Why school psychology?

I always hate this question! The simple answer is that I worked as a teacher for 6 years prior to starting this program, but I never felt truly effective in that role. There was so much need in the schools I served, and I didn’t feel I could enact the kind of change or offer the holistic support that was warranted. School psychology is an incredible field. I think of it more as a lens to practice than a practice framework in and of itself. I love that it merges social justice activism, the science of teaching and learning, mental healthcare, and community building. At this point, I honestly couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

Where are you from and what brought you to our program?

I’m from Colorado! My time in Denver-area schools exposed me to this program’s reputation among local educators, SPs, and admin. The consensus seems to be that students from our program enter the field particularly well-prepared. Like many applicants, the work of our faculty was also a factor in my decision. I had a sense of the kind of subject I wished to pursue when I applied, and I felt my interests aligned better with the Morgridge faculty than with that of other Colorado programs.

What is your favorite thing about our program so far?

That’s such a hard question. There have been a few classes that really felt like game-changers to me. I also feel really lucky to have had some exceptional field-training supervision. It goes without saying that I have learned a ton from this program, but my experience really goes beyond that. This program has changed the way I think – it has reshaped the lens through which I view schools, and brains, and social issues, and relationships.

Are you a part of a research team? Or have a specific interest(s) in school psychology?

Yes! I am a member of Dr. Hazel’s VRT. My interests are actually broadening as I progress through this program, but I am narrowing on a dissertation topic related to intervention for recovery from traumatic brain injury that draws upon visual art.

I’d love to hear about your animal rescue, what is the name of it? And can you tell me a little about it?

My rescue is called The Snuggle is Real Animal Rescue. It’s a purely foster-based rescue, meaning that we don’t have a brick-and-mortar facility. Instead, incredibly generous and dedicated members of our community welcome these animals in need into their homes. We are an extremely small operation (as you can probably imagine, being a busy graduate student), so we limit our intakes to those animals that would be euthanized without our intervention. We are currently hosting nine animals across five foster homes.

What inspired you to start this? Where did this idea come from?

I joke that I didn’t so much “have the idea” as much as I had this undertaking thrust upon me. Prior to starting TSIR, I was heavily involved in animal-care volunteer work through existing rescue organizations in Denver. I was also volunteering as a transport driver - relocating euthanasia-list animals from high-needs areas of the country to Colorado. After a while, the rural shelters on the “sending” end caught wind of the fact that I had connections to no-kill operations on the Front Range. They began to ask if I could advocate for their animals and place them with these rescue groups in our area. I successfully served as the “middle man” in this capacity until after the pandemic. The population of dogs and cats exploded during this time, and animal care organizations across the country were (and are) overwhelmed. I felt I couldn’t not find a way to create even a few more placements for animals in need.

What is a message you'd like others to get through your rescue?

It’s so hard to distill this issue into a central message. I think the best I can do is a few bullets that I wish I could broadcast through loudspeakersJust like the barriers facing children that we address as psychologists, the bleak landscape in the world of rescue exists within complex social systems. We cannot euthanize or rescue our way out of it. We have to understand how economic and oppressive factors converge with public policy to result in overpopulation. In the same vein, we have to intervene from multiple angles (e.g., spay/neuter, education, breeding restrictions) AND understand the potential of rescue work to sustain or counteract other social issues (e.g., poverty, climate change, family systems).

• Whether in education, psychology, activism, or rescue work, meaningful change is only possible when you “zoom out” to understand the big picture.

• We have a responsibility to our communities’ (and country’s) domestic animals. Right now, the brunt of this challenging and heartbreaking work falls on animal control and animal welfare workers in parts of the country struggling with overpopulation. We need to change our approach to animal stewardship in order to support these individuals while minimizing the needless death of adoptable animalI alluded to this already, but SPAY AND NEUTER are everything.

• Adoption from shelters or rescue groups makes a world of difference – to both the animal(s) and humans involved. In contrast, every purchase from a breeder exacerbates the problems we face. This statement DOES NOT place blame with folks who have purchased from breeders in the past, and certainly not with the intentionally bred animals themselves. Once we know better, we need to do better.

• Animal adoption takes work, commitment, and abundant patience, but it is among the most rewarding undertakings.

• To borrow from rescue workers elsewhere: “Adopt. If you can’t adopt, foster. If you can’t foster, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, donate. If you can’t donate, educate.” It takes a village.

How long did it take you to start this? What is the process like starting/running an animal shelter?

It took 3 months of ruminating, reflecting, and accepting that I’d lost my mind before I initiated the process. It took another month after that to gather my documents, formalize my plan, and apply for tax-exempt charity status. The IRS took four months to process my application. While I waited, I applied for my Colorado rescue’s license - the Pet Animal Care Facilities Act (PACFA) license. That process took six weeks and some consultation with one of their representatives. I also spent forever teaching myself the logistics and tech skills associated with running a small business. All together, it took about eight months.

What is your ultimate goal or what do you hope to accomplish with your rescue?

I believe the solution lies in intervention from all sides of the problem. The long goal is to (in partnership with other organizations) substantially reduce the rate of euthanasia due to overcrowding. That said, we’re so small that we’re taking it one little life at a time. We just saved our 33rd animal this year. For 2023, I’ve set an ambitious goal of 60 animals rescued. To think too much about the magnitude of the problem can be discouraging, so I try to focus on the “drop in the bucket” that is our impact. You have to celebrate the small victories as they are.

Eventually, I would love to incorporate my work in psychology with my work in rescue. I’m playing with the idea of using animals therapeutically or harnessing the rescue to provide job-training opportunities for students with disabilities.

I’m sure this has been both a rewarding and challenging experience. Has there been any particular experience(s) or moment that has stood out?

Too many to count. I’m actually dog-sitting right now for the first alumnus of our program. We “tagged” him for rescue two hours before he was scheduled to be euthanized. He’s a stigmatized breed (a pit) and had some minor medical issues. Now he’s healthy, happy, and oh-so loved by his adopters. The other night, I held his squishy face in my hands, looked him in the eye, and for some reason blurted, “I’m so glad you exist.” I was weirdly overcome by this incredible feeling that even if I do nothing else in my life, at least I did this. And this matters.

This rescue has also connected me with so many incredible community members I would not have met otherwise. I am blown away by the number of folks – across the political spectrum – who have jumped into action with us. They foster, they event-plan, they transport. We even have a retired volunteer who knits little blankets for our foster furkids! It really is heartwarming at a time when so much feels wrong with the world.

The challenges also abound. Every intake is a gamble – we don’t meet them before committing to them. We often have a surprise emergency vet bill at a time when our meager funds are all allocated, or a foster will have a family emergency and leave us scrambling. I’ve learned to stay flexible and pivot as needed to keep this little thing afloat.

Can you please send a blurb about your animal rescue (e.g., contact info, website, social media, etc.)? For those interested or wanting to help.

Yes, don’t hesitate to reach out! grace@thesnuggleisrealrescue.org (or catch me loitering in Katherine Ruffato Hall)

Website: https://www.thesnuggleisrealrescue.org/

Instagram: thesnuggleisreal_co

Facebook: @thesnuggleisrealanimalrescue https://www.facebook.com/TheSnuggleisRealAnimalRescue/

I’m so glad I got to see your TedTalk earlier this quarter! It was powerful and moving. How would you describe a summary of it to someone who didn’t get the chance to see it?

My talk followed a timeline of my early adolescence into college and how the mental health system and my diagnoses affected me then and today. It discussed the ways in which the lack of help that children get leaves them with lasting messages as they grow up because of the rate in which our brains are forming at that time in our lives, and how things like trauma and sexual assault can add more flavor to that lasting effect. I went through ways in which we can become better friends, partners, and family members to those living with mental illnesses and trauma, and concluded with the ways in which my mental illnesses have made me the person I am today.

Can you speak more to how you got involved with the Psychology club, and how the talk came about?

Earlier in 2021 during the fall quarter I found out I was nominated and accepted to be a Ted Talk speaker. This means that as their conferences continue, when there is one where they would like a talk on the topic of mental illnesses, they’ll get in touch with me and I can decide whether I’m able to go to that conference or not. When I found this out, a faculty member in the Psychology undergraduate department got in touch with me because she heard (not sure where from) and got me in touch with the Psychology club.

What was the process like of creating your talk?

My talk went through multiple iterations, and even on the last day before I gave it at DU I was editing it. It was hard because every time I changed it I had to then memorize the new information and the new way I was going to present it. I really enjoyed the process of writing it and getting ready to present it! I think sometimes it’s really difficult talking about what you’ve been through, especially when you’ve been through the amount I have, but I strongly believe that the best way people can learn about how to support people like me is by hearing stories of successes and failures. With that in mind, it made it easier for me to disconnect from the potential triggers of writing/speaking my story and focus on the upsides.

What are the future plans/next steps for your talk?

As of right now, nothing! I’m awaiting the Ted Talk conferences for 2022-23 to come out and see if I can make any of them. Other than that, I think that the Psych Club will likely put it on again next year, and maybe I’ll change it a little bit before then.

How can our SP community show their support – are there going to be other opportunities to view it?

It’s currently on my personal google drive and anyone who wants to watch it can get in touch with me and I can send them the link!

What insight have you gained from this process of reflecting on your experiences, organizing them into this format, and presenting in front of a large group of people?

I think that the biggest insight I’ve gained is that sharing your story is so incredibly powerful, and while it might not be a big deal/surprise to me that our system is as screwed up as I presented, it is important for those in our field to hear. I also really came to terms with the fact that I am a strong individual through writing and presenting this – not many people could do the same and I think that the last little phrase I discussed about how I’m my own success was something I truly believe in.

It was/is very brave of you to speak so openly about your experiences with the mental health system and the path that ultimately led you to school psychology. How do you see these experiences as shaping your current passions and future career?

I think one thing I’ve realized while being a part of this program and also while starting my professional career at my practicum site this past year is that I can connect with students really easily. It’s something I maybe didn’t realize before, or didn’t recognize to what extent I would be able to do it, but being with kids who are suffering from similar experiences and diagnoses that I was at that age has created an ease in being able to hear them and support them. It’s sometimes really difficult, especially when something super similar happens and I’m fighting off triggers while trying to stay professional, but all-in-all I think it’s a huge positive.

What primary ways do you see as crucial means of advocating for students who are going through similar things that you experienced?

You just need to listen. I think sometimes as practitioners we listen to respond or to solve, but really children just want to be heard. And truly listening to kids means taking their word at face value and acting based on what will make them feel better. Sometimes it’s difficult because we run into ethical and legal barriers, but in my experience that typically turns practitioners away from doing anything rather than trying to find a middle ground. The worst thing you can do to a child who’s going through hell at a young age is dismiss their problems.

What ways do you see our mental health system, school system and/or society needing to change?

I think we need more funding, more practitioners, and more people in the field who have been through the system and are willing to connect with kids. I think it’s difficult because when we learn about psychology and we’ve been through it, we’re learning about things that are affecting/have affected us and that can be really difficult to hear. I’ve been in multiple situations where I hear something in class and it pertains to me and wasn’t something I knew before and it’s like a huge epiphany. These can be both positive and negative. We need to create a space where people who have been through the system are willing to join it!

What do you hope the lasting message is from your talk?

Everyone’s life is different, and everyone goes through different experiences. It’s extremely important when creating a relationship with someone who has mental illnesses or trauma to recognize how their past effects them daily and change the way you interact with them because of that.

In Her Words

“In February 2019, the DPS Board of Education passed the Black Excellence Resolution to prioritize Black student success at the school level, be a community driven community at the district level, and for the central office to examine what equity looks like for Black or African American students. This measure aimed to hold DPS accountable and ensure, at a systems-level, we are doing our part to prioritize Black student success, including equitable discipline practices, and addressing the disproportionality of Black students identified in special education and underrepresentation of Black student in advanced placements

At the beginning of the year I requested a meeting with my principal to discuss my role as a school psych intern and, more importantly, discuss what the Black Excellence plan was for my school. The response was roundabout and it was clear there wasn’t one. For additional context, the student diversity statistics at my school are 61% White; 30% Hispanic, 5% Multiracial, 3% Black or African American; less than 1% Asian and Native American.

All this to say, the Black community at my school felt hurt, angry, and confused. For a week, multiple families did not trust the school’s ability to support their children and stopped bringing their kids to school. I requested another meeting with my principal and field supervisor to advocate for the Black community, myself included. Because of this conversation I can proudly say that my school is doing the work and created a call to action for our Black community.

As of Wednesday 11/17/21, two weeks after my conversation with the principal, our school is drafting an Individualized Black Excellence plan for each of our 22 Black students. The school acknowledged they are late in joining the work and has action steps to accelerate the achievement of Black students.”

Insights from Internship

Can you give a brief description of where you are for internship and what your role looks like at your site?

I am currently in Denver Public Schools for internship. My placement is split between a high school one day a week and an elementary school four days a week; two days a week I am the only mental health professional onsite. My role at the high school is primarily testing. My role at the elementary school is much more expansive. I manage all IEPs and wear a bunch of different hats around the school.

That is amazing to hear you’ve been such an integral part and have initiated this call to action to support your school’s Black community. Within the last two weeks, since you’ve last advocated for change in your school, have you noticed a change in your school’s climate towards supporting the Black community in your school and what changes have you noticed?

The school is taking the necessary steps to remediate family-school partnerships with the Black community. Since the action steps are in the planning stages I think it is too soon to tell if there has been a change to school climate.

You mentioned that in your first meeting with the school principal, there wasn’t a clear- and drawn-out Black Excellence plan for your school. Moving forward as your school drafts Individual Black Excellence plans for each of your 22 Black students, what do you envision the Black Excellence plans for your school’s Black students and whole school looking like?

Great question! It is still in the works but as of right now each plan encompasses two goals: 1) accelerating Black achievement and 2) ensuring students and families feel safe, supported, and connected to the school. The plan is individualized and specific to each student’s academic and social-emotional needs. For the whole school, the district has a professional development equity series that provides training on culturally responsive education. Though it is not mandatory, my hopes are that the staff will consider taking this course to expand their knowledge of educational disparities experienced by BIPOC students.

a. What do you believe your school’s Black Excellence plan should entail to best support the Black Community in your school and provide equitable practices for all students?

Black voice. To determine how best to support the Black community, I believe the school needs to listen to and insert Black voice into these plans. What does the student need? What does the family need? What does it mean to be ‘supportive’ and what does it look like? How do we integrate these supports into their student's education?

4. What kind of role(s) would you like to take at your site and how do you envision that role in implementing your school’s Black Excellence plan and holding your school accountable?

I would like to take on a cultural liaison role and serve as a link between home and school for the Black community. Due to a misunderstanding of cultural values and norms, the way in which the school communicates with Black families is often perceived as overly negative, targeted, and lends itself to mistrust in the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive environment for Black students.

In terms of accountability, I believe all educators and school staff are responsible for cultivating a safe and equitable school environment. I think the best way to monitor and maximize social justice efforts in our school is through data collection. If we can pinpoint what is working well and what needs improvement, we can optimize Black Excellence and make lasting changes in the education of our Black youth.

5. How do you feel you can best support your school’s Black students, families, and community, in your role as a School Psych intern, on an individual and systems level?

On an individual level my support is purely relationships based which allows me to be intentional and responsive to the needs of each student. The systems level is nuanced because combatting racial inequity requires policy and infrastructure. I have not yet seen a solid foundation for this work aside from passive recommendations. Although I am ecstatic the school is re-envisioning Black Excellence, the Black Excellence Resolution was adopted in 2019 and it is unclear what has been done since then to execute Black Excellence. The best I can do to support systems level change in my school is to help create an infrastructure that can be carried forward for the years to come.

6. In sounds like you’ve already made a significant impact in supporting and advocating for equitable practices and racial justice in education, in such a short amount of time into internship. What future roles and actions do you see yourself taken on with future endeavors in the field, to support disenfranchised groups?

I’m honestly not sure but I’m excited by this work and the possibilities it holds as an ally for disenfranchised groups. I still have a lot to learn.

7. Are there any final words or anything else you would like us to know about your internship placement and your work towards supporting the Black community in your school?

I wholeheartedly believe that school psychologists are changemakers! Don’t be afraid to take risks and challenge the status quo because you never know the change you can make at an individual or systems level.

What is the name of your business and when did you start it?

Our business is “Sunday + Sage, LLC” and I proposed the idea to my business partner Lauren on July 4th, 2020. Within a month it was up and going. No planning – we didn’t know what we were doing! The idea came about during COVID, when Lauren and I couldn’t see each other in-person for months during the lockdown. We ended up surprising each other by dropping off flowers on the other’s doorstep! I had also started growing a rose garden that summer, and had been experimenting with making flower arrangements. I thought, “We should do this for fun!”

We had zero experience with the floral industry. But we started it over the summer, held pop-ups, marketed through social media and found out that a lot of people want flowers! We’re both working full-time in education, and had no idea what we were getting into when we first started. But now we’re much more organized and everything is going much smoother.

What was the process like of starting your business? What was the hardest part?

All of the legal pieces were the hardest – getting your ducks in a row. We both were primarily interested in the fun, pretty aspect of starting a floral business, but it was the tracking expenses, filing the right taxes, getting the licenses straight and all of those parts that we have to learn overnight that were the hardest. We did everything wrong at first. But we applied for our LLC and started getting letters in the mail from the Business Bureau telling us what to do, and we were really just learning on the spot trying to not break any rules. Taxes were hard. But we just figured it out all on our own through Googling and made it work. We’re both really similar and love the floral arrangement and creative piece to our business, but sometimes we can both avoid the logistic parts for too long.

But it doesn’t feel like work to us except for the business side - making flower arrangements feels very meditative. When we’re doing that part of the business, we have a calm peaceful presence in our life. But there’s a lot more to running a business. Sunday + Sage helps take our minds off of the heaviness of our careers. It’s a stark contrast to school psychology.

How do you juggle this and your full-time internship? What is the typical work like for your business?

We practice sustainable floristry, so our season ends when the farmers’ season ends. We go by the weather - March to October - and take a break all through winter. We did start planning for the spring farmer’s market and experimented with other business ideas during the winter, but the seasonal aspect makes it really nice with our jobs - we’re both off in the summer since we both work in school settings so it’s a good balance.

What have been the best parts and hardest parts so far about having your own side business?

The best part has been learning about the floral industry and the environmental impact. Importing flowers from other countries is really harmful and common. It’s such a big part of the world that I didn’t have to think about before. I’ve learned a lot.

Organizing and all of the administrative details has been tedious. Both myself and Lauren are introverted people, and it can be draining to communicate back and forth with individual clients. We’ve primarily been marketing through Instagram and Facebook, and are working on a website.

What words of advice do you have for anyone considering starting their own business? What skills/mindset have been most helpful on this journey?

Just do it! If there’s something you like or are good at - don’t be afraid of it. Don’t talk yourself out of it - but plan better than we did. Learn how to have a business and find someone you can ask those hard, logistical questions to. If I can do it in graduate school and as a full-time school psych intern, anyone can do it. Though, you have to have a certain personality to work like that.

Where do you see yourself next year as a school psychologist with a part-time business?

Maybe one day we could have a location. Or a flower truck! We have a lot of dreams and are just seeing where they go! It’s exhausting sometimes – I’m working seven days a week until the school year ends, but I’m happy to work with the flowers on the weekend because it’s so therapeutic.

How can we support your business?

Come to the Pearl Street Farmer’s Market and get flowers! Follow and share your flowers with us on social media @sundayandsageco!

One of the editors, Rosie Levenson, sat down with Kim Bowers to learn about her recently published books.

How old are you and where are you from?

I am 25 years old, and I am from Las Vegas, Nevada.

What are your pronouns?

She/her/hers.

What year/level in the School Psychology program are you?

I am a first year Ph.D. student.

What is your book called?

My book is called Big Emotions, but there are two versions, Big Emotions, Seeds of Faith and Big Emotions, Stepping Stones.

Can you please explain why there are two editions of your book?

When I first wrote this book, I wanted to honor my commitment to my faith, which is the basis for what I do. Big Emotions, Seeds of Faith is for people who also share the Christian faith. This version uses scripture, biblical principles, and prayer in addition to the tools that we use for parents to discuss children’s emotions. However, I recognize that not everybody shares that faith, so I wanted to honor that and share similar information in a way that is applicable to more children, which led to creating Big Emotions, Stepping Stones. The Stepping Stones version uses guiding principles and calm-down tips to support its readers. Writing both versions of the book was a simultaneous process.

What is Big Emotions about?

There are two goals of the Big Emotions book. First, the book serves to give parents the tools to have conversations with their children about emotions and emotion regulation. Second, the book provides strategies for children to have healthy discussions that enable them to process their emotions. We tried to achieve this goal through the structure of the book. It’s not a narrative story, but rather is driven by pictures, using what I call scenario dyads. With the scenario dyads, each pair of photos address the same situation where the left image exhibits a child with an unregulated response and the right, a regulated child in the same situation. The first step is to dissect the pictures through the guiding questions such as “How do you know what the child is feeling?” “What is their body showing?” “What does your body look like when you feel the same way?” Then, readers move to the practical section, which uses techniques like validation and normalization, to provided scaffolded discussion around emotions. The last steps vary depending on the version of the book, those who read the Seeds of Faith version will engage with the scripture and prayer and those who read Stepping Stones will engage with the calm-down tip.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

Any adult or person who interacts with children in any capacity! It is meant for children from early childhood through elementary school years.

What inspired you to write this? Where did this idea come from?

The entire premise of the book started when my older brother and I were kids. My mom has a background in Child Development and really wanted to find something to help us develop healthy relationships with our emotions. However, there weren’t many socioemotional learning resources available for parents.

Eventually, she did end up finding a book series to use but didn’t agree with all of it. So, she would use the books to prompt her own discussions with me and my brother. Because of this, she always had a dream to write her own books as a tool on emotion regulation, and eventually drafted ideas, but never submitted anything.

When I returned home from studying Psychology in college to get my Master's degree in Education, my mom and I often talked about the different experiences I was having with my students and their emotion regulation skills. This brought back the idea of the books that she wanted to publish when I was a child, and we officially teamed up in 2019 and decided to make it happen! The rest is history.

How does this book tie into your research interests?

I am really interested in consultation work and utilizing an ecological model to help support parents and teachers to improve student outcomes. I want to provide effective tools to those who work with students so that they can offer strong supports.

How does the book relate to your professional goals and general focus as a future school psychologist?

Similar to what I said earlier, my career goals are to equip those who interact with children with the necessary tools that promote positive outcomes. By writing these books I am fulfilling some of these personal goals. Additionally, I hope to use these books and tools in private practice and consultative work later in my career. I also recognize that I am only one person and there is a limited number of people that I will work with, but if I can equip those who I interact with, then there is an exponential curve of people who these books can reach to help support children.

The book has 6 sections- Sadness, Anger, Moodiness, Shyness, Worry, and Fearfulness- why did you pick those main sections to focus on?

We chose those emotions after reflecting on our interactions with our students and their caregivers. We found that those were some of the primary emotions that children, families, and teachers were wanting to address.

How long did it take you to write this?

Not very long at all! Big Emotions, Stepping Stones I wrote in 1 day, and Big Emotions, Seeds of Faith in 3 days.

How was collaborating with your mother?

My mom is one of my best friends! We share a lot of the same visions and have similar mindsets. We have the same desire to help caregivers and teachers, and it made working together really easy. In addition to my mom’s background in child development, she also has experience in business and marketing. This was great because she was able to incorporate this business knowledge to my knowledge of psychology and emotion regulation. We were able to use our backgrounds on to complement each other.

What was the process of writing, editing, and publish a book like?

It took a while! First, we wrote the manuscript, and you want to make your manuscript pristine before moving on to any next steps. After writing and completing the manuscript, we sent it to some close colleagues for review. That lead to a juncture point for us, specifically on if we wanted to submit it to a major publishing company, self-publish, or do a hybrid. We decided on self-publishing because we wanted to start our own business and have creative control over the book. After choosing to self-publish, we then navigated which publishing company we wanted to choose and ultimately picked one that had a far reach so we could get our book on Amazon, in Barnes and Noble, etc., while also being able to sell it on our website.

After that, we had to get an illustrator. We talked with a bunch of illustrators and discussed our vision and ultimately chose to work with Nadia, who is incredible. You go through a whole process with your illustrator of editing and refining ideas, similar to the process of editing of manuscript. Then, we submitted everything to the publisher, gave preferences for how we wanted it to look, and then it was mailed to us for distribution!

It is worth nothing that we were able to self-publish in part because of my mom's business background. I’m familiar with social media marketing and my mom is familiar with traditional marketing and knew how to navigate registering everything and adding it to the Library of Congress. We can from a privileged position to be able to do this, because not only is self-publishing cumbersome but it is also expensive to be able to pay for an illustrator and publish our books.

What has your experience been like reading this book to children?

I was able to sit and read with the son of one of the families that I did a photo shoot with for our social media platforms. The book was published in the middle of the pandemic, so it was rare to be able to even sit with him, and I am so grateful for this opportunity!

It was so cool to interact with him about the book, and to watch his parents read the book to him. Hearing him talk about the characters and know what was going on the story was so special.

It truly was really refreshing and reaffirming. Noticing that he and his parents were able to glean something from the book made me feel super accomplished. Even hearing him talk about his body, his feelings, how they manifest in his body, and what he can do now when he gets mad at his brothers was awesome!

Any other info about the book worth sharing?

Our whole goal of this book is to support caregivers, parents, and teachers by building up their skills in working with children. When we all come together, we can really support children in having a healthy development- the phrase “it takes a village” really holds true for us.

What is something you wish others knew about you?

I really want to speak to the idea that comparison is the thief of joy. I often get caught up in that and looking at the successes of my peers and colleagues, and I know that there is the potential for others to view me similarly. As excited as I am about this accomplishment, I also want to communicate the amount of hard work and roller coaster adventure it has been. When all we see are the fruits of someone’s labor, we can think that it was easy to do- the halo effect- and project that on to the individual. I am really proud of this book, but it was a huge learning experience, and I definitely did not do everything perfect or correct the first time!

Speaking of roller coasters, you mentioned there is another book in the series! Can you give me a sneak peek about that???

Yes! I would love to. The next book will also have two editions. It is called Big Hearts. There will be Big Hearts, Seeds of Faith and Big Hearts, Stepping Stones. The goal of Big Hearts was to take a more proactive lens to really building strong character in children. It looks at different characteristics like living joyfully, being generous, etc. Big Emotions can help reactively towards those bigger more adverse emotions, whereas Big Hearts will build towards positive protective characteristics for children. We are really excited about it- it will probably go to print in March! There may be a delay because of COVID-19 with what it looks like with printing, but it is ready to go!

To learn more about Kim’s books or purchase, please visit: www.smoothsailingbooks.com