Lauren (Helm) Stauble is a professor of Early Childhood Education as well as consultant for her business, Engage: feel.think.connect. She is co-creator of the Collaborative Emotion Processing, a method for developing emotional intelligence (book coming fall 2023). She taught and cared for children ages birth-eight years in centers as well as in her home-based program 16 years, before moving into program administration and higher education. Lauren’s work evolves daily and is result of 20 years of practice which includes emergent curriculum, anti-bias education, community activism, in-depth study and personal practice of yoga/meditation, psychology coursework, mindfulness-based therapy, healing centered education training, and being raised by a mother with a healthy sense of agency. She’s interested in deepening her understanding and expertise of collaboration as an essential tool for early childhood education and how the presence of emotional intelligence in the group enhances the process. Lauren takes every opportunity to explore the applications of behavioral science, neuropsychology research, and mindfulness within the contexts of emotions and implicit bias, using this information to reimagine systems that are equitable, relationships-based and sustainable. In between she enjoys spending time with dear ones in the mountains, in the tropics, around the fire and in our kitchens.