"This is a powerful and moving resource and will inspire every educator who wants to make a difference!"

"Michelle Trujillo writes compellingly about leading with heart and intentionality towards a systemic approach to social and emotional learning (SEL). She elevates the critical voices of students and shares concrete strategies to help educators create schools that simultaneously meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of young people and adults."

"We are finally beginning to recognize that schools cannot focus on academics alone. The success of children is tied to their social and emotional development. This important book describes what schools can do to address the needs of the whole child. For educators and others who seek to ensure that schools are able to respond to the needs of our children, this book is an invaluable resource."

"This is a very important book. It is well written, insightful, practical, and consistent with research on the science of learning and development. Start With the Heart strategically incorporates the voices of students and provides readers with opportunities to reflect so that they can embed social emotional learning in their practices and 'way of being.' Learning and teaching is hard—particularly when students face many challenges. However, students and teachers can succeed; this book illustrates how we can create safe, engaging, equitable learning opportunities for all students."

"Start With the Heart is a must read for teachers seeking research-based practices that expand the social, emotional, and academic development of their students."

"Educators have known that building students' social emotional skills (SES) is critical to their future success. It’s time for schools to embrace and understand the significance of being deliberate in incorporating SES skills in their classrooms and schools. Hats off to Michelle Trujillo for writing a book that walks teachers and schools through a process that shows how it can be successfully done."

"Michelle Trujillo brings a scientifically-based framework to this work, as well as a strong social and emotional component, both of which are so important to our schools. Michelle is able to bridge the gap so all stakeholders understand the impact that creating a social and emotional learning environment has on academic achievement."

"Michelle Trujillo takes you on a journey with Social and Emotional Learning to make a difference: not like on a train ride that keeps you on track, but more like an airplane flight that takes you to places you may never have been before. Her Reflection Pages, Suggestions from Students, and Study Questions, peppered with a strong dose of Hope, guide you toward your destination to becoming a better educator. Enjoy the ride!"

"Michelle Trujillo skillfully blends research, evidence, anecdotes, and opportunities for readers' personal reflections. She has produced an excellent resource that appeals to the intellectual mind, common sense, and the reader's heart. This fantastic book separates itself from others by not only backing up claims with evidence and research, but also facilitating the reader in arriving at those very same conclusions through logic, common sense, and personal reflection into his or her own life experience with social and emotional learning. It has been said that you must touch the heart before you can teach the mind. This book does both."

"Chock-full of validating and affirming statements for best practice when supporting students who have experienced trauma, this book presents great probing questions to use with staff. Michelle Trujillo provides powerful questions that support leaders in framing meaningful and reflective conversations. After reading Chapter 2, I used some of those questions the next week. I needed this read after a busy start to the school year. Our students need us to be our best selves!

As a fellow continuation high school principal, I read this book and felt heard and seen. The work, the reminders, and belief systems outlined by Michelle inspire me to keep learning, improving, and implementing social and emotional learning for students and staff."

"I have been involved in the implementation of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools for many years. What I loved about this book is that it takes the theory and research behind SEL and puts heart and relevance behind it. It not only gives practical advice and suggestions, but also serves as a kind and gentle way for the readers to reflect on their own practice and work to grow their own social and emotional skills. I have already recommended it to classroom teachers and am envisioning how I will use it for the next professional development activity I will be facilitating, as this book can be relevant to classroom teachers, administrators, and anyone in a school setting who works with kids. The title is Start With the Heart and I feel like the heart of the author, her love for students, and her passion for this work comes through on every page."

"Through touching anecdotes and practical activities, Trujillo’s strengths-based approach conveys feasible strategies for improving schools: Start with positive regard, teach the social-emotional skills we want to see, and model these skills for students and colleagues."

"Start with the Heart is amazing and filled with practical information for educators. As Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, I purchased the book for every administrator in our district. Our school counselors want a copy and of course our teachers do as well!"

"Every time I pick up this book and look at a few activities, I find myself getting neck strain, because I am so vigorously nodding my head in agreement! This is among the very best resources I have seen. Thank you for the true, inspiring, hope-igniting gift of this book and its insights."