Valerie Brown, JD, MA, PCC, transformed her high-pressure, twenty-year career as a lawyer lobbyist, representing educational institutions and nonprofits, to human-scale work with leaders and teams to foster trustworthy, compassionate, and authentic connections. She is an accredited leadership coach, international retreat leader, writer, and Chief Mindfulness Officer of Lead Smart Coaching, LLC ([...] specializing in application and integration of mindfulness and leadership, and is a Co-Director of Georgetown's Institute for Transformational Leadership.

She holds the following degrees: Juris Doctorate, Master of Arts, and Bachelor of Arts.

Her books include The Road that Teaches: Lessons in Transformation through Travel (QuakerBridge Media, 2012) and the highly acclaimed, The Mindful School Leader: Practices to Transform Your Leadership and School (Corwin, 2014).

Valerie's received extensive training from the Center for Courage & Renewal and Parker J. Palmer; the Institute for Transformational Leadership at Georgetown University; the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society; the Center for Compassion Focused Therapy; the Ojai Foundation; the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology (NYC); Chestnut Hill College (PA) Certificate in Holistic Spirituality; The Leadership Circle Profile(TM); and Transformational Educational Leadership. Valerie is an ordained Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village tradition founded by Thich Nhat Hanh and a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). As a certified kundalini yoga teacher, she helps leaders discover the wisdom of the body. She leads an annual transformational pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago, Spain, to celebrate the power of sacred places.

Foreword by Richard Brady, President, Mindfulness in Education Network
Introduction
Chapter 1. Why Mindfulness? The School Leader¿s Life
A School Leader Practicing Mindfulness
Benefits of Practice
What Is Mindfulness?
Why Do Leaders Need a Mindfulness Practice?
Leadership Challenges to Our Sector
Knowing When to Disengage and Recharge
How Stress Shapes Our Brains
Mindfulness for Educational Leaders
Your Leadership Practice Matters
A Leader With a Growing Mindfulness Practice
First Steps: Yoüve Got to Practice
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 2. The Science of Mindfulness
Practice Snapshot: A School Leader Practicing Mindfulness
The Science of Mindfulness
Stress: A Public Health Risk for Educators
Mindfulness Alleviates Stress in the Body and Mind
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 3. The Well-Focused School Leader
A Sleepless Night for Jason
Mindfulness and Attention Training
Two Ways to Practice: Formal and Informal
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Mindful Attitudes
How Much Practice Time?
Practices That Complement Mindfulness
Distraction: The New Normal and the School Leader's Dilemma
Negativity Bias: Part of the School Leader's Dilemma
The Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind
The Myth of Multitasking
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 4. Communication and Connection: Powerful Skills of the Mindful School Leader
Donna S.T.O.P.s
Mindful Communication: Mindful Speaking, Mindful Listening
Having Difficult Conversations
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 5. Reclaiming Our Wholeness: Four Educational Leaders Explore Mindfulness
Portraits of Practice: Schools Leaders Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Chapter 6. Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence: Principles and Practices to Transform Your Leadership Life
A Leader Fails to Notice
A Leader Grows EQ Through Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 7. Mindful Leadership in Action: Putting It All Together
Fundamental Principles: The Evolution of the Leader Evolves the Team
Stepping-Stones in Your Leadership Journey: Know Yourself
What Mindfulness Practice Supports
A Mindful Leader in Action: A Last Case Study
Well-Being and Compassion at the Center of a New Educational Vision
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Appendix A: Books for the Mindful School Leader (Online Only)
Appendix B: The (General) Mindful Library (Online Only)
Appendix C: Mindfulness Apps-Our Top Picks (Online Only)
Appendix D: Our Top Picks for Websites and Places to Practice Mindfulness (Online Only)
Appendix E: Relevant, Recent Mindfulness Research in Education (Online Only)
Appendix F: Comprehensive List of All Mindfulness Practice Aids in This Book (Online Only)
Appendix G: Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Online Only)