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Regenerative education gives teachers a way to shape the systems they work in, and Kirsten Bolton explains how in Part 2 of this Reignite Resilience conversation with hosts Natalie Davis and Pamela Cass. Kirsten, founder of the Grove Educational Council, describes how schools and workplaces get better results when the people closest to the work help guide decisions.

Kirsten starts with why schools need new approaches. Over the past five years, she has watched children’s needs shift before, during, and after COVID. Teachers now teach skills once seen as basic, including social emotional skills and executive functioning such as planning time, organizing work, and finishing a task. She explains regenerative systems, an idea drawn from permaculture, where feedback from inside a structure flows back in to inform what happens next. In a classroom, teachers act as the experts on their students and need systems for sharing feedback and shaping curriculum.

Natalie and Pam connect the model to the workplace, where leaders often feel isolated and left to carry every problem and every solution. Kirsten describes what she saw while researching schools and organizations. The best results came from clear agreements in policy and procedure, flexibility, and warmth between people. Administrators who advocate for their staff create room for risk taking and honest feedback.

Kirsten also explains the difference between a safe space and a brave space. Risk taking and innovation feel vulnerable, so she works to build spaces where people lead with humility, curiosity, and openness to differing views. Nobody holds a brave space for others without doing personal inner work, including noticing triggers and past experiences. Natalie shares a question she now asks when a strong reaction rises: is this me today, or the 10 year old version of me? Kirsten recommends simple habits to make room for reflection, such as a set place for keys, a glass of water each morning, and a walk outside. Fewer small decisions leave more energy for higher value work.

Kirsten also shares what she wants to build next, including a book and a TEDx talk, and how schools and organizations connect with the Grove Educational Council for coaching, mentoring, mindfulness and breath work, and team building. Her goal is to work with people who keep her growing.

In This Episode:

• What regenerative education is and how it applies to schools and workplaces
• Why teachers need systems for giving feedback and shaping curriculum
• The difference between a safe space and a brave space
• How inner work prepares a leader to hold space for a team
• Simple daily habits that free up energy for higher value work

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The co-hosts of this podcast are not medical professionals. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. Reliance on any information provided by the podcast hosts or guests is solely at your own risk.

Pamela Cass is a licensed broker with Kentwood Real Estate
Natalie Davis is a licensed ...