Testimonials

Brenda Martinek, Oregon Department of Education. I have worked with Lana to help support staff wellness and retention within different districts over the past few years and was able to help support our new Oregon Recovery High School's staff. With such high burnout rates and staff turnover, it is important to help support our amazing staff any way we can. One way to help support our caregivers - is to support their own wellness!

Three years ago, our administrator team could not sit in a meeting without being interrupted by several calls to support students with big behaviors. Our staff (including administrators) were also reporting high levels of stress that felt unmanageable. Through our work with Lana, we have been able to create a fully-functioning safe, calm, predictable school that supports both educator and student well-being. Our calls for support are manageable and typically don't disrupt our overall system. As the principal, I am happy to share that my team and I can now lean into our work as Instructional Leaders in the building and we have evidence that students' test scores are trending toward acceleration of learning and achievement. If you are feeling overwhelmed and headed toward burnout, I recommend considering a training with Lana before you give up. She will provide professional learning for you and your staff as well as individualized coaching and on-going support for you as a leader. Her approach is centered on your school's needs and she will adapt to meet you where you are. I am so grateful that Lana has walked alongside us in the journey toward becoming a school that truly cares for our staff, students, and families and excited for her to do the same for you!

This training is great! Lana has a wonderful way of providing vital information in a concise manner. Teaching can be stressful and her tips for self preservation are priceless. More importantly, they're very doable. As a psychologist, I can vouch for their efficacy! I highly recommend this mini-training as well as her follow-up course. What we give to ourselves benefits our students... Dr. Lori Hart

I work in Healthcare with a high SDOH (Social Determinants Of Health) patient population. They often have to choose between food on the table or another month of life sustaining medication. This course not only helped reduce the effects of "secondary trauma" when dealing with my patients, but I'm actually passing along some of these tools to my patients for use in their own lives. Remembering that stress is different for everyone and we all need to "Put down the glass" for our own health is a powerful message that I will continue to practice and preach for years to come!! Thank you, Lana!!

Greetings! I'm Dr. Charlene Myklebust, Psy.D., Executive Director of EQ Learn, LLC and Stone Arch Learning, LLC, educational professional development organizations. Lana's training is brimming with practical ideas that create a quilted approach for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools. My biggest takeaway from her experience, research, and practical model is that providing SEL opportunities for students results in improved SEL functioning for adults who support them. If you take advantage of Lana's expert training, expect that it will have the the most significant impact of any professional development that you have delivered or experienced in your school community. It is compatible with research and evidence-based practices in resilience, childhood brain development, and trauma-informed education.

Lana has benn an invaluable guide on our school's social emotional journey. Not only has she helped us shift the culture of the children and staff at our school, but for the first time someone actually cared and demonstrated strategies to help with our personal well being. I can't recommend Lana more highly.

This training is great! Lana has a wonderful way of providing vital information in a concise manner. Teaching can be stressful and her tips for self preservation are priceless. More importantly, they’re very doable. As a psychologist, I can vouch for their efficacy! I highly recommend this mini-training as well as her follow-up course. What we give to ourselves benefits our students… Dr. Lori Hart

My name is Kimberly Cain, I am an elementary principal at a small, Pre-K through 5th grade school with 202 students. I am incredibly proud of the structure and strong behavior of our students and staff. However, like many schools today, we are seeing the effects of larger societal challenges, anxiety, stress, absenteeism, and children coming from very difficult home environments, often involving substance abuse, unemployment, and family instability. Lana Penley’s MindFlow program and her book Unlocking SEL have made a huge difference for our students and staff. Through simple mindfulness strategies like breathing exercises, brain breaks, and mindful listening, our classrooms are calmer, more focused, and students are better prepared for learning. Teachers feel less stressed and more grounded, which in turn helps our students succeed both emotionally and academically. Since integrating these strategies, we’ve seen less anxiety, better behavior, and improvements in student engagement and assessments. Lana is a fantastic presenter and Unlocking SEL is a must read for any educator looking to create a healthier, more mindful school environment. I highly recommend working with her!

I was fortunate enough to get connected with Lana through mutual friends. I've found her principles of SEL to be applicable in my line of work, which is not education. This mini-course is so much more than just "Teacher Stess SOS." It's 1000% useful in my very stressful healthcare job. I plan on immediately utilizing these 5 tiny lifelines in my day to day where I often struggle to even find time to go to the bathroom. I can take 30 or 60 seconds here and there for self care, and I know it will make an impact on my stress level and get me through the day. I don't have time for extended meditations or workouts on work days, but I can absolutely make time for these micro tools. Lana is a valuable resource for educators, given her years of experience and the approach she takes to improving the classroom environment for both teachers and students. You all have to be in the right mental and physical space to teach and to learn. Lana is also extremely approachable and understanding, with a sincere concern for the wellbeing of everyone in the classroom. She offers a wealth of information and guidance so you can be your best self, before and after the bell rings.

These sessions helped me be reflective of my own feelings and has made me feel more connected to my coworkers! Thank you!