How Compassion Can Transform Schools | With Ashley Seidel Potvin

In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Dr Ashley Seidel Potvin—educator, researcher, and lead author of the truly important book Creating Compassionate Change in School Communities: Leading Together to Address Everyday Suffering in Schools.Ashley brings such depth and heart to this conversation, drawing on her work at the Renée Crown Wellness Institute and years of collaboration with educators and researchers. We explored what it really takes to shift school culture—from the deeply personal to the systems-level—and how compassion and dignity can be nurtured in even the most complex school environments.Together, we touched on:. How pausing and attuning to our inner experience lays the foundation for compassion. The everyday forms of suffering educators and students face. The difference between empathy and compassion (and how to avoid empathic distress). Why self-compassion is a powerful preparation for justice-oriented action. How to lead for compassionate change and see the system more clearly. The power of building “compassionate personas” and collective actionIf you’re a teacher, school leader, parent, or just someone who cares about the next generation, I think you’ll find this conversation meaningful and, I hope, hopeful.The book—written by Ashley Seidel Potvin, William Penuel, Sona Dimidjian, and Thupten Jinpa—is out now and well worth a read.Timestamps00:00 – Introduction to Dr. Ashley Seidel Potvin01:45 – The Importance of Compassion in Education07:00 – Practical Strategies for Educators10:00 – Challenges and Suffering in Schools19:58 – Empathy vs. Compassion26:24 – The Role of Self-Compassion30:51 – The Importance of Self-Compassion31:34 – Challenges and Misconceptions About Self-Compassion36:00 – Receiving Compassion from Others38:28 – Systems Level Awareness in Education43:50 – Leadership and Compassionate Change49:31 – Developing Compassionate Personas56:58 – The Journey of Writing the BookLINK:Creating Compassionate Change in School Communities: Leading Together to Address Everyday Suffering in Schools by Ashley Seidel Potvin, William R. Penuel, Sona Dimidjian, and Thupten Jinpa. https://www.colorado.edu/crowninstitute/compassionate-change-schools-bookIf you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/ Say hi on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drstansteindl Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/StanSteindl Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_stan_steindl/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-steindl-150a5264/ Website: https://www.stansteindl.com/ YouTube Video URL: https://youtu.be/cuyXZiPKpgY*Affiliate Disclaimer: Note this description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video and support the channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when the viewer uses the links, the viewer is in no way obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support! Video hashtags:compassionateeducation, selfcompassion, educationalleadership, schoolculture, teacherwellbeing, dignityinschools