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In this powerful episode of the Crisis in Education Podcast, Dr. Paul “Paulie” Gavoni sits down with Bonnie and Thomas Liotta, founders of Creating Champions For Life, for an unfiltered conversation about behavior, safety, and the cost of getting it wrong.

The discussion centers on a reality educators and parents can no longer ignore: when systems rely on reactive, punishment-based approaches, everyone loses—students, families, and staff. Drawing from decades of experience and thousands of transformed families, the Liottas challenge conventional behavior management practices and offer a proactive, skills-based alternative grounded in prevention, regulation, and human dignity.

Together, Paulie, Bonnie, and Thomas unpack why restraint-driven cultures persist, how fear and misinformation shape decision-making, and what happens when adults are trained to teach life skills instead of managing crises. The conversation connects behavior science, parenting, education, and leadership through one unifying question: What would change if we focused on building capacity instead of controlling behavior?

This episode is a must-listen for educators, administrators, behavior analysts, parents, and leaders who want safer environments, better outcomes, and approaches that actually work in the real world.

About the Guests

Bonnie and Thomas Liotta are the founders of Creating Champions For Life, where they have helped over 3,000 children achieve a 90% behavioral transformation rate and a 78% medication elimination rate across hundreds of families.

After Bonnie’s own children struggled with behavioral diagnoses, she discovered Thomas’s methodology and experienced a complete transformation at home. Today, they challenge traditional parenting and behavior models by teaching families how to eliminate challenging behavior through proactive life-skills development, not punishment. Combined, they bring over 60 years of experience in child development and personal growth.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

🔹 Digital Collection – The Path to Parenting Paradise
https://thepathtoparentingparadise.com/

🔹 E-Book Resources
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pQ05RIBDfSBj7D_buUs8K-9Rcz6TTVPntqJPvurS_kc/edit?usp=sharing

🔹 LinkedIn Article by Bonnie & Thomas Liotta
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bonnie-and-thomas-liotta-13339480_last-week-a-staff-member-died-restraining-activity-7389407546563989504-c3Wp

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In this episode of the Crisis in Education podcast, Dr. Paul “Paulie” Gavoni sits down with Michael Waller, an attorney and Executive Director of Georgia Appleseed, to talk about the real work of keeping students safe, supported, and out of the criminal justice system. Drawing from legal, educational, and behavioral science perspectives, they unpack how poverty, exclusionary discipline, and lack of proactive support funnel students — especially kids in poverty and kids of color — from classrooms into courts. The conversation shines a light on what actually works: strengthening schools as prevention hubs, building predictable environments, and giving educators the tools to respond to behavior before it escalates.

🔑 Key Topics Covered

• Why the criminal justice system was never designed for children
• How poverty and school exclusion feed the “school-to-system” pipeline
• The real impact of suspension, expulsion, and “push-out” practices
• What educators can do when they don't control the home environment
• How legal advocacy and behavior science intersect in prevention
• The role of predictable, reinforcing environments in reducing crisis behavior
• Why “safety” must be defined as more than just the absence of violence

If you believe schools should be places of opportunity, not gateways to the system, share this episode with a colleague, educator, or policymaker.
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In this episode, Dr. Paul “Paulie” Gavoni sits down with Mike Caldwell, founder of LinkedLeaders, a national platform dedicated to accelerating the growth and effectiveness of K–12 school leaders. With a shared passion for bringing out the best in people through leadership and behavioral science, Paulie and Mike explore what it really takes to build schools where leadership is intentional, scalable, and deeply human.

They unpack the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and professional support systems that truly equip leaders to thrive—not just survive—in today’s complex educational landscape. Mike shares lessons from his work with charter schools and district leaders, emphasizing that leadership development isn’t a luxury—it’s the lever for sustainable change.

Through stories from the field, Paulie and Mike connect the dots between values, systems, and performance. They dig into how leaders can multiply their impact by investing in others, building communities of practice, and aligning actions with purpose. The conversation highlights how effective leadership ripples outward—from the superintendent’s office to the classroom, and ultimately to the students themselves.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Leadership growth happens through mentorship, modeling, and deliberate practice, not chance.
• Schools flourish when leaders create reinforcement-rich environments that build trust and accountability.
• Effective leaders see themselves as part of a system—their behavior sets the tone for everyone else’s performance.
• Collaboration and connection aren’t soft skills—they’re the foundation of sustainable school improvement.
• Empowering school leaders means empowering students, families, and communities.

💬 About the Guest

Mike Caldwell is the founder of Link Leaders, a national organization connecting K–12 education leaders to expertise, tools, and community. Previously the Director of Bluum, Mike has mentored and coached school leaders across Idaho to design innovative models, strengthen leadership capacity, and scale high-quality practices that improve student outcomes.

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