Dr. Jody Carrington is a self-described “clinical psychologist, speaker, author and game changer,” as well as the author of “Kids These Days: A Game Plan for (Re)Connecting With Those We Teach, Lead, and Love” – and that connection has become the focus of her substantial professional efforts.

Though she’s achieved her doctorate in Clinical Psychology and educates and speaks on topics ranging from grief and trauma to relationships and parenting, she said her motivation is a simple one. When she was 16 years old, she experienced the loss of a classmate – and she remembers the compassion with which her teacher delivered the news to her class.

“I have no idea what literacy and numeracy she taught me, but I do remember where she was standing when she told 22 of us in my grade-10 class that the most popular kid in our class that year had been killed,” she said. “I have no idea what she said, but I remember how she made us feel. I remember thinking in that moment, as a 16-year-old kid, ‘That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.’

“I want to make people feel the way [she] made us feel that day.”

On this episode of FranklinCovey Education’s Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham and Dr. Carrington explored her journey toward doing just that, as well as how to help educators understand their impact and help students feel seen.

After all, you can’t give what you’ve never received – and that includes compassion.