Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw

In this brief episode Dr. Shaw shares a phrase that came to her and it's the title of this podcast, "Care Before Crisis" Intervention. It's word intervention that's the key to that phrase... we are accustomed to crisis intervention, but care intervention would be a whole new novel approach. To treat someone or yourself with care BEFORE a situation reaches crisis is a good samaritan way to show up to yourself and others. Yes, there are hard times, but we can de-escalate things before there's a crisis by caring.

In this meaningful episode, Dr. Shaw walks us through the importance of not just showing up, but HOW we show up... and more importantly, it's important we we remain open and not be reactionary to what's said to us. We all have the tendency to defend our actions or defend our position in interpersonal relationships. But perception is reality, and what someone feels is all that matters. We must respond to circumstances in a way that correctly matches the understanding of others, and checking for understanding is an important principle in getting that done. It's all about knowing your audience, noting and marking the common reality of the situation and paying attention to that which allows us to learn and evolve.

In this brief but very powerful episode, Dr. Shaw coaches us on how to have confidence and also that by being confident, we can manifest our best life. She begins by acknowledging that confidence is not about having swagger, nor is it about one-upmanship... it's about having a strong belief in oneself. By valuing yourself, the world will meet you as someone of value. She shares some of her own goals, and by doing so Dr. Shaw illustrates how meeting your goals gives you self-worth which in turn improves your station in life. We all have an old belief system in which we don't believe in ourselves, but when we see that, we simply need to recalibrate and move ahead. And again, having confidence does not mean that you need to outshine others.... in fact by shining light on others even more light reflects back on us.

This episode in this series presents a highly personal point of view while at the same time is completely a "must-listen" for teachers and educators. Here, Dr. Shaw discusses her recent return to classroom teaching, and in doing so she dissects her motivations, her own insecurities and her strategies for success. She talks about her self-examination and her implementation of intention. She points out that we need to recalibrate when we see ourselves going in the wrong direction and that we should demonstrate to our children what those actions look like. She discusses her own challenges, perspectives and resiliency in a way that can provide a roadmap for all of us on how to live a better professional life.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw explores her philosophy that we should all live the life that we love, and that we should teach our children to do the same. It starts by identifying what you love. Dr. Shaw is a contributor right now at a Montessori School and she shares some of the wonderful experiences she is having there. She also mentions her children's book called "Time Out is Time In" which postulates that when a child is getting a time out they are really give the opportunity to reflect and to check in on themselves. Learning how to navigate the world is an important ingredient to learning what you love. Dr. Shaw talks about having quality relationships, and the bottom line for this topic is that the first quality relationship we need to have is with ourselves.

In this brief but timely episode, Dr. Shaw takes advantage of the turning of the page of the calendar year in order to put forth a key tenet of her philosophy.... and that is that we should treat others as they ought to be, not as they are. That practice of treating others as they ought to be puts the focus on helping and improving, and there is no better quality to a relationship than to be capable of lifting each other up. Also, the gift is remembering in the moment what that intention looks like. Wishing a Happy and Healthy and Fulfilled New Year (2026) to you and yours!

In this very brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw offers advice on how to disarm a situation in which your child, or even an adult, is suddenly facing anxiety. It's quite common, and her guidance is spot on. Essentially she says to validate the person's feelings who is experiencing anxiety, and then support them. There is also a quick discussion on strategies to implement in this situation, but truly, the "validate and support" model is the answer offered here.