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What happens when an educator discovers that their voice matters?
In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Ilana Nankin sits down with longtime kindergarten teacher, educator leader, and newly elected teachers union president Kristy Herrera to explore a remarkable journey of growth, leadership, and advocacy.
In this conversation, she shares how daily practices like emotional check-ins, morning circles, and kindness rituals transformed her classroom, strengthened her confidence as an educator, and ultimately helped her find her voice as an advocate for students and teachers alike.
Whether you’re a classroom teacher, school leader, or simply passionate about the future of education, Kristy’s story is a powerful reminder that meaningful change often begins with a single educator willing to speak up.
Here are some of the best moments from the episode:
- Career Pivot: Leaving Commercial Interior Design for Teaching
- Discovering Breathe for Change & The Power of Practice
- Inside the Kindergarten Morning Circle & Sentence Frames
- “Buying Back Time”: The Quantifiable ROI of Mindfulness
- Smashing Baselines: Action Research on Language Acquisition
- System Innovation: The Kindness Ambassador & Peace Tickets
- Re-Enacting the Emergency Room Triage Metaphor Speech
- Finding Her Loud Voice: Becoming Union President
Follow “A Work of Heart” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if it resonated, take 30 seconds to rate and review. It helps more educators find these conversations and reminds the algorithm that teachers matter.
