The energy was electric even before more than a thousand educators poured into the seats at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. There’s something indescribable about the anticipatory energy in an empty room awaiting the buzz of eager travelers arriving from different walks of life for one single, solitary purpose– to “touch hearts, inspire minds and embrace possibilities!”
As Conscious Discipline insiders who work diligently to make this annual conference more impactful every year, we know that from those first pre-arrival crackles of energy to the last celebratory song played, the Elevate Conscious Discipline two-day teacher conference will be packed full of meaningful strategies, deep connections to the material and fellow conference-goers,inspirational stories, and real-world tools that transform lives. We know our attendees will never leave the same as they came.
Elevate Conscious Discipline 2024: Embrace Possibilities in Las Vegas, NV on October 23-25th was everything we hoped it would be, and so much more. Conscious Discipline’s highly anticipated annual educator conference did not disappoint with invigorating keynote speakers such as Conscious Discipline creator, Dr. Becky Bailey, Latoria Marcellus, Lety Valero, relationship advocate and inspirational speaker DJ Batiste, and renowned Neuroscience educator, Dr. Lori DeSautels. There were more relevant breakout sessions than ever before (49 in total!), first-of-its-kind, 10+ product demonstration sessions to practice Conscious Discipline’s tools and structures in action, and gasp-worthy raffles and prizes. A total of 47 Certified Instructors descended on Vegas as helpers and speakers, while the incomparable Kenedria (Keke) Thurman led the joy as emcee. From presenters’ boots on the ground practices to the vulnerability of sharing personal experiences to help others grow, Elevate 2024 started in the heart and left attendees renewed, committed, and wanting more.
Embracing All the Possibilities at Elevate 2024
“I’ve waited all year for this moment!” Keke Thurman’s enthusiasm rang out across the stage, giving voice to the shared sentiment of the packed room at the opening of the event. The joy juice was already flowing with the upbeat music, the lights, and the room teeming with people connecting with old friends and making new ones. The look on their faces confirmed why Elevate continues to evolve as a bigger success year after year. Whether they were educators, administrators, school leaders, or mental health professionals, attendees were united by the same purpose: to bring the transformative practices and structures of Conscious Discipline into their own lives, and then into their schools, districts and classrooms. “Take a selfie,” Keke instructed, ”And gather as many people as you can with you–this is the largest Elevate Conference in history!”
That kind of energy only grew over the course of the two day event. Conscious Discipline’s CEO John Hults’ heartfelt welcome to attendees on opening day set the tone with an invitation to unite with Conscious Discipline’s mission: to offer every adult the inspiration, knowledge and skills to self-regulate and create healthy relationships for generations along with the commitment that Conscious Discipline is ready and available to assist with implementation long after the event is over.
“I have a deep, personal belief,” Hults began, “that we’re all capable of incredible greatness individually and in an interconnected way that could transform the world. The problem is, things can get in the way– and it’s often ourselves. With Conscious Discipline, we have practices, tools and capabilities to move out of the Survival State into our Executive State to unlock all of the potential and brilliance we hold.”
You Are The Face of Love: Uncovering The Wisdom Within
Dr. Becky Bailey created Conscious Discipline nearly 30 years ago, inspired by the belief that we were facing a severe sustainability crisis– not sustainability in terms of water or energy, but a crisis of mindset. Our society, she observed, is entrenched in a paradigm of fear and scarcity. She dared to ask deep questions and uncover the brain-based evidence that shaped Conscious Discipline’s foundations:
What if we shifted to a paradigm of unity?
What if we could respond to each other and circumstances with regulated decisions?
What if we learned to listen to our feelings instead of denying or suppressing them?
What if we learned to accept each other as we are?
Dr. Bailey’s keynote titled, “The Path of Possibilities: Consciously Knowing It, Confidently Walking It, and Creatively Getting Back On It When Life Knocks You Down” walked the audience through the research and neuroscience of the Power of Love as an intelligence and not a feeling. It was a message much needed by educators and school leaders around the world.
“We’re not here to tell you the best way to do things, we’re here to help you find the wisdom within,” Dr. Bailey says. “Aren’t you amazed with the noise out there? You have to find the voice within. Our faces are transmitters and receivers: the face has the ability to say, ‘I see you. I hear you. I understand you.’ All these little face moments are the building blocks of our brains and bodies. This is how we stitch humanity back together.”
Dr. Bailey’s inspiring keynote was just the beginning of a tour de force of keynoters that would take over the next three days, diving deeper into the inner workings of nervous systems, brain and body integration, relationship-building and more. Titles like Diving Beneath Behaviors: A Journey Through the Nervous System as We Rewire Our Perceptions of Discipline (Dr. Lori Desautels), Are the Children Well: Igniting the Possibility of Transformation (Latoria Marcellus), It ALL Starts with Composure! Composure changed my life! (DJ Batiste) and IT IS POSSIBLE; From Surviving to Thriving in the Education World with the Skills of Conscious Discipline (Lety Valero) energized the audience and set the stage for the smaller, practical application that was the focus of the breakouts and demonstration sessions. The powerful combination of electrifying, inspiring keynotes and actionable, insightful steps conveyed in the breakout sessions ensured attendees’ learning coalesced into lasting practices and transformation.
Brilliant Breakouts and Playing with Products
A unique and foundational concept behind the Elevate conference is that the breakout sessions are led by active educators, ensuring a level of authenticity few teacher conferences can match. In addition to phenomenal keynote speakers, Elevate 2024 boasted an exceptional roster of active teachers, specialists, and administrators from across the nation who lead the breakout sessions. This year’s 49 breakout sessions shone with diverse and current topics spanning different age-based and speciality tracks and offering something for everyone. The breakout sessions were available to all attendees, with titles like Using Conscious Discipline to Reduce Teacher Turnover and Increase Retention, Building a School Family in Elementary, Create a Safe Place for Self-Regulation in Early Childhood Classrooms and Speaking Conscious Discipline at the Secondary Level.
With 49 unique sessions to choose from, attendees enjoyed a range of breakout experiences from informative and inspirational, to practical yet powerful, and even sessions centered on helping them craft comprehensive and personalized plans to meet today’s challenges with compassion, community, and lasting educational success. One highlight of this year’s breakout session offerings was returning speaker Dr. Valerie Parker’s Tools for Building Sustainable Conscious Discipline Habits.
With 15+ years in education as a teacher and an administrator, Dr. Parker enigmatically addressed how easy it was to attend conferences for professional development, only to return home and never implement the changes so desperately needed. The reason for that, she said, is because we haven’t built sustainable habits. Dr. Parker exposed the dangers of using reward and punishment systems, and responding to behavior before responding first to brain states. “If we don’t want children to grow up manipulating others, we have to stop manipulating them.” Dr. Parker laid out step by step how to break this cycle and, “make this shift stick” by creating sustainable habits that will last for the long term.
The structures and implementation tools in Conscious Discipline uniquely and specifically scaffold the classroom environment to facilitate sustainable change. For the first time, the Elevate conference offered an opportunity for all attendees to learn by engaging with implementation tools and practicing their application with expert guidance during Product Demonstration Sessions. These hands-on sessions were led by educators possessing direct field experience with the tools, providing a safe space to ask questions and dig deeper into their application. Attendees were able to sign up to attend the Product Demonstration Sessions and learn firsthand how to implement these tools within their own school or classroom. The busiest sessions this year were the I Choose Self Control Board session, the I Love You Rituals session, and the Brain Posters, Academic Integration & Executive Function session.
Elevate 2025
As we took the last round of selfies, ushered out the last attendees with hugs and well wishes, and set about tearing down the signage and staging for the event we’d so lovingly built over the past 12 months, one sentiment emerged with clarity: The level of commitment, inspiration, and renewed spirits Elevate 2024 attendees and staff experienced will be hard to top. But our team is up for the challenge!
We’re thrilled to announce that educators the world over will join together in celebration and learning for Elevate 2025 in Conscious Discipline’s hometown of Orlando, Florida on October 23-25th! To help you become part of the Elevate magic, we’re offering special pre-early bird pricing that will save you more than $100 when you register by January 31, 2025.
Don’t wait until the stress and overwhelm of the school year become too large to carry. Attending a conference that provides built-in support for where you are in the moment and resources for the long term is the best kind of self-care. Invest in yourself and your team by registering for Elevate 2025 today! We hope to see you there!
If you’re new to Conscious Discipline and would like to know more about how the implementation of its practices could positively impact your own life and work, here are a few great places to start:
Resources
- The Four Components of Conscious Discipline
- How Does Conscious Discipline Compare with Other Programs?
- Ten Reasons to Shift to Conscious Discipline
- How to Transform Your School with Conscious Discipline
There’s nothing like meeting up with your Conscious Discipline Family in person. Check out our events page often for the latest inspirational workshops, institutes, and conferences near you!
Have a question? You can now connect with live support, available on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. ET. Click on the blue and white thought bubble icon on the bottom right-hand side of the page to connect to a team that is waiting to help.
Sometimes questions can’t wait for working hours. From 5 pm to 9 am. ET, you can access a custom Conscious Discipline chatbot designed to assist you with our most common support requests. If your question requires more personal support, select the “Contact” button to send your inquiry to the appropriate team and someone will get back to you.
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What Happened in Vegas! Elevate 2024
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Jenny Shannon
Jenny Shannon has a B.A. in English, an M.A. in Educational Leadership, and an abiding commitment to believing that what you focus on, you get more of. With a strong background in education and communications and the love of a good story, she is thrilled to work on Conscious Discipline’s Marketing Team as copywriter. She lives in a 200-year-old home in northern New Jersey where she moonlights as chauffeur for her two daughters, can be caught singing showtunes in the kitchen and has strong opinions on the best place to grab a cup of coffee.
