Give the Squirrel a Bottle w/ My Mom, Dena

When it comes to " having it all" as a mom of four and public education-tycoon who climbed the ladder to Assistant Superintendent of Mabank ISD, *while* learning from her mistakes along the way, my mom's a total badass. I couldn't be more stoked to share her stories around advocating for the sexual health of teens with special needs, defending teen streakers in court, standing up to military guards during the golf war with we four kids in the van, and oh, yes, the one with the baby squirrels and her first year of teaching. Get ready for some hilarious inspiration, friend. . Like all of us who are trying to parent AND live our life's purpose well, my mom and I are interrupted quite a bit in this interview. You'll hear my sister-in-law, my daughter needing help with virtual school, my niece, Ellie looking for a hairbrush,  and the interview even ends abruptly because my Mom's help is needed by my Uncle Tommy calls about help with new gravel at my Cousin Justice's house. (She takes the call and then the zoom ap on the phone closes down.) Ha! Real-life, right?!  . While I was tempted to edit all of these life-interruptions out, I chose not to. They are part of 'having it all', they are the 'all' for which we all work so hard. These relationships are what it's all about, and there's no better content than that. . So....if you are a super-busy, parenting, spiritually-attuned-go-getter who is striving to thrive professionally and personally in the crap of COVID, then let my mom's tips save you tons of time, misery and energy. Also, if you are like her and want to improve public schools in the US, as one who has helped MANY schools succeed, the tips she gives about school board health,  outdated 'zero-tolerance', and what we can learn from schools in Finland will BLOW YOUR MIND! :)  EXPLORE MY MOM'S CURRENT PROJECT HERE: https://www.educationunbound.org/advisoryboard  . Here's the bio that she wanted me to read on the show, but I didn't because it's my show and I had a WAY better intro in mind! :P  . DENA MOJICA started her 32-year career in public education in Greenville, TX. A high energy education, she is adept at guiding school leaders in designing and delivering innovative academic programs that challenge and engage both teachers and students. Dena holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary of Education from East Texas State University and a Master of Arts Degree in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from National-Louis University in Germany.