Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Corn-Wattree.
Hi Cynthia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I often say that The Brave Educator Project began long before it ever had a name. It started in the classroom — nearly two decades of teaching, learning, and growing alongside students who taught me more about humanity than any curriculum ever could. Early in my career, I realized that what set me apart wasn’t a particular strategy or program — it was the relationships I built. Connection was always my classroom management plan. It’s what transformed my classrooms into communities.
Toward the latter part of my education journey, I transitioned to Crittenton Children’s Center and Day School, where I worked with students navigating complex trauma and mental health challenges. That experience deepened my understanding of what it means to truly see students and reminded me how vital educator regulation and mental health are to everything we do. It connected the dots between what I had always believed — that learning can’t happen without safety, and safety begins with the adult in the room.
After more than 20 years in education, I saw incredible teachers burning out, questioning their purpose, or leaving the profession altogether. The Brave Educator Project became my response to that — a movement to remind educators of their power, their worth, and their capacity to transform classrooms when they lead from a place of regulation and self-awareness.
Today, through Conscious Leadership Collective, I help teachers, leaders, and organizations create trauma-responsive, emotionally intelligent learning spaces that prioritize both student and teacher wellbeing. But at its core, my mission is still the same as it was on my very first day of teaching — to help educators reconnect to themselves, to their students, and to the kind of teaching that changes lives.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — but it’s been a meaningful one. After spending nearly two decades in education, the shift into entrepreneurship was a major learning curve. I went from having a structured school calendar and a clear system to suddenly being the system — learning how to run a business, build partnerships, and market myself. I’ve always been great at promoting others, but turning that spotlight on myself and owning my expertise took some real inner work.
Navigating the COVID era also reshaped everything. It pushed educators — myself included — to reimagine what teaching, connection, and care looked like in uncertain times. That season forced me to slow down, reflect, and ultimately re-envision my work in ways that honored both educators’ humanity and their need for healing.
And like many women balancing multiple roles, growing a business while raising a family came with its own set of challenges. Finding equilibrium between caregiving, creativity, and leadership wasn’t easy — but it taught me to practice what I preach: self-regulation, boundaries, and grace.
Every struggle has helped refine the mission behind The Brave Educator Project and Conscious Leadership Collective. They’ve taught me that liberation doesn’t come from avoiding hard things — it comes from meeting them with courage and compassion.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Brave Educator Project?
The Brave Educator Project is more than a program — it’s a movement. It was created as a call to action for teachers who feel overwhelmed, burned out, or disconnected from the purpose that first called them into education. At its heart, it’s about helping people return to themselves — to their regulation, their confidence, and their sense of purpose — so they can lead, connect, and create from a place of wholeness.
While it began with educators, what we teach inside The Brave Educator Project applies far beyond the classroom. Regulation isn’t just for teachers and students — it’s for all of us. Whether you’re leading a team, running a business, or navigating family life, the ability to self-regulate and respond rather than react transforms everything. It strengthens relationships, increases trust, and allows organizations to grow and thrive because their people are grounded and emotionally intelligent.
What makes The Brave Educator Project unique is that it doesn’t start with strategies or surface-level systems — it starts with the inner work. We focus on self-awareness, emotional regulation, and values-based leadership. Through workshops, speaking engagements, coaching, and professional development partnerships, we help individuals and teams cultivate the skills and mindsets that make healthy, resilient cultures possible.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is that The Brave Educator Project gives people — especially those in service-oriented professions — permission to be human again. It reminds them that their wellbeing isn’t secondary; it’s foundational to everything else. Our tagline says it best: “Radical care for real-world classrooms. Because regulated teachers build revolutionary schools.” And honestly, that message applies everywhere — regulated people build revolutionary communities, companies, and systems.
At the end of the day, we’re building a movement of brave humans who lead with love, tell the truth, and transform the spaces they touch — from classrooms to boardrooms.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Where I see the industry heading (next 5-10 years):
The truth is: we’re on the brink of a seismic shift in education. The upheaval brought by the pandemic exposed what many of us already felt in our bones — that systems built around content delivery, compliance and sheer momentum are no longer enough. We saw with crystal clarity the urgent need for self-regulation, emotional safety and relational connection. In the years ahead, I believe we’ll see three major movements accelerate.
Educator wellbeing, regulation and relational leadership will move from “nice to have” to core requirement.
Post-COVID, the expectation for teachers and school leaders will increasingly include emotional and regulatory competence: not just what you teach, but how you teach. According to recent trend reports, more districts are turning their focus toward professional development that supports teacher wellbeing, targeted support and deeper competencies—not just curriculum refreshes. For me, this is the sweet spot of what the The Brave Educator Project offers, and it positions us ahead of the curve.
Technology, personalization and new learning models will reshape the “classroom” — and the role of the educator will shift accordingly. Numerous reports note that AI, adaptive learning systems, immersive reality, and hybrid-/blended learning models are no longer fringe—they’re rapidly becoming mainstream. With that shift, the educator’s role becomes less about dispensing knowledge and more about guiding, facilitating, mentoring — and modeling regulation. Here’s the pivot: as these tools automate more of the “what” (content, delivery, assessment), the “how” (relationship, regulation, culture-building) becomes the distinct value humans bring. And that’s precisely the space where we position the Brave Educator Project.
Broadening of scope: regulation and relational leadership will move well beyond K-12 education into every sector.
While we began in classrooms, the need for regulation, emotional intelligence and human-centered leadership exists across workplaces, nonprofit sectors, corporate culture, and community systems. Educational disruptions have shown us that when adults don’t regulate, the system suffers — schools, businesses, communities. In the next decade we’ll see more cross-sector learning: what works in trauma-responsive classrooms will translate to teams, offices, leadership cohorts.
This expands our market, broadens our impact, and underscores that regulated people build revolutionary systems — not just in schools, but everywhere.
Pricing:
- Coaching &/or Strategy Consulting $250-$400/hr
- Keynote Address (45-60min) $3,500-$5,000 ($2,500 paired with PD)
- 1/2 day PD $3,000-$4,500
- Full day PD $5,500-$7,500
- Virtual PD/Workshop $750-$1,250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.braveeducatorproject.com/
- Instagram: braveeducatorproject
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiacorn-wattree
- Twitter: braveeducatorproject
