Bridging Two Worlds: Mindful Wellness in Modern Schools
When life's foundations shake, finding stillness can seem impossible. For veteran nurse Marlene Lucio Barrett, a personal crisis became the catalyst for discovering how simple wellness techniques could transform not only her own life but the lives of countless students.
Finding Strength in Unexpected Places
With nearly three decades of hospital and home care nursing experience, Marlene never imagined she'd find herself starting over. Yet when her marriage began unraveling due to the impact of substance use, she discovered STOP & FLOW – a process that allowed her to create a place where she was safe to work through fear and uncertainty. As a mother protecting her young son, these simple techniques provided stability during life's most turbulent moments.
"The simple steps, the love that's built into STOP & FLOW is just so present," Marlene explains. "Even sharing a piece, a little piece of it at times brought healing to myself and the people I was sharing it with."
From Personal Healing to Professional Innovation
After decades in structured medical environments, Marlene took a bold step into school nursing. "Working in the schools is a totally different place for me," she shares. "I worked a long time in the hospitals and in the home with a lot of structure and support around the children. Now transitioning into the schools, I've experienced different worlds for them."
This transition revealed something crucial: traditional approaches alone weren't always enough. Marlene found herself naturally weaving gentle STOP & FLOW movements into her daily interactions with students. One powerful example illuminates this approach:
"Some of the things that I've been able to work into my day is simply helping a little child reduce her stress because she wanted her mom... just teaching her some hand gestures, being playful... allowing her to take control of what she was feeling. We gently walked her to her mother without her even realizing that she had come down from where our words were not working."
Creating Meaningful Change
"Less is more," Marlene reflects. "The stillness piece of STOP & FLOW was what I could really digest at that time... And now, seeing students respond to these simple techniques, it confirms what I learned in my own journey – that sometimes the gentlest approaches have the most powerful impact."
For educators and health professionals feeling overwhelmed by increasing student needs, Marlene's experience offers hope. "If anybody's going through these different challenges, obstacles, whatever you want to call them, there is peace in the stillness," she shares. "And if I didn't experience it myself, I never would have believed it."
Let's Make It Happen Together
If Marlene's story has inspired you to explore how STOP & FLOW can make a difference in your school or community, here are some ways to get involved:
Bring STOP & FLOW to Your School: Book a discovery call to learn how we can support your students and staff.
Explore Upcoming Events: Visit enjoychi.com/events for trainings and workshops designed for educators.
Tune In to the Podcast: Listen to Marlene's full interview and other inspiring stories at enjoychi.com/podcast.
Share Your Story: Join me on the podcast or suggest topics you'd love to explore.
#STOPandFLOW #PersonalHealing #LessIsMore