Dr. Joelle M. Hood

Dr. Joelle Hood brings over 25 years of educational and leadership experience to Thriving YOUniversity clients. As a former "Teacher of the Year" and "Principal of the Year", Joelle brings passion, energy, and expertise to helping all humans thrive. As co-founder and Chief Empowerment Officer at Thriving YOUniversity, she uses her knowledge and expertise in organizational change and leadership along with her experience as a mindfulness instructor and life coach to provide researched-based keynotes, coaching, and experiential learning workshops to individuals, groups, and organizations throughout the nation. Her areas of passion and expertise include: Social, Emotional & Academic Learning, Leadership, Positive Psychology, Human Thriving and Flourishing, Well-being, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, The Science of Belonging & Human Connection, Mindset, School Culture Transformation, Restorative Practices, Employee Engagement, Workplace Wellness, Trust, Team-building, Trauma Informed Practices, and Resilience.

AAPF19 Session

The Biology of Belonging: Building Psychological Safety for Staff & Students
​Disconnection and distrust lead to toxicity and incivility in the classroom and the workplace. Strong social connections strengthen our immune system, lower anxiety and depression, and even help us live longer. Additionally, people who feel connected are more empathetic, trusting, and cooperative. Psychological safety is key to any environment where you want students and adults to ask questions, share ideas, and try new things. It is a must for creativity and innovation. This engaging, experiential, and interactive session will provide participants with research, strategies, and structures for building belonging, cultivating connection, and strengthening psychological safety in the classroom, the staff room, and the office. If you want to empower individuals and your organization to thrive, this is the session for you!

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AAPF18 Sessions:

Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (S.E.A.L.): It Starts With All of the Adults

Integrating Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (S.E.A.L.) Into School Culture:
It Starts With All of the Adults

Research is clear that social-emotional learning (SEL) is critical for student success in school, college, work, and life. An ever-increasing number of schools and districts across the globe are realizing the importance of SEL, but many are not sure where it fits in-- whether it is a behavioral intervention or something extra to add into already jam-packed academic content. The truth is, successful and sustainable SEL isn’t focused on a program. It’s focused on the people who deliver it, from top to bottom.

Adults in education are usually pretty good at the education part. After all, we’re familiar with academic content – we learned it in school ourselves. The difference with SEL is that most adults haven’t taken courses in emotional intelligence or engaged in activities intentionally designed to strengthen their own SEL skills. This produces a disconnect and makes it much harder to implement, as many teachers and leaders do not feel efficacious about the content themselves, let alone their capacity to model it, encourage it, deliver it to others. If schools and districts are truly in favor of prioritizing SEL in the classroom, they will need to learn how to intentionally and consistently prioritize it in the board room, staff room and throughout the organization. SEL is NOT something that we just give to kids.

In this engaging session, Dr. Joelle Hood will demonstrate how SEL needs to be modeled from all adults and integrated into all areas of the district. She will share how she has brought this deep dive learning into Executive Cabinets and District Management Retreats to give leaders the opportunity to participate in experiential activities to strengthen their own social-emotional intelligence and deepen their understanding of WHY these skills are so important to students and staff. Additionally, Joelle will highlight how she is helping educators to shift the idea of SEL as something separate to do in the classroom, and empowering them to synthesize teaching practices, structures, and content into integrated S.E.A.L., Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning.

Programs don’t change people. People change people.
SHIFT happens.

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Past AAPF Sessions:

District-Wide Social Emotional Learning: Cultivating Champions to Build Capacity and Sustainability

​Studies show that when Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is implemented district-wide and the focus starts with adults first, the outcomes for success and sustainability are much more likely. Last year, Collaborative Learning Solutions and Kern High School District partnered in a new Professional Learning/Internal Champion Coaching model called "Social Emotional Learning 2.0."  A team from each of the 23 high schools in the district gathered together monthly. In these monthly meetings, they participated in a full day of highly interactive and engaging Professional Learning with the expectation that they would take this new learning back to their classrooms and sites and come back with stories of best practices and challenges to overcome.  These SEL Internal Champions also participated in an online Professional Learning network supporting each other with ideas, questions, resources, and inspiration.  Learn how to use SEL and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to become catalysts for positive change! 

Social Emotional Wellness for Educators-- How it Takes a Whole Adult to Serve the Whole Child
​Our own Social Emotional Wellness is the best prevention/intervention tool that we can offer our students and colleagues, yet stress among teachers is on the rise. Over half of teachers in the United States, report severe stress in the workplace.  Research shows that this stress often leads to high absenteeism and turnover, and lowered efficacy in the classroom and longevity in the profession.  In this highly engaging workshop, the facilitator will explain the latest research on the neuroscience supporting Social Emotional Wellness and Mindfulness for educators, and take participants on an experiential journey to see how awakening their own attention and self-reflection will enhance their ability to create positive change within themselves, influence positive change on their school/district climate and culture, and enhance their ability to serve the whole child needs of each student.