My son introduced me to this band and I really like them. Just got back from a visit with him so figured I would share and they have a deep catalog of good songs and the animation is fantastic.

I am back!! Today I return to Skool ready to connect and continue to grow. I will be posting the daiy dose and soundtrack of the day. While I was gone what did you practice? How did you connect? What did I miss? Drop a note in the chat maybe you have thoughts or questions to inspire the daily dose!!

It's been a minute since my last Rooted Spotlight, and I was reminded today how important it is to elevate the amazing things people are doing around the world and in our communities. I hope this inspires you to share what you're seeing that's giving you hope! Youth Speaks is a national spoken word youth organization. Folks like Chance the Rapper and Amanda Gorman have come through this program. Hope Reimagined is lucky enough to be providing mental health support during this year's slam season. We have a dedicated space that young people can access throughout the event, and we're also available to anyone in the audience who needs to process what they're experiencing. I want to thank @Darius Parker and the Youth Speaks team for cultivating this incredible space where young people truly find their voice and embody transformation on stage. Tonight we'll be at the San Francisco Public Library for the final qualifying event. April 10th is the Semi-Finals in Oakland, and it all leads to the national Brave New Voices event, which will be right here in the Bay Area this year. Come get inspired — and you might want to bring a tissue.

Happy Monday, Rooted community. 🌿 Here’s something the wellness world doesn’t say often enough: you are not failing at self-regulation if you need other people to feel okay. That’s not weakness. That’s biology. We live in a culture that prizes self-sufficiency. Meditate alone. Journal alone. Breathe through it alone. And while solo regulation practices are genuinely valuable, they tell only half the story. The other half? Your nervous system was built for connection. From the very beginning of your life, regulation happened between you and another person—a caregiver who matched your rhythm, met your gaze, settled your breath. That is not a phase you outgrow. It is a biological capacity you carry for life. Self-Regulation vs. Co-Regulation—What’s the Difference? Self-regulation is your capacity to return to a settled state from within—through breath, movement, grounding, or intention. It’s a skill. It’s trainable. And it matters. Co-regulation is what happens when your nervous system comes into rhythm with another’s—a calm friend, a quiet walk with someone you trust, a hand on your back, even the steady presence of a dog or a tree. Your body borrows stability from something outside itself. Neither is superior. Both are necessary. The goal isn’t to need people less—it’s to be in honest relationship with what actually helps you regulate. Why This Matters Right Now Many of us were taught—explicitly or implicitly—that needing others to feel okay is a problem to fix. That message lives in the nervous system. It shows up as the refusal to call a friend when we’re overwhelmed. As the quiet shame of crying in front of someone. As the belief that we should be further along in our healing by now. But research consistently shows that regulation is relational first, individual second. Safety doesn’t just happen inside us—it happens between us. 🌱 Weekday Micro-Practice Today, notice a moment when you feel activated, anxious, or flat. Then ask: - Is there a person, animal, or natural environment that tends to settle me? - Can I seek that out—even briefly—before trying to regulate on my own? - What does it feel like in my body when I let someone else’s calm land on me?

Today's soundtrack Walking on Sunshine makes me smile. When Chris was in charge of the morning and getting kids to school his way of getting them up was to play this as loud as our speakers would go and sing it to them in their rooms. He is not the best singer, but the energy was fantastic. These are memories for me and for them. At the time they didn't seem to like it, but now in their 20s this is a core memory of their childhood. That is it. How do we create these core memories of connection joy laughter? Do you have a song that reminds you of either your childhood or your kids?