A Heart Centered Journey

David welcomes A Conscious Way Forward’s first guest, the wonderful intuitive warrior, Mrs. Audria Johnson. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Mrs. Johnson describes herself as a “chill, humble, Southern girl!” While she had thoughts of becoming a pediatrician, she found her calling in education, earned a BA in Early Childhood Education, and never looked back. She taught in a district school in Atlanta for a few years until she and her husband’s family made the move to California. Mrs. Johnson landed a job with St. Hope at the PS7 Elementary School. She was an instructional coach, taught first grade, and then became the principal. In 2017, Mrs. Johnson joined Growth Public Schools (GPS), a K-8 charter school in Sacramento, California, founded by David K. Richards. She has been the principal since 2017 and currently wears the hat as GPS’ Intuitive Leader/Executive Director/Principal. Mrs. Johnson shares her journey in education as an African American female teacher, which ultimately led her to GPS. David and she discuss systemic issues within current education and their vision for heart-centered, emotional education. Highlights: Mrs. Johnson always had a desire to be part of something bigger and she realized what better way to make an impact than to work with kids in their process of learning. Mrs. Johnson followed her intuitive tug to take a chance. When we discuss “changing the education system,” we need to talk about how the system was designed and who it was meant to elevate and hold back. Originally, the education system was built in a two-track mode for the “haves” and the “have nots.” The world is changing and beyond learning how to solve math equations and read, which are important, we want our kids to be able to express how they feel and handle conflict. GPS is beautiful because emotions and vulnerability are accepted and embraced. “I get to show up at work, 100% truly my authentic self. And I don’t get to do that everywhere” – Mrs. Audria Johnson