The Heartfelt Way

Rhonda Meyers
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The Heartfelt Way opens the door to what quality early childhood education really looks like: messy play, big feelings, family-style meals, and all. Hosted by educator and leader Rhonda Meyers, each episode pulls back the curtain on the everyday moments that shape confident, curious kids and compassionate communities. You’ll hear stories from teachers, reflections from parents, and real-life insights from the classrooms of Heartfelt Impressions Learning Centers. It’s a place for parents, caregivers, and educators to laugh, learn, and see the magic in the small stuff—because raising and teaching children is joyful, unpredictable, and deeply meaningful work. Whether you’re dropping off your baby for the first time or leading a classroom full of preschoolers, this podcast is a gentle reminder that you’re not alone. Together, we’ll nurture, inspire, and support one another—because that’s what it means to live the Heartfelt Way.

  1. 5 hr ago

    How to Build Your Parent-Tribe

    Becoming a new parent doesn’t mean becoming a lonely one. Rhonda shares tips for building connections during one of life’s most demanding seasons. Parenting young children can feel so lonely. Rhonda shares places parents can go to connect with each other. 1. Visit the local public library. They have free parent-and-child programs and classes, which are great opportunities for getting to know others and sharing experiences. 2. Go to hosted family events. If your child attends an early childhood program, go to the extra stuff. Volunteer in the classroom with other parents. Start to build friendships through your child’s life and activities. [00:09:46] “Having a tribe to talk about the struggles you’re having, with [people] who are also going through those struggles, is very helpful.” Rhonda offers three actions to fight loneliness as a parent. 1. Tell one safe person the truth. Avoid speaking in platitudes and let that person know that you don’t need a fix, just someone to listen. 2. Make one small, specific invitation. Offer to go on a walk after Monday morning drop-off or go grocery shopping together on Thursday after nap-time. Rhonda emphasizes that if you get together at your house, it doesn’t have to be clean. [00:12:15] “Connections can and do happen even in the chaos and the mess.” 3. Build one regular point of connection. Maybe that’s calling a friend every week during your commute or getting dinner with friends once a month. Whatever it is, Rhonda recommends that it become a predictable ritual in your life. Having someone to talk to about your life regularly helps clear the loneliness. If you know a parent who is feeling alone, reach out and share this episode.

  2. 21 Oct

    What Becomes Possible for Children when Organizations Work Together

    No one should carry the load alone. Learn how partnerships between programs, teachers, and families help children succeed. Some loads that feel impossible to carry alone become lighter when someone walks beside you. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with Janice Smith, Director of Early Childhood Services at the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA). Their organizations spent a full year working to open Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms at Heartfelt’s Lake Orion location. Janice explains that Head Start looks at the whole child, from health to nutrition to family needs. [00:14:17] “You are creating a bright future for these children and their families. Even though you don’t see it directly, you are having that impact.” Rhonda and Janice also walk through what slowed the opening, from licensing to inspections, and what kept the project moving.  [00:23:16] “I think just having persistence and contacting them, emailing them and staying on top of it, I think is what really made the difference.”. Janice also shares how families can enroll with OLHSA and emphasizes why every community should have access to these services. Resources OLHSA Head Start Program OLHSA Early Head Start Program OLHSA Early Childhood Program locations

    What Becomes Possible for Children when Organizations Work Together

  3. 14 Oct

    Stillness Makes You a Better Parent, Leader, Teacher

    Everybody wants confidence and clarity from the people they need. Learn what happens when adults give themselves time for stillness and silence. The most important thing we can do sometimes is just be still and breathe. Rhonda recently went to a retreat for women CEOs, and the first session started with just lying still and breathing. That stillness was uncomfortable, but she stuck with it. In this solo episode, Rhonda shares her takeaways from a retreat for women CEOs and how stillness has changed the way she leads. [00:03:56] “Stillness gives me room to hear what the busyness drowns out. When every moment we have is filled, . . . it’s hard to notice what we even need, what I believe or what deserves my attention.”  We can be so busy anticipating how we can help and keeping a mental list of all the other things we need to get done that we can miss what’s actually in front of us. For Rhonda, three things surfaced during the retreat: Stillness helped her be a present listener and feel connected to others. Getting grounded helps leaders lead with conviction. Rest creates clarity to take meaningful action. [00:19:07]: “Being a more grounded leader, mother, wife, sister helped me come back leading with confidence and clarity.” When our mind is a million places at once, we’re not present to any of them. Stillness helps us listen, grounding helps us choose and rest helps us act with clarity. Rhonda closes with an invitation: find five minutes, put your phone away and ask what you’ve been too busy to notice.

    Stillness Makes You a Better Parent, Leader, Teacher

  4. 7 Oct

    Is My Child's Communication On Track?

    In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with speech-language pathologist Jodie Saba about how children develop communication, when a delay is worth watching and what parents can do to support communication development. The worry that your child isn’t developing “normally” is so real. And few areas of development can cause anxiety like speech and language. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with speech-language pathologist Jodie Saba about how children develop communication skills, when a delay is worth watching and what parents can do to support communication development. Jodie breaks down the difference between speech, language and communication, three terms parents and teachers often use interchangeably. She also points out how working memory plays a big role in a child’s communication and executive functioning skills. Parents know their child best, and Jodie encourages them to seek out answers if they think something isn’t quite right. [00:23:20] "I am not a fan of the “wait and see” [strategy], and one of my biggest reasons why is because I believe that parents should trust in their gut instinct." Jodie explains that normal development happens across a range rather than a single milestone, and she shares the LEARN acronym for noticing real causes for concern. [00:33:35] "Observe your child. You know your child so well, but when we stop and we're present with those observations, we can really learn a lot because we're focused in on it." Jodie and Rhonda also talk through how teachers can raise a concern to parents with love and care, and why asking questions about your child is never the same as assuming something is wrong.

    Is My Child's Communication On Track?

  5. 30 Sept

    How to Help Children Choose Resilience

    Rhonda Meyers shares tools that help children, parents and teachers build resilience when things don’t go to plan. Sometimes things just don’t go our way. When that happens, we have a choice: Wallow in self-pity or get up and try again. In this solo episode, Rhonda shares how children (and adults) build resilience through everyday struggles. She shares three steps for helping kids through frustration: name it, stay near and let them try. [00:14:50] "One of the most powerful but really difficult things that we can do as adults is resist rescuing [children from struggle] too quickly." For teachers, resilience means asking for help and trying a different approach tomorrow. Rhonda adds that resilience should never be used to excuse unhealthy systems. She names four things that help adults bounce back from challenges: relationships, taking the first step, self-regulation and positive language. [00:33:52] "Very few people become stronger because someone told them to toughen up. We really become stronger when someone else communicates to us, ‘I see you. I see you struggling. I'm going to stay with you and I believe you can do this.’" You don’t have to parent perfectly to raise a resilient child. Pause, breathe and stay with your child in the struggle.

    How to Help Children Choose Resilience

  6. 23 Sept

    Regulating All the Big Feelings (for Children and Adults)

    Pre-K GSRP teacher Phil Zott shares how parents and teachers can stay calm and help children work through big feelings. When a child is melting down, our first instinct is often to make it stop. But behavior is communication. There’s something underneath the behavior that needs our attention. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with Heartfelt pre-K GSRP teacher Phil Zott about helping children through big feelings. Young children don’t always have the words for worry or frustration. Sometimes those feelings come out as crying or hitting while other children simply withdraw. Before trying to fix the problem, Phil connects with them first. He gets down on the child’s level and lets them know he’s there for them: [00:10:15] “I'm not here to just tell you how you're feeling. I'm here to help you understand how you're feeling.” That also means noticing your own emotions. If you need a moment to regulate before helping a child, take it. Then come back ready to connect. [00:33:54] “They are trying their best to regulate, . . . and it is our job to show and model how to regulate. . . . They will understand that love and we will get past it.” Rhonda adds that if adults connect before correcting, children begin to believe they have agency. They feel confident in solving their own problems. Ultimately, children want to feel safe. Helping them learn to navigate their emotions helps them know that they are.

    Regulating All the Big Feelings (for Children and Adults)

  7. 16 Sept

    Lessons from a First Year Teacher

    GSRP teacher Katie Pannecouk reflects on her first year in the classroom and what helped her grow on the hard days. Nothing quite prepares you for the first year of teaching.  You’re learning who your students are, what they need and how to establish a good classroom flow all at the same time. In this episode, Rhonda Meyers talks with Katie Pannecouk after her first year teaching the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) at Heartfelt. Katie shares lessons learned, how she grew in confidence and what surprised her most. [00:10:36] “I didn't realize it was gonna be this hard. . . . Everybody just has different needs that you don't really realize until you have them all presented out in front of you, and you just go with it.” Katie found that leaning on experienced teachers and building relationships with families were indispensable. [00:20:35] “I think it really helped that I have that prior relationship with these parents, that I know not every time that I'm gonna talk to them, it's gonna be something negative, . . . so when the hard conversations did come, it helped that I knew them personally.” New teachers, a word to you: You do not need to have it all figured out. Give yourself time to grow and just keep showing up.

    Lessons from a First Year Teacher

  8. 9 Sept

    Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

    Kindergarten readiness goes beyond academics. Learn what to look for and how to help your child be in the classroom that’s right for them. Deciding if your child is ready for kindergarten can feel so stressful.  Is my child ready? Is kindergarten what’s best for my child right now? How do I know? Rhonda Meyers talks with Young 5s teacher Teresa Thompson and kindergarten teacher Abby St. Aubin about those questions. They share decades of experience in what children need how parents can decide which classroom is the best fit. Teresa and Abby share that choosing between Young 5s and kindergarten largely depends on the child’s confidence in a classroom setting. If a child can be without their parents, express what they need and work through frustrations with peers, they’re showing signs they may be ready for kindergarten. [00:12:50] Abby: “You can have wonderful academic skills, but if you're not able to manage frustration or start to realize that not everyone thinks the same way as you . . . it's gonna be challenging in a classroom.” Parents can help their child prepare for the classroom in the weeks before school by visiting new places, having lots of conversation, and reading together. If possible, visit the school and playground beforehand. [00:27:58] Teresa: “Think about is your kid going to feel comfortable there? Make sure that you're doing what's best for them and not what looks good.” Kindergarten-readiness ultimately is doing what’s best for your child. If you’re worried about making the right choice, ask the principal and teachers for insight. They want to partner with you to help your child succeed.

    Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?
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About

The Heartfelt Way opens the door to what quality early childhood education really looks like: messy play, big feelings, family-style meals, and all. Hosted by educator and leader Rhonda Meyers, each episode pulls back the curtain on the everyday moments that shape confident, curious kids and compassionate communities. You’ll hear stories from teachers, reflections from parents, and real-life insights from the classrooms of Heartfelt Impressions Learning Centers. It’s a place for parents, caregivers, and educators to laugh, learn, and see the magic in the small stuff—because raising and teaching children is joyful, unpredictable, and deeply meaningful work. Whether you’re dropping off your baby for the first time or leading a classroom full of preschoolers, this podcast is a gentle reminder that you’re not alone. Together, we’ll nurture, inspire, and support one another—because that’s what it means to live the Heartfelt Way.

Information

  • Creator
    Rhonda Meyers
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    The Heartfelt Way