Last week, I had the opportunity to facilitate a professional development training session for a private high school staff on the general topic of cultivating student belonging. I’ve come to understan...

Loss is an inevitable part of life. Sometimes it comes in the form of acute pain—like the loss of a loved one, a natural disaster, or an accident. Other times it can come through losing something you ...

When I was little, I was diagnosed with a type of learning disability—a language processing issue that made it difficult to recall words to use when I spoke. Generally, it manifested itself when I was...

As we’ve worked with educators and parents over the past decade, our most common discussion is about their hopes and dreams for their kids' futures. I’m always curious to hear them articulate what the...

It’s no secret that we tend to view others through our own perspective and lens. It’s human nature. Sometimes we just can’t comprehend why someone would act the way they do—after all, we wouldn’t do i...

 “Whoever tells the best story wins.” - John Quincy Adams

Anyone who’s been around a teenager for a significant amount of time understands how challenging it can be to connect with them, especially i...

When I was little, baseball was my singular passion. I even lobbied my parents to officially change my name to Steve, after my favorite baseball player Steve Sax. (They declined). I still have thousan...

When I was growing up, although we weren’t religious, we held onto many traditions. Besides holidays and celebrations, our most consistent tradition was being together for a family dinner. Despite my ...

No parent on earth doesn’t worry about their kids’ well-being. Specifically, they worry that the boundaries and guardrails they put up and around their kids will be sufficient to keep them safe yet he...

Friendships are everything to a kid. They’re more important than family, to be honest. The company a kid keeps will determine nearly everything: how they see themselves, their priorities and values, a...