Why Students Learn When They Feel Loved Ft. Kandace Stallings w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy

In a special series devoted to empathy in education with leaders and fellows of Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL), watch this episode to learn how vulnerability and love can transform classrooms into spaces of belonging, healing, and hope.Kandace Stallings, a faith leader and SEL (social emotional learning) Specialist in Chicago, reflects on the power of mentorship and unconditional support to help students thrive. She also shares how her own lived experiences now guide her commitment to empathic leadership—in classrooms and beyond.00:00 Preview01:04 Introduction 01:39 About Kandace Stallings03:18 Kandace’s backstory06:48 The role of empathy in education12:04 Why kids can’t learn in school if they don’t feel loved16:04 How are Black women educators holding each other up in 2025?19:11 Kandace’s self-empathy strategies22:54 Finding strength in vulnerability: The power of safe relationships26:40 Why Kandace’s faith deepened after a conversation with her mother29:58 The cycle of empathic leadership: From being mentored to mentoring others33:01 How to overcome imposter syndrome and lead with confidence36:24 Kandace’s natural hair journey40:47 How Kandace overcome self-doubt46:40 Kandace Stallings’s Purposeful Empathy storyCONNECT WITH ANITA✩ Email [email protected] ✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.socialCONNECT WITH KANDACE✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kandace-stallings-859aa977/✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tdl_kanday/SHOW NOTES✩ Transformative Educational leadership https://www.teleadership.org/Video edited by Green Horizon Studio