A Conversation With Joelle Hadley

Why do you believe SEL and EQ are important?

Research shows that our emotional skills are 80% of our success or failures in life. We must learn how to master our emotions skillfully. People feel empowered and confident when they can be resilient to setbacks and strong emotions. Emotions drive all human behavior and we must make this the foundation of all life skills.

Do you have any personal anecdotes about how SEL/EQ has brought you success in your
personal life/career?

At 28 I became the youngest woman publisher in the country. At the time I didn’t know it was my emotional maturity and EI that helped me succeed at such a young age. Now that EI is a critical part of my offerings, I now realize that my confidence, authenticity and personal drive are what helped me be successful in an “older man’s world.” I also used my social intelligence to think about the world in grays versus black and white. I still need to work on my impulse control and empathy skills! Emotional Intelligence continues to be my most popular and life changing programs I offer at The Culture Coaches.

What do you believe to be one or two of the main challenges in education (K-8) today?

Education can be too structured and a one size fits all. We are all so unique and learn in different ways. Also the traditional classroom space is not conducive for learning, connecting and creativity.

Conversely, what do you believe to be one or two of the biggest opportunities in education (K-8) today?

We also must learn to help students manage our collective anxiety as a society through confidence building and increase in resiliency through emotional and social skills. I see adults in the working world who just never learned good coping or relationships skills.