Friends,

What if the educational system got an overhaul with… loving kindness and enthusiasm? We know it needs it. Here it is, embodied. Please meet Mr. Donovan Taylor Hall (@donofriend on Instagram).

He’s a youth (and parent) coach helping kids build a positive relationship with themselves through three key skills: gratitude, growth mindset, and self talk.

I was so moved by this conversation for so many reasons, mainly, Donovan‘s own journey through depression to awakening, to coaching kids to see their value beyond grades and social approval.

From Donovan:

“School shouldn’t be a place that makes people feel ‘othered’ or ‘not valuable.’ It should be about the expansion of minds, hearts, and souls. But unless we help kids recognize that grades don’t determine value and don’t determine the love we deserve, the education experience can really harm a child’s perception of self and the future for them.”

For 1:1 youth coaching, parent consultations, speaking events and beyond please find Donovan Taylor Hall at @donofriend on Instagram/Tik Tok/YouTube and beyond, or send him an email.

And please share this video and this message with a kid, a parent, or a teacher you love. Or anyone who needs to check their self criticism at the door.

Teach love!

Danielle

Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.