By 4th grade, 67% of 4th graders

are behind grade level in reading. Yes.

That's like 2 thirds of 4th graders. And

yet, the stats show that if we teach more aligned to the

science of reading, 95% of neurotypical kids

can learn how to read on grade levels. So how is it that

we can change this statistic together? Because

we can't do it alone. I'm talking all about this today

with my dear friend, Amy Nielsen, from Planning Playtime. Welcome to

episode 136 of Educate and Rejuvenate the podcast.

Let's dive in.

Welcome to Educate and Rejuvenate. The podcast to help you revitalize

your teaching, renew your spirit, and reignite your passion for

life. I'm your host, Kelsey Sorensen, a former teacher,

current homeschool mom, published author, and certified life coach. Whether you

are a teacher in a traditional classroom, homeschool from your kitchen table,

or anywhere in between, I am on a mission to help you not only survive

as an educator, but thrive. Get ready to up level your

skills with incredible insights from guest experts and discover the

missing piece, rejuvenating yourself. Are you ready to

both educate and rejuvenate? Let's go.

Welcome back to educate and rejuvenate, the podcast. This is one of my

favorite things that I do here at Educate and Rejuvenate. I love connecting

with you in your own time, where I record an episode in my studio, and

you get to listen to it whenever the timing is right for you. And even

picking it based on the topic, whatever you need at that moment. I created this

to be a resource for you, whenever you need it. And

I'm so glad that for many of you, it has been just that. I wanna

share what a couple of our reviewers have shared with me, because they

mean so much to me when I see what you have to

say. Because the one thing that I miss and I crave more of, which

is why I'm starting to do some of these podcast episodes live, is that I

love to connect with you. And when I do record a podcast, it is kind

of one way. So I love when I get to hear what you have to

share and say about it. Now, here's what candie 368 had to

say. She said, great podcast. Now I am making it a point to see what

habits I need to drop, and what I need to add to make myself a

happier person. And I love that. I love that this podcast has helped

you, Candy 368, to be able to do that, and to be able to make

yourself happier. That's really what this podcast is here to do. It's to help you

learn different ways to up level your teaching, which is what we're focusing on today,

but also really uplevel your life, and

rejuvenate yourself as a full person, too. And that's what Lynn Bear had to

say. She says, self love is something I've struggled with my whole life. It's great

to know I'm not alone in this struggle, but now have a tool and framework

to support personal growth. Take the time to prioritize yourself.

And, Lynn Bear, I'm so glad you were doing that by listening to this podcast

and being part of the community. And like I mentioned, these reviews

mean so much to me. I definitely pour a lot of time and energy into

creating the content for this podcast. So if you're enjoying it, it means a

lot if you take just a couple of minutes on Apple Podcasts to leave a

review. It's really simple. You just go to the main podcast page, the

educate and rejuvenate podcast, and hit write a review. You

just give a little title, type in what the episode, or what It

can be about a single episode, or just the show as a whole. What it's

meant to you. Just a sentence or 2 even, and leave a star rating.

And if you take the time to do that, make sure to take a screenshot

right before you hit submit, so you can show that you wrote a review and

email it to us at hello at educate and rejuvenate.com. And

we will even send you a $5 code just for taking the time to do

that. And that could be used to claim a free resource or to apply to

a ticket to educate and rejuvenate or to apply to your next renewal if you're

already a member of the educate and rejuvenate club. Because I just appreciate

it so much, and I know you're busy. So I want to reward you for

taking the time to leave a review because, again, it means a lot to me.

I've been working hard to get some incredible content and amazing guests

here on the podcast for you, so you can enjoy it for free whenever you

need. A little pick me up. This podcast is here for you.

Okay. So with that, I can't wait to introduce the incredible guests

that we have on the podcast today. My dear friend, Amy Nielsen, we

go way back. In fact, if you listen through to the end of this episode,

you'll hear a funny story about how she helped me back in 2017 during a

time I was terrified over something that I think is so cute and funny now.

It had nothing to do with the episode really, but it was just kind of

at the end when we were chatting about how we go way back. But I'm

so thrilled to have her on the podcast, and we actually co hosted this

episode together. So it's more of a conversation than an interview, because it

was created to air on both my podcast here at Educate and Rejuvenate the

podcast, and on Amy's podcast, the Raising Healthy Kid Brains

podcast. So if you like what you hear on the show today, make sure that

you follow Amy's as well over at Raising Healthy Kid Brains. She is

amazing. Also, if you're attending educate rejuvenate, I wanna let you know that

she is teaching a session that you'll want to watch for. With your general

admission ticket, she's teaching a session called a unique approach for teaching kids

how to read. And just that title, I'm like, I wanna hear this session. I

wanna hear this unique approach. And really, she's talking about combining the power of play

with the science of reading, giving kids the buy in and engagement

they need, powered by science backed tools and

strategies to help children become expert readers. I'm like, I can't wait

to read that and apply what I learned with my own children who I'm currently

homeschooling. And if you're in the classroom, you can totally apply it in the

classroom as well. And Amy, she helps both parents and teachers. She's

phenomenal. If you have the platinum pass, or you're a educate and

rejuvenate club member, she and we'll talk about this more in the interview, she also

has a session she's going to teach about becoming a reading coach. If you're

either like a homeschool mom and you're like, I need something to do to that

I can do at home with my kids. Or if you're a teacher and

you're kind of looking for a change, that could maybe be something you might be

interested in. Or even doing it on top of it. If you're like, I want

something to do during the summer or whatever. So that'll

be a really fun session too. So again, if

you don't have a ticket yet to educate and rejuvenate, make sure to snag 1.

I'd love to have you join us there. If you leave a review on the

podcast, you could even get that $5 code that you could apply to make your

ticket only like $15 to get in for all of the sessions,

the keynotes, the workouts. It it's a great value, so we'd

love to see you there. So before we hop over to the conversation, the episode

that Amy and I recorded together, I wanna tell you a little bit more about

Amy. She is the the CEO and lead creator over at Planning

Playtime. She helps parents and teachers make learning ridiculously fun

and effective. The play based education movement that she launched has

blossomed into a community of over 2,000,000 members all over the world.

Her education videos have been viewed over a 100,000,000 times, and her preschool and reading

curriculums are changing lives every day. Her latest project, the Elite

Reading Coach Academy, is training teachers, retired teachers, and moms to build their

own successful businesses while waging a war against persistent,

disheartening literacy statistics, and transforming lives and futures

by empowering children to become expert readers. Amy is a mother of

5 of her own creative learners and loves to chat about all things play,

learning, brain development, and parenting on her podcast, Raising Healthy Kid

Brains. Okay. Now let's get to today's podcast.

I am so excited to be here with Amy today for our co hosted

episode here on both of our podcasts. I know. This is so fun.

This is my first co hosted episode, so I'm, like, feeling kind of fancy

today. This is fun. It is super fun. So today, we're kinda

talking about well, we're talking about a few things. 1st, we wanna talk

about kind of the summer and how a lot of us feel, like, if

you've gone through the school year and this is whether you are like a stay

at home mom who's teaching your kids at home or you're a teacher in

a classroom. Like, a lot of times we feel during the summer like, oh, I

just need to rest now. I need to not think about teaching at all. I

just need to focus on my kids and my family, and not think about teaching

at all. But I feel like sometimes with that,

we then aren't quite ready for the school year when it comes up. What what

are your thoughts about that, Amy? Oh, my goodness. I think

summer burnout is, like, so real. We're, like, the end of the school

year. We call it in in my business and care of my business manager and

I, we always joke every May. It's like Maysember is what she said. Right?

It's just just, like, all all the everything in May.

And by June, I'm just like, I am so done. Right? And and

so we just wanna rest, and I think that it rest is, like, such an

important thing. But I I have this belief, and and now I've heard it on

other podcasts, like Jay Shetty and people that I trust. So I think there's some

validity to it. But this idea that resting doesn't always

mean just laying around and binge watching your favorite Netflix

show. Right. Sometimes that's healthy. But but a lot of times,

rest is actually about just using a different part

of our brain or doing something a little bit different. It's not just,

like, trying to numb. I think sometimes we go from resting to numbing

instead of it being, like, just using a different part of us. And I think,

you know, when you go to the gym and you have days that you you

switch, Right? Right. Muscle groups. And I kinda see that for brain too, and it

helps your whole brain be strong and get better,

right, when we're switching. So I look at it as that way. Yes, we want

some, you know, rest days in there, but we're also, like, how do we just

use our brain in maybe a little bit different way that's really building and strengthening

our brain and helping us feel healthier when we're coming back, if that makes sense.

Yes. That totally makes sense. And I think and I think there's room for both

too because maybe, for example, even this week, we've been putting together our educate

and rejuvenate conference for the past few months, and it's now we're, like, less than

a month away. And I mean, I guess we're about a month

away right now. By by the time everybody's listening to this, it'll be less than

a month away. But with that, like, there were some days that were

oh, we're doing a lot and I'm switching, I'm doing a podcast, and then I'm

preparing content, and then we're troubleshooting website issues we've been having with our b brand

and all that. And then I have one day this week where it's like, no,

I need to rest. And by that, I mean actually best. Yeah. So it's really

knowing yourself and what you need. Like, sometimes, yes. I'm not saying don't rest all

summer. Rest in the way you might typically think. Like sometimes, maybe it is like

taking a long afternoon nap, or it is binging that show on Netflix. But we

just don't wanna do that all summer, because, I mean, I really kinda think of

even the what is it? Newton's law of I I should know this. I'm a

teacher. But, you know, so your emotion stays in motion. Right? So if we're all

summer just sleeping a couch potato, like watching Netflix and

not keeping our brain engaged in something,

Then by the time the school year comes around, how do we go from no

motion to suddenly, like, oh, I need to be running full speed at the beginning

of the school year, whether you're running kids to other things at the beginning of

the school year, kinda there's got May, December you were talking about, and then there's

back to school. Right? And they're kind of like 2 size. 2 sides of the

same coin. So if Yeah. Yeah. It's like you you're just gonna go

from all out in May to, I'm gonna just lay back and then all out

again in August. What if instead we try to find some balance all along the

way, is what I'm thinking. I I love it. I

think it's so healthy. One of the things I talk to my people about, right,

is too if you're, like, feeling burnout, right, and you're getting

just really exhausted with what you've been doing, like, in teaching specifically,

right, one of the best things I encourage people to do is to go learn

something. Like, this last time, you went and learned something new. Right? Because it,

I think, brings back that excitement around learning. And we

get so stuck in teaching and we're doing our same routine over and over and

over again. But when we stop for just a second and we go learn something

ourselves, I think we remember how much fun learning is,

and it gets that excitement back inside of us. And then we can carry that

to that excitement to about learning Yeah. To the kids that we're working with. Right?

Whether they be our own kids or or kids we're teaching in a classroom or

any of those things. And it's just I feel like one of the best ways

to reinvigorate our brains. And, of course, naps are wonderful. They are. Very it

doesn't happen all the time, but there is the occasional day where I'm, like, the

very best thing I can do for my children, for my business, for everything today

is to go take a 30 minute nap. Or even my team will say,

Amy, I think you need to go on a hike today. Right? And I do

some of my best thinking out on a hike. Yes. Not to me is a

version of rest because it's resting from some of the other stuff I do. Right.

So, yeah, I think finding ways to keep learning in the

mix with the rest. Right? Maybe active rest some days

and sometimes it's just rest, rest. Right? But I think having that mix and using

our brain and learning and growing is such a way to keep ourselves

healthy and and be able to rejuvenate like you've talked about, and I

think that's so valuable. Yes. I love what you've been mentioning about wanting to

learn something new, because I really think the reason why anybody who's listening to

either of our podcasts is doing so is because they love to

learn new things and that's why we teach. Right? Because I feel like

teachers, they are lifelong learners whether you're a teacher. And when I use the word

teacher, I wanna explain. When I use that word, I mean, if you teach in

a classroom or you teach your kids at home. Because they know some parents are

like, oh, I'm not a teacher, but you are. You're teaching your kids things everyday.

So just wanna clarify that. Yeah. But but again, I

think we we love to learn new things, but sometimes we put off learning new

things ourselves to focus on teaching them the new things, and then we get burned

out from teaching them the new things. So teaching ourselves a new thing or

learning from somebody else, finding that resource that we want to use to learn something

or to do something that's been on our heart or our mind for a long

time, like starting a side hustle, but maybe you don't even know what you want

that to be, or reading a book for fun or for knowledge. Like, I wanna

learn more about the nervous system. I find that fascinating. Or I wanna learn more

about I mean, what? It can be anything. I wanna learn more about how to

cook something. Whatever. Whatever. Or I wanna try some new recipes or

whatever it is. Like, just learning something new to feel like this is something for

me to grow and improve myself, to

educate and really what I talk about too is a lot with my brand now,

especially. We just rebranded to educate and rejuvenate. So it's really about

educating both the kids and yourself, and

rejuvenating yourself too. And again, that rejuvenation can also

be in learning things too. So that I I

love talking about this. I know. This is this is a

happy place for me, and I love that this is what you do at your

event because I think it is such a a good mix of those things and

brings that in in the middle of summer, which I think is something so valuable

in a way to to learn. I love being able to learn from

conferences and go and just have exposure and and ideas that maybe

I I don't normally get on my own. And I think sometimes when you set

up and you're like, I'm gonna go to an event, those are the times I'm

like, I literally have set aside this time for myself to go and have

this space to just go and be there and learn and and get

to have that experience, and it just feels like it feels kind of

restful somehow because you're separating yourself from what you're normally doing.

Right? But then you're also getting that growth because you're getting that I'm

learning something new. And, anyway, I just think it's one of the really nice,

really growth, happy things I do for myself during the year.

So I love that for a summer for for our audience.

For sure. And the other thing I love about that is it's that growth in,

like, oh, I'm learning these things, I'm setting aside that time for myself being really

intentional, like I am doing this for me. But also, when you get there,

I feel like that's the initial decision, and then when people get there at this

virtual event because a lot of times you think, oh, in person events are all

about community and you get to meet people. But what I found is

the type of people who get drawn to this educate and rejuvenate event, because we

have both that educate and rejuvenate side. Everybody there is

really wanting to up level themselves, too. So the chat in these

conferences, you know, because you've been part of it all 3 years now, I think.

It is just like on fire. Everybody there and supporting and uplifting each other

and some there's all these side conversations going on. Like somebody's like, oh, I'm going

through this or whatever. And people are, like, chatting with each other and I have

people I've had people say they've met friends through the event, whether they just

stay online friends or some of them have actually met in person. One person messaged

me a picture like, hey, we drove an hour to meet each other, and we

met through educate and rejuvenate. And I love that. And I love that an event

is a way to find your people. If you feel like maybe you don't have

what you're looking for in your school or your, community

or neighborhood, you can find people who are like minded online.

And that's the beauty of the internet is we can meet people from anywhere.

Yeah. I love that too. And I love the the messages. So the

session that you're having me teach or the general session is

about a unique approach to teaching kids to read. And I love that there's just

so many cool things to to get to talk about. And, like you said, I've

been able to participate for 3 years, which has been amazing, but what a cool

thing to be able to go and learn. I know this is such a concern

that so many parents have. Right? And I get to talk to parents essentially every

day that have this concern. And, of course, teachers struggling with as well because

the stats show that 7% of our 4th graders are falling behind grade

level in reading, which is crazy. That's, like, 2 thirds of our kids.

I know. And the stat I just saw recently too is that

27% of our 12th graders are below proficient

in reading, and that just made me sick because I

have a a kid that just graduated, a 12th grader that just graduated this year.

You know, I'm at her graduation ceremony in this enormous building. Right? There's

there's between 7 and 800 students graduating from high school

in this class and just looking out of this group of beautiful,

beautiful humans moving out into the world and thinking, wow. Over a

quarter of these kids, you know, according to the statistics,

are below proficient in reading and the impact that has it it's devastating.

Yeah. And yet the statistics show that if we're doing it right with the right

tools and strategies that 95% of neurotypical kids can learn to read by the end

of 1st grade. And so I'm, like, we gotta do this. We need to do

it right. Yeah. Let's spread the word. We have the tools and

strategies. Let's get them to everyone so that we can you know, let's get them

to teachers. Let's get them to parents. Let's get them get them as far and

wide as we can so we can all work together to change this because we

have to. Yeah. We we want that statistic to change. Right? We

want those kids learning how to especially where it's shown that they can, and it's

just the ways that we can do it. And again and what I've been telling

teachers too is there's no need to feel guilt about where

ways you might have taught before. I even have things in our resources where I'm

like, oh, yeah. That we need to update or whatever because we're learning. It's

a thing in life and in teaching reading. As we learn something new, we

get better. And Yes. So but this is an opportunity to do that

in a really fun way, and and I love that your title is a

unique approach to teaching kids to read. I feel like I'm just so

intrigued by what you're going to teach in that session, which I don't want you

to give it all away today, but I'm sure it's along the lines of what

you were just talking about. But Yeah. I think it's really fun

because one of the things that I'm known for I I used to think I

I don't know. Like, there's this idea that we're supposed to try to fit in

and, you know, whatever. This has never been me, and I think, it was partly

I get it from my parents. But, yeah, I like uniqueness with something

very celebrated, and we say we have a a saying in my house with my

kids that that whatever makes you weird makes you awesome. And so I'm all about

unique. Let's do it. Right? But but, yeah, when you can

find something that just works so beautifully well and that

works with and taking everything that we have the most amazing science that we've

ever had in the history of the world. Right? And so we can take what

science is telling us works, right, and those those strategies and those

principles and then add this other piece onto it that just uplevels

it in such a beautiful way. And it just works. And it's

so so incredible. So I can't wait to share it and and talk about it

at your event, and maybe we all get to learn something a little bit more

about reading because we've got to do this together. Like, one person isn't gonna make

the difference in those statistics, but if we if we team up and we all

work together, we can change it, and we have to. Right? Yes. And it is

a lot about teaming up and doing it together. And I know you mentioned, because

we were chatting a bit before we hit record on this episode, about

how you can't do it all alone either. You're like, I am doing everything I

can to get these tools to every teacher, every parent, but obviously, you

can't do it all by yourself. And so I know you've created this awesome

certification program where people can learn to be reading coaches, but other than

that, you're also teaching about it to people who

upgrade their ticket to Platinum and Educate Rejuvenate. You've got a special session about,

basically, learning about becoming a reading coach. Right? Can you tell a little

bit about that? Yeah. Of course. So this is

a huge thing for me. One of the things I learned, and I learned this

from this amazing woman, her name's Eileen. And Aileen was, like,

a pastor for 20 years with her husband, and and they were broke. You

know? Like, her husband was driving Uber to to survive. But one of the things

that she learned was, like, the way to help more people was to be able

to help people help other people. Right? And that's the way it's

sustainable, and you can keep going. And so, anyway, so I learned that from her

and some other mentors I've had. But this idea that the way to reach more

people is to help people reach more people. And so I'm like, okay.

How do I how do I do this? How do I reach more kids? Right?

I need to find people that can reach kids and then find a way to

help it be a win for them and so that it makes sense for them.

It makes sense for their family. It helps and blesses their family to go and

help and bless other people. Right? And so I'm like, okay. I can do this.

This is gonna be amazing. So, yeah, so we created this incredible program. It's a

certification program that's meeting this need, and we're going and we're teaching

teachers and parents and and people that have the skills and ability

to work with children. And we're teaching them how we're teaching the science of reading.

We're teaching them these skills and strategies and our unique approach, and then giving them

the curriculum to do it. And then certifying them. We're also giving them the business

side and teaching them exactly how to start a business because this is something I

know how to do. Right? I've got a team meeting. Yeah. You we're done it.

Yeah. Right? And so combining those two

things, this incredible power of using this system and program and unique

approach to learning how to read, to teaching kids to read, And then, you

know, this business side and teaching them step by step walking through how to set

up a business and doing both of those things together. And my gosh, we have

people that have their wait list full before they've even opened their dates yet. It's

it's amazing, and we're doing it. We're reaching. We're stretching and reaching more

people and and helping these teachers that are either wanting to earn money on the

site or leave the classroom. And we have moms or retirees that are

trying to find a way to still help and make a difference in their communities

and provide for their families or ease their financial situation or save extra or

whatever. It's just it's incredible. And I love that we can feel really

good about what we do every morning when we wake up and just feel like,

oh my gosh. You're so proud to tell people what you do, right, for a

living. And you're ready to do this and change the world, and I'm

like, I can preach about this all day. So, yeah, I'm gonna come to your

event and and share that information with with the people to upgrade your

platinum pass and say, oh my gosh. Here's this incredible opportunity,

and and you can actually earn money and help your family while

changing the statistic and changing the world. And the more I can help you do

that, the more kids you can reach. Right? And so this is, like, my new

best strategy for reaching more kids and and changing these statistics, which is

my goal. We're doing this. I love it so much. So what

I love, too, is that, because you're teaching the general session, we're teaching,

okay, this is what everybody needs to know, that everybody who attends the event will

get, but then when they upgrade to Platinum, we have this whole side hustle track

where people are gonna learn different side hustle things or business if they wanna start

something. And if people are really interested in the reading

side, which we get a lot of people who are like, oh, I love the

reading sessions. Those ones tend to be really popular. So they should

definitely come to your Platinum Pass session too, where they can learn about,

maybe, that opportunity, where if they're in the classroom and they're looking for something different,

or they just wanna know how to apply it better in their classroom, or they're

maybe a homeschool mom and they're like, this could be a really cool opportunity to

learn something to do on the side, while also learning how to benefit my kids

with all these strategies. Right? I just feel like it's such a great

opportunity for them to learn about this and especially for those who are, like,

oh, that sounds like a dream. That sounds amazing. I love it. It is. I

just think it's such a beautiful, beautiful thing to be able to do, and it

comes with so many benefits. Right? The fulfillment and the knowledge you

gain yourself, it's so fascinating. Like, you love to learn. Right? You wanna learn about

the nervous system. Right? Oh, yeah. I love learning about the brain. I'm obsessed with

my podcast, Raising Healthy Kid Brains. Right? I love the neuroscience and all this stuff.

I heard someone on my podcast say she was an armchair neuroscientist, and I

fantastic expression. I love it. Yeah. Right? So we

love to learn, and so I think learning about how the brain works and how

reading looks the brain becomes Oh, yeah. All these people doing the imaging, and they

can see exactly what's happening. It's magic. Right? So if we can learn all about

that, and that piece is so fascinating, but then, yes, you can take that and

then go change the world with it and and feel so good about what you

do and still have, like, more flexibility than you've ever had. You get to

pick who you work with and your hours. And I I mean, I'm like, I

just how does it get any better than this? I think it's amazing. So I'm

so excited to share it and, excited to come to your event and get to

talk more about that because I think it's I think it's gonna be a really

powerful tool. I've watched it, changing lives already, and I'm excited to do more

because, again, the more that I can help moms and teachers be able to find

ways to support their family by doing this, the more kids we can reach overall.

And so I call it my win win win. Right? Like, it helps my

team, and it helps your family, and it helps the kids that you're reaching.

And so if I can make it a win for all three people, then that's

just sustainable and global, and we can just keep going and going and going until

every kid everywhere can read. Right? And so that's the ultimate goal.

I I yeah. That's definitely the ultimate goal, and I just love that this sort

of this, like what you're teaching at this event is really going to help

get one step closer towards that goal. And so for all of you listening, whether

you're on Raising Healthy Kid Brains or Educate and Rejuvenate the podcast, make sure to

grab your ticket. We'll both have a link in our show notes. And then if

you want what Amy was talking about, if you want to be able to learn

about becoming a reading coach, be sure to upgrade that

ticket to platinum because you'll not only get that, but you'll get extended access

to all the sessions. You'll get the whole side hustle track where you'll get some

general ones about how to start a business or how to do TPT and other

different things. So if you're kind of exploring ideas, if you're like, I might wanna

be a reading coach or I might wanna do this, you'll get all the information

there. So be sure to come. It's going to be a great time. And

again, there's sessions on everything, not just reading too. We've got it on math, science,

social studies, burnout, homeschooling for those of you who are parents who are

teaching at home. We've got classroom management. We've really got experts in

everything. And it's not to overwhelm you. It's so you can pick what is applicable

to you and watch what you need. You don't have to watch everything, but you

can. It's kinda like you choose your own adventure. Yes.

Which is good. That's very healthy. Yeah. I love that about your virtual event too

because, you know, I've I've attended quite a few events. We've gone to some events

together. Right? I think we went to our first TPT Yes. Together years ago. Right?

But what I love about this Oh, my gosh. Yes. That was when I was

terrified to go on an airplane, and you were like, do you remember this?

I don't remember. I know. I laugh because I've gone on it so many times.

Yes. I know. I think I was so cute and Kelsey hadn't been on an

airplane without your husband, right, for, like, years years years or something. I don't know.

Anyway, she was Years. Yeah. She was like, can we can we just go

together? I'm like, yes, you betcha we can. And so we we went together and

it was so much fun. And and then I think did we get stuck in

an airport on our way back or something? There was a storm in Dallas. We

did. Yeah. Our flight was canceled. Our flight was canceled, and

then I was totally panicking. And you were so calm

controlled. And see now, I've had that happen so many times that I'm I'm good

with that now. And at that time, that was before I'd, like, even found, like,

all the coaching tools and got diagnosed with

anxiety and everything that I had. And so it's just really it's really cool when

we see how far we've come in life in general, You know?

Yeah. And that we can be there for each other because the reality is is

we all have Yeah. Things where we need someone, which is so good because that's

how we get that connection. Right? If if none of us ever needed anybody, then

we'd just be off loaners, and we know that that our human bodies and our

minds and hearts need connection. And so I love that we can be

there for each other in all kinds of different ways, and it's just beautiful. This

is what connects us and and brings us together. But, yeah, I love the piece

where at your event that you can we got a little sidetracked on the airplane

thing, but that was really funny. I'm glad you brought it up. We did. Sorry.

Sorry about that. Oh my god. That's perfect. That's what makes this more fun to

listen to. Yeah. But some of those conferences you go to, and I go to

conferences and you're sitting there for 3 days or whatever, and you're like, oh, this

really is not something that fits me. Right? But you don't wanna you you don't

know if you can lead. And, like, where do you go? Anyway, so I love

that yours is, like, you get to pick and choose the parts that fit you,

the parts that you really wanna grow in. You get to pick the pieces you

want and have access to a wide variety of things so you can really choose

how you wanna grow this summer when you're doing your rejuvenating and and

learning. I think that's so fantastic about this event. So everyone go get your tickets

is basically what we're saying, right, to educate Rejuvenate. Yes. For it.

Come join Amy and I. We'll both be there. Yes. It's gonna be

a party. Right? And come see us and and no airplanes involved this time, so

everyone's safe. And it'll be it'll be

amazing. And I can't wait to chat with everyone there.

Yes. And then, did you wanna share where people can find you? So if they're

on my podcast, where can they find you in general? If they're like, oh wait,

I just wanna hear more about all the reading things she's talking about or

whatever. Absolutely. Yes. Of course. Come find me all over the

Internet. We're at planning playtime is, like, our core, like, place

where we kind of have all of our stuff come from. So you can come

find me at punning playtime, dot com. We're on punning playtime on Facebook,

Instagram, all over the place. And then, of course, can get you from there to

our our resources. We're actually getting ready. I haven't even told anyone about this site,

Kelsey, but we are getting ready to launch a whole new, like, I know can

I tell secrets, right, to You can tell a secret? Her first.

Right? To a new social media account that we're getting ready to start and launch

here shortly that is all about reading, and that's all it is. And it's gonna

be so incredible. I love it. So, so excited about it. And so every day,

the content is just all focused around reading, around this mission of

of helping parents and teachers just have the information they need. And and

just in little tiny bite sized pieces, a little tiny bit every day to just

give you little ideas on how to help your kids read in a really beautiful

structured way and using this, like, pieces of this unique approach to make it amazing.

So, anyway, that's coming. But come find it all at Planning Playtime. I'm planning

playtime.com, planning playtime on all the the social media platforms, and

we can get you from there to our reading curriculum to our reading coaching

program, all that kind of stuff right from there. Awesome. Okay. Well, and then I

guess if they're listening on your podcast, mine is pretty easy to find everywhere. It's

also educate and rejuvenate dotcom. Educate and Rejuvenate almost everywhere

except we haven't rebranded our TPT yet. I was actually nervous to do that

before the back to school because I'm like, oh, people are looking for stuff. So

our TPT is still wife, teacher, mommy. So but everything else is

under educate and rejuvenate. The book coming out, August 13th is educate and

rejuvenate. And yeah, that's basically where you can

find me. Amazing. And Kelsey's fantastic. So if you're listening from the Raising

Healthy Kid Brains podcast, come check out Kelsey. And I'm excited for

your book, Kelsey. We've been talking about this for, like, I don't know, a year

now or so. I'm so excited for you. It's been over a year and it's

coming out now. And, yeah, I'll get you the link to the wait list too

because if you're listening now and you sign up for the wait list for the

book, there's an opportunity to get a ticket to the event that way as well.

So I'll get that to you as well. Yeah. I know. It's kind of a

little secret fun way. That's like back end. Yeah.

We're sharing all the secrets. We didn't even plan this. This is what happens when

you get I know. 2 friends just chatting and co hosting.

Well, and here's a funny thing. I don't think we've told everybody, but Kelsey and

I are actually, like, almost neighbors, which is so funny because we met

in, like, business land. This is what we call it. My my kids and my

family. Yeah. Business. There's, like, my regular life, and then there's business land. So

Kelsey and I met in business land and then found out that we live, like,

really close to each other. So we actually, like, get to go to lunch in

real life. Except we don't do it as often as we should. We were just

talking about that. I know. We're planning it. We're we're doing it soon.

Yes. It'll be great. It'll be great. Okay. Well, thank you, Amy, for agreeing to

do this episode together. It was so much fun to just co host and

talk about all the things. I know. This is so fun, and I'm so excited.

Thank you for for joining me and letting me come be with you. And

I'm super excited for your event, and it was fun to to get to chat

with you about reading and educating and having a little bit of rest

while maybe actively learning a little bit this summer. So I'm excited

for everyone to get to to figure out their way to do that and and

invite them to come join us at this event.

If you enjoyed this episode, please hit subscribe so you don't miss the next

one. And if you're hungry for more, be sure to check out the book that

I wrote. It's called Educate and Rejuvenate, a 3 step guide to revitalize

your teaching, renew your spirit, and reignite your passion

for life. It is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2024.

This book takes all the life coaching skills we talk about here on the podcast

and puts them together in one easy to understand guide. Plus, when you

pre order, you'll receive a PDF workbook and additional resources to

deepen your understanding and application of the concepts we've covered on the

book and on this podcast. You won't find these resources

anywhere else. Visit the link in the show notes to join the wait list and

be the first to know when the book becomes available for pre order. Let's

continue this journey of growth and rejuvenation together. Until next

time.