Chitty Chats with Stacy

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Hello

Stacy Nation: friends.

Welcome back.

I'm here with my dear, dear
colleague, and I wanna say friend.

Now, can we be friends?

Rebecca has, let's be friends.

Yes.

I love that.

So I appreciate you taking
the time to do this.

This is twofold.

One, my humans just need to
know who you are and what you're

doing and what you're about.

And two, we are leading up to
a very exciting conference.

And so I wanna talk about who you
are and what you're doing first, and

then I wanna talk about conference.

So thanks for having
a Chitty chat with me.

Here we are.

Rebecca, tell me about you
and tell me about Sdec.

Tell me about why you're doing the work
you're doing, how you landed in all this.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Wow, Stacy, thanks
for, uh, having me here and, and who am I?

Gosh, I am this person that was gifted
with an incredible story of adversity.

Mm.

And, you know, um, I.

My mom has ACEs.

I have ACEs.

I did a fantastic job of repeating cycles,
um, and brought three little boys into

trauma and poverty and chaos, and at 37
years old, I almost drank myself to death.

Hmm.

And, you know, I always say
God sent an army for me.

He sent a school system to
wrap around me and my kids.

Um, he sent a 12 step fellowship
and he sent, um, a poverty project.

And so in, you know, that same year
that I got sober, uh, I started

attending a poverty project that's
designed to help families climb out.

Hmm.

And I'd already been in college
for a decade already, you know,

trying to get a four year degree
to be a high school art teacher.

But I went to this poverty project, um,
out of this debt that I felt like I owed

this church secretary who had basically
been a part of diapering my baby for

a full year and went to this poverty
project thinking, you know, I'm already

doing everything to get outta poverty.

What are these people gonna teach me?

I found this fellowship where everything
started to change and come together.

Mm-Hmm.

So they helped me finish college and
I went to work for that nonprofit.

Got to be a part of building the
largest, most successful poverty

project like that in the country.

You know, we just started, families
just started climbing out and

we're like, what is happening?

Right?

And because of all that, I was super, like
in college, they had taught us something

about birth tofi, brain science, right?

And they said, you know, from zero to
five the architecture, the brain is

built and it H five, it's set or fixed.

And I just remember sitting in that
class as a, as a student thinking, well,

number one, we don't even get kids in
public education until they're five.

And number two, zero to five for
me was like, and so I'm like, this

is just really defeating, right?

Mm-Hmm.

And, but when I started to have all of
these experiences with, um, recovery

and with this nonprofit and all these
relationships with these middle class

people that were just like invested in us
and I got to be a part of something much

bigger than myself, like I felt something
functionally changing in my brain.

Hmm.

And at some point I started ke um,
subcontracting for SDA to go into

schools and talk about poverty.

Right.

And because I knew we could get
people out, I knew that schools

didn't necessarily see themselves as
a place that got kids out of poverty.

It was more like maintaining poverty.

Mm-Hmm.

And I knew I wanted to bring
something to schools that was

bigger than just raising compassion.

Hmm.

And I felt something functionally
changing in my own brain.

So all of a sudden I was beginning
to be able to see way forward, I was

becoming less reactive and I was becoming
trusting of people I didn't know.

Like I was able to walk into
new places with people who

weren't like me and be okay.

And I'm like, something's
happening, right?

And so I remember I was keynoting on
a stage one time and I'm like, look,

I'm not a researcher, but I'm telling
you, relationships change brains.

I was working with all these
families in this poverty project.

All of my people, I got to be their coach.

And I was watching that same phenomenon
play out over and over again.

And I'm like, okay,
something's happening, right?

So I started like researching the
brain on poverty, and I figured

out people were studying this.

I'm like, wow, this is a thing.

And because of that fascination,
I accidentally stepped

into the brain on trauma.

And then more importantly, I found the
science of resilience, and I realized that

our birth tofi brain science was wrong.

And that.

You know, brains want to
heal and can heal at any age.

They need access to safe, supportive,
available adults to do so.

And so, you know, I found my story.

I found my people's story.

I found this huge story of
hope and I realized this is

what I can take into schools.

And so, you know, that was in 2015 and
I just started trying to figure out how

to take trauma informed into schools and
help educators understand like there's no

lost causes and we can change outcomes.

Right.

So I'm in 2017 as DAC hired me full-time
and over the last several years, um,

I've got to build a team around me and
we've been down in the thick of it,

bringing the neuroscience into classrooms.

And you know, Stacy, we just have a
lot of educators that are experiencing

a lot of, um, adversity in the field.

Lots of kids come in with
stuff and a system that isn't

tuned into what to do so much.

And so anyways, that's kind of the,
the long and the short of that.

Sdda is a service center, so in
some places they call 'em BCE

and other places they call them,
um, uh, but basically we, um, do

professional development for schools.

So Rebecca, you are

Stacy Nation: such a beautiful
gift and I just wanna pause

and acknowledge your story.

And just say thank you for sharing it.

It's a big deal when part of this Chi
Chat work that I'm doing is looking at the

professionals I love and the colleagues
I've fallen in love with along the

journey and seeing a human behind them.

Mm-Hmm.

And you just unpacked
an entire human story.

In three minutes, and it's really
important to acknowledge those pieces

of who you are and how you landed here.

And so you're giving us this
rich vulnerability that says, I.

I almost died from drinking.

I brought my kids into this situation.

I have my own ACEs.

I was raised by ACEs.

I am break, trying to break cycles.

I'm learning about brain development.

I have yet to meet a, a professional and
a colleague who becomes my friend that

I fall in love with that doesn't have.

This story that is so
deep and so meaningful.

And part of this doing the
work is living the work.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Mm-Hmm.

Stacy Nation: And I just
wanna say thank you for that.

I wanna acknowledge that because it's
a, it's a big deal to share all of that.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Stacy,
thanks for, um, being curious

about us as people, right?

Yeah.

Stacy Nation: Yeah.

The,

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: the people who,

Stacy Nation: who this
all resonates with, right?

Are the people who've been traumatized.

Mm-Hmm.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: And,
and you've traumatized others.

Right.

You know, I think that's such a
important conversation that we

move into this space where we
realize this is, this is all of us.

Right.

We've all been harmed and
we've all caused harm.

Yeah.

And the way out is for me to get inside.

Right.

And I need people to help me do that.

To have the courage to go in
there and kind of look around and.

And hold space for my own experiences,
but also hold space for the people who,

um, who might have caused a lot of pain.

Mm-Hmm.

Really look at their pain.

Yeah.

And until we can kind of get there
in this movement where we move away

from this good guys and bad guys and
us and them, um, because that's where

the, the post-traumatic growth lives.

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

And

Stacy Nation: that's the piece where
this is so important to me to be doing

these conversations because there's
lots of us who are putting this good

stuff out in the world, and I never
want there to be a disconnect that

this person knows better because
they're putting it out in the world.

No, this person is putting it
out in the world because they've

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: experienced
these things and they wanna share their

story and this is how they're doing it.

Yeah.

You know, Stacy, I think the most
meaningful change that has ever

come about for me is where I stopped
looking at what has happened to me.

And I really started looking
at what have I done Mm-Hmm.

And you know, and it took a long
time to get to that place where

I could psychologically shift.

Mm-Hmm.

Um, then not only what have I
done, but how can I restore that

with the people that are available
for me to restore it with.

Right.

And so, you know, that has brought
me a deep sense of connectedness.

And I think also humility and
empathy and, and I don't claim to

be a humble person, but I, I wanna
be a humble person when I grow up.

Right?

Like, um, but just this idea that, um, a
harm is a collective experience, right?

And so is healing.

Mm-Hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And

Stacy Nation: relationships are
the pieces we're healing, right?

We don't heal outside of a relationship.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: That's right.

Yeah.

I just wanted to

Stacy Nation: pause and
acknowledge those pieces, Rebecca.

'cause one of the themes that's happening
in my own life is this discussion

of vulnerability as a strength.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Mm-hmm.

Stacy Nation: Right.

And vulnerability in
sharing the hard parts.

I very distinctly remember
when I gave my kids an A score.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Yeah.

Yep.

Stacy Nation: And I also very distinctly
know how to offset set a score.

And that's the beauty of all of this.

So thank you for sharing those pieces.

Now let's talk about.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Conference.

Stacy Nation: Oh, I wanna hear you.

You love, you've been to this conference.

I have not been to this conference.

You've facilitated this conference.

You've organized this.

So I wanna hear how did it come to be?

What is this conference?

Who should attend, what
should they look forward to?

All that

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: good stuff.

So, Stacy, you always have to remember
that I'm coming in from, um, an experience

of feeling unseen, of not being allowed
of places at the table of having this.

You know, storyline running in my head
that everybody in my, in my community

would just, they just wish me in.

My kind would just go away.

Right?

So it's, it's that sense of felt danger
when you walk into a bank and everybody's

like, nobody says anything, right?

So this is the, this is
the baggage I'm carrying.

And then these middle class people built
this poverty project and they said,

Hey, you guys come to the table with us.

Come be with us.

We wanna know what you think
and what you need, and we wanna

be a part of you building.

Like, so that's kinda like this.

So when we think about bridging to
resilience, um, I met Jim at a conference,

Jim SPO leader, and I'd seen Paper
Tigers and he just sat and he talked to

me and he wanted to know about my life.

And it was one of those, and
Jim's like that with everybody.

You know, Jim, Jim wants to
know deeply about every human

that God brings into his path.

And he also just has this open
door of friendship, right?

And so I just, you know, showed up to
cultivating this friendship with him.

And when I went to work for Sdda,
full-time, I had these learning centers

and they had kids in them that were
getting kicked outta high schools, right?

Mm-Hmm mm-Hmm.

And part of when I went to
work for Sdda, I said, I wanna

build more poverty projects.

And they were like, that's great.

So I'm consulting in schools, I'm
building poverty projects with parents

that many would label as at risk.

Um, and.

I've got all these kids that are getting
kicked out of the high school, right?

And so these are kind of the pieces that,
that, and I knew that we should have a

conference and we should somehow bring all
of these pieces together around adversity

and the science of trauma and the brain
and the body, and more importantly,

resilience and hope and healing.

So we had our first conference
and we had parents there.

We did a parent panel, um, with
parents from different poverty

projects that were willing to get
on stage and talk to educators.

We brought kids in from the learning
centers to talk about, um, some adversity,

but more importantly, what had made
a difference in their education and

the people who showed up that changed
outcomes and caused them to see a future.

Mm God.

That's powerful.

That gave me goosebumps.

And, um, I knew that we wanted educators
in the room and that, you know, so for me,

kind of the thought process was we need
to continue to create a, a, a theory of

best practice that says, whenever we're
having events, the people that were, I.

Having the events about should be
in the room leading with us, right?

Mm-Hmm.

Um, and remember that's
what happened to me.

So it wasn't something
I thought up, right.

I just had that experience
and I'm like, it works.

Mm-Hmm.

You know, if we can get people to
the table to talk about solving the

issues they're experiencing, they
are our greatest light, um, forward.

So we had our first conference in 2018.

It was like people were blown away.

Um, they were blown away by the kids.

They were blown away by the parents.

The parents were blown
away by the educators.

You know, everybody saw kids that they
had in their building by the kids that

were on stage, you know, talking to us.

Um, the kids were like, they'd
never been to something like that.

It was just so cool.

Right?

Like, and since then we've
gathered faith-based leaders and

we've gathered nonprofits and
we've gathered systems, right?

And it's not just about education.

And so bridging is resilience
and there's just sweet.

Space of what some people are like.

It almost feels like a revival.

And I'm like, I've never been to
a revival, but that's awesome.

You know?

And so, um, I don't know.

It's really, it's a, it's a really
different experience, I think.

I think conferences are powerful
and people come away with a

lot of, um, hope and energy and
new learning and strategies.

There's something about bridging to
resilience, though, that stands out as.

Authentic.

I think, and I'm not saying that
other places aren't authentic,

but there's something raw, Stacy.

It's raw.

It's raw and it's vulnerable and
it, it, it challenges people.

But in a really amazing safe,
let it all go on the floor away.

Right.

Love that.

Stacy Nation: Well, and there's a few
things you're talking about, right?

One, you're focusing on resilience.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: I always

Stacy Nation: say trauma-informed
practices and the strategies behind

that are my religion, like I love, I
love the components of brain science and

resilience, and these are the things we
know that works and that uniqueness of

bringing the people together in all areas.

Right.

I've asked, people have asked
me to very much silo myself.

Do I work with parents?

Do I work with kids?

Do I work with military members?

Do I work with educators?

No, I work with humans.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz:
I work with people.

We work with humans.

Right.

And when you bring

Stacy Nation: them all, yep, yep.

And when you bring them all in
one area, in one space, I can

imagine the powerfulness of that.

So what I'm hearing you saying is

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz:
all people can attend.

All people can attend.

Yes.

Um, there's something there for everyone.

Uh, and Stacy, something this year,
you know, we've been in pretty

glamorous, beautiful venues for the
last couple years, hotels, and I.

Um, since Covid, that's been interesting
because you get into these big

contracts with hotels and there's
just a lot of stress and anxiety

around that for us as an organization.

Um, the last couple years
we have not broke even.

Hmm.

And it's not about making money
for us, but you still have to

kind of pay the bills, right?

And so this year I was
like, you know what?

And so we put our heads together
and we're going to a venue in

Wichita that's on a college campus.

Not glamorous, no bells and whistles.

Uh, but we were able to get the
cost from $450 down to 180 9.

Right?

And so that also helps us make sure
that more people can attend because,

um, and so it's not cross prohibitive.

Love that.

Stacy Nation: Love that.

Right.

The more people that are there, the
more people that hear the messages.

Right.

The other thing is there
is something about a space

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz:
that just feels comfortable.

Yeah.

Yep.

Stacy Nation: Right.

It regulates our nervous system.

I love that.

So if you could take, like what is one
of the biggest takeaways you've ever

had from this conference that you could
share with people to just kind of look

forward to their own takeaways, right.

We all have our own takeaways, but
what's one that you've had on a

personal level from, from hearing
and being in all of these spaces?

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Well, I will say
on a personal level, there's two things

I would say to that on a personal level,
um, I've watched the kids and the parents

that come that I'm close to be changed.

Hmm.

So like, like, because there's such an
us and them with schools and families

and it's, and it happens in middle class,
wealth, poverty, it doesn't matter.

Right.

Um, and parents come
back and they're like.

I didn't know how much teachers cared.

I didn't realize how much
in how invested they were.

I didn't realize that what it cost
them emotionally and spiritually

and you know, in their families.

Like they just come away with this
different respect for the profession

and the people who are in the trenches
with their kids every day and they

come away motivated to be partners.

Love that.

Um, and I've seen that play
out time and time again.

So that part's really precious
to me because, you know, once I.

Started letting the school into our
lives, even though I was scared.

Like they, you know, there's
some really good people inside

of a a school building, right?

And if we can get rid of the
adversarial crap, like powerful things

happen for our kids, even in the
middle of all the struggle, right?

And I've watched the kids come
away too with some new, new ideas.

Uh, and then on a professional level,
I've watched educators walk away.

Different, changed.

Like it's like all of a sudden,
and most of us in a trauma-informed

journey have a day where all of a
sudden the paradigm was cemented.

Mm-Hmm.

Couldn't unsee it.

And I feel like that happens to
educators at this conference.

It happens to professionals
at this conference.

All of a sudden they experience
something that shifts a paradigm in them.

You can see it on day one people kind
of normal conference eyeballs, right?

Yeah.

Day two, something starts happening and by
day three they're just completely undone.

Right?

So like, it's never failed.

And I'm like, because, and they,
and they give us the feedback.

It's so.

Yes.

Great.

Amazing strategies.

Um, I can't wait for you to come
because Stacy, that is something

I deeply appreciated about you.

We've been, there's so much
theory and there's so much belief

changing, but it's like, okay,
how do we put this into action?

Right?

And you have just been out
there building action, right?

And so, like when I found
you, I was like, oh.

I found you at a virtual conference with
Matthew Portel, and I just, you know,

I've watched that particular, um, session
over and over again because it's loaded.

And then to just be able
to turn people onto you.

I, you know, a mom, I reached out
to you the other day and I'm like,

got this mom, kindergartner got
expelled within four days of school.

Mom's overwhelmed, blah, blah, blah.

How can we work on
getting her your course?

And you're like, oh, I
already have it for parents.

It's right here.

Take her to that.

And she's watched all of them.

She's shown it to three other moms.

She's shown it to the para
that she's friends with that's

helping her little boy tools.

Right.

So I think this year is gonna be
loaded with more tools because we're

getting to that place in the movement
where we are building best practice,

we are building more application.

And you have been
instrumental in that, Stacy.

So, um, yeah, I think it's this idea for
me personally and professionally, that

there's no us and them, it's just us.

And this conference brings
people into that awareness.

Yeah.

Well, I would

Stacy Nation: just wanna acknowledge.

Thank you.

Thank you for saying that.

So the reason I have these

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: strategies is

Stacy Nation: because I found
this work before I became a parent

and I needed to break cycles.

Any strategies are based on the
real life things that I go through.

Yeah.

I had a situation with my daughter a
couple weeks ago where she called me from

school and said, I need to go home, and
I did the whole, how long can you stay?

What's going on?

Kind of, you know, gauge where
her sensory system is, where

her stress response system is.

Eventually I picked her up from
school and she said, mom, can we

just go get watercolors and I can
watercolor for the next two hours?

My sensory system needs to calm down.

And I sat with that, right?

And then as I was sitting with that, I was
like, you know what happens with kids who

don't have a mom that's gonna go buy 'em
watercolors and watercolor for two hours?

They're gonna skip school.

They're gonna go get high.

Yeah, right.

They're going to.

And I was like, oh my gosh.

This one act that's two hours of her life.

Is saving her life from decisions
that are gonna regulate, right?

So these strategies are real life
strategies that I'm facing as a mother

that we have to navigate together.

So I just, I, I love that I get the
opportunity to serve your people and

come and meet them and love them,
and then they become my people.

And the conference is
November 6, 7, 8, 5, 6,

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: 7,
8, and I think it's B two R.

Resilience.

We'll get it in there.

That's nevermind.

We'll, we'll put it

Stacy Nation: in there.

We'll put the link in
there so that they have it.

Thank you for your time today, Rebecca.

I totally, I appreciate you and
all the work you're doing and

that you're living the work.

You are one of the most authentic
people I've had the privilege

of running into and I really

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: appreciate that.

Stacy, I feel the same way about you.

Yeah.

There's

Stacy Nation: a reason that
God brought us together, right.

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: There is.

Yeah, that's this.

I mean, there's just these assignments
that we get to be on, and then he says,

Hey, and you're gonna need friends on your
assignments, and I've got them ready too.

And so thanks for letting me find you.

Mm.

The feelings being available to people.

Yeah.

Can't wait to hug you in a month, sister.

Hey, I can't wait for all my
families to meet you, and the

teachers and the administrators.

I'm like, you know?

Yes.

Okay.

Stacy Nation: Yes.

All right.

I'll see you soon.

Thanks for

Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: your time.