If students don’t feel safe, secure, and loved… the instruction won’t land.

Before Breathe For Change, Kristy was juggling the weight of stress from both her home and classroom life. She didn’t have the tools to manage that stress effectively, and it was impacting how she showed up for her students. She found herself running low on patience — and knew something had to change.

Through Breathe For Change, Kristy developed the confidence to step into leadership, the presence to support her students with empathy, and the tools to spark a wellness movement across her school.

“If students don’t feel safe, secure, and loved… the instruction is much harder to land.”

Background

Kristy came into Breathe For Change during a time when she felt out of balance. The pressures of work and life were bleeding into each other, and she was showing up for her students without the grounding she knew they deserved — or that she deserved herself.

She didn’t just want to survive teaching. She wanted to grow into someone who could create positive, lasting change in her community.

Challenges Faced

Before the training, Kristy:

• Struggled to manage her own stress in a way that didn’t spill into the classroom
• Felt her patience and presence were lacking with her students
• Had no formal training in SEL or wellness leadership — just a deep desire to do better

Transformation

Since completing the 200-hour training, Kristy’s biggest transformation has been her development as a leader. She now carries the confidence to step into new spaces, try new things, and lead with clarity, empathy, and love.

She’s implemented SEL strategies in her daily classroom routines and teaches yoga and mindfulness to students, staff, and even in school-wide meetings. She created wellness opportunities for both students and teachers — and proudly celebrates and shares what she’s learned.

Her students, in turn, have become wellness ambassadors, helping to spread kindness, self-regulation, and compassion as they move through the grades. As Kristy says, it all started with one yes — and it’s continued through every ripple.

Q&A

What’s been your biggest transformation?

“My development as a leader. I’ve stepped into my stretch zone, grown more empathetic, and gained the confidence to share this work with others.”

How have you brought this into your school?

“I teach SEL daily to my students. I lead yoga and mindfulness for staff and older students, and I even share mindfulness moments during school-wide meetings.”

What’s one moment that really stuck with you?

“During my Master’s practicum, I saw the data to support what I’ve always felt — when students feel safe, secure, and loved, they can actually learn. A simple morning SEL circle made all the difference.”

What advice would you give to future Breathe For Change students?

“Absorb all the goodness. Implement the strategies. Adjust them to whoever is in front of you. But above all — breathe, and lead with love.”

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Kristy’s journey proves what’s possible when one teacher says yes — yes to growth, yes to wellness, and yes to becoming the pebble that starts the ripple.

By equipping educators with the tools to support both themselves and their students, the Breathe for Change Master’s Degree is shaping the future of education, one teacher at a time.

Learn more about our program or apply today to start your journey!