969, she heard Swami Kriyananda speak for the first time. “I knew the moment he walked into the room that he possessed the consciousness I had long been seeking.” She soon became a founding member of the new community Swami was starting near Nevada City, California, called Ananda Village, based on Yogananda's dream of world brotherhood colonies for “simple living and high thinking.” Swami Kriyananda placed Asha in the role of teaching and counseling soon after her arrival. She also served as Swami's correspondence secretary and personal assistant for many years. She has served as one of the spiritual directors of Ananda Palo Alto since 1987, guiding the development of Ananda's work in the San Francisco Bay Area, including helping to launch Living Wisdom Schools and Ananda Farm, and supporting a large staff and volunteer team involved in East West Bookshop, Ananda Community, Ananda centers and meditation groups in the Bay Area, Ananda music, and a vital, lively theater arts program.

Bev Martin was born in South Africa, became a lover of theatre and was gifted with clarity of vision. I sat down with her to talk with her about "Soul Guided Conversations" and many other fascinating elements of her practice. Check Bev out at www.bevmartin.com #bevmartin

This week on the Soul Shoppe - My guest is Prema Lee Gurreri has identified what she calls our Sacred Wealth Code using archetypes. Through these archetypes she helps people uncover their unique way to become abundant in their lives. She is an award winning author of a book on this same topic, and a vedic astrologer. She helps individuals and businesses maximize their potential and their bottom line. A lovely woman with great wisdom and heart. She says of her own life "every place she lives becomes a garden of food and flower." With a love of music, chanting, yoga and the earth she demonstrates mastery of a wealthy life. Her website is soulutionary.com

It wasn't until he found himself in jail that he learned how to be present and stop trying to control everything - a remarkable story of resilience and gratitude, expressing itself now with spot on wisdom. Brand strategist by day, humanitarian, author and lover of our planet by night. A coaches coach pushing the boundaries to make a difference.

A true mindset mentor, in this episode Jack Coleman explains why we should prioritize happiness, understanding of others, and compassion for our differences in life. In that we can achieve a greater sense of understanding that seems far from our current level of consciousness without the normal levels of anxiety or tension that we often encounter.

TV Host, Empowerment Expert, Animal Ambassador visits the Soul Shoppe today. You will be uplifted today..she's a dynamo!!

Episode Summary In Episode #13 https://www.instagram.com/jefszi/?hl=en (Jef Szi) welcomes https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002528687794 (Randy Fortes) for a dynamic conversation about his passage into becoming a social-emotional facilitator. In it we hear how Randy began his journey first working with young children then teaching hip-hop culture at his local community center before an epic encounter with young people around the world as a https://www.challengeday.org/ (Challenge Day) facilitator for eight years. Along the way Randy takes us into his nature with an honest, wise and heart-full account of what moves him and how he's had learned to move others toward the most essential aspects of human experience. In Warrior of the Forgotten, we feel the pain and the beauty in life's difficult edges and empowering blessings. As Randy takes us with him into varied and authentic emotional tones: creativity, empathy, grief, humor, curiosity and more, we find an incredibly kindred spirit, willing to share what is most real in his personal and generational passages, his growing connection to his native roots, and inspire us with his fountain of timeless creativity! Connect with Randy on social…. https://www.instagram.com/fr33dom_fl0w/ (Instagram) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002528687794 (Facebook) Bring Randy into to do Soul Shoppe work with your community… https://soulshoppe.org/ (Soulshoppe) Check Out Randy's Freedom Flow Internet Radio Show http://www.kcbzradio.com/shows.html (Freedom Flow Radio Show) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5DuRTZdZME (Clips on teaching B-boy Dance in Livermore) (note: turn volume down) Learn more about the the Tohono O' odham Nation and People http://www.tonation-nsn.gov/history-culture/ (Official website) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohono_O%CA%BCodham (Wiki summary) https://native-land.ca/ (View a Map of Native Nations and Tribal Communities)

Today's Guest: Donnetta Carter & Jess & Ness (Soul Shoppe 419) Hosted by, Leah Renee, Shae K, Clyde Green & Jay Give us a call 419.540.3566 – Become a sponsor – Visit http://the419grind.com/advertise - Follow us on Instagram – http://instagram.com/the419grind LISTEN ON: Apple Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t... Listen On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qYs6Zl... Google Podcast: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=... The 419 Grind, LLC does not own the rights to any of this music ASCAP Streaming License 400009914 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the419grind/message

SPECIAL GUEST JESS & NESS FROM SOUL SHOPPE 419 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the419grind/message

Ashanti Branch is the Founder and Executive Director of The Ever Forward Club - Siempre Adelante.The Ever Forward Club serves young men and women and is a globally recognized non-profit organization. The Ever Forward Club has helped 100% of its members graduate high school and 93% of them have gone on to attend college.In this conversation, we talk about the importance of working with young men to help them navigate the complex and confusing messages from adults in their life telling them to be a "good man" at times and "to be a real man" at others. We discuss the challenges that young people face when they face the pressure needing to be “cool.” And we reflect on how as adults we also have a similar version of this concept that prevents us from showing up with our authentic self in relationships, in the workplace, and in life.Ashanti talks about the transformative potential of creating safe spaces for people to be vulnerable and the power of trusting they will do their best. We talk about, and experience, the truth that we are not alone in our vulnerability. That in fact, it is an essential part of being a human in relationships.Ashanti is famous for creating a workshop called “The Taking Off the Mask.” It asks participants to create a mask and write down on the front what they show the world, and, on the back, what they hide from the world. The workshop has helped ten of thousands of youth and adults to engage in honest conversations and vulnerable experiences that give them a deeper understanding of themselves and just how much we have in common.The Ever Forward Club has launched a campaign called 100 Thousand Masks (#100kMasks) which makes the workshop available for educators and facilitators to use all over the world. You can get your masks and find out more information at 100kmasks.com.Ashanti Branch & Ever Forward Club ResourcesThe Ever Forward Club believes that all young men have the desire to be fully alive – to be loved, respected, held in high regard, held to high expectations, held accountable for their actions and supported to help achieve their goals. The Club uses a 4-fold approach to developing dynamic club communities: Academic Development, Community Development, Family Development, and Personal Development.100K Masks Challenge: the goal is to engage people from all over the world in self-reflection by Taking OFF Your Mask. This challenge helps young people, adults, and the community to gain a deeper understanding of how much people have in common.100 Thousand Masks Project #100KMasksAshanti’s “Taking Off the Mask” work was featured in a documentary by the Representation Project called “The Mask You Live In” that premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.Ashanti spoke at Wisdom 2.0 in 2017 about Understanding Our Youth. It was recorded and you can watch the video here. Ashanti also spoke at a TEDx Marin event on “The Masks We All Wear”Other ResourcesIn this episode, we discuss my new business venture with past guest Alla Weinberg: Spoke and Wheel. Check out the episode with Alla here: "Transforming Workplace Cultures" with Alla WeinbergWe talk about the Soul Shoppe’s goal of supporting schools and students by creating learning environments that eliminate the roots of bullying."IT IS EASIER TO BUILD STRONG CHILDREN THAN TO REPAIR BROKEN MEN."-FREDERICK DOUGLASSShowing up at school, and showing up at work have a lot of parallels. “Bringing Your Whole Self to Work: What Does That Mean” by Thad Peterson.We also discuss this article: “Many Ways to Be a Girl, but One Way to Be a Boy: The New Gender” by Claire Cain Miller (New York Times)Michael Kimmel is a sociologist and expert on masculinity. He points out that society has two contradictory messages about what it means to be a good man and what it means to be a "real" man.Article: "Raise Your Son to Be a Good Man, Not a ‘Real’ Man"Ted Talk: “Why Gender Equality is Good for Everyone, Men Included”Music“100 Thousand Masks” - The SongThis song is the campaign song for the #100kMasks Challenge and was recorded by 4RCE Records at the High School of the Recording Arts Los Angeles. This song was created by High School Students in LA after they experienced a “Behind the Mask” workshop.This song is the campaign song for the #100kMasks Challenge. The Ever Forward Club is working with Educators, Community Builders, Youth Workers, Social Workers, Parents, Corporate Culture Builders and anyone working with teams of people to build community. www.100kMasks.com www.everforwardclub.org/100kmasks

Today I talk to my friend and colleague of almost 20 years, Vicki Abadesco.  As the Co-Founder of of an amazing organization called Soul Shoppe, Vicki brings 30 years as an educator teaching life skills and conflict resolution tools to both young people and adults. She’s also a fellow for the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and author of the book Free to Be. Vicki talks with us today about what it takes to create a truly safe environment, the growth and impact of Soul Shoppe, and what she has seen shift over the years in the areas of social and emotional learning. She also discusses how we can feel a part of something rather than apart from it and what she and her team are doing to help schools, teams, and people feel more empathy for one another and a true sense of belonging.   Key Takeaways [4:40] So much of our success is related to our relationships. When we establish deep roots with another person, the connection helps us both grow. [8:40] You never know who in your network will be able to help you get where you want to go. [10:20] Soul Shoppe has been around for over 20 years, and their mission is to create safe learning environments that bring forth a culture of compassion, connection, and curiosity. Through this, we can eliminate bullying at the roots. They mainly focus on elementary schools but also do workshops and assemblies with middle schoolers as well. [12:10] Vicki was a long time educator and always worked with young people, teachers, and those in admin positions to create safety, resolve conflict, and really show up and make a difference in the lives of one another. [12:53] When we feel nurtured and supported we have more energy and want to thrive. From a productivity standpoint, there is nothing better than a team that feels valued and appreciated. [14:14] Ask yourself: how can we bring more success to others? [16:56] Vicki sees the trend in education, moving more towards socio-emotional learning. Instead of imparting wisdom as a one-way street, it’s now important for people to have respect and understanding. [19:37] While social media and online can connect us to a wider audience faster and easier than ever, depression and anxiety are up. We must be aware of our own mental health and the mental health of others, and also strive to take time out to pay attention to our own emotions and truly connect with those around us. [30:44] It is so common for people to feel “a part” of something but then also feel “apart” from others. This causes loneliness, isolation, and a greater feeling that we don’t belong. Soul Shoppe gives children a way to just catch their break and get a break from their busy schedule. Here they can share their feelings in a safe environment and learn we are all going through similar challenges. [43:38] The bully on the playground may be really hurting and just in need of someone to listen and feel empathy. Be curious about others, and they may feel safe to be vulnerable.   Resources: Purchase Bring Your Whole Self to Work and gain access to bonus material Mike Robbins Website Mike Robbins Podcast Mike Robbins on Facebook Mike Robbins on Twitter Mike Robbins on Instagram TED Radio Hour Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… And It’s All Small Stuff Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Soul Shoppe Junior Giants Peaceful Warrior Days Free to Be: Untold Stories of Going Beyond Bullying, by Vicki Abadesco

How do you handle difficulties in life? Some dig deep while others look outside. Host, Mike Domitrz, welcomes CAST members Vicki Abadesco, Mark Black and Darren Tipton to discuss difficulties.  Today’s topic was inspired by a quote from Stephen Cope’s book, The Great Work of Your Life. “When difficulties arise, give yourself to them. See them as dharma. Go into the heart of the difficulty. Experience it. Investigate it. Take yourself into the center of the conflict. Learn to tolerate its discomfort without acting or reacting. And what do you find at the heart of fear, dread, loathing, anger, and hatred? You find a surprise. You find a gift.” After listening to the conversation, share examples of your difficulties on the Everyday Mindfulness Show Facebook page. Subscribe to the Everyday Mindfulness Show.   Key Takeaways: [1:24] Mike reads the quote which inspired this conversation. [2:02] Slowing down and quelling a reaction is the first step. [7:13] The discipline of creating a relationship with a feeling. [10:16] Mike shares a recent experience pertinent to the conversation. [17:58] Accepting whole life difficulties. [21:01] Instant community is formed when we are open and vulnerable. [28:24] Books the CAST has read that have helped them dive into the center of difficulty.   Mentioned in This Episode: The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling, by Stephen Cope When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, by Pema Chödrön Byron Katie The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming, by Henri Nouwen   Vicki Abadesco is the founder and director of Soul Shoppe, an organization that teaches strategies for social-emotional awareness, conflict resolution, bullying prevention and empathy building to elementary and middle school communities. Every school year Soul Shoppe touches the hearts and minds of close to 100,000 students through interactive workshops and assemblies. Vicki is an author, facilitator, program designer and award-winning creator of compelling workshops & curriculum for adults and youth. Soulshoppe.com Facebook.com/SoulShoppe Twitter.com/soulshoppe   Mark Black is a Heart-Lung Transplant Recipient turned 4-Time Marathon Runner. A resilience expert, Mark helps people “Thrive in Challenging Times.” Mark has worked with more than 100,000 people and 400 organizations. Mark doesn’t just teach resilience, he embodies it. At 23, Mark was facing an early death from heart failure. By 26, thanks to a rare heart-lung transplant, he was running marathons. He lives in Moncton, NB, with his wife and three children. MarkBlack.ca Facebook.com/MarkBlackSpeaks Twitter.com/MarkBlackSpeaks   Volunteerism and service transform communities and bring purpose to life! For twenty years, Darren Tipton has been challenging people to volunteer. He is the inspiration of the volunteer mobilization resource: “Kathatika” — a call to volunteer action bringing awareness of the infinite impact of volunteer service, and the co-author of the community-based engagement curriculum of Story to Service. He’s the founder of Project Humanity, a nonprofit focused on empowering women in Africa. ProjectHumanity.com Facebook.com/ProjectHumanity Twitter.com/PjctHumanity     Contact Us: The Everyday Mindfulness Show listen@everydaymindfulnessshow.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Lisa Kiefer interviews Vicki Abadesco, the director and co-founder of Soul Shoppe, an organization that teaches empathy, anger management, and peacemaking to school children and their adults with programs across the US, Canada, and Holland. Abadesco is an author, Packard Foundation-Ashoka Changemakers "Building Empathy" Award winner, and fellow for the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT.TRANSCRIPTSpeaker 1:Method to the madness is next. You're listening to method to the madness. I Biweekly Public Affairs show on k a l ex Berkeley celebrating at bay area innovators. I'm Risa Keefer and today I'm interviewing Vicky Abba Jesco. She's the director and Co founder of soul shop, an organization that teaches empathy, anger management, and peacemaking to school children and their adults with programs across the u s Canada and Holland. [00:00:30] Welcome to the program. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Speaker 2:You're the director and Co founder of soul shop. What is the problem that soul shop is trying to solve? How to really create safe environments for kids and really safe environments for anyone. We know that we want kids to have a happy and fun and productive time at school, and sometimes that just doesn't happen for lots of different reasons. And so our [00:01:00] role is to go into schools and really support schools to create that kind of environment where kids feel safe, kids feel respected when oftentimes they don't. I'd be reading so much about bullying. I mean, it's in the paper magazine articles. It's not new. I mean, I remember bullies in school. Why is there such a surge of interest in it right now? Has something changed? You know, we've been doing this work for 15 years and I'm currently in my 30th year of education and I feel a lot of these skills [00:01:30] that we're teaching in soul shop. Speaker 2:I've been teaching my entire career and the issues that we see in young people are really the same issues I feel like I've seen through the years. Um, and we started doing bully prevention work 15 years ago. It wasn't a so popular in the news or the media, but we know that the behaviors are still the same. That just seems to be a highlight of that in the recent years and again, with so many suicides and deaths and the social media issues, [00:02:00] we really see it highlighted. So we're just, we just have more access to the information. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I think there's a way that kids have always suffered and always felt alone and that the pain of that, and I think there need to get attention to be seen to be heard. I've shown up in so many different ways, right? We can say drugs and alcohol and you know, all sorts of things that we see, you know, those, those kids or those teenagers, those young people doing that are really just a need [00:02:30] for them to be seen and acknowledged in some way. Speaker 2:And so both the students who are victims and even the students who are doing the bullying, we feel like everybody needs the same and equal respect. And how do we listen to both sides and how do we give all kids the things that they're really needing emotionally and socially? Well, I know there are several different people in this space. Yeah. How is yours different for us? You know, we really believe that learning and things shift through and connection. [00:03:00] And so a lot of other programs that are out there tend to be focused on how to teach the teachers how to teach this content in their classrooms. And we know that they're such a burden and expectation on our teachers and our educators right now. And so we want to come into schools and really help them with this issue to make sure that the, the issues and the topics are really taught in a way that the kids are grasping. Speaker 2:I'm still, we're not a curriculum or [00:03:30] a video or DVD that a teacher can pop in and show the students. It's us really having a relationship and a connection to be able to teach these skills and these tools in real time. So we get to act out scenarios that are actually happening in the classroom and really help teachers resolve conflicts and help students talk through issues that are, that are showing up that might be disrupting the classroom and their learning. And also again, disrupting any fun that they might be having in school. [00:04:00] So you do this by teaching the teachers the empathy of feeling what that's like. So is it role playing? Can you describe, yeah, so for us, you know, when we go into a school, we see the entire school. So we see every kid in that school through storytelling, through activities, through games that we play with them, uh, through our own personal sharing is they really get an experience like, wow, yeah that has happened to me. Speaker 2:And Oh that happened to you too. And then we get to ask the entire room, [00:04:30] how many other people has that happened to her? Have you felt that way? And when we see every hand go up, then every kid gets like, oh, it's not just me, I'm not alone. And then that experience that so many young people have about feeling so alone or feeling so isolated, there's some relief that comes to them knowing that the person next to them is also raising their hand. So you've been doing this since 2001 so you've had time to measure the results of all of this work. What have you found out? So [00:05:00] we found out a few things. One is I think teachers and principals really appreciate having an extra person on campus that gets to come in once a month or once every other month to have these kinds of conversations with the students. Speaker 2:And we get to work with the students in a really different way and get to support the teachers. And so, you know, we'd been around for 15 years and those first few schools we had 15 years ago, we are still in those schools today. And to me that's like the greatest measure of the success [00:05:30] of our programs is the longevity in which the schools are committed to working with us and invite us in year after year to work with their students to really cultivate and hold this kind of a compassionate school community. Um, you know, at the end of every year we ask teachers how they feel we are impacting their school and when they tell us that they're spending less time on discipline, when we actually see discipline records on the school level [00:06:00] through the school district go down, principals will acknowledge that we are a big contributor to that factor. Speaker 1:Yeah. We talked to you about a couple of things. What age is this the most successful in and how you engage the home life, which could be the source of the [inaudible] Speaker 2:problem. Yeah. That's one of the biggest concerns that schools have is that, you know, we're teaching these skills throughout the entire school community, from the students to the teachers, to the administrators and all of the school support. Everyone gets trained [00:06:30] by us. And so we're always trying to bridge how do we have the students take these skills? They're learning here at school and take them back home. And so we do parent trainings and parents get an opportunity to practice the skills themselves and practice with the students. And how do you even get them to come in? You know, we do whatever we can to partner with that school to get parents in on that parent night where we get that opportunity. One of the things that we like doing is at the end of every workshop that we do, the students get a bookmark [00:07:00] and sometimes on that bookmark there are questions and we really invite the students who take that bookmark home, show it to their parents so they get like, oh, this is what I learned today and these are some questions you can ask me. Speaker 2:And they're prompts for the parents so that the, again, they know what their kids are learning. Oftentimes we also get emails or calls from parents saying, wow, I didn't realize what my kid was learning through soul shop and thank you so much cause you know me and my partner were arguing and my kids stepped up and said, [00:07:30] hey, there's a better way. And they taught us how to communicate in a way where we're not raising our voices, we're not yelling and we really thank you for teaching our kids skills that we didn't have. And so we're communicating in a different way and I [inaudible] Speaker 1:may not ever yell at my kid again because of these skills. If you're just tuning in, you're listening to method to the madness. A biweekly public affairs show on k l expertly celebrating Bay area innovators. Today our guest is Vicky Ebid Esco. She's [00:08:00] the director and cofounder of soul shock and organization teaching empathy, anger management and peacemaking to school children and their adults. Tell me about the differences of presenting this whole program from Grade School, Middle School, and high school. How is it different? What are your challenges? So when I started my career Speaker 2:30 years ago, I worked in San Francisco high schools and I taught life skills and I taught violence prevention, conflict resolution, [00:08:30] and it was a challenge. You know, I was teaching very similar skills on that level. You know, they called me prevention specialist and I did a lot of intervention work on that level. And I started to question when does prevention really happen if we're doing true prevention one, does that happen? And so after 13 years of working for San Francisco School district, I thought, I want to try something. I want to see how can we work with younger kids, bring these same tools to [00:09:00] elementary schools and see how they embrace learning these skills at that level. Because by high school, they're just in the midst of it, right? There's lots of ways that they're being in the way that they're socialized is really anchored into their body. Speaker 2:The way they communicate all of that from what they've learned at school, their communities in their homes, their families. Yes, they can learn new ways of doing things, but it's so much more of a challenge and so when we started looking at working with elementary kids, we thought, wow, [00:09:30] what would it be like as they're growing developmentally to learn these tools just in how to socialize and make friends and be friends. What if we get really gave them the language skills to be able to communicate and resolve conflicts at that age so that when they got some middle school, when they got to high school, when they're really faced with the peer pressure and the stress and all of the physical changes that somewhere in their body they're going to remember that there's another way that they're gonna remember that they have tools [00:10:00] and skills to make a different choice that's not going to hurt themselves or hurt someone else. Speaker 2:The earlier the better. That's what you're saying. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. You're also an author of a book free to be and you've written curriculum and you have activity cards for teachers and all that stuff. Can you talk about this book free to be, what is it about? I was curious about the impact of bullying and I set out to just do interviews with people and part of this kind of, it showed up organically because [00:10:30] when I would meet people and they would ask what I did for a living, I would share with them and right away they wanted to tell me the story about how they were bullied some time in their life. And so stories from being kicked out of a friendship to stories about being bullied in the workplace, to being teased for their body, their high, they're weight smarter, this being smart, having money, no money, all of these things. Speaker 2:And as the years have gone by [00:11:00] and people have shared so many stories with me, I could still feel the pain and the impact that that incident, whether is onetime or ongoing, had on people sharing these stories because it was always so ripe for them in their mind, the situation, the scenario, the pain, what it felt like. So I thought, wow, I think I want to write a book about this that just has the stories in them. And so people can just really see that no [00:11:30] matter what age you are. So I have a young person who is 11 years old who also wrote her own book about what it was like for her to be bullied to somebody in their sixties and so they've lived this long life and yet they still can remember being taunted, being teased, being chased down the street for living in a certain part of town. Speaker 2:And also for being, you know, a single parent living with a single parent and it just never leaves. And that was what I was really curious about. And so when I was writing this [00:12:00] book, I just thought, wow, look at how profound it is. And for so many people, most of the people I've interviewed and that are in the book actually never told their stories to anybody. Even for them, sharing it with me and having it written out in this way in this book brought a lot of healing and closure for people because it was also the first time that people, that somebody just listened to them. And I feel like that is what's true every day when we walk into those schools is kids just want us to stop [00:12:30] and listen. Speaker 3:Well, it's interesting to me that you know, these things, they don't ever leave you, which makes me curious about your life. Did something happen or things happen to you that kind of led you to education in the first place and specifically conflict resolution and all that? Speaker 2:Yeah, there was a saying that our greatest wound is our greatest gift and I definitely believe that is true for me. I'm the youngest of four kids. My parents were immigrants to this country and um, did their best [00:13:00] to assimilate, uh, here and they did a great job and they did what they could to provide for us. And we had a house and food every day. And as a California, I was born and raised in San Francisco and it was still a struggle for my mom especially. And so she just struggled emotionally with lots of different things. So she started to, to drink and so she was an alcoholic and that alcoholism was just a way for her to cope. And so being the youngest kid, [00:13:30] I really felt like I was invisible. There was just a way that I wasn't really seen in my family. You know, we have students in our program that we call peacemakers. Speaker 2:I feel like that's what I was when I was a kid in my family. And part of my role was making sure that everything was okay. And so when my mom was drinking, making sure she was calm enough that she wouldn't go into, you know, crazy psychotic episodes, which sometimes she would do. Um, and I really just felt it was my role to just calm her down and make things peaceful. [00:14:00] And so at a really early age, I really was able to, I've managed a lot of emotions and manage the people that around me to make sure everyone was safe. And meanwhile, there wasn't a place for me to go. There wasn't anyone for me to talk to. I'd go to school and not really know like, you know, I didn't feel like this was something I was supposed to be sharing with anyone and have my own shame and sadness and really felt isolated. Speaker 2:And at an early age felt. Now as I look back, you know, really [00:14:30] I was a depressed kid and nobody really saw that. And I know that I must've gone to school looking sad or looking depressed and I don't remember one teacher ever saying, hey, what's it like to be you today? What's going on? You seem sad. You look sad. Is Everything okay? And back then, that wasn't roles of teachers. They didn't do that. And it wasn't until I was in middle school that I felt like a teacher saw me and asked me those questions and it was a first time that I got to [00:15:00] share what it was really liked to be me. And so when I was in high school, I got involved with the peer education program and I became a peer educator because I was that kid that everyone came to you with their problems. Speaker 2:When something happened, people were feeling sad, they were having problems in their own family. My friends came and they talked to me. So I always knew that I was that person. And so when I went to college and I got a degree in psychology, I thought it was going to be a therapist because I felt like this is just [00:15:30] my natural skill. This is just what I do. And but it wasn't it. I felt like there was just something else. And so when I got my first job in a high school in San Francisco and was teaching a group of students who were in these gangs and it was my job to just keep them in school and just keep them enrolled and I just did everything I could to just be with them. And no matter what fancy curriculum I pulled out of the hat for them. Really what was most valuable [00:16:00] that somebody was just sitting with them, not trying to change them, not judging them, just being with them and listening to their stories and giving them a place to just be seen. Whether they were mad, whether they were sad, whether they were confused, whether they felt hopeless. So I feel grateful for everything that I've lived through because it's giving me that capacity to hold a lot of emotions and to really just be with people and to be with young people and anybody with whatever it is that they're feeling. Speaker 3:You're in Canada and you're in [00:16:30] Holland and other parts of the United States are the challenges different outside of cal, I think of California is a little more progressive, but how, how is it different or is it different or do you have the same bullying, conflict problems everywhere? Speaker 2:Yeah, I've done youth programs all over and I'm going to say the bottom line is still the same that you know, you could plop me anywhere. So even in Holly and yeah, there's just something really interesting about this. You know, I want to do more traveling internationally to, to really [00:17:00] look at this phenomenon because I, you know, it makes me curious about do other kids and other places where, you know, in our country here we're so, we pride ourselves in our independence and being low, being able to do things to a level where, I mean this is where the isolation hurts us. Other communities and cultures where, you know, entire families live in a really small Shakka home room. Everyone sleeps together, everyone eats together and you know, for some cultures are almost like [00:17:30] literally we're like right almost on top of each other. And I wonder if they feel lonely. I wonder if they feel that same level of hopelessness that I feel like sometimes we hear in our young people, Speaker 3:I want to talk to you about technology in relation to this because exponentially there's a tremendous amount of technology in these kids' lives since you, this program. Speaker 2:How is that impacting what you do and in the schools themselves with the ability for kids to be on social media at all times? Yeah, it definitely [00:18:00] makes it a challenge for, you know, we see so much especially um, high school college where, you know, social media is just used in such a way to hurt other people. You know, again, I think there's a level of expression that is happening that maybe they're not able to get in other places. And so it happens through social media and I see that on a lot of different ways where, you know, people want to share like here's the highlight of my day, or wow, this thing happened to me. [00:18:30] Or you know, again to be able to use it to gossip about somebody to spread a rumor about someone. But there's still a place underneath it all where someone's trying to get acknowledged for something. Speaker 2:Somebody is trying to be seen for something, you know, emotional intelligence, life skills, what are these things had been around for a really long time. And it's interesting for me to see us come back to some of these things that have been around, which are helping us to put down our [00:19:00] devices, figure out how to get eye to eye with somebody and really have those conversations because technology has been around enough so that we are seeing the impact that's having on our brain and the way you know, the different parts of our brain that's being used in ways and how empathy is really a skill that needs to be cultivated and that can be cultivated personally. Right? It's like we want to be able to make sure that our body language, eye contact, those sorts of things that are so important [00:19:30] are really helping, you know, putting down devices and being able to connect personally with people is what I feel like we're coming back to because of so much of what we're seeing happening to that. Speaker 2:So for sure that the part of the brain that we're empathy happens. Is it diminished with technology? Do we know this? Yeah. There's some neuroscience neurobiology that are coming up with with some of the that research. And so this is what they were saying about why it makes it easy for somebody [00:20:00] to gossip or bully through social media because there's a disconnection there. There's not a personal connection. So if I know you, if I had a chance to really hear your story or get who you really are, what you're going through, I wouldn't even think about getting on social media and saying something bad about you. And so there's this place where yet it's like where does empathy really come into play? And so one of the things we're curious about and we know other folks are, it's like how do we then help to have this experience [00:20:30] of empathy or forgiveness and compassion? Speaker 2:Where does that show up in the world? That leads me to a question I want to ask you. You're a fellow at the Dalai Lama Center for ethics and transformative values at MIT. I am really curious about what goes on there. Are these the kinds of things that you talk about? Yeah, absolutely right. So like his holiness, the Dalai Lama is really committed to youth global leaders. You know, he has a vision of how do we bring more compassion to young leaders everywhere. And so [00:21:00] part of that is some of the things that the folks at MIT are looking at, right? And so they're experimenting with both in person workshops, also different types of technologies and games to really bring to young people and in schools to really practice how do we really work with empathy in this way? And so, you know, one of the things that we're finding is that it's a challenge to just have technology do that alone. Speaker 2:It really takes some human components [00:21:30] of whether it's just somebody facilitating a conversation about how to use this technology. It's still giving somebody a personal experience. Do you were chosen as one of six a Shaka changemaker awards? Was that a monetary award? Yeah, it was a, a what they called an empathy competition. And they were, um, you know, a show Kia changemakers along with Packard Foundation. They partnered together to really look at how are people building empathy through communities. And so [00:22:00] we thought, well, we definitely are building empathy through communities. And so we went ahead and applied in the competition and we were able to receive the award and it's been such an honor. But how much did you win? We won $100,000. Um, and it's been such an incredible blessing for us, you know, again, do you have to get grants every year? How do you fund this privately? Speaker 2:Fine. A lot of private funding. A lot of individuals who really have seen [00:22:30] our work, love what we're doing in schools and know that we've been around as long as we've been around, money comes directly from schools and there are some schools that can't pay the full price of our program. And so getting donations and having programs like this really helped to supplement, um, those schools who can't afford to bring in a program like ours. Uh, the a hundred thousand dollars helps us to do some things that are new and different that we're looking at. We're looking at some online training as well. We're having [00:23:00] conversations again about, you know, how do we build something digitally to so teachers could download the two 10 institute them and their school well to do it more as follow up some ways to really help teachers and their own empathy building skills and you know, we want teachers to be able to have some of these conversations with their kids when we're not there and some of the teachers get that kind of training. Speaker 2:I think that's one of the reasons we're looking at this online course to really have them look at, you know, how in a six week course can they just [00:23:30] work on their own empathy skills, you know, in order for us to be great teachers, anything we have to have the experience of it as well. That's one of my visions is that every teacher have that kind of training just for themselves so that they can find way where they can have more capacity, emotional capacity, so that when the things show up in their classroom, they can handle it better. That there is a way that they're not personally triggered by what's happening with the kids. That may be empathy, could be there as an option. Can you tell [00:24:00] us a story about someone or some school where this was, you have lots of stories. So I tell this story about this young girl, you know, we got a call from a principal, he said we're having an issue with bullying and will you come in and basically kind of fix what's happening here. Speaker 2:And so, you know, he wanted to tell me about this kid and I didn't want to know. I just like, you know, let us come in and let's see what's happening. And he invited us to come in for one time to do this one assembly. And so we got on campus and as soon as we got on [00:24:30] campus, the principal wanted to point out this belief and we didn't want to know who this kid was cause it's not about one kid and it's about the entire school community. And so we start our assembly and we talk about feelings. And when we have so many feelings, we get really full. And when we get really full, we do things, push somebody. We might talk behind someone's back. We might ruin somebody's four square game, you know, we're just disrespectful. And [00:25:00] we asked, you know, how many of you ever felt that full little hands go up? Speaker 2:And this is a room of maybe 204th graders. So we see those hands go up and then we ask is there anybody that wants to share what they're feeling inside you? And usually at this point when we ask this question, it's like silence. The kids are all looking around like no one wants to raise their hand, but we patiently wait cause we know what's in the room and we're not expecting, you know, this kid that they called us to this school to raise their hand, [00:25:30] you know, which just like it's anybody. We know, there's lots of kids who have really that they feel really full in that way. So all of a sudden we see this little hand go up and the whole room moves and then we hear like this whispering. And so we know this is the bully, this is that. We know it. Speaker 2:So this sweet little girl comes up to the front of the room, she sits in what we call the chair of help, and we ask her, what's going on with you? And she's got these little tears coming out of her [00:26:00] eyes. So it's like silence. And these kids are mesmerized that this kid who's been labeled a bully is in front of all of them crying. And so even right in that moment you feel something shift in the room. And so she says that she lost her best friend, that her grandmother died. And the room is stunned because this was a girl that when the principal called us, he said that they did everything to fix her behavior on the playground, including suspending her two [00:26:30] times for her behavior that they didn't know our grandmother died. I think they knew her grandmother died. I don't know if they knew the extent of the impact because here we had a broken hearted little girl who lost best friend. Speaker 2:And so she went on just to share about how it's really harder to mom, how her, her mom doesn't want her talking about her grandma. Let's just not talk about it. She comes to school, she pushes people around, she creates havoc on the playground at recess. Nobody knows what to do with her and she's just [00:27:00] sad and brokenhearted. And so we asked her to tell us about her grandma. And so she gets a big smile on her face. She tells us how she made the best cookies ever. She was the only person in her life that told her she loved her and she was sad. And then we ask, you know, how many of you have also lost someone? Right? So we see these hands go up. So how many of you would be willing to sit with her and maybe ask her about what her grandmother was like? Speaker 2:Almost every hand in that room went up. So a kid who previously everyone [00:27:30] was staying away from now is the most popular kid. Yes. What happens to this girl? All right, so a couple weeks later we call the school and principals like, yeah, it's really gray. We haven't really seen any more incidents from her or the kids are asking and they, he found that there was an opportunity for the other kids to share the people in their lives. They also lost it. They didn't know how to talk about doe. Now this girl becomes this, like you're saying, they can talk to someone they can talk to. That's really a beautiful transformation. Yes. [00:28:00] You know, so for me it's like that's, that's part of the success story. And so, you know, when you ask about the challenge, it's, you know, that school didn't have much more funding for us to come back and we would have loved to have done that. Speaker 2:And so I would say that's always the biggest challenge is for us to be able to have the resources to be able to do followups for stories like that. What are your goals for the future? It sounds like you've done a tremendous amount. We are looking at models to be able to grow our programs throughout the country. Again, we're looking at some things digitally [00:28:30] so that that will help to make that happen. And we're looking at some online courses for teachers so that teachers everywhere can get even at least this first level course on how to get empathy skills for themselves. So again, that they have a greater capacity and understanding about that personally to be more available to their kids and their students. How do we get programs up throughout the country and also enough facilitators and train in a certain way so that I feel confident [00:29:00] that folks who are out in schools are really able to facilitate these kinds of conversations with kids because it definitely takes training and a lot of time working again on our own self development to be able to have the capacity to really work with kids on this level. Speaker 2:It's fascinating to me all the ways that we have found to hurt each other through our words. Right? And any way that we can separate ourselves. So somebody else is just different, right? And we're all different, so we all at any time are targets of this [00:29:30] on some level it's so ridiculous. And then on another level, we can't seem to stop ourselves, but it's great that you've gone deeper to see that, that there's something else behind all of that, right? That's the superficial manifestation, right? If people want to get a hold of soul shop or you personally, do you have a website that they can go to? Soul shop, which is s o u l s h o p p e.com and to get ahold of me, you would just put Vicky v I C K I at [inaudible] Dot Com Speaker 1:do you have a Jessica, [00:30:00] thank you for being on the program. Thanks Lisa for having me. You've been listening to method to the madness, a biweekly public affairs show on k a l x Berkeley Celebrating Bay area innovators. If you have questions or comments about this show, go to the calyx website, find method to the madness and drop us an email there. You'll also find the link to previous podcasts. Tune in again in two weeks at the same time. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.