S12 E48 Restorative Justice with Gayle Turner & Shelli Jost Brady

"Restorative justice is not about scolding and punishing, but about asking ourselves how we failed others." - Shelli Jost Brady [Why This Is Important] Shelli Jost Brady, a designer, and consultant, has been actively involved in community development and the concept of restorative justice. She believes in empowering communities to realize their visions instead of being told what they should want. In this episode, Shelli shares her journey into restorative justice work and highlights the importance of bringing people together and healing harm. [What You Need to Know] Shelli's background in architecture and design taught her to understand people's needs, including their grievances and dreams.As a planning commissioner and public servant, Shelli learned to navigate conflicts and stakeholder negotiations.Shelli's experiences during national crises and community division led her to focus on de-escalation and restoring peace.She started working with youth, addressing bullying and conflict to create a harmonious environment.Shelli expanded her work into restorative justice, bringing healing processes to the prison system and schools.Her efforts extended to racial healing conversations and reparations, fostering community building and peace. [What You Need to Do] Reflect on your role in conflicts and consider how you may have contributed to them.Practice taking responsibility and diffusing problems by acknowledging your part in the situation.Learn more about restorative justice principles and explore how they can be applied in your community.Support organizations like "Coming Together Virginia" that promote healing, unity, and understanding.Visit the Storytellers Channel to listen to Shelli Jost Brady's inspiring story and learn from her experiences. [TAKE ACTION] Take a moment to think about a recent conflict or disagreement you've had. Consider how you can approach it from a restorative justice perspective, taking responsibility for your part and seeking a peaceful resolution. Remember, healing and community building start with each individual's willingness to change and grow. Shelli Jost Brady (she/her/hers) is a business owner, social entrepreneur and servant leader since age 29. She has focused her essence, her efforts and her energy on creating place and belongingness for every community with which she’s worked. Shelli is a graduate of Virginia Tech. She holds multiple advanced degrees & certificates in design, architecture, business, leadership, trauma, and peace education, She’s known as a catalyst for transformation. She’s an innovator. She’s resilient and has used story to overcome adversity, and help diverse and challenged cultures worldwide re-story themselves into sustainable entities. Enhancing leadership capacity, designing space, developing education programs, facilitating social justice initiatives, and pioneering economic development projects are just a few of the areas she’s been engaged to contribute her magic. Understanding that Storytelling transcends barriers within our communities as well as in our own minds, she works with people to help them release their old narratives and create new ones. She encourages us to tell ourselves, and each other, stories worth living https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelli-jost-brady-94b44835/ Gayle Turner is President of The Storytellers Channel, Inc. https://storytellerschannel.com/ For close to five decades he has used the power of story to initiate and sustain change while growing leaders and building productive corporate and community cultures. Check out his LinkedIn profile to learn the rest of the story. https://www.linkedin.com/in/wgayleturner/  If you'd like to explore how clarifying your organization's stories and sharing the stories that exemplify those values can improve performance click here and schedule a time to talk with Gayle.