Every person is heard and seen
For the gifts they bring — not just the behavior they’re showing on a hard day.
The leading model for changing suspension-first discipline
50%+ fewer suspensions. Two years running.
Restoring connection, cultivating growth, leading with love.
Heart Centered Practices equips educators, parents, and communities with restorative, heart-centered strategies — practical enough for a school district, human enough for a living room.
"This was the first time someone asked me why I was mad — not just what I did."
Who we are
We believe meaningful change begins in the heart. Our mission is to equip parents, educators, leaders, and communities with tried-and-true skills anchored in restorative practices and heart-centered strategies that nurture growth, belonging, and resilience — practical and deeply compassionate.
What we do
Grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and lived human experience, we help individuals and groups reframe old patterns, restore relationships, and rewrite their stories — one classroom, one home, one community at a time.
What we believe
We include and lift up
So we can harness the collective wisdom of the individual and the group.
We practice habits that let us live from our whole, core selves
Regulation and reflection aren’t extras — they’re the foundation everything else stands on.
Everything we need is already here
Change doesn’t require importing something foreign to a community — it requires drawing out what’s already present.
Community thrives through interconnectedness
No one regulates, heals, or grows in isolation.
I started Heart Centered Practices to support Heart Centered Humans build a Heart Centered World.Jesse
Find your path
HCP meets you where you already are — in the classroom, at home, or in your own life.
What the Student Support Room is changing
Real numbers from the flagship implementation at Herbert Akins Road Middle School, comparing the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
626student visits in 2025-26, up from 477 the year before
27total suspensions this year, down from 78 three years ago
100+staff trained, plus 30+ peer mediators
Instead of office referrals or removals, students receive immediate de-escalation, restorative coaching, and re-entry support — protecting learning time while improving school climate. See the full picture, including this year’s regulation data, on the Educators page.
From the field
Real feedback from trainings, sessions, and the Student Support Room itself.
"I wanted more. So great. Very helpful. Make Mr. D teach at my school!"
"Concrete and accessible information — we’ll be in touch for more."
"Great model program to share with district. We’d like the handouts by email to use in our own schools."
"Jesse did amazing! Very adaptive — I learned, felt connected, and would recommend."
"This was the first time someone asked me why I was mad — not just what I did."
"This training gave our staff a shared language for de-escalation we didn’t have before — it changed how our building talks about behavior."
"The Student Support Room gave us a place to send a kid that isn’t a punishment — and it’s working."
"Jesse’s approach with the Warm Demander framework changed how I hold boundaries with my own kids."