Nurturing Compassionate and Responsible Humans and Communities
Hello! I am the Stephanie of Supportive Stephanie. I am an educator in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I have worked in high needs elementary schools for nearly two decades and have learned a lot of hard-won lessons about what humans need to thrive.
Like most passions in life, Supportive Stephanie was born out of crisis. I didn’t realize just how not OK I was until my best friend had to drive me to the emergency room instead of spending a lovely Sunday with her family. One year before, the COVID pandemic had hit hard. At first, it was a huge relief. I was struggling. I was doing all the things I knew to do in my classroom and at home, but nothing worked. I spent my days waiting to see not if the other shoe dropped, but how many times. I hated the way it impacted my ability to be a parent and a wife. I was worried that I would start to hate myself.
So I started asking questions. I asked questions to myself. I asked questions of the people I loved. I asked questions to the internet and researched anyone who said something that resonated with me. As I learned more, it transformed not only my mental health but my relationships and how I approach working with kids. Now, I want to share it with you. My hope is that maybe you can find support before you find yourself in the ER.
Here I share what I have learned about caring for yourself, caring for others, and making the world a better place.
The Philosophy
Listen. I know I am not the smartest person in the room. None of this is my idea. I lean heavily on the work of leaders in their fields. What I do is think. A lot. This represents my point of view on how I see all these different ideas fit together and show up in our lives. My vision is the synthesis of what I have learned about emotional Intelligence, psychological safety, restorative practices, and well-being from some of the leaders in the field, like Dr. Dan Siegel, the Drs. Gottman, Dr. Jane Nelsen, and Emily Nagoski, among many others.
I believe we all can thrive. When we fail to thrive, we either do not have the skills needed to meet the demands placed on us, are disregulated, or stuck in a system that does not meet our needs. And, it happens to all of us. Moving from surviving to thriving is possible. It requires empathy, curiosity, self-compassion, authentic self-care (not just a spa day), and restoring harm. When we do these things, we create communities that are compassionate and accountable.
F.A.Q
Q: So, what would you say you do here?
A: For now, Supportive Stephanie offers life coaching but there is much more to come. If you are interested in finding someone to listen empathetically and offer perspective, I am your girl. Given my almost 2 decades in education, I am especially interested in burnout recovery for educators.
Q:If you could only give one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: Hmmm. I would say learn and practice self-compassion. Being your own worst critic is part of the human experience. Except, living things cannot grow where they are not safe.
Q: Are you a night owl or an early bird?
A: I am totally a night owl. Feel free to ask my sister-in-law. It is better to wait until I have had a few sips of coffee.