Feeding the Soil

  • Shop
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Our Home
  • Our Projects
  • Family Gap Year
  • Montessori
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Our Home
  • Our Projects
  • Family Gap Year
  • Montessori
  • Contact
  • Being the Change

    Brene Brown’s Engaged Feedback Checklist

    July 24, 2019 / No Comments
    Brene Brown's Engaged Feedback Checklist

    I haven’t really gotten into Brene Brown’s stuff yet. I haven’t read any of her books or even watched her Netflix special. However, I just came across Brene Brown’s Engaged Feedback Checklist and wanted to share it.

    My work at Montessori For All involves a lot of deep, complex interpersonal work. The stakes are always so high. We are dealing with children, families, and their futures. We are dealing with the complexity of deeply emotional work. All of us bring our past trauma, our past patterns, our preferences. And we are always working with each other on a really urgent and tight timeline because there’s always so much that … Read More

    Read More
    Sara Cotner
  • Being the Change

    How to Help a Grieving Friend from a Distance

    June 26, 2019 / 2 Comments
    how to help a grieving friend

    Friends of ours just suffered a terrible loss in their lives. I know Matt and I need to do something. However, it’s always hard to know how to help a grieving friend from a distance. I don’t want to say something that trivializes their loss. Nor do I want to stay silent. It’s particularly difficult because they live across the country. We can’t show up and help in ordinary ways.

    I turned to these sources below for ideas. The first piece is my favorite:

    • How to Help a Grieving Friend: 11 Things to Do When You’re Not Sure What to Do

    Above all, show your love. Show up. Say something.

    … Read More
    Read More
    Sara Cotner
  • Being the Change

    How White Privilege Works: A Critique of Time Magazine

    May 8, 2019 / 8 Comments
    Image from Time Magazine about how effective parenting leads to successful children. Unfortunately, there's no mention of white privilege.
    Image courtesy of Time Magazine

    I read Time Magazine article: “I Raised Two CEOs and a Doctor. These Are My Secrets to Parenting Successful Children.” because I love parenting articles. I appreciated the author’s emphasis on the concepts of trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness. Some of the anecdotes remind me of what I try to do in our Montessori home. However, I have not been able to stop thinking about how the author made no mention of the role that white privilege plays in our lives.

    Summary of the Article

    The author explains that her parenting led to the success of her grown-up daughters. One is … Read More

    Read More
    Sara Cotner
45678

Hello & Welcome

Make yourself at home! I’m Sara Cotner, a reader, blogger, author, mother of two, founder of Montessori For All, and sea foam green pottery collector living with a home base in Austin, TX, with Matt Bradford, going on adventures any chance we get. 

Categories

  • Being the Change
  • Books
  • Crafting
  • Dwelling in Possibility
  • Finances-n-Such
  • Functional Fashion
  • Good Times
  • Health-n-Wellness
  • House-n-Home
  • In the Kitchen
  • Menopause
  • Montessori
  • Organization
  • Planting-n-Harvesting
  • Podcast
  • Purposeful Parenthood
  • Reflection-n-Rejuvenation
  • Social Justice
  • Travel-n-Trips
  • Uncategorized

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

Follow

Recent Posts

  • New Year’s Reflection Process
  • Using a Dating App to Make Friends
  • Christmas Countdown
  • DIY Turkey Trot Hat
  • Using Systems to Reduce Holiday Stress

Archives

Top Posts

  • Kahlil Gibran: On Children
    Kahlil Gibran: On Children
  • Shower Board as a DIY White Board
    Shower Board as a DIY White Board
  • Lockhart Texas with Kids: Fun Things to Do
    Lockhart Texas with Kids: Fun Things to Do
  • Brene Brown's Engaged Feedback Checklist
    Brene Brown's Engaged Feedback Checklist
  • Montessori Bedroom for a One Year-Old
    Montessori Bedroom for a One Year-Old

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

Follow Me

© 2025 Sara Cotner of Feeding the Soil