We were lucky to catch up with Julie Lillie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I was a peace and justice centered educator for over fifteen years in diverse preK-12 settings. I served in many roles such as teacher, instructional leader, literacy specialist, equity coach and curriculum developer. I received a strong vision in meditation and realizing my purpose to inspire and guide change on a wider scale, I left the school setting and began coaching and consulting in peace education and social emotional learning.

I established The Peace Pad, a consultancy dedicated to bringing peace education to a greater audience. My career, personal experiences and beliefs about the intersections of peace, justice, literacy and mental, social and emotional well-being anchor my vision of evolving our educational systems and bringing peace education to people at all ages and stages of life. I deeply believe peace education is for everyone – at all ages and stages! The Peace Pad’s offerings (and my life!) align with Five Peace Actions:

~ Seek Peace Within Yourself And Others
~ Respect Diversity
~ Protect Our Environment
~ Reach Out In Service
~ Be A Responsible Citizen Of The World

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After 15 years as a teacher, coach, curriculum developer and trainer in prek-12 schools, I founded The Peace Pad. The Peace Pad supports and engages with people at all ages and stages of life. The Peace Pad shares free practices, lessons, digitals, videos, resources and community-based workshops. I also offer consulting services, welcoming opportunities to collaborate with peace-seeking people, leaders, government, businesses, organizations, schools and learning spaces. This customized peacelearning, aligned to the peace actions, needs and goals are offered in person and virtually and include programs, professional learning, coaching and speaking, as well as content, curriculum & learning design, integration and implementation.

The Peace Pad provides access to a free newsletter for updates and offerings. We share ideas, opportunities, events, resources, videos, practices and programs to support our journey of seeking peace. Peacelearning content is also shared on Instagram, LinkedIN and Facebook.

Peace education is important because, as Dr. Maria Montessori said, “Averting war is the work of politicians; establishing peace is the work of education.” Education is a human right that disrupts oppression, breaks cycles of poverty, enables personal growth, celebrates cultural diversity, fosters environmental stewardship and improves overall well-being. What could be more important than that!?

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Since childhood, I’ve struggled with intermittent musco-skeletal injuries, pain and other health problems. By 30, my deteriorating physical health was significantly impacting my work as an educational leader – and my quality of life. I was suffering physically, mentally and emotionally, and yet, gratefully, I was able to transmute this with support of my family, friends and a phenomenal care team. As I healed physically, childhood trauma came to the surface, long deeply intertwined and affecting my overall well-being. Without this inner healing, supported by breathwork and meditation practices, I know I would not be here and sharing this with you now.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My colleague, principal Dr. Carey Seeley Dzierzak, was leading her elementary school in becoming a peace site and retained me as her leadership coach to help bring this vision into action. As we researched and evaluated options for peace education curriculum, it became clear that there were not many options available for engaging, comprehensive and current elementary-aged resources in the field. We decided that we would create a book that would fill an essential void in the primary/elementary peace education and literacy world.

Dr. Seeley also supported the envisioning of The Peace Pad, a consultancy dedicated to bringing peace education to a greater audience.

My career, personal experiences and beliefs about the intersections of peace, justice, literacy and mental, social and emotional well-being anchor my vision of evolving our educational systems and bringing peace education to people at all ages and stages of life.

Carey and I co-wrote Empowering Peace and Justice Education:: An Actionable Framework for Elementary Educators and Learners (publisher – Routledge). This guidebook offers actionable strategies to embed peace education in your life, classroom and school culture. Featuring over 100 lessons and practices, it emphasizes culturally relevant pedagogy, trauma informed care and creating brave, democratic spaces for a more just and peaceful world.

The framework, the same for The Peace Pad, centers Five Peace Actions:
~ Seek Peace Within Yourself and Others
~ Respect Diversity
~ Protect Our Environment
~ Reach Out In Service
~ Be A Responsible Citizen Of The World

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thepeacepad.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeacepad_julie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepeacepad
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thepeacepad/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeacepad