Episode 3
Episode 3: Zoe Korengold from Lionsgate Academy in Shoreview, Minnesota on supporting students' psychological health and wellness
Two-time Frontline Initiative author Zoe Korengold, who is on the support response team (SRT) at Lionsgate Academy, reflects on how they handle situations with students who are experiencing big emotions that are challenging in a way that is supportive and safe for everyone. Zoe shares their perspective as an autistic person, who didn’t have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in school to support them, and how starting with students' strengths can make a huge difference in how students with disabilities view themselves.
Read Zoe Korengold's story: Supporting Students' Psychological Health and Wellness
-
Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota
National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP)
Transcript
- Hi, my name is Chet Cheddar
Speaker:and I'll be your host for a closer look
Speaker:where we'll explore the most current
Speaker:and relevant topics covered
in Frontline Initiative,
Speaker:which is a magazine produced
by the National Alliance
Speaker:for Direct Support
Professionals in partnership
Speaker:with the University of
Minnesota's Institute on
Speaker:Community Integration.
Speaker:If you're wondering what
Frontline Initiative is all about,
Speaker:it's about the work that direct
support professionals do on
Speaker:a day-to-day basis as they
support people with intellectual
Speaker:and developmental disabilities.
Speaker:I'll be talking to authors
Speaker:and taking a closer look
at current practices,
Speaker:tools, and resources.
Speaker:So buckle up and let's hear
what the authors have to say.
Speaker:Today I'm gonna be talking with Zoe Kold.
Speaker:I got to interview Zoe
Speaker:for their article called
Supporting Students'
Speaker:Psychological Health and Wellness.
Speaker:In that interview, Zoey reflected on
Speaker:how they handle situations with students
Speaker:who are experiencing big emotions
Speaker:that sometimes get challenging.
Speaker:Zoey not only talks about
how important the training is
Speaker:that she and her teammates got,
Speaker:but also the teamwork that helps them
Speaker:and their coworkers
provide a safe situation
Speaker:for everybody when things
do get challenging at work.
Speaker:So let's get started.
Speaker:- Happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker:- We're thrilled to have you.
Speaker:Some of the listeners may be
wondering if an educational
Speaker:assistant is the same as a
direct support professional,
Speaker:and I'm gonna suggest
that we think that, think
Speaker:of it in terms of direct support
pro professionals working
Speaker:in different areas of the lives of people
Speaker:with intellectual disabilities.
Speaker:So let's think of educational assistance
Speaker:as doing the same sort of work
Speaker:as DSPs just in an educational setting.
Speaker:Just like job, job coaches
Speaker:or employment specialists are working
Speaker:to help people in vocational settings.
Speaker:And we do know that many DSPs
Speaker:or direct support workers,
support people in their homes
Speaker:or in their social lives.
Speaker:So Zoe, can you tell the the
listeners a little bit about
Speaker:you and the work that you
do at Lionsgate Academy?
Speaker:- Yeah, so I am non-binary.
Speaker:I'm autistic and I'm on
the support response team
Speaker:and crisis team at Lionsgate
Academy in Shoreview.
Speaker:It's my dream job.
Speaker:I love what I do every day
Speaker:and I love the kids that I'm around.
Speaker:It's a real honor to be with them
Speaker:and it's also a real honor
to be around team members
Speaker:that have been on the
crisis team for years, some
Speaker:of them over a decade.
Speaker:And to be able to learn from them
Speaker:and call them my mentors is like a real
Speaker:honor in my life. So
Speaker:- Yeah, that sounds really cool.
Speaker:How many years have you been at Lionsgate?
Speaker:- Yeah, so I started on the SRT team
Speaker:and crisis team this last
year coming into September.
Speaker:This will be my third year at Lionsgate.
Speaker:- And just to be clear, the SRT is the
Speaker:support response team, correct?
Speaker:- Correct. Yeah.
- Alright.
Speaker:And Lionsgate Academy, what is that?
Speaker:- What is Lionsgate Academy?
That's such a great question.
Speaker:The best place on Earth, like
let's just start with that.
Speaker:Sounds good. Heaven best people.
Speaker:Yeah. Lionsgate Academy is
basically a public charter school
Speaker:that was tailored specifically
for kiddos on the spectrum.
Speaker:But not everybody at Lionsgate
is a kiddo on the spectrum.
Speaker:We've got kids with just
different stuff going on.
Speaker:A lot of them are on some form of IEP
Speaker:or like a five, oh I think
it's called a 5 0 4 plan.
Speaker:Okay. So yeah.
Speaker:- And IEP stands for
- Individualized
Speaker:- Educational
- Educational
Speaker:- Plan.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:- You can tell that I'm not
really like on the academic side
Speaker:of things because I'm like,
well I know the acronym, but
Speaker:- Yeah, we get used to using acronyms.
Speaker:So yeah, I try to make sure
that we spell those out
Speaker:whenever possible 'cause
I don't always know
Speaker:what people are talking about.
Speaker:I did know that one though.
Speaker:- And it's a good thing for like people
Speaker:who might wanna go into this work too,
Speaker:that maybe it's a hard thing
to ask like what is an IEP?
Speaker:What is an acronym? You
know, like it's, it's tough.
Speaker:So it's a good thing to
clarify. Yeah, that's
Speaker:- A good question.
Speaker:What is an IEP?
Speaker:- An IEP
- In a nutshell
Speaker:- Can be a life saver to be honest.
Speaker:For a lot of kids it's like,
it's not just about academics.
Speaker:It's like about what helps them focus the
Speaker:great things about them.
Speaker:A lot of case managers
Speaker:and teachers start out
by writing the strengths
Speaker:of the students and
things to look forward to.
Speaker:Like if you're reading IEP for a new kid
Speaker:that you might not know, a lot
Speaker:of it is just the stuff they're
working on in their core
Speaker:subjects and also socially.
Speaker:And for a lot of these kids,
an IEP is truly a lifesaver,
Speaker:especially if they've had any amount
Speaker:of time without one in school.
Speaker:Those accommodations make
a really big difference.
Speaker:- Yeah, I bet. So it's really that plan
Speaker:that everybody can work from to make sure
Speaker:that you're really supporting the student
Speaker:with the things that they need.
Speaker:And also, as you said, I loved,
you know, starting out with
Speaker:what are that person's strengths
Speaker:and looking at that rather
than looking at any sort
Speaker:of deficits first.
Speaker:- Yeah, it's really great,
Speaker:especially since like my
own IEP didn't start out
Speaker:with my strengths just
went right into like
Speaker:what do you need to work on?
Speaker:What do you need to change?
Speaker:And that had a tremendous effect on,
Speaker:but reading through these IEPs
Speaker:and feeling like if I
handed this to the student,
Speaker:like the first thing
they're gonna do is smile
Speaker:and say like, wow, these people like think
Speaker:these things about me.
Speaker:And that's just a really special impact
Speaker:that we can have at Lionsgate, you know,
Speaker:- And and what a piece just on
thinking about the article is
Speaker:all about kind of that safety
Speaker:and that security for students'
psychological wellbeing.
Speaker:So it starts with that.
Speaker:- Yeah, it's a lot of little parts
Speaker:and pieces that go into
making people feel safe
Speaker:and people feel accepted and welcomed.
Speaker:- Zoe, tell me about how did
you get interested in working
Speaker:with kids on the spectrum
Speaker:or kids who has have
intellectual disabilities?
Speaker:- Yeah, I started working at
the Autism Society of Minnesota
Speaker:and I was like kind of doing a couple
Speaker:of their like zoo classes
and then I went to camp
Speaker:and camp hand in hand solidified for me
Speaker:that like not only do I
wanna do this for a living
Speaker:and be in my community
for like probably the rest
Speaker:of my life, but also like wow
I feel welcomed and seen here.
Speaker:I feel accepted and I feel
like I'm healing like those
Speaker:parts of myself that were not validated
Speaker:and I was told to put,
you know, to hide away.
Speaker:I felt very seen for the
first time in my life
Speaker:and that really solidified
for me like yep, this is
Speaker:where I belong is with my own people.
Speaker:- Wow. That camp experience
Speaker:as a a camp staff member
really made a huge
Speaker:impact on your life, didn't it?
Speaker:- Yeah, it made me the person I am today.
Speaker:- That's really, really awesome.
Speaker:Talk a little bit about your
education, your training
Speaker:to be in the position you are today.
Speaker:- Yeah, I feel like, to be honest, a lot
Speaker:of my training came from
being an autistic kid
Speaker:and sometimes like a lot of
the training came from like
Speaker:what I learned not to be
Speaker:and what I learned like not to
do from the people around me
Speaker:who just didn't see me for who I am
Speaker:and wasn't able to validate
me as an autistic child.
Speaker:So that was like a big
learning thing for me.
Speaker:But like when it comes to
actual training, I went
Speaker:to the U of M,
Speaker:- University of Minnesota. Yes.
Speaker:- Okay. Twin Cities. I got my
bachelor's majored in English.
Speaker:A lot of my training comes
from camp hand in hand as well.
Speaker:And then when you go to
Lionsgate they do the,
Speaker:it's like the NPI, like
nonviolent and like
Speaker:- Crisis intervention.
Speaker:- Yes, non-violent crisis intervention.
Speaker:They do a lot of that, which is good.
Speaker:- Yeah, that's a, a
nationally known course
Speaker:that helps people know
how to handle difficult
Speaker:situations a positive way.
Speaker:- I feel like everybody
should take that course
Speaker:or at least like read
through their workbook.
Speaker:It's, it's really helpful.
Speaker:- Yeah, there's a lot of
positive interventions in there
Speaker:that really help you think about how
Speaker:to handle situations in a
positive way to to really look for
Speaker:what is the outcome that you want
Speaker:and how's that gonna be the
safest not only physically
Speaker:but psychologically for the person
Speaker:who might be having a hard time.
Speaker:- Yeah, absolutely. And it
like helps you see things
Speaker:very objectively.
Speaker:Like for example, like if you
have a student that's very,
Speaker:like they might have ODD
Speaker:where they're very defiant, you know,
Speaker:that's kind of the term we use.
Speaker:I guess it lets you see
things objectively for like,
Speaker:okay, if if I'm getting pushback
for something, here's a way
Speaker:that I can react that won't like
Speaker:get me subjectively involved,
Speaker:but instead just lets them
know like these are the
Speaker:expectations.
Speaker:Like it's, this is what it is, you know,
Speaker:so it's, it's helpful to enter
Speaker:through things objectively
with that training.
Speaker:- Okay, cool. So earlier
we talked about the,
Speaker:the two teams that you're on.
Speaker:One is the support response team
Speaker:and the other is the crisis team.
Speaker:Can you tell me how they're different
Speaker:and then how they might
overlap if they do?
Speaker:- Yeah, absolutely. They
overlap all the time actually.
Speaker:So the support response
team is an on-call team
Speaker:that handles a lot of just like kind
Speaker:of on-call everyday things.
Speaker:This could vary from
emotionally supporting a student
Speaker:when they are going through a hard time
Speaker:and might just need space to be able
Speaker:to have the emotions that they have.
Speaker:This can be like if students are kind
Speaker:of getting into a verbal conflict in class
Speaker:or in a space and kind
of getting them apart so
Speaker:that they can have privacy
and also have processing time.
Speaker:We're also called for behaviors such
Speaker:as like if someone is having an emotion
Speaker:and needs to get it out
by getting physical.
Speaker:So throwing things
Speaker:or maybe hitting, you know, those types
Speaker:of behaviors we're called for.
Speaker:And the crisis team,
there's a lot of overlap
Speaker:'cause sometimes you'll
walk into an SRT call
Speaker:and know immediately
that it's a crisis call
Speaker:or it becomes a crisis call
when you need just more bodies
Speaker:to help facilitate the situation.
Speaker:So if there is a safety risk for example,
Speaker:I'm definitely calling the
crisis team to help the student
Speaker:that's having a hard time to
help the classroom be able
Speaker:to go out of the classroom and relocate.
Speaker:To help follow up with teachers
Speaker:and staff to make sure that they are okay
Speaker:and if they need support
wherever their class is,
Speaker:we help them with that as well.
Speaker:Sometimes if we need to remove
dangerous objects from a
Speaker:classroom, I'm definitely
calling the crisis team
Speaker:to help me move things out of a class
Speaker:or out of a space. So yeah.
Speaker:- Okay. So when you call the crisis team
Speaker:and people kind of start arriving,
Speaker:how do you know who's gonna do what?
Speaker:Because it sounded like there
were lots of moving parts
Speaker:to that, right?
Speaker:Somebody's gonna be
Speaker:with the person who's having a hard time,
Speaker:maybe more than one person.
Speaker:You're gonna have people
who are helping folks in the
Speaker:classroom kind of move to a
different area, touching base
Speaker:with the the teachers and the students
Speaker:because everybody can
be affected emotionally
Speaker:and sometimes phy
physically by a situation
Speaker:where a person has been acting out.
Speaker:- Yeah, thankfully the
team is very cohesive.
Speaker:So like, and we also really know our kids
Speaker:so when we walk into a room
for a specific student,
Speaker:we usually know what needs to happen.
Speaker:Direct communication also is such a gift.
Speaker:I'm able to say I need
you to get everything out
Speaker:of this room and they just start doing it
Speaker:or I need X, Y, Z and they go and get it.
Speaker:I'm very direct
Speaker:and I expect the same
out of my team members
Speaker:to tell me exactly what
needs to happen And a lot
Speaker:of it is just learning, like watch
Speaker:what other people do.
Speaker:So if there's other crisis
team members already on scene
Speaker:and they're, and I see them, you know,
Speaker:taking out a table from a room, I know
Speaker:that I'm gonna be taking stuff out too.
Speaker:But yeah, it just kind of depends
Speaker:and usually people are very, very direct
Speaker:and that's a really good thing to have.
Speaker:- Yeah, that's gotta be really helpful so
Speaker:that you know, you know what to do.
Speaker:Paying attention to what other
people are doing as well.
Speaker:Kind of knowing those
basic concepts of we need
Speaker:to make sure the environment is safe.
Speaker:What are some things in
there that could be used
Speaker:in an unsafe way
Speaker:and how do we make it safe
Speaker:for the person who's having a hard time?
Speaker:Right. Yeah,
Speaker:- Absolutely.
Speaker:And I'm really grateful
'cause our team is just
Speaker:like spot on.
Speaker:Just wonderful people
who have been doing this
Speaker:for a long time that I learn a lot from
Speaker:and that I can always go to
with questions. They're great.
Speaker:- That's really cool. In
your article you talked
Speaker:about really meeting the
student where they are
Speaker:to support their psychological
wellbeing and mental health.
Speaker:What strategies do you use
to get to know this student
Speaker:and identify what they may need
Speaker:to support their mental health?
Speaker:- So a lot
Speaker:of the times students
will actually tell you
Speaker:what they need. That's
Speaker:- Always
- Helpful, which is really cool.
Speaker:Like if they're able to communicate
Speaker:to me in whatever way that they need space
Speaker:or that they need privacy
Speaker:or that they with like a song to be played
Speaker:that makes them feel better.
Speaker:Just a number of things.
Speaker:Oftentimes students will
tell you what they need
Speaker:if they can't or if you don't
know them very well, it's kind
Speaker:of like looking in the toolbox
Speaker:and just being like, do
you wanna use this tool?
Speaker:You know for example like I
might offer a weighted blanket
Speaker:if someone's having a really hard time
Speaker:and it seems like a good time to ask,
Speaker:I might ask if they want hand squeezes
Speaker:or if they want the light
dimmed, if they'd like to go
Speaker:to the regulation station,
if they just need privacy.
Speaker:It's kind of like looking in that toolbox
Speaker:that I know is there and offering tools
Speaker:and seeing which ones work.
Speaker:And then once we figure out
which ones work, we kind
Speaker:of communicate that to
the rest of the team so
Speaker:that it's kind of like if Jimmy
over here has a hard time,
Speaker:again we know that this,
this and this works.
Speaker:And that way everybody can also be on the
Speaker:same page for Jimmy.
Speaker:- Yeah, for sure. And some
Speaker:of the things you mentioned
it made me think about
Speaker:really you need to know, know
the kid and kid the person
Speaker:and know what is it
Speaker:that they individually
need and respond to.
Speaker:'cause we know that some
people might need more sensory
Speaker:input like the weighted blanket
Speaker:or having their hands squeezed
Speaker:and others might need less
sensory input like dimming the
Speaker:lights or whatever their
particular need is.
Speaker:You also referenced a
Speaker:regulation, help me out here
Speaker:- Regulation station.
Speaker:- Tell me what that is please.
Speaker:- It's such an awesome thing.
Speaker:So Lionsgate has two regulation
stations also called the reg
Speaker:station and inside the
reg station you'll find
Speaker:like a red swing that
really hugs the body tight.
Speaker:You'll find a platform
swing which is really good
Speaker:for just like going back and forth.
Speaker:There's a projector that
will play calming music
Speaker:and calming videos.
Speaker:There's like a Brillo light
thing, there's a light bright,
Speaker:there's puzzles,
Speaker:- There's a, what do you
mean by a Brillo light sheet?
Speaker:- It's like it's not,
Speaker:I don't think it's called
a Brillo light actually.
Speaker:It's like, you know that
thing that looks like hair,
Speaker:like it has a base
Speaker:and then there's, it looks
like these little silver hair
Speaker:sticking out of it and they
all light up different colors
Speaker:and you can kind of like put
them in a tube with your hand
Speaker:or you can just like feel
them really good sensory
Speaker:tool. It's my favorite thing.
Speaker:- We'll have to look these up.
Yeah. Yes, they sound really
Speaker:- Cool.
Speaker:Buy one, not sponsored
but they're the best
Speaker:and it's just, it's a great
place to get regulated
Speaker:and get a calm again.
Speaker:- Yeah find out or figure
out what that kid needs
Speaker:and they're probably gonna be somewhat
Speaker:attracted to that thing.
Speaker:And my guess is they've probably
been in at the regulation
Speaker:station and had a chance
when they're calm to kind of
Speaker:pick things out and know what's in there.
Speaker:Is that, would that be accurate?
Speaker:- Yeah, we definitely
try to get kids in there.
Speaker:Like a lot of SRTs job
too is to do a lot of like
Speaker:kind of like,
Speaker:I wanna say like
preliminary, I don't know if
Speaker:that's the right word,
but basically like help
Speaker:kids stay regulated before
things get to like a level four
Speaker:or five type of situation or
Speaker:before they get dysregulated basically.
Speaker:So part of that is like going on a walk
Speaker:or going to the reg station
Speaker:and they might just need
like a break in general.
Speaker:Like they're not feeling
necessarily dysregulated
Speaker:but they might just need a break
Speaker:and the reg stationer is
a really good place to go
Speaker:to like figure out what they
like and what will help them
Speaker:and for them to figure out
Speaker:what they like and what will help them.
Speaker:- Alright, let's talk a little bit about,
Speaker:you used a couple terms feeling
regulated or dysregulated.
Speaker:Tell us a little bit more,
kind of define that for us.
Speaker:- I kind of have
Speaker:feelings about the terms
regulated and dysregulated.
Speaker:I think it's often better to
refer to the actual emotion
Speaker:that's going on, but in
academics especially,
Speaker:we use the terms dysregulated
and regulated a lot.
Speaker:Regulated basically means like calm
Speaker:and ready to learn from what I can see.
Speaker:- So Okay, that makes
- Sense. Yeah, your body is calm,
Speaker:your mind is calm, you're
not feeling too fast,
Speaker:you're not feeling too slow,
Speaker:you're feeling just like
just right quote unquote
Speaker:and dysregulated, which is where I kind
Speaker:of get like eh feelings about it.
Speaker:'cause like dysregulated can
mean a plethora of things.
Speaker:It's kind of like an
ambiguous term in my opinion.
Speaker:It can mean that you're really angry
Speaker:and maybe you're throwing things.
Speaker:It can mean that your
body is moving too fast
Speaker:and you're kind of like
not able to sit still.
Speaker:It can mean that you're
joking around too much
Speaker:and you're not able to listen,
Speaker:you're not able to concentrate.
Speaker:It can be a number of things
Speaker:but just basically like in a
state where you're not ready
Speaker:to be calm and ready to learn pretty much.
Speaker:- Okay, that's super helpful.
Speaker:The other terms you used were
level four and level five.
Speaker:I'm, I'm assuming those are
terms that you use in a school.
Speaker:What do you mean by those?
Speaker:- So the levels are kind of
out like quote unquote outdated
Speaker:or at least our occupational
therapists have been working on
Speaker:like instead of saying
you're at a four say
Speaker:that you're anxious
Speaker:or instead of saying you're
at a level five, you can say
Speaker:that you're furious.
Speaker:I use it for myself personally
Speaker:because sometimes as an
autistic person when I'm feeling
Speaker:dysregulated it is very
helpful for me to say
Speaker:to someone immediately I'm at a level four
Speaker:or five I need to bounce
when I don't have the words
Speaker:or when I just don't wanna tell somebody.
Speaker:Like I'm feeling furious, right?
Speaker:It's like an easier way for
me to access what I need.
Speaker:But I also do understand
like, you know, if our kids go
Speaker:to an employer in a couple years
Speaker:and say I'm a four,
Speaker:their employer's not gonna
necessarily like understand,
Speaker:but like a four is kind of like
Speaker:where you're teetering on
being out of control in
Speaker:that type of state.
Speaker:And a level five is where
you feel out of control
Speaker:of your body or like your emotions.
Speaker:- Alright, so those, those
levels kind of, there's a kind
Speaker:of a definition for that
Speaker:and it helps kids identify
like where they're at
Speaker:and how they can express to
someone else where they're at.
Speaker:Yeah. At least in in the school
Speaker:setting they're in currently.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah. Alright, well
thanks that's super helpful.
Speaker:One of the other things
you kind of touched on
Speaker:and I like to think about
Speaker:or I thought about when
we did the interview
Speaker:for your article is I think one
Speaker:of the most important
intervention strategies is often
Speaker:skipped and that's the debriefing
Speaker:after a situation has occurred.
Speaker:And it can be hard to get
back to that for a number
Speaker:of reasons, especially in a school
Speaker:or if you're working in a group home
Speaker:or an employment setting because
things move along quickly.
Speaker:Not to mention there's
often big feelings about
Speaker:what happened and you really have to kind
Speaker:of wait till everybody has kind
Speaker:of calmed down and everybody's
ready to talk about it.
Speaker:Can you tell me like how
do you all handle that and,
Speaker:and why I guess more is, you
know, talk about the importance
Speaker:of the debrief and
Speaker:how do you think students
really benefit from that?
Speaker:- Yeah, debriefs are very
beneficial for our students
Speaker:because it's not only like
a a space to debrief about
Speaker:what happened and how you
felt and get clarification,
Speaker:but also to clarify
like what do we do next?
Speaker:So at least at Lionsgate
Speaker:and our crisis team will
start by asking everybody
Speaker:how they're doing, going through
the facts of what happened,
Speaker:what people decided to do,
how they felt, what was hard
Speaker:in those situations and what do we do now.
Speaker:And that's very helpful to be
able to plan for the future.
Speaker:Basically like, okay, this happened,
Speaker:we need a different plan
Speaker:or what strategies
worked, what didn't work?
Speaker:Who needs to be communicated
with that type of thing.
Speaker:Debriefs are very important
for not only kind of
Speaker:having closure on what happened
Speaker:but also opening the door
to like a better future
Speaker:for our students and for
our staff pretty much.
Speaker:- Yeah, boy, I totally
agree with you on that.
Speaker:Also in your article you reminded people
Speaker:that they're not alone
Speaker:and they should find support
from others in the organization
Speaker:who can help them with the
strategies, provide training,
Speaker:whatever support people
need, you encourage them
Speaker:to work closely with the
person who's being supported
Speaker:to learn how they really wanna
be supported when they're in
Speaker:a bad space
Speaker:or when they're, you know,
having a difficult time.
Speaker:Tell us more about this
Speaker:and why do you think it's so important?
Speaker:Zoey?
Speaker:- I think if you're not able to feel
Speaker:safe within yourself, it's really hard
Speaker:to help other people feel safe.
Speaker:And that's why it's really important
Speaker:to have those core people
Speaker:wherever you are working in
this particular like position I
Speaker:guess that you know, you can
come to to them at any time
Speaker:with like, hey, I am
feeling this about this
Speaker:and I need to talk about it.
Speaker:To be able to have closure on
it, that's very important so
Speaker:that you can feel safe
Speaker:and that that feeling doesn't compound
Speaker:and start kind of branching into new calls
Speaker:and new crises that you're gonna take.
Speaker:So that support is very important
Speaker:and when we have that support
for each other, it's easier
Speaker:to mirror it for our students as well
Speaker:and it's easier for us to
collaborate on what's best
Speaker:for our students.
Speaker:- Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah.
Speaker:Do you have any final
words of encouragement
Speaker:or wisdom to share with the listeners?
Speaker:- I think that everybody
should know that the kids
Speaker:who are the toughest,
Speaker:who give you quote
unquote the hardest time
Speaker:or are like the quote unquote
quote unquote problem.
Speaker:Kids are really like the
best kids in the world.
Speaker:They are the best, they're
the most charismatic,
Speaker:the most multidimensional souls.
Speaker:And they've been through a
lot of things that also like
Speaker:give them a totally different
perspective to everything.
Speaker:And I wish that more people could see that
Speaker:and approach them the way that I see them
Speaker:and the way that my team them
Speaker:'cause that's ultimately
what they deserve.
Speaker:And I've seen these kids who
come into Lionsgate with,
Speaker:you know, this past of
people not believing in them
Speaker:and feeling alienated
Speaker:and they just flourish when
we allow them to flourish,
Speaker:when we allow them to be who they are
Speaker:and see them for who they are.
Speaker:And I had encourage everyone, like try
Speaker:to see your students or your
clients not as your client
Speaker:or your student, but for
who they are individually
Speaker:and outside of this structure.
Speaker:Who are they and who are they going to be?
Speaker:Because a lot of what
we do right now is going
Speaker:to create the person that's
going to just completely evolve
Speaker:and transform
Speaker:and show us like the magic
Speaker:that's been there all along, you know?
Speaker:And that's like my favorite
part of this job is being able
Speaker:to do that and knowing that
little Zoe deserve that too.
Speaker:And little Zoe gets that now, you know?
Speaker:But yeah, I guess that's my parting words.
Speaker:- Oh, thank you so much Zoe.
Speaker:This has just been a
pleasure visiting with you
Speaker:and learning more from you
Speaker:and the joy that you have for the work
Speaker:that you do is just contagious.
Speaker:So thank you. Thank you so much.
Speaker:Not only for being a two-time author,
Speaker:but now also being a podcaster with us.
Speaker:We really appreciate it.
Speaker:- Yeah, it was wonderful.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker:- Absolutely. And thank
you to the listeners
Speaker:for tuning in today.
Speaker:We appreciate you
Speaker:and we can, you can find
other episodes of this podcast
Speaker:as well as another podcast
called Health Matters
Speaker:for direct support on
your favorite podcast
Speaker:streaming services.
Speaker:Thanks again, Zoey, and have a great day.
