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Meet Kami Guarino of The Excellence Team in Greenwood Village

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kami Guarino.

Kami, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I spent over 30 years in education as a school counselor, school administrator and most importantly, a mom of four kids who navigated through the K-12 system. My background in counseling and school leadership-combined with an extensive background in mindfulness, restorative practices, trauma-informed care – has naturally led me to focus on the whole child/whole adult approach to education and life.

Three years ago, I decided to leave the formal school setting and venture out on my own to create a business that would help educators shift their mindset from surviving to thriving. I have encountered too many individuals who have served others, strive to make a difference in the world but so often are left feeling depleted and exhausted.

We live in a world of change and uncertainty and if we want our kids to be an integral part of the future, we need to lead with courageous compassion. I love striving for educational excellence “out of the box”, challenging my colleagues to think “big”, embrace challenges, and create opportunities for kids to thrive. I envision a world where passionate people commit to inspiring excellence.

I am passionate with what I do every day and embrace the challenge of shifting a culture by focusing on three words Listen, Relate, and Celebrate. It’s so simple and easy to say, yet hard to do. I embrace these words as a commitment to find the good in ourselves and others to not only feel a shift in our personal and professional space, but to empower those around us to thrive and grow in more ways than we can imagine.

I have been married for 29 years and my husband and I have raised four unique children that thrive in different ways. We both have an unwavering belief that communities need to be preserved, that relationships between schools and families are critical in order to move forward, and every child must have access and opportunity to a rigorous education. I approach life with a vulnerable heart and instinct to do not necessarily what is expected but what is “right” for kids. I appreciate every opportunity that has been given to me and never take an experience for granted.

Has it been a smooth road?
As a school counselor and administrator, I worked in a school system with set hours, expectations, a steady salary and a job that was somewhat defined for me. With that being said, educators know that there is no such thing as a beginning and end to a day, week, or year in schools. I, like so many others, led by instinct and an open heart that does what is best for kids. There is no on and off button.  You do whatever you can to ensure every child and adult’s needs are being met. A school day was filled with the unexpected that helped instill flexibility, initiative, vulnerability and an adaptive approach to life. Although school roles were the only thing I knew and had done since graduating from college 32 years ago, the lessons learned were a true blessing to becoming an entrepreneur.

What I did not realize was how much more I would need to stretch my thinking and vulnerability and risk-taking to create my business, The Excellence Team.

When I stepped into the entrepreneur world it was a whole new ball game! I went from a professional space that I was always surrounded by adults and kids that helped gage my effectiveness to a space where I was alone much of the time building my business and creating something that just started as a thought.

I have been incredibly blessed with incredible mentors my whole life. Thankfully my husband has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years and was and still is my number one support and mentor. 

I always embraced vulnerability as a stepping stone to learn and move forward, but going from the education space to the business space was a much bigger leap than I thought it would be. It has been worth every minute of this journey!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
This company arose from my most recent work experience in a school with the creation of The Excellence Team, a team of educators that wanted to lead with inspiring thoughts, ideas and ways to engage our kids and community.

The years spent collaborating with these revolutionary thinking educators evolved into a team which became the driving force to a positive climate and culture within the professional community I worked in. By filtering work through an equity lens, the team ensured inclusive excellence and equity by empowering individuals to reflect on best practices, their own culture and biases, relationships, wellness, data and social emotional skills needed for success in both their personal and professional life. We created school-wide sustainable programs that included social emotional learning, equity reflection, restorative practices, wellness and resilience. These initiatives were unique to the community’s needs and those that lead it found their true passion for why they came to school every day.  The Excellence Team was a change agent that inspired not only the team but others to reflect, learn and lead.

Amongst the creation of this business, I am most proud of my recent work around emotional resilience. I published Resilience Journal for Educators in June 2019 and have completed two additional journals (Summer Edition and the 100-day Edition) in the series. The work centers around the need for daily reflection and self-care for educators. In addition, I offer professional development opportunities and coaching for educators. I provide schools and small businesses personal professional development that will connect and ignite their teams to think differently and be part of an exceptional organization. Some of the topics include: the urgency of self-reflection, cultivating resilience, mindfulness and wellness, the power of setting intentions and goals, creating a community for inspired growth and leadership, and crafting a social-emotional approach to learn and lead.

What sets me apart from others is that I focus on both the adults and kids, but work with the adults first. We strive to teach our kids how to be social emotional healthy individuals but often put our needs aside. How do we expect to do what is best for kids if we are not living, breathing and modeling what it looks like to be mentally and physically healthy adults that manage stress, uncertainty, and the demands of life in a healthy and productive way.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes- I believe our schools and small businesses and its’ leaders in the Denver metro area are looking to be better listeners, build teams that feel empowered to take on new initiatives, create connections with their communities, and look for ways to celebrate even the small moments that can serve as stepping stones to move a school/company forward. 

Pricing:

All journals available on Amazon

Looking for professional development, coaching or journals for your team? 

Contact Kami@TheExcellenceTeam.net or visit www.TheExcellenceTeam.net for available professional development opportunities, coaching, and bulk pricing for journals.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Jennifer Henningsen
Debbie Haines

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