The Everything ECE Podcast

Self-care is often reduced to bubble baths, spa days, and treating yourself, but true self-care goes much deeper than that.In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward shares a personal story about how years of ignoring her own well-being led to a panic attack that landed her in the hospital. Through honest reflection and practical insights, she explores why self-care is not a luxury for educators. It's a necessity.Carla breaks down the five essential types of self-careWhether you're an early childhood educator, teacher, leader, or parent, this episode will help you identify which area of self-care may need your attention and offer simple ways to begin prioritizing yourself again.Topics Discussed:Why self-care is more than bubble bathsThe consequences of ignoring your own needsBoundaries and professional self-careEmotional wellness for educatorsBuilding sustainable self-care habitsHow self-care impacts children, families, and teamsSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE.  See you next week! shape their early years.CONNECT WITH CARLAEmail Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠Website: carlatheece.comInstagram: @carlatheece

#243: Why Movement Comes Before Mindfulness with Lisa DanahyIn this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward sits down with educator, author, yoga therapist, and founder of Create Calm, Lisa Danahy, to explore the powerful connection between movement, emotional regulation, and learning.Together, they discuss why movement is often the pathway to mindfulness, how educators can support their own regulation before helping children, and why calm and compliant are not the same thing. Lisa shares practical strategies that can be implemented immediately in early childhood settings while challenging traditional ideas about behaviour management and mindfulness.In this episode, you'll learn:• Why movement fuels brain development and emotional regulation• The difference between mindfulness and mind control• How educator regulation impacts classroom dynamics• Why connection must come before correction• Practical strategies to support co-regulation and well-beingLISA DANAHYLisa Danahy (C-IAYT, YACEP, MS) is an educator, author, and leader in social-emotional learning focused on supporting emotional regulation, resilience, and well-being in early childhood and school communities. Through her nonprofit, Create Calm, she has helped facilitate meaningful cultural shifts in hundreds of schools nationwide, supporting students, educators, and families since 2016. With advanced training in yoga therapy, psychology, and over 30 years of experience in education and SEL curriculum development, she creates accessible, evidence-based practices that support whole-child development. Lisa specializes in working with neurodiverse, disabled, and underserved children and partners with educators and caregivers to bring sustainable self-care and regulation tools into early learning environments.  LINKSWebsite: createcalm.orgFacebookInstagramLinkedInBook: Creating Calm in Your ClassroomRadiant Child: www.childrensyoga.com Monday Mindfulness: www.MondayMindfulness.com INA Wellness: www.INAwellness.com SUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE.  See you next week! shape their early years.CONNECT WITH CARLAThe ECE Latte LoungeEmail Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠ Website: carlatheece.comInstagram: @carlatheece

What if the music we grow up around shapes more than just our memories?In this reflective solo episode, Carla Ward explores the powerful role music plays in childhood development, emotional regulation, identity formation, and the environments we create for children. From Linda Ronstadt and Carole King to Cher, Madonna, and the Spice Girls, Carla reflects on the soundtrack of her own childhood and asks an important question:What are children absorbing from the music around them today?This episode dives into:music as part of the learning environmentemotional associations and memoryidentity and self-expressionnervous system regulationclassroom atmosphere and intentionalitywhy music is far more than background noiseWhether you are an educator, parent, or someone reflecting on your own childhood soundtrack, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about the songs shaping children’s worlds.RESEARCH & REFERENCESSaarikallio, S., & Erkkilä, J. — The Role of Music in Adolescents’ Mood Regulation https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0305735607068889 Effects of the Educational Use of Music on Children’s Emotional Development https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350545306_Effects_of_the_Educational_Use_of_Music_on_3-to_12-Year-Old_Children's_Emotional_Development_A_Systematic_Review North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J. — Music and Adolescent Identity https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232523022_Musical_Preference_and_Taste_in_Childhood_and_Adolescence Janata, P. — The Neural Architecture of Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2758676/ Routledge, C. — Research on nostalgia and psychological connectedness https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/nostalgiaSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE.  See you next week! shape their early years.CONNECT WITH CARLAThe ECE Latte LoungeEmail Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠Website: carlatheece.comInstagram: @carlatheece

This week on The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla sits down with Laurent Li, an educator working both on the frontline with children and in post-secondary education, preparing future ECEs entering the field.Together, they have an honest and reflective conversation about the growing gap between graduating and actually being classroom-ready, authentic inclusion culture, mentorship, onboarding, advocacy, and the basics we cannot afford to lose sight of in early childhood education.From headcounts and visual schedules to connection, belonging, and what true inclusion really looks like beyond performative practices, this episode explores the heart of what it means to support children, families, and educators well.This conversation is thoughtful, validating, and one every educator and leader should hear.LAURENT LILaurent Li is a professor in the Faculty of Early Childhood Education at Seneca Polytechnic and an advocate for inclusive cultures and the creation of environments that support children with disabilities in demonstrating their capabilities. He is also a proud girl dad to two young daughters, ages 3 and 5, and, as a result, a devoted caffeine lover.LINKSLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljmli/ SUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE.  See you next week! shape their early years.CONNECT WITH CARLAThe ECE Latte LoungeEmail Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠ Website: carlatheece.comInstagram: @carlatheece

In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward shares one of the most impactful reflective strategies she adopted in her career as an early childhood educator: using the 5 Ws and the H to better understand behaviour, play, emotions, environments, and classroom dynamics.Instead of immediately reacting to challenging moments, Carla explores how slowing down and asking reflective questions can help educators become more responsive, intentional, and supportive in their practice.This episode dives into:reflective practice in ECEunderstanding behaviour through curiositythe role of environment and timingschemas and observationsupporting dysregulationstudying what is working in the classroom, not just what is notWhether you are navigating challenging behaviours, trying to better understand classroom dynamics, or looking to deepen your reflective practice, this episode will leave you thinking differently about what is really happening beneath the surface.SUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE.  See you next week! shape their early years.CONNECT WITH CARLAThe ECE Latte LoungeEmail Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠Website: carlatheece.comInstagram: @carlatheece