✍🏼 Editor’s Note: What We Practice, We Become

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much of our lives is shaped by what we repeatedly experience.

The environments we work in. The people we spend time with. The habits we build. The expectations we operate under. The emotions we experience day after day.

Over time, those experiences do something to us.

They shape what we believe is normal. They influence how we show up. And eventually, they become part of who we are.

I think that’s true individually, but it’s also true organizationally.

If people repeatedly experience trust, they become more willing to take risks and be honest. If they repeatedly experience appreciation, they may become more willing to contribute. If they repeatedly experience urgency, uncertainty, or disconnection, those experiences shape behavior too.

That’s why I’m becoming increasingly interested in the environments we create around people, not just the outcomes we want from them.

As leaders, builders, parents, colleagues, and friends, we are constantly creating experiences for other people, whether we realize it or not. The question is whether those experiences are happening by accident or whether we are intentional about creating the conditions for people to grow, connect, contribute, and become who they want to be.

The same is true for ourselves.

This month marks 100 straight weeks of documenting my journey through Building Come Home Collective. I certainly haven’t felt motivated for all 100 of them. But the commitment to keep showing up has created its own experience. The repetition has shaped my habits, strengthened my discipline, and changed how I think about consistency.

Maybe that’s part of what human development actually is.

Not one transformative moment. Not one training, conversation, or experience.

But what happens when the right things are experienced and practiced consistently enough that, over time, they become part of who we are.

So one question I’m sitting with this month is:

What am I repeatedly creating—for myself and for the people around me?

Because what we experience repeatedly has a way of shaping who we become.

We are stronger together,

Griffin

🎥 Behind the Build: 100 Straight Weeks

Today marks Episode 100 of Building Come Home Collective—100 straight weeks of documenting and sharing the work of building everything I’m involved in.

I started creating long-form content because I wanted a place to document the journey honestly: what I’m building, what I’m learning, the decisions I’m making, the questions I’m wrestling with, and how I’m navigating life as a builder of multiple things. My hope has always been that by sharing the process, there’s something useful in it for someone else. A perspective, an idea, a lesson, or simply a look at what building something over time actually looks like.

And after 100 straight weeks, one lesson continues to stand out:

Motivation comes and goes. Consistency requires something deeper.

There have been weeks when I’ve been incredibly motivated to create and others when I haven’t. What has allowed me to keep showing up is building the habits, systems, and commitments that keep things moving even when motivation disappears.

That’s true for creating content, but I think it’s equally true for leadership, building organizations, developing ourselves, and pursuing anything meaningful over time.

So Episode 100 is a celebration, but it’s also a reflection on what it takes to keep showing up.

100 straight weeks. Still learning. Still sharing. Still building.

If you want to follow along, subscribe here

🧭 Field Notes: How Do You Want to Feel?

What if one of the most important leadership questions isn’t, “How should my team feel?” What if it’s, “How do they want to feel?”

One of my biggest takeaways from the TISEI Congress of Emotional Intelligence came from Jochen Menges’ work on emotional alignment—the extent to which people’s preferred emotions align with their actual and/or expected emotions.

His work challenged me to think about three different emotional experiences: actual emotions, or how I genuinely feel; expected emotions, or how I think I should feel; and desired emotions, or how I want to feel.

That distinction has stayed with me because organizations spend a lot of time trying to understand how people currently feel. We use engagement surveys, culture surveys, check-ins, and conversations to better understand people’s experiences. But there’s another question I don’t think we ask nearly enough: How do you want to feel?

And the answer isn’t universal.

One of the things I found especially interesting in Menges’ work is how the emotions people wish to feel at work can differ across cultures. In the visualization below, for example, the top desired emotions in China are accomplished, respected, and fulfilled. In France, they’re fulfilled, grateful, and content. In Argentina, they’re respected, calm, and content.

Think about what those differences could mean for leadership. Supporting someone who wants to feel accomplished might mean creating clearer goals, opportunities for progress, meaningful feedback, and ways to see the impact of their work. Supporting someone who wants to feel respected might require greater attention to voice, autonomy, recognition, and how decisions are made. And supporting someone who wants to feel calm might cause us to examine workload, predictability, communication, meeting practices, or the unnecessary urgency we’ve built into the work.

Of course, this doesn’t mean everyone within a particular country wants to feel the same way. Culture is only one of many influences. Our identities, experiences, roles, relationships, circumstances, and individual preferences can all shape the emotions we value and want to experience.

And that’s exactly why leaders need to ask.

Do the people we lead want to feel challenged? Appreciated? Accomplished? Confident? Respected? Safe? Connected? Calm? We can’t assume we know the answer simply because we know the person, their role, or even the culture they’re part of.

This is one of the reasons I’ve continued using the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence’s Charter tool with leadership teams. It creates space for conversations that rarely happen otherwise: How do we want to feel together? What behaviors help us experience those feelings? What gets in the way? And what might we change about the way we lead, communicate, meet, make decisions, recognize people, structure work, and design our systems to make those emotions more possible?

That’s the leadership opportunity I see in emotional alignment. It’s not about leaders dictating how people should feel or trying to guarantee that everyone feels exactly how they want all the time. It’s about becoming more curious about the emotional experiences we’re creating and more intentional about designing the conditions around them.

🤝 In Practice: Building the Center for Human Skills

Over the past few months, we’ve been sharing more about the evolution of SEL4NC into the Center for Human Skills and the vision behind what we’re building.

At its core is a simple belief: human development deserves intentional investment.

Across education, business, healthcare, nonprofits, and communities, we continue to see many of the same human challenges show up in different forms. People are navigating increasing complexity, leaders are working to strengthen trust and connection, organizations are thinking about wellbeing and retention, and technology is changing how we work and what skills will matter most in the future.

We believe many of these challenges require us to invest more intentionally in the human skills that help people connect, lead, adapt, collaborate, navigate emotions, make thoughtful decisions, and live well.

That’s the work we’re building the Center for Human Skills to advance.

Our vision is bigger than any single program or sector. We want to help organizations strengthen their people and systems, create opportunities for people to develop these skills across the lifespan, build networks that bring people together to learn from one another, and contribute research and insights that can inform practice and policy.

And now, we’re inviting others to help us build it.

As we establish the Center’s foundation, we’re looking for Founding Partners who believe in this work and want to help make what’s possible next possible. That might mean investing financially, connecting us with others who share this vision, partnering with us on the work, or simply helping more people understand why human development matters right now.

If this work resonates with you, I’d invite you to learn more about what we’re building and what it means to become a Founding Partner.

Learn More About the Center for Human Skills & Become a Founding Partner

We’re early in this journey, and that’s part of what makes this moment exciting. There’s an opportunity not simply to support what already exists, but to help build what comes next.

📩 info@centerforhumanskills.org

Where This Work Lives

Everything I’m building and helping build is rooted in one core mission: human development. Whether through my doctoral research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founding Come Home Collective, or helping build the emerging Center for Human Skills, this work is centered on how people grow, how leaders lead, and how systems create the conditions for trust, belonging, and sustainable change.

If this perspective resonates and you are thinking about how to center human development in your leadership, culture, or systems, I would welcome the opportunity to connect.

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: It Starts With Identity

Lately, I’ve been thinking less about leadership strategies and more about leadership identity.

One of the questions I keep coming back to is why human development becomes deeply embedded in some organizations while remaining an initiative in others.

I don’t think the difference is better programs, more training, or stronger frameworks.

I think it’s identity.

The leaders who build healthy cultures don’t just practice emotional intelligence at work. They see people, relationships, and leadership through that lens wherever they go—at work, at home, at their children’s sporting events, at the grocery store, in difficult conversations, and in moments of conflict.

It’s not something they turn on when they step into the office.

It’s part of who they are.

And I think that’s why this work becomes sustainable.

When human-centered leadership is rooted in identity, it naturally shapes how leaders make decisions, build relationships, respond under pressure, and ultimately design the systems around them. Trust isn’t a program. Belonging isn’t an initiative. Wellbeing isn’t another priority competing for attention. They become expressions of how a leader sees people and what they believe leadership is for.

That’s why I don’t think organizations become human-centered simply by adopting new practices.

They become human-centered because the people leading them have become human-centered.

Everything else flows from there.

Maybe that’s the invitation for all of us.

Not simply to ask, “What should I do differently as a leader?”

But to ask,

“Who am I becoming?”

Because culture is shaped less by what leaders know than by who they are becoming.

We are stronger together,

Griffin

🤔 A Question I've Been Sitting With: Becoming an Emotional Ally

Just this past week, I had the opportunity to attend the TISEI 10th Congress of Emotional Intelligence at Yale. I'm still taking time to digest a few days filled with learning, meaningful conversations, and new questions about how we continue advancing emotional intelligence and human development.

But one idea has stayed with me.

Who has an Emotional Ally because of me?

Researchers at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence are exploring the emerging concept of Emotional Allies. Rather than asking people what emotional intelligence looks like, they asked thousands of individuals to describe the people they turn to when they’re struggling emotionally.

The responses weren’t what many of us might expect.

People didn’t describe the smartest person in the room.
Or the best problem solver.
Or the person with all the answers.

Instead, they described people who were:

• Good listeners

• Empathetic

• Non-judgmental

• Kind

• Caring

• Compassionate

• Patient

• Understanding

An Emotional Ally isn’t a therapist, fixer, or rescuer.

It’s someone who creates the conditions for others to feel safe enough to be honest, make meaning of their emotions, and navigate challenges without feeling diminished or dismissed.

What I appreciate most about this idea is that the focus isn’t on whether we had an Emotional Ally growing up. It’s on whether we’re becoming one for someone else.

Through warmth, listening, empathy, compassion, and steady support, we create the psychological safety that allows people to grow.

It’s also a meaningful reminder that emotional intelligence isn’t something you either have or don’t have.

It’s a human capacity that can be developed over time.

So this month, I’ve been sitting with a few questions, and I’d invite you to reflect on them as well:

• Who has an Emotional Ally because of me?

• How do people experience me when they’re struggling?

• Where is there an opportunity for me to grow?

Whether you’re leading a team, raising children, supporting a colleague, or showing up for a friend, perhaps one of the most important things we can become is someone others feel emotionally safe with.

🎙️ Podcasts I’m Tuning Into: How to Master Your Emotions with Dr. Marc Brackett

One of the conversations I’ve continued thinking about this month is Dr. Marc Brackett’s discussion on mastering our emotions.

What I appreciate most is that it reinforces a theme running throughout this month’s newsletter:

Emotional intelligence isn’t something you either have or don’t have.

It’s something we can continue developing throughout our lives.

Whether you’re leading a team, raising a family, or simply investing in your own growth, this episode offers practical, research-backed ways to strengthen one of the most important human skills we have.

🤝 In Practice: Building the Center for Human Skills

A couple of weeks ago, our leadership team gathered for the Center for Human Skills Summer Retreat as we continue the transition from SEL4NC, a grassroots alliance, to the nonprofit Center for Human Skills.

As we looked ahead, one thing became increasingly clear: the work we’re building isn’t for one sector. It’s about strengthening the human skills that help people connect, lead, and live well wherever they are.

That’s why the Center for Human Skills exists.

Our purpose is to strengthen human connection, grow the skills people need to connect, lead, and live well, and advance whole-person wellbeing across the lifespan.

Whether in education, business, healthcare, nonprofits, or community organizations, we continue to see the same opportunity: investing in the human skills that strengthen relationships, leadership, wellbeing, and the systems people experience every day.

We’re still early in the journey, but I’m incredibly encouraged by the people, organizations, and partners choosing to build this alongside us. Together, we’re creating the foundation for work that we believe can contribute to a healthier, more connected North Carolina, and ultimately, a broader conversation about what it means to intentionally develop people across the lifespan.

If you’re interested in learning more, exploring a partnership, or connecting around this work, we’d love to hear from you.

📩 info@centerforhumanskills.org

Where This Work Lives

Everything I am building and a part of is rooted in one core mission: human development. Whether through my doctoral research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founding Come Home Collective, or helping build the emerging Center for Human Skills, this work is centered on how people grow, how leaders lead, and how systems create the conditions for trust, belonging, and sustainable change.

If this perspective resonates and you are thinking about how to center human development in your leadership, culture, or systems, I would welcome the opportunity to connect.

— Griffin

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

✍🏼 Editor’s Note

One of the clearest patterns I continue to see across organizations is this:

The difference between where human development becomes sustainable and where it stays isolated often comes down to one thing: whether the leader is leading the work.

When emotional intelligence, trust, relationships, collaboration, and wellbeing are treated like a department, they often stay there. But when leaders embody and prioritize this work, it shapes the culture, systems, and decisions of the entire organization.

This month’s Editor’s Note is a little different. Instead of writing about it, I wanted to share a recent vlog where I unpack this idea more fully.

Because human development was never meant to be a department.

It’s the foundation.

We are stronger together,

Griffin

🔍 Insights I’m Tracking: AI Skills Might Get You Seen. Human Skills Still Get You Hired.

As AI continues to reshape the workforce, one thing is becoming increasingly clear:

Technical skill alone is not enough.

Recent findings from High Point University show that 83% of C-suite executives and 86% of HR professionals say they have not hired candidates based solely on AI expertise. At the same time, 90% of executives and 93% of HR leaders say life skills like emotional intelligence, work ethic, motivation, and collaboration remain essential when hiring.

Key Insight:
In an AI-powered world, emotional intelligence and human skills are not becoming less important, they’re becoming more differentiating.

As one CEO put it: “If you have IQ without EQ, it’s a waste of IQ.”

Even Steve Wozniak reinforces this point: individuals with AI skills are valuable, but those equipped with both technical and life skills will continue to be the most in-demand professionals in the workforce.

This continues to shine a light on something we cannot overlook:

➡️ These skills must be intentionally developed long before people enter the workforce.
➡️ K–12 and higher education have a critical role to play in building these capacities early.
➡️ Organizations must continue creating environments where these skills are strengthened, modeled, and practiced.

Because emotional intelligence, trust, communication, and collaboration are not fixed traits.

They are human capacities.

And like any muscle, they can be nurtured, developed, and strengthened over time.

If you’re thinking about how to intentionally develop the emotional intelligence, trust, and human skills of your students, leaders, and teams so they can thrive in today’s world and workforce, I’d love to connect. click here

🛠️ In Practice: Where Is Human Development Living in Your System?

One of the questions I’ve been sitting with lately is this: Where does human development actually live inside your organization?

Not on paper.
Not in the mission statement.
Not in the values on the wall.

But in practice.

One of the clearest indicators of whether this work will sustain is whether it’s embedded in leadership itself or isolated within a department, initiative, or role.

The question isn’t whether human development matters. It’s where it actually lives in the everyday rhythms of your organization. In your meetings. In your feedback. In your decision-making. In how people experience trust, clarity, care, and accountability.

A few reflection questions to sit with:

1. Who is carrying the responsibility for human development in your organization?
Is it embedded in leadership, or has it been delegated elsewhere?

2. What are your people being asked to create for others that they are not consistently experiencing themselves?
Trust. Belonging. Respect. Clarity. Care. Psychological safety.

3. If your people modeled your culture exactly as it exists today, what would it reproduce?
More connection? More fear? More collaboration? More burnout?

These aren’t easy questions, but they matter.

Because the strongest cultures are not built by what we say matters. They’re built by what leaders consistently embody, reinforce, and design for.

And often, the most important work isn’t asking more from people. It’s investing more deeply in the people responsible for carrying the work forward.

Where This Work Lives

Everything I am building and a part of is rooted in one core mission: human development. Whether through my doctoral research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founding Come Home Collective, or helping build the emerging Center for Human Skills, this work is centered on how people grow, how leaders lead, and how systems create the conditions for trust, belonging, and sustainable change.

If this perspective resonates and you are thinking about how to center human development in your leadership, culture, or systems, I would welcome the opportunity to connect.

— Griffin

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: Focusing on the Middle

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what happens when organizations become so focused on outcomes that they overlook the people responsible for creating them.

In education, we focus on students. In industry, we focus on clients, customers, and performance. And while those outcomes matter, I’ve noticed a pattern across both sectors: we often forget to focus on the people in the middle: the teachers, leaders, managers, and front-line people who shape the experience every day.

We ask educators to create belonging for students while many don’t feel a strong sense of belonging themselves. We ask managers to build trust while operating in environments where trust is inconsistent. We ask leaders to develop resilient, adaptable teams while they themselves are navigating constant pressure, change, and uncertainty.

This is why so much of my work focuses on adult development and emotionally intelligent leadership. A dysregulated adult cannot consistently help regulate others. An adult who doesn’t feel valued will struggle to create environments where people feel valued. The conditions people experience internally inevitably become the conditions they create externally.

Whether we’re talking about schools, organizations, or communities, the work is often less about fixing the outcome and more about strengthening the people responsible for producing it. When adults feel supported, trusted, developed, and equipped, they are far more capable of creating those same experiences for others.

As you think about your own team, organization, or community, I invite you to consider: Who sits in the middle? Who is responsible for creating the experiences, relationships, and outcomes you care most about? And how might they benefit from more direct support, development, and investment so they can experience the very things you’re asking them to create for others?

Because the strongest cultures aren’t built from the outside in. They’re built from the inside out.

We are stronger together,

Griffin

🔎 In Practice: A Room Full of People Who Care

One of the highlights of this month was joining the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools SWAS Department alongside Dr. Beth Rice.

Our conversation centered on wellbeing through the lens of social and emotional competence, exploring what it means to move from self to systems and intentionally support both whole adults and whole children.

What stayed with me most wasn’t a framework or strategy, it was the people in the room. Educators, leaders, and support staff coming together to slow down, learn, reflect, and think intentionally about how they can better support themselves, one another, and ultimately the students and communities they serve.

In a time when schools and organizations are navigating constant change, spaces like these remind me that there are people across every level of a system who care deeply about creating environments where others can thrive. They remind me that meaningful change doesn’t happen through initiatives alone, it happens when people are given the opportunity to connect, reflect, learn, and grow together.

Grateful to Rhonda Harris for the invitation and to everyone at CMS who contributed to such a thoughtful conversation.

If you’re creating similar spaces within your organization and thinking about how to strengthen wellbeing, leadership, and human development, I’d love to connect and learn more about your work.

🎧 The Come Home Podcast: How Great Cultures Are Actually Built with Rich Hua

What does it actually take to build healthy cultures, emotionally intelligent leadership, and human-centered organizations?

In this episode, I sit down with Richard Hua, Founder & CEO of EQIP Leadership Group and a globally recognized leader in emotional intelligence, leadership development, and organizational transformation. Over the course of his career, Richard has developed leadership and emotional intelligence programs that have impacted more than 1.5 million people worldwide and founded the EQ@Amazon community, which grew to over 70,000 members and became the largest employee-led community at Amazon.

Together, we explore the connection between individual emotional intelligence, leadership capacity, and the systems that ultimately shape culture, trust, belonging, and performance.

Throughout the conversation, we discuss:

• Why emotional intelligence is foundational to effective leadership
• The gap between talking about trust, belonging, and psychological safety and actually operationalizing them
• How emotionally intelligent leadership scales across teams, organizations, and systems
• What it takes to build cultures that are healthy, sustainable, and high-performing
• Why human development matters even more in the age of AI

One idea that stayed with me throughout our conversation is this:

Healthy cultures aren’t built through values statements or slogans. They’re built through the daily behaviors, relational practices, and emotional capacities of leaders and teams over time.

If you’re thinking about leadership, culture, belonging, or the future of work, I think you’ll find a lot of value in this conversation.

Connect with Richard:
• LinkedIn
• Website

Have a question or reflection from the episode? ask here

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, & other platforms.

🔍 Insights I’m Tracking

Article: From Vision to Action — How Portraits of a Graduate Align Social and Emotional Competencies and Future Readiness

There’s growing alignment across education, workforce development, and leadership around one idea:

The future-ready skills organizations need most are deeply human.

A new CASEL report analyzing 272 district Portraits of a Graduate across 36 states found that competencies like communication, adaptability, collaboration, critical thinking, and reflection were consistently prioritized alongside academic knowledge and technical skills.

Key Insight:
The conversation is no longer whether these skills matter. It’s whether our systems are actually designed to develop them.

The report found that while social and emotional competencies were nearly universal across district visions, very few districts included clear implementation guidance, measurement strategies, developmental milestones, or educator development structures to support long-term integration.

This supports what we continue to see in the field:
•Communication, adaptability, reflection, and collaboration are now recognized as essential across both education and workforce settings
•But vision alone doesn’t create transformation
•Without adult development, aligned systems, and intentional implementation, these competencies struggle to move from aspiration into everyday practice

And this extends far beyond schools.

These are the same human-centered skills organizations increasingly look for in hiring, leadership, team performance, and culture development.

Which raises an important question:

If these are the competencies we say matter most for the future, how intentionally are we designing environments that actually help people develop them?

Because whether in schools or organizations, one thing is becoming increasingly clear:

Human development doesn’t happen by accident. It must be modeled, supported, and embedded into the systems people experience every day.

Read full report here

Where This Work Lives

At Come Home Collective, this work lives at the intersection of long-term thinking, practice, and partnership. It shows up in how leaders grow, how systems are designed, and how culture is experienced, not just described.

My focus is on adult development and emotionally intelligent leadership, because when adults lead differently, everything downstream changes.

This work continues to evolve across education and beyond through research, writing, conversation, real-world application, and design.

If this perspective resonates and you’re thinking about how to build emotional intelligence into your culture, leadership, or systems, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect.

Partnership is where this work comes alive.

— Griffin

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

✍🏼 Editor’s Note

Lately, I’ve been seeing something consistently across schools and leadership spaces:

Human development happens when people are surrounded by whole adults.

In schools, we often talk about this as whole child development. In organizations, it shows up as culture, leadership, and team dynamics. But the principle is the same.

Not adults who simply talk about the work, but adults who are actively practicing it by building self-awareness, regulating in real time, navigating relationships with intention, and showing up in ways that reflect the skills we say matter. Because people don’t just learn from what we say or teach. They learn from what we model.

I was recently in a conversation with a school leader about belonging and leadership, and they said something that’s stayed with me: “If I’m expecting you to do something, and I can’t do it, then we’ve got a problem.” That’s the work.

Modeling isn’t a strategy, it’s the foundation. It’s how this work sustains, how it scales, and how it becomes real. When leaders practice these skills in their daily lives, it shapes everything else: how systems are designed, how norms are created, how protocols are structured, and how people respond in the moments that matter most.

Leaders don’t just implement emotional intelligence, they build environments where it lives.

This is something the team at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence has been emphasizing as well. SEL doesn’t work if it’s only something we teach; it has to be something we live. As they note, it’s not enough to train educators to deliver SEL, we must also support them in developing and practicing these skills themselves. (read full article)

Because ultimately, culture isn’t built through curriculum. It’s built through people, and the most powerful lever we have is how we show up every day.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

🔎 In Practice: Global Conversation in Banff

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be part of an SEL panel at the Mental Health Summit in Banff.

It was one of those spaces that reminds you what this work is really about.

People from across the globe coming together to:
• Learn from one another
• Share what’s happening in their contexts
• Build meaningful connections
• Find ways to collaborate
• And most importantly — take action

What stood out most was how grounded the conversations felt.

This wasn’t just theory.
It was research and practice meeting in real time, with people actively doing the work in schools, organizations, and communities.

And it reinforced something I continue to see: The work isn’t lacking ideas.

It’s about alignment between people, systems, and action.

Because without that alignment, even the best ideas struggle to take hold.
And when it exists, this work doesn’t just stay in conversation, it moves.

🔎 Upcoming Event: Continuing the Work

On behalf of SEL4NC, we’re excited for an upcoming learning experience that we’d love to have you join virtually.

This 75-minute experiential session will focus on practical self- and co-regulation tools helping leaders and educators bridge individual resilience with collective well-being.

The focus is simple, but essential:

How do we create the conditions where people can sustain this work, not just start it?

Participants will engage in strategies to:
• Build personal resilience
• Strengthen co-regulation and connection
• Design structures that support a sustainable culture of care

This is a space to not just learn, but to experience and reflect alongside others doing this work.

If this resonates, we’d love to have you join us.

👉 Register here: https://sel4nc.org/news-events/news-events/

🎧 What I’m Listening To: Huberman Lab-How to Better Regulate Your Emotions with Dr. Marc Brackett

This month, Andrew Huberman sat down with Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and it’s a conversation I’d highly recommend spending time with.

Much of the work I do is rooted in the research and frameworks developed by Marc and his team, particularly through their RULER approach.

What stands out in this episode is how clearly he connects:

• Emotional awareness → behavior
• Regulation → decision-making
• Relationships → performance and well-being

And importantly, he reinforces something we don’t always talk about enough:

Emotional intelligence is not just a skillset. It’s something that must be intentionally developed, practiced, and embedded into how we live, lead, and operate.

There are also powerful moments around:

• How we’ve been socialized around emotions (especially for boys and men)
• The role of emotional vocabulary in regulation
• Tools like the Meta-Moment and labeling emotions
• What it looks like to model this work as a leader

If you’re thinking about leadership, culture, or human development in today’s environment, this is a conversation worth sitting with.

🔍 Insights I’m Tracking

Article 1: Educators Want Schools Delivering Broad Array of SEL Skills

There’s growing alignment across education around one idea:

Social and emotional skills matter and they belong in schools.

A recent survey found that more than 3 out of 4 educators believe students should learn skills like self-management, cooperation, problem-solving, and communication as part of their K–12 experience.

Key Insight:
The challenge isn’t belief, it’s implementation.

While educators largely agree these skills are essential, many also shared that they don’t feel fully equipped to teach them, citing gaps in training, time, resources, and broader alignment across schools, families, and communities.

This supports what we continue to see in the field:
•The value of SEL is widely recognized
•But systems aren’t always designed to support it consistently
•Without alignment, this work struggles to take hold and sustain

And this isn’t just an education challenge, it’s a workforce one.

These are the same skills organizations look for in hiring, leadership, and team performance. Yet many individuals are entering the workforce without consistent opportunities to develop them.

Which raises an important question:

Where are these skills being intentionally developed and who is responsible for carrying that forward?

Because whether in schools or organizations, the need is the same:

Human development must be designed, supported, and practiced, not assumed.

📖 Read the article

Article 2: EQ Is the “Secret Sauce” in the AI Era (Goldman Sachs)

As AI continues to reshape the workplace, most organizations are focused on speed, efficiency, and technical capability.

But leaders at Goldman Sachs are making something clear:

Human skills are becoming more and not less important.

Key Insight:
Emotional intelligence isn’t a counterweight to AI, it’s a force multiplier.

As their Global Head of Human Capital Management shared, what remains scarce and valuable in the AI era is judgment, trust, and the ability to align people in moments of uncertainty.

This shows up in how they are approaching development:

• Integrating EQ directly into AI training
• Prioritizing relationship skills, judgment, and transparency
• Designing learning experiences that build both technical and human capability

And notably, even their interns recognize this shift with 66% identifying emotional intelligence as the most irreplaceable skill in the age of AI.

This reinforces what we continue to see across education and industry:

•AI may increase efficiency, but human capability drives effectiveness
•Emotional intelligence is not separate from performance, it enables it
•The future of work requires developing both the system and the human operating within it

📖 Read the article

Where This Work Lives

At Come Home Collective, this work lives at the intersection of long-term thinking, practice, and partnership. It shows up in how leaders grow, how systems are designed, and how culture is experienced, not just described.

My focus is on adult development and emotionally intelligent leadership, because when adults lead differently, everything downstream changes.

This work continues to evolve across education and beyond through research, writing, conversation, real-world application, and design.

If this perspective resonates and you’re thinking about how to build emotional intelligence into your culture, leadership, or systems, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect.

Partnership is where this work comes alive.

— Griffin

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: Developing Humans in the Age of AI

The other day someone asked me where my work sits.

The simplest answer I’ve found is this: anywhere people meet systems. And right now, that intersection feels more important than ever.

As AI continues to evolve, organizations are investing heavily in new tools and capabilities, and they should. But across education and industry, we’re not always investing at the same level in the humans leading those systems: how they make decisions, build relationships, respond to pressure, and create environments where people can actually thrive.

Because no matter how advanced our tools become, leadership is still experienced through people. And increasingly, that’s the differentiator.

The organizations that will thrive won’t just be AI-enabled, they will be human-centered. Places where emotional intelligence is foundational, and where leaders are equipped to design cultures that support trust, belonging, and meaningful collaboration.

If you’re leading in this AI era, there’s an important question worth exploring:

How is AI shaping the way your teams actually work together?

Not just in terms of efficiency, but in how decisions are made, how people interact, and how culture is experienced day to day.

Because this moment isn’t just about adopting new technology. It’s about being intentional in how we design for both.

The future isn’t AI or EI. It’s both. Human-led & AI-powered.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

🧠 Signature Practices: Creating Intentional Space

For anyone leading organizations or teams, one of the most consistent needs I see is this: we don’t always have structures that intentionally create space for connection, reflection, and social & emotional development.

These three practices are simple, but powerful ways to begin:

• Inclusive Welcome
How we open a space sets the tone for everything that follows. Creating intentional entry points allows people to feel seen, grounded, and ready to engage.

• Engaging Strategies
Throughout the experience, leaders can embed moments that invite voice, reflection, and shared learning, making the work active, relational, and meaningful.

• Intentional Close
How we close matters. Taking time to reflect, synthesize, and acknowledge the experience helps people leave with clarity and connection.

These aren’t add-ons, they are foundational practices that help leaders design environments where people can connect, grow, and contribute fully.

If you’re thinking about how to bring more intention to your spaces, these are a powerful place to start.

Explore more here

🔎 In Practice: Connection, Reach, and What’s Emerging

Over the month of March, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of several conversations through SEL4NC and what’s been most striking isn’t just the content, it’s the connection.

During #SELDay & week, we welcomed participants from across the U.S. and around the world (27 States & 5 Countries) into conversations on belonging, relationships, and well-being. It was a powerful reminder that this work is growing and that there is shared commitment across contexts.

Here in North Carolina, that same energy continues.

From the Wake County Public School System School Climate Showcase to conversations at the Poe Center for Health Education, leaders across education and industry are coming together to support the whole person and to think more intentionally about the environments we’re creating.

Moments like these are a reminder:

This work is happening.
There are people deeply committed to it.
And when we come together, we move it forward.

If you’re interested in being part of this work across education, industry, or community, I’d welcome you to reach out and join us.

🔍 Insights We’re Tracking: Leading Through Change and Reinvention

Change isn’t slowing down, it’s accelerating.

This model highlights an important shift: not all change is the same. Most organizations are still operating at the lower levels (execution and mobilization) while the demands of today’s environment require transformation and, increasingly, reinvention.

💡 Key Insight:
The challenge isn’t just managing more change — it’s leading at the right level of change, where organizations rethink how they operate and create value.

This supports what we continue to see in the field:
➡️ Change is no longer an event — it’s the environment
➡️ Leadership today requires both systems thinking and human-centered design
➡️ Reinvention requires leaders to evolve alongside the systems they are building

📖 Read the article

Where This Work Lives

At Come Home Collective, this work lives through long-term thinking, practice, and partnership.

It lives in how leaders grow,
in how systems are designed,
and in how culture is experienced—not just described.

My focus is on adult development and emotionally intelligent leadership—because when adults lead differently, everything downstream changes.

This work continues to unfold across education and beyond—through research, writing, conversation, design, and practice.

If this lens resonates with you, you’re welcome to follow along.

Griffin

Want to Partner?

If you’re a leader, organization, or institution looking to build emotional intelligence into your culture, leadership, or systems—we’d love to explore how we can support you.

We believe partnership is where this work comes alive.

Feel free to reach out or reply directly. We’re here for the long-term, not the quick fix.

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: Before Belonging, There’s Leadership Practice

Belonging is often treated like a value we can declare.

Add it to a strategic plan.
Name it in a mission statement.
Launch an initiative around it.

But belonging doesn’t respond to declarations. It responds to experience.

Over the past few weeks, in leadership facilitation, in statewide SEL work, and in my own research, I’ve been noticing something consistent:

Leaders who successfully cultivate belonging don’t just talk about it.
They shape relational conditions that make it possible.

They ask:
• How do we want people to feel here?
• What structures protect that?
• Where might our systems be unintentionally undermining it?

That’s the design side.

But structure alone doesn’t create belonging.

Belonging forms in the lived moments inside those structures:
How tension is handled.
How feedback is received.
How power is shared.
How mistakes are responded to.

Emotionally intelligent leadership is not just about interpersonal skill.
It’s about designing environments where trust, voice, and dignity can consistently exist, and then showing up in ways that activate that design.

That is upstream work.

And it’s slow.
And it’s intentional.
And it matters.

If belonging is a priority in your organization, the next step isn’t inspiration.

It’s infrastructure.
And practice.

Because culture isn’t what we say we value.
It’s what people repeatedly experience from us.

You might take a moment to consider:

What are people consistently experiencing from you right now?

Not what you intend.
Not what you hope.

But what they’re likely feeling in the room.

Sometimes that awareness alone shifts everything.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

🧠 How We See It: Bridging the Knowing–Doing Gap

The knowing–doing gap isn’t a knowledge problem. It’s a reflection problem.

In workshops and leadership conversations, I consistently see how much people value the space to pause, think, and be intentional. But that space rarely exists inside the normal flow of our systems.

Without structured reflection in context, examining what’s actually happening here, in this environment, knowledge stays conceptual and action never fully meets reality.

Reflection is what turns insight into aligned implementation.

💬 Two questions I invite you to sit with:
Where does knowledge tend to get stuck in your work right now?
And where does reflection live within your protocols or systems?

🔎 In Practice: A Full Week of SEL Conversations

I’ll be part of four conversations next week centered on emotionally intelligent leadership & belonging, and I’d genuinely love to have you join us.

SEL Day | March 2 (Online)

I’ll also be presenting for SEL4US:

Leading with Emotions to Build Belonging
(10:00–10:50 AM ET)

We’ll explore how emotions drive behavior, how leaders clarify their purpose, and how tools like Team Commitments help translate insight into aligned culture.

Register here:
https://selday.org/news/session/leading-with-emotions-to-build-belonging/

SEL4NC Events (March 4–5)

SEL4NC is hosting three events during SEL Week focused on connection, policy, and practical strategy:

• Strength in Connection (Virtual – March 4)
• The Future of SEL: Policy Trends and Practical Strategy (Virtual – March 4)
• Strength in Connection (In-Person – March 5, lunch provided)

Details and registration here:

Sel4nc Events Sel Week 2026

1.17MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

🔍 Insights We’re Tracking: Human Skills Drive High-Performing Teams in the AI Era, Deloitte

Even in an AI-powered world, the differentiator for high-performing teams remains deeply human.

Deloitte’s study of 1,394 employees found that while high-performing teams are more likely to use AI tools, what truly sets them apart is trust, emotional and social intelligence, connected teaming, and informed agility.

💡 Key Insight:
High-performing teams are 2.3x more likely to feel trusted by their leader and 2.3x more likely to feel respected by peers, and they identify emotional and social intelligence as their top success factor.

This supports what we continue to see in the field:
➡️ Technology may accelerate performance, but human capability sustains it.
➡️ High performance is human-led and AI-powered.

📖 Read the article

Where This Work Lives

At Come Home Collective, this work lives through long-term thinking, practice, and partnership.

It lives in how leaders grow,
in how systems are designed,
and in how culture is experienced—not just described.

My focus is on adult development and emotionally intelligent leadership—because when adults lead differently, everything downstream changes.

This work continues to unfold across education and beyond—through research, writing, conversation, design, and practice.

If this lens resonates with you, you’re welcome to follow along.

Griffin

Want to Partner?

If you’re a leader, organization, or institution looking to build emotional intelligence into your culture, leadership, or systems—we’d love to explore how we can support you.

We believe partnership is where this work comes alive.

Feel free to reach out or reply directly. We’re here for the long-term, not the quick fix.

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in Hard Times

We’ve been navigating some heavy events recently—across the country, and especially with what’s happened in Minnesota. And it has me wondering:

• How are your people doing?

• What’s weighing on their hearts?

• Are they okay?

And perhaps just as important:

Do they even feel safe enough to talk about it?

Often, a leader’s first instinct is:

“I don’t need to address that—it’s not about work.”

But here’s the truth:

You will see it at work.
In how people show up.
In how they engage—or withdraw.

Because people don’t compartmentalize the human experience.
We all carry full, complex lives into every space we enter.

Your people are thinking about:

• What’s happening in the world

• What’s unfolding in their communities

• What’s shifting in their families

• What they believe in, hope for, or fear

• What’s in their control—and what’s not

None of that stays outside the workplace.
It shows up in energy, attention, trust, performance, and presence.

What Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Do

Emotionally intelligent leadership isn’t about fixing feelings.
It’s about holding space for the emotional reality people are carrying.
It’s about recognizing that those experiences matter.

It means creating space for people to feel seen and heard—
even if they say nothing,
even if what they need is simply a moment of stillness,
even if they choose to process silently—but know the space exists.

That’s not a distraction.
That’s information.

Emotions signal:

• Where people are

• What they need

• Where connection is possible

When leaders slow down enough to notice, name, and create space, they don’t invite chaos—they create safety.

Because when people feel seen and honored in their emotional reality, something powerful happens:

Trust grows.
Safety deepens.
Connection strengthens.

This is emotionally intelligent leadership in action—not in theory.

Let’s not lead like nothing is happening.
Let’s lead like it matters that it is.

Whether this comes naturally to you or feels like uncharted territory—
Consider this your invitation to lead with emotional intelligence when times are hard.

It’s not about having the perfect words.
It’s about being willing to show up—with care and courage.

*If this is a space you’re stepping into and need support in how to begin, I’d be honored to help you design a structure or conversation that feels safe, human, and aligned. Just reach out.

We are stronger together,
—Griffin

🧠 How We See It: EQ as the Upstream Lever

Here’s a visual I’ve been using with teams to illustrate a key belief:

Emotionally intelligent leadership is the upstream condition for relational trust, psychological safety, and belonging.

It’s one of several models we’re building to help leaders translate emotional intelligence into systems, strategy, and sustainable culture.

Feel free to share this with your team—or reach out if you want help building this mindset into your work.

🔍 Insights We’re Tracking

Workplace Success Starts with Emotional Intelligence, Yale School of Medicine

Research reveals that EQ at work isn’t just about individual skill—it’s about the systems and leadership that create motivation and opportunity to practice those skills every day.

💡 Key Insight:
Emotionally intelligent leaders create cultures where people feel valued, stay longer, and perform better—not just because of what they do, but how they shape conditions for others to thrive.

This supports what we see in the field:
➡️ Emotional intelligence isn’t a workshop—it’s a workplace strategy.

📖 Read the article

Where This Work Lives

At Come Home Collective, this work lives through long-term thinking, practice, and partnership.

It lives in how leaders grow,
in how systems are designed,
and in how culture is experienced—not just described.

My focus is on adult development and emotionally intelligent leadership—because when adults lead differently, everything downstream changes.

This work continues to unfold across education and beyond—through research, writing, conversation, design, and practice.

If this lens resonates with you, you’re welcome to follow along.

Griffin

Want to Partner?

If you’re a leader, organization, or institution looking to build emotional intelligence into your culture, leadership, or systems—we’d love to explore how we can support you.

We believe partnership is where this work comes alive.

Feel free to reach out or reply directly. We’re here for the long-term, not the quick fix.

Follow Along

• ✍🏼 Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• 💬 Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• 🎙 Conversations → Podcast

• 🎥 Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: One Word. One Intention. One Year.

As we turn the page to 2026, I’ve found myself returning to a simple but powerful question: What’s your one word for the year ahead?

Not a list of resolutions. Not a rigid set of goals. Just one word—a North Star to guide how you show up, lead, love, rest, work, and grow.

I was introduced to this idea years ago by a school leader I worked alongside. Since then, I’ve brought it into my life and into every team I’ve led. Because the truth is—goals can fade, get lost, and even evolve or change, but intentions stick.

Your word doesn’t need to be perfect. It may surprise you. It may challenge you.
But it should anchor you. It should bring your values to life—even in the messy, uncertain, full days.

Last year, my word was All-In—a commitment to showing up fully for what mattered most. This year, I’m stepping into something different:

Grounded.

Grounded is about being where my feet are.
It’s about slowing down enough to appreciate life as it’s happening.
It’s about presence, connection, and leading from a place of alignment and clarity.
It’s about tuning in—not just pushing through.

So I’m inviting you to join me:

What’s your one word for 2026?
Write it down. Reflect on it.

Let it shape how you show up—for yourself, your people, and your purpose. Let it be your North Star—your reminder to recalibrate when the year gets full.

Bring it into your team, your organization, your journaling practice, or your next walk around the block.

However you begin this year, I hope you begin it with intention.

Here’s to a year of purpose, presence, and possibility.

We are stronger together,
—Griffin

🧠 Op-Ed: Why Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Is the Key to Belonging

By Griffin Gervais

At a time when trust is fragile, burnout is high, and connection is more critical than ever, emotionally intelligent leadership is no longer optional—it is the operating requirement for modern organizations.

Whether we’re talking about schools or startups, boardrooms or classrooms, the ability for a leader to understand and regulate their own emotions while fostering empathy, clarity, and psychological safety in others doesn’t just impact performance metrics—it impacts people.

And when people feel seen, heard, and valued, something powerful happens:

They belong.

Belonging Begins With Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

When leaders actively cultivate their emotional intelligence, they’re not just improving their own decision-making or interpersonal skills. They’re modeling alignment. They’re building trust. They’re creating spaces that say:

You matter here.

At Come Home Collective, we often say emotionally intelligent leadership is the entry point to belonging. And when belonging is present, everything shifts:

• People take more risks

• Collaboration deepens

• Creativity increases

• Well-being improves

• Performance rises

• Retention strengthens

• Culture transforms

This isn’t a theory. It’s a pattern—one that repeats across education and industry alike. Because emotionally intelligent leaders don’t just inspire; they design environments where people want to show up, give their best, and stay.

People Thrive in Relationships—But Relationships Thrive in Systems

Let’s be clear: People don’t thrive in systems—they thrive in relationships.

But relationships don’t exist in a vacuum. They live—and either flourish or fade—within the systems, routines, and structures leaders create.

This is where leadership becomes visible.

Too often, we treat culture like a vibe or a mission statement on a wall. But culture is what people feel in the micro-moments:

• How they’re greeted in the morning

• How meetings are facilitated

• How decisions are made

• How feedback is given

• How conflict is handled

Let me walk through your building or organization, and I’ll tell you what you actually value—without needing to see your strategic plan or talk to anyone.

Because culture isn’t built through good intentions.
It’s built through intentional design.

When emotional intelligence is embedded into leadership development, strategic systems, and everyday behaviors, belonging stops being something we hope people feel. It becomes something they live.

Belonging Is a Strategy, Not a Slogan

This is what emotionally intelligent leadership understands:

Belonging isn’t about pizza parties or perks.
It’s not about slogans or surface-level initiatives.

It’s about process.
It’s about protocols.
It’s about how people are treated—consistently.

When systems, policies, and norms are aligned with values like trust, respect, and care, people respond.

And when people feel like they belong, they do better.

Not because they’re being pushed harder.
But because they want to be there.

And when people want to be there—they want to work hard, contribute, and do well.

The Throughline

No matter the industry or setting, one truth holds:

Emotionally intelligent leaders build emotionally intelligent systems.
Emotionally intelligent systems cultivate belonging.
And belonging fuels everything else.

This is the lever.

If we want cultures that retain talent, deepen trust, strengthen relationships, and unlock collective potential—we start here.

We start with leaders.
We start with emotional intelligence.

🔖 Psychological Safety Isn’t Optional out of HBI

Emotional intelligence and psychological safety are now recognized as leadership imperatives, not afterthoughts. Leaders who create environments where people feel safe to speak up, take risks, and be themselves foster trust — the foundation of belonging and long‑term organizational success.

📎 Read the full article here

Where This Work Lives

At Come Home Collective, this work shows up through long-term thinking, practice, and partnership.

It lives in how leaders grow.
In how systems are designed.
In how culture is experienced—not just described.

My focus is on adult development and emotionally intelligent leadership, because when adults lead differently, everything downstream changes.

This work continues to unfold across education and beyond—through research, writing, conversation, and practice.

If this lens resonates with you, you’re welcome to follow along.

Griffin

Follow Along

• Writing & reflections → LinkedIn

• Long-form thinking → Newsletter

• Conversations → Podcast

• Behind the scenes → Building Come Home (YouTube)

Curious about emotional intelligence, leadership, or culture?
You’re welcome to explore a question here.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

As we approach the end of the year and folks begin to take well-deserved time off, I want to take a moment to say thank you. Whether you’ve partnered with us, joined a session, listened to the podcast, or simply followed along on the journey—I am grateful you’re here.

This season is a time to rest, reflect, and reconnect. And at Come Home Collective, we believe that emotional intelligence starts with presence. So however you’re spending the next few weeks, I hope it’s filled with warmth, laughter, and moments that bring you back to what matters most.

We can’t wait to continue building alongside you in the new year.

Here’s to rest, renewal, and revolutionizing education—together.

Warmly,
Griffin

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: Leadership Sets the Tone

This month, I had the opportunity to connect and collaborate with the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program to explore what emotionally intelligent leadership looks like in practice.

And something struck me as we learned together:

Schools rise—or fall—to the level of their leadership’s habits, systems, and values.

Research reminds us that leaders who model emotional intelligence are far more likely to cultivate cultures of belonging, connection, and resilience. But seeing it lived out—in real time, by real leaders across North Carolina—was powerful.

These principal fellows didn’t just talk about the work. They embodied it.

They leaned into self-reflection.
They examined how their emotions shape their decisions.
They acknowledged that culture begins with them.
They showed what it means to “walk the walk.”

And it left me thinking about leadership in a broader sense—about the responsibility and the opportunity we all hold.

Because leadership is not a position.
It’s a practice.
A daily one.

So, as we close out the year, I invite you to pause and reflect:

👉🏽 In your school, district, team, or organization…
Do your values live in the everyday culture—or just on paper?
Do your routines and decisions reflect what you say you believe?
Where are things aligned…and where are the gaps?

Most importantly:

What part of the culture begins with you?

Because you are the linchpin.
Your modeling.
Your emotional presence.
Your way of leading.
Your willingness to grow.

When leaders embody emotional intelligence, systems shift.
Teams align.
Belonging expands.
People thrive.

As you move into the new year, I hope you continue leading in a way that makes room for others to feel seen, supported, and able to show up fully—because that’s where real change begins.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

📅 Upcoming Webinar: Belonging First – December 11

We know that when students and adults feel safe, seen, and valued—they thrive. But belonging doesn’t just happen. It must be intentionally built.

That’s why I’m excited to invite you to this upcoming complimentary webinar, where we’ll explore how to cultivate meaningful connection in your school or organization. Whether you’re leading a district, running a school, or supporting systems—this is for you.

Webinar Details:
🗓️ Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025
⏰ Time: 4:00–4:45 PM ET
💻 Recording available (must register in advance)
🎟️ Free, but registration required

Together with Katharine Bonasera of Collaborative Classroom, we’ll explore:

• Why belonging is foundational to thriving environments for both children and adults

• The role of social-emotional learning (SEL) in academic and relational outcomes

• How educators lead SEL by focusing on self, interactions with others, and systems design

This session is grounded in research, built for real-world application, and designed to support educators and leaders at all levels.

Register Here

🔖 Resource Spotlight: Why Students Need to Feel a Sense of Belonging and How To Create It (Panorama Education)

In a recent article, Dr. Sarah Whedon reminds us of something powerful: A student’s sense of belonging is not a luxury—it’s a prerequisite for well-being and academic success.

“When students feel they belong, they thrive. When they don’t, they disengage.”

The article breaks down not just the why behind student belonging, but the how—offering practical classroom strategies, schoolwide practices, and leadership approaches to make belonging real.

Key Takeaways:

• Belonging is measurable and deeply connected to academic success, behavior, and student wellness.

• Small actions matter. Greeting students at the door, daily check-ins, and relationship-building routines send powerful signals that students are seen, valued, and respected.

• Adults are the linchpin. Creating a culture of belonging starts with adult mindsets, behaviors, and systems. When adults model connection and inclusion, students feel it.

• You can’t mandate belonging—you must build it. Just saying “you belong here” isn’t enough. Belonging must be felt through consistent, intentional action.

💡 One powerful quote from the article:

“Telling students they belong isn’t enough. We have to show them they do.”

If you’re looking to build or deepen a culture of belonging in your school, this article is a must-read.

📎 Read the full article here

🙋‍♂️Ask Me Anything: SEL, Leadership, Culture, & Implementation

Do you have a burning question about emotional intelligence, SEL, implementation, or how to build schools/teams where everyone thrives?

You don’t have to wait for a webinar, a podcast episode, or a social post to get the answer.

I’m starting to use Answersbyme so that anytime you have a question—about climate, culture, adult development, equity, or how to bring SEL to life within your school, district, or organization—you can ask instantly.

📍Whether you’re a school leader, org leader, teacher, university partner, or education innovator, this space gives you:

✅ Access to curated insights from my work with Come Home Collective
✅ The ability to ask any question, anytime
✅ A built-in set of starter questions if you’re just exploring
✅ Resources on leadership, SEL, and whole-child systems change

💻 Check it out and bookmark it: Visit my Answersbyme hub

🚀 How We Support

At Come Home Collective, we help schools, districts, universities, and education organizations make SEL foundational—not just another initiative.

We focus on the adults—because when they lead with emotional intelligence, it transforms culture, climate, and outcomes.

Whether you need:

• Strategic implementation partner/support

• Professional development & EI training

• Coaching and tools for educators & leaders

• A long-term partner to help scale and sustain SEL

We’re here to walk with you.

📆 Book a 1:1 Call
🌐 Check Out Our Services

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 Editor’s Note: How Much of Themselves Must They Leave at the Door?

In one of my recent classes, a professor posed a question that hasn’t left me:

“How much of themselves do students need to check at the door when they get here?”

It struck a deep chord.

As a former school administrator, I stood by the front doors every morning, watching students stream in—each carrying their own background, identity, experience, and story. I often thought to myself: Is our school creating a space where they can show up fully? Or are we silently asking them to leave pieces of themselves behind?

This question cuts to the heart of leadership, culture, and our responsibility as educators.

As I continue exploring how national, local, and institutional cultures shape expectations—both spoken and unspoken—I’m reminded of something critical:

Culture, systems, and structures are never neutral.
They carry values. They communicate belonging—or the lack of it.

As leaders—especially in public education—we are stewards of these cultures. We shape the climate, set the tone, and determine what — and who — is centered. The way we design classrooms, lead teams, instruct and use curriculum, and build systems either invites people to bring their full selves—or conditions them to shrink in order to fit in.

So, I invite you to pause and reflect:

👉🏽 In your school, team, or organization…
How much of themselves do people have to leave at the door?
Do they feel safe to speak honestly? To express their identity? To truly belong?

Whether you’re a teacher, principal, district leader, or partner in another industry—this question applies to all of us. Because when we build environments grounded in belonging, where all voices and experiences are truly valued, we don’t just create safer spaces—we create stronger ones.

That’s where trust grows.
That’s where connection deepens.
And that’s where lasting change takes root.

Let’s lead in a way that makes room for people to be whole.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

📣 Article Spotlight: Teachers’ Perceived Social-Emotional Competence as a Vital Mechanism of Adult SEL

So much of SEL implementation comes down to adult skill development and belief. We often focus on curriculum — the what of SEL. But what truly makes SEL stick is the how: how adults practice, embody, model, and lead through these skills in daily interactions.

The article “Teachers’ Perceived Social-Emotional Competence” (Collie et al., 2025) reinforces this. The research shows that a teacher’s belief in their ability to navigate emotions and relationships predicts:

• classroom climate

• teacher well-being

• strong relationships

• and consistent SEL implementation

SEL isn’t just taught — it’s lived.

This is a core belief of Come Home:
Curriculum provides the what —
but adults bring the how.

When educators have the space and support to build emotional confidence and practice these skills themselves, SEL becomes part of the culture — not just another program.

Adult SEL isn’t the extra work. It’s the foundation.

Full Article + PDF Download → (link here)

🎥 SEL Impact: Students Talk about Social and Emotional Learning’s impact in school and in their life

We talk a lot about SEL in terms of frameworks, strategies, and implementation plans — but sometimes we just need to listen to the students.

This short video from EquipOurKids! is a clear reminder of why this work matters.
These students share how SEL has shaped their confidence, relationships, sense of belonging, and the way they move through the world.

These outcomes don’t happen by accident.
They happen when adults show up through an SEL lens — creating learning environments where students feel safe, supported, and understood.

This is why building adult SEL capacity is foundational.
Before we can teach these skills, we must live them.

It’s easy to get lost in logistics, data, or program decisions — but students’ voices bring us back to the heart of it:

Every student deserves a school where these skills exist at the foundation.

If you’re working to make that a reality — keep going. It matters.

🗣️ SEL4NC Event Recap: Strength in Connections — A Dudley Flood Pop-Up Event

From the SEL4NC Newsletter…

Several members of SEL4NC facilitated or attended Strength in Connections: Reaffirming Social & Emotional Competencies for Collective Action on October 21, 2025. This free event, held in partnership with the Dudley Flood Center, invited educators, leaders, and advocates to:

• Reflect on and strengthen their own SEL competencies

• Explore the current sociopolitical context impacting SEL

• Build strategies for individual and organizational resistance

At SEL4NC, we believe lasting change in education begins with trust—not just between students and teachers, but across entire communities.

Whether collaborating with members, building cross-sector partnerships, or amplifying advocacy efforts across NC and beyond, we remain focused on improving the lives of all students and adults.

📩 Interested in joining SEL4NC?
Stay tuned for our upcoming Strength in Community webinar!

📅 Upcoming Event: Belonging First – December 11

On December 11, I will join Collaborative Classroom for a powerful conversation:

Belonging First: How to Cultivate Connection in Your School

Grounded in research that shows students thrive when they feel safe and connected, this session will explore how educators can center relationships to build caring, emotionally intelligent school communities.

📌 Stay tuned for more details & registration info.

🚀 How We Support

At Come Home Collective, we help schools, districts, universities, and education organizations make SEL foundational—not just another initiative.

We focus on the adults—because when they lead with emotional intelligence, it transforms culture, climate, and outcomes.

Whether you need:

• Strategic implementation partner/support

• Professional development & EI training

• Coaching and tools for educators & leaders

• A long-term partner to help scale and sustain SEL

We’re here to walk with you.

📆 Book a 1:1 Call
🌐 Check Out Our Services

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To...Building Capacity Is the Key

Across the country, I’m noticing a powerful theme emerging in districts deep into their SEL implementation journeys. The greatest challenge isn’t a lack of commitment. It’s not even a shortage of resources.

It’s capacity.

More and more, districts are asking:
“How do we make SEL foundational—not just another initiative?”

And the answer starts with building human capacity.

It’s less about what (programs, resources, or curriculum) and more about how. When educators and leaders build the skills to truly embody emotional intelligence—when they understand why this work matters—it becomes part of the fabric of who they are and how their schools, organizations, and teams operate.

Because SEL isn’t a checklist.
It’s a lens.

Yes, other barriers exist—tools, funding, competing priorities—but without strong adult development and consistent implementation support, no initiative will stick.

Systemic change only happens when the adults already in the building know how to do the work, believe in why it matters, and show up through that lens.

So I invite you to pause and ask:

👉🏽 Where are you in your SEL journey?
👉🏽 Are you building the emotional intelligence of your adults—or just adding more things on top?

Until we focus on the skill-building and development of the people already in the room, no new initiative will gain traction.

Programs, resources, and tools don’t shift culture—people do.

We Are Stronger Together,
Griffin

🎙️ Come Home Podcast: A Sit-Down Conversation with Dr. Beth Rice, Founder of Wellbeing4learning.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Beth Rice to explore what it means to truly center wellbeing in education and organizations.

From her personal journey as a school psychologist and teacher to leading state-level SEL and MTSS initiatives in North Carolina, Beth shares what it takes to co-create resilient, caring learning and work environments.

We unpack wellbeing at both the individual and systems levels:

• Why it’s more than self-care

• How it lives in policy and practice

• What it looks like when people are supported as whole humans

You’ll also hear about Beth’s work launching communities of practice, her reflections on leadership, and how Wellbeing4Learning helps schools and organizations lead with humanity at the core.

🎧 Listen Now on Spotify
🌐 Website: wellbeing4learning.org
💼 LinkedIn: Dr. Beth Rice
💬 Got questions about the episode? Ask here

📣 Resource Spotlight: Supporting Adult SEL — Investing in Our Educators

If we want SEL to become foundational—not just another to-do—we have to start with adult development.

This month’s featured resource from CASEL makes the case powerfully: “Supporting Adult SEL: Investing in Our Educators”

🔑 3 Big Takeaways:

1. You don’t “do SEL”—you embody it.
   Adults must develop emotional intelligence to bring SEL into classrooms, relationships, and decisions in authentic ways.

2. Programs don’t drive change. People do.
   Without strong adult capacity, no curriculum or initiative will stick—because the how always falls short.

3. Leadership is the multiplier.
   When leaders model SEL competencies and make adult development a strategic priority, it cascades throughout the system.

If you’re in the middle of your district’s SEL journey, this is a must-read.

📎 Read the full guide: CASEL: Supporting Adult SEL

🚀 How We Support

At Come Home Collective, we help schools, districts, universities, and education organizations make SEL foundational—not just another initiative.

We focus on the adults—because when they lead with emotional intelligence, it transforms culture, climate, and outcomes.

Whether you need:

• Strategic implementation support

• Professional development & EI training

• Coaching and tools for educators & leaders

• A long-term partner to help scale and sustain SEL

We’re here to walk with you.

📆 Book a 1:1 Call
🌐 Check Out Our Services

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To...Reframing the Work: SEL as a Lens, Not a Checklist

Most conversations about SEL focus on the what—the programs, the curricula, the toolkits.

But the truth is, none of that matters—at least not in a sustainable, meaningful way—if the how isn’t grounded.

💡 You don’t “do SEL.” Just like you don’t “do equity.”

SEL is a lens—a way of seeing, leading, teaching, and connecting. It’s a mindset and way of being that influences how we build relationships, how we lead teams, how we design systems, and how we respond when challenges arise.

If we want emotional intelligence and social-emotional learning to become foundational in our schools, organizations, and institutions, then we must first do the work ourselves—as leaders, as educators, as humans.

That means:

• Developing our own emotional skills

• Building self-awareness around how we show up

• Learning how to regulate, reflect, and connect

• Leading from empathy, not ego

Because when we evolve who we are, everything we lead—our systems, classrooms, and culture—evolves with us.

The programs and curricula don’t become powerful on their own. They become powerful because we know how to use them through an appropriate lens.

So I invite you...

👉 To move from outside-in solutions to inside-out transformation
👉 To pause the rush to implement and first ask: How are we showing up?
👉 To stop chasing tools that "do SEL" and instead focus on how we live it

This is the work we must do—not just as educators, but as people committed to building environments where every human can thrive.

Let’s stop outsourcing transformation and start becoming it.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

📢 Lunch & Learn: SEL Implementation

I am excited to welcome the educators and leaders already joining us from across North Carolina to dive into this vital topic. Districts across the state are coming together this September to explore how to make social and emotional learning a true Tier 1 priority—so every student can thrive.

Each 90-minute session centers on one powerful question:
How do we move beyond surface-level SEL—and create lasting impact in instruction, leadership, and school culture?

Together, we’ll:
✔️ Reflect on your SEL journey—what’s working, what’s not
✔️ Identify real barriers and opportunities
✔️ Explore strategies to embed SEL into daily practices and systems

Bring your team. Bring your questions. Bring your commitment to this work.
Let’s make SEL a lived experience—not just a plan on paper.

📲 Scan the flyer above or click here to register
Questions? Email griffin@comehomecollective.org

📣 Resource Spotlight: Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

“Emotions aren’t the enemy of business—they’re the engine.” Marc Brackett

That’s the powerful message at the heart of Marc Brackett’s latest piece on Gen Z, emotions, and the modern workplace. If you haven’t read it yet, this is a must.

Brackett—founder of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence—names what so many of us have felt: in today’s fast-paced, high-stakes world, emotional regulation isn’t optional. It’s what separates frustration from focus, tension from teamwork, and burnout from sustained performance.

🔗 Read the full article here

👇 Here’s why this matters for education:

When I work with adults on emotional intelligence, one of the most powerful shifts is realizing that every emotion—pleasant or unpleasant—can serve us… if we know how to regulate and channel it.

This article reinforces exactly why we need to embed these skills early. The students in our classrooms today are the leaders, teammates, and decision-makers of tomorrow. And the emotional habits we help them build will shape the cultures, workplaces, and systems they’ll inherit and create.

💬 So here’s the question:
Are we modeling the emotional intelligence we want them to grow into?

If this resonates—and you’re thinking about how to build emotionally intelligent environments for your staff, students, or teams—I’d love to connect and explore what that could look like together.

🚀 Partnerships for 2025–26

At Come Home Collective, we know that lasting SEL isn’t about a one-size-fits-all curriculum—it’s about how adults embody and implement emotional intelligence every day.

We’re now partnering with a select group of districts, schools, universities, and education organizations for the 2025–26 school year to do just that.

Whether you're:

• A district or school leader ready to make SEL a true Tier 1 priority

• A university looking to embed emotional intelligence into your general education classes

• A nonprofit or organization seeking to complement your curriculum by developing the adults who bring it to life

We’d be honored to walk alongside you.

Our work focuses on moving from inspiration to implementation—so SEL becomes the foundation of instruction, leadership, and culture, not just a program you “do.”

📆 Book a 1:1 call and let’s explore what’s possible—together.

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To...We Are the Highest Form of Behavior We Seek in Others

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to be in conversations, presentations, and workshops with educators, leaders, and advocates across states, districts, and systems. And no matter the setting—one theme continues to rise to the top:

We must model what we want to see.

If we want students, staff, and communities to communicate with care, navigate emotions with skill, and build relationships rooted in trust—we have to go first.

Social and emotional skills don’t show up by chance. They show up because we show them.

That means being intentional every day in how we speak, act, lead, and reflect. It means aligning our language, behaviors, and decisions with the values and systems we hope to build.

When we make modeling a daily practice—we become that person. Our presence becomes the lesson. And those around us begin to learn through our example. They see what’s possible. They feel what’s prioritized.

Because teaching SEL isn’t enough.
It has to live in everything we do and say.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

📢 Event in July: Belonging First in Asheville, NC

This week, Come Home Collective had the honor of co-hosting Belonging First: Cultivating Connection in Schools—a powerful day of learning in partnership with Buncombe County Schools and Collaborative Classroom.

Together with passionate educators and leaders across Western NC, we explored what it truly means—and looks like—to put belonging, relationships, and connection at the foundation of how our classrooms and schools operate.

Our goal?
To create a space that was intentional, reflective, and actionable—one where participants could pause and take a deeper look at themselves, those they serve, and the systems, practices, and routines they lead.

Some key takeaways from the day included:

• We can't serve others at the highest level if we don't know how to serve ourselves.

• Systems protect priorities.

• Belonging exists in our ability to slow down, seek understanding, and simply connect.

Using the CH framework, each individual walked away with clear, role-specific takeaways and action steps to bring this work to life in the new school year.

And the ripple is already beginning—there’s growing interest in bringing Belonging First to other districts.

If your district is committed to supporting the whole child—and believes belonging, connection, and emotional safety should be the foundation—I’d love to connect.

A special shoutout to the incredible educators and leaders in Western NC who are doing this work with heart, care, and clarity. You understand the value of prioritizing relationships and creating spaces where all can feel safe, seen, and ready to thrive.

Because belonging should never be a bonus. It should be the baseline.

🍽️ Lunch & Learn: Real Talk on SEL Implementation

Our Lunch & Learn series is officially underway—and the conversations have been incredibly insightful!

So far, we've brought together passionate educators and leaders who are committed to figuring out what it really takes to implement SEL successfully and sustainably. Together, we’ve been:

• Sharing what’s working (and what’s not) in our schools and districts

• Reflecting on our roles in supporting SEL implementation

• Exploring what Tier 1 SEL can and should look like across classrooms and systems

As we head into the fall, Higher Ed Lunch & Learns will take place virtually, and K–12 sessions across NC and SC will be announced soon.

If you’re passionate about SEL and want to be part of a community committed to doing the work—this space is for you.

📩 To get on the Lunch & Learn list, email: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep learning, connecting, and figuring out the how—together.

🚀 Now Partnering for 2025–26

Come Home Collective would be honored to support you in this work.

We’re partnering with schools, districts, and universities for the upcoming year—focused on strengthening adult emotional intelligence and implementing EI/SEL into instruction, leadership, and culture.

If you’re ready to move from inspiration to implementation, we’d love to walk alongside you.

📆 Book a 1:1 call and let’s explore what’s possible—together.

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To...Focus on the How

Over the years, I’ve realized something consistent in nearly every partnership:

Most schools, universities, and organizations aren’t struggling with what SEL is—they understand it. They value it. Many have even started the work.

The real challenge is the how.

• How do we implement SEL effectively—not as a one-off initiative, but as something sustainable, scalable, and embedded?

• How do we develop adults—leaders, educators, staff—to model and lead with emotional intelligence?

• How do we embed SEL into instruction, leadership, and culture—while managing all the other demands?

At this stage, we don’t need more definitions. We need more support for making it live.

That’s where Come Home Collective comes in—standing beside schools, districts, and universities to support the how with clarity, strategy, and care.

Because if we want real change, we have to keep meeting one another in the honest, messy, and practical conversations around how.

That’s where the transformation begins.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

📢 Happening This Month: Belonging First in Asheville, NC

There’s been a lot of buzz—and spots are filling up fast!

Come Home Collective is co-hosting Belonging First: Cultivating Connection in Schools, a FREE in-person event on July 31st, 9:00 AM–2:30 PM in Asheville, NC.

In partnership with Buncombe County Schools and Collaborative Classroom, we’ll explore how to lead with belonging from day one—so every student and adult feels seen, valued, and connected.

You’ll walk away with:

• Clarity on how belonging fuels academic and emotional growth

• Practical SEL strategies grounded in self, others, and systems

• One powerful action step to bring back to your team

If you're a school or district leader, educator, or SEL advocate in NC—don’t miss this.

🔗 Register here before it fills up and kickstart the 2025–26 school year with clarity, connection, and purpose.

📚 Article Spotlight: Why Emotional Intelligence Is a Leadership Imperative

In a new piece from Education Week, Marc Brackett, James Floman, and Robin Stern of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence highlight how emotionally intelligent principals drive teacher well-being, retention, and school success.

But leaders can’t do this alone. The article calls for systemic investment in EI training, leadership standards, and support at every level.

A must-read for anyone shaping the future of schools.

🔗 full article

🍽️ Lunch & Learn: Building Adult Capacity for Whole-Child Success

Are you a K–12 or higher ed leader focused on making SEL stick?

Join me this summer & fall for a Lunch & Learn. A space to connect, reflect, and dive into the how of SEL implementation. We’ll share strategies, challenges, and lessons learned on building emotionally intelligent schools from the inside out.

This is for those already doing the work—and ready to go deeper.

📥 Message me STICK for upcoming dates & locations.

🧭 Take the SEL Self-Assessment & Reflection Tool

Before we lead others, we must know ourselves.

This short tool—based on CASEL’s framework—helps you reflect on your current strengths, areas for growth, and next steps in your SEL journey.

📥 [Click here to take the SEL Self-Assessment & Reflection Tool]

Want to talk through your insights? I’d love to connect.
📩 griffin@comehomecollective.org

🚀 Still Accepting 2025–26 Partners

We’re partnering with a small group of schools, districts, and universities next year.

If you're focused on strengthening adult emotional intelligence and embedding SEL into instruction and culture—we’d love to support you.

📆 Book a 1:1 call and let’s explore what’s possible—together.

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To...Move from Knowing to Doing

Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside educators across the country—education orgs, nonprofits, district leaders, school leaders, and classroom teachers—all united around one goal:

Embedding emotional intelligence (EI) and social and emotional learning (SEL) into the foundation of our schools.

And if there’s one theme that keeps surfacing, it’s this:

We know a lot. But we often stop at knowledge.

Knowing isn’t enough. The real transformation happens when we support people in doing—taking action, applying skills, and leading differently right where they are.

That’s what we’re committed to at Come Home Collective:
Helping you and your team move from insight to impact.

We do this by:
1️⃣ Supporting the development of SEL & emotionally intelligent leaders and educators
2️⃣ Helping embed those skills into systems in sustainable, real-world ways

Because if we want EI and SEL to stick, then every educator—no matter their role—needs:
✔️ Actionable next steps
✔️ Tools that live in the day-to-day—not just PD slides
✔️ Support within their current reality

So I invite you to reflect:

👉 Where is your team “knowing,” but not yet doing?
👉 What support do your educators need to move from insight to implementation?
👉 What small action could build real momentum this month?

Let’s continue to build schools where action isn’t the exception—but the norm.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

📢 Join Me This Summer: Belonging First—Cultivating Connection in Schools

Come Home is excited to co-host Belonging First: Cultivating Connection in Schools—a powerful, in-person FREE professional learning experience in Asheville, NC on July 31st from 9:00 AM–2:30 PM.

In partnership with Buncombe County Schools and Collaborative Classroom, we’ll explore how to put relationships at the center of our school communities. Together, we’ll reflect on current practices, explore high-impact strategies, and prepare to lead the first day, week, and month of school with belonging in mind.

What you’ll walk away with:

• A clearer understanding of how belonging drives academic and emotional growth

• Insight into how SEL supports students through self, others, and systems

• Practical strategies to build thriving school environments

• One powerful action step to bring back to your team

If you’re a school or district leader, educator, or SEL advocate, this event is for you.

🔗 Register here and kickstart the 2025–26 school year with clarity, connection, and purpose:

Let’s build schools where every adult and student feels they belong.

📢 Upcoming Event: Integrating SEL into Academics

On June 12th, I’ll be moderating a powerful virtual conversation as part of the Gather & Grow series with SEL4NC—focused on a topic that’s often overlooked:

How do we truly integrate SEL into academic instruction?

In the world of education, SEL and academics are too often treated as separate priorities—living in silos. But research (and real classroom practice) tells us something different: learning becomes more meaningful, effective, and lasting when SEL is woven directly into academics.

As CASEL puts it:

“SEL-integrated instruction weaves academic learning with opportunities for students to practice and reflect on social and emotional competencies—such as perspective-taking and developing a growth mindset.”

Join us on June 12, 2025, from 9–10 AM EST for this free session as we sit down with three incredible North Carolina educators who are doing this work—and doing it well.

Whether you’re a teacher, coach, or leader, this is a great chance to learn how to bridge SEL and academics in a real, relevant way.

🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/GatherandGrowSEL4NC

Let’s continue to build learning environments where SEL and academic success go hand in hand.

🧭 Take the SEL Self-Assessment & Reflection Tool

As we continue this work, I want to invite you—leaders, educators, changemakers—to take a moment for yourself.

In order to lead change, take meaningful action, and implement SEL at a collective or systems level, we must first understand ourselves.

This short SEL Self-Assessment from CASEL & Reflection Tool is designed to help you pause and reflect on your current strengths, your areas for growth, and the next step that can move you forward.

Whether you’re just beginning your SEL journey or looking to deepen your leadership, this is a powerful way to center your own development.

📥 [Click here to take the SEL Self-Assessment & Reflection Tool]

And if you want to talk through your results, your reflections, or where you’re headed next—reach out. I’d love to connect and support your growth, individually and collectively.

📩 griffin@comehomecollective.org

We’re in this together—and it starts with you.

🚀 Looking Ahead to 2025–26

We’re partnering with 5–10 aligned schools, districts, universities, and organizations to develop emotionally intelligent, human-centered environments.

If you’re looking to:

✅ Develop the WHOLE educator
✅ Strengthen emotional intelligence and SEL across your teams
✅ Integrate SEL into academics, leadership, and everyday culture
✅ Implement with sustainability, not just inspiration

I’d love to connect and support your vision.

📆 Let’s Talk
Grab a 1:1 time here: https://calendly.com/griffin-comehomecollective/connectioncall
Let’s explore where you are, where you want to grow, and how we can walk alongside you.

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To...Prioritize Your Well-Being

“Emotionally intelligent leaders have the skills to create and pursue well-being in their lives. Well-being creates clarity of mind and settles the body. It is the foundation upon which you can reflect, learn skills, and practice them.”
— Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders by Dr. Janet Patti & Dr. Robin Stern

As leaders, we often carry the weight of those we serve—students, teams, families, communities. We lead from the front, often at the cost of our own well-being. Over time, that depletion catches up—not just in our bodies or minds, but in the ripple effect it has on our teams, our decisions, and our impact.

An emotionally intelligent leader doesn't just lead others well—they care for themselves with intention. Because when you lead from a full cup, that overflow nourishes your people, your environment, and your mission.

Living mindfully and consistently practicing self-care is not a luxury—it’s a entry point to greater clarity, resilience, and longevity in this work.

So, I invite you to reflect:
What is currently the biggest source of your stress?
Where do you physically feel that stress in your body?
How do you tend to respond when you feel overwhelmed or drained?
How does that response affect other areas of your life—your relationships, your leadership, your presence?
What healthy strategies have helped you reduce and manage stress in your leadership role?

This month, I encourage you to make your well-being not a background thought—but a foundational one. Because how you care for yourself directly shapes how you show up for others.

Check out my colleagues book, “Emotional Intelligence For School Leaders” to learn more!

We are stronger together,
Griffin

🎙️ Come Home Podcast: A Sit-Down Conversation with Megan Marcus, Founder of FuelEd.

In this heart-opening episode, we dive into the concept of The Whole Educator with Megan Marcus, founder of FuelEd. Megan unpacks the core belief that relationships drive learning—and that no meaningful learning happens without connection. To grow whole students, she argues, we must first invest in whole educators.

Rooted in attachment theory, one of the most widely studied models of human development, Megan explains how emotionally intelligent educators serve as secure attachment figures in the lives of their students. These relationships provide the foundation for trust, emotional safety, and academic growth.

What’s been missing from traditional teacher preparation, Megan reveals, is explicit training in the relational and emotional skills that help educators create healthy, caring learning environments. FuelEd is working to change that—providing tools, language, and practice spaces that help educators and leaders strengthen their social and emotional competencies and show up as their fullest selves in the classroom.

Throughout the episode, Megan shares invaluable insights into the emotional lives of educators, the importance of adult SEL, and how nurturing the inner life of a teacher is one of the most powerful ways to transform our schools. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about education, mental health, and human-centered leadership.

About Our Guest:

Megan Marcus: Founder of FuelEd, an organization dedicated to developing emotionally intelligent educators and leaders. Recognized by Ashoka as a leading social innovation, FuelEd equips educators with the tools and training needed to build relationship-driven, emotionally healthy learning environments.

Join us for a transformative conversation about what it really means to care for the people who care for our kids—and how the future of education depends on it.

🎧 on Spotify & 📺 on Youtube

🔗 Megan Marcus: LinkedIn
🔗 FuelEd: www.fueledschools.org

📢 Resource Highlight: CASEL’s Statement on Federal Overreach and Misrepresentation of SEL

As debates continue to swirl around SEL in public education, CASEL released a powerful statement responding to recent federal guidance that misrepresents and threatens evidence-based SEL practices in schools.

🔍 Inside the article:

• A clear breakdown of what SEL is (and what it isn’t)

• Research-backed impacts of SEL on academics, well-being, and school climate

• A direct response to political overreach undermining local decision-making and student support

• A reaffirmation of why SEL is essential—now more than ever

🧠 Bottom Line: SEL isn’t political—it’s essential. It’s how we prepare students with the human skills they need to thrive in school, life, and the workforce.

📖 Read the full CASEL statement here

💡 Grow as an Emotionally Intelligent Leader & Educator in 2025–26

Emotional intelligence is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s one of the top five leadership skills needed to succeed in today’s world (LinkedIn, McKinsey, Center for Creative Leadership).

At Come Home Collective, we help educators and leaders embody emotional intelligence and bring it to life across classrooms, teams, and institutions. Our model supports growth at every level—from the individual to the system—so that emotional intelligence isn’t just learned, it’s embedded into the way your organization operates.

Our approach is rooted in:
Self → Others → Systems

We help you grow in your own social and emotional competencies, then translate that growth into systems, routines, and relationships that fuel lasting cultural change.

🚀 Looking Ahead to 2025–26

We’re partnering with 5–10 aligned schools, districts, universities, and organizations for the upcoming year. If you're looking to:

✅ Deepen emotional intelligence across your team
✅ Strengthen relationships and belonging in your culture
✅ Embed SEL into instructional practice, leadership, and strategy
✅ Build sustainable, student-centered systems for long-term success

…we’d love to connect and learn more about your goals.

📆 Let’s Talk

Grab a time for a 1:1 call here: https://calendly.com/griffin-comehomecollective/connectioncall
We’ll explore where you are, where you want to grow, and how we can walk alongside you.

Let’s build something lasting—together.

🌱 We’re Stronger Together

Follow along to see how we’re partnering, building, and transforming education through emotional intelligence and adult learning.

• 💻 [Website] Explore our work

• 🎥 [YouTube] Watch the Building Come Home vlog

• 💬 [LinkedIn] Stay connected with us at Come Home Collective

• 🎙️ [Podcast] Listen to powerful conversations with leaders like Megan Marcus, David Adams, Dr. Angela Bauer, Dr. Robin Stern & more

• 🤖 [Ask My AI Agent] 24/7 support for your questions on EI, education, leadership & more

• 📆 [Let’s Talk] Find a time to connect so we can champion this work together

  📩 Want to be featured or collaborate? Reach out: griffin@comehomecollective.org

Let’s keep growing—together.

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Questions about what you read? Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To...Start With the Adults

If we want to create lasting impact for students—real, meaningful growth that prepares them for life—we have to start with the adults who lead them.

Over the years, I’ve watched countless programs and initiatives launch with good intentions… only to fade away. Not because they weren’t needed, but because the focus skipped the most important part: adult development.

When priorities shift, when time gets tight, it’s not students making decisions—it’s adults. And if we want students to build emotional intelligence and social-emotional skills, those competencies have to be modeled, practiced, and held by the adults they look to every day.

The space holders.
The culture setters.
The leaders students learn from in every moment—spoken or unspoken.

This is why Come Home Collective is grounded in adult learning and implementation support. Because when educators and leaders embody these skills, SEL isn’t something extra—it becomes embedded in how we teach, lead, and show up for our students.

So I invite you to pause and reflect:

👉 Where do the adults in your school or organization need more support to grow?
👉 What space is being created to model, practice, & support these essential skills?
👉 How can you develop the adults—so they can more fully support the students?

When we start with the adults, we build environments where everyone can thrive.

We are stronger together,
Griffin

📢 Article Highlight: The Skills Employers Want Most in the AI Age All Have Something in Common | EdWeek

In today’s rapidly evolving workforce—especially with the rise of AI—major employers like Apple, Microsoft, Delta, and Southwest say they’re looking for one thing: strong social and emotional skills.

From growth mindset and resilience to empathetic listening and teamwork, these are the competencies that drive success in both college and career—and they’re at the heart of what Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is all about.

Karen VanAusdal of CASEL emphasizes that these human-centered skills—critical thinking, perspective-taking, collaboration—are becoming even more vital in the AI era.

Despite growing political scrutiny of SEL, leading business execs continue to affirm its value in the workplace, and initiatives like Portrait of a Graduate are helping schools center these competencies in their graduate profiles.

🧠 Bottom line: SEL isn’t just “soft skills.” It’s workforce readiness. It’s lifelong success. And it’s what our students—and the world—need more than ever.

📖 Read the full article here

🤝 Co-Creating Emotionally Intelligent Environments for the 2025–26 School Year

At Come Home Collective, we partner with schools, districts, and universities to embed emotional intelligence (EI) and social-emotional learning (SEL) into the heart of education—from kindergarten through college. Our work helps adults create environments where students feel a sense of belonging, are engaged in their learning, and develop the emotional skills they need to succeed in school, career, and life.

🧠 What We Do

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with educators and leaders to:

• Train staff and faculty on embedding EI into culture, instruction, and leadership

• Build inclusive classrooms and campuses that foster belonging

• Improve student engagement, motivation, and connection

• Equip students with the soft skills essential for career and life readiness

• Align our support with your school’s/district’s/university’s goals, strategic plans, and learning outcomes

🔍 What It Looks Like in Action

In K–5 settings, our work has helped schools:

✅ Better quality relationships
✅ Increase academic performance
✅ Reduce behavioral referrals
✅ Improve attendance and overall school climate

In Higher Ed, our yearlong partnership with High Point University included:
✅ Semester 1: Faculty training on emotional intelligence and instructional practice
✅ Semester 2: Hands-on implementation support to integrate EI into classrooms and instruction
✅ Outcomes:
• More connected and inclusive classroom environments
• Increased student engagement and participation
• Stronger alignment with institutional learning outcomes
• Enhanced career readiness through SEL skill development

💬 Educator Spotlight

“It’s (EI) become the foundation of how I teach.”
— Faculty Member, High Point University

Through our partnership with HPU, professors not only learned emotional intelligence strategies—they began to reimagine how they show up for students every day.

📈 What’s Possible with Come Home

Whether you’re leading a K–5 school, a district, or a college campus, our K–20 model supports deep, lasting change—not just one-off PD.

Let’s partner to help your educators feel empowered, your students feel seen, and your community thrive emotionally and academically.

🤝 Ready to Talk?

We’re now scheduling planning calls for the 2025–26 school year, and are looking to support 5–10 aligned schools and institutions.

👉 Calender Link – grab a time to chat
📩 Or reply directly to this email and we’ll find time

🎧 Want to go deeper? Check out some of my podcast episodes:

🎙️ The Power of SEL ft. David Adams, CEO, The Urban Assembly
🎙️ The Emotionally Intelligent School Leader ft. Dr. Robin Stern & Dr. Janet Patti

Let’s bring emotional intelligence and SEL to life in your learning environment—together.

📢 Make Sure to Follow Along

Come Home Collective is on a mission to transform education through adult learning, emotional intelligence, and real implementation support.

Let’s connect and explore how we can help you create meaningful, lasting change in your schools, organizations, and communities.

🔗 Partner With Us: Schedule a call to explore how we can support your leaders, educators, and teams.

📺 Learn More: Visit our website, watch the Building Come Home vlog on YouTube (don’t forget to like & subscribe!), and follow us on LinkedIn at Come Home Collective.

🎙️ Amplify Your Work: If you or your organization is driving impact in education, leadership, or social change—we’d love to feature your story on the Come Home Podcast.

Past guests include:
🎙 David Adams (The Urban Assembly)
🎙 Dr. Angela Bauer (Provost, Texas Woman’s University)
🎙 Dr. Robin Stern (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
...and many more visionary leaders shaping the future of education and human development.

📩 Ready to share your story or nominate someone doing powerful work? Reach out to griffin@comehomecollective.org

Find us on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

Ask Your EI Question (free): Ask Here

✍🏼 I Invite You To... Build Trusting Relationships

In the fast pace of our daily lives—whether in our careers or personal relationships—how are you intentionally cultivating trust?

Over the years, as a teacher, school administrator, and consultant, one thing has remained true: the most impactful work happens when trust is at the foundation. Whether leading children or adults, the key to connection is taking the time to understand people—their backgrounds, experiences, passions, and needs.

Emotionally intelligent leadership is never one-size-fits-all. It’s a dynamic process—a balance between moving forward collectively while deeply understanding how to nurture, grow, and support individuals.

So, I invite you to reflect on this:
👉 How are you fostering trust with those you lead?
👉 Are you creating space to truly listen and understand their perspectives?
👉 Do you truly know what your people need?
👉 Where or with whom are you feeling disconnected—and why?

Through all the initiatives, projects, and work that needs to take place, remember: it all starts with relationships. When you prioritize relationships first, you’ll always find success—because you’re meeting people where they truly are and addressing what’s truly needed to move forward.

As you move through this month, ask yourself: How are you prioritizing trust in your leadership?

We are stronger together,
Griffin

🎙️ Come Home Podcast: A Sit-Down Conversation with David Adams, CEO of The Urban Assembly.

In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into the world of social-emotional learning (SEL) with David Adams, CEO of The Urban Assembly. David unpacks what SEL truly is, why it’s essential for student success, and how its impact extends far beyond the classroom into every aspect of our lives.

We explore how SEL isn’t a new concept—social-emotional skills already shape our careers, relationships, and daily interactions. As a society, our systems and structures reward those who meet social and emotional standards, while those who struggle with these skills often face real challenges. What’s evolving is our approach to directly teaching SEL. David challenges the assumption that these skills develop naturally over time and makes a compelling case for explicit instruction, clear language, practical tools, and intentional spaces where students can strengthen and apply these critical skills.

Throughout the episode, David provides invaluable insights on the impact and importance of SEL, how we can embed it into schools and communities, and the role it plays in developing emotionally intelligent, adaptable, and impact-driven leaders. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about education, equity, and the future of learning.

🎧 on Spotify & 📺 on Youtube

About Our Guest:

David Adams: CEO of The Urban Assembly, national leader in social-emotional learning, Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree, Champion of Equity award recipient, and board member at CASEL. David is a passionate advocate for integrating SEL into education and beyond, ensuring every student is equipped with the skills to thrive.

Join us for a powerful discussion on the role of SEL in education and how we can create learning environments that prepare students for success in school, work, and life.

Connect with David & The Urban Assembly:

David Adams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-adams-10236721/ | Email: dadams@urbanassembly.org
The Urban Assembly: https://www.urbanassembly.org/

📢 Exciting Announcement: Joining the SEL4NC Leadership & Support Team!

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve joined the SEL4NC Leadership & Support Team, a statewide coalition committed to advocating for, educating on, and supporting the funding and implementation of social-emotional learning (SEL) in our education system here in North Carolina.

This opportunity allows me to learn, collaborate, and take action alongside passionate educators and leaders who are dedicated to embedding SEL into schools, communities, and beyond. As part of the larger SEL4US movement, SEL4US unites advocates across the country to ensure that every student has access to the social-emotional skills they need to thrive.

With SEL Day happening on March 3rd, now is the perfect time to get involved! Join us for workshops, conversations, and learning opportunities throughout the week as we continue to drive change together.

📌 Sign up here to learn more and get involved: SEL Day

🤝 Bringing SEL to Life: Practical Strategies for Leaders & Teams

Developing social and emotional skills is essential for effective leadership, teamwork, and overall success—no matter your industry or role. Strengthening these competencies helps us manage emotions, build meaningful relationships, and navigate challenges with resilience.

Here are two powerful resources to help you implement SEL practices with your teams today:

1. The Crucial Role Emotions Play in Productivity
This article from TIME delves into how managing emotions directly impacts our productivity. Key insights include:​

• Emotional Regulation: Understanding and controlling our emotions is essential for effective decision-making and problem-solving.​

• Practical Strategies: Implementing techniques such as mindfulness and reflective practices can enhance focus and productivity.​

Read the full article here: Time

2. Fostering Adult SEL: 3 Social-Emotional Learning Activities for Educators ( & Others)
Panorama Education offers practical activities designed to enhance social-emotional learning among educators. Highlights include:​

• Growth Circles: Structured group discussions that promote reflective practice and collective problem-solving.​

• Two-Word Check-In: A quick exercise to help team members express their current emotional states, fostering empathy and support.​

• Inclusive Get-to-Know-You Questions: Questions aimed at building trust and understanding within teams.​

Explore these activities in detail: ​Panorama Life Skills

Leaders, don’t wait—start integrating these strategies with your teams today. SEL isn’t a one-time event; it’s the foundation of strong, resilient, and high-performing organizations. How will you bring SEL to life in your workplace?

Let’s Make Real Impact—Together.

Come Home Collective is dedicated to transforming education through adult learning and real implementation support. Let’s connect and explore how we can help you drive meaningful change.

🔗 Work With Us: Schedule a call to discuss how we can support your leaders, educators, and teams.

📺 Learn More: Visit our website, watch the Building Come Home vlog on YouTube (subscribe & like!), and follow us on LinkedIn at Come Home Collective.

🎙️ Amplify Your Work: If you or your organization is driving impact in education, leadership, or social change, we’d love to feature you on the Come Home Podcast.

Past guests include David Adams (The Urban Assembly), Dr. Angela Bauer (Provost, Texas Woman’s University), Dr. Robin Stern (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence), and many more thought leaders shaping the future.

Join the conversation and share your work—reach out at griffin@comehomecollective.org.

For the latest updates, follow us on LinkedIn at Come Home Collective.